Twos

 

Originally there was supposed to be three of us going on this trip but a queasy stomach dropped the total to two. Heading to the farm market in Ligonier, the day looked great. A nice orange sunrise greeted me as I swung my feet out of bed and as I left the house, the sky was blue.

    With two cups of freshly brewed coffee in the cars cup holders, Ann Marie and I turned onto rt. 22 and proceeded towards the east, into the sun. Coming into the hills of the Laurel Highlands, the sky turned a bit hazy. What normally was a great view of the mountains ahead was muted; the hills seen weren’t as numerous as usual. It really didn’t matter, the windows were down and the breeze flowing through the car smelled good and fresh.

    We turned south onto rt.982 and stopped for, of all things, a geocache. (didn’t see that coming, did you?) A nice easy find, hidden hanging behind a sign. The next one was about a mile or two further down the road. If found, it would be my 2222^nd find! It wasn’t to be. We looked all over the place without any luck. I wasn’t worried, I had a few more programmed into the GPS.

    We stopped next on rt. 30, at a pull off on the section where the road is divided by the Loyalhanna Creek. Sitting behind a large rock was my 2nd find of the day, my 2222^nd find since May of 2007. The only thing special about it was the number, not much else. (Of course, they are ALL exciting, some more than others!)

    Next stop was the Farmers Market. Held every Saturday in the summer it draws thousands of people into Ligonier. They have a huge police department to handle all the cars and the crowds. They also need police to direct traffic a few miles away at Idlewild Park.

    Coming into the entrance of the market area, we found another cache. We pulled it out of its hiding spot and signed the log and replaced it while we were 7 or 8 feet away from a policeman. None of the crowd noticed what we were doing…

    We went up and down the aisles looking at all the goods that were being offered for sale. We got a couple things to nibble on as we looked but other than a bunch of radishes and a hunk of cheese, we didn’t make any purchases. (I passed on the $5.50 donuts!) We saw some friends while we were there. You never know who you’ll see when you’re out exploring! After we left I got to pet some beautiful dogs in the parking lot and then we turned the car towards the north.

    We re-visited some coke ovens that were just a few miles off of our route. These ovens aren’t the “standard” beehive shaped coke ovens so often seen. These were loaf shaped, a vault style with openings on either side. There are easily a hundred or more ovens on the side of this road, the majority were hidden by the weeds. You get a much better view in the wintertime. 

    These ovens were used to make coke out of coal; coke is a much cleaner burning fuel, it is also an important part of making iron. The coal would be put in ovens and after being ignited, the doors were closed and it was left for a couple days. What remained in the chamber was coke. Coke ovens are scattered all over the Pennsylvania hills, often in long lines, one after another.  If you find one, chances are there will be more near-by! When they were being used, the areas around them were noisy, hot and smoky, nothing like the areas where they stand now. Today, they sit quietly in the woods with birds chirping and plants growing on top of them, looking like ruins of a past civilization. Quite a difference! Hardly any of them retain their doors. I had heard that taxes were charged on usable ovens and by removing the doors, they became un-taxable. 

    After taking a few pictures, we followed some dirt roads which crossed hilltops with views that seemed to go on forever. We eventually ended up in Seward and then finally back on rt.22.

    Returning back home, we were back before 2 with time left for chores. Another fun trip out into the Pennsylvania countryside, it was a great way to start the day!

Hidden and Forgotten

 It sits along a curve on a fairly well traveled road. The yard is overgrown; the trees hide it from most of the people passing by. I happened to be looking in the right direction as I passed it, otherwise it would’ve remained unnoticed by me also.

    Three stories high if you count the attic. A window sits open below its peak. Dirty brown window shades and curtains cover the other windows visible as you quickly pass by.  Along the side that’s open, a fence lays broken, no doubt held up by the weeds and bushes. Vines are working their way up the side of the house. It has a definite look of abandonment.

    The house isn’t sitting out in the countryside; there are neighbors near-by. The trees and shrubs have separated it from the rest of the neighborhood. During the month of October, I’m sure there are stories told about ghosts and spirits. Even on sunny days, the house sits in a pool of shadows.

    Walking in on what used to be the driveway, a pair of ruts worn into the dirt, trash can be seen lying around. Whether it is leftovers from the previous occupants or things dragged out by scavengers I couldn’t say. A back door stood ajar, the wood on the porch was rotting, I wasn’t going inside. Boards covered some of the windows, dirt and dust covered everything. Some of the furniture is sitting in what used to be their yard. Off to the side, an old swing set sits rusting away, the laughter and the swings long gone.

    The garden is growing wild; flowers and shrubs mixed with the weeds grow uncut and untamed. Some are higher than the porch roof.

