Arthur Levine admits he doesn't travel much, other than going to Florida once in a while, or to swap meets.
But one of his hobbies (you'll need both hands to count all of them), takes him across the U.S. without leaving his Manchester Township garage. Between what's hanging on his garage walls and what he has stored away, Levine owns more than 400 license plates.
Not only does Levine collect license plates, but his complete collections include vanity plates from all 50 states. Dealer plates from all 50 states. Handicapped plates from all 50 states. His next collection--he says his last-- is 'stacked' plates, or plates with numbers or letters vertically, as in Pennsylvania's college or fraternal plates.
Like most of us, he enjoys driving down the road and trying to decrypt a license plate on a car in front of him. The trick, he says, is to understand that not all vanity plates have a logical explanation. Some are initials, nicknames.
Beyond license plates, Levine collects W.C. Fields memoribilia, Guiness Books of World Records, TV guides.
But on his business cards is "Collector of License Plates", a member of the American License Plate Collectors Association, he's MRCANDEE on email, and a tip of the hat to his real job, a greeter at the West Manchester WalMart.
The annual Ridgway (Pa.) Chainsaw Carvers Rendezvous is finished for this year, but check its website here for next year's event. More than 200 carvers are spread through the square and a nearby large parking lot, showing off their collections, and making more as you watch. Bears were the carving model of choice, apparently, but there were plenty of eagles and owls, and even a teeter-totter. The artists are from as far away as Germany.
Saw dust and chips were everywhere, the whine of chainsaws too. The event is sponsored by a local art gallery, without help from the Chamber of Commerce or the town. There wasn't a motel room available for miles around, and restuarants were packed. Like Punxsutawny's Ground Hog Day, just down the road, it seems this is Ridgway's one event that makes it stand out.
There's a whole lot of money flowing into town that week. But on Saturday, it ended after the auction which raised money for charity. So, we got back into the car.
Finding snow this winter has seen something of a problem, so we headed off again to the eastern Cleveland suburbs to see a few flakes. There wasn't much snow there either, but the old standby of Chardon, Ohio, known for its snow and sugar maple festival, had more than most. Even the ponds and lakes were still frozen, and we watched Dan and Kevin wander out to the East Branch to go ice fishing.
That wasn't going well, as far as the quantity of fish goes, but they seemed to be enjoying themselves with their homemade ice fishing shelter, complete with heater, skis, and a few beers.
Up the road a few miles, Ken and Lindy were tapping hard and soft sugar maple trees (I didn't know there was a difference) for the upcoming collection and annual maple syrup-making. About 130 trees are now dressed with old white milk jugs in Tom's back woods.
Nixon County Park naturalist Amber Carothers taps a red maple tree to get sap flowing in time for Nixon County Park's maple sugar weekend. Events begin on Saturday, February 23, at 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and continues Sunday noon to 4 p.m.
Activities include tours of the park's sugar bush, lectures about the process of making maple syrup and sugar and hands-on demonstrations. Maple sugar products will be on sale, and attendees can eat a pancake with real maple syrup.
It probably shows a lack of seeing the obvious, but I was surprised to find Jim Markey harvesting vegetables at J-Mar Farms along the Susquehanna Trail Saturday.
I assumed that all veggies being grown here this time of year were from hot houses. Markey was working in two or three foot trenches, digging in the soggy soil. Bleached celery, so called because it's pale yellow-green color, is new to me. But I'm not a cook, and until Saturday, didn't much care for celery because it's usually full of stringy fiber, and generally tasteless.
Bleached celery, a local crop known for its enhanced flavor and lack of chewy fiber, is still being harvested in York Township, despite winter temperatures. Jim Markey of J-Mar Farms in York Township, toils in trenches where the celery has grown since being planted in October. Workers planted 11,000 stalks in October, and cooks and chefs used it for holiday meals over Thanksgiving and Christmas. By Saturday, Markey was harvesting some of the 3,000 still left, still insulated under mounds of straw and plastic sheeting. Markey says bleached celery is only harvested in Lancaster and York Counties, mainly because growing it is very labor intensive, since the stalks must be trimmed of all its tough dark green stalks, roots and most of the leaves removed. Even worse, winter temperatures can destroy the entire crop, as happened a few years ago when 10,000 stalks were frozen out. On New Year's Day this year, however, Markey still had 11 vegetables in the ground because of mild temperatures. On Saturday, Markey was digging bright orange carrots as well as celery.
Maybe because of last week's spring-like temperatures, these snowdrops aside Phil and Mary Miller's North Hopewell Township home were blooming Sunday.
Miller says his snowdrops don't usually pop until late March, but this so far has been a warm and nearly snowless winter.
Snowdrops may have medicinal purposes, aside from being pretty and an uplifting sign of spring. This from England's Mail Online:
This small, white flower blooms in the late winter. Traditional uses: Rub-on treatment for headaches, painkiller and poison antidote. Modern uses: Reminyl, one of the main type of drugs used to treat mild to moderate dementia, is derived from galantamine, a compound found in snowdrop bulbs. It helps increase levels of acetylcholine, a brain chemical involved in the transmission of messages from nerve cells. Alzheimer’s is associated with a drop in acetylcholine levels — galantamine stops or delays the decline, helping to maintain memory. ‘Galantamine was originally tested for use in conditions such as eye, gastric and heart disorders. 'It wasn’t until the Eighties that it was explored for potential benefits in dementia,’ says Dr Melanie-Jayne Howes of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
For those of us who are going stir crazy for lack of snow, the York County Park system and Rocky Ridge Park hosted a Cabin Fever Walk Saturday. Attended by about 20 people, ecologist Robert Bull of Wilson T. Ballard Company of Shrewsbury led the hike through the snow-covered park.
