The Powers Above

(Sunday morning, 8.21.22) A flash of lightning crosses the sky right above the church as I turn off my engine. A second later a loud crack of thunder follows. It rumbles on after the initial explosion, it seems to last forever. The rain is coming down hard.

    Inside the church, the lights are low, the few people there are quiet, the rain on the roof adds a soft background noise. Flashes of lightning illuminate the stained windows and the resulting thunder joins in to accompany the beat of the rain.

More people arrive, the lights are brightened, and the Mass begins. The organ adds to the music of the storm outside. The lightning and thunder make dramatic backdrops to the service. As the priest gives his sermon, he talks about families and how accepting they are. I look at the parishioners around me, I’ve always thought of them as family.

We are all here together to celebrate this sacrament. We are all accepted, no matter if we are wearing a suit and a tie or a t-shirt, shorts and flip-flops. It doesn’t matter what our political views are. We all have needs, desires and insecurities. We all carry burdens on our shoulders and here at the Mass, the weights are lessened.

The storm continues on through the Mass. Afterwards, people congregate in the gathering space, hesitant to step into the downpour. It smells good outside; it smells like summertime. I walk out to my car through the rain, feeling refreshed, my load lightened.

An Exercise in Futility?

I like taking pictures of the moon. I’ve always imagined taking a photograph which would include a group of shots of the moon as it rises up over the horizon, all on one photo. The near-by cemetery is a perfect spot for such an attempt. The view to the east is across a wide valley and the horizon is fairly close to being level. The next morning, the moon would be rising while the sky was still dark and it would be a nice sized crescent, perfect for an attempt!

    (Tuesday 8.23.22) I woke up around 1:40 and when I looked outside, there were numerous stars visible in the sky. I got dressed, put some day-old coffee in my travel mug and loaded my camera gear in the car. The cemetery is only about 3 minutes away, I only got one sip of coffee before I had arrived.

    I set my tripod up, made sure all the joints were tightened and the legs were solid. The camera was leveled and manually focused on infinity. I took a couple shots to determine what exposure I should use and then I got out my compass to determine where the moon would be rising. (54 degrees from north, give or take) I centered the camera there and then waited.

    A large cloud was gathering in the valley below, extending into the sky and obscuring the horizon towards the south-east. The area I was concerned with was still clear. I had about 10 minutes until moonrise.

    While waiting for the magic moment, the clouds started moving towards my target area. When the clock showed 2:38AM, moon-rise, my site was hidden by the mists. 

    I used my binoculars to scan the top of the hillside, going well past the place where I had guessed it would appear. I took a couple more test shots, being sure to check my lens for moisture. The cool air and the humidity had given it a slight coating and I carefully cleaned it off before each shot.  Still, no moon was visible.

    The moon simply wasn’t bright enough to be seen through the fog. Being only 15% illuminated, it was hidden by the clouds which were getting thicker. I could still see the lights of houses on the hill and I had my fingers crossed. I kept scanning the hilltop for any possible sign of the moon, with no luck. After 30 minutes had passed, I finally gave up my search. 

    I took one more shot before tearing down the set-up.  This morning was a wash but there was always tomorrow morning, the weather forecast looks a little better. The moon will be rising around 3:36, but it will be even smaller, only 9% illuminated, even tougher to see! We'll see what tomorrow will bring!

    I will get this shot...eventually!

    (Wednesday 8.24.22) The alarm went off a little before 3. With some fresh coffee in my travel mug I headed out to the car.  My camera gear was already there. Overhead there were lots of stars, I was feeling hopeful.

    There were some clouds visible in the west as I set up and wouldn’t you know it, they covered the sky 10 minutes before moonrise. Not even Jupiter was visible. Still, I kept my hopes up.

    At 3:36 most of the clouds had passed by and behind me the sky was once again covered with stars. I kept scanning back and forth, trying to catch that first view of the moon.

    When it showed up, the first thing visible was the orangish colored dark side. I re-centered the camera and started taking pictures. I took one shot every minute, counting off the seconds in my head. I checked for moisture on the lens before clicking the shutter and was extra careful not to bump the tripod as I did it. 26 minutes later, the moon left the cameras field of view.  I took a couple more shots and then packed up my gear.

    The sky looked great, Jupiter was high overhead, Mars was sitting below the Pleiades, Orion was hanging low near the horizon and Castor and Pollux were sitting above the moon. I spent a little time gazing through the binoculars and got lost in the multitudes of stars that opened up in front of me.

    The pictures all came together well, it was pretty much what I was envisioning. It didn’t come out the way I had planned on Tuesday but on the next day, it all came together.  No matter what you're attempting, keep on trying, it’s bound to work out eventually!

A Couple Sights Found While Crossing the State

 When Ann Marie and I head east to visit my daughter and her family, we take rt.22 rather than spending money on Turnpike tolls. We take our time, enjoy the scenery and often, find things we’ve never seen before. We don’t rush, we stop when we see something interesting. We also aren’t afraid to try new routes because we never know what we might find!

    Here are a few of the things we ran across on our latest trip across the state.

