A final Look at Comet Neowise ?

 

After an afternoon of anticipation, I loaded the car with my refractor, the eyepieces, the camera and tripod along with a couple other essentials and headed up to the Wagman Observatory in Deer Lakes Park. I picked up a chicken salad on the way for my dinner. Arriving at 8, I was the first one there. 

Arriving early gave me time to find a geocache that was hidden near the observatory. Once I had found that, I started setting up.  While I was putting things together a young couple came up the hill and strolled around. They came over and asked where the comet was going to be.  My “new friends”, Lynn and Nathan hadn’t brought anything with them, no binoculars, just a blanket. They were just hoping to see Comet Neowise before it disappeared from view.

After getting things aligned and focused, I showed them the first quarter moon. Asking them to be careful not to touch anything, they carefully gazed into the wide field eyepiece. (Masks were worn all night.) Both were duly impressed. A short while later I showed them Saturn and Jupiter. By now the sky was getting darker and we could start seeing the stars of the Big Dipper. Binoculars came out and people started scanning the sky.  By now there were about 20 people on the hill. Tom Reiland had arrived and set up in the observatory. Due to the Covid 19 problems, there is only one person per room allowed in the observatory. This meant no visitors, only one observer per scope.

Tom, having watched the comet almost daily, saw it first. I managed to locate it in soon after. I was trying to find landmarks so I could return to it easily when I heard Arlan. She and Patrick had returned to take another look at this visitor from outer space

Comet Neowise (7.25.20) 10:18PM  125mm  f5.6   5 secs.

I wasn’t able to locate the comet by eye but after seeing it a couple times using binoculars, I was able to return to it after looking away. It was almost directly under Alkaid, the first star in the handle of the dipper.  Dropping down I came to two stars in line with my decent and the comet was just to the right of the pair. By the time darkness settled in there were about 30 people on the hilltop. There were a lot of cameras with large lens and a couple people had brought their “department store” telescopes with them.

Patrick set up his camera to get a few shots. I took a couple shots also but wasn’t pleased since the brightness of the comet had dropped and the tail wasn’t as obvious as it was last Saturday. (7.18.20) Clouds and haze were slowly working their way into the section of sky the comet was located in.  A little after 11 the crowd thinned out. It got quieter and even though clouds were moving across the sky it was still a very pleasant evening. The temperatures were very comfortable and it was nice to just stand around and BS for awhile. Talking to friends while craning our necks to see anything that nature decided to show us is a common Wagman stance. While we talked a shooting star or two were granted to our waiting eyes along with an ISS pass. Saturn and Jupiter were soon covered over. I BS’d for awhile with Tom and John, two members I’ve known since I joined the AAAP and then I loaded my car and headed for home.

Back in Shaler, I could see the Big Dipper but I didn’t bother trying to see the comet. Most of the stars visible at Wagman were gone, hidden by the lights scattered all around my hometown. I had seen Comet Neowise once more and I seriously doubt if I’ll see it again. Pittsburgh weather is looking rather iffy for the next few days.  I spent an evening with friends gazing at the skies above us. I spent some time exploring the terminator of the moon and also took a look at Jupiter, Saturn and the Andromeda Galaxy and shared them with friends in the process. All in all, another great night!

Sunday night, 7.25.20, 11PM.  I saw it one more time from my neighborhood. While walking the dog, balancing against a stop sign. It was a faint blob, no tail that I could see but then again, I had a neighbors porch light shining on me. I couldn't relocate it from the house. I'm afraid it is gone to me...

A COUPLE FACTS: In case you were wondering, the comet got its name from the telescope which discovered it. NEOWISE- Near Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. It was discovered on March 27^th 2020.The nucleus of the comet is approximately 3 miles across and at its closest point, (7.23.20) it was about 64 million miles away from us. It is now heading away from us but don’t worry, it will be back in about 6800 years. MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

The Rural Life

Every so often you find a book that really excites you. Full of good use of the English language and great subject matter, a book that pulls you in and won’t let go. When first picked up you never expected it to be as good as it is! Maybe it sat on a shelf for a month or two, patiently waiting to latch onto your mind, quietly waiting for a chance to grab your interest. Once it sank its fangs into your brain cells, you couldn’t wait to share it with others, recommending it over and over. This is one of those books.

                Ann Marie picked up The Rural Life, by Verlyn Klinkenborg at a sale. She doesn’t remember exactly when, it might have been an estate sale or at a used book store or most probably at a local library book sale. (Oh, I sure miss those sales!) It sat on a shelf for awhile and when she started into it, she knew right away it was a bit more than an average book.

