CONFESSIONS FROM A SOFTWARE JUNKY: OK, OK. I confess. I'm a software junky. But my-o-my the things that can be done with absolutely no expertise and a home computer are amazing.
This pic of the seven ladies on an old tree that Lake Erie had washed up on the beach at Main Street was taken by my grandfather (Pearl Roscoe) sometime after 1900. By itself - in its raw form - it's an interesting photo. But turn it into a photo-sketch and it becomes even more interesting.
But, of course, that is from my point-of-view.
The software is a plugin added to Adobe's (Photoshop) CS2 filters called the AKVIS SKETCH. (Methinks one can get it as stand alone software if one opts to go that way.) I simply find the effects that can be achieved to be fascinating.
Trying to extract some video from a DVD for this weeks podcast I encountered a headbanging problem when I found meself running around in circles trying to transform the format of the DVD presentation into the MP4 format for the podcast. In fact, I spend the better part of one day trying to accomplish this task. But finally...
twenty-four mindbending hours later I found a software application called iSkysoft DVD ripper which allowed me to accomplish the task (and a great many more). And, again, I am fascinated.
This is really cool stuff.
This reminded of a time when I worked for the Elyria School System and had helped a student, Anna, with a difficult Algebra problem. (I have previously written of this.) Whilst I helped her solve the problem correctly, a few days after Anna gave her work to her teacher her teacher sent me the following note:
"Rich, Thanks for helping Anna learn how to get from Elyria to Lorain via Timbuktu."
Redfacedly,
Jack "Tiny" Balogh c.1955
A HECK OF A WRECK:
Just before the big snow-storm (that may someday be recalled as the "Big Snow Before the Big Flood of 2009") Vermilionite Jim Smith dropped by the basement ministry at Vermilion's Congregational Church with this pic (as well as a few others) for me to scan.
I didn't really get to concentrate on the photos until after he'd departed. So we didn't talk about them in much detail. But he did say that he thought they were taken in 1955. Apparently there was, at that time, a freight train wreck somewhere between East River (Vermilion) Road and High Bridge Road, and the pix were of that event.
When I finally looked at the 3½ by 5 inch snaps I noticed the above pic with a person who certainly looks like Jack "Tiny" Balogh standing by one of the wrecked rail cars.
Somewhere in the dim and dusty recesses of my recollections I seem to recollect that Jack was a crane / heavy equipment operator. Other photos in this particular collection do show that a large crane was used to move the cars off the rails to allow steam engines to pass. Ergo; I assume that Jack played some role in clearing up the wreckage.
I do believe that Jim's father, Sterling, worked for the railroad at that time. And Sterling was - from all that I can tell - an avid amateur photographer. So I'm assuming that these are his pix.
These, seeming mundane, snapshots are the type of things that really help fill in the blanks of our local history. And I'm happy to have been given an ability to make record of them.
THE WORLD ACCORDING TO SOME COLLEGE STUDENTS...
"If someone is a vegetable, it is fruitless to try to keep him alive on a machine."
"A great person never said this, but they should have."
"In the 20s, one drawback was the number of 'bad' drivers and the accidents they caused, such as Daisy Buchanan and her tragic accident with Gatsby's automobile."
"I used to be a self-scented person, but then I grew up."
"One who is the victim of a motorcycle accident would have a lot less trouble in terms of not wearing his helmet if he would only use his head while driving."
"In the future, life is still more than interaction between people."
"To experience the Wonton Death and Destruction of visiting the Civil War would be horrifying to imagine."
"I had a revelation, but I use the word lightly."
"He was one of those young kids with cancerous raging hormones."
"The discussions were clouded in elaborate systems of rules and manners as ornate as the clothes of the conversationalists."
"Frostbite was common, as were men with amputatable limbs."
"In 2222, pollution, ozone, and Greenpeace are far from being problems as they are in the real world."
"I would always read the works of the cavalier poets whose works always reflected the sentiment 'Cease the Day.'"
"In war, man kills so that he can improve his culture."
"Sewage is supplied by the city of Harrisburg, and is maintained by a maintenance crew."
"...who said there was no relief from soaring prices; or from everything else..."
WHO SAYS THERE'S NO RELIEF FROM SOARING PRICES (?): It is truly hard not to smile when looking at the photo accompanying this composition. Not only has this type of water vehicle - at least for the most part - long ago been replaced by brightly colored inflatable dinghies made of UV-resistant PVC fabrics with polyester support, powered by a new generation of electric / gas motors; but seeing any number of adults taking a Sunday afternoon ride in a rowboat on Lake Erie dressed in anything but shorts, tee-shirts, and bathing suits today would be - to say the very least - unlikely. But go back nearly a century to the Vermilion, O. of yesteryear and it is exactly how some folks sought brief respite from the woes of the world that raged around them.
