Sands and Stars

While so many are hell-bent on celebrating Halloween, I am sequestering myself into my bah-humbug vision of this annual spooktacular. You see, I've never met a ghost. I've never seen a werewolf, nor a witch on a broomstick, and I wouldn't know a hobgoblin if I tripped over one. What's unlucky about  a black cat anyway? And I don't need to get dressed up like a monster (I pretty much look that part – right, Chewbacca?). So why all the fuss? Let me be clear with my mild critique. It's not that I'm wishing any bad luck befall on revelers. Have your fun celebrating the dead and their dark and dank domain! It's just that this so-called holiday either has lost its appeal to me over the years, or it had little from the start. Yet to be completely honest and upon further review: Perhaps there was a slight attraction. Some. In rather small but odd ways, for sure. Beyond the ubiquitous trick-or-treating in which we kids collected too much candy (that created  su

Author’s note: In about two weeks from this posting, a total eclipse of the Moon will occur. It will be the second total lunar eclipse of 2022, and it will be visible, clouds permitting, in the predawn hours of Nov. 8. And yes, from right here in the U.S.! But what was this year's first total lunar eclipse like? Join me! My view of the May 15-16, 2022, total lunar eclipse; the constellation Scorpius is rising from the trees with its brightest star, Antares, just visible. An astronomical vision described by “Pittsburgh Pete” Zapadka, May 16, 2022: Indigenous frogs provided a serenade, a curious rabbit hopped in for a very close inspection of a stationary astronomer, and an owl “who whoo-ed” from a distant tree to the south. The gnawing southern insects were kept at bay with the deft use of a good repellent spray. And though obscuring clouds drifted in from time to time to block the cosmic canvas, the view of the May 15-16, 2022, total eclipse of the Moon was more than delightful. It

You probably will not find this mentioned by any Florida travel guide or Chamber of Commerce website, but it's one of the most important issues to remember if you're moving to, or even just visiting, the Sunshine State. I've discovered this menace and tried to avoid it in the three years my wife Amy and I have lived Down South. Let's just say I'm creating a real buzz about this conundrum.  Oh, yes, we know about destructive hurricanes and frequent lightning in Florida. We've heard about alligators and snakes. Let's not forget mosquitoes. But . . . She's looking for . . . you! This problem is more widespread and, frankly, much more annoying. Dangerous? It's not clear to me if they are a health problem. But I would not be surprised. Beware of . . . noseeums. Noseeums. That's what they're called by the natives. Science calls them Ceratopogonidae . You probably can guess what I call them privately. 😡 I just returned from trying to relax on our

Are there more grains of sand on all of the beaches of the world, or are there more stars in the night sky? It's this sort of mind-boggling query that, in a roundabout manner, led me to select Sands and Stars as the name of my new blog. Few things equal the excitement of a child looking through a telescope. Sands certainly is evident. After all, I am retired and living on the Gulf Coast of Florida. It's easy to sink my toes into the sands of the beach. And to me, it's also a reference to the sandlots on which baseball is played; there's a game that's held my interest, somewhat, for decades. Stars also play a big role in my universe. I see them (and adore them!) everywhere I look in the night sky. And astronomy and I are very old friends. Most of you know that. I started very young, but one incident brought things together for me. Allow me to share with you a short biography I had been asked to write for The Guide Star, the monthly newsletter of the Amateur Astronom

I have very fond memories of a Hall of Fame smackdown I once endured. No worries! This is a happy tale! Charley Feeney was an unforgettable veteran baseball writer whose storied career ended at retirement in 1986 after two decades with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, my longtime employer. Feeney solidly had established himself as a home run hitter among hardball scribes long before I came onto the scene in the 1970s.  Charley Feeney at work in the press box at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh. A Queens, N.Y. native, Feeney started in the newspaper business at 16 as a copy messenger for the New York Sun. He went on to cover the New York Giants, the New York Yankees, and finally, my team, the Pittsburgh Pirates. In all, that was 41 years of Major League Baseball coverage. He was a master at making his deadlines. Indeed, it was an impressive batting average. Feeney, a feisty yet jovial fellow, called everyone “Pally,” but that nickname mostly became his, and it followed him with affection do

October Morn; an awakening Like a gentle nudge from a sleepy lover, twilight awakened me in the predawn of this beautiful early autumnal morn. I rose and walked through the darkened cabin, and opened the door slowly, not wanting to startle the deer that likely were nearby. A light fog had gathered in the valley below my lofty perch and clouds filled much of the sky. Through a break in the overcast, a waning crescent Moon smiled upon me, casting her light in broken beams upon the landscape. Higher still, Jupiter sat on his mighty throne, soon to be obscured by the gathering mist. With sunrise still more than a half-hour hence, a subtle luminance painted the countryside. Colors began to emerge, with the green of the trees and the grass, and red, white and gray dominating the sky. And yes! The much-anticipated fall foliage is becoming discernible in the growing light. This time, I mused, solace is welcome, a companion riding high with me on a rural hilltop. I felt delighted, as though my