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Wordless Wednesday

fromskilledhands — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:49:10 +0000

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Holiday Musings

fromskilledhands — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 01:56:23 +0000

Wednesday morning was an icy one, with the roads covered with a glaze of ice. Cars stood on the pavement, unable to move. The 4 wheel drive on our Toyota helped us navigate the frozen ground, and we proceeded to the studio.

The day was a good one, with people picking up orders and just stopping by to say hello. There is something special about being in a place for a while—and we have been in Peninsula for 20 years. Folks know us, they ask about our family, and we ask about theirs.

At the end of the day, we stopped at a friend’s to have a glass of wine and some cheese and fruit. Then off to the grocery store–we got there 10 minutes before they closed—to get a few things.

Christmas morning was cold and dry. The ground was frozen so there was no mud. We are beyond the days where we had to tell our children that they couldn’t wake us until it was light outside. We were up and on our second cup of coffee well before our daughters emerged from their rooms. The magic of Christmas morning is different from the way it was in years past, but it is still magic.

#2 daughter and I made pita bread for the first time. She made falafel and a delicious cucumber yogurt sauce to take over the stream and through the woods to Grandma’s house. We shared sandwiches, veggies, and other munchies. A pot of coffee graced the table. Grandma had made her fruitcakes, strudel, mince pies and peanut butter pie for #2.

Home for the evening, quietly enjoying the time together. Grazing, watching a move, and my fingers tappity tapping the keys. A good day.

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Happy Holidays From These Skilled Hands

fromskilledhands — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 04:04:30 +0000

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My Town Monday: Taking a Leisurely Walk Through Town

fromskilledhands — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 22:43:13 +0000

The Village of Peninsula, Ohio, population 602, is a place where you can walk. There is a walking tour that shows you lots of interesting places in the Village. I’ve been walking through the side streets of my town, discovering things I’d not seen before, and seeing some things in a new way.

You may remember this corner from Python Day.

Canal Street runs near the Canal. I often wonder what is was like when the canal was in full operation.

Nixon is a 4 month old silver lab. He greeted me as lab puppies do,with a wet tongue and a
wagging tail.

There are houses and barns tucked away on the small, winding roads off Main Street.

No place is perfect, and the hazards of cell phone life are the same no matter where you hang your hat.

Amarillo’s own Travis Erwin is the Master Mind behind My Town Monday. Take a trip on over there and you can see the world through the hearts and minds of bloogers all over this fine planet.

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My Town Monday: Home Travels. Part One

fromskilledhands — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 22:42:09 +0000

I have come to realize that home really is where the heart is; and that the cool thing about this is that it travels.

I have, in the past year, left my heart with my daughter in NYC, and in the mountains of Black Mountain, North Carolina and Blue Mountain Lake, NY.

I have discovered so much about my town, the Village of Peninsula, Ohio, population 602; its rich history and colorful stories.

So this week’s MTM post is a scrapbook of sorts, photos in which, if you look closely, you will find a wee piece of my heart, nestled in the sweet softness of lovely memories.

In April, I traveled by train to visit my daughter in New York City. I learned so much about my wise and wonderful daughter, and left a piece of my heart in the Avenue B Garden.

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Number 2 daughter and I traveled to the Adirondacks in July.

As my daughter and I traveled along the highway, we passed exit signs for towns and cities large and small. And then there was one sign for an entire country. Go figure…

A rock along the roadside. Shortly thereafter a sign hoped we had had a nice visit in a town (we both forgot which town), and wished us Toodle-oo.

The road to Blue Mountain Lake. Where you begin to feel your muscles relax…

After a 9 hour drive, we were greeted with this. Sunset at Blue Mountain Lake repeated it’s glorious self each night.

My daughter and friends kayaked across crystal clear Blue Mountain Lake; then they kicked off their sandals and climbed Castle Rock.

We were staying next to Prospect Point Cottages. Prospect Point Cottages are on the grounds of the grand old Prospect House Hotel, one of the original Adirondack camps. Carol, the innkeeper, is gracious and hospitable. We attended a talent show and donated items to their “kitchen library,” where guests can borrow items they may have forgotten. Carol and her staff were also hosts to Lucy, a homing pigeon who showed up one day. She was offered food and water, and she stayed until she was ready to move on.

We also hiked up the beautiful Goodnow Mountain. Bare-footed kids beat adults with shoes without a problem!

It doesn’t get much better than this.

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Next week: Part 2: Black Mountain, NC and the Village of Peninsula.

