Posts Tagged ‘Monongahela River’
An agonizing scuttle
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Y’know what? A broken ankle really hurts, even four months later when you’re officially ‘on the mend.’ After getting off of the ‘T’ Light Rail, which I had ridden into town here in Pittsburgh after attending a ‘PT’ or Physical Therapy appointment nearby The T’s last stop, the ankle was definitively not happy. A weird clicking sensation was occurring on downsteps, and the muscular atrophy in my hips and upper thighs, caused by sitting in a wheelchair for two months, made itself known.
I walked half way out onto the Smithfield Street Bridge, which I had intended to cross from the other side of the river, but every step became an act of will to complete and I had debarked the T a stop earlier than my planned location.
This experience reminded me of the first time I walked to Dutch Kills from Astoria back when I first started getting interested in Newtown Creek after the cardiac incident almost twenty years ago. I was using a cane in those days, and the two and change miles walk to the waterway exhausted my reserves and it took me a couple of hours. It was a long walk, back then.
A couple of years later and this became a half hour to 45 minute walk, from Astoria to my beloved creek. You gotta just suck it up, sometimes, knowing that payoff is coming down the line. Push! Lean into it!
– photo by Mitch Waxman
My destination and reward for all this effort were about a half mile (or a little more) away from this spot. Normal circumstances would describe the following path as a 15 minute walk. It took me an hour. Luckily, one of my favorite podcasters – Dan Carlin – had just released a ‘Hardcore History Addendum’ broadcast featuring an interview with journalist Zeinab Badawi discussing the African Kingdom of Kush. (Spotify link). Worth a listen, and it’s a subject seldom discussed.
It was about 5 p.m. when I was walking around, a pretty busy interval in Pittsburgh as everybody is moving around and going from one place to another. Auto traffic is pretty heavy, and what they call ‘rush hour’ occurs. As a former New Yorker… it’s not heavy highway traffic if it’s moving at 35 mph. Hell, it’s not heavy traffic unless you put your car in park on the BQE and lie out on the car’s hood to work on your tan while waiting for things to loosen up.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As mentioned in the past, I’m goofy for funiculars, so when I saw the incline moving around on snow covered tracks, I couldn’t resist. The fact that I got to stand still for a couple of minutes didn’t hurt either.
I still had the better part of a mile ahead of me, so I leaned into the walk and got moving. Unfortunately, and this wasn’t intentional, my stride length had diminished seriously at this point. I found myself walking like a penguin, with short steps and swinging my hips around more than my legs. Doesn’t matter, said a humble narrator out loud, got to keep moving. If you stop moving, you die.
You have no idea how horrible it is to have ‘me’ inside of my head. I’m tougher intellectually than I am physically, and I’m often a real dick towards myself.
Back tomorrow.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
Still no drones…
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Your humble narrator had to get out of the house, for a variety of reasons, so the Mobile Oppression Platform was loaded up with the camera bag and I drove ‘into town.’
As a note: I’m not observing any of those mega drones y’all back around NY Harbor keep talking about seeing in the sky, here in Pittsburgh.
Stairs, you see a lot of municipal stairs here – the Yinzers call them ‘City Steps.’ One was recently privy to a heated conversation about local slang debating whether chunks of Pizza are called ‘cuts’ or ‘slices.’ They got’s their own language around these parts.
Me? I was heading towards a rail yard I’ve been wanting to take a look at, in an ‘on the triangle’ Pittsburgh neighborhood called ‘Hazelwood.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Along the Monongahela Riverfront, you’ll notice an enormous empty property which used to be some sort of steel mill (Eliza Furnace). Rail infrastructure, including a former roundhouse which is now disconnected from the tracks, runs through here on multiple paths. The bridge pictured above is called the Hot Metal Bridge, and it was discussed in prior posts.
I’ve walked the opposite side of the river multiple times, but this spot in Hazelwood is a bit harder to access on foot than it is by car. Additionally, and allow me to say this gently – Hazelwood can be a rather rough section of town – so it’s best to drive rather than scuttle through it.
Also, given that my ankle is still mending – scuttling isn’t really on the agenda for a bit.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Across the water, on the southern bank of the Monongahela, is the water facing section of a parcel called ‘Hay’s Woods.’ Haven’t been there yet, but apparently it’s a fairly wild parcel which hosts a lot of critters, including nesting Bald Eagles. Neat! I plan on scuttling through there this spring. See what you can see and all that.
