A Monday Morning in January

The morning hadn’t offered me anything special, a light snow had fallen during the night, the grass wasn’t even covered. Instead of white, the world outside the window was mostly brown. The roads in the distance were wet; only the glow of the traffic lights added any color to the otherwise dismal scene.

    Sipping the first cup of coffee of the day, I talked with Ann Marie. She told me how wonderful it looked at her house, thick snowflakes and trees outlined in white. We decided to take a ride into the country, away from the city, and see what the weather had brought to others.

    With no real destination in mind, we started off heading in an easterly direction. Avoiding major highways, we basically had the roads to ourselves. Rarely did we have any cars passing or following us; we could take our time and enjoy the views.

    Occasional bursts of snow would hide the scenery from us but they passed quickly. We were treated to fields covered by blankets of snow, tall dark evergreens with white accents on their branches and wooden fences bordering the roads. Every so often we’d see fresh tire tracks cutting across the snow but we didn’t see any livestock or people outside. They were all nice and warm in their enclosures. It was a beautiful day to be out exploring even if the sky was grey.

    A large dump truck pulled in front of us and we took that as a sign to change the road we were on, so when we came to the next intersection, we took it. Left or right didn’t matter, that’s the nice thing about not having to worry about where you’re going.

    We went through woods where everything was outlined in white and went into valleys where it looked as if it hadn’t even snowed at all. We passed houses sitting below high hills, the trees covering them were all different shades of white. The dark buildings stood out against the artistic backdrop.

    In the small community of Salina, we stopped for awhile to investigate an old square chimney. Located in the ruins of a brick manufacturing plant, it sits beside a large pond full of clear water. Pallets and trash can be seen through the water along with a lot of algae. The stack and a small building reflected in the still water. 

    We got out of the car and walked around for awhile. We picked our way across piles of yellow bricks and dried knotweed and took a quick look at what appeared to be an electrical building. Not very large, it had old, vandalized and rusted equipment in it, the windows were all broken. Wooden poles were beside it with crossbeams and insulators on them. Wires no longer connected to anything electrical. The chimney sat in a pile of debris and so, we didn’t get too close to it. What appeared to be a brick opening sat on the other side of a swampy area, we decided to skip visiting it also. (Another time perhaps)

    The plant once belonged to Kier Brothers. Established in the mid 1800’s it was once a major supplier of fire bricks. It eventually was bought by General Refractories Company who ran it until it closed in 1981. 

Approximately 1900

    In 1919, there were 50 men and boys working here, producing 14,000 bricks a day. The bricks were used in industrial furnaces and other high heat applications.

     There were at least two mines at this site where they got fuel and raw materials for the bricks. On an internet site, there was a mention that a mine shaft was right beside the furnace, (see the map above) going in at a 15 degree slope. It eventually went below the surface level of the near-by Kiskiminetas River and needed to be pumped out so that the mining could continue. This might explain the pool of water. In the picture of the chimney and the pond, there appears to be a gated opening underneath the “power” house, this probably is where one of the mines was located. The cold weather started getting to us so we returned to the heat of the car and continued our drive.

    We eventually ended up in the town of Apollo. There we stopped at Dolly’s Diner, an actual old-style diner. Recently moved to the present site from just about a block away, this was just what we needed; a place to get a good meal, with an enjoyable atmosphere.

    We sat at a booth beside the front window, across from the counter. A pair of “regulars” sat in the booth behind us discussing politics and sports. 50’s music played in the background. The coffee came quickly, fresh and dark. We placed our orders and talked about our adventures so far.

    A couple sunny-side up eggs, two slices of bacon and some buttered wheat toast fueled me up for the return trip. The coffee was refilled frequently. As the noon hour approached more customers showed up, we had timed our visit perfectly. After paying our tab we returned to the car satiated and ready for the final leg of our journey.

    The day had been perfect for a drive in the country. In the warmer valleys it had appeared as if no snow had even fallen while on the hilltops it was a winter wonderland. Above the valleys we drove through a country covered in white.

