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….