As always, the amazing Travis Erwin, who celebrates his 25th (count ‘em) MTM post this week, is the founder and main MTM guy. Take a trip on over to his site. You’ll have fun and learn something, too. Then visit my other My Town Monday Marauders. I promise you won’t regret it.

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My Town Monday: Of Men and Boats

fromskilledhands — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 13:51:23 +0000

The Ohio and Erie Canal played a critical part in the development of the Cuyahoga Valley. The workers toiled long hours for 30 cents a day and whiskey at night.

Most of the employees of the Peninsula boat yards were locals; like the builders of the Canal, most of the laborers remain anonymous. Some not only built canal boats, but also they also erected buildings and bridges. Many of the boatyard workers also worked on the boats, making them “canalers.”

Canal boats were 79-81 feet long, and about 14 feet wide. Their width was limited by the size of the locks through which they traveled. New vessels needed about 3 1/2 feet of water in which to float; older vessels required a bit more depth since they accumulated “seepage water.” Once the stomping grounds of canal mules, the towpath is now used as a trail, of which over 70 miles is complete. I’ll explore the trail in a future post.

The cool thing is that many of the buildings still stand. In other places, old foundations are visible. The stories of the people who carved this Village are alive and well. It is the people who give us a sense of place, a place that is home. The Village of Peninsula, population 602, celebrates its history as it embraces its future. An interesting place to be.

The Village will celebrate the Peninsula Python Festival on Saturday, July 19. There will be activities, exhibits, contests and special events to commemorate the Peninsula Python. Join us. We’ll have fun. I promise.

****Thanks to Amanda, of the Peninsula Library and Historical Society, for her assistance and generosity in sharing resources, knowledge and time.

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Post a comment and I will enter your name in the high-tech drawing, where I pick a number from a hat; and, you, too, could join Sam, Travis, and the newest member of the Posse, Barrie, as members of the Peninsula Python Posse (and you will win cool stuff, too!).

Amarillo’s own favorite son, Travis Erwin, is the Chief Marauder and founder of My Town Monday. Check it out. You’ll connect with towns all over this beautiful blue planet.

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It’s Good Luck to Be Nice

fromskilledhands — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 11:40:26 +0000

I had stopped at the Cleveland Food Coop on Saturday to pick up a few things. As I walked toward the building, I was approached by a smiling woman. She spoke little English; and started to talk to me in what I figured was Russian. I know one Russian phrase: lubov nyick o toschka. (When my father was courting my mother, he asked my grandfather for his daughter’s hand in marriage. My grandfather, ever the practical man, asked, “How will you support her” My dad, ever the romantic, responded, “I love her.” My grandfather’s question,: ” Yes, but how will you support her?”
“But I love her,” my dad repeated. “Lubov nyick o toschka—love is not a potato.” Evidently my grandfather and my dad worked it out.)

I used my one Russian phrase, and the woman laughed heartily and responded with a litany of Russian (none of which I understood). After a while, I figured out that she was looking for cucumber plants, and that she had walked about 6 miles to get them. The Coop didn’t have any cukes left, but the garden shop just up the road did. The woman walked away and I proceeded to pick up the items I needed.

Driving over to the garden shop, I saw the woman carrying a flat of plants. I asked her if she would like a ride home.
During our ride up the hill, I learned that the woman has a son and daughter here, and that she like being in the US. She lives in an apartment building that houses many immigrants, as well as senior citizens, and she gardens in a community garden across from her building. We walked to the garden and she showed me her plot. Tomatoes, dill, beets, potatoes, mints (“the tea will help you sleep”), and a plant I didn’t recognize were flourishing. The cucumbers would go in the pace that had been prepared for them.
We embraced as I walked toward my car. “You will come back to see me?” she asked, knowing that I will.

I thought about this woman who walked 6 miles for cucumber plants, and asked a stranger for help in a language she barely knew. I thought about the courage it takes to leave a place where you have always lived to travel to a new land, a new home. I thought about my own grandparents, who, like this woman, left their homes, for the promise of a better life.

The next time I am in Cleveland, I will go to the community garden and see if my new friend is there. I will bring her flowers, for she has given me more than she knows.

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My Town Monday: Take a Ride on the Wild Side

fromskilledhands — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 23:31:50 +0000

Today’s post is a short one—the beautiful weather and the garden have been calling my name. For the record, the garden is planted, except for a couple of Roma tomato plants.