                Written in 2002, this book is a compilation of a batch of Verlyn’s essays. Though written in different years, he put them together to take us through a year through his eyes. He starts in January just as the calendar does and starts out by telling us about why he has written a journal. Then he writes about the snow and the slush, his beehives and his horses. He blends these things together while telling about farm life and life in general. And so, the year begins.

                While reading this book every so often I ran into a sentence that is so special I wanted to write it down. I never did, I was too entranced to stop and look for a paper and pencil. Even though the stories bounce around from year to year they still fit together wonderfully. He describes laying in his yard and looking at the Andromeda Galaxy, the object that is the furthest thing man can see by eye. He discusses lights and how they hide the night sky from us and how important it is to lay back and imagine how vast the universe is. Later he tells us about insects and flowers growing in his fields, from huge to tiny, he does it all. Enjoying nature and sharing that enjoyment with us! At times it is almost poetic.

                He tells us how the woods turn green after the winter has stripped all color from the world, he tells about his fields and his gardens and he tells about the wonders of how mayflies are nowhere to be seen one minute and next, they are everywhere, much like morels, there right under your nose, but invisible to you until you glance the proper way. He tells these stories as a way of describing life and living. He has a wonderful mastery of the language!

                It is a book I couldn’t wait to finish but at the same time, I dreaded how close I was coming to the end of the book. December was approaching much too quickly! Soon the book will be returned to its owner, Ann Marie but I imagine I’ll be looking to purchase a copy for my own collection! It is that sort of a book. A treasure discovered hidden amongst the other books patiently waiting for their new owners to recognize them and take them home. I’m so happy Ann Marie found this one…or did the book find her?

The Comet Chase Continues

7.18.20

                After a wonderful night at Wagman Observatory last night, I decided to stay home tonight. It was a great night at Deer Lakes. I saw a lot of friends I hadn’t seen in awhile and made a couple new ones while I was there.

                The comet was visible by eye as were thousands of stars that can’t be seen from my light polluted back yard. I took lots of pictures and really enjoyed BS’ing with friends and other star gazers. We watched the International Space Station go overhead early in the evening and later as it passed off to the north of the observatory. A few shooting stars were seen also. Like I said, a great night

 



Shot from Wagman, 7.17.20  140mm  f7.1 @ 5sc. (7.17.20 10:04PM)

                Today was extremely hot and we basically hung out in the house, hardly moving unless necessary. After the sky darkened, I walked down my street and saw the comet with binoculars. I could see how it had moved. The two stars it is above tonight were the ones we used as pointer stars last night. Yesterday it was below and to the right of the pair.

                Instead of going up on a hill, I decided to go low tonight. I drove into the valley by my house and set the camera on the pitcher’s mound in the field at Lower Glenshaw Church. This gave me some foreground for my shots. I only stayed for about 10-15 minutes and then returned home. Gotta get up early tomorrow, it’s Sunday!

Shot at Lower Glenshaw ball field, 160mm  f7.1  5 sc. (7.18.20 10:11PM)

 

                Naturally, I’m looking forward to the next viewing of the comet. It is interesting watching it move through the sky! I hope you’re watching its passage also!

(note: by clicking on the pictures you can see a larger version)

My Search for Comet Neowise

 

                As I’m sure you know, there is a new comet in the skies, Comet Neowise. Here in the Pittsburgh area it isn’t quite as spectacular as it is in locations further away from cities, clouds and humidity. Still, this visitor from space is worth going out to see!

                I saw it first in the morning sky on July 9^th, around 5 o’clock. I was walking the dog with a pair of binoculars around my neck, checking the sky every few minutes. (Thank heavens no neighbors looked out their windows!)I knew it was to the left and below the bright planet Venus so I had an idea of where to look. The Pittsburgh skies provided a slight covering of clouds in the area I was looking towards. Finally, in-between two houses I saw it!  Try as I might I couldn’t see it by eye alone. Then, the clouds moved in again and it was gone.

                I went out a few more times as the days progressed, only to be greeted by clouds and more clouds. (There might have been a little rain mixed in there also) I did enjoy the time listening to the birds waking up. There is nothing like the fresh air, smells of flowers, birds chirping and the brightening sky in the early morning!

                The comet is visible in the evening skies now, under the Big Dipper, in the northwest. Since I work in the afternoon and evening, I miss these viewing hours. I’ve gone out a few times at work but our company is located in a valley and is covered with spotlights. Both are bad conditions for seeing something faint on the horizon!

