Patience

 Looking over some of my photos, giving them a good critique, one of the things I find myself guilty of is the lack of patience, the failure to wait until the “right” moment to snap a picture. While I am happy with most of my pictures, I’ve come to realize that they could have been even better if I had just waited a bit longer before pressing the shutter.

    Patience is a difficult thing to acquire I’ve found. In a typical scene, I see something that looks exciting; I get the camera, focus and snap the picture, possibly even a few times. If I had waited a bit, the sun may have changed its position, a cloud might have moved over or from the sun, changing the shadows or the amount of contrast. Sometimes waiting will result in different colors or the subject might be in a better position. Perhaps a person might walk into the scene, giving it more of a human element rather than a plain static shot.

    Using a bit of patience might involve taking a walk around the subject, looking to see if there isn’t a better angle to shoot from or to see if there are any interesting patterns that might make it a better picture, rather than my first thought.

    When using a larger format or film camera patience is very important. These cameras limit your possible exposures as compared to using a digital camera. With the 4x5 Speed Graphic, I usually only carry two holders with me, (four sheets of film)  I don’t want to waste one (or more) of these negatives. The cost of film photography is also higher than when using a digital camera, all the more reason to be patient when lining up a photograph.

    Taking the time to go over all the settings, the f stop, the shutter speed, the composition. Is the camera steady and straight?  Take a look around at the scene, these are all things worth double checking. Patience, I have to recheck all the vital details before I take the plunge and push the plunger. Is this really what I want to take a picture of? Give it a second thought…

    Stepping back and looking at everything, doing a mental checklist will help me get a better picture. Making sure everything is correct before hitting the shutter button is worth the wait, it will help avoid disappointment later on!

    Needless to say, that anticipation may cause a bit of a problem with this concept. The excitement of creating another picture, the anticipation of another "wonderful photograph" that has almost been taken, all I need to do is click the shutter! This will probably be followed by the disappointment of seeing what I rushed into.

    This habit comes in handy with both photography and astronomy; sometimes we have no choice except to be patient. The rain will eventually go away and the sky will clear up.

    Of course, it goes without saying that these practices also come in handy in regular life also! Taking our time with the things we do, no rushing through our tasks, taking pride in our jobs. Patience is also an important part of dealing with the people we meet and interact with, both friends and strangers alike. The outcome of all our endeavors, from photography, astronomy, friendships to driving on the roads will definitely turn out better if we exercise just a little bit of patience!

What Will You Be Doing on April 8th?

    Have you decided what you are going to do on April 8^th, 2024? If you are anywhere close to where I live, you are within a couple hours drive to the path of totality for the solar eclipse! The eclipse will be visible across the entire continental US, though it will be a partial eclipse for most of states. For those living in or near a narrow path between Texas and Maine, they will be able to experience totality!

    Here in Pittsburgh, the sun will almost be covered by the moon, only 3% will remain uncovered. While it will get dark, you will still need proper protection for your eyes when you are looking at the sun. I met a woman during the last partial solar eclipse who was afraid to look up into the sky because she was afraid she might get blinded. When I offered her my filtered glasses to look through, she politely declined. She decided to stay in the car rather than risk her eyesight. Sadly she missed something that she might have remembered for the rest of her life.

    By driving a couple hours to the north or the west you can enter the path of the eclipse, where the sun will be completely covered by the moon. If you have the opportunity, I’d take it! For most of us, this will be a once in a lifetime event.

      Depending on where you are located, the amount of totality will differ. The entire eclipse will last about 2 1/2 hours (+/-) while totality, the time when the sun is completely covered, will last about four minutes. Less if you’re sitting away from the center of the path. People in Erie will be treated to 3 minutes and 40 seconds of totality while people further south in Edinboro will be getting 3 minutes and 19 seconds. Those in Titusville will be getting about 51 seconds. Your location from the centerline determines how long totality lasts.

