The Pumpkin King, Adventures to Olean, Worth Smith
By Chuck Wiser, I write the words to share what my eyes see and my heart feels
Pictured is artist Eric Jones with his latest pumpkin carving project
Where, oh where, oh where do I begin. Today’s Wrambling could easily be just photos of recent roadside or back yard sightings. However, if I did that I would far exceed my self-imposed file size, and certainly the overall file size that Wellsville Sun owner/editor has allocated for my Wrambling’s.
Earlier this week I happened to stop by the Worth Smith store in Olean to make a purchase. It is no secret how many times I go to Olean for my shopping for things not readily available in Wellsville. Believe it or not, I do frequent Wellsville shopping experiences but there are just some things that cannot be found within my 10-mile radius. This week fortunately for me, the stars or planets properly aligned to provide me with a lifetime of picturesque experiences.
At my first spot, departing my truck to enter the Worth Smith store, I encountered Eric Jones beginning a carving project there in their parking lot. I have had the privilege of viewing many of Mr. Jones’s carvings but generally after their creation. Carvings as close as Belmont, NY, and also earlier at Worth Smith have amazed me. His carving media typically specializes with snow sculptures, but seasonally the pumpkins get their opportunity to shine. As he was busily scraping away, I interrupted him to ask if I could take a picture of him and his “yet to fledge” eagle. I told him that I would like to share his carving before and after completion, in my Wellsville Sun Wrambling. He said he would be honored and to let a certain Sun “staffer” know that he has been absent from previous attention. I provide no names to protect the innocent. I took several photos of this gigantic pumpkin, failing to imagine just how he was going to create what he described as his final outcome. He told me how much the pumpkin weighed before carving started but I cannot remember exactly what he said so I don’t want to err, but it was a big number.
This morning I made an Olean shopping excursion excuse, to go on the road. My motivation was to see the final product that was to be created. As I pulled into the store parking lot the pumpkin carving was directly in line with my sight path. Even from that distance I was in awe. Abandoning my truck and looking the carving over, I was even more amazed. I have dabbled in a little wood and snow carving but can’t even begin to determine just how precise and decoratively pleasing his carving or sculpting’s could be. Our area of New York State is truly blessed to have such a tremendous talent who shares his work on a daily basis. Thank you, Eric Jones, for sharing your talents with us.
This morning gave me a brief glimpse into the upcoming winter weather. Here in our corner of NYS we have been spared from the frequent late October or early November snow events. I can’t remember when last our snow was this late. That all changed, albeit briefly, this morning.
As I exited I86 West bound in Olean the tell-tale pitter patter of ice crystals bouncing off the windshield caught my attention. It didn’t last long but it was the first of 2025 as far as us “flat-landers” have seen. I remember a November many decades past where we got caught in an early November snowstorm. I just asked my wife if she could confirm the dates and she too remembered the occasion but not the exact date, telling her why I needed to know. I explained what I was doing (Wrambling) and her comment was; “who will know if that is correct?” To protect my credibility, I will not mention the year, so as to not be fact-checked but it was in the early 80’s. My wife’s uncle Harley Hills lived on East Hill Road (the one that locals call what is now Rte. 31) after the cemetery “east bound” and being halfway between the bottom and top of the hill. Having a 72 Ford Gran Torino without snow tires yet added, I couldn’t get traction going up the hill so I “slip slided” back into Harley’s driveway and went back down into Friendship and to my wife’s mother’s house to spend the night. The next morning arrived with warm bright sun and supposedly melted ice/snow cleared roads. We waited a couple of hours before getting back on the road to head home. Now, already being cautious, I decided to drive around the long way from Friendship to Belmont (Rte. 408 at that time), and into Scio. Halