The "The Legend Of The Albatwitch...It Really Is True! Story

It was an ordinary day.  Walking through the wooded hills along the west bank of the Susquehanna River in Columbia, Pennsylvania.  A bit to the north is the town of Marietta while Columbia lays to the south.  In the past I have written about the small park along the Susquehanna known as Chickies Rock County Park and the beautiful views one has of the mighty Susquehanna River from that location.  It's a short drive from the main highway to the park and the photographs you can take are remarkable.  But, there is a second parking lot along the main road which requires you find your way through the dense woods to the top of Chickies Rock.  And, that densely wooded area is said to be home to the dreaded Albatwitch (alba - twitch).  Now, I realize that the Albatwitch is just a local legend, but if you find you must walk through the woods, he becomes more real with every step and noise you experience.  

A photograph of an alleged Albatwitch taken
near Chickies Rock near Columbia, PA.

The Albatwitch is alleged to be a small (about 4 feet tall), manlike creature which supposedly lives in the wooded hills along the river.  At one time the Susquehannock Indian tribe roamed these hills and were said to have painted a small apelike monster on their war-shields.  Their home allegedly was at the base of Chickies Rock where the ruin of a village and burial grounds were found at one time.  Could the figure on their shields be the Albatwitch?   But, there have been other sightings of the Albatwitch all along the shores of the river in the area close to Columbia, PA.  The creature is named for the habit it is said to possess; that of being an "apple-snitch."  He, or she, has been known to have stolen apples from picknickers, occasionally throwing them at the startled people.  The creature has been sighted sitting in the treetops, coming down only to look for food.  But, the legend also says that the Albatwithes either became extinct or were driven nearly into extinction in the later years of the nineteenth century.  But, in the 1950s to the 1970s, a small manlike creature was once again sighted in the woods along the Susquehanna.  Plus, the crack of a whip also accompanies the sightings.  Could it be that the Albatwitch has returned?  A vague report concerning the sighting of a hairy humanoid came from Lancaster in 1973 with another report of a sighting in Annville (about 20 miles to the north) in the same year.  Across the Susquehanna, to the west, is the town of Wrightsvile which is part of York County.  They, too, have had sightings while looking across the river during times when leaves were off the trees.  I also read that the Pennsylvania Dutch brought the legend with them when they settled the area around the banks of the Susquehanna River.  The Albatwitch may be nothing more than Germanic folklore.  In the 21st Century, the Albatwitch has become a tourist draw to the area.  Reports of hairy creatures still abound, but nothing like the Albatwitch.  So, a group is now taking people on a "Ghosts of Columbia" walking tour.  That's after they offer them apple fritters, apple dumplings, caramel apples and apple pies.  I sure hope they know what the are doing!  The tour begins as dusk!  To tell you the truth, I don't care much to visit the area by myself anymore.  I make sure I have someone, such as my wife, make the trek with me from the car to Chickies Rock.  Just in case!  It was another extraoridnary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Faces of Strangers: #52" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Sitting in a lounge chair under a yellow umbrella on Orient Beach in French St. Martin enjoying my Stuart Woods novel when Carol taps me and says, "Look at that guy fishing with the net."  It drew my instant attention and after a minute or two of watching the guy fishing, I just had to grab my iPhone and head to the shoreline to see what he was catching.  A few others had already gathered to watch the same thing that I wanted to take photographs of to post as a story for my blog.  

Alex hurrying back with a net full of sprat.

I stood a few feet away as he emptied his net into a small bucket and hurried back to the shoreline to search for another net full of fish.  I took a photo of his catch and watched and waited for him to enter the water once again, throw his net into the sea and instantly pull the full net to the shore line.  Eventually he took time out to answer a few questions before heading back for another catch.  He called the fish he was catching sprats.  The sprat is a small, widely spread herring.  It lives in densely populated colonies and rarely evolves below 150 meters deep.  In the food chain it is an important food source for larger fish, but the sprat is also a great food source for humans since it is rich in proteins, Omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin D as well as Selenium which fights harmful chemical processes in the body.  

Alex showing me the net he uses.

I introduced myself and he told me his name was Alex.  He also told me he tries to fish these waters twice a day and sells his catch to local food distribution places that resell the fish.  He has been fishing this area of Orient beach since he was 12 years old.  As I looked at him I would have guessed he was in his late teens, but surprised me when he said he was 30 years old.  I looked at him and said, "If eating these fish can make you look as young as you, I better start to eat them myself."  Got a big smile from this very personable young fellow.  I asked him what he looks for in the water to know where the fish are located.  

Emptying the fish from the net into his bucket.

He told me its best to fish early in the morning and late in the afternoon, since it is easier to see shadows of the schools of fish on the bottom with the sun low in the sky.  He pointed out a shadow and said he looks at the water above the shadow and looks for a silver glow in the water.  He pointed out a school of fish directly in front of us and said, "See the glow right below the surface of the water?"  I said "yes" as he grabbed his net and hurried into the water, but I had no idea what he saw that was different from the water to the left or right of us.  And, that's why he is as proficient as he is and I'm standing on the shore watching him.  