    I looked at the house and couldn't help wondering. Who was it that used to live here? How long did they and their family inhabit the house? Were they the first people to occupy it or just the last? Was it financial problems, health or death that caused its abandonment? How long has it been empty? Did they just leave or did they take their things with them? I can only guess what might be inside. I will never know these things but yet I'll always wonder.

    The house has a feeling of sadness around it, the sunshine no longer warms its rooms. It is forgotten; every year it slips further from peoples thoughts. I can only hope that there is someone, somewhere who still has some fond memories of time spent here. Before long, it may no longer be here and then, there won't be anything to remember it by.

What a Way to Start the Weekend!

 The day started a little after three as the phone beside my bed rang. I was expecting the alarm to go off so I woke up quickly. Bill, a friend, had just arrived at the top of the hill where we were going to watch the big implosion scheduled for this morning. He was the first person to arrive.

    I got up, ate some breakfast and drank some coffee and then loaded the car. Things had been pre-packed so it was only a matter of a couple trips. A quick stop at an all night gas station for two coffees and a couple breakfast sandwiches and then it was off to Ann Maries.

    Nearing the site, the morning sun, not yet over the horizon, was tinting contrails with a pink color. They looked like fireworks. We had watched the Chinese Space Station Tiangong pass over AMB’s house before we left, it was turning into another great day!

    Arriving a little more than two hours before the scheduled detonation, we worked our way up the steep path of Barking Slopes. Dirt bikes, rain runoff and many feet had turned the path into a deep ditch, running straight up the hill. The light was bright enough for us to pick our footing. It was the steepness, and the weight of the cameras and tripod I was carrying that caused me to stop occasionally to catch my breath.

    Four or five people were already at the peak of the hill. Below us, across the Allegheny River, sat the former Springdale Power Plant. The sun was up, a bright orange ball hovering over the distant hilltops. A couple of boats were already out patrolling the river and police and firemen were positioned around the plant. Occasionally a police car or a fire truck would drive by. From on top of the hill, they looked tiny and the world was mostly silent.

    Slowly, more people arrived. We had staked a claim on the side, away from the power lines coming up from below. Most people chose height over the clear view, our area stayed fairly free of people until just before the detonation time. Someone drove a Jeep up the hill and we joked about how it would make a good commercial. Before the “big bang” four other cars and trucks joined it, along with an ATV, a dirt bike and a golf cart.

    An hour before detonation, it was getting crowded. People just kept coming; soon the hill top was lined with people and cameras. A few people climbed onto the electric tower structures to see over the crowd. One man brought a hammock that he hung on one of the towers. Parents brought their children. More people moved over towards our side; space was becoming a premium! For the most part, everyone was polite and friendly; we were all here to see the same thing. 

    Stepping down the hill a bit, I was able to count over 60 people from where I was standing. I would guess there was well over 100 people with us on the edge of the hill.

    Right around 8, right on time, we heard a long siren blast and then a short time later, a series of siren blasts and then a small muted sound of an explosion. The shorter and newer chimney started to lean towards the right. Shutters were clicking and videos were being recorded. From the hill top it appeared to fall right behind the taller chimney. It looked like slow motion as it collapsed, pieces of the metal cap flying in the air along with it.

    The second stack started to lean, falling away from us. It appeared to be shrinking as it fell and while it seemed to be slowly falling, it probably only took seconds before it hit the ground. A huge cloud of brown dust rose up into the air.

    Everyone on the hilltop was silent for a moment and then the cheering and clapping started. We all watched in awe as the dust cloud started to rise and then slowly move down river.

    I find it fascinating to see where places used to be but to see something disappear while I watch, that is great! “Here today, gone tomorrow!”  Gone but the memories. Everyone on that hillside and in places around the area gathered some fantastic memories this morning!

    People started the hike back down to their cars and the crowd thinned out. While making our way back down the slope we watched the cloud of dust move down the river valley. Later, we drove through the dust as we entered Oakmont.

    There were only a few problems with the implosion, some windows were broken and a couple telephone poles were knocked down. The power was disrupted for awhile.

    I went home and developed my film. I spent about a half hour hoping that I had put the film in the camera the correct way, hoping that I was using the correct times and chemicals in the proper order. This is one of the things which accompany using film as compared to digital cameras and one of the things I enjoy. In the end, the negatives came out fine.

     We had watched a space station cross the sky, saw a beautiful collection of clouds and then shared with a hundred other spectators the rare experience of watching not one, but two smokestacks come crumbling to the ground. WOW, what more can I say? The day was off to a spectacular start!

What a way to start the weekend!