    Doing any internet search about the eclipse will stress the importance of proper protection of your eyes. Please don’t stare at the sun without proper shielding! Sunglasses or neutral density filters won’t do the trick; they will allow the infrared light through which can damage your retinas. Solar filters or glasses bought through a reputable company are worth the cost spent on them! If you have a welding filter, #12 or 13, sitting on a shelf, like I do, these can be used in a pinch but it is always worthwhile to do as much as you can to protect your eyesight! Make a projection box if you don’t have anything else. (Instructions can be found on-line)

    It is estimated that 31 million people will be within the narrow strip of totality, stretching from Texas to Maine. Many more will be traveling to get to this stretch of totality. That is a lot of people who will see this event. Municipalities near the bigger cities have been planning and preparing for this event for quite a while! Traffic jams after it happens are expected. If you go anywhere that is crowded, plan on this!

    Some of us have been looking forward to this and planning for it for years! Some are just learning about it in the past few weeks. Whatever you do, no matter where you are, if the weather permits it , go outside and take a look. Chances are, there will be clouds involved, especially if you’re anywhere near where I am. (I seem to have a cloud over my head during astronomical events!)

    Pay attention to your surroundings, listen to what is happening, enjoy the gasps and yelling and cheering of those around you. If possible, consider recording the sounds on your phone. It will help you relive the experience, possibly even bring back goose bumps and maybe even a tear to your eyes! Take some pictures if you’re equipped to do it but take time to enjoy the event, ignore the camera and soak in the experience! You will see lots of pictures of it later; don’t miss it while trying to get one of your own! Step back and enjoy the experience!

    As of today, the eclipse is just two weeks away…keep your fingers crossed for clear skies!

    Note: my public library was giving away free eclipse glasses, check around, they are out there if you haven’t gotten a pair yet!

    Also, star parties are starting next month! Wagman Observatory in Deer Lakes Park will be hosting them on April 13^th and 20^th! For more details and other dates, click the link below;

Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh (3ap.org)

The Lure of the Atlas

 When contemplating a trip, I always go to “my maps”. They come in many shapes, sizes and styles. During a recent attempt to bring a bit more organization to my bookshelves, I came across the shelves dealing with maps; books about maps, books which incorporate them in their story lines and books with maps on their pages and on their covers. There were also a group of atlases.

    Atlas, Greek Mythology says that he was a Titan who was punished by the gods for fighting against them. His punishment was to stand on the western edge of the world and hold the weight of the heavens on his shoulders. Along with being a strong man he was also wise and is considered in some texts as the “founder” of astronomy.

    His name became synonymous as a collection of maps or charts after the publication of a book of maps in 1595, made by Geradus Mercator. Published after his death, the volume had a picture of Atlas on it and before long the name atlas became a term to identify a bound collection of maps, books which help us navigate and understand our world. Mercator was important in the map game also, but that story will have to wait until another day.

    Looking around my shelves, I realized that I have quite a collection of atlases. I have some made for children, there are some older ones, (though not really worth much except to me) a few historic reproductions, there are atlases of the stars and even a couple that are atlases of the human body. How is it possible for a person who loves maps, not to have at least one (or two) atlases?

    In my car is an old worn Delorme Atlas and Gazetteer of Pennsylvania. It is over 15 years old, notes are scribbled on its edges and places we’ve visited are circled. A few routes are highlighted. The pages are falling out of it yet I still keep it close at hand.

    I love my Gazetteers, I have a variety of them for the surrounding states. Along with the one in the car, I have two other Pennsylvania Gazetteers, one for the upstairs and one for the downstairs. They are in much better shape than the one in the car and, yes, I use them both frequently! The gazetteer I have of Alaska isn’t used that much but every once in a while…I get it out to just page through it and daydream.

    There are a couple other atlases in my car, one of Pittsburgh and one of the United States. Being a map fiend, dare I say “mapaholic”, there is also a collection of folded paper maps in the pocket behind the passenger seat.

    GPS, no, I rarely use one for driving, only for geocaching. The paper maps work just fine! But, in essence, the GPS is an atlas also. It is a collection of maps which help us through our world. I don’t often use a GPS to help me with my driving but I do use another internet service, Google Maps. I often use this to see where the various turns I need to make are. Using the satellite view I can see what my turns will look like, what buildings or businesses are near-by. Using the street view gives me an idea of what I’ll be seeing before I need to make the turn. I can pick out landmarks to help me prepare for what’s ahead. This isn’t full proof, as this Thursday’s trip proved. (inside joke!)

