Monthly Archives: July 2012

trails are for illegal dumping ?

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Biker Finds Hidden Garbage Dump in Mont Clare; Its contents include chemical waste.

ByTom Sunnergren  Email the author

On a mountain biking trek last week, a Phoenixville Patch reader discovered a large garbage dump off a trail near 330 Lovers Lane in Mont Clare.

The trash pile is in an oblong ditch—roughly 35 feet deep and 50 feet across—and contains, based on one incomplete inventory, tires of various sizes, oil and anti-freeze containers, a toilet, a television, couch cushions, sheet wood, 2X4s, Gatorade and soda bottles, the seat of a car, and countless other discarded chemicals and plastics.

A narrow trail leads away from the ditch and to a small concrete parking space where a backhoe with a shattered windshield sits. The trail appears to be wide enough for the backhoe to drive up and down it, though the trail doesn’t appear to have been driven on recently.

The reader reported the dump to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection via an online form after he discovered it, but is yet to hear any word from the agency.

Yes, Phoenixville Patch is reporting that a biker on a trail in Mont Clare, which is Montgomery County/Upper Providence Township, found a mini toxic waste dump.  This is on the opposite bank of the Schuylkill.

A commenter on the site is urging everyone to report this so it gets cleaned up.  As in complain to the DEP and Upper Providence.   I say report this to TV stations and ask for coverage to ensure it is not only cleaned up, but cleaned up correctly and completely.

So I looked online to see if any other media was covering this and other than something in the Pottstown-Mercury about kids from North Coventry looking for crawfish in the Schuykill and swimming who found guns instead. That was in the area of the Keim Street Bridge.   Ok also bad, and were they decontaminated after being in the river? And who the heck lets their kids swim in the river?

Back to the dumping.  This is serious business. Good job to Tom Sunnergren of Patch for covering it.  Of course I had no idea the other Patch editor for Phoenixville had left.

 A fun fact about Mont Clare according to Wikipedia is it is the birthplace of the outlaw Sundance Kid.

 

 

in devon, “h” is for horse show AND hookers

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In July, 2008 there was a brothel bust in Berwyn.  People were shocked that one of the world’s oldest professions was going on under their noses on the Main Line.

6 ABC at the time said:

A brothel in Berwyn?

Residents say “no way” but that’s what the Feds say was going on at the Swan Day Spa at 529 Lancaster Avenue.

Federal authorities say it was being portrayed as a health spa, but there was a lot more going on here than just massages.

Authorities say the operators were running a thriving business since April 2005 with sexual favors being offered along with the massage for $60 cash, $65 for credit.   But things began to unravel when the operators hired two illegal immigrants from China eager to make a new life here in the U.S.   The women thought they were going to provide massages.   But the Feds say the operators wanted them to also have sex with clients. When the women refused, authorities say the manager threatened to turn them over to immigration. The women somehow managed to escape.   Meanwhile, residents and business owners seemed stunned all this was going on in Berwyn.

 

I always wondered why the Swan looked so low brow, yet so many men went there for “massages”. Ick. And duhh, quite frankly.   It wasn’t exactly a place that made you think Client List and Jennifer Love-Hewitt.

Well it is ground hog day on the upper Main Line, as today, four years later also in July, in Devon (also a Chester County community) there apparently was a prostitution bust on Friday the 13th (bad day to be a hooker, apparently).

Devon, known for HORSE shows and expensive foreign car dealerships now has the dubious honor of being known for HOOKERS.

Mind you, should we be surprised? When you put devon prostitutes into Google, God help me there is the online list that pops up.  A yellow pages to the round heeled. Ick a doodle do. And there have been rumors for years of similar situations in places like Ardmore and Wynnewood, but no busts have ever occured to my knowledge. They have however busted Mummers clubs in Philadelphia.

The Daily Local reports that these hookers were from Oregon? Did they throw a dart at a map?  Is Devon the new Sin City and no one got the memo?