    Just outside of McVeytown, we stopped at an old log cabin. There are no signs on it; it is just sitting alongside the road. Someone keeps hanging wreaths on it so somebody cares for it. It is in pretty sad shape, I wonder how much longer it will remain standing.

    We stopped at a diner called Red’s in Lewistown. This has been here for quite awhile, not real fancy but it was just what we were looking for. As you walk in the door there is a griddle right in front of you with seats at the counter if you want to watch your meal get cooked.  The diner is completely Coke themed. Best of all, they served good food!!

    Sitting beside the Clark Creek in Stony Valley, north of Harrisburg, is the Victoria Furnace. Built back in 1836, one hundred and eighty-six years ago, it only operated 9 years before it went out of blast. Maybe that is why it is in such good shape. It is huge! The inside lining of the chimney is collapsing a bit but the outside is holding up well. There are some trees growing on it and they will eventually be its downfall. A high stone wall surrounds two sides of the furnace. It is amazingly graffiti free. It took a short 15-minute walk though fields and woods to get to it.

    Not far from Chelsey and Jaime’s house we came across this truck. Perhaps the Clampetts left it behind.

    Near the “town” of Geigertown, we rounded a bend only to see numerous railroad cars, cabooses and small railroad engines. There was also steam driven construction equipment in the field, just sitting beside the road. Of course, we pulled over to explore a bit.

    Five minutes down the road we came to the Joanna Furnace. This furnace had been used for over 107 years before it shut down. Originally built in 1791, it finally went out of blast in 1898. The place has been turned into a park and special events are often held there. Some of the buildings have been preserved and rebuilt. It is quite orderly and neat compared to the Victoria Furnace!

    Our next stop was a butcher shop located in Krumsburg. Dietrich’s Meats has been a regular stop on our visits out east. They have a lot of the meats my father used to bring home such as Scrapple! While we were there, we got a sales pitch from Verna Dietrich, now in her 90’s, a visit without it just wouldn’t seem right!

    In Lenhartsville, we happened across another iron furnace. We saw it as we were driving down Old Rt.22. I couldn’t find much information about it other than it was called The Maiden Creek Furnace and it was built in 1854. It was in blast for 27 years before shutting down in 1881. Not far from this stream is Furnace Creek, we will have to return and see what we can find along it!

    Rejoining the new rt.22 we continued west, passing the Rockville Bridge a bit north of Harrisburg. A train was crossing it but we didn’t stop for a picture…believe it or not. A few miles further and we sighted the Statue of Liberty, or at least a copy of it, sitting on an old bridge pier in the middle of the Susquehanna River.

    We pulled into Lewistown again, this time to take a short walk around the center of town. While we were there, we met a guy from Texas who had to tell us a story about a dramatic kitten rescue in a derelict building. “Right there in that window!” He would have gone on forever if we gave him the chance! The temperatures were once again near 90 so we got an iced beverage and Ann Marie took the wheel for the rest of the ride home.

     This was another fun trip, but of course, they all are. Our travel plans are 1) After you make your plans, feel free to deviate from them and, 2) Time is NOT of the essence! Look and see what you can see, you never know what might pop up! Keep on searchin’ cause the world is full of wonders! You just have to look for them!

The Making of a Family Story

 Every family has a collection of stories, you know the ones, they are told over and over again. Usually they are remembered at family gatherings and holidays. Here’s how another one came to be.

    After planning for weeks or even months for her son’s third birthday party, the grim reality that everything could be cancelled had just hit Chelsey. My daughter’s husband Jaime had told her that he tested positive for Covid. It was Friday night, the day before the big party.

    He tested, masked up and stepped away from the visitors already at the house. Besides Chelsey and Jaime, her mom, Barb and her husband Jim were there along with Barb’s mom, Carolyn. Ann Marie and I were minutes away; we received the news when we arrived. Being vaccinated and boosted we felt safe, as long as we kept our distance from Jaime. Besides that, my new grandson Nico was there, right in front of me. This was the first time I’d seen him, how could I leave now?

    A runner was sent to the store to purchase some tests and everyone participated in a “testing party”, just to ensure that we all were safe. The fifteen-minute waiting period seemed to last forever!

    Thankfully, we all passed with flying colors. Jaime sequestered himself for the rest of the weekend.

    Saturday arrived and the BIG party had been reduced to just six adults and the two children. The boys didn’t miss the party, they were kept busy, at least Mateo was. His younger brother was content to lay on the chest or shoulder of whoever was holding him.

    Presents were divvied out and were played with. Lots of food had been prepared so the adults were happy also, no one starved. The cake was decorated with candles and we all sang to Mateo and then we feasted on it. Even though Jaime wasn’t there we were definitely thinking about him and hoping he was OK!

    Sunday was the end of the visits from the Pittsburgh side of the state. Ann Marie and I stayed until the boys were put down for the night. Before bedtime, we ate dinner and played some more and cuddled the baby as much as we could.