                I had yesterday, Thursday the 16^th, off of work. We had some rain storms move through the area and ones predicted for the evening. I wasn’t expecting to be going out to search. When 9PM rolled around, I could see a couple patches of blue sky so I decided to take a drive.

                I found an open view towards the northwest along Middle Road, across the street from a house with all its outside lights lit. I pulled over and got out and started scanning the sky with my binoculars. No luck at all, there were big puffy clouds right where the comet should be. I waited and kept scanning. The Big Dipper slowly appeared and as I went back and forth, I found it! After looking at it for awhile, I got the tripod out of the car and set it up along with the camera. I couldn’t see the comet by eye so I had to take a few “trial” shots to locate it. That is the nice thing about digital cameras, you can see if your exposure or subject is correct. Once I located it, I took a bunch of pictures and then, feeling great, I headed back home.

 While I was taking pictures, I had to shield the camera from car headlights. The clouds were covering it up again as I left. I had been on the side of the road for about an hour. I kept expecting the police to show up. The pictures aren’t the greatest, but at least I got some. It wasn’t the best spot to observe from, but it did the trick!



                Now, I can’t wait to see what tonight will bring!

Back Again!

 

               The door was open! Sending an invitation to anyone walking by, come on in! I can’t remember how long it has been since the last time I was here. The store had shut down sometime in March. I would drive by just to see if any lights were on or if the window display had changed. It always was closed, just like the sign on the door stated.

                Going up the steps, a gate just inside the door stopped me. A small table holding a supply of face masks and hand sanitizer sat beside the gate. There were two people inside the store already, perusing the shelves, the current occupancy allowed.  Arlan, the owner stood at her normal spot behind the counter.

                I was excited! I was back again. Back at City Books on Pittsburgh’s North Side. To me it seemed as if it had been years since I was there last. But that was only in my bookstore starved mind. The virus affected many things and that was one of them!

                While I waited, Arlan and I caught each other up on what had had happened to our lives over the past couple months. The shop had been re-organized, additional shelves had been added to the walls and the center had been opened up. The counter had been moved closer to the door and some arrows had been placed on the floor. Not all the books were back on the shelves yet, re-organization is a very involved process!

                One of the things we discussed was the sentencing of the two men who had stolen rare books from the Carnegie Library. They had removed books and resold them , books which could cost up to $8 million to replace! They were sentenced to three or four years of house arrest (because of the pandemic, talk about good timing!) and one was ordered to pay $55 thousand in restitution. Basically a slap on the wrist! Arlan said it wouldn’t have been much different even if there wasn’t a virus scare, they were both white men!  What a shame, this has happened before. Maps and plates stolen from old books, volumes destroyed in the process and the criminals received a “firm talking to”. Some have even continued on in their book selling careers. Book stealing is not a serious crime according to the fines and sentences passed out over the years. It doesn’t matter how much the books were worth.

                Her stock hadn’t changed much, it had just been re-arranged. Still, even though I had looked over these books many times, I still found a couple I didn’t remember. This is one of the wonders of bookstores; you can explore the shelves from top to bottom, ceiling to floor and still, when you return you will find books unfamiliar to you!

                It happened to me today. The Story of a Stanley Steamer by George Woodbury. Printed in 1950, it tells the authors story as he tries to find and then reconstruct a Stanley Steamer automobile. (A car,not a vacuum cleaner!) Pulling the book off the shelf I realized that this was THE BOOK I had to take home with me. I hadn’t seen it in any of my previous visits. I know I had looked through the shelves it was located on, it must have been hiding from me, it knew the time wasn’t right. It just wasn’t needed the last time I was there, I had been looking for something different. Today, the time was right, it was time to go home with me!

                Making it an even better find, when I opened the cover to check the publishing date, I saw that it was signed by the author, sixty years ago! You never know what will catch your eye when you open the door to a bookstore.

                I took a couple photographs and browsed a bit more, all the while the conversation between Arlan and me never slowed down. I paid for the newest book in my collection, said my good-byes and then returned to the brutally hot streets and headed to work.

                Leaving, I glanced at the world globe sitting on the shelf. It reminded me about the wonderful world of books and how every bookstore is a world in itself!

                Arriving at work a few minutes early, I stopped by the near-by stream and gave the book a once over. I started reading the first chapter and fell right into the story.  Before I knew it I had to leave that world and return to my own. It was time to go to work.

