Archive for Peninsula
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The Week That Was
It’s been quite a week in my town, the Village of Peninsula, population 602. Torrential rain brought flooding again, and prolonged heat followed that. I don’t have much to say this day; my brain feels somewhat like mush. Take a look at what I saw out my window this week.
What’s happening in your neck of the woods?
Wintry Days
We’ve had our share of wintry weather in my Valley, with cold temperatures and an abundance of snow. We’ve had another foot or more these past few days, the the Valley is covered with a pristine white blanket. The sun is out today, a rare winter occurrence in NE Ohio. Sunlight is welcome, making it seem warmer than it actually is.
The quality of the light has changed since the solstice, marking our march toward spring. The birds know that things are changing, too, their songs punctuating winter’s silence with the promise of things to come.
We’re doing new things in the studio and gallery, too. Testing new glazes, working on new pieces, kind of like preparing the soil for planting. Life is like that, I think. Time spent in quiet, sometimes invisible preparation, for that which isn’t always evident. These are times to trust in the process, and not to push the river; it flows all by itself.
A Plethora of Pythons in Peninsula: An Alliterative My Town Monday Post
Saturday was hot and sunny, and plenty of people came to my Valley to participate in Peninsula Python Day. A plethora of pythons were seen throughout the Village, and the Parade was bigger that it has been in the past. The King and Queen of the Hobos rode a float from the Hobo Gathering at Deep Lock Quarry to the Village.
A wedding was scheduled to take place at the Methodist Church at the same time the Parade was to start. I imagine that the wedding party will remember this day.
Take a look at the events of the day. And, as always, please feel free to leave me a comment, or a stone (o), to let me know you stopped by.
Slither on over to My Town Monday to see what others have to say about their towns.
The Python Returns to Peninsula: A My Town Monday Better Late Than Never Post
On Saturday, July 17, the Village of Peninsula, Ohio, population 601, will again celebrate the python that, in the summer of 1944, terrorized this little town.
So the story goes like this: back in the summer of 1944, a traveling circus came through Bath Township, which is a short distance from the Village of Peninsula. There was an accident in the local cemetery, and two large snakes escaped. One was found dead, and the other disappeared—for a short while.
Farmer Clarence Mitchell was tending his corn field. He reported that his dogs were mighty nervous for a couple of days; then they refused to go near his field. Mr. Mitchell looked up and said that he saw the biggest snake he had ever seen, sliding along the ground in plain site. Local historian Randy Bergdorf, of the Peninsula Library and Historical Society writes:
The first sighting of the python occurred on June 8, 1944, along Riverview Road in Northampton Township, about halfway between Ira and Everett. Local farmer, Clarence Mitchell, reported that he had seen a snake 15 to 18 feet long cross his fields and slide into the river. It was spotted later that day by Mike Bobacek on the other side of the river, near Szalay’s corn fields on Bolanz Road. Days later, paul and John Szalay saw mysterious tracks, “like from an auto tire,” weaving across their corn field on Akron-Peninsula Road, a few miles south of Peninsula. Those doubting the existence of the python decreased in numbers on June 23rd, when Mrs. Vaughan on Northampton Road saw the snake climb over the fence of her chicken yard with a noticeable lump in its middle.
Multiple sightings of the serpent were reported during that summer of 1944; the mayor organized the local Civil Defense organization into posses. Folks with loaded guns responded to reports of the wayward snake. The then director of the Cleveland Zoo, Fletcher Reynolds, pleaded for the life of the snake. He asked that anyone finding the reptile stay calm and phone him with the snake’s location, so he could come and take him alive. Locals came up with plans to capture the snake, from box traps, to clotheslines and sticks, to music.
By this time radio newscasters, and reporters from the United and Associated Presses were regularly reporting on the escapades of the snake that had become the Peninsula Python. The story was reported in the media that was sent to American troops abroad during WWII. Letters from soldiers came into the Village’s post office. Robert Bordner, a reporter from the old Cleveland Press was one of those who wrote about the snake; one of his stories was published in the Atlantic Monthly, in November, 1945.
Sightings of the reptile decreased; some folks wondered if the entire story was a hoax concocted by Bordner. Those who saw the snake stand by their stories.
Here’s a look at the 2009 Peninsula Python Festival. Check back later in the week to see last year’s event.
And, as always, feel free to leave me a comment, or a stone (o), to let me know you’ve stopped by. Take a look at what my fellow MTM Marauders have to say, here. And feel free to join us.
White Friday
Snows fell on NE Ohio this day after Thanksgiving. It was silent as we left this old house and made our way to our studio. The roads were blanketed with the season’s first snow. Here is a look:
As always, feel free to leave me a comment, or a stone (o), to let me know you’ve stopped by.
Mostly Wordless Wednesday: Blue Skies
For more looks at the color blue, please visit Jodi’s weekly color challenge at the Women’s Colony.
My Town Monday– Late Edition: A Different Kind of Post
Jodi, over at the Women’s Colony/Sanctuary, has challenged bloggers to post photos that show the color orange. I looked around my town, the Village of Peninsula, in the beautiful Cuyahoga Valley, and saw the color all over the place. Here is a snippet:
Check back on Wednesday. My Wordless Wednesday post will be sponsored by the color orange.
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My Town Monday’s current host is Clair Dickson. Wander over to the MTM site for links to the posts of other MTM Marauders.
My Town Monday: A Bit of This and That
It has been quite a while since I have shared the MTM experience. Life has presented our family with multiple challenges including 3 deaths and the hospitalization of a child. I have learned a lot about community, and have had my feeling that we all live in the same town reinforced over and over.
Fall has come to My Town, the Village of Peninsula, population 601. The leaves are beginning to change as daylight hours grow shorter. The Village is nestled in the beautiful Cuyahoga Valley, home of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The Valley is an amazing and diverse place with so much to see and do. Here are some photos I took during a summer hike on the Tree Farm Trail. Take a look, and if you are in our neck of the woods, stop and visit. Feel free to leave me a comment, or a stone (o) to let me know you’ve stopped by.
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Visit the My Town Monday website, for a look at other places on this fine planet.
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COMING SOON: Cups of Kindness
P Minus One
Signs of the python are all around: Larry has been getting his python ready for tomorrow’s parade; the Peninsula Art Academy’s artful python has emerged from it’s winter resting place. Our python has been enjoying being outside.
We are getting ready for the python scavenger hunt in the Gallery. If you can find them all, you win one! Lots of activities are planned in the Village tomorrow. Slither on over here to see.
While you’re in the Valley, wander on down the Towpath to Deep Lock Quarry. Hobo Days will be in full swing. It starts tonight with the Hobo Jungle Campfire, the official lighting of the hobo campfire. You can enjoy potlatch and hobohemia. Bring a can of soup for the hobo pot. Breakfast will be at 9:00a.m. tomorrow, and there will be activities all day. The election of the Deep Lock Quarry Hobo King and Queen will be at 3:00 p.m.. The campfire will be at 8:00p.m., and there will be more hobohemia Sunday, from 11:00a.m.-1:00pm. For more information, check out the MetroParks, serving Summit County website.
I talked toNaturalist Pat Rydquist (whose hobo name is Hummingbird) about Hobo Days. Thie is the 6th year of the event at Deep Lock Quarry. 30-40 hobos will camp in primitive campsites there. Hobos were really the first “leave no trace” campers. Number 8 of the Hobo Code of Ethics reads: “Always respect nature, do not leave garbage where you are jungling.“ For more information about the Code of Ethics, hobo terminology and hobo symbols, go here.
And don’t forget to send me your mug shot. You could win one of our favorite mugs.
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