Recently when my 'My #1 Fan' came to visit my place with some friends, I left them hanging out on the front porch when they first arrived. 'My #1 Fan' happened to notice a hooked-cross symbol on the doorstep threshhold of my neighbor's entrance door.
Sherry said to me, "Your #1 Fan wants to know why there are swastikas on that doorstep. I think he's concerned Nazis live there."
I hadn't noticed it myself before, but luckily I had already met my new neighbor, a cute & friendly old Indian man.
I took a look, and said, "That's not a Nazi swastika, it's a Hindu symbol."
It really is too bad that Nazis have inflicted so much damage, that continues in the form of having corrupted an age-old benign, even positive symbol -- the swastika.
The swastika has been a symbol of 'the wheel of life', representing the positive energies of the universe in the Hindu tradition, for thousands of years before it was adopted by Adolf Hitler & the Nazis. The word "swastika", itself, is from the ancient Sanskrit language, and usage of the swastika symbol apparently dates back to the Paleolithic era at least.
The Citizens Voice - BREAKING NEWS: Monsignor McGowan dies
Monsignor Andrew J. McGowan, 80, a longtime priest, ubiquitous community leader and sought-after speaker known for his quick wit, died today at University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore.
The renowned toastmaster and philanthropist once upstaged comedy legend Bob Hope and spoke before hundreds of organizations across the country.
I didn't know him personally, but I was many times in the position of taking photos of him, and he was always a spritely subject, and, well, just a cute old tweety.
Msgr. Andrew J. McGowan at "Operation Thank You", by the Luzerne Foundation in honour of veterans, held at Kirby Park in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. June 14 2005
On my way home from 'the Cottage' to Scranton last week, I spotted a flying saucer and an alien in someone's yard on Falls Road between Falls and Route 307.
I was kind of hoping to also spot a nude D.B. Sweeney in the vicinity, but no such luck.
Since the Independence Day celebration at Kirby Park in Wilkes-Barre was cancelled because of the flooding last week, I was very disappointed.
This will be only the 3rd time I've missed 4th of July at Kirby Park in the past 15 years. (In 1992 I spent July 4th at Lake Wallenpaupack, and in 1997 I spent it in New York City.)
However, I did see some nice fireworks in Moscow, Pennsylvania, on July 3rd.
Not quite the same without the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, but I must say the display in Moscow was much longer than I would've expected it to be.
If you live in Northeastern Pennsylvania, specifically - anywhere near Pittston, for long enough, you'll eventually hear the ghost story of "The Suscon Screamer".
Now that prom season is over, I won't be spoiling too much fun by letting out the boring truth, and putting the word out that other states don't have a monopoly on this ghost story.
This this enduring urban legend is just a locally tweaked version of the well-known tale of "The Vanishing Hitchhiker".
I recall seeing various versions of this on Night Gallery or Tales from the Dark Side type television shows, including one that was pretty much an exact duplicate of the one "The Suscon Screamer" story I'd heard.
It's a widespread ghost story all over the United States, (if not the world), the origin of which is unclear.
Vanishing hitchhiker - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The vanishing hitchhiker (or phantom hitchhiker) is a reported phenomenon in which people travelling by vehicle meet with or are accompanied by a hitchhiker who subsequently vanishes without explanation, often from a moving vehicle. Vanishing hitchhikers have been reported for centuries and the story is found across the world, in many variants.
ALT.FOLKLORE.GHOST-STORIES FAQ It is interesting to note that this legend has made it into many regional folklores. In Hawaii, for example, the hitchhiker is often said to be the goddess Pele. It has already been mentioned that La Llorona has also been connected with the story. In the Chicago area, the vanishing hitchhiker takes the form of Resurrection Mary.
I found references to the prom version, attributed to 4 states including West Virginia, New Jersey, Arkansas, and Mississippi. And this is just what I found in a quick internet search.
West Virginia's True Ghost Stories City: Huntington
At the bottom of fifth street hill a couple was in a wreck on prom night. The girl can be seen standing near the bridge in her prom dress as if waiting for a ride.
About.com - The Ghosts of Arkansas Imagine, a young girl on the way to the prom gets killed in a horrible car accident. I think every place has their own version of this urban legend and I think every town swears theirs is really true. The same is true for Arkansas. This ghost sighting takes us to highway 365 just north of Little Rock. Ask anyone who lives around this area and they will swear that they know the hitchhiker is real.
The Zappa Award for Incredibly Strange Ghost Stories New Jersey - Totowa (Passaic County) - Annie's Road (Totowa Road)
The stories vary, but most involve her prom night: one version says she was decapitated in an accident afterward, one says she got drunk after her date stood her up and was walking along there when she was hit by a carload of her drunken classmates, and yet another says she was waiting for her date along the road when a truck driver nailed her.
