Monochrome Series

There's an old saying that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step...but in this instance, it's a journey of 162 feet into the air, and 220 steps of wrought iron. This is the very beginning of the ascent to the top of the Currituck Lighthouse in Corolla, NC. I would have loved to climb to the top, and it isn't for a lack of trying; it's simply that these buildings are without a doubt the most vertigo-inducing structures I've ever been inside of. Absolutely awe-inspiring...and yet terrifying on a primal level for me. Still, there was a remarkable amount to take in even from the bottom of the lighthouse, one of those views I present to you here. So, can you ascend to the top?

On our sojourn through a frozen Pittsburgh, we passed by a spot beneath one of the three yellow bridges, where on warmer days one might find kayaks slipping into the waters of the Allegheny River. On that day however, the sloped concrete platform that would have let kayakers easily access the river was coated with snow, and bled seamlessly into the ice to the point where it was difficult to tell where one began, and the other ended. My brother made his way down this slippery slope, to the very edge of the river, and looked out upon the scene.

Virtually every year, I make a pilgrimage to the Pittsburgh Zoo; I have done this ever since I was a little kid. What kid *doesn't* love the zoo, really? Well, that fascination with the animals there never left me, and these days I travel there once per year with camera in hand, hoping to catch something magical. This year I got lucky, as this beautiful silverback gorilla had decided to take a seat right beside the glass at the edge of the enclosure. I patiently sat, camera in hand, waiting for just the right moment for him to turn his head toward me...and I managed to snag this shot, as our eyes connected. Here's a fun fact for you. Did you know gorillas are one of the strongest animals on the planet, capable of lifting 10 times their own body weight? Considering that they usually weigh in at around 800 or so lbs, that's a frightening amount of muscle packed into a relatively small space! I would rather not mess with anything capable of lifting 8,000 lbs, when I get tired lugging around my 10 lb camera bag all day.

I've been to plenty of cities, from Toronto to Orlando, Portland to Chicago...and I can tell you from personal experience, every city has its own distinct 'flavor' that simply cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Pittsburgh's 'flavor' in particular feels tinged with age and history, every street corner hiding layers of the past, paved over by the progress of today. I can just imagine this same street corner seen here 85 years ago, with smoke thick in the sky and a bustling trolley system ferrying steel workers to and fro...and yet much of that is gone. What is left is pleasant, and distinctively Pittsburgh. You won't find another place like it, guaranteed!

It felt great to get away from the heat, taking refuge inside the weathered old shell of Bodie Island Lighthouse, and it didn't take long for me to be awestruck by the sights. Problem is, the stairs you see here are very old wrought iron created back during the 1870s, when the lighthouse itself was built. The caretakers of the lighthouse had a very strict 'one person per flight of stairs' policy on those attempting to make the climb to the top, and while I did attempt the climb myself, I was thwarted by the powerful feeling of vertigo the experience induced. These stairs, after all, had no backing to them; look down and one can see straight to the bottom, even as the stairs themselves gently swayed with each footstep. While I'd have loved to see the top, I was nonetheless thoroughly satisfied by my time spent at the bottom, looking up into the dizzying spiral above me.

Quite a few years ago, I happened across this old piece of art sitting among the many rows of old cars and trucks at a local auto show. At these shows, it's very typical to see cars shined and polished, preserved and prepared for the judges. Whoever it was that owned this beautiful old truck didn't seem to care; cleanliness was not the priority here. Rather, what was put on display here was the many years spent hauling load after load of some unknown cargo, likely on a farm. This old workhorse has seen more than its share of use over the years, and wore all of that wear and tear like a badge of honor. Give me a single vehicle like this over a thousand polished autos that don't so much as leave the driveway once a year. THIS is what you call real character.