 BY MICHAEL N. PRICE mprice@dailylocal.com Posted: 07/17/12 04:11 pm
DEVON — Two people were arrested last week for allegedly providing prostitution services at an area hotel, police said.
According to the Tredyffrin Police Department, Jacquelyn Stahley, 24, and Jamaal M. Lambert, 29, both of Portland, Ore., were arrested Friday, July 13, after employees of the Devon Marriot alerted police shortly before 4 p.m. about suspicious activity inside the hotel.
Police said an assistant manager of the hotel told investigators Stahley arrived at the hotel with Lambert and checked into the hotel with a cash payment. The manager also told police he suspected she was a prostitute, according to a criminal complaint filed by police.

 

Tredyffrin-Easttown Patch has the press release from Tredyffrin Police that you can read. 

They were picked up on the 700 block of Lancaster Avenue as per 6 ABC.

Just ewww.

 

tredyffrin updates

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My pal Pattye Benson writes a very fine blog called Community Matters.

She has two updates I am going to cross-post as they are very relevent if you are a resident in Tredyffrin Township, Chester County.

(Incidentally, Pattye also runs Great Valley House!)

Here they are:

“A Job is Not a Life” … Mimi Gleason Resigns as Tredyffrin’s Township Manager

Posted on July 17th, 2012   5:00 PM  by Pattye Benson

For those of us who attended last night’s Board of Supervisors meeting, it went very late, until 11:30 PM.  Now I have to wonder if the 4-hour marathon meeting had any bearing on this morning’s decision by our township manager.

 

Mimi Gleason has been Tredyffrin’s Township Manager for the last 7 years.  Prior to becoming township manager in 2005, Mimi served under Joe Janasik as assistant Township Manager for 3 years.  There was no indication at last night’s meeting of Mimi’s impending announcement this morning; and the news has taken many of us by surprise.

 

Rather than speculating on the reason behind Mimi’s decision to resign, I spoke at length with her this afternoon.  She assured me that the decision to leave was completely her own rather than anyone pushing her in that direction.  Mimi told the township supervisors and her staff this morning of her decision to resign; her last day will be September 17.

 

 

I asked Mimi why she was resigning – was it another job?  No, she is not leaving Tredyffrin for another job. In fact, her explanation for the resignation was actually quite simple … “A job is not a life”.    She went on to explain that she is uncertain about what she wants to do, but knows that she wants to do something different and to work less

 

Incidentally, I totally get the whole  a-job-is-not-a-life.  Post breast cancer I decided my then job was no longer for me.  I had changed, had to acknowledge said change and move on. My doctors had wanted me to reduce my stress levels for my health and recovery, but seriously?  Making the decision to do all this was very stressful in and of itself. I know nothing of Tredyffrin’s township manager other than she really is a woman in a man’s world (how many female municipal managers do you meet?), and you know she could not have made the decision lightly.

The next article is one quite timely, and it is something being felt in various forms in many other municipalities:

 

Tredyffrin Township:  What Price Economic Growth?

Posted on July 16th, 2012   7:56 AM  by Pattye Benson

What price economic growth …

  • What is the price tag for economic development in Tredyffrin Township?
  • Is it OK to green light a land development project even when it doesn’t meet current zoning regulations?
  • Is it right for a developer and his attorney to create a zoning ordinance amendment to Tredyffrin Zoning Code to suit their needs for a particular project?
  • As a community, do we want zoning amendment changes in Tredyffrin Township without restrictions, requirements or conditional uses?
  • If you are a developer considering a project in Tredyffrin but cannot find suitable zoning, that may not be an obstacle to your plans. All you need to do is write a new ordinance, call it economic development and then watch as the plan moves forward.

thoughts on cyberbullying

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I believe everyone is multi-faceted.  I also believe strongly in citizens being able to express themselves over projects in their communities, or even outside their communities.  And for every type of individual human being is, there are just as many differing opinions.

Recently, and elsewhere, I commented on two different things happening on the Main Line, a place until a few months ago which I called home for over 30 years.

I could take a lot of time and mention the who what where of it all, but that at the end of the day is somewhat immaterial.  What is important is with one of these issues, people with opinions contrary to mine have basically been practicing cyberbullying at my expense for the past couple of days.

It wasn’t enough that they disagreed with me, they felt they had to literally attempt to completely verbally shred me in addition to disagreeing with me.