    We found our snow; we visited a “historic” site, ate at an old comfy diner and even saw some “wildlife”! (see the picture above) We made it back home in time to catch an afternoon nap….or maybe I should say, to do some chores. (Yeah, that sounds much better!) Either way, it was great morning!

Visiting The Past

Let's climb into our time machine and travel back into the Pittsburgh that existed in 1986.  These pictures, taken 37 years ago, back in the last century, show some things that have changed in the ensuing years. So often the things we take for granted are just wrinkles in the fabric of time.

    The first is on the 6^th Street Bridge, which is now called the Roberto Clemente Bridge. Do you remember when the city had life preservers mounted on the bridge? I didn’t. If you look at the background buildings, you will see a billboard for Horne’s Department Store. Both the store and the billboard are now gone.

    Who doesn’t remember Gimbel’s? There were some scattered around the Three Rivers area but the main one, was in downtown Pittsburgh. I can remember going to see Santa and visiting their Toyland when I was a kid. I also seem to remember a noisy, narrow wooden escalator going down into the basement. (?)

    The stores were all over the country, originating in Indiana in 1842. The Pittsburgh store opened in 1914 and lasted until the company went out of business in 1986-87. The building later housed the first Barnes and Noble Bookstore in the city and was added to the list of historical landmarks in 1997.

    All the buildings in this block, Liberty and William Penn Place, are no longer standing. The White Tower, Jack’s Sport Haven, The Nixon Hotel, The Liberty Tavern, Mary Ryan’s and the Palace Burlesque Theatre, no doubt all assets to the community, have disappeared.  The August Wilson African American Culture Center resides here now.

    Back in “those days”, Pittsburgh had quite a smorgasbord of adult venues on Liberty Avenue. The vast majority, if not all of them, have disappeared.

    The Art Cinema has been cleaned up and now shows art films in Pittsburgh’s Cultural District. (Once called Pittsburgh's red-light district) In 1995 the cinema was renamed The Harris Theater.

    The circus used to come to town yearly, traveling from town to town on the railroads. At one time, unloading their cargo in the strip district and parading the animals up to the Civic Arena for the show. In 1986, they had moved to the rails behind the Pennsylvania Station to park their trains while the show was in the city.

    One morning I was driving through the city before work, looking for a picture or two when one showed up right in front of me. I pulled up at a stop light and there it was, right in the back of a truck!

     The circuses have shut down, their railroad cars sent to museums and the Civic Arena has been torn down so they, as Joni Mitchell would say, could “put up a parking lot”. Looking closely at the picture, you’ll see it was taken in front of a Bell Telephone Company Building, there’s another thing that’s gone! And then, there is that Pittsburgh Press newspaper dispenser...

    We will end with one last picture from the North Side before we return to the present day. The building is still there but the business is gone. Located on Chestnut Street; the sign didn’t last very long, maybe only a month or two. Why…I really can’t imagine.

    So, whenever you’re out and about, keep your camera (or cell phone) near-by. You never know when the things you’re seeing… might disappear!

My Head's a Bit Foggy

 Looking out the window showed nothing but grey. Fog had hidden even the bright lights in the parking lots below. The trunks of the trees appeared only as dark lines in the grey clouds.

    To those going to work or with important appointments, this could be a problem. Some lucky people, myself included, stayed home.

    The fog didn’t present any problems to me. I got quickly dressed and caffeinated and headed out into the colorless world in search of some pictures. Fog has always interested me as a photographer. Distances change, contrast often disappears as do most of the colors in our normally vibrant world. Fog adds mystery to pictures, it hides things from us and it removes the little details. Near-by objects remain sharp while those in the distance cease to exist.

    With my camera and gear, along with that very important cup of coffee, I hit the road. There was no particular spot in mind, much like browsing in a bookstore, when what is needed appears, you stop and get it!

    Eventually I ended up in Emsworth beside the railroad tracks. A thick blanket of fog covered the river, spilling over onto the banks and near-by buildings. Thickening and thinning, the views into the distance constantly changed. The tracks coming into view a mile away could be seen and then the view reduced to only 20 or 30 feet. It was wonderful!