    Going out to observe the night’s sky, I will pull out some of my star atlases.  Using these helps me to plan the night’s activities, giving me an idea of what’s visible in the sky that night. Whenever a comet is visible in our skies, or if one has just been discovered I will drag out the sky charts to see where it is. To name a couple of the volumes I have, there is the children’s book The Stars, by H.A. Ray, an atlas made with simple sketches. There is also Norton’s Star Atlas and Reference Handbook that I have been using since I first got involved with astronomy. A Bright Star Atlas by Terion and Skiff helps out when I need some quick and easy charts and the Uranametria for when I need a bit more detail.

    Once again, in our modern times, this can be done on your computer or cell phone but I still like seeing it on paper. Pointing your phone at the sky doesn’t help you become familiar with the constellations and stars, to me, it’s just a nice shortcut. I often add notes and dates for various things I’ve seen, marring my books but adding a bit of history to them.

    I have some older atlases including a 1927 Literary Digest, Atlas of the World and Gazetteer. It is filled with hard to read maps with city names squeezed into the states and countries. Using this to get from here to there would be next to impossible!  A Maury’s New Elements Geography (Pennsylvania Edition) from 1913 is fun to read. Published as a geography book it can still be used as an atlas. Along with the maps of the world and the U.S. states, it is filled with information about the various countries and states. Granted, the facts are a bit out of date but that is one of the things which make it fun to browse through. 

    My worn copy of a 1917 Complete Handy Atlas of the World is a small paperbound book that I found under a pile of magazines at a yard sale. It feels as if it has been used thousands of times throughout its life. Small and compact but still used a lot!

    In the back room I have a huge atlas; it is too big to fit on any of my shelves. Measuring 12” x 18” The Times Atlas of the World, Comprehensive Edition is also outdated. Printed in 1967, it is now a bit more than just a collection of maps and charts, it is also a collection of history! The populations of the countries have changed, as have the world’s inhabitants. The crops grown and the products manufactured are often different and many of the names of countries have changed. Due to the heftiness of this book you have to be a bit of an Atlas yourself to enjoy it!

    Well, enough about these, it’s time to get back to the dusting and organizing of my shelves, who knows what other atlases I might find in the process… today or in the future!

Out and About

It seems as if there is never a lack of things to do. At times, I have to look around a bit, but I never have any trouble finding something worth doing! Here are a few of the places and things that Ann Marie and I have done and gone to in the past couple weeks. I’ve tried to pass over the boring stuff…

Brady's Furnaces (Great Western Iron Works) 1873

    On a Wednesday afternoon, we took a ride up to Brady’s Bend to attend an excellent lecture about the iron furnaces and the local area. We stopped for dinner and then went to the talk. I had just happened to come across a notice about the presentation and put it on my calendar. It was well worth the drive!

    That Friday, the Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh, (AAAP) had their monthly meeting at the Alleghany Observatory. I try to never miss a meeting held at this magnificent building.

The Keeler Memorial 24" Planewave telescope

The 13" Fitz-Clark refractor

The 30" Thaw refractor

The Library

    Besides the meeting itself, which I always find interesting and informative, there is often a tour of the observatory afterwards. These tours never cease to amaze me with both the architecture and the instruments they use to study the skies above us. 

    The next day, on a rainy Saturday we spent a few hours in the Carnegie Library’s Pennsylvania Room. Ann Marie did some research on her family history while I looked up information on iron furnaces. This is another nice piece of architecture, and they have a great collection well worth visiting!

Taken through the 11" Brashear refractor

    I took a ride up to Wagman Observatory to get some pictures of the couple day old moon. I was hoping to try and catch the 14 hour old moon the day before but the clouds of Pittsburgh ruined that attempt. I had much better luck the next evening. Later I spent some time looking for a comet that is in the sky now but it was located in the murk near the horizon, so, no luck there. The sky above was nice and clear so I spent the rest of my time roaming around the stars overhead.

    My library and my favorite bookstore were a couple stops during the ensuing week. I always enjoy roaming through the bookshelves, hunting for those “special” books that are just waiting there for me to pass by, ready to jump out and say, “Here I am, take me home!”

