I Was Bad

I went for a little wander early Saturday morning. What’s so bad about that? Why nothing really. Except that I happened to be wandering around in the former Reading Railroad yard. But don’t blame me. Nope, it’s Kerri Messner’s fault. What? You don’t know who Kerri Messner is. And you accuse me of living in a void. Kerri is absolutely hysterical. And she takes awesome pictures which she then posts on her blog. She can be found here, on Facebook and MySpace. If you don’t already read her, you should!

So why is it her fault I was roaming where I shouldn’t have been? Because she went exploring a new path Friday and shared it on her blog. Okay so she was on open to the public state game lands but I don’t have any of them available in my immediate vicinity. And, though her pics of the wilderness are uber cool, I have a fondness for bleak desolation at the moment, think urban wilderness. The closest thing I could think of was the train yard so I followed the tracks in from my end of the city. Yep, it really was that easy. I went late enough that any criminal activity from the night before would be completed and early enough that the new day’s had yet to begin. No, I think I’d rather not get into how I know that just now if you don’t mind.

Yes, technically the train yard is not abandoned. It’s part of Norfolk Southern these days. But they aren’t using the Reading Railroad buildings that are left standing. Apparently they repair their trains elsewhere. I did find piles of spare track parts, rails, ties, plates and spikes. Not sure if they’re actually there to be utilized as needed but it was interesting to see them scattered about.

Of course once I got that close I had to poke around in the closet building too. One side of it is open. There’s a track running through it but I can’t tell if the rest of the building’s been torn down or if it was never enclosed. But isn’t it cool looking? There’s another building at the other end but I didn’t want to go too far since right beside there is where all the office trailers are. And I couldn’t really go around at that point because the yard was starting to get active and I thought it best to leave.

But I will be going back. Earlier than I was there Saturday. Perhaps one day before work. Hmm, I wonder if that would be an acceptable excuse for being late? I was exploring the abandoned building at the old train yard, lost track of time and was then detained by the current security staff. Yeah, I’m sure that would be just fine.

Right near the end of the tracks I followed is a set of steps that lead nowhere. Reading used to have a trolley system back in its heyday. The buildings nearby are fairly new so I wonder if there was a stop at my end of town before they were built.

Oh by the way, if you’d like an authentic souvenir spike from the original Reading Railroad, contact me. We’ll talk.

Out and About

I went for a walk around my neighborhood last weekend. Not really the safest thing to do but that’s never been a real deterrent to me.

I found a path into the middle of the train yard. Good to know in case the guards won’t let me wander around after I explain to them my purpose for wanting to. I’ll have to wear real shoes though if I end up needing to take the path. Crocs are comfy but not real good when it comes to climbing up and down steep embankments.

Around the corner, a block away, right beside the library branch that’s closing is an awning store. I never noticed it before. What I find interesting is I had come across another awning store earlier in the summer while I was seeking murals. Seemed a bit odd, especially once I tell you I know another local family in the awning business.

Reading really isn’t all that big. Upon consideration, I suppose lots of houses do sport awnings but I never thought there was all that much of a demand for them. I was curious so I checked in the phone book. There are twenty-five awning companies listed. Imagine that. Really, seems like overkill to me but who knows? Perhaps it’s a booming business. Maybe I should learn to thread the sewing machine so I can get in on it. Hmm, no maybe not. I really think be better if I stick to meandering and looking at them instead. Trust me, you don’t want to see anything that I attempted to sew.

Have anything unusual in your neighborhood?

Out and About

I had some stuff to do today and grabbed my camera on the way out the door. Is it just me or do you think it's funny that the scale was made by Detecto? Once all the necessary things were accomplished I played along the way home.

I know I've mentioned being in Reading but I've never specifically pointed out that it's Reading as in the home of the Reading Railroad. I decided we need pics so I went exploring. Yup, found an easy way to get to the tracks but as soon as I headed toward the yard the Norfolk Southern guy was right there to chase me away. I think the engineer turned me in. Well, I was literally on the tracks so fair enough. I will be going back and next time I'm going to be my sweetest self and ask if I could wander around.

Since I was right there I walked around and took some pics of Reading's Subway. It's the dip under the railroad bridge that connects the two hills of Reading. Everytime it rains it floods and people here are so dumb they get stuck in it all the time. The city actually posted flood level signs, not that they do any good. There's also a height sign and I can't tell you how many times trucks have been wedged in anyway. You can see the gouges in the crumbling roof. Of course while I was there, Riley and the Middle Child drove by and spotted me. Good thing they already know I'm insane and love me anyway.

Part of my journey took me past the hospital. The original building is a local landmark and they have lots of little gardens scattered about. There's also some incredible trees that fed my bark obsession. Thank goodness it wasn't raining or I probably would have given in and tasted a few of them.

Have a great weekend!