Gotta Map?

During some of my recent bookstore visits, I picked up a couple books worth mentioning. Both were purchased at City Books on Pittsburgh’s North Side and both of the books have to do with maps.

    The first is a nearly new book (2018) called The Writer’s Map. It contains a group of articles by twenty-four different authors. These essays or chapters are about how maps are often included in books and can also be influential in the first thoughts of a new book or story.

    The illustrations in this larger format book are very nicely copied, having maps of both real and imaginary places. All of them were made to help us find our way, whether through the real world or the book we are reading.

    I always enjoy having a map included on the inside cover of a book, (This book has one!) I refer to them frequently and am disappointed when they aren’t a good representation of the novel. These maps make the location of a story that much more real to me. It helps me to envision the place!

    The second book is an old Collier’s World Atlas and Gazetteer. Printed in 1935, it has the ability to take me back into the past.

    Back to when Alaska and Hawaii weren’t states yet, back to a time when the city of Pittsburgh was covered with railroads. I find it fun to browse through the maps and see what has changed over the past eighty-eight years. There are countries, and neighborhoods in this atlas which no longer exist and lots of places which have been absorbed by others. The statistics have changed a bit also. 

    There are a couple older atlases and maps in my collection which show Pittsburgh being spelled without the "h" at its end, (pre-1911) and where West Virginia hasn’t yet divided from Virginia because of different thoughts dealing with slavery. (Pre-1863) Looking at old maps can be another form of time travel.

    I find maps absolutely fascinating, whether they are the old crinkly maps, printed on tissue thin paper in the Beadeker Travel Guides, old folded gas station maps or star maps printed on thick paper in the Uranometria volumes. I have a couple atlases of the human body, filled with color plates showing the bones and what muscles are used to power them along with maps of the veins and arteries that fuel them.  Pictures of the human body, but they are maps never the less. In novels, my opinion of a book rises if it contains a map, or even better, a few maps! Maps such as; the Treasure Island map on the inside covers of the book, Swiss Family Robinson’s map, the map of Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley or the jungle maps of The Lost City of Z. They all guide us through the book. What a wonderful accompaniment!

    While reading The Writer’s Map, one of the chapters was written by Reif Larson who wrote The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet. Some of the maps in this book are included and after reading that chapter, I went to the bookshelf and pulled my copy of the book out and started re-reading it. As of right now, I’m about 60 pages into it. What a great book!  (It is about a young, (very young!) cartographer who is invited to make a speech at the Smithsonian Museum. They have no idea how old he is. He sets off on his own, going from Montana to Washington DC, mapping his journey in his journals. I’ve re-read it a few times and enjoyed it every time.)

    The fact that I started re-reading this book once again is an example of how I believe that all books are connected in some way. Books I am reading often have a similar plot, the same location or the same subject matter as the one I just completed. This doesn’t happen all the time but it occurs enough that I look forward to seeing what similarities the book I’m reading might have with those of the past. This example also shows how one book can lead me to another. In a way…it was a map to the book that was sitting on my shelf.

    A quote from another book I just read, The Lost Continent by Bill Bryson fits right in here. Writing about his father; “there was almost nothing he would’ve liked better than to cover the dining room table with maps and consider at length, possible routings”

Maps, where would we be without them?   I know I’d be lost!

Star Party Season is Almost Here!

If you are at all like me, you remember the two bright objects, very close to each other, in the western skies a few weeks ago. They weren’t stars, they were planets. The brighter one of the two was Venus and the fainter one, Jupiter. Since then, Jupiter is neared the horizon in the evening skies while Venus still stands strong in the twilight.

    Did you know that the planet Uranus will be close to the bright planet Venus towards the end of the month? You can see the pair from your backyard, use binoculars to see the fainter Uranus, OR, you can come up to the Wagman Observatory and see them there.

    The Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh will be holding star parties on the last day of March, (the 31^st) and the first of April. (no joke!) Being held at the Wagman Observatory in Deer Lakes Park, the club members will show you these objects and many others during the nights. Star parties are held in the warmer (?) months of the year. The March/April parties will be the start of the 2023 Star Party Season.

    The club holds these events to allow the general public to come and look through the telescopes belonging to the club and its members. There are two permanently mounted scopes at the observatory, an 11” refractor built by the prominent Pittsburgh optician John Brashear (above) and a 21” reflector. The mirror for the reflector was made by the same company that John Brashear founded over a century ago. (We are a very Pittsburgh oriented club!)

    There is no charge for these parties; they are open to anyone who wants to see more of the sky above them. Bring the family, please! The observatory is in a darker portion of the county and almost everyone will see many more stars than at home in their light polluted neighborhoods.

