Going to the Follies

 It was Thursday morning and the weathermen were gushing over what a nice day it was going to be. Officially, there were only three more days of summer left. Listening to the radio as I lay in bed, willing myself to get up, I decided to take a walk and I knew exactly where I was going to go.

    An hour or two later I was driving down a narrow neighborhood street in Highland Park. I pulled in-between two cars parked along side of the road and got out. I slid my camera gear over my shoulder and turned on my GPS. Locking the car, I walked over to a barely noticeable path leading into the woods and stepped in.

    Dropping down into a valley, the trail starts out on a set of brick steps with a thick handrail beside them. A finial sits atop the metal post at the bottom, giving credence to it being built many, many years ago. Putting nice finishing touches on things such as these are rarely done these days.

    There used to be a sidewalk at the bottom of the steps, it has since washed away with only occasional pieces of brickwork scattered across the steep slope. The pathway goes around theses remnants rather than across them, the angle they sit on makes them unsafe and also, unnecessary.

    Passing a small spring, I maneuvered around a fallen tree. The well-worn path showed me the way. After this, the trail leveled off, to one side was the drop into the valley and to the other, a steep hillside filled with tall weeds. I rubbed across a bush and was rewarded with some swollen bumps which thankfully, itched rather than stung. I nearly grabbed a thick stalk for balance when I realized that it was covered with thorns and sharp needle-like hairs. Luckily, I pulled my hand back before I touched it. The path was mainly dirt but there are numerous large stones imbedded in it, the hillside is covered with them. A careful eye was needed to avoid tripping.

    It wasn’t a long walk and the day was perfect for it. The trees kept the sunshine off of me and kept me cool. Spots of sunshine slipped through the trees illuminating the batches of white snakeroot and pokeweed covering the slopes. The sounds of cars had disappeared, there was no one around and even the birds seemed quiet, it was a peaceful and relaxing setting.

    I passed under a low hanging bush and saw what I had come to see. Sitting in front of me, lying on its side was what looked like the top of a castle turret. Round, about 10 foot tall, made out of hewn stone, cemented together. It was a remnant of the folly that used to sit in the backyard of the house at the top of the hill.

    A folly is an ornamental building which serves no purpose except to stimulate the imagination. It has no historic relevance. Follies are popular in England and Europe, putting a set of ruins in the middle of a field or lawn adds an eye catcher to the scene.

From Landmark Architecture

Pittsburgh and Alleghany County

1985

Date unknown

    This particular folly was built in the late 1800’s by Robert King who later inherited the house from his mother. It consisted of four towers with crenellated tops, looking much like a rook in a chess set. They were complete with doors and small arrow windows looking out into the valley. Walls connected them, looking much like the walls of a castle or fortress. The yards, gardens and the folly were well kept and maintained during his and his wife’s lives. After they passed on, the land was donated to the city and it became part of Highland Park. The folly was no longer cared for and over the decades has slowly crumbled and fallen over the hillsides of the valley. Today, only one tower remains standing, along with the remnants of some of the walls below. The house has since been sold to a private owner. Even though I know better, I feel as if I am in a historical site, and in a way, I am.

    First things first, there is a geocache in the near-by area. I un-slung my camera bag, took my GPS and started searching. Five minutes later, the cache had been found and the log signed. One of the things which first interested me in geocaching was the various places the game would take me to, places such as this!

    Returning to my camera gear, I got out the cameras and took some pictures. There are lots to see on the hillside, I enjoyed myself walking around and finding different places to shoot, shots I hadn’t taken on previous visits. The heat of the day was increasing and the bugs had located me, so I packed up my gear and returned to the path and the car.

     Having been in the woods for just a little over an hour, I came back to a ticket stuck under my windshield wiper. It seems I had picked the one day of the month that the street gets cleaned. On the sign located halfway down the block, it lists the two-hour period (of the month) that cars couldn’t be parked here. I could see the marks on the street showing that the street sweeper had passed by, I also could see the tickets stuck on the cars parked around me.

    So, I had taken my walk, found a geocache and had taken some pictures. I also got some exercise and was relaxed and calm, this was all good! The only down side of the morning was that it cost me a little more than I originally planned. I guess I found two follies all together, the ornamental buildings with no purpose other than decoration and my own lack of good sense; not checking the signs better. Oh well, live and learn!

Catching the Sunset

 Tuesday, 9/5

 With the low percentage of clear nights in the Pittsburgh area sitting high in my mind, I am once again working on an upcoming astronomical event.

