From Skilled Hands

Spring seems to be here in the Village of Peninsula, Ohio, population 601. Things are, as my Dad used to say, greening up. Steve and I took a walk the Towpath Trail last week. It is a beautiful trail, well used by walkers, runners, bikers and deer. Along the trail, we saw vestiges of old homesteads, marked by the plantings of daffodils, pine and fruit trees and foundation stones. Take a look at some of what we saw:

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Wander on over to My Town Monday’s chief cook and bottle washer Travis Erwin’s place. You’ll find links to blogs all over the world. Pretty cool stuff.

My choice this beautiful day was either replanting the peas, spinach, mesclun mix and lettuce that Dylan the cat dug up when she used the garden as a litter box, or writing the My Town Monday post which I had intended to write. Since the day was beautiful and sunny, and snow is in the forecast, the garden won. So I replanted everything and fixed the fence after I took food and drink to #2 daughter who swam 400 lengths to raise money for diabetes research and education in the Swim for Diabetes today.

Last week I wrote about Bob Hunker, who died at age 82. I wrote about his vision and his legacy, the Peninsula Valley Historic and Preservation Foundation. The purpose of the Foundation is:

A. To preserve the historic architecture and character of Peninsula, Ohio and the surrounding area both within and proximate to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

B. To educate the public about the history of Peninsula, Ohio and the Cuyahoga Valley with emphasis on economic and social development, architectural design and construction, decorative arts and crafts, landscape, gardens, and overall built environment.

That this exists in today’s world is a gift to the community and to future generations. If you are so inclined, take a look at the Foundation’s website. There is an incredible amount of history there, from the Village’s first library, to the Bronson Chapel. All part of this Village in this beautiful Valley.

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My Town Monday’s originator is Travis Erwin. He tells us that he doesn’t have too much to say this week, but you can wander over there and ask him a question. Each week, Travis posts links to bloggers all over this fine planet who share a bit about the place they call home.

You never know who will touch your life and how. You just don’t know how one action will touch the lives of those around you.

Twenty-two years ago, we went for a drive in the Village of Peninsula. We had been thinking of moving our studio from an industrial building in the city where the temperature was a constant 57ºF all winter and 89ºF all summer. In the Village, we saw many vacant buildings, and and weed strewn parking lots. The Towpath trail wasn’t completed. We know. We tried to take a walk on it. It was impassable.

I jotted down a telephone number that was listed on a sign in front of one of the vacant buildings, and called it the next day. We had been thinking about one particular building, but the man who met us had different ideas. He drove a small car, not at all new; and an ornament of a jumping horse graced the hood. He showed us a building that had housed a sailing shop. The previous owner had left things in a state of disarray: debris was strewn all over the place, there were holes in the walls. And the walls were all painted a dark brown. 1970′s harvest gold paisley carpet covered the floors. It was quite a site.

But the feeling of the place was right. We saw beyond the disarray, and envisioned a place where we could work and bring our then less than year old daughter. And it was close to home. We didn’t feel that we could move a studio and a business until after the Christmas holidays—we had orders to fill, shows in which to participate, and our studio open house to complete. The man told us he’d hold the building for us until after the holidays. He thought that the Village needed what we had to offer. He saw us more clearly than we did, and believed in the spirit of what we wanted to do before we were sure what it was.

Robert Hunker was a complex and interesting man. He owned many of the buildings in the Village and had the foresight to put them in an historic trust. He knew the value of historic buildings and worked to preserve them. He was equally passionate about horses, hence the hood ornament that appeared on every car he owned. He frequently invited our daughter to ride her horse on property that he owned in the southern part of the state.

Bob was the kind of guy who you either liked or……. you didn’t. And he had strong opinions—lots of them. We always got along with him. We treated him with respect and care and he responded in kind. When our daughters were little, he’d come in to see them, asking, “How’s my girlfriends?” He’d gently hold them, walking them around the space, as they pulled on his beard.

When the Village held its Harry Potter Fest, Bob volunteered to play Dumbledore at the End of Term Banquet. He was a generous and gracious host.

Bob Hunker died last Monday at age 82. He leaves a legacy of history, of restoration, of valuing things that should be saved just because they should. Bob was a visionary, seeing the Village as it is today and how it could be in the future, treasuring the rich history that created this place and the feeling it holds. He loved this Village and the beautiful Cuyahoga Valley National Park in which it sits.

The Village of Peninsula, population 601, gently resisting change since 1827.

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Travis Erwin is the cruise director of the My Town Monday ship. You can visit his site for links to other MTM Marauders’ sites around the world.

If we pay attention, the natural world lets us know in many ways that the seasons are changing. The quality of the light is one thing I start to notice when Spring is just a promise. Each year my husband reminds me that it is only February, and that Winter has a ways to go. I see birds at the feeders that have spent the long Winter in the south and I hear their Spring songs. As I look at the willow and maple trees, I am aware of the familiar yellow and red tints, as their buds swell. Spring bulbs poke through the leaves that blanket their beds, and hints of yellow and blue appear. And then there are these sounds that I now hear each night:

What lets you know that Spring is here?

Winter —and we’ve had plenty of it—doesn’t get in the way of the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railway. You can explore the beautiful Cuyahoga Valley, wander through the Village of Peninsula, population 602, enjoy stories for the entire family, or wine and beer tastings for the adults.

You’ll see the Cuyahoga Valley National Park dressed in Winter’s finery. Animals and birds will appear along the tracks; you may see intrepid joggers and bikers along the Towpath Trail.

It takes work to maintain the tracks year round. Climb aboard and see what it’s like.

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My Town Monday is a product of the wondrous mind of Travis Erwin. Check out the links to the sites of my fellow MTM Marauders.