    Pi day (3/14) was on Thursday and of course, we had to celebrate the day! I made a pi(e) and Jim and Ann Marie came over to help eat it. It was another nice warm day so we played some Scrabble out on the back patio. I won’t mention who it was that won that day.

    Yesterday, Saturday, we took a ride to Apollo. The great color of green that occurs only in the spring was popping out all over the hills. The Forsythia bushes were all in bloom, adding their splashes of yellow to the scenery. 

    We took a walk on the Rock Furnace Trail which parallels Roaring Run. The idea was to visit the remains of the Biddle (Rock) Furnace that sit below the trail. The hike was about ¾ of a mile in both directions and of course, it was uphill both ways! The stream added a nice soundtrack to our stroll. The sun came and went, keeping us warm in the cool valley.

    The furnace is now only a pile of stones sitting below the trail. Built in 1825, it produced iron for 30 years before it shut down permanently. Moss and leaves covered the rubble but pieces of the walls can still be found intact, 199 years after they were built.

    So, we are relaxing this Sunday, St. Patrick’s Day. Chances are another Scrabble game will be played or maybe a movie will be watched before dinner. Then, it will be back to my desk to figure out what is on next week’s schedule….

Out and About on Leap Day

Our day started out before the sun was up. We finally saw it as it shone into our eyes as we drove into the east, appearing from behind some hills to blind us with its brilliance. The air outside the car was cold, below freezing but inside the car the sun quickly warmed us up. We were out to see what we could find on that one day of the year which happens…only once every four years.

    We stopped for some coffee and tea and then, a bit further down the road, stopped for a couple donuts. We timed the stop JUST right, they came out fresh from the back room as we entered the bakery. Fingers a bit sticky from icing we returned to the warmth of the sun and the possibilities we might encounter.

    We drove along at a moderate speed as those who were heading towards work sped past us. We weren’t in a hurry; we had the whole day ahead of us. Our journey wasn’t that far, just into the outskirts of Blairsville. Just a hop, skip and a jump compared to some of our other escapades.

    A few stops were made to snap pictures and soon we were at our destination, a parking spot on the edge of a State Game Lands. A short walk up the road would take us to an old road leading eventually to an old, abandoned limestone quarry.

    Standing in the cold air we put on our boots and gloves and our safety orange hats. I strapped my camera gear onto my back, strung a camera around my neck and we grabbed our hiking staffs and hit the trail. The temperatures were still below freezing and the water that ran along the dirt road was frozen in many places. The road was wide enough for a car to travel but whether or not you would want to…that was another question. Vines leaned out into the path and a tree hung over top of it, held up only by vines. I’m happy with the fact we left the car behind.

    Our walk would take us past a few geocaches, of course. In fact it was a cache that brought us here. Reading the description of one of them spiked my interest, who wouldn’t want to see big limestone caves?

    Starting our stroll, the sounds of the barking dogs in the houses near our car gradually disappeared as the sounds of the near-by stream replaced them. The sounds of the water rushing over the rocks were wonderful!

    We came across a large cement structure rather quickly. It appeared boxlike but as we neared it we could see it was two thick parallel walls. Heavy I beams connected the two walls above. On the sides, six openings with triangular tops broke the walls, large enough for a person to walk through. Inside was one of the I beams and the roots of a very large tree which had fallen many years before.

    We had seen structures like this near Dunbar, not far from mines. I’m guessing it might have been some sort of rock crusher or loader. A truck could easily drive through the ends. On the backside, bolts, complete with nuts and washers hung from the walls where something used to be attached. Concrete mounts or foundations were scattered around in the woods near-by, all the equipment long gone. I can only guess and wonder.

    The road varied between gravel and muddy ruts. In places the vines, heavy with thorns reached out at our eyes and clothes. The stream came closer to the path and the noise increased, a pleasant, soothing noise. At times it was loud and forceful and at other times, soft and just barely noticeable.

