Lousy's Photos

Posted by: lousyfocus, 11:09 PM GMT on September 18, 2012

Wednesday, September 12, 2012, dawned cloudless in the Poconos of northeastern PA. i. e., with a sky which probably bored sunrise photographers. A few folks such as myself, however, were not thinking "sunrise photography". Instead, a monthly morning meeting of a local historical association was on our minds. The meeting's topic was the Wilkes-Barre & Eastern Railroad, which passed through 8 of Monroe County's 20 municipalities between 1892 & 1939.

Some of us are interested in seeing any remains along the route, They are becoming less and less visible. During the past year, I have trekked part of the path around a mountain where an impressive "cutaway" exists near a ski area built in the 1950s -----> 1

On property which is used as a campground was found abutments on both sides of Pocono Creek. -----> 2

Although the camp owns the land on the other side of the creek, too...

Parallel to an interstate highway is a short stretch of railbed where Rocky Run was crossed. -----> 3

Looking northwest toward Rt. 80, at remnants of W-B & E RR bridge across Rocky Run.

Of particular interest is: What building techniques were used in 1892, when most of today's methods had not been invented yet? Those methods were apparently different at the Pocono Creek bridge than at the Rocky Run bridge because at the latter, every rock in the abutment has a "pock mark" in it. -----> 4

Why do each of these chunks of cut rock have an indentation near the top-center of them?

Attending the presentation about the railroad intensified my wonderment, to the extent that I coaxed a fellow attendee to hike to yet a third W-B&E bridge that I was unable to closely examine when I was there alone a few months earlier. -----> 5

Looking east at Trout Creek where it flows through W-B&E RR bed.

These days, part of the railbed is used for a trail on state game lands. Where the railbed encounters Trout Creek, reconstruction has occurred...but still used are the abutments built in the late 1800s. -----> 6

Nothing remarkable was seen on the north abutment. -----> 7

Abutment built in 1892 for W-B&E RR on north side of Trout Creek.

But the south abutment warranted closer examination. -----> 8

Abutment built in 1892 for W-B&E RR on south side of Trout Creek.

Perhaps it was the effect of 120 years of weathering that caused the "pock marks" to be absent from some slabs... -----> 9

...but conspicuous on others. -----> 10

Further examination of the south abutment caused an additional question: -----> 11

"Why the vertical gouges on the stones in the lower right corner of the abutment and the lower left corner?" -----> 12

While we were down there, I was too sissyish to photograph momma snake and her 4-inch offspring. But before I noticed them, I was having a good ol' time aiming at a beaver dam... -----> 13

Beaver dam across Trout Creek looking east from W-B&E RR bed.

...which caused Trout Creek to be at least five feet deeper on the east side of the bridge... -----> 14

Trout Creek swollen by beaver dam. Looking east from W-B&E RR bed.

...than on the west side, where a current was quite obvious... -----> 15

Looking west at Trout Creek from just west of the W-B&E RR bed.

...as was a female mallard... -----> 16

Female mallard in Trout Creek, slightly west of W-B&E RR bed.

...standing on a rock... -----> 17

Female mallard on rock in Trout Creek, slightly west of W-B&E RR bed.

...or doing whatever... -----> 18

...to produce a full belly -----> 19

Where we were is only a short distance from Brady's Lake. -----> 20

And we were not alone in appreciating the surroundings there -----> 21

A few hours later and 40 miles south at Minsi Lake... -----> 22

SUNSET - MINSI LAKE, September 11, 2012.

...a sunset was beginning. -----> 23

And "Pete" was the latest sunset fisherperson to be found by my Nikon. -----> 24

What had begun as a totally clear September morning... -----> 25

...ended as a September evening that... -----> 26

...was at last possibly appealing to sunset photographers. -----> 27

As mentioned in several of my 52 other blogs (a list of which can be seen after clicking on "complete archive", upper right), providing no-cost blog space to its members has become the primary attraction at this first-class, multi-faceted website; as has the thought that somebody may actually see - and comment about - this blog. Thank you when either of the aforementioned happens.

If not because of this blog, I hope that you will find many other reasons to.....

Keep smilin'

Kim

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Updated: 11:55 PM GMT on September 18, 2012

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Lousy'sPhotoBlog - RainyTrain

Posted by: lousyfocus, 3:53 AM GMT on September 10, 2012

When the train arrived in Tobyhanna, PA, a deduction which did not require much meteorological schooling was that the sky would "open up" soon -----> 1The question was, "How soon?"In the train were some tank cars filled with propane to leave on a customer's lot. The cars were a considerable distance from in the engine - where no one gets rained on."Well...let's get out and assess the situation." -----> 2A glance skyward was not encouraging... -----> 3...but an exten...

Updated: 1:21 PM GMT on September 10, 2012

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Lousy'sPhotoBlog - Cat Napping

Posted by: lousyfocus, 1:30 PM GMT on August 02, 2012

Regardless of their age, what might cats do after a lengthy curiosity session? -----> 1One guess might be "cat nap" -----> 2To "cat nap" was what a youthful quartet continued to do after I arrived. "Beneath a bench" was a spot that eventually three of the four gravitated to -----> 3But the fourth found comfort away from the other three by snoozing against a non-catnip plant -----> 4Besides prying eyes, what might awaken kittens from a cat nap? -----> 5In this case, ...

Updated: 1:31 PM GMT on August 02, 2012

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Lousy'sPhotoBlog--ABigPieceGone

Posted by: lousyfocus, 2:22 AM GMT on July 23, 2012

Although it's been said that "some things never change", it's also been said that "change is inevitable".A big change began at about 4AM, Monday, March 12, 2012, at a favorite place for hobby-practicing.For me, the central gizmo in "hobby practice" is made by Nikon - although the first professional photographer who I met recommended Canon.When I expressed enthusiasm about aiming a camera at sunrises and sunsets, "the pro" said, "Overdone."Next I mentioned "Waterfal...

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Lousy'sPhotoBlog--HeritageUnit

Posted by: lousyfocus, 12:48 AM GMT on July 21, 2012

This "take a picture of everything"-mentality which infected me almost three years ago has been beneficial in many ways, including expanding my wardrobe and my vocabulary.For example, before 2010, I didn't own an engineer's cap. Now I wear one almost constantly - not because I'm a chronic train-chaser but just because I like the style. Vocabulary-wise, I have learned that chronic train-chasers are sometimes referred to as "foamers". Because I am extremely passionate...

Updated: 2:32 AM GMT on July 21, 2012

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About lousyfocus

I take pictures almost every day. ...and have decided to post some of them here, as sort of a photo-diary showing where I went.

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