From Skilled Hands

When I was about 6 years old, I found 2 pennies buried in the garden in which my father and I were planting radishes. I was amazed at the discovery of this treasure, although I didn’t quite understand why it was still shiny. My dad told me that the soil had protected them from the air and that was why they still shone. it wasn’t until many years later that my dad told me that he had put the pennies there so that I would have the joy of discovery.

Last weekend, children of all ages shared that spirit as they explored the Village of Peninsula, finding fairy houses and gardens. Here are some photos of the Fairy Garden behind our studio and gallery, Elements Gallery. Enjoy!

It was a busy weekend in the Village of Peninsula, nestled in the beautiful Cuyahoga Valley. It was a time for discovery and adventure as the yearly Spring Stroll welcomed the new season to the Valley.

The population soared as families came to the Village to share in the magical adventures of the season. The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railway brought Thomas the Tank Engine to the Valley again this year.

Fairy houses and gardens were all over the Village.  Ronda from the Downtown Emporium created a map, and fairy lovers of all ages looked to see if they could answer all the questions: how many fairies live here?  can you find the octopus?  what is the name of the fairy house?

Imagine yourself discovering some of these magical dwellings. Look carefully; you might just see a sprite.

Come back on Wednesday and you’ll see more photos of the fairy dwellings behind our studio and gallery.

***************************************************************************************

Take a moment to realize that in the United States, Memorial Day is more than a 3 day weekend.  To read more, hop on over to Travis Erwin’s.  He  is the guy who is the MTM chief cook and bottle washer. He always has something interesting to say, and also posts links to other bloggers who write about their towns.

The Village of Peninsula, OH, population 601, is an inland town. Gerry asked what many folks want to know: how did the Village get its name?

Look at the map below. You see the Cuyahoga River on the left side of the map, and a loop in the center of the photo. The loop is where the River flowed before its course was changed. In April, 2008, I wrote:

The Village of Peninsula, population 602, is nestled in the hills where the Cuyahoga River bends sharply. Years ago, before the Valley Railway came through town, the old river made a meander that formed a peninsula. When the train was planned, 2 bridges would have needed to be engineered and built in order to cross the crooked river called the Cuyahoga. Instead of doing that, the engineers decided to cut through the neck of Peninsula’s peninsula, changing the course of the Cuyahoga.

If you want to see who is coming to the Village next weekend,  fly on over here.

§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§

Travis Erwin is My Town Monday’s Chief Marauder.  Meander on over to his place, where he has played hookie, and you will not only find out how he did that, but you will also find links to other blogs all over this fine blue planet.

********************************************************************************************

The winner of last week’s high tech drawing is Mary, who always has something interesting to say. Post a comment this week and you, too, will be entered into a give-away where you can win some cool stuff from the Village of Peninsula.

If you ever want to know about the history of my town,  the Village of Peninsula, population 601, or about the Cuyahoga Valley, go to the Peninsula Library and Historical Society. The library and historical society is dedicated to the preservation of the history of the Valley. They have an extensive collection of books, photographs, letters and other materials that chronicle the lives and times of those who settled the Valley.  Committed to preserving and promoting the history of the Cuyahoga Valley, the PLHS  provides a variety of historical programming.  They share the stories of the people who carved out a life in this Village along the river called the Cuyahoga, and the canal called the Ohio and Erie.

The mural on the front of the Library is a beautiful work of art. It was created by the late Honore Gilbeau Cooke. The library website describes the mural:

At first glance, a visitor may think that Honore Guilbeau Cooke created this mural for pure aesthetics. Upon further inspection, however, he will find that this work of art is not only pleasing to the eye, but that its shapes, lines and colors also reference the geographical pattern of the Peninsula part of the Cuyahoga River Valley as it appears on old maps and in aerial photographs.

The idea for the mural was that of Robert Bordner, the first president of the Library. He wanted to mark the building with something beautiful and unique, so he called upon Honore Guilbeau, Peninsula’s most famous artist and a Library founder, to design the mural. Richard Prusinski, president of Architechtural Research Corporation in Detroit, was selected to execute the design.

Besides the river itself, represented by the dominant white band, many other features are suggested in various degrees, including the Ohio Canal, the Stumpy Basin and the Oxbow River, which is now dry. The stone quarry is also indicated, from which mill stones were shipped as far as China and Russia. The turquoise line represents the B & O Railroad, and deep lock can be seen in the grey green on the canal at the front.