    Are you thinking about getting a telescope and aren’t sure how to go about doing it, not sure what kind or what size to get? There are lots of options available. At a star party there are always a variety of scopes, different styles and sizes, you can browse among them and see how the views differ and ask the owners what their opinions are.

    Have you recently gotten a telescope and aren’t sure how to set it up or how to use it? Bring it with you and chances are someone will be there that can give you a hand or some advice. Ask at the desk to see if someone can help you. Just setting up a scope will bring club members over to see what you have! You can also join the club if you're interested!

    The kids enjoy being able to look through the scopes and seeing planets they’ve read and learned about. There are a couple programs available for the kids to participate in. Those between 2^nd and 6^th grades can work on the Passport to the Universe Program. They are given a passport and the idea is to find the various astronomical things listed in it. After finding them, they are awarded a certificate and a book. For the older kids there is the Junior Messier Program. After finding some things a little bit harder, they also can get an award and a certificate. Club members are happy to help them find the objects they are searching for.

    Weather permitting, (a big condition here in Pittsburgh) during these star parties, we will be able to see Jupiter and Mercury, very close to the western horizon. They will be setting soon after sunset. Higher in the sky will be Venus and beside it, the planet Uranus. Since Uranus is so much dimmer than the brilliant Venus, you’ll probably need some binoculars or a telescope to see it. Club members will direct you to it, it won’t be hard to find, especially when you have a bright planet to lead you to it!

    Chances are, the moon will be the first thing the telescopes will be pointing towards, since you can easily see it while the sky is still bright. As the sky darkens, Venus and Uranus will come under scrutiny by the observers. Then things such as Mars, Orion and it’s nebula, star clusters, galaxies and double stars. If we are lucky, we will see a pass or two of the International Space Station or maybe the Chinese space station, Tiangong. There is also the possibility of seeing a couple “falling stars”. You never know what you might see at a star party till you get there and see for yourself. That’s part of the fun of them, what new things will I see tonight?

    Bring your binoculars; you’ll be amazed at how much you can see with them! Leave your flashlights at home, the moon will be providing more than enough light to see. Bright lights are frowned upon because the darker the area is, the easier it is to see the fainter objects and to see more details. So being, please, turn off your car headlights as you enter the grounds.

    For more information about star parties or the A.A.A.P., click here, 3AP.Org. Directions to the clubs two observatories can be found there along with the dates of future star parties. If the weather looks doubtful, call the observatory (724- 224-2510) to see if the party is still on. Inclement weather, clouds, rain or snow will be cause to cancel the event.

    It is a great way to spend a Friday or Saturday night, after a hard week of work, relaxing under the stars in the fresh air. Best thing of all…it’s free!

    If you come, look me up. Hope to see ya there!

Tia

Mary Kay Breinig was a woman I’ve had the pleasure and the honor of knowing for close to fifty years. Intelligent, funny, and extremely giving, she lived a life of sharing with others. Tia, as we knew her, loved hearing about other people’s achievements and helping them to achieve their dreams. She had numerous degrees; before her retirement, she worked in medical research at Pitt and was an assistant professor. She loved to share knowledge and to hear about people learning! Every so often we come across people that we can't help but admire, Tia was one of these!

    One of her biggest loves was to share the arts with others, especially her nieces and nephews. Museums, ballet, the opera and the symphony, she was a frequent viewer. Culture was so important, she often asked, “Did we bring our manners with us?” Being an accomplished cook, she was forever trying new recipes for the family dinners held at her apartment and house. She was no stranger to new restaurants or chefs that were making the news. She loved to travel and often brought her nieces and nephews along on her trips.

    Tia wasn’t one to voice her displeasure; at least I never heard her complaining. No matter what your interests might be, she was happy that you were being successful in them.

    Mary Kay was the eldest of four sisters. Their family grew and grew, she had 11 nieces and nephews and like most family trees, the limbs kept increasing. She was God-Mother to eight.

    I have two fond memories of this woman, out of so many…I went with her, Barb and Joellen to London, “Across the Pond”.  She never led us anywhere, she allowed us to explore the city as if we were the experts, not her. We visited pubs, all the touristy sites and saw 3 different plays. At one of the theaters, we sat in a small box, just large enough for the four of us, and then enjoyed drinks which were served to us in our seats during intermission. We felt like royalty!  

2 of the playbills that she saved. (She saved them all!)

    We ate in style at a memorable New Years Eve dinner; meeting and sharing the evening with a couple from Canada that was sitting at a table beside ours. The menu was later framed and hung in the house for years. The next day, the first day of 1986, we took a bus tour to Stonehenge. There we walked among the prehistoric stones, seeing a site I had always dreamed of visiting.

