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Dark side of the moon

Poet, thinker, dreamer, writer

Dark side of the moon
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Tag Archives: news

Traffic when the Lake Shore Drive bridge cracked

On the morning of Monday, February 11, a CDOT worker discovered a crack in the metal of the northbound lane of the Lake Shore Drive bridge over the Chicago River that made it impassible.

Later that day, here’s what northbound rush-hour traffic looked like south of Millennium Park.

Untitled

Southbound traffic was unaffected.

February 15, 2019 by dlschirf Posted in Blog, Chicago, Photography Tagged Chicago, news, photo Reply

Hike and a picnic

Dark side of the moon Posted on January 28, 2019 by dlschirfJanuary 28, 2019

Today is the 100th anniversary of my mother’s birth. I discovered this delightful clipping about a hike to a farm and a picnic with storytelling under a big tree she helped to organize. It could be straight out of Anne of Green Gables.

I love finding these blurbs. This and others are giving me new insight into my parents’ early lives pre-me.

Posted in Blog, Life, Reminiscence | Tagged clipping, family, news, nostalgia, Pennsylvania | 2 Replies

Stop the presses! Family members visit other family members in Williamsport

Dark side of the moon Posted on January 22, 2019 by dlschirfFebruary 3, 2019

I jest, but this does bring back memories of visits back and forth when I was young enough to be bored but old enough to appreciate any change in routine. This was a visit without us, though.

Posted in Blog, Life, Reminiscence | Tagged clipping, family, news, nostalgia | Leave a reply

Schirf state visit to Bellwood, Pennsylvania

Dark side of the moon Posted on January 22, 2019 by dlschirfJanuary 28, 2019

This morning I, “Dianne Schirg,” made this marvelous discovery from a simpler time when a family visit to Bellwood, Pennsylvania, was noteworthy.

Posted in Blog, Life, Reminiscence | Tagged clipping, family, news, nostalgia, Pennsylvania | 2 Replies

Wopsy, or Wopsononock Mountain in Blair County, Pennsylvania

Poor scans of photos taken in 1988 remind me of my dad’s move to Pennsylvania. We had visited family there at least once a year during most of my childhood. As my dad got older, my parents and their family members started to have health issues, people died, and I went to college, we stopped going. By the time I returned to the Altoona area, it seemed strange, yet familiar. What felt oddest was getting there mostly by Amtrak vs. wending our way through southern New York and Pennsylvania on Rte. 219. I felt like a stranger in a strange land, with my mother and many of her family already gone.

Since it was one of my first visits in a long time, my dad’s sister took us to several area attractions. I’d never seen Baker Mansion. The kitchen trough for fresh fish fascinated me. I also recall servants’ quarters at the top of the house. I imagined helpless cooks and maids trapped in the attic while fire raged below, the small windows useless for escape.

We also went to an overlook, but I paid little attention to the name (if it was mentioned) or the location. We didn’t have Google Maps in our pockets for reference 30 years ago. I remember only the loveliness of the view — and that when I went to look over, I slid on shale or gravel and tumbled partway down the hill, my fall slowed, then stopped by a tangle of brush. I laughed, but wouldn’t be surprised if this was how my fear of falling down hillsides began.

Wopsy, or Wopsononock Mountain, September 1988
Yours truly at the top of Wopsy, September 1988

During my Christmas visit in December 2018, I mentioned the photo to my cousin and his wife, who agreed I must be talking about “Wopsy” (Wopsononock Mountain). It’s directly across from Pinecroft.

From the top of Wopsy, we could see the housing development that replaced the woods on their hill, the old landfill, and perhaps a corner of their house or garage. I realized that the towers I see from their road are where we were standing on Wopsy.

Wopsononock Mountain towers
A tiny sampling of the many towers on top of Wopsy

Where once there were wooden fence posts there’s a long, high guardrail covered with grafitti; my cousin feels the area’s not that safe. Devil’s Elbow, which we may or may not have passed, is supposedly haunted by the “White Lady of Wopsononock.” If you don’t believe in the White Lady, you can check out Mindhunter on Netflix about the murder of Betty Jean Shade, whose body was found in an informal trash dump on Wopsy.

What made the death of Betty Jean Shade so different was the violence to her body, and in an effort to determine who killed her, investigators, through the aid of former FBI Agent Dale Frye, who served the Altoona area, turned to the fledgling FBI effort at its Quantico, Va., facility, which was attempting to perfect psychological profiling.

Phil Ray, Altoona Mirror

Betty Jean Shade was found in 1979, nine years before my visit. If I had known that, I don’t think I would have smiled so broadly. But the overlook is still beautiful.

View from Wopsy, or Wopsononock Mountain
From the top of Wopsy, December 2018
January 5, 2019 by dlschirf Posted in Adventure, Blog, Photography Tagged family, news, Pennsylvania, photo Reply

Guerilla born at zoo!

Dark side of the moon Posted on July 26, 2005 by dlschirfJanuary 9, 2019

It’s bad enough that terrorism has become an everyday concern everywhere, but now even Lincoln Park Zoo is breeding fighters. From a headline story today: The baby guerilla’s gender remains unknown, as the mother is holding its offspring close to … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog, Language | Tagged news, wildlife | Leave a reply

What do we want to be today?

Dark side of the moon Posted on June 9, 2005 by dlschirfJanuary 9, 2019

On his bulletin board at Bensozia, John says, “I think something about the technology [IVF] just scares people, and so they invent weird reasons to oppose it.” Society has created technology, and technology has recreated society, a society where “no” … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog, Commentary | Tagged health, news | Leave a reply

Red in tooth and claw

Dark side of the moon Posted on June 6, 2005 by dlschirfJanuary 9, 2019

On Sunday’s 60 Minutes, the last story of the hour was about the conflict between humans and grizzlies outside Yellowstone. It does sound like the bear population may be too much for the physical space and needs to be monitored … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog, Commentary | Tagged news, wildlife | Leave a reply

All the news that’s fit to print

Dark side of the moon Posted on July 15, 2004 by dlschirfJanuary 7, 2019

“Why start my day drab when I can start it with the Sun-Times? The Bright One.” So goes a pseudo-testimonial ad for the Chicago Sun-Times, whose new tagline is “The Bright One.” I have not yet determined what is supposed … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog, Rumination | Tagged Chicago, news | Leave a reply

Killing our children

Dark side of the moon Posted on March 25, 2002 by dlschirfJanuary 1, 2019

I’ve been away for a few days, and came back to hear on the radio in the cab two news stories about children in Chicago — three who’d been burned to death in an arson fire by a man seeking … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog, Commentary | Tagged news | Leave a reply

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