It was 1916. Woodrow Wilson was President of these United States of America; Thomas R. Marshall was Vice-President. The nation boasted a population of 101,961,000 souls [compared to 303,409,069 today]. The Boston Red Sox defeated Brooklyn (4-1) to win the World Series of Baseball. In Hollywood Charlie Chaplin signed a contract with Mutual Studios that would earn him an unprecedented $10,000 a week salary. An unkempt fellow named Einstein completed a mathematical formulation of a general theory of relativity, which included gravity that, even today, few folks understand. And although actively involved in “the war to end all wars” in Europe the U.S. government managed to keep a balanced budget. It took in approximately $761 million and spent spent roughly $713 million.
Well, aside from the war, the world about folks in the Village of Vermilion wasn’t perhaps “raging”. Mayor H.R. “Squire” Williams was publicly pressing the Ohio State Board of Health to file an official report of their investigation as to the source of a recent outbreak of typhoid in town. And there was some “woe” about the village. Mrs. Kuehlman the wife of Charles, a well known and respected Furnace Corners (the northwest corner of Darrow and State Roads) farmer died unexpectedly one early Saturday morning (8-20-1916). Two young Elyria fellows - one of which had taken up employment at the Linwood Hotel - got caught with their hands in the proverbial, and perhaps literal, “cookie jar” and were charged with grand larceny. And a fellow who had “drifted into town” earlier in the year suffering with a disease brought on by imbibing too much, and too often, died a less than handsome death in the town lockup one Tuesday evening (8-22-16) during one of the heaviest thunderstorms of the season.
But of course there were a few more things that might have caused some distress among the townsfolk of those times. For instance In one year the “costs of the necessities of life” had steadily increased: Butter had jumped from 30c. to 33c; Eggs from 23c. to 32c; Sirloin Steak 22c. to 25c; Pork Chops 18c. to 24c; Spring Chicken 22c. to 30c; Mutton 25c. to 28c; Sugar, 25lb. $1.63 to $2.00; and Flour, by the sack had soared from $1.65 to a whopping $1.95. Where, some folks may have asked of themselves was it all going to end?
But like Mr. Einstein’s theory most everything is “relative”: It all depends on one’s point-of-view. So when the headline of the local newspaper proclaimed that there is “No Relief From Soaring Prices” more than a few of the townsfolk probably nodded their heads in agreement. But a day or two later after renting a rowboat from Cloudy Noel to spend an afternoon on the lake all was forgot. After all, who said there was no relief from soaring prices; or from everything else as well? Certainly not the folks in this photograph.
Ref: The Vermilion News, 8-24-16; Vermilion Area Archival Society, Pearl Roscoe Photo Collection.
2/10/08
1:02 PM
A Rare Photograph
THE HIGH BRIDGE ON HIGHBRIDGE ROAD: This is yet another pic that was among those Vermilionite Jim Smith loaned me for scanning just this week. This one I consider to be rare because it is the first I've ever seen of the bridge over the New York Central Railroad tracks that at one time very essentially connected Vermilion proper to Vermilion country.[Note that I was unable to refrain from using the aforementioned software to make it into a photo-sketch - and also add some color.]
The bridge, unfortunately, no longer exists. It was in great need of repair - and neither the city of Vermilion nor the railroad was willing to replace it. And that is a shame. Because it served as a convenient connection route for persons living on either side of the rails.
This pic is a keeper.
"You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you're going..."
A MISHAP AT MASON AND JOPPA ROADS - 1941: Once upon a yesteryear automobiles didn’t dent as easily as they do today. They were manufactured of heavy gauge steel that would require both a strong arm and a heavy hammer to inflict any significant damage. Many of these vehicles were also capable of reaching speeds of well over 100 mph. Those were the days of no seat belts (let alone Seat Belt Laws); country roads with few posted speed limits; and even fewer peace officers to enforce those that were. It was the veritable “Wild West” of the “American Automobile Age”. It was the 1940’s.
Many persons closely associated with Vermilion, O. and the surrounding countryside may be familiar with the locale of the accident pictured in the accompanying photo. It is the Florence Township intersection of Mason and Joppa Roads. The Vermilion News photographer who took this picture was standing on the northwest side of Mason Road looking through his / her lens to the southeast. The long shadows, the clothes of the spectators, the fullness of the trees in the background, and the license plate on one of the cars indicate that this mishap took place late in the afternoon on a warm summer day in 1941.
Precisely what happened and to whom it happened is (currently) unknown. This photo was processed from a 4”x5” negative recently found among The Vermilion News Photo Archives along with a number of other negatives from that time period. It is likely that this is the very first time it has ever been seen by the general public.
