SUMMER OPTIMISM

The summer swim hole in fall...

(CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE)

The colder nights have brought a new look everywhere; My 'Boys of Summer' hangouts have been through a lot, with the summer look being devoured by the grayness of fall. If I had a day of summer that I could bring back, it would be that day at the ole Swim Hole, with the beautiful women swinging on the rope swing ... not in winter dress! The swim hole now is very fall looking and not filled with those lovely summer girls or summer optimism. It tells a tale of winter over the hill, the rope swing now hangs in despair. But, and there always is a but in life, a day will come when that ole swing will again fill the beautiful hands of those 'Girls of Summer' once more...

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November is a very nice month with Thanksgiving coming, and opening day of deer season pending. It isn't long after that when Christmas is here, and all the festivities and good times that bring families together to celebrate and share.

For those who love the outdoors, opening day is a tradition that goes back deep into a young boy's memory. The real outdoorsman knows it is all about the time spent together with the old man, not about the taking of game. When I was that boy, schools were empty on opening day, whereas the fields were full. The night before opening day was as bad as Christmas Eve, who could sleep? Just when you thought you were going to burst from anticipation, your first footstep in the crisp and crunchy snow brought the brutal reality of a wintry day to your senses -- now back down on earth.

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The Cheswick theater,which has been open for 61 years, has closed. A sign of the times, and disappearing times right before our eyes. Small town movie houses fading away in the shadow of the new "Big Box" metroplexes...

Keep your head down,

Henry Hill, Plum Pennsylvania