First it was that I no longer lived on the Main Line, ergo, I could not comment.  Then it mushroomed into I was this horrible person with nothing of value to add to society.   Only more mean.   Basically, they used a heated community discussion to flex their muscles from a bully pulpit.

I have always defended the right of someone to post under a pen name, versus their own name. Like stating your opinion publicly, it is a fine American tradition. However, what it has become is a way for certain people, cowards and bullies, to hide.  I don’t think that is right.   Maybe it is a face your accusers thing.  Maybe it is that as an adult you realize bullies come in all ages, shapes, and varieties.

Being a seasoned blogger I am mostly used to people having a lot to say about that. Having experience in community activism, I am also used to the pitfalls of giving back to your community.

A lot of the time, I ignore this stuff.  Today, I am not.  The reason I am not, is I am not only entitled to a difference of opinion as we live in a free country, but also because if you are not a strong person, or are young and not emotionally equipped to handle this crap (it is crap), it can be very, very bad.  The news has been peppered the past few years with tales of suicide after online bullying.

I am blessed that I am strong enough to handle it, and when these situations crop up, they become at most an annoyance for a couple of days.

But you know, bullying is bullying.  I have seen it on Facebook group pages too.  All adults, but there is still that “crew” for lack of a better description.  If you do not share their opinion and say they are fabulous, you are wrong.  If you do not agree you are wrong, they bully.  With words. In public. Online. At gatherings and meetings and functions.  They are relentless that their opinion will be the sole opinion.  And for what end?  What does it matter in the big picture ?  By all means, disagree, debate.  But we’re not talking about sitting politicians who the public has a right to hold accountable, we’re talking about the people you see at church or in the car pick up line after school.

I have a long history of distaste when it comes to bullying.  I went to a prestigious private school.  For the most part I loved my experience and I still have the most fabulous group of core friends from that time.

However, there were some experiences that left a little to be desired.  Mine involved what in retrospect wasn’t just meanness, but a form of bullying.  I have long since forgiven the person who did it, and who did it is immaterial.  As an adult you can see they must have been desperately unhappy, as a just turned 17 year old girl, you don’t have that clarity.

It was final semester senior year.  We were in exams.  I went into the senior only room called “senior study” to get something I forgot and to probably toss books in my cubby as I had an exam in a bit.  For whatever reason it was I went to my cubby, which also acted like an in-school mailbox, and saw a note.  I pulled it out.  Big mistake.

On a plain piece of white paper someone had carefully cut out enough letters to form the words they needed. Yes, just like on some bad crime show on T.V.  It was in fact a very I’m-experiencing-a-Dexter-like-moment, only that show hadn’t been created.

The note was horrible and quite frankly sick.  It wasn’t the greatest way to preface a final exam or to end the year.  It did not take too long before who had done it outed it themselves.  They made the mistake of owning what they did to someone, and it only takes one someone to make it all come out.  The irony is this was someone I had been friendly with, and with whom I had not been fighting, there was no real beef.  It was a huge sense of betrayal as a teenage girl to discover who had done this, and mass confusion at the time as to why.  I still 30 some odd years later do not know why.  Not that it matters – it was just wrong.

I never told the school, it is not something any teacher or administrator would have tolerated back then, even if they did tolerate some other serious whackamole garbage.  I do not believe I ever told my parents either.  Some of my friends knew, but I don’t think all.  Again, I have forgiven the person who did it although I will never understand, but it was somewhat of a defining moment.  I had seen people bullied, and ended up being bullied after a fashion by this.  That left a memory.  But face it, we all know, Mean Girls wasn’t just a comedy with Lindsay Lohan.  Those people exist in every stage of our lives and blessed are those who can just avoid them.

I remember not too many months ago when I was having a conversation with an administrator of an online forum and I expressed an opinion about bullying.  Their response was that it was obvious I had never been bullied.   To myself, I smiled.  Some who are bullied never really stand up for themselves.  They go along to get along and have a fear of not being liked or not being popular.  I don’t.  I refuse to put up with the nonsense, truthfully.   I also am comfortable with the fact that not everyone on the face of the earth is always going to like you.  It’s just life.

I am passionate and opinionated, that I do not ever deny.  Nor do I say I am perfect (even if I am a damn fine cook).  I have also learned that when women are of strong opinions a lot of people including ironically other women have a very hard time with that.   I find that sad. Just because you haven’t spent your life at PTA Jane, it doesn’t mean you are a bad person, does it?

It’s a big world out there people, and there is room for all of us to be able to express how we feel.  I al\ways said blogging was a contact sport.  Only none of this occurred today on a blog. It occurred on a website for Internet-based news.

I guess what I am also saying is cyberbullying is not just for kids.  Plenty of adults are guilty, too.

vintage memories

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Yesterday I wrote a post about my Smithfield Barn score (a $5 vintage patent leather purse from the 1950′s or 1960′s with the linen lining in pristine condition.)  I posted a photo on my Facebook wall and what I got in response has provoked this post.

What happened was, one photo of one old pockie caused a few of my friends to share stories of seeing similar bags.  It was very special and very cool, and I thought about it and not only want to share what two said but the underlying reason as to why we might like certain vintage things – as  in not just because something is collectible.

My friend Regina wrote:

I had one just like this once.  It was my Mom’s. I think she gave it to us for dress up. Happy memory. 🙂

My friend Karen said:

My great grandmom had a “pocketbook” like this. Ahhh the memories of sitting in church next to her, opening and closing the bag, peeking to see what was inside…I could always count on a stick of doublemint gum being there for me. I miss her so much, she was such a refined “lady.” I can still remember the gentle fragrance of palmolive soap on her skin, her white gloves and the pretty hankies she carried in that bag.

How cool were these memories being shared?  Of course other friends reading this now are thinking “which Regina and which Karen” because I know them in multiples, but macht nichts or matters not.  What matters are these amazing memories. 

And then it hit me.  Why do we like certain vintage items over others?  How many of them have distinct roots in pleasant memories?

I know that is so for me.

My mother has a love of Tole trays,  Heisey glass, oil lamps and old linens.  I have so many memories of going to flea markets, estate sales, and even garage sales growing up when she was on the hunt for things.   Old linens remind me of her and her mother because I have distinct memories of them ironing them.  They both loved the look of crisp, pressed linen and when I see an old tablecloth I can almost hear the sizzle of the steam iron and the sweet smell of spray starch.

Pie birds.  I have the traditional blackbird, and yet another thing that reminds me of this grandmother.  She was a crazy amazing pie baker.  She also liked milk glass, and while I never recall her having chickens, I thought of her when I found my chickens at the Smithfield Barn.

Wooden spoons.  Every great home cook I have ever known has had some fabulous old wooden spoons.  When I see them, I think of a few people and the fabulous things they prepared for guests in their kitchens.  Without expensive food processors and other gadgets.

I also just love looking at this stuff at sales and markets.  I also spent many a weekend up in places like Adamstown looking, looking, looking and at antique shows.  My father always said it is just as important to educate your eye and not just buy to buy something.  That and never buy at most antique shows because the show prices are on.

The vintage  pocketbooks do remind me sometimes of things my mother had when I was little….and oh my she had cool stuff during this era including a pair of impossibly high-heeled  paisley high-heeled pumps that I can still see in my head to this day they were THAT fabulous!  BUT that is not the only reason.  Vintage purses are something in fashion I just like.  The designs, the fabrics, the leathers, the structure, and the quality.

A cool vintage purse, much like a piece or two of vintage jewelry can really take a look from ho-hum nice to interesting and fun.  I will even carry one of these bags with jeans.  And they  do have a memory I haven’t shared: the hunt for these cool vintage bags is something I do with one of my best friends named Barb.  From the Pennywise Thrift Shop to Second Hand Rose annually at St. David’s Fair to the Smithfield Barn, whenever I see vintage purses, LOL I always think of her. That and pink tea cups.

Old books.  Old books are old friends, and not only do I purchase them because I want to read them, or have and want to own a copy of something again, I have a memory.  That memory is of a rainy Saturday here and there spent with my father in what were the dusty stacks of the Owl Bookstore at Bryn Mawr College.  The bookstore is no more, but wow do I have great memories of that place, not just being there with my father.  The place was run by the most amazing older ladies, volunteers.