    The air was warm, unusual for a January day. The window was open a bit to allow the sounds of approaching trains to penetrate into the car. The radio quietly played, and a good book helped pass the time between taking pictures.

    Five trains passed, some visible as they rounded the bend in the distance and others appearing out of the thick fog. The only way of telling they were coming was by the sounds of their engines, the warning lights at the crossing and the loud blasts of their whistles. It was the need for more coffee which eventually led me back home. 

    The day remained foggy, and another photo trip was made in the afternoon. Fog such as this should not be wasted!

    Later that night while looking at some of the day's photos, I looked out the window and realized that the fog was thickening once again. Glancing at the clock I noted that a train would be coming past in about 20 minutes.

    Like the impulsive fool that I am, I was soon in the car and heading back onto the roads again. Driving south, the train was soon encountered, or at least the sounds of the train were! The car was quickly turned around and driven to a near-by tunnel.

   Setting up; the camera was attached to the tripod and leveled. Since it was nearly 10 O’clock, the scene was dark, even with the lights in the parking lots. I didn’t want the longer exposures necessary to be blurred. I wouldn’t be able to photograph the train itself, so I was hoping to catch the engine's light as it came out of the tunnel, showing up in the fog. A couple quick shots were taken to ensure the correct exposure and then, I waited…and waited… Finally, I heard the approaching train.The excitement increased! I waited for the light of the engine to illuminate the walls of the tunnel and when it did, I started clicking the shutter. Only a few shots were taken due to the long exposure times and then the train came into view. The bright headlight and its speed rendered any further exposures useless.

    Waving to the engineer as the train passed the car; I loaded the gear into the trunk and headed back onto the road. Pacing alongside the engine, we moved north on rt.8. The first traffic light was red and I knew it would continue to stay that way until the train had passed. I pulled into a parking lot and bypassed the light, and the race was on again. The next light slowed me down as it turned red, the sounds of the loud engine and its blaring horn filled the car. Once the light changed, I increased my speed on the empty highway and left the train behind.

    My destination was a favorite spot, a place I’ve photographed trains for over four decades. Arriving at my spot, I quickly set up the camera and tripod. Carefully I went down a rocky dirt road and set up. I leveled the camera by feel, I didn’t have a flashlight and there were no lights in the valley since no houses or businesses were near-by. I pointed the camera towards where a bridge sat, hoping it was in line. The train could be heard in the distance. I took a shot to determine the proper exposure time and to see if the lens was still focused but it was too dark and foggy to see anything. I changed the settings and tried again, still too dark. I upped the ISO and hoped it would be enough.

The train was almost here, my heart was pounding. The beam of the engine's headlamps could be seen crossing the hillside as it approached. I waited until just before the light hit the bridge and then started shooting.  It was just as I imagined it would be! The light illuminated the bridge beautifully, the fog accentuating the darkness. Adrenalin pounded through my veins. I snapped the shutter until the train came around the bend and its beam illuminated me. It was then that it sunk in…my lens cap was still on!

    No wonder the shots were so dark…

    Watching the train go by, I was laughing. It wasn’t the first time I’d made a mistake and it sure won’t be the last! I listened to the whistle announce the next crossing as I put my gear away and pointed the car towards home.

    I couldn’t help but laugh at myself as I drove home. That shot would have been great! Once again, my excitement had interfered with my photography like it had so many times before. I know it will happen again, but that’s not going to keep me from trying again! It’s all part of the fun of photography!

My Photographic Memory

 

Looking through some of the thousands of pictures and slides I’ve taken over the years, I’ve come to a realization. This collection of “snapshots”; weddings, baptisms vacations, camping trips and other adventures are all memory aids.

    When I was in grade school I could never figure out why the teachers wanted us to remember things.  Take state capitals, “OK, now how often do you think I’ll need those in the future?” The names of the Presidents or how to diagram a sentence, they might come in handy eventually but do I need to commit them to memory? Multiplication tables and mathematical functions… well, they were used a lot in my future, they did come in handy!

    I, in my infinite wisdom back in grade school, figured if I knew where and how to get the information, why did I need to memorize it?