His bucket after one net full of fish.  He
worked until the bucket was filled.

He walked back into the water with his net until he was almost waist-deep and threw the net across the water's surface.  The weights around the edge of the net made it sink downward and as quick as can be he pulled the sides of the net toward him.  He pulled it into shallow water and lifted it from the water.  It was filled with silver sprat fish that were about 8 to 10 inches in length.  I watched this young man walk back and forth along water's edge for about 30 minutes until he had filled his bucket with the fish.  He waved goodbye as he walked to his vehicle to deliver the fish to his buyer.  Carol and I will visit this beach a few times for the next two weeks and I will get a few more chances to watch this fisherman at work along the shoreline.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Faces of Strangers: #51" Story

Front of Clarke's Sunset Market in Stone Harbor, New Jersey.

It was an ordinary day.  Stopped in Clarke's Sunset Market on Third Street in Stone Harbor, New Jersey with my brother Steve to buy some groceries for the evening meal.  As we walked around the small grocery store I found a few items near the deli counter that interested me.  There on a shelf to the rear of the deli counter was a deep-sea diving helmet.  Wow, what a great piece of diving history.  I asked the clerk about it and she told me she would get the owner to help me.  

Charlie, store owner and metal shop teacher standing
in front of the diving helmet he has on display in his store.

Before long I was introduced to Charlie who owned and managed the store as well as loved anything nautical.  He told me all about the diving helmet and where he bought it and then directed me to a few other pieces of nautical equipment that were close by.  Sitting on the end of the deli counter was a light that looked as if it might have been on a ship or even a lighthouse.  

On the end of the deli counter sits this
great beacon light.  The base was made
by Charlie for display.

I examined it and said to Charlie, "Was this base that it sits on part of the original lamp?"  He replied, "No I made it myself to display the light.  I used to be a metal shop teacher."  Wow!  "The weld job you did around the base of the light is perfect," I said in return as he got a smile on his face.  Then I said, "I used to teach high school wood and metal shop myself before I ended up teaching graphics and photography."  Well, we spent the next fifteen minutes talking about where he taught and how he came to be the owner of the grocery store.  He had to pull up a few photos on his computer to show me of a shop built by a friend who now teaches woodworking to adults.  We could have spent another hour talking about teaching and his nautical collection, but I noticed my brother was in the checkout line.  Asked if I could take a few photos and after shaking his hand, headed out the door.  The older I get the more I realize how small a world we really really do live in.  Seems there is always someone around the next corner that I share a story or interest with and enjoy talking to.  Most times they are complete strangers!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The label on the diving helmet says it was made by Schrader's in Brooklyn, NY in December of 1943.  Made primarily from copper and brass.  Inside was a speaker that was used for communication with the vessel above.

Another neat beacon light standing in the store.

The "Faces Of Strangers: #47" Story

Jaroslav

It was an ordinary day.  Sitting in the shade on a green canvas beach chair talking to Jaroslav about his life as a beach attendant on the beach in Ocean City, New Jersey.  A few minutes before he had placed an umbrella on the beach for my wife and I to sit under for our final vacation day to Ocean City.  Jaro, as his thermos says, is from Slovakia which is part of the European Union and is bordered by Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary and Ukraine.  Jaro is tall and thin with radiant blue eyes and whose English is near perfect.  This is the second year that Jaroslav has worked the beaches of Ocean City.  The 21-year-old young man recently finished his second year at the University where he is studying Air Management.  He has three more years of study before he gets his degree.  

Map showing location of Slovakia.  Click to enalrge.

Slovakia provides free education through University studies.  He is sharing a floor of a rental unit with three other students while in Ocean City.  His family includes his parents and three older sisters, two of whom have also spent summers working in the vacation mecca of Ocean City.  He speaks German, Russian, English and studied French, but hasn't used it much in the past few years.  His job working on the beaches requires he have medical insurance as well as a place to stay.  He arrived about a month ago and will work until September when he will visit New York for a week before heading home for his sister's wedding and then back to the University for another year of study.  As he was telling me of his plans after the summer ends, he said he must be home in time to see his sister take a husband.  I assumed from this that she was getting married.  He enjoys U.S. food, but finds it is very expensive to eat healthy food.  In his country fast food is more expensive than healthy food and yes, they do have McDonald's in Slovakia.  He does miss his mother's haluska which he tells me his mother makes by grating potatoes, coating them with egg and placing them in boiling water.  During my conversation with Jaro, customers stopped at his stand to request umbrellas and chairs.  He told me to stay and he would return soon, but I soon realized I was becoming a burden to him and wished him a successful summer and success in his studies.  Great fellow who represents his native Slovakia very well.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.