Most Yorkers woke up Saturday morning to no snow at all, but Rocky Ridge was covered with just enough snow to make it look like winter, but not enough to make for tough walking.
Bull spoke of poplar trees, the different kids of oaks, maples. He pointed out the different lichen and moss growing on rocks, and explained how well today's forests are doing, compared with 100 years ago. Interesting stuff.
Most of the hikers were Cub Scouts from Pack 25 of York, and more interested in climbing rocks, drawing designs in the light snow cover and throwing snowballs.
It was a warm up, so to speak, for next week's Klondike Derby, where many of the scouters will be sleeping in tents at Camp Tuckahoe.
About 20,000 people crowded into Punxsutawney, Pa. Saturday on Groundhog Day to discover Punxsutawney Phil's prediction about early daffodils or late snow storms.
This is truly all about the groundhog.
Gates opened at 3 a.m. for the four-hour production at Gobbler's Knob about a mile out of town. As usual, the forecast came shortly after 7 a.m.
Start thinking about draining the snowblower, hanging up the snow shovel.
But wait a minute. Of his 116 predictions on record so far, Punxsutawney Phil has
predicted an "early spring" 16 times (13.8%). As to his accuracy,
according to the StormFax Weather Almanac and records kept since 1887,
Phil's predictions have been correct 39% of the time.
Think about it. Officially, spring comes on March 20-- about six weeks from now. So either way, Phil will be right. But he gives us a great excuse for a mid-winter party.
Groundhog Day is Punxy's biggest day. A little smaller than Red Lion, the town bursts open every February 2. At Punxy Phil's diner, it seems all 20,000 fans try to get breakfast at one time. People wait in a line that trails out the door, into a covered area warmed by a propane heater. I waited about 45 minutes for breakfast, but didn't mind.
Despite the traffic jam at the door, the wait staff was still smiling at day's end. Badges worn by all said "Team Phil". Kay, who has worked at the diner for 30 years, was recently named Career Woman of the Year.
Visited with the other diners as they paid their check at the register. Aside from the workers, I didn't talk with anyone from Punxsutawney, but spoke with folks from Norway, Japan, Cleveland, Raleigh, Louisville, Toledo and Coney Island. Some drove in early for Phil's sunrise report, others came later in the morning to browse the concessions. One couple drove from Maine to get married here Saturday morning.
It's interesting what can be sold with some reference to a groundhog. The Trailhead art gallery had its own pole in its front window, on which a doll named Phil and human handler curled around on, trying to lure visitors into a lunch of chili, water and cookies. It was cold outside -- nine degrees-- and snowing.
At Barclay Square, tents were set up to sell carvings, hats, chocolate, dog treats, pizza, burgers, refrigerator magnets and pens.
A downtown hotel was allegedly renting rooms for $400. Across the street, McDonald's was doing a booming business.
But by noon, much of the crowd had seen what it came to see, that is, Phil's production at Gobbler's Knob, and the sidewalks were quiet again. The craft show in the community building started closing up. The Weather Channel's Jim Cantori, was inducted into Punxy's Weatherman Hall of Fame, then headed home after buying a hoodie with Phil's picture on it.
Many towns throughout the U.S. and the world have tried to copy Punxy Phil's magic. There's Staten Island Chuck, General Beauregard Lee in Georgia, Lancaster's Octoraro Orphie, and even other
weather animals like Furky the Wonder Chicken in Vancouver, Canada. All their supporters claim their mascot is the best, first, finest or most accurate.
The festival/carnival atmosphere is a lot like those found in other small towns which have created an event to put themselves on the map. Like the Glen Rock Carolers strolling through town, visitors travel for miles to see and hear the event personally.
All towns need something to crow about, to be proud of. A woman in Punxy Phil's explained it well-- if not for this groundhog, Punxy would be just another small town whose best days are behind it, lost in middle of the woods.
A Cooper's Hawk seen sitting along side a bird feeder, apparently waiting for dinner delivery. There was a pile of red feathers nearby, maybe last night's meal?
From Cornell's website-- Among the bird world’s most skillful fliers, Cooper’s
Hawks are common woodland hawks that tear through cluttered tree
canopies in high speed pursuit of other birds. You’re most likely to see
one prowling above a forest edge or field using just a few stiff
wingbeats followed by a glide.
Cooper's Hawks are smaller than the more commonly seen red-tailed hawk. From the Cornell website-- The red-tailed hawk is probably the most common hawk in North America. If you’ve got
sharp eyes you’ll see several individuals on almost any long car ride,
anywhere. Red-tailed Hawks soar above open fields, slowly turning
circles on their broad, rounded wings. Other times you’ll see them atop
telephone poles, eyes fixed on the ground to catch the movements of a
vole or a rabbit, or simply waiting out cold weather before climbing a
thermal updraft into the sky.