Either way, Annie's dead now. Said to be buried along this road, Annie has been known to make appearances. Described as "short" and dressed in white, her fleeting image has been spotted near the I 80 overpass and all along the road. Some say she appears at 2 AM, and you should drive down the road with your headlights off to see her.
Haunted Places in Mississippi Hattiesburg - Burnt Bridge - The legend has it that on the old bridge there would be a young girl in a prom dress ride across the bridge on the hood of your car around midnight. Seems she and her boyfriend were killed on prom night on that bridge.
Sorry if this puts a damper on anyone's storytelling around the campfire this summer.
Though there was considerable damage to the area involving hell of a lot more than soggy paper cups, it turned out that the Susquehanna River not only didn't go as high in 2004, but also did considerably less damage to 'the Cottage' than the flood in 2004. The highest crest coming in at 34.14ft.
At this time, the river is no longer at flood stage, and has now gone within its normal banks.
But, in what seems like habit at this point, I went to check out the damage and the water at 'the Cottage' in Falls on Thursday June 29th, the day after the crest.
Traffic was insane, it took me almost an hour to get from Throop to Falls because 81 North was blocked, and traffic through Green Ridge Street in Scranton was at a crawl. Everyone milling about after all the river excitement, I suppose.
damaged road to the cottage
After having seen the dirt road that leads to 'the Cottage' all flooded out on Tuesday evening, I figured I'd have to leave my car at the top of the hill and walk in.
I was right. The road was broken, the water that ran through there cut a big & rather deep canal right through the road. It also created a sort of gorged out area next to the road there, because the road was obviously damming up the water flow to a certain degree.
Despite having an entire nice sunny day, the rest of the dirt road was still muddy and full of puddles.
By the time I arrived, the flood waters had receded to just within the riverbank. Though the entire yard between the cottage and the river bank was mushy, and the sidewalks muddy. Inside the cottage, the cellar was still completely flooded, and there was mud in the kitchen at the front.
However, the water didn't make it into the entire living room. And overall it was far less horrible than the damage and mud that I found left behind after the 2004 flood, when I spent 2 hours dragging out sopping wet carpets 2 inches deep in mud.
There was some debris strewn about the yard.
I also watched a lot of whole trees that had been ripped up from their roots, floating down the river.
Buttermilk bridge in Falls
I took a photo of the little Buttermilk bridge in Falls, taken from the exact same spot & viewpoint as from Tuesday, and as is shown, the creek by Thursday was back to a more normal level.
When I was there on Tuesday, it looked like the water was about to come right over the bridge.
It didn't, but right nearby, a house slid right off the hill, and nearly into the street. I saw it first posted on the WNEP Channel 16 web site's slide show, and then I saw it for myself, and it looked even more bizarre in person.
So it looks like "The Flood of 2006" will take its place at the #5 spot of "Historical Crests", as reported by The National Weather Service, which of course means it was quite severe.
Susquehanna River in Falls
Historical Crests
01. 40.91 feet - 1972, 24 June
02. 35.06 feet - 1975, 27 September
03. 34.96 feet - 2004, 19 September
04. 34.45 feet - 1996, 20 January
05. 33.10 feet - 1865, 18 March
06. 33.07 feet - 1936, 20 March
07. 31.60 feet - 1946, 29 May
08. 31.50 feet - 1940, 01 April
09. 31.40 feet - 1902, 02 March
10. 31.02 feet - 1979, 07 March
I remember visiting the 'the Cottage' during the 1975 flood. And my father giving me stern warnings about the dangers of getting too close to the water's edge, which I did anyway, I'm afraid. Though the water wasn't really moving in the yard like it was out past the river bank.
The Falls Bridge
I also remember the 1979 flood, the water lapping up over the river bank into the yard at 'the Cottage'.
During the 1996 flood, me, my parrot Jacq, and my roommate Eve were evacuated from our apartment in downtown Wilkes-Barre near the River Commons. We spent the weekend at my sister Joanie's house in the Poconos. According to my father's records, the water was 6 inches deep in the living room at the cottage during that crest.
There was also a flood in March 1993, that was caused by the snow melt from Blizzard of 1993. I'd be interested to know what it crested at. It was definitely at flood stage, but I assume it was no higher than 28 feet, because though Kirby Park in Wilkes-Barre was under water, I was actually on the Black Diamond Bridge during the crest of that flood. (I don't recommend that sort of behaviour now, by the way.)
And speaking of Kirby Park in Wilkes-Barre, the annual Independence Day celebration scheduled for the 4th of July has been cancelled. I think I've only missed being at Kirby Park for Independence day twice in the past 15 years. (In 1992 I spent July 4th at Lake Wallenpaupack, and in 1997 I spent it in New York City.) So that's very disappointing as well.
superficiality >>If the facade is what's important to you, all you wind up with is an illusion. Disillusionment is the gift of substance.
-- Chloe<<
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