The history of trains in the Cuyahoga Valley goes back a long time. In 1869, Akron businessman David King lobbied the state legislature to build the Akron and Canton Railroad. The Valley Railway was completed and began operations in 1880; it transported coal to Cleveland, Akron and Canton from the Tuscarawas Valley, and provided passenger service along the way. In 1890, the Valley Railway became part of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Owned by the Chessie System, the Cuyahoga Valley Line was incorporated in 1972 by the nonprofit Cuyahoga Valley Preservation & Scenic Railway Assn., a group of private citizens interested in preserving the memory of steam railroading. The train is now known as the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.

Today, the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad offers many wonderful events and excursions.

My Town Monday is the brainchild of Chief Marauder Travis Erwin. Take a trip on over there and see what else you can learn about towns hither and yon.

Keep those cards and letters coming! Post a comment and I’ll enter you into this week’s Peninsula Giveaway. Last week’s Peninsula Python Posse winner was Sam.

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My Town Monday: Home is Where the Art Is

fromskilledhands — Mon, 19 May 2008 02:05:36 +0000

The Village of Peninsula, Ohio, population 602, has a long history of creativity and of independent thinking. From the early settlers to the builders of the railroad and the Ohio and Erie Canal, people in the area took risks, expanded their horizons and shared their visions.

In the late 1930′s-early 1940′s, a number of artistically inclined families relocated to Peninsula; they were dubbed Peninsula’s Artist Colony. In the 1940′s one member of the group, Honore Guilbeau Cooke, turned her barn into an art and dance school for children. There were printmakers, painters, potters, weavers and others. The Peninsula Players’ Barn was a showcase for local talent, and is still standing.

The Village’s artistic legacy continues, as it is the home of many artists’ studios and galleries including the Peninsula Art Academy, the Log Cabin Gallery, Curious Masks, and our Bures Pottery and Elements Gallery. The community hosts art walks and shows, and the Boston Mills Art Festival brings artists and fine craftspeople from all over the country.

I continue to learn more and more about the rich history of my town. The more stories I tell, the more I find out. Next week: the story of the Peninsula Python. We’ll be giving away some great Peninsula stuff over the next few weeks.

Please visit the other My Town Monday crew at chief Marauder, Travis Erwin’s blog, One Word, One Rung, One Day.

***On another note: I have been summoned for jury duty for the next week. I’ll be checking in but may not have time to post.

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My Town Monday: Better Late Than Never

fromskilledhands — Tue, 13 May 2008 15:53:29 +0000

I have learned an important thing these past few days. My Town is a state of mind. I have traveled more this past month than I have in a very long time; first to New York City at the end of April, and to the Lake Eden Arts Festival, in Black Mountain, NC, this past weekend.

#2 daughter and I traveled to LEAF with some good friends. We drove through our home state of Ohio, through West Virginia and Virginia to North Carolina. This land is so beautiful, and the varying terrain intense. We drove through the mountains in driving rain which made the view seem like Impressionist paintings. The telltale signs of highway construction: orange barrels and slowed traffic were plentiful.

We stopped in Beckley, West Virginia for the night. An energetic group of people on one street corner held signs asking us to “Honk for Obama.”

The next morning we were off to Black Mountain. After finding the Festival site, we parked the car, and began the process of unloading camping gear and supplies for 3 adults and 3 teen agers. We arrived on Thursday afternoon, so that we could choose a campsite closer to the festival, and get our bearings. First a campsite needed to be selected, which, after some deliberation, we were able to do.

Lake Eden was the site of Black Mountain College, an innovative college that included Josef Albers, Ami Albers, John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Willem de Kooning, Buckminster Fuller, Arthur Penn, Robert Rauschenberg among its associates.

The Festival included fabulous music, healing arts, dance, drumming, craft artists, and wonderful food. We met people from many states and several countries. People welcomed us into their lives and shared their vision of the world. My family bought me a Mother’s Day Wish Ticket, which entitled me to choose 3 wishes. I chose a massage, a CD and a brunch. Wonderful!

After the last dance, we drove to Asheville, NC.
We explored some of the shops and courtyards, had a delicious lunch at a little bistro, and resumed our trip home just as the rains came pouring down. Mountain driving is treacherous in the rain, and we were glad to stop for the night. After camping for 3 nights, we were glad to take advantage of hot showers.

Taking a different route home, we traveled through more beautiful country. Dogwood and other flowering trees dotted the mountainsides, and houses and cabins were nestled in hollows. It was a beautiful drive.

My Town just keeps expanding, both through my travels, and through the words of my fellow My Town Marauders who, through the efforts of Travis Erwin, over at One Word One Rung, One Day, share their thoughts about their necks of the woods. This week some are even reviewing books set in their towns. Check it out.

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