    Much as I hate to say it, there is a lot that I’ve forgotten. I will be forever in need of my notebooks and calendars. There is a reason that I write down people’s birthdays and the dates they have left us. Simply said, if I didn’t note them, they’d be gone.

    While listing these dates and names on my new 2023 calendar, I was debating whether or not to skip a few names. There are a couple men I used to work with decades ago, should I eliminate their names since I no longer work with them or see anyone who would even remember them? I decided to keep them there, as long as their name is on the calendar, they will be remembered. Saying their names keeps them alive in my memory.

    I can’t recall things like I used to, my memory never was a great one. If there are a lot of names in a novel I’m reading, I keep a slip of paper in the book to help keep track of who is who. I have trouble remembering the plots of books I’ve read, the names and details don’t stay with me, even the books I love. I’m familiar with the night sky but to pull out the names of stars and constellations can sometimes be daunting. I won’t go as far as to say my memory is terrible but it sure isn’t good. I have always envied those who can call up facts, names and dates at a moment’s notice. This is something that was never meant to be for me.

    This is one of the reasons my camera and photography is important. In a way it acts as my memory. I take pictures of the places I go, things I enjoy doing, and people I like and love. Looking back at these pictures helps me remember those occasions. I usually can tell where a shot was taken and who I was with but the dates often leave me floundering. Thank heavens I’ve put notations on most of my slides and pictures!

    Being able to remember things is a wonderful ability; we don’t know how lucky we are to have it! Thankfully, my grade school declaration has proved helpful in my life. I can usually find where the information I need is, especially in these modern days of computer aids.

    I have lots more slides and negatives to sort through and I’m loving it because of all the memories they’re bringing back. They truly are my photographic memory!

    Happy New Year and may this upcoming year provide us all with lots more wonderful memories!

Time Keeps on Slippin, Slippin, Slippin...

 

The wind intermittently blasts against the house, the shrubs bounce their frozen branches back and forth and the temperature continues to drop. The windows have taken on artistic looks as the frost lines across them. Birds flutter as they attempt to grab onto the swinging feeder.

    Inside, I am warm as I wait for the inevitable power outage. It isn’t so much “will” as it is “when” it will occur. Rain preceded the drop in temperature and already branches litter the yard. The wind chills are below zero.

    I usually only leave the house one or two times a day but already I am pacing the floors. Being restricted to the inside tends to draw out the normal passage of time.

    Thank heavens for my books, I won’t be alone. There are candles in the drawers and everything that requires it, has been charged.

    Snow fell for a while, obscuring my views of the valley below. Not that there was much to see, most people have observed the constant warnings aired on the radio and television. It is best to stay inside. With Christmas just two days away, there is the possibility that visits and plans may need to be rescheduled.

    Time has slowed down. Walking around the house the cracks in the walls are more noticeable. The worn handles on the once new knives hanging in the kitchen and the creaks in the floors as I walk across them remind me of how time passes by.

    Thinking back, I’m happy with most of my life, there have been some bad spots but for the most part, I think it’s been a good life and I’m pleased with the spot I’m currently in. This isn’t to say that I wouldn’t change a few things if I could, but that isn’t an option.

    I feel for those who have been given a rougher road than mine. We all encounter those rough spots and those who have to battle them during the holidays have an even tougher time of it. The problems I have are minor to those of others. This is something I attempt to remember every day of the year, but it is even more important around the holidays.

    Looking through the small clear spot on the frosted window, I think about how time is always moving forward but not always at the same speed. I hope and pray that we all have a wonderful holiday, no matter where we might end up celebrating it. The New Year is almost here. Like I said, time keeps on slipping...slipping...slipping...

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The Right Place at the Right Time

 There are times when a photographer goes out to shoot a picture or two and nothing presents itself to them. The ideas in their head just don’t evolve into what they had imagined. The weather might not co-operate or the sun is too bright. (Usually not the case, here in Pittsburgh!) The subjects are poorly lit or there might be a wrong adjustment on their equipment. It happens all the time. This should be looked at as just another bump in the road, another day of learning, learning that we don’t always get what we want!

