One of My Father's Attic Treasures

 On a shelf in my living room, underneath an assortment of papers and an old family photo album sits a wooden box. The wood is dull, unfinished, but you can see it was nicely made. I originally found it in the attic.

    I was no stranger to the various things placed in our attic. There were countless things to look through, hidden in boxes and in old furniture. As a child I loved to go up and explore, always careful not to step between the joists. My mother had warned me numerous times about how easy it could be to fall through the ceiling into the room below.

    When I was young, the only way into the attic was through a hole in the wall, inside a closet. A step ladder was needed to get through it. The attic was my own Narnia, another world! It was filled with treasures.

    The box is made out of plain wood; there are no markings on it just two tarnished brass clasps, one on either side. When opened, it requires a bit of effort due to the close fit, there is almost a vacuum to it. A slight gasp or pop can be noticed when it is pulled apart.

    Inside the box sits 23 beetles, each held in place with a stickpin! Some are extremely large and others are what I’d consider normal sized. All sorts of colors decorate their backs, from black and white to neon green. I can still remember the first time I saw what was inside it and how amazed I was! What a cool thing to find sitting in an attic! My father had already passed on, so I couldn’t ask him about it. Did he collect them or did he purchase this somewhere?

    The box is only brought out for “special occasions”. It probably hasn’t been opened in 5 years or more. When opening it, I like to think that my father and I both had beetle collections. His was in this box, while mine was on vinyl.

    While looking at it this last time, I noticed that some of the beetles had more than one label attached to the pins holding them in place. Afraid to move the beetles due to their age, I used a pair of tweezers to carefully slide some of the labels down. Most of them had numbers printed on them and others had descriptions of the insects, in Latin I’m guessing. 

    On one neatly inscribed label, I saw the name BREIDENBACH! (Probably written with a fine tipped fountain pen) So, this collection was his! The larger insects, Goliath beetles, are native to Africa and the neon green ones, Flower Beetles are native to the Philippines. As far as I know, my father has never been to either of these countries. Maybe he purchased these bugs from a dealer, like people did with their stamp collections, I can only guess. I have to say, there are a lot of things that I don’t know about my dad.

    I closed the box and returned it to the shelf and thought about it for a while. It has been 50 years since my father passed on. He was 71 years old when he died, so if he started this collection when he was 18, these insects would be at least a hundred years old! He had put the box in the attic when we moved to Shaler so it is at least 70 years old, either way, these bugs are old!

    I can’t help but think about how; so many things stored in our attic influenced me in ways I never imagined. I feel as if my many explorations into the attic as a child and as a young man, helped make me the person I am today. Photography, writing, reading, collecting odd things, the list goes on. My father influenced me in so many ways, more than I ever realized. 

    Thanks Dad!

A Morning Walk

 The streets were dark and the streetlights only provided small pools of illumination onto the sidewalks. The road tapered off into the distance where tall buildings stood. Most of the lights in the buildings were off, the morning shifts having not yet arrived.

    A shadowy figure stands near a parking kiosk, waiting for a ride possibly. Parking the car, I cross the street with no real need to look either way, cars and trucks are rare at this time of the morning. I glance over my shoulder to make sure the shadow isn’t following me or going towards my car, but it isn’t really necessary.

    The one open business, a coffee shop, has just opened a few minutes ago. Already there are 3 customers inside. Two are leaning over a tall table, steaming coffee under their noses, deep in conversation. The other, is standing at the counter waiting for his order, talking to the barista. I am quickly taken care of and with my capped cup of coffee in hand, I start my walk.

    The sidewalks which will be crowded in a few hours are now deserted. Empty milk cartons sit against the buildings, seats for panhandlers later in the day. Restaurant chairs and tables sit empty. Lights in the stores are off, looking at the windows reveal only reflections of the outside world.

    A couple trucks sit in the slow lane, their back doors open to reveal the boxes of foods and goods waiting to be unloaded. A dark figure moves around in one of them, filling a pallet with items that will be sold later in the day. The streets are deserted, only an occasional car passes by. A couple bicyclists slip past soundlessly, only the lights they are wearing giving their passage away. The sidewalks are empty except for me.

    On a side street a car sits in front of a vape shop, or possibly the massage parlor upstairs. The car sits empty, crossing the street I don’t go close enough to see if the engine is running.

    The alleys are dark, filled with shadows. Dumpsters are mere shapes, filled with yesterdays trash, some with their lids propped up from the excess refuge. The parking lots are empty and the only sounds are from the infrequent passing car or truck. A man walks past, going to an unmarked door and knocks. It is opened and the bright lights of a work space flood the sidewalk and then the door closes and darkness returns.

    Returning to the car is quiet and uneventful. The sky is slowly brightening; hanging above the hills the half-moon is looking bright against the blue sky. All the stars and planets have disappeared. More lights have been turned on in the city.

    It is almost time for the morning train, so I stop to watch it pass. Setting up my tripod and camera, a man stops to ask what I’m doing. This is the first person I’ve talked with since my visit to the coffee shop. The whistle sounds and the light by the station brightens and then slowly gets larger. Within a minute, the train has passed me and is on its way across the state. Now it is only a memory, a memory in my mind, and on a chip inside my camera.

    The sky continues to brighten, and I turn the car towards home. There are chores to be done, and the rest of the day needs to play out. My walk through the Strip was invigorating; I got some steps in, a little exercise and a couple pictures. The streets of the Strip District almost always provide interesting visits, whether the stores are open or not, whether people are there or not. But when it is a dark morning, the streets deserted, and the stores all closed, it tends to be just a little more exciting!

First Observations of the New Year

 

This evening, (6:50PM, 1/2/26) I went outside to see if I could see a pass of the Chinese space Station, Tiangong. Surprisingly, the sky was clear. We have had quite a lot of cloudy nights lately. The temperature was hovering just under 20°, so I made sure to dress appropriately.

    The pass was going to be low to my horizon and there was a good chance that I’d miss it. Going out to watch these passes have always excited me, no matter what the temperature is, so I had decided to give it a try! I walked up and down the street watching for it to skim over my neighbor’s houses but as expected, the space station couldn’t be seen.

(both pictures above courtesy of the internet) 

    The bright full moon was casting shadows in front of me. I turned around and looked at it for a couple minutes. I couldn’t help but notice the “Rabbit in the moon”. Once you’ve seen it, you can’t help but notice it. I had always seen the “Man in the Moon”, until the rabbit was shown to me and now, it’s tough for me to see anything else.

    With my binoculars I looked at Jupiter which was rising below the moon, still hanging in the trees above the horizon, and then Saturn which was hanging high in the sky off towards the west. I looked at a couple other bright stars and attempted to see Orion but it was still too low, hidden by the trees or else, maybe it was the light of the moon and my poor eyes. I’d have to come out later to see it, once it rises a bit higher in the sky.

    I considered bringing a telescope outside, but knowing how my back has been acting, I decided against it. No heavy weights right now. I took a couple pictures of the moon and then returned inside to my nice warm house.

    I was only out for about a half hour, but it was enough for the cold to set in. Still, even though I was cold, I was happy; I got my first observations of the year! I’m keeping my fingers crossed for more clear skies in the future! And now, since I’m warmed up again, I think I’ll go back outside and take another look for Orion!