Carrie Furnace 1

 Only picture with tripod before it broke:)

Photography on Location: Outdoor pic at different times during the day

 My neighbors gate is the subject for this assignment

 6:20 am (hand-held, forced flash)

 7:20 am (hand-held)

9:30 am

 1:00 pm

 3:00 pm

5:00 pm

8 pm (hand-held, forced flash)

Carrie Furnace: Industrial Revitalization

This semester I am taking the Photography on Location class at Pittsburgh Filmmakers.  The first location we will be shooting at is Carrie Furnace.

Carrie Furnace is a former blast furnace located along the Monongahela River in the Pittsburgh area industrial town on Rankin, Pennsylvania. It had formed a part of the Homestead Steel Works. The Carrie Furnaces were built in 1884 and they operated until 1982. During its peak, the site produced 1000 to 1250 tons of iron per day.  All that is left of the site are furnaces #6 and #7, which operated from 1907 - 1978 along with the hot metal bridge.

Towering 92 feet over the Monongahela River, constructed of 2.5" thick steel plate and lined with refractory brick, Carrie Furnaces 6 and 7 are extremely rare examples of pre World War II iron-making technology. Since the collapse of the region's steel industry in the 1970s and 1980s, these are the only non-operative blast furnaces in the Pittsburgh District to remain standing.
During the 1920s, 1930s,and 1940s, Carrie 6 and 7 consumed approximately four tons of raw materials comprised of iron ore, coke, and limestone for every ton of iron produced. The cooling system for the blast furnace required over five million gallons of water a day. These furnaces reached their peak production in the 1950s and 1960s when they were producing 1000 -1250 tons of iron a day.

As one of the focal points for the proposed Homestead Works National Park, Carrie Furnaces 6 and 7 will undergo a $78 million stabilization and renovation that would allow visitors to climb a series of walkways around these industrial giants and see close hand the furnaces that set world records in the production of iron.

Although the site, which is one of the few remaining riverfront brownfield sites in the area, is currently vacant, redevelopment planning is underway. The redevelopment of the site includes efforts of Allegheny County, several municipalities, and the Steel Industry Heritage Council, to historically preserve the mill structure while also utilizing the site for economic development. The plan calls for the furnaces to be refurbished into an interactive museum. The remaining area would be developed using a mixed-use redevelopment plan. Housing, office buildings, a hotel, a conference center and a transportation center are also planned.

I am excited for the opportunity to take pictures in this historical blast furnace. I am looking forward to the raw nature of the environment and it's uniqueness.

Missing Kenya

Tenwek Hospital Kenya

Photo taken by Steve Starr

Fourth of July

We spent July 4th with Andy's family

 

Arathena (2 1/2 years) loves her cousin Max (7 months)

 

Aunt Rachel found cute outfits for the kiddos

Flower Girl

Arathena was asked to be the flower girl in our friends Pam and Aaron's wedding. We were super excited for her to be part of their wedding as they as such sweet friends who we care about a lot.

Their rehearsal was on Thursday night, so Andy and I got off work early to make it to the rehearsal which is about an hour outside of Pittsburgh. The location they picked was absolutely BEAUTIFUL! Unfortunately, Arathena fell asleep in the car on the way there and was a wreck for the rehersal. We had to drag her down the aisle kicking, screaming, and crying. This is after she had been talking about being a flower girl for months. She even practiced when we were in Kenya. I was pretty worried to say the least, but Pam was so cool about it and not worried at all.

The rehearsal dinner was at 1844 which was amazing. I would drive all the way out to Leechburg just to go there again. Aaron's friend is a chef there and I think his family owns the place. Definitely worth checking out.

We decided we should stay near Leechburg since the wedding was at 4:30 pm when Arathena is usually napping, that way she could get a  good nights rest and be able to take a good nap on Saturday. One of the bridesmaids suggested a bed and breakfast so we made reservations. We didn't get there until 9 pm on friday night because of work and errands. To our dismay, it wasn't a cute little B&B like we expected. It smelled and we would be sharing a bathroom with three other strangers. It was also expensive so we decided to leave. Andy found another "place" for us to stay for only $40/night. That should have our first clue. It was a roach motel to say the least! But since it was 10:30 pm we were stuck, so we made the most of it.

Saturday we hung out, went to a diner for breakfast, and just laid low. Arathena's nap was interrupted by a phone call so she did not get a great nap. I was super worried that she would not go down the aisle, but she pulled through and walked down the aisle holding Andy's hand. The original ring-bearer fell through, so his 1 1/2 year old brother walked down the aisle before Arathena.

     

 her reward for making it down the ailse:)

 

Josh and Matt: 2/3s of Meeting of Important People (Aaron plays bass)

 

The beautiful couple

 

Stickers

So Aaron is in the band Meeting of Important People, just thought I put the link to their amazing music video for the song Brittney Lane

My First (kindof) Craft Show

Right after we got back from Kenya, my friend and neighbor Lisa from One Star Away asked me if I would be interested in making a few items to sell for the Bryant Street Festival in our neighborhood. It isn't really a craft show, but more of a gathering of local vendors and just a fun event for families. Since I have never done anything like this I was nervous, but in the end it was a great experience.

Things I made:

 

reversible headband

 

crayon roll

 

baby swaddlers

 

We also sold hot dogs and drinks for Haiti H2O which is run by our neighbors Jeff and Sarah Vandermolen

 

Andy, Scott, and Jeff grilling away

 

Our table:)

 

Things I learned...

1. Don't procrastinate 

2. Crayon rolls sell 

3. Baby stuff does not sell (or at least for me:) 

4. Don't procrastinate

I would consider doing it again...now that it is over