    This simple fact becomes more and more obvious the older we get. In our youth we are pumped up, full of the knowledge we can’t wait to use. We have ideas and plans and as the years go by, we tend to realize that not all these wonderful thoughts will pan out. We are going to experience some failure on the road of life and the sooner we realize it the better. Failure helps us progress forward. “We learn from our mistakes”, we’ve all heard that quote! 

    On the other hand, sometimes the things in life all line up for us. There are times that all our rows are right where they are supposed to be and this last Wednesday was one of those days.

    Frank and I were off to find some geocaches and hopefully some pictures. Since we’re usually already up, we tend to leave early in the day. This morning was no different; we were out on the road by 6:30. We took a slow, meandering route towards where the caches were hidden while waiting for enough light to be able to search. The sky was slowly brightening and features were just starting to be recognizable when we saw a purplish glow in the east. There could be a picture hidden in the sunrise, if we could just find a place to view it from. Buildings and trees hid it from our view as we drove around the North Hills. As we looked for a good spot, the sky appeared to revert back to its normal “Pittsburgh grey”.

    I pulled into a road that was situated above a church and a convent and parked the car. I got out of the car and saw that the entire eastern sky had turned orange and red. “Red sky in the morning, astronomers take warning!” is how I believe the quote goes…this doesn’t apply to photographers!

    We both “ran” across the street with our cameras. The Church and Motherhouse were nicely silhouetted by the spectacular sky. We both started lining up our shots.

    It was then that I realized that there was a man working on the dome of the church below us! We continued taking pictures as two other workers joined him on the dome. The sky was truly fantastic and of course, the men noticed it also, how could they not? They stopped working to admire it and take a few pictures with their phones, just as we were doing behind them with our cameras. Their shots might have turned out a bit sharper and the colors might be a bit more precise, but our picture had the workers in them. We had a human element in our shots. 

    So, the shots we got that day were just a matter of being in the right place at the right time. It was all a matter of luck. We couldn’t have planned this! I’ve got a shot that will probably eventually end up on my wall and memories of a fun morning filled with excitement and adrenaline.

    We continued on to our geocaches and only found about half of the ones we were looking for but that didn’t bother us. Mainly because of the exciting start we had to our day! Yes, sometimes it pays to leave early in the morning before the sun rises. 

The Empty House

 The Empty House   

It was far enough away from the road that it couldn’t be seen, tall thick shrubs hid it from view. A short gravel road led us down to it. Coming to the driveway, we saw the house. A bit weathered but still looking good. The open faced garage was empty and the small chicken coop was silent.

    We walked up a small slope to the porch and Jim put in the key, something he and Pam didn’t bother with in the past. Opening the door, he stepped inside and hesitated.

    The two of us had driven up to New Hampshire to retrieve his cat. Molly had slipped away while things were getting packed for the move to Pittsburgh. After a month in the wild, a neighbor had found her.

    This house was thought to be Jim and Pam’s “forever” home. Sadly, life doesn’t go the way we plan. What we hope and wish for are often just that, only wishes, not our destiny. After spending close to 15 years here, Pam contracted an extremely serious illness, which soon left Jim alone in the house. The cats, a dog and the chickens kept him company on the property. Jim, being who he is, had plenty of friends but in the end, decided to move back down to Pittsburgh to be closer to his family.

    We walked into the house, emptied of all furniture, looking even larger without anything to break the view. He wandered into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, looked inside for a moment or two and then slowly closed the door. We went towards the back and the bedroom, passing his now empty office.

    I felt as if I was intruding on his visit. I didn’t want to say anything, so I played with my camera. This could be the last time he’d be in this house, the place they built together. This is where he probably thought he would spend the rest of his days.

    Going down into the basement where his shop used to be, we saw a swept floor and concrete walls.  There was no sawdust on the floor, no machinery holding half-finished projects, nothing hanging from the rafters. It definitely wasn’t the way I remembered it. A single workbench was pushed into a corner, the drawers all emptied. A mop hung on the wall, its sponge missing. I don’t know how Jim felt but I felt sad, and depressed.