    Chelsey’s mother-in-law, Helen would be coming over to help out on Monday morning; we would be leaving for home. Jaime would be returning and spending his days in the basement until he was sure that he was safe before returning to the family. (He is on his last day of isolation as I write this!)

    We sadly said our good-byes and hoped that the hugs and fun we had with the boys would last until our next visit. We both missed seeing Jaime. 

    We can plan all we want but there is no guarantee as to what we will get. Dates had been set, invitations sent out to family, friends and schoolmates. Food had been bought and prepared, cakes were ordered and the house cleaned. Then, reality stopped by. It didn’t matter what had been planned, it all had to change. When it comes to the family’s health, that takes precedence.

    Chelsey handled it very well. She made calls to cancel the party, worried about her missing husband and dealt with the stress that the kids could get sick. I’d like to think that her visitors helped her during this difficult time, thank heavens we had all been there.

    There is a wonderful feeling you get when you hold a baby. He took me back to those great days when his mother was the same age. Holding Nico in my arms I felt as if I was protecting him, everything would all be OK. Playing with his older brother, Mateo, I slipped back into my own childhood, playing with trains and not worrying about the dangers we all are exposed to in our modern world. (Or the difficulties of getting back up off the floor!)

     It is fun reliving those marvelous days of innocence, the joys of imagining, having people come to see and play with you, when there are no cares and no problems. Sadly, these times pass by so quickly. That is the reason we need to memorize them, soak it all in, the smells and the feelings, remembering all the good experiences. They will be what we live on until the next visit!

    I can say, without any doubt, that this will be a birthday party we all will remember, a story that will be told over and over again. It is the newest chapter in Chelsey’s and Jaime’s family history.

Searching For Satellites

The Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh, (AAAP) had scheduled a club event for the 29^th and 30^th of July. It wasn’t a star party; it was a club get-together to see how many satellites we could spot in the course of a night. There had been a previous record of 62 set by two club members many years ago, it was time to try and break the record.

    As so many of our clubs' events go, the weather on Friday was rather “iffy”. An e-mail was sent out cancelling that night's event. Four of us showed up anyway.

    A beautiful sunset appeared as I drove up to the observatory. It was that time of the day where the colors seem more intense. The tiny crescent moon was located a short while after the sun set, a mere 2% illuminated. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a moon as thin as this before! That was the highpoint of my night, but the rest didn’t let me down either.

    We sat on the concrete pad beside the observatory and watched as the sky darkened. The brightest satellite we saw was the International Space Station, (ISS) making a 5-minute pass. It skimmed stars in Ursa Major (The Big Dipper) and Ursa Minor (The Little Dipper) before cruising through Cygnus and then disappearing in the earths’ shadow and the clouds.

    In the couple hours of darkness that I was there, I saw 8 satellites, 9 if you wanted to count the moon! I went home a happy sky gazer.

    Saturday delivered another nice night sky. The moon, a little bit larger than the night before was located around 8:30. As the sky darkened, (sunset was at 8:37) it became much easier to see.

    I took a walk over the hill to get some pictures of the moon and the observatory. While I was playing with my camera, I missed the first sighting, the ISS. I was watching for it but between the lower position on the hill and the bright sky, I missed it. (I know…excuses, excuses) I did see it on its second pass 90 minutes later.

    There was at least 14 people that showed up on Saturday. It is hard to say since it was dark when some arrived. By the time I returned to the top of the hill, they were well on their way accumulating their numbers.

    The rules are pretty simple. It has to be an artificial satellite; the moon doesn’t count. There also has to be at least two people that see it, it needs confirmed. That was it, nice and simple.

    Thank heavens for the members with good eyesight, that and laser pointers. They would see a satellite and then point to it with their pointers, enabling me to find the satellites with my binoculars. I was able to see the brighter ones by eye, but most of the ones I saw were seen with optical aid.

    We saw Saturn rise and we saw some falling stars. In-between sightings I browsed around the constellations, checking out things I normally only observed with telescopes.

    I left a little after 11, there were some clouds moving in and I had to get up early the next morning. I saw one final satellite as I was getting into my car bringing my total to 30. I had watched a couple satellites that appeared to be crossing each other’s paths, which was pretty cool. I saw three in the sky at the same time, though I’m sure there were probably more up there, I just didn’t see them. 

    The most satellites I’ve seen in the sky at one time was well over 15 or 20. It was right after a Starlink dump. They stretched across the sky, coming from behind a cloud and disappearing near the horizon. It was a morning I’ll always remember. There were over 30 satellites in the parade passing overhead.

    Sadly, the official grand total for Saturday as computed by our esteemed official, Eric Fischer, was 42. That is 20 less than the current club record. Cirrus clouds moved in and hid the fainter satellites from view as the night progressed. Since we are moving into August the angle of the sun isn’t favorable for long nights of satellite viewing. We will try again next year, maybe the Pittsburgh weather will co-operate with us for a change.

    I believe we all enjoyed ourselves though, we talked, we laughed, we visited with each other unlike at star parties where we tend to our telescopes and only talk with the public and the members parked beside us. We relaxed and had a good time, sitting under the stars and the satellites.