For me, adding vintage or gently used items to my decor or whatever is not just about saving some money or a “look”.  A lot of times it is about the memory attached.  Another example is my late cousin Suzy.  Her living room reminded me of the grandmother we shared mixed with my mother.  Memories influence us.

Do you have memories attached to anything vintage you own or collect? Tell me about it.

free market day in east goshen

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So, I have this e-mail from the guy who  is my State Representative, Dan Truitt.

Haven’t met him yet, but this seems like a nice event, so I thought I would throw it up.

Here is what his invitation says:

Community Day and Free Market

I will hold a Community Day and Free Market at East Goshen Township Park, 1661 Paoli Pike, in West Chester, on Saturday, July 21, from 1-4 p.m.

When: Saturday, July 21
Time: 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Where: East Goshen Township Park, 1661 Paoli Pike, West Chester

Everyone from the 156th District is invited to enjoy the free food and fun for people of all ages. We ask you to bring along your otherwise working, but no longer wanted, household items to the Free Market so they can find a new home, and you can pick up something for yourself.
To RSVP to this event please email Matt Holliday at mhollida@pahousegop.com or call my district office at 610-696-4990.
If you plan to bring some of your own household items to the event please notify my staff that you need a table. There will be a limited number of spaces for vendors at the “Free Market.”

 

I am giving him an “A” for effort in advance even if I think the Free-Market-Play-On-Words is a little too tea party for me.  I just can’t get my head wrapped around tea partiers.   Especially given the women I am supposed to look up to as a conservative: Michelle Bachmann and that Wiccan It Girl from Delaware, Christine O’Donnell.

And speaking of the political animal, what is up with a random website I discovered called The Chester County Truth Squad ?  I was Googling for info on Dan Truitt and came across the blog which has a post about him holding a breakfast  as it is out of his district?  (I have no comment on this other than I don’t know the boundaries around here and redistricting has created a mess all over.)

There is plenty of room out there for different types of blogs, but this one as of yet is neither attractive nor easy to navigate – they say on the site that they are upgrading.

It seems to be concentrated on being solely anti-Republican which is their right, but does that mean the site is funded by the Democratic Party of Chester County?

I will fully admit that I do not truly have a handle on the politics of Chester County, so I will watch this site and see how it evolves.   I will say however, that they aren’t off-base taking the West Chester Area School District to task as the district has definite issues.

 

 

west vincent on the peoples’ radar again: rising up about birchrunville

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I haven’t had much to say lately about West Vincent.  First of all, nothing is changing, just more of the same old same old….including everyone but the cows at Ken Miller’s farm are being told they are the fine feathered friend Chickenman.  That gets old, who cares,  and besides they gave up burning witches at the stake centuries ago, right?

What doesn’t get old in West Vincent, apparently, are mysterious acts of retribution. Yeah, everyone knows it goes on and they are not paranoid delusions of residents. Stuff like that happens every day, and not just in West Vincent.

But West Vincent hasn’t been Mayberry Sleepy…. and there still seems to be stuff going on “on the down low”.

Chickenman’s e-mail the other day made me wonder if it was time for an update.  He wanted people to read an article in The Daily Local about proposed development of the old township building property, which is apparently a historic school house.

Here we go again.

By SARA MOSQUEDA-FERNANDEZ smfernandez@dailylocal.com

WEST VINCENT — Residents are concerned about office buildings proposed in Birchrunville, and they want township supervisors to reject the plans as inappropriate for their historic village center.

The applicant for the Birch Run Village plan seeks to construct three two-story office buildings, each of about 2,500 square feet, on a total of 2.5 acres.

 The property is at the corner of Flowering Springs Road and School House Lane. The school house on the adjoining parcel was built in 1833 and was formerly used as the township’s administrative building.

 According to Supervisor Clare Quinn, the zoning for the area is mixed use, which allows small commercial development.

Suzanne M. Roth, who sits on the township’s Environmental Advisory Committee, hopes more residents realize what the proposal means.

“We just really want to make sure that people understand the amount of development that’s being proposed for this property, the impact that it’s going to have on all of our lives,” said Roth. “This keeps changing, but at the moment it looks like there will be (three) two-story buildings.”