Lacking specific information about that which took place on that summer afternoon sixty-seven years back tis probably unfair to presume exactly what took place. Nonetheless it is far too curious to altogether ignore. This may be, in part, because the human condition compels us to be mesmerized by misfortunes we do not own. But it is mostly because those who know this particular intersection understand that it is not now - nor was it then - what one might consider to be a particularly blind corner. The view from all directions is generally unobstructed. That is it is “generally unobstructed” provided one is moving along at a reasonable pace. And noting that the road appears to be quite dry, bad weather does not appear to have had a role in this mishap.
Judging by the conditions and positions of the vehicles it would appear that the auto facing the camera struck a glancing blow to the driver’s side of the car on the right. It appears to have been spun around 180º by the impact, and back into the path of the other auto. Both vehicles look to be beyond repair. And by the expressions of concern on the faces of some of the onlookers the crash was serious.
As previously stated these automobiles were made of heavy gauge steel - and they were powerful. The visible damage to the cars, married to the season, time of day, and weather conditions recorded in this photo graphically illustrate what happened when someone either failed to obey a stop sign, or was going too fast to yield to another car at this intersection - or both.
The esteemed philosopher of a yesteryear, Yogi Berra, once advised that, "You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there." I don’t believe the persons involved in this mishap back in 1941 took his advice seriously.
Ref: The Vermilion News Photo Archive; Special Thanks to Ginny Wilkes.
12/07/08
DON'T JUST SIT THERE WITH A MOUSE IN YOUR HAND! HELP THE ECONOMIC RECOVERY!: Take a cyber visit through my on-line store.
Christmas is over but I still have some things left and I'm busy designing new items for Valentines Day. If you've not purchased something yet you're missing the proverbial boat. So stay close; and take a virtual tour of the shop. I keep the floor swept and the windows clean.
And for those who might wonder - this is my shop - and I do make a few bucks selling the items therein...
VERMILION VIEWS GIFT SHOP
Podcasts - "forever under construction..."
PODCAST #113: This week Vermilion Views Podcast #113 is Part #1 of a presentation I extracted from a DVD that was put together by Carol and Dick Kammer last summer re:the history of the Olympic Outing Club. This is truly a nice piece of work - well done. If you're unfamiliar with the club you are going to find this production to be very informative. So enjoy...
Also note that all the video (MP4) podcasts (where used) are done in the "Quicktime" format.
NOTE NOTE:Past podcasts are no longer available in the on-line archive. They just take up too much disk space. But if one really, really, really wants to acquire a copy of a past cast it can be had by contacting moi - and I will place it on a disc and send it to ye for a minimal fee.
LOCAL ANNOUNCEMENTS: After giving it much thought this link has been "put-down". During the last year most of the folks who used to use this page as a bulletin board have acquired their own and, consequently, no longer need this forum from "Views". I have, however, kept links (in the links section) to Larry Hohler's "Hope Homes" in Kenya - and to Bette Lou Higgins' Eden Valley Enterprises sites. They are historically and socially relevant projects.
Pay particular note to the "Hope Homes" page during the next few months. They've recently received a significant grant from the Dolan Foundation and are constructing a Manual Training Center for their children and for other young people in that community. This is an exciting project.
Vermilion High School Classes of 1963 and 1965 may be interested in knowing that a reunion is planned for the weekend of June 27, 2009. Those interested can contact Ruth Bauman Tanner.
If, however, something important come along - it will appear here.
The Beat Goes On: The page is generated by the dreaded Macintosh Computer and is written and designed by (me) Rich Tarrant. It will change weekly ~ usually on Saturday. Bookmark the URL (Universal Resource Locater) and come back at your own leisure. Send the page to your friends (and enemies if you wish). If you have something to share with those who visit this page, pass it on. And if you see something that
is in need of correction do the same. My sister, Nancy, is a great help in that respect. It only takes me a week to get things right. And follow the links. You might find something you like. If you experience a problem with them let me know. Also, if you want to see past editions of this eZine check the new archives links below.
If you're looking for my old links section (pictured) I've replaced it with a pull-down menu (visible in the small box next to the word "Go"). If you're looking for links to more Vermilion history check that menu.
How the old links menu looked
For Persons who would like to donate to the cause (to keep these "Views" on-line you can send whatever you would like to me at the following address. And THANKS to everybody who has already donated to the cause. I doth certainly appreciate it):
Rich Tarrant
1041 Oakwood Drive
Vermilion, Ohio
44089
Telephone: 440-967-0988 - Cell: 440-522-4459
or you can use PayPal:
"There is something amiss in a nation where greed is considered to be a positive human value."
-Professor Roselyn Picher
Vol.6, Issue 46, January 31, 2009
Archive Issue #307
© 2009 Rich Tarrant