Additionally, the mural covers the heart of the Peninsula Python legend. Many see the river as a symbol of the monster snake that called attention to the Peninsula area in 1944. Though this was not a specific intention of the creator, it certainly is an exciting aspect of the mural.

The mural was dedicated on September 20, 1964. Since then, Honore has created other murals throughout the nation, but Peninsula’s mural remains the biggest and most precious as a creative work of art.

View photographs of the mural’s construction…
View photographs of the mural today…

***************************************************************************************

Travis Erwin is the main fisherman on the My Town Monday boat. Cruise on over to his site,  and check out the links he posts. You’ll discover lots of things you never knew exisited.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

POST a comment this week and I’ll enter you in another one of my high tech drawings (where I, once again, draw a name from a hat). You’ll have a chance to win something cool from my Valley.

The winner of last week’s drawing for the book about the Cuyahoga Valley is Lana.  Send me your street address and I’ll send you your book.

Post a comment on one of this week’s posts, and I will enter your name into another high tech drawing (where I draw names from a hat). You will have a chance to win a wonderful book that has amazing pictures of the Cuyahoga Valley.

It is spring in my town, the Village of Peninsula, population 601. The beauty of spring is attended by the things that have waited all winter long.

Gardens need preparation and planting; trees that fell victim to winter and early spring’s  storms and high winds have to be cleaned up. Lawns need to be mowed. Dandelions and violets dot the yard and field, their bright yellow and purple blossoms bring sunshine on this cloudy morning.   The chickens will be happy; dandelions and other weeds from the gardens go into a bucket to be taken to the chicken yard.

The Village is busting with energy. People emerging from the cocoons of their houses, glad to be out.  Spring Stroll will be May 23, with activities and exhibits throughout the Village.  Many folks are featuring fairy houses this year. I have a collection of materials ready to create these tiny magical environments.  Check back for photos.

What’s new in your neck of the woods? Post a comment on one of this week’s posts, and I will enter your name into another high tech drawing (where I draw names from a hat). You will have a chance to win a wonderful book that has amazing pictures of the Cuyahoga Valley.

**As always,  My Town Monday is brought to you by the chief cook, bottle washer and fisherman, Travis Erwin. Travis has, literally, gone fishing this week. The talented Erica Orloff is guest blogging at Travis’ place this week. Check out the links. You’ll travel all over this fine blue planet we call home. **

I am sitting in a coffee shop, waiting while Winston (the wonder dog) is at the vet having surgery for a mass on his gum. The vet said that he didn’t feel good about this.  If you are so inclined,  send good thoughts our way.   DOGGIE UPDATE:  Winston is fine! He had a cyst or a tumor that the vet think got infected. So it has been removed, his teeth cleaned, and he should have sweet doggie breath.

The weather in my town has been just this side of heavenly—or maybe right smack in the middle of it. So the choice is: work in the garden, enjoy the sunshine, relax or write an in-depth MTM post.  The former won, and, once again, You Tube came to my rescue.   Actually, I did go to one of the rookeries and I did take pictures, but it was a gray and rainy day. I think that you will enjoy the 2 videos I have posted below.

It’s nesting and courting seasons for Great Blue herons in the Cuyahoga Valley. There are a couple of rookeries where you can see them up close. It is an amazing site: dozens of nests, with the males bringing sticks to the females. Here’s a look:

§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§
Wander on over to Travis Erwin’s site to find links to blogs all over this fine planet.

   
          
                

                

 
                

There’s a lot of history in my Valley. And history is just that: stories. One of the local PBS stations, Western Reserve PBS is preparing a documentary about the beautiful Cuyahoga Valley National Park. They have been taking oral histories from people who experienced the area in days past. They are also looking for photos, home movies and other memorabilia from the Valley. Western Reserve PBS staff members will be at 2 open houses at CVNP’s Happy Days Lodge on Sundays, April 26, and May 17, from 11 a.m. to 5 pm.

Here is a 1951 home movie of families swimming at Virginia Kendall Lake.

*****************************************************************
Hop on over to My Town Monday visionary Travis Erwin’s place. You’ll learn a bit about his neck of the woods and find links to other folk’s thoughts about their towns.

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:

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

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.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
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.