According to Township Manager Jim Wendlegass, Birch Run Village Leasing LLC originally submitted a land-development application in late 2004. That was denied, he said, and a new plan was submitted last year.

The township’s Planning Commission advised supervisors to reject waivers sought by the developers for the project….“This is an historic village with roads to match,” said Roth. “If the property is developed as planned for each parking space allotted, there will be eight car trips anticipated to travel our roads.”

That would mean about 256 to 270 more cars passing her house  daily or turning around somewhere in the village to enter the office complex, Roth said.

“Township police cannot enforce the 15 mph speed limit on the lower portion of School House Lane now,” she said.

 Ethan Schofield, whose property also neighbors the site, hopes that more residents will become aware about the issues at hand…Kenny Carroll, a resident of the township since 1973, said he was specifically concerned with impacts on the environment. “The Birchrun Creek, an exceptional value creek, will be seriously impacted by this development,” said Carroll…According to Carroll, another issue is the development’s impact on the schoolhouse building. “This building is an historical building,” said Carroll.

….Roth and other residents have put together a website, http://www.birchrunvillepeople.com/, with more information about their concerns on the project, hoping to inform the township and community members about these and other issues.

Clare Quinn?  How can anyone believe a thing that comes out of her mouth?  Isn’t she Chester County’s reigning queen of eminent domain is a good thing?  And well, don’t all the residents pay her health insurance via tax dollars, making her right up there with sucking off the proverbial public teat, yes?

In general, where is the need for this development?  Did residents request it?  Are there businesses lined up with signed leases waiting to move in?  How does this work? This isn’t just a suburb, it’s the country, and one of the largest problems with Chester County as beautiful as it is, are these odd business developments that never look exactly full.  Who decided there was an actual need, or is this a build it and they will come scenario? I don’t understand.

Malvern is already learning how their development that will be super-sized and traffic clogging will impact the borough economically.  Suffice it to say, it will not be the cash cow officials thought it would be.  And lordy it has taken David Della Porta long enough to get one of his New Urbanism Fantasy Plans through.  He’s a nice man, I have met him, but I have heard him chirp this all before – it’s just with the Borough of Malvern he finally found his perfect rubes.  He said at a ground breaking after the fact:

“What I mean by that is, the first urban-esque, mixed-use, transit-oriented development,” he said. “There’s really nothing in Philadelphia suburbs like this, where you have retail-residential involved in a great existing place that already has a beautiful little town, the services and the train station within walking distance.”

Urban-esque?  Hello, why do people move to the suburbs?  Why do people move to the country?  Is it so they can eventually feel the urban of it all they moved away from?  Call me crazy, but I don’t think so.

So West Vincent residents, lovers of Birchrunville, what say you?  Is this what you want?  It seems to me that a lot of different voices are saying “no”, aren’t there?

The problem is, this dopey plan will go through unless fought tooth and nail.  And I hope people get political.  Let your Congressman up for re-election know how you feel too.  Hasn’t he received a tidy sum of donations from power brokers and decision makers in West Vincent?  Donations are nice, but votes get an elected official where they need to go, so always let them know how you feel about local issues even if they are not directly involved.  Especially during a big election year.

Now, let’s also use this as a reminder as to why West Vincent needs term limits and new supervisors.

And here is the new website Birchrunville People: Preserving the Village of Birchrunville:

Check out the TRAFFIC TAB:

4-Way Stop Sign is Being Planned for the Intersection of Flowing Springs Rd. and School House Lane!

See the photo below of the new notice marking at the intersection, and scroll down to see the Caruolo Associates’ Traffic Report which “strongly disagrees” with the creation of the 4-way stop at this intersection! This will be an extremely hazardous intersection for vehicles driving up and down Flowing Springs, especially in the the winter! 

Why should the People of Birchrunville be put in danger for the sake of one corporation’s financial interest?

Check out the History Tab and The Actions Tab:

What Can You Do?