                The morning news had been filled with bad things which had happened around the city, illnesses and deaths. Preventative measures businesses were being forced to adhere to, regulations about mask wearing and whether restaurants would be able to allow patrons to eat indoors. Never the less, I was able to find something good today! There is ALWAYS something, a flower, a babbling brook, a sunrise or sunset or a newly opened bookstore! My day was off to a great start!

A Blast From The Past

 

 

 

 

              While attempting to stay cool during this recent heatwave, I was looking at some folders on my computer. I thought it might be nice to revisit the year 2012. It was early in the day on August 11th and Frank and I were on a mission. We were going to chase the Nickel Plate 765!

 

              (Note: These “facts” are 8 years old and so, not all of them could be accurate. My mind has a way of changing things as the dates get further away!)

 

              We arrived at Baden, PA, location of the Conway RR Yard around 8 in the morning. As we were driving towards the community we could see the smoke from the engine. We pulled over and RAN across the street and took a few pictures as the train was leaving the Conway yards.

 

             The train was an employee appreciation ride, only Norfolk and Southern employees were on the train.  The rail fans of Pittsburgh could only watch as it passed by, there were no extra seats. The engine pulling the train was the Nickel Plate RR #765.

                This locomotive was built in 1944 and worked for the NPRR until 1963 when it was retired. The Fort Wayne Historical Society rebuilt it and uses it for excursions. It had been in the Pittsburgh area a couple times.

                Behind the steam engine was a newer locomotive, a Norfolk and Southern Heritage engine, 38100, painted with the Nickel Plate colors.  There were about 12 cars behind the engines.

                After taking shots at the Conway Yards, we turned around and started our chase, heading towards Pittsburgh.  We stopped at a bridge crossing the Ohio River in Ambridge, thinking that we’d take pictures as the train passed underneath us, but unfortunately, there was no road surface on the bridge. Just open girders, they were resurfacing the bridge. So much for that idea.

                As we drove along rt.65 we could see all the rail fans waiting for their chance to watch this vision of the past speed by.  We went to a spot in Glenfield to wait for its approach. There was a nice set of signals there which gave a nice look for pictures. Sadly, with the new signal system these lights have been removed.

                After it passed here we continued on to the North Side. The train would be going onto the Ohio Connecting Railroad Bridge to reverse its direction. We met some of the NFS police while we were searching for a place to photograph from. There were a lot of them floating about and the places I’d normally shoot from weren’t available on the day.

               We followed the train later that day to Homewood, in Beaver County where it reversed at the wye there to continue back to Conway again. We joined lots of railfans standing on a bridge overlooking the tracks. Dads and moms, grandfathers and grandmothers who brought kids to see the train, people who lived during the times of steam reliving the past and people who just loved the noise and power of these huge machines.

                We took some shots and then headed back towards home, we didn’t chase it back to Conway. We had been on the road for quite awhile and we were ready for home. It  had gone by quickly and it was a great day, but we were tired. It was a fun ride and a fun chase and it was filled with lots of good memories! We were like a couple kids and there is nothing wrong with that! Ah yeah, great memories!

Moonrise July 4th

9:33PM, handheld 300mm, f9 @ 1/200 sec.

Capturing A Space Station

 

I had all the necessary details written on the slip of paper in my hand, plus a couple that were held tightly in my head.  It was 3:15 in the morning, on the 4^th of July. Any sane person would be sound asleep, rebuilding their stamina for the holiday ahead.  I had just rolled out of bed, leaving what seemed to be a good dream behind.

                The International Space Station was due to pass over my house in about 15 minutes. I have been getting up to watch its’ journey across the skies for the last 5 or 6 days. We have had a nice batch of clear nights. Unfortunately, the moon is increasing in size each night since it is nearing its full phase. It will be full tomorrow.  Luckily the brightness of the moon doesn’t hamper satellite observations…much.  

                Yesterday I got up early and on a whim, decided to try and photograph the stations’ path as it went by. I set up my camera and pointed it where I thought the station would be appearing. Of course, where I pointed it and where it went were two different places. I compared the path from yesterday to the predicted one for this morning and re-evaluated my viewing and shooting location. It is this information that I had held tightly (I hope) in my head.

                On the sheet of paper I have the times it will appear above my viewing location, where the highest point of its’ path will be and where it will disappear. There is also a crude diagram I drew of my house and the street and where the path will be above them.

                I get these details from a site called HeavensAbove.com. This site has details for a large variety of satellites which can be seen every night. They also give sighting details for launches if they would be visible from where you live.  They also have a nice batch of astronomy links!I have been using this site for years, using it to locate the Mir Space Station and the Shuttles that supplied it. Mir left our skies in 2001 so it has probably been over 20 years!

