Pictured are Billy Miles and Chuck Wiser, best pals forever
By Chuck Wiser, I write the words to share what my eyes see and my heart feels
Well, here I am again in the role of the Midnight Wrambler. Technically it is my “day of” for composing this chapter of Wiser’s Wramblings, as it is just past midnight. Once again Gerry Vance’s dad’s advice comes to me and since “I woke up, I might as well get up, and am doing something constructive.
This past Monday I had the honor of participating with the Genesee Valley Chorus as we offered our voices in celebration of the Blue Mass as noted in the screen grab picture shown here.
It is indeed part of the mission of the Genesee Valley Chorus (GVC) to participate in various celebrations and ceremonies of any kind, and to lift our voices for all to hear. The Chorus began its Fall/Winter preparations for any number of musical celebrations in the Wellsville, NY area. There is still time to become a member of this musical organization if you enjoy singing and blending your voice with many others. You do not have to be a trained or professional musical singer to be a part of this group. All it requires is a love of music and the expression of your musical joy. GVC meets every Tuesday evening from 6:30 PM to about 8:30 PM at the Grace United Church on North Main Street in Wellsville. You ARE welcome here.
Two things my wife gets tired of telling me (and me tired of hearing) are; “Close the door”, and “Turn off the Lights.” I suppose every husband in existence hears those admonitions frequently. We are indeed “guilty as charged.” A few minutes ago, when I awoke and got up, the lights were already on in the kitchen. I guess “already on” should more properly be noted and be changed to “still on.” The age-old excuse that “leaving the lights on uses less energy than turning them on and off all the time” is a hard sell.
As I often do, I like to “tell the story” of people from the past that were a significant part of my life. I did a brief summary on Facebook earlier in the week sharing a little historical information about Wilson Paul (Billy) Miles. September 30th was his birth date. Growing up in Nile, NY my 1st “brother” was actually my cousin. My aunt Claire Miles watched us kids (as closely as she could) while my working Mom was at work.
Bill and I would roam and Wramble through the fields and in the streams forming the Van Campen Creek that eventually joins the Genesee River in Belvidere, NY.
Billy (Wilson Paul,) pictured above, was closer to me than any brother ever was, based on our early roots. When my mother, as a struggling working Mom, needed a place to stay, we lived with the Hank Miles family on Elm Street in Friendship. As a side note we lived across the street from what we called “The Ink Bottle House.” The octagon shaped house is on full display and will be featured a little more further into my Wrambling. Shown on the left in this picture, Billy was only a year or two younger than me and we were like brothers. We were inseparable and played together, even getting into skirmishes now and then. One indelible memory comes from a “field played” baseball game next to the Dave Cummins house in Nile, NY, across from the old Evangelical United Brethren Church (EUB) , now known as the Followers of the Way – Nile Community Church, and is located at 4094 State Highway 275 in nearby Friendship, NY.
As “brothers” occasionally do Bill, and I got into a skirmish one day while playing ball in the field beside the Cummins residence. I had Bill pinned down sitting on him. Bill’s father saw what was going on, came over pulling me off and kicking me in the butt.
Tragically Bill, working a night shift at Acme Electric in Cuba fell asleep on his way home and his car ran off the road hitting an iron pipe railing at the end of a small culvert as you enter from the west heading into Friendship, just past the intersection of Rte. 275. Being in the Navy at the time and having used up my leave time for that year, I had to talk them into giving me “family bereavement leave” so I could attend his funeral. I was very convincing in my request for something that is normally only permitted of a direct family relationship like Mother/Father, Sister/Brother. When I returned to the ship, one of my shipmates told me that he had overhead my pleas to the ship’s Executive Officer (XO), who is second in command. He said he had never heard of anyone making a successful, convincing plea, to a ships officer like I did.
Bill, I know you’re watching and following me through my decades more of life, so I wish you a much overdue, posthumous, Birthday.
Kudos to Scio’s Highway department once again. As they often do on our “secondary” road maintenance basis, they put down oil and stone as a resurfacing process in lieu of re-paving the road. When they do that, the shoulders of the road are left with a significant amount of small pea gravel that was spread over the oil treatment, but which is all pushed to the shoulders by the passing traffic. A couple of weeks after this process, I didn’t like that loose gravel residue built up pushed to the shoulders of the road and onto my driveway by the flow of traffic. I wasn’t sure whether it was a Town or County project, but neither had been around to “sweep up” the loose pea-gravel. So, I did it for them for the length of my driveway and yard. Two days after I did that, the town drove their sweeper/vacuum equipment down the Back River road doing what I did to the rest of the road. I called Skip Nickerson in charge of Highways in the town of Scio inquiring as to whether the Town of Scio who did it, or the County did.
He confirmed that the Town did it and he had seen that I had done mine and explained that he appreciated it and that circumstances and other projects had kept the town from doing that earlier themselves.
Having the Allegany County-Scio Town gravel repository and “Pee Pit Spot” almost directly across the Back River Road from my house, I’m never sure “who done what.”
After having started this just past midnight Wednesday night, I have picked up this morning where I left off and will finish this on my official “Day Of.”
Recently whilst traveling west to visit Olean, instead or staying on Cty. Rte 31 all the way to Friendship’s Main Street, I turned left down Elm Street instead, to see if any improvements to the housing situation had been made. In doing that I drove by the house where I had lived very early on in life, and doing so, as it always does, I pictured where the Octagon house used to be.
The Friendship Octagon House, also known as the Hyde House, was moved to the Genesee Country Village & Museum in Mumford, New York, where it was meticulously dismantled, shipped, and rebuilt. Located originally in the town of Friendship, New York, the house was relocated to the museum in the early 1980s and is now used as a signature piece and a popular historic attraction for visitors, according to the Genesee Country Village & Museum Facebook page.
Original Location: Friendship, New York.
New Location: Genesee Country Village & Museum in Mumford, New York.
Relocation Timeline: The move and reconstruction were completed in the early 1980s.
Significance: The Hyde House is a well-known historic landmark and signature piece of the Genesee Country Village & Museum, appearing on many of its brochures, notes an article on OctAbode.
If my memory is correct the Carousel that used to adorn the lake shore at Cuba Lake was also dismantled and moved to the same location. In my youth days of the 50’s my stepfather Paul Miles drove the number 8Jr modified stock car racing at the Cuba Lake Raceway. After nearly every Sunday of racing we would stop by the Pavilion and would ride the Carousel and Chair- plane rides.
Some of the above has been shared by me before and I apologize for imposing my Wrambling Wrembrances upon you. I don’t recall having shared this Octagon House picture house in this article but then again there’s lots I don’t remember. If you don’t believe that just ask my wife “old what’s her name?”
Lately, I’ve been drinking “pickle juice” as recommended by many for muscle cramping. Wanting to get a more voluminous supply more economically I ordered a 64 ounce “Jug” thru Amazon and with shipping etc. paid over $20.
On a recent trip to Runnings in Wellsville looking for something else, I happened to go down one aisle and noticed that they had an ample supply of “canning” goods. There, on a lower shelf was also a 64 Fluid Ounce bottle of the Mt. Olive juice which I had already, previously ordered elsewhere. I bought a jar priced at $6.99 beating the hell out of the previously paid amount. I immediately canceled my online order.
Now that I’m all puckered up thinking about that pickle juice, and after having significant nocturnal cramping issues last night I guess I will sign off and go drink my juice, with a chaser of electrolyte infused Gatorade.
I am embracing this glorious run of perfectly beautiful summer and now early fall weather, so I think I will go “play in the leaves.”
If you have any cares, concerns or comments please feel free to address them to me at IM.Wiser@gmail.com.