    Occasional forays into the sides of the trail were necessary to look for geocaches. We had a list of 6 on our GPS for this route. Since it wasn’t quite spring yet, it was easy making our way through the weeds. We could see the limbs and stones we had to cross, most of the weeds were still low to the ground. The gloves and jacket I was wearing helped repel the thorns bushes we ran into. Forsythia bushes showed young leaves on their branches, partially opened but their bright green color was dulled by the recent cold weather.

    The final ¼ mile of the trail increased its pitch, near the top, we encountered a field. Yellow grasses covered some portions and slanting sheets of stone covered others. Puddles of frozen water sat on the rocks. To our left, we could see high rocky crags and a bit further up we could see the black openings of caves. 

    The entrances were huge, 20 or 30 feet high. Inside the floors were a jumble of rocks, some piled as a hindrance to vehicles and others debris from the ceilings above. The caves were connected and had large stone columns which helped hold up the roof.

    In October of 2020 the US Geological Survey noted a 2.9 tremor near here, a possible earthquake. Further study determined it was the collapse of multiple columns in an abandoned section of quarry. The sound and vibrations were strong enough to register on a seismograph! Whether or not it was here, I don’t know.

    It had to be exciting to see how these caves were made. They followed the slant of the hillside; the next cave was a bit higher than the one preceding it. We could see the strata of the different type of rocks in the cliff face, all with the same slope to them.

    At the top of the open field we could see behind us one of the neighborhoods of Blairsville in the distance. We searched around in the rocks for a geocache but came up empty. It was supposedly inside a large 5 gallon bucket, we couldn’t have missed it. So, we returned to the caves and sat down and ate an apple and enjoyed the view.

    I wasn’t upset about not finding the cache, this often happens. The nice thing about this particular cache was that it brought us here to this really cool site. Caves and cliffs, free from graffiti, a wonderful view and lots of fresh air with the occasional sounds of train whistles drifting up to us from the valley below. The skies were blue with puffy white clouds drifting by and the temperatures were rising. Could it be any better?

    Back at the car we talked about getting some lunch. Heading towards Blairsville we passed a sign advertising Annabelle Books. We couldn’t pass up a book store so we turned around to find it. We drove up a long driveway to a nice looking house, wondering if this was the place. As we pondered whether or not to knock, a woman came out and asked if we needed any help.

    It wasn't a bookstore, but they did sell her husband's books. We were invited in and soon were sitting and talking with Stella and Paul. Paul is a marine scientist and an author and Stella a well known cook and artist. The pair has lived an exciting life, traveling around the world, raising Weimaraners and living on a beach in Mississippi. Their lives also had some downfalls, including being forced out of their home when Hurricane Katrina hit land in 2005. This eventually brought them up to Stella’s family farm in Pennsylvania. Truly an exciting life!

    We sat and talked for a while before we had to leave. It was another good experience we had during the day. Thank heavens we had seen the sign, otherwise we would’ve never met these two nice people and heard some of the stories of their lives. We left with a couple of Pal's books.

    The BBQ at Clem’s Café pulled us in for lunch. Chances are you’ve seen their pig sitting on top of their building along rt.22. It’s well worth the stop as long as you’re not a vegetarian, though they do have some good macaroni and cheese!

    There were a few more caches on our way back and we stopped briefly at the Loyalhanna Dam. A nice leisurely drive took us through the back roads of Westmoreland County. Soon we were back on the fast moving roads of Alleghany.

    Enjoying a beautiful day, we found 8 of the 10 caches we looked for, 80%, not bad at all! We found and visited a really neat set of caves, had a great walk in the woods and met two nice people who shared some of their lives with us. It was a great way to spend that one day that we get, only once every four years!

    A final note; my daughter told me about Leap Day William who lives in the Mariana Trench. He emerges once every four years to change children’s tears into candy. Wearing blue and yellow and eating rhubarb is part of his tradition. This came from an episode of the show, 30Rock. Neither Ann Marie or I had anything yellow to wear, (imagine a Pittsburgher saying that) so we opted for our orange safety caps along with our blue jeans. There was no rhubarb in our day either. We didn’t see L.D.William but we did talk about him more than once during our day. He says that anything done on February 29^th doesn’t count because real life can wait for March. We have to disagree because we will remember this day… for a long time!