    Going back upstairs, we went to leave. I noticed a lamp hanging from the high ceiling. Underneath it was where their table used to sit. A window overlooked a row of birdhouses and a stick fence, behind them was a field where birds and wildlife roamed. I remember binoculars sitting on the table along with the usual bric-a-brac of normal life. I thought of the times I sat there with a steaming cup of coffee watching the day begin.

    We walked out to the car, past a small wall in the garden, evidence of the gardening skills that Pam had possessed, now…overgrown. A beautiful house sitting on a perfect piece of property, the house empty, yet filled to the rafters with the countless memories of life.

Astronomical Pittsburgh - 1996

 Sorting through slides taken over the years, I came across a small box with the title “Ast Pgh”.  Opening it, I found a batch of slides I had taken in the mid 90’s. They were of places with astronomical names. Many of these places no longer exist. How many do you remember?

The streets are still there, so let’s start out with them.

Brashear Street, named after John Brashear, is in Point Breeze.

Telescope Street in the city’s Southside, not far from where John and Phoebe Brashear lived.

Jupiter Drive in Hampton Township.

Moving into the planets, I started by visiting the Venus Diner in Hampton Township. It has since been moved to another location, possibly in another state.

Then I visited the town of Mars! I always thought this historic sign was interesting since it states the town was named after the star Mars, not the planet…

and what would a visit to Mars be without seeing the UFO?

The planetary visits stopped with Pluto’s, in the Strip District. Pluto is no longer a planet and Pluto’s is no longer a nightclub.

Moving into the stars, there was Starlite Classics located in Wilkinsburg,

and Star Discounts on the main street in Lawrenceville.

Star Tile And Marble was in Aspinwall.

The Starlite Lounge was in Blawnox,

and less than a block away is Moondog’s.

The Comet News was in Braddock, and finally,

here’s a picture that was taken on that same roll of slides,

a comet flying over Wagman Observatory…1996, it was a fun year!

It's Not Quite the Same

 I was going over to pick up my friend Jim in Oakmont. The main drag was being worked on and I needed to take a small detour. It was just a few blocks out of my way, no big deal.

    Turning left a block above the main avenue, I realized that I was on a street that I haven’t been on in decades. I came to a stop sign and there it was, the small building where my first ophthalmologist had his office. No big deal, right?

    The office wasn’t what struck me; it was the chimney on the house across the street from it. I remember that chimney well!

    I got my first pair of glasses sometime between when I was five or six. It was right around when I first started school. This isn’t much different than what many other small kids go through, thank heavens for doctors who can correct our eyesight and allow us to see better!

    We visited him and he set me in a chair with all sorts of torturous looking equipment attached to it. He swung a huge black mask in front of my face, covered with silver levers and numbers. A chart hung on the wall in front of me.  As he moved levers and switched things around, he kept asking me if I could see the chart and if it looked better. Eventually he finished and wrote some numbers down on a piece of paper and told my parents he’d see us in a couple weeks.

    Coming back, he gave me my first set of glasses. With them, I could read the chart with no problem. Everyone seemed happy. But what I really remember most about that day was leaving his office. I stepped outside and looked up at the chimney across the street…and I could see each and every brick in it! I hadn’t seen this before, not in my neighborhood, not even on my own house. Each and every brick! I remember how amazed I was! What else had I been missing?

    Today I had to stop and look at that chimney one more time. It was only 60 some years ago but I remember it still.  The trees have grown up in front of it and I’m guessing that the bricks must have worn away a bit…they just don’t seem as sharp as they did that day! 

    Yeah…that’s it, the bricks have worn away.

Making Memories

 Thanksgiving is a time for memories. Most often good one, families sitting together sharing meals, visits with relatives and friends. For others it might simply be watching movies or sleeping the afternoon away after a really big meal.

    I’m thankful for the fact that memories are still being made in my family. If I might entice you to come along with me, I’d like to take you back, just a couple days, to something that I know will stay with me for a long time.