Back tomorrow with more from your recently reactivated Newtown Pentacle.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
Neo Jerusalem?
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I really desired to capture the shot above, just to bring things visually back to where they were when my left ankle got snapped in three – a situation described in this Newtown Pentacle post from September 24th.
The dire predictions of recovery time related to the injury described in that post were the ‘worst case scenario’ ones offered by the medical people. As it turns out, three months later – almost to the day – I’m able to walk again, albeit slowly and with a limp. The six months date is apparently built around when they think I’ll be ‘back to normal.’
I laugh my scary laugh whenever somebody uses the word ‘normal’ to describe me. This makes the Pittsburgh people uncomfortable, but I gotta be me. Bwah hah hah.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I made sure to get a few shots of the T light rail as it was moving around, as well. Looking forward to resuming the usage of that particular amenity here in Pittsburgh. What I’m really looking forward to is the moment when one can reasonably plan out a short photowalk, but that’s 100% up to the ankle.
I’ve also missed getting shots of a group of Nazi’s who’ve been showing up here to wave their ugly flags and graffiti the walls with eighty year old iconography. Yup, straight up Nazi’s with swastikas and arm bands.
How retro…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
On the other hand, this pile of graffiti found on a recycling bin offers the POV that Pittsburgh is so special and nice that they’ve named it as being ‘The New Jerusalem.’ Y’know, I have zero interest in visiting the old Jerusalem, so that’s a lucky stroke – ain’t it?
Back next week, hopefully.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
Diesel power, yo
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Finally, the end of my ‘Saturday session,’ which saw the camera being brandished about for the first time in three months, arrived as CSX #5401 clattered into view. Man, oh man, have I missed this.
As I’ve explained many times – I’m not a railfan in the traditional sense. My nerdy obsessions generally lean towards science fiction and comic books – superheroes and such. I just find rail shots to be a bit challenging from a ‘technical’ photography POV.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Giant thing with lots of discrete detail that’s moving at a high rate of speed, and enters the frame with very little warning? Yeah! Trains are up there with ‘dogs playing’ as far as being a difficult subject to capture with a high failure rate for the shots.
#5401 is a GE Evolution Series locomotive, I’m told. It was hauling a terribly heterogenous series of rail cars – automotive, tankers, shipping containers, etc., and heading more or less southeast.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
After this big boy passed me by, I decided to head back to HQ for a sit down, and called a cab. I had left the car at home, thinking that I might want to grab a beer at the nearby brewery before deciding against that plan.
Back tomorrow, at this – your Newtown Pentacle.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
Towboat L Dale Manns on the Mon
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
While waiting for a train to show up, and standing on my formerly broken but still painful ankle for a couple of hours (today is exactly three months from the injury/surgery btw) in 25 degree weather, with a steady wind, your humble narrator was actually enjoying himself.
It’s been a minute…
The Towboat ‘L Dale Manns’ appeared on the Monongahela River, heading towards its intersection with the Allegheny River where the two waterways combine into the Ohio River. The water level here is referred to as ‘The Pittsburgh Pool’ by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), whose institution maintains navigability for maritime activity, with said ‘pool’ being maintained via the usage of a series of locks and dams both up and down the river(s).
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Towboat ‘L Dale Manns’ was built in 1973 as the ‘Polar Explorer,’ in Louisiana, and has had several owners and incarnations since. It’s currently based out of South Point, Ohio. You can read all about it here – at tugboatinformation.com.
As you can see from this wide shot, they tow quite a large raft of barges hereabouts. The barges looked like they were transporting coal, but since I don’t know that for sure – minerals. I don’t say what something is unless I’m sure of it. This habit of mine has gotten me in some trouble locally, here in Pittsburgh, as there’s a whole lot of local politics and bitter feelings that rise up when the subject of coal comes up in Appalachia.
Saying that… seriously, I don’t know for a fact that what’s in those barges is coal so…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The Towboat proceeded along the Monongahela, passing under the Liberty and then Panhandle bridges on its way to the junction with the Ohio River. Your humble narrator wasn’t done quite yet, however, and despite the sun descending behind Mount Washington, I stuck around for a little while yet.
You’ll notice that I haven’t mentioned ‘walking’ at all, as I wasn’t. Still not ready for a grand stroll, I’m afraid. When I got back to HQ, just standing around for a couple/three hours had resulted in me needing to apply ice packs to the affected limb to control swelling, for instance.
Back tomorrow.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
The Newtown Pentacle 