    Tia and I took a trip to New York City to see Phantom of the Opera. Flying up in the morning and exploring the city and then after dinner, seeing the play which was still fairly new, in its first few years. Besides the enjoyment of the performance, I’ll always remember sitting on a wall in a small park that afternoon. We stopped to let our feet rest a bit before we continued exploring the city. A couple young men were smoking a joint near-by and after she commented on the smell, I told her what it was. I still have a little trouble imagining that she didn’t know…

    Being avid readers, we had often shared favorite authors and books. How could I not like a woman who enjoys reading?

    She taught us all to keep learning, keep exploring our world. And also to be kind and share yourself and your skills with those you love. She set a wonderful example of how we should live and hopefully we will come close to reaching her high standards!

    On February 24^th, 2023 she passed away, going to join those of the family that have left us before. Tia has left us behind and has gone on to further travels into the world(s) beyond. She spent 86 years on this earth, admired and appreciated on every one of the days that she was with us! We will all miss her deeply!

B&B - Books and Bridges

 With the promise of a sunny day, Ann Marie and I took a short drive on Saturday. We ended up in Steubenville, Ohio where we visited a bookstore. BookMarx had been on our “to do” list for a while and this seemed like a perfect day for the trip. What the heck, a trip to a different state to visit a used bookshop, of course it sounded great to me!

    We followed rt. 22 into the West Virginia panhandle, and it wasn’t long until we were coming around the bend and seeing the Veterans Memorial Bridge which would take us into Ohio.

    The bookstore is situated in an old brick building. Like many old cities, Steubenville seems to be having problems with filling its storefronts. There were a lot of empty lots and vacant stores in the town. Inside the store, it was all we could want. The owner was friendly and had no problems with me taking pictures. “If you need any help, just ask!” But when I asked a couple questions, he merely reverted to his computer for the answers. 

    I found two books, just after he had told me they didn’t have anything dealing with iron furnaces, by exploring his books. One book I had already and the other didn’t interest me. It just goes to show what you can find by browsing! Computers are great, but don’t let them stop you from searching. That’s one of the fun things about bookstores!

    Set on nice wooden shelves, scattered between three rooms, there was plenty to keep us occupied. All the books are on specific shelves, ordered by subject matter. There was a nice sized local section that had a nice variety of tri-state books.  This is where I found the two books mentioned before. There was a children’s area with a huge black cat that was happy to be petted. Religion plays a good part in their business; there was a large religious section in a separate room in the back.  We enjoyed roaming around the store and seeing what was there.

    I asked the owner one more question as we were preparing to leave. “Do you have any books on books?” For this query, he got up and took me over to a shelf I had missed. On that shelf, I found two books which I added to our purchases.

    One of the books was titled, Ballads of Books, Chosen by Brander Matthews. A hardback printed in 1887, it is a collection of poetry dealing with books, reading, libraries and such. It's in good shape considering its age.

    The second book is titled Infinite Riches by David Magee. Co-titled The Adventures of a Rare Book Dealer, the book was published in 1973. It is a hardback and has the dust jacket. It is in good shape with only a couple very tiny tears in the paper cover.

    I also picked up a thin book called A Thoreau Gazetteer, which contains 23 different maps, all pertinent to Thoreau’s writings. I’m sure I’ll enjoy reading all of these books!

    We paid for our purchases and talked for awhile with the owner who told us he had sold the store and would soon be moving back to Alabama. A few buildings down from the store, we found a nice coffee shop where we refueled our caffeine supplies before hitting the road again. 

    We crossed over into West Virginia on the historic Market Street Bridge. This was built in 1905 and has grating as a road surface. The tires sang as we crossed the Ohio River. 

    Once we entered West Virginia we headed south on rt. 2, passing the Wabash Railroad bridge. What make this bridge interesting are the finials which sit atop its towers. It is a long cantilever bridge, built in 1904, back in the days when utilitarian structures were made to look appealing. It is owned and used by the Wheeling & Lake Erie railroad. At one time it had a pathway on it to allow pedestrians to cross over the river. Sadly, this is no longer allowed. (You know I’d be up there!)

Old postcard

    We turned east on rt. 27 which after entering Pennsylvania turned into rt. 50. We followed this to Bridgeville. We had a little bad luck with restaurants as we stopped at two different establishments for lunch. One which advertised itself as serving breakfast and lunch all day had closed at 11. (AM) The second one we came to was closing at 2, looking at my watch, it was 1:55. We laughed, a lot, and then found another place to eat.

    Soon after, we came through the Fort Pitt Tunnels and entered the city, home once again.