    My daughter and her family haven’t been to Pittsburgh in nearly three years. Their oldest child is just over three and he now has a younger brother. It was Thanksgiving and the family was coming out to visit Pittsburgh. Everyone was excited and their schedule was rapidly filling up. Ann Marie and I were anxiously looking forward to our time with them in the days ahead.

    The house had been cleaned, rugs swept and washed, baseboards wiped and shelves dusted. Piles of books and papers scattered around the house were put away and the recently washed clothes had been put in their proper drawers and hung in the closet. If I say so myself, the house looked better than it had in a long time!

    One of the things I wanted to do was to show Mateo, my first grandson, the planet Saturn through a telescope. We both share a love of the planets. While he is only three years old, he knows their names, the order in which they orbit the sun and he feels bad that Pluto has been designated down to being only a dwarf planet. Some children gravitate towards dinosaurs; Mateo has been pulled towards the stars! Of course, a lot of what children find fascinating comes from what their parents present to them, after that, it is their own minds and imaginations which take over. This wise young lad also has a fascination with trains; his parents are leading him well!

    The day was looking great, not a single cloud was in the sky. The house was clean, cookies were cooling on a rack on the kitchen counter and the makings of hot chocolate sat beside them. I went outside and set up the telescope. Night was coming! Now all we needed was “the family”.

    I popped outside a couple times, looking to see if I could locate Saturn. The first time out I could see Jupiter, nestled in the limbs of a tree. Saturn would be further west, unencumbered by branches but unlike its brighter neighbor Jupiter, it wasn’t visible yet.

    Going back out again a half hour later, the ringed planet was visible. I turned the scope and lined it up. There it was, yellowish in color, just a small object in the wide eyepiece I was using, but the rings were visible!  Young children often have a difficult time focusing through telescopes and binoculars. It is something they have to learn how to do, some pick it up quickly while others need to practice. I wanted to present Mateo with the largest view of the planet as possible; a stronger eyepiece was needed.

    Luckily the air was nice and steady; the views with the higher-powered eyepiece looked great. Just as I was focusing on the planet, I bumped the scope. The planet slipped away, right as their car pulled up. The time required to remove two children from car seats gave me the time to relocate and center the planet!

    After exchanging hugs and kisses we took a quick look through the telescope and then we went in for cookies and hot chocolate. (There are priorities!) Mateo said he saw the rings and I’m happy to go with that! Inside, he ran around the house, having fun spinning the world globes. We sat around the table and talked while we snacked. What a nice evening, spending time with people you love, people you haven’t seen in a while, making memories!

    The family had other obligations later on so this night’s visit just a short one. As they were leaving, I moved the telescope over to Jupiter. The planet was a nice sized orb in the eyepiece, bands could be seen crossing its surface and the four brightest moons were in a nice line. Mateo saw them and counted the moons. The telescope was set so that he would be able to easily look into it; the adults had to crouch down a bit. But, this was for Mateo, not us!

    After my daughter’s family had left, Ann Marie and I tore the telescope down and put it away. Even though there were no clouds to be seen in the sky, I was floating on “cloud nine”!  I had shown Mateo Saturn, he had seen the planet’s rings and, he had seen Jupiter and its moons. In reality, to him, I think the most interesting thing he saw was the red buttons on the control paddle. It isn’t important, as long as he remembers the night.

    I can only hope that someday, way off in the future, he will think back to this night and possibly tell his own child about it as he shows them Saturn though his own telescope. Making some more memories!

    One more thing, just before they left after dinner a couple nights later, a train went past. Mateo and I went outside and watched as it crossed the intersection below the house. How’s that for a memorable ending to the visit?

We're Moving!

 Standing on top of the hill in the neighborhood cemetery, the morning was quiet. In the valley below, a few cars were on the road but there were no sounds. The sky above was full of stars.

    Behind me, Orion was sinking into the trees with the bright orange planet Mars sitting above. To “his” right was Aldebaran and to the left Sirius.  The constellations Gemini and Auriga were above. High overhead was Leo. It was like a winter night.

    In front of me, in the ESE, was where I was concentrating. I was waiting for the thin crescent moon to rise over the horizon. Approximately 3% illuminated, this will be my last chance to see the moon before the new moon, tomorrow.