    1. Attend the West Vincent Township meetings (see Calendar).  Share your thoughts with the township Board of Supervisors and the Planning Committee.  Keep your comments and questions civil and respectful– these township officials are our neighbors and friends and they are committed to serving the township and upholding its laws.
    2. Stay informed.  We will try to keep this website up-to-date with the latest developments.
    3. Write letters.  Put your concerns and questions in writing and send them to:
      West Vincent Township Board of Supervisors: 729 St. Matthews Road Chester Springs, PA 19425           Pennsylvania State Senator: Sen. Andrew E. Dinniman One North Church Street West Chester, PA 19380
      Chester County Historical Preservation Network: http://www.cchpn.org/contact.htm
      PennDOT (PA Dept. of Transportation): Francis J Hanney Traffic control services manager fhanney@state.pa.gov
      Fire Safety:

Birchrunville’s first responder: Kimberton Fire Company P.O. Box 99 Kimberton, Pennsylvania 19442 Phone: 610 935-1388 Fax: 610-935-3956

Others Serving West Vincent: Ridge Fire Company #1 480 Ridge Road Spring City, PA 19475-9678 Phone: (610) 495-6063 Fax: (610) 495-5106 RidgeFH@RidgeFireCompany.com
Ludwig’s Corner Fire Company 1325 North Pottstown Pike Glenmoore PA 19343 Station #73 Phone: (610) 458-8479 Fax: (610) 458-2562
Check this page regularly for more opportunities to get involved and make a difference!

There is also a forum with comments worth reading

Good for these residents for stepping up and having a say!   But it is West Vincent, so who knows how it will end up. All I know is little country roads are just that: little.  And you only get so many chances to keep water sources clean and once an environment is gone, etc., it’s gone.

It’s a damn shame that the politicians in West Vincent and the taxpayer-funded staff do not really get the value of the charm of this area that will disappear once they turn it into Little Eagle.  I can’t wait for the CVS with fake Victorian gables.

Sigh.  More dumbness.

 

.

vintage victory!

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Score!  I went to the Smithfield Barn today.  I am on the hunt to find plates that are complimentary to my “every day” china which is a retired pattern – I need some more plates and the chances of finding my plates are slim to none.  Didn’t find any plates that suited my needs, but I did find a fab vintage patent leather purse from the 1950’s or 1960’s with the linen lining in pristine condition….for $5.00!

For $5.00 a gal can treat herself. It is so funny, when I took the purse’s photo, light reflections in the room reflected off the shiny patent leather.

I did hear that a woman who is opening a shop in Phoenixville was there shopping the barn for stock for her store.  Can’t remember the exact location, somewhere on Bridge, maybe at Bridge and Main.

it’s a pear thing

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Yes, in my garden menagerie inherited from previous owners are also a couple of pear trees.  I am really frustrated right now because I need one of those picking poles (don’t knopw what else to call them).  At the tippy top of the trees are the best pears.  And I am in a race with birds and bugs to get to them…probably squirrels too.

One summer when I was growing up and I went to Strasbourg, I will never forget the visit to a pear orchard.  There pears were growing into bottles placed at the ends of limbs when the pears were teeny-weeny.  These pears later became an eau du vie Poire William.

Also, my parents had a friend when I was growing up named Harry Niblock.  He was an  artist (he passed away a few years ago) and he loved to paint and draw pears.   Of course the amusing thing about Harry’s pears is they almost reminded you of people when he was finished.  Some (like at left)  were more traditional still lives.  But some of those pears? Odd to say but they were downright sexual in nature.

His ex-wife Margery Niblock is also an artist.  She taught me how to do woodblock and linoleum cutting and printing. I still have the scar on my wrist from when she warned me how to hold my tools when cutting and I did not listen. The mini photo of a woodcut of geraniums is one of her pieces that I actually have – found it at a flea market and it took me back to when I was a kid.  To this day, she is still one of my favorite artists.  If I see her work anywhere, I buy it.  One time when we were little, she used my sister as a model.  My sister was a little thing sitting on the beach playing with my mother’s wide brimmed straw hat and playing in the sand.  And during the holidays, Margie would also create these fabulous Christmas-y wood cuts.

 

 

So I thought of both of them today as I was trying to get a few pears down to photograph and this is the result.

Like I said, it’s a pear thing.  And a memory.

berry picking

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….so much fun, but those suckers are prickly!!!