                I took my camera and tripod out into the neighbor’s driveway and set it up. I took a picture of Jupiter and Saturn to focus the lens. I didn’t want to have the camera “searching” for something to focus on when I was shooting so it remained on manual focus. I pointed it where I estimated the pass would occur and took a couple test shots. These shots helped me set my scene, level the camera and determine an exposure which would show the stars and the sky the same way they appeared to my eye. Once I determined where to point and how long to leave the shutter open, I sat on the near-by wall and waited.

                I first saw it as it flashed in-between the leaves of the trees. I waited until it cleared and took my first shot. 10 long seconds, then I took another. After 4 shots, I repositioned the camera a bit towards the right and took 2 more shots. Then the ISS drifted back into the trees close to the horizon. The pass was a little over a minute from my position. Not bad!

                I packed up my gear and went back inside. A quick look at the screen of the camera showed that I had caught it. I set the gear in the hallway and crawled back into bed. I’d check the shots out later. I had some sleep to catch now!

The shots were taken at f9 @ 10 seconds, the lens was set at 18mm. The ISO was set at 3200. The space Station was approximately 254 miles above me, traveling at approximately 15,500 MPH!

Visiting Some Bookstores!!

 

 

         I had a doctor’s appointment on Thursday and arrived a bit early. They had requested that I show up only 5 minutes before my appointment. So, with some extra time on my hands, I stopped at the local Barnes and Noble Bookstore to do a quick run through.

          The door was open and the books inside were calling to me. Before I went in, I read the posted notes hanging beside it. They requested that all customers keep a six foot distance from one another and that all customers wear a mask while in the store. I could handle that!

          Inside it pretty much looked the same as the last time I had been there. There were a few carts scattered around with signs asking the patrons to put the books they weren’t going to buy on them. They would disinfect them before returning them to the shelves. I felt a bit self conscious. Was I able to turn a book over to read the back or to pick it up to check on the price and if I did, was I suppose to put it on the cart? I ended up basically walking around with my hands in my pockets. The two or three books I touched I put right back down since I only flipped them over. I hope I didn’t overstep any of the new book protocol. I walked around and looked at the titles, soaking it all in. Then I left to go to the doctor’s appointment.

          After my doctor visit, I stopped at Half Price Books and took a quick look around that store. They also asked that their customers wear a mask and avoid getting too close to each other. Sterilized baskets were standing by the door for our use. A woman came over and asked me to try to limit only one person in any area at the same time. I asked if they had the newest Stephen King book, “If It Bleeds” and she guided me over to a shelf and handed me one of the books. “We just put these out.” She said. I took it and then walked around a bit, stopping to check out the collectable shelves.

It was such a nice feeling reading the various bindings stacked side by side. They had a lot of leather bound books; you know the type, gold lettering, raised bands on the spine, gold edges on the pages and usually a green or red satin ribbon.  I believe they were all Easton Press collections. Their prices were over my spending level. I like having books in good shape that I can read without any fear of marring the fine craftsmanship or creasing a page. (Heaven forbid!) I like to pull a favorite book off the shelf and re-read it every so often. The books on these shelves are not for that, they are for display. Seeing nothing that excited me, I went up to the cashier, (standing behind a sheet of Plexiglas) and bought my book.

          It was such a good feeling to bring a new book home. I have been reading books that were stacked on my “to read” pile and books downloaded for free on my Kindle but now I had a book I wanted to read, one I have been looking forward to reading! When I got home, I took the cover off of it, (to protect it from damage) and opened up to the first page, (ohh, nice crisp pages, sharp edges and the smell of a NEW book!)…and got lost in another reality. Oh what a great feeling!  Excuse me now, I can’t be writing this, I have a book I that needs read!

          On Saturday, two days later, Ann Marie and I returned for a bit longer visit. We both came out with some new books (to us) to add to our collections. I bought a book by Larry McMurty called “Books, A Memoir” (2009) and a book called “Historical Voyage, A Pictorial Review of the Beaver Valley” put out by the Beaver County Times.(2004) There are a couple pictures of Ann Maries family in it.

          I always enjoy books about local history and of course, books about books…it goes without saying! Now, the question is, do I finish the Stephen King book first and then go on to Larry McMurty, or should I mix em up a bit? Yup, I think I’ll do a little of each of them! Spread the wealth. 

 

          You can’t imagine how much I have been looking forward to going back to bookstores. After we left, we drove up to a nursery to get some shrubs for AMB’s house. As we were driving through the countryside and the fresh air it felt as if everything in the world was right. Well…..it felt like it even though we knew better. Getting back into the bookstores is one good thing and I’ll take ANY good thing I can get!

Alongside the Stream

 

                It was a Monday, the shopping had been done and the groceries all put away. The dishes had been washed and were stacked in the drainer. My lunch had been made, the dog fed and walked and now I was on my way to work.

                I stopped at a shaded spot beside a stream and took my notebook and pen and went down to soak in some of the quiet.

                A tree stood alongside the stream with a log wedged against it. The log had been there for a couple years now. I’ve used it as a seat in the past. The tree was wrapped with debris from the last bought of high water. A board was held tight against it with a variety of sticks, weeds, paper and plastic and what looked like straw.

                The straw was wound around the tree. It looked like a bird’s nest, a bumper protecting the trunk. Tight and solid, the high waters have a way of weaving things together.

                A black winged dragonfly landed on a branch, its neon body attracting my attention. Its wings are small compared to the length of its body. They are translucent, like lace, I can see right through them when they are spread.

                I heard a splash in the stream and slowly turned my head. A young deer was standing in the water not 15 feet away. He started, startled by the movement. We looked at each other, neither one moving. Thirty seconds, seeming like minutes, past by and then he slowly backed away, turned and ran up the hill.

                I continued writing and soon heard some snorts. Turning slowly I saw his mother watching me. Standing a bit further away she watched for awhile and then with a final snort, turned and ran after her fawn.

                Beside the stream I was soothed by the sounds of the water flowing over its rocky bed. Tall stems of purple phlox were growing out of the log I was standing beside. The dragon flies showed no fear, chasing each other like children in a playground.

                I could fall asleep here if I had the time, instead I just soaked up the quiet, the solitude and all the peacefulness that nature offered me. Relaxed, I watched as the pollen slowly fell from the trees, dropping through beams of sunlight before gently dropping into the stream below, and all was well!

Mental Health Day

 

 

 

 

                “I have a strong desire to go away, to somewhere where I’ll be alone. It doesn’t have to be for a long time, just a few hours perhaps. Away from any distractions, no pressing requirements, maybe to a lake or a hilltop where I can watch the world revolve.

                I know that if I do this, I won’t be satisfied. I’ll be bored and the time will drag. If I bring paper and pens, nothing will get written. Mostly, I’ll just feel sorry for myself. It has happened before.

                Photo trips, backpacking or camping, I’ll wonder why I’m there. What was my need to come? The answer I was looking for won’t be there.

                I know I should ignore this desire, remove it from my thoughts!

                Instead it gains importance, it requires fulfillment. I should know better but instead I start mentally scanning my maps, thinking about where, where would the perfect place be…”

                It got the best of me, I couldn’t resist. The next day, I took a mental relaxation day from work and after lunch (and a few chores around the house) I got in the car and headed north. My idea was to go and see some countryside, drive through some farmland, find a place to stop and relax and enjoy the scenery.

                On the drive I got tangled up in the commercialism of the North Hills. Store after store, fast food joints and car dealer after car dealer. Then there are the doctors and their offices. They all became a blur, I had to get away. This isn't what I wanted!

                By the time I got to Wexford, I was ready to pull what little hair I have, out! I didn’t want to do it but I jumped on RT79 and increased my speed, leaving all this clutter behind.  In another 15 minutes I was in Portersville and driving past farms and fields.

                A lot of this area was strip mined and is now nicely reforested. The trees are still young but the land is looking much better than it did in the 70’s. I can remember driving up to Moraine State Park and looking at the manmade hills along RT79, so obvious in those days. You can still see the hand of man on the hills and valleys, but it looks rather nice now days.

                My first stop was at a lookout called Cleland Rock, a rarely visited part of McConnells Mill State Park. It overlooks the valley that Slippery Rock Creek flows. Two large Turkey Vultures met me when I pulled up, they were gracious enough to fly away and leave me alone with the view. Perhaps in the fall or the winter I might have been able to see the stream but today the trees hid it nicely.  I sat for a while and wrote a little bit before leaving to go further north. I had gotten an idea.

                A year or so ago on a nice snowy day, Ann Marie and I had attempted to visit an old stone blast furnace. Called the Wilroy Furnace, it is situated just below a campground. We had stopped at the office to inquire if we could go down and photograph the furnace. The lady we talked to was elderly and seemed very protective of the site. She told us that it would be too dangerous to go to it when there was snow and ice on the ground. “Perhaps some other time.”

 The campground now looked deserted.  The grass was well over a foot high. The office windows were dirty and the patio had leaves and dirt blown into its corners. I walked around the office, looking up at the upstairs windows but I saw nothing. There was no car to be seen. The pool was filled with greenish water and weeds climbed up the fence. The place looked abandoned.

                I followed a slight path through the overgrown grass that led down the hill. Large branches from the trees lay in the grass.  At the bottom of the slope was a wide flat area. Some rusted picnic tables were scattered around, the wood on them was broken and laying half off their supports. The wood was covered with leaves and had mold and moss growing on it.

 

                The hillside dropped off dramatically behind the tables and there below them was the furnace.  Looking like a pyramid or an ancient temple it sat at the bottom of the hill. Long grass and a few saplings were growing out of the cracks. It has 3 setbacks, each about 10-12 inches wide.  There were no fallen stones, the three arches were in pristine shape. A pond of stagnant water was situated in front of the furnace, possibly a result of flooding from the stream. The stream could be seen 30-40 yards away.

                At one time, when it was in operation a bridge would have been built from where the picnic tables were over to the top of the furnace. This bridge, called a charging bridge, was used to fuel the furnace and to add the ingredients used to make the iron. The molten iron was removed from the furnace through one of the arches at the bottom. It would flow out through paths cut in the dirt and allowed to cool into ingots, called pigs. These would then be shipped to other places which would re-form them into usable products.

                Someone had been doing some pruning in the past couple months. Several trees had been cut down and there were a few piles of brush around the front of the furnace. It was almost as if the furnace had been put on display. I took some shots from various spots around the furnace and then left.

 

                I drove over to the opposite side of the stream. There are a lot of paths that fishermen use on this side.  I came to a spot where the furnace could be seen easily. The last time I had been here, I could just barely see it through the trees and weeds.

                I can’t help but wonder who owns it now. It is on the National Register of Historical Places. I wonder if it is on the campground property. I saw a couple stakes with pink ribbons on them, maybe it’s being sold or maybe it is being taken over by the state. I can only hope that it will continue to be protected. There is no graffiti on it except for a couple chiseled names, from the 1800’s!

                According to Myron Sharp and William Thomas who wrote a book titled “A Guide to the Old Stone Blast Furnaces in Western Pennsylvania” , the furnace was built around 1854 and went out of blast before 1877.  So, approximately 20 years of service, not bad.  Most furnaces went out of blast because of a lack of iron ore or trees. The trees were used to fuel the furnaces and once they were gone, that spelled the end of the furnace. The town surrounding it usually disappeared soon after, leaving only the stone furnaces and maybe some walls or channels to give any evidence that a community once thrived there.

                Happy with the experience of visiting the furnace site, I pointed my car south and started back towards home. I was thinking about the furnace as I drove along RT19, past farms and meadows. Many of these fields were the product of the strip mining that used to be here. They have changed a lot since the 70’s when I first started coming up here.  A lot has changed as the years go by. I see it every time I go on a trip. I’ll pass an old farm and maybe stop and take a picture of the barn, the ivy growing out of the top of the silo, and think what a nice photogenic scene it is. The next time I go by, a neighborhood of cookie cutter homes has risen in its place.

                I saw it again on this very trip. Coming into Evans City, (I left RT19 in Zelienople to avoid the commercialism ahead) I saw a farm I had always wanted to visit. A bulldozer sat on top of what was left of the barn and the house had all the windows boarded up. Soon it will be a cleared spot of land, probably with a for sale sign posted beside the road.  Another cookie cutter community with some sort of cute name will have taken its place.

                On my drive I passed ten or twenty new neighborhoods, the signs usually from the same developing company. I drove past a field that had been remolded by bulldozers, fresh asphalt roads were being laid across it. The land is just waiting for the throng of carpenters to descend on it to bring another instant neighborhood to life. I know people need a place to live but I hate to see the farms of Pennsylvania disappear because of it. According to an article in Time Magazine, the nation has lost 12,000 farms in the year between 2017 and 2018. Sadly there is more profit in the land than the products the farm grows. Like the iron furnaces, the farms are slowly disappearing also.

                Returning home, I felt refreshed. The Mental Health Day had helped. I got lots of fresh air, looked out over some nice wooded hills, walked through a cool stream and took some nice pictures of old, forgotten industry. Yeah, I did a little bit of bitchin’ and moanin’ on the way but really, it helped. I’m refreshed and ready for whatever the world wants to throw at me next!

Minor Telescope Adjustments and Some Lunar Observing

 

 

           Setting up my telescope a few evenings ago, I attempted to align the finder scope with no luck. Two of the six adjustment screws had been broken off. This scope is an eight inch Meade reflector, about 35 years old.  I bought it a few years after I joined the Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh.  It has treated me quite well over the years. It has been taken to various places for occultations, eclipses and star parties.  Over the years the plastic had become brittle and once that happens, all it takes is a small bump and the bolt shears off.  Sometime during transportation between home and observing sites they had broken.

                I checked my various containers of bolts and couldn’t find anything that could be used in their place. They were made of plastic to protect the optical tube of the finder scope. It would be a shame to mar the white finish.  A visit to a local hardware store took care of the problem. I needed ¼-20 screws, 1 inch long. A fairly standard item except when you are looking for plastic hardware. Luckily, the store had just 6 of them in stock. I also bought 6 plastic nuts to lock the screws in place once it had been aligned.

                The screws and the nuts sat in their plastic bags for about a week before I had the time to tackle the project. It wasn’t difficult, believe me!

                A pair of pliers removed the two broken screws and some twisting with my fingers removed the other four. They had spread a bit near the ends because of being pressed against the tube for 3 or 4 decades but with a little elbow grease, they came right out. I gave the mount a once over with a rag, removing most of the dust. I gathered the various parts and took them outside along with the mount.

                Setting the tube level with the ground, I put the finder scope in place and roughly aligned it to the edges of the holder. Then I tipped the scope up a bit and found a telephone pole about an 1/8 mile away. Using a wide eyepiece and then narrowing it down with smaller eyepieces, I centered the scope on one of the arms of the telephone pole. A ceramic insulator provided the perfect target.

I lined up the finder by adjusting the six screws, going back and forth to make sure I was still centered on the insulator. Once I had it lined up I moved the scope and aimed through the finder at a near-by chimney. Then I checked the scope and it was pointed right where I had aimed it. Success!

                The scope then sat in the front yard waiting for dusk. I had already taken a quick look at the moon and was looking forward to seeing it in a dark sky. It is half lit and there will be lots of mountain peaks hanging above the darkness of the valleys on the terminator.

                I went out as the sky was darkening and did some lunar observing. The moon was high in the sky, half illuminated. There were a few clouds drifting by but all in all, the seeing was great.  The clouds disappeared as the night cooled down. The view of the moon was rock steady, I could see lots of details. I kept returning to the southern end of the terminator. There are lots of craters there, many more than the northern end.

                The way the sun was sitting the craters appeared to be hanging in space. It looked as if part of the moon had cracked off and had left a jagged edge. It also reminded me of lace, all those fine little craters, edged with black shadows. In places beams of sunlight illuminated the floors of the craters. It is amazing how many craters there are in this section of the moon!

                I noticed a straight line crossing one of the mares and realized that it was a feature I hadn’t seen in a long, long time. It is called the Straight Wall, an appropriate name if I say so myself. It actually isn’t a wall or a cliff, it is a slight rise in the surface and when the sun is in the right position, it looks like a shadow of a cliff. It is 68 miles long, about the same distance as between  Glenshaw and Johnstown! The crater beside it is named Brit, it is 11 miles across. (Picture was taken with a 1.25 Barlow attached to my camera. 8” f6 reflector, 1600 ISO @ 1/125 sc.)

  I lucked out and saw two passes of the International Space Station. For the first one I was inside and glanced at my clock and saw it was time for it to pass overhead. I ran (?) outside and looked up and there it was! Lucky!!  Later I happened to look at my watch and then checked the paper I had written the times of its passes on…and saw it was time once again. I went up to the street and there it was, just skimming the trees to the west. I watched as it drifted into the earth’s shadow.  It was nice and bright both times, hard to miss. Once again…lucky!

                There were a couple parties down the street from me and cars and trucks kept shining their lights on me so I came in for awhile. My community has a real light pollution problem! (Thank heavens that is its’ worst problem!)

                So, I’ll be heading out again around 3:30. Hopefully the neighbors light will be off by then. The moon should be out of the sky and Jupiter and Saturn will have taken its place. Time for a quick snooze!

                My luck ran out, I came outside and saw Jupiter and Saturn just before a large white mass of clouds covered them over. The views of the moon will have hold me until the next time. I brought the scope inside and jumped back into the nice warm bed and returned to my dreams!

Picture was hand held through the telescope 1/60 sc.