    The Big Dipper’s handle led me down to Arcturus, a bit lower and off to the right was Spica. The moon would be rising below the pair. The time I had for Moonrise was 5:37. I started searching the horizon a few minutes earlier even though I knew it would appear about 5-7 minutes after the stated time.

    The camera was sitting on its tripod, the lens focused and pointing towards where I thought the moon would show up. An approximate time was set for the exposure, all I needed now was the moon!

    Below me, I saw the silhouette of a person walking on one of the roads through the cemetery, his flashlight flickering as he walked behind the monuments. I wondered if he would pass me but he took a different road. Beside him and a single deer I saw as I arrived, I was the only living thing here…

    Scanning my binoculars back and forth, I spotted the illuminated tip of the crescent at 5:44, seven minutes after the predicted time. I went over to the camera and started shooting. The moon appeared right where I had aimed the camera!

    I always find it fascinating to watch as any celestial object comes over the horizon. To see the motion of these objects is exciting to see. Being so close to the horizon, the motion is that much more noticeable! I was watching the earth spin and to a lesser amount, the moon orbiting the earth! Evidence of the coming sunrise was visible on the moon. How cool is that?

    Coming home, Orion was well below the trees, the planet Mars was tangled in their branches. Only a few stars were still visible but off in the east, the thin orange crescent was still visible. A half hour later, it had disappeared in the brightening sky, gone except for in my memory!

Ghosts of the Past

The November meeting of the Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh was held at the Allegheny Observatory, perched on a hill in Riverview Park. We haven’t had a meeting there in quite awhile. There were about 18 members that braved the downpours outside. The early darkness of Standard Time along with the pounding rain made the drive difficult. The other club members attended via the wonder of Zoom.

    The original observatory was built in 1859, on a hill overlooking Allegheny City, now Pittsburgh’s Northside.  

The present observatory was built in 1912 a few miles away. 

    This month’s meeting was devoted to the club's annual photography contest. It was extremely hard to pick your favorites out of the submitted shots. The members have a lot of skills, and the photo contest shows it!

    As the pictures were being shown, I noticed someone in the shadows, in the back of the auditorium, I thought I recognized him. It looked like Albert Einstein, could that be…maybe it was just one of the ghosts of the observatory!

    After the meeting, a few of us stayed behind and got a quick view of the new telescope in the Keeler Dome. Behind a locked door, we climbed a narrow set of stairs to another locked door which led us up a smaller set of stairs into the dome. The telescope towered above us as we climbed up the steps. A 24” PlaneWave telescope, it is the 4^th scope to take residence in this dome.

    Since it was still raining outside, we didn’t get to see anything through the scope but we did get to see how quickly it can slew from one side of the sky to another! While looking at the telescope and the 100 year old dome it is under, I was reminded of all the ghosts that roamed these halls. John Brashear served as the Acting Director of The Allegheny Observatory when it was located closer to the city. He and his wife Phoebe’s ashes are interred beneath the Thaw Telescope at this location. The halls here have been walked by hundreds of famous and learned scientists and astronomers, I’m happy to say that I know a couple of them!

    The ghosts are also memories of times spent here. The time I viewed Saturn through one of the big scopes, club meetings that were held here and the Christmas/Holiday parties held in the basement. Being taken on tours and seeing the multi-storied library and wishing that someday I’d have one just like it. Seeing the offices and workrooms, the machine shop and of course, being able to see the telescopes and the equipment used to do the research, soaking in the history that exists in the building!

    John Brashear’s statue sits in the hallway, greeting visitors as they enter the building. Like many before me, I rubbed his foot for luck as I passed the statue. John Brashear is a man that the people of Pittsburgh looked up to, the same way as many of the members of the AAAP do!

    Before we left, we squeezed through a small wooden door and a narrow unfinished corridor and went out onto the roof of the observatory. The biggest dome of the three, the Thaw dome was in front of us. The rain had slowed down a bit and we went out and looked around and then hurried back inside.

    After that, I returned to the main floor, got my hat and jacket and went out to the car, leaving the history and the ghosts behind.