    What I am hoping to catch in this project, is a picture of the sun going down behind the Wagman Observatory. There is a house about 6 miles away with a clear view of the observatory. Using a variety of on-line programs and even more important, the expertise of John Holtz, we have narrowed down dates to within 3 or 4 days. On these days, the sun will disappear behind the Observatory as seen from this house.

     Every night the sun sets in a different spot on the horizon. If you were to put a mark on a picture window at the same time every day for a year marking the suns position, you would end up with a figure eight shape, an analamma. The trick is to determine when the sun will set where you want it to!

    Naturally for this project, there are variables. The times for sunsets are figured off of a flat horizon. The observatory sits on a high hill, this could change the time or position of the setting sun. Another variable, an even more important one, is the weather.  I have ranted about this too many times to count. If something is going to occur astronomically, chances are it will be clouded over. I can live with a slight cloud cover; it might lessen the brightness of the sun. The clouds will act as a filter and allow a slightly longer exposure, making the observatory visible in the picture.

    Between then and now, I will make a couple lists. One will consist of all the items I’ll need to bring along with me and the other will be a timeline. By using these I will be able to arrive early enough to allow set up, find the observatory and to taking a couple test exposures. All the necessary equipment will be in the car. Making these lists are part of the fun of events like these, at least to me they are!

    Now, for the next 4-5 days, I’ll try my best not to think about the weather!

Thursday, 9/7

    Waking up, the open window beside me providing a comfortable cool breeze, I am greeted by the low rumble of thunder. Rain can be heard falling through the leaves of the trees. I close my eyes and just listen…and relax. What a nice way to wake up in the morning.

    The only thing that takes away from my relaxation is knowing that rain clouds are working their way across the city. Hopefully they will be gone by Monday…but, I said I wasn’t going to think about that! OK, time to make some coffee and to get the day started!

Saturday 9/9

    I wake up again to the sound of rain. A space station pass is due in a few minutes but instead of dressing and searching the sky, I close my eyes and let the rain carry me back to sleep.

    Later in the day, Ann Marie and I drive up to Wagman to make a couple measurements. I want to get accurate vector angle with my compass so that I will be able to duplicate its opposite angle when we are at the house. (angle +/- 180 degrees) While we are there, we also pick up a few brochures to pass along to the owner of the house; the telescopes, the observatory, star parties and a few publications about light pollution. Then we return home, make a veggie pizza, play some Scrabble and DON’T think about Monday! As the weekend continues, the clouds remain.

Monday- 9/11  The Big Day!

    I wake up at 5 to watch the Chinese Space Station pass through Orion. The sky is clear and my hopes are raised. After watching the pass, I spent some time scanning the sky with my binoculars before going back in and returning to bed. I need to be rested today! There is still a lot to be done.

    As the day progressed, the fog that showed up after I went back to bed slowly dissipated. I try my best not to look up! I made the call to the homeowner and told her we will be coming out and give her an approximate time of arrival. The car was loaded and the checklist was marked as each essential part was put in. Then I sat down and read a book. What better way to distract your mind than by reading?

    All was set and finally, it was time to get Ann Marie and Jim. We arrived at the house about 45 minutes before sunset, just as planned. The telescope was set up and some pictures were taken.

    It was very difficult to see the observatory with the bright light of the sun near-by. The observatory was in the shadows. Using the compass to point the telescope, I managed to find it on the first try! The problem would be, what is correct exposure? Digital photography really helps in situations such as these!

    The sun was getting closer to the horizon though it still hadn’t entered the camera frame. Once it did, I started clicking. Since the sun was so bright, I gave up hoping to see the observatory. The shapes of the trees were the only way I could tell where it was. I took the pictures and would fret over not being able to see the building later.

    Once the sun had set, the family who owned the house came out and we showed their grandson some of the sights around the area through the telescope. Before we tore the setup down, we were able to show him Saturn! He was very happy to see that. (It goes without saying!) After everyone had seen the ringed planet, the scope was taken apart and re-packed in to the car, and then we said our thanks and good-byes. We stopped for a celebratory dinner and then headed home.

You have to look closely to see the observatory in this picture!

It’s impossible to see in this one!

    My pictures weren’t quite what I had hoped for. The trees behind the observatory had foiled the silhouetted shot I had wanted to get, though early into this project, I knew it would never happen. I was happy to find the building from this far away and was happy to get the sunset shot. We were pleased that the weather cooperated with us. Though the picture wasn’t what I had hoped for, it was a learning experience. Maybe the next time with the moon instead of the sun…or maybe we could cut down the trees...the possibilities are endless. We shall see, we shall see!