Tornado Hit Mickleton June 24, 2015

On Thursday, June 25, I went to Mickleton, New Jersey, to bring my sister two coolers, two bags of ice, and my Brooklyn Lantern because they'd had a BAD storm and she had no power which meant no lights, no fridge, no freezer.  
I was shocked at the level of devastation to every town from Woodbury to Swedesboro!  I could barely get down the roads for ripped up trees and hanging power lines and downed phone poles.  I couldn't call her and she couldn't call out because the cell phone towers were all down too.  And my sister is without a car, so she was really stuck.
The first sign of something really awful and strange was the WAWA off 295 at Mickleton, which had lines out to the highway waiting for gas.  A lot of the food shelves were empty, and there were enormous lines for food.  I left without gas or food and got on my way up Harmony Road, which as luck would have it was the only road open between Clarksboro and Swedesboro.
When I got to Kings Hwy, however there was a police road block.  I explained that I was taking supplies to my sister who was only a quarter of a mile further up Kings and he let me through.  That was when I was driving under trees with soaked branches that made it like driving through the car wash.  When I got to her house, I saw the trees down, and fortunately only one hit a building.  It was on her garage.  Some of her friends had their cars all smashed.  We checked on an elderly neighbor who had just come home from the hospital after heart surgery and who had a disabled wife.  Fortunately by then, his grandson was at his home.  He had a 150 year old oak fallen on his 130 year old house, crushing the third floor.
By Friday, my brothers had come, one from West Virginia, one from Philadelphia, to help my sister cut down some branches, but after one days work, it was clear that weeks would be needed.  The maple canopy was enormous and a dozen truck loads of sawn branches barely made a dent.  By Saturday morning, my sister had power again, but my brothers had to put off branch cutting due to rain.  
Not much in the Courier Post about all this.  I would have made it a cover story.  I never saw anything like it.  I think no news vans could get through, so they put the focus on other stories, but in my opinion, this was the BIG one!

Upcoming Events AND Vegetarian Society of South Jersey Free lecture Series

Monday June 22 at 6:30 at Collingswood Public Library, 771 Haddon Ave., Collingswood, NJ 856-858-0649:  Topic Fiar Trade Food

Tabling at 32nd Annnual Whitesbog Blueberry Festival Saturday June 27, 10:00 A.m. to 4 p.m. 120 Whitesbog Rd. Browns Mills NJ 08015

Monday July 27, 6:30 Collingswood Library again, Finding Sanctuary

Get healthy, get aware!  Animal Agricultural is a leading cause of global warming and can be a major cause of your health problems in later life such as diabetes and heart disease.  Learn more!  Get involved!

Happy Trails!

Earth Fest at Smithville and Education at Cold Springs Village

Two other field trips I've enjoyed in the past week or two were a trip to Historic Smithville in Burlington County (not to be confused with Smitheville near the seashore which I also like but in a different way).  My favorite thing was the percussion grove experience for children.  Some musicians had hung a clothes line with refrigerator doors and trays and other kinds of metal lids and containers and the kids were banging them with drum sticks which made a sound like a wild and stormy wind chime.  I loved it!  But I also liked the tables on vegetarian eating, and on ecological sound practices for yards.  In this day of water shortage and dying bea colonies, it is nice to think of sharing our space in a just and thoughtful way with our animal neighbors.  I was so sad when a new neighbor cut down 7 healthy trees after moving in.  Over the years, I've watched older neighbors cut their trees down so they didn't have to deal with leaves, but then the sun beats down on their houses making them hotter and the water isn't well absorbed by tree roots when we get torrential rain which causes flooding.  My trees and shrubs have completely stopped the flooding and mud I used to have in the yard.  

Also, I have a 'natural yard' by which I mean I don't have a traidition carpet style lawn.  Grass grows and I have a wide variety of Jersey friendly shrubs such as hollies.  One area at the back of my yard I have allowed to stay natural with wild roses and honeysuckle and it provides a safe place for various small animals which I delight in watching.  When I pull into my gravel drive, I love to see my family of rabbits run across the grass to the fenceline with the border of harboring shrubs. 

I also have a birdbath which is recommended in the pamphlet I found at the Earth Fest and I fill it when I water my flowering plants.  I learned my less early on about invasive species such as English Ivy.  I spent %6000 to have it rmeoved one summer from my back yard and it is always creeping back!

At Cold Springs, I attended a meeting with Batsto Citizens Committee volunteers who are working to expand the outreach possibilities for young people, to acquaint them with our colorful history in South Jersey and to help them learn to appreciate our resources to protect them for the future.  I'm grateful to my Father for all the family trips he took us on when my brother, Joe, and I were growing up.  Every Sunday we drove somewhere, often free places, and had a family picnic - thanks Mom.  Sometimes we took longer trips to Gettysburg, Valley Forge and Niagara Falls.  It is sad waste when people substitute amusement parks for cultural treasures that could engage children in a love of history.  Another favorite trip was to Washington DC which I think is a far superior school trip for children than to amusement parks.

My point?  Visit Cold Springs - Open Tues., Thurs., Fri., Sat. and Sun. now, and Sat. and Sun. at the edges of the summer season.  AND visit Batsto, and historiSmithville!  And ALWAYS take the boat ride with Capt. Dave on the Maurice River in Millville!  Hope to see you there!
Happy Trails!

ps.  I put the text in larger type because I'm having eye sight difficulties and you may be also!

Third Friday Night in Millville June 2015

Last night, two friends and I drove to Millville for Third Friday.  It was so much fun.  My favorite thing ALWAYS is the free music.  Don Shaw was playing at the Clay Studio, and Bob White was next door to Bogart's Book Store,   At Bogart's was a very talented young man but I didn't get his name.  He did Bob Dylan songs with really wonderful harmonica and guitar playing.  There were half a dozen other musical groups along the main street that we stopped to hear as we browsed our favorite shops.  If the weather hadn't been somewhat threatening, we'd have made our way down to the river for the delightful river walk, but we were lucky.  We got back to the car on on the road before the sprinkles began.  

We had just been in Millville a week ago with another friend to take Captain Dave's boat ride down the Maurice River after lunch at Wildflowers.  

Sorry I didn't get this to you in advance, but it was a last minute spontaneous thing, however, this gets you ready for 3rd Friday in July!  Give it a try, and if you get there by 4:00, and reserve your place in advance, you can take Captain Dave's sunset boat ride before your stroll the boulevard.

AnotherUpcoming Event

Just received this from Genealogical Society of Salem County, of which I am a member.  They have excellent speakers at their monthly meetings on Tuesday night.  Due to vision problems, I haven't been out to night events for the past year or so.  I had previously attended with a friend but his work schedule has precluded us venturing down there but here is a day event and I LOVE lighthouses!

" On Sunday, June 14, 2015 at 1:30pm, the Salem County Historical Society quarterly meeting will be held at Friends Village in Woodstown. The speaker will be Peter Harp, speaking on New Jersey Lighthouses. Hope you all can make it!"

Here is their web site for more information:
http://gsscnj.org/

Happy Trails!  Lately I've been more close to home than usual hence, no adventure reports.  I've been going to the gym, hiking at Timber Creek with my dog Trixie and my friends, with a couple of hikes at Atsion Lake and yesterday I made a cactus garden!
Hope you are enjoying the cool hiking weather!
Happy Trails!  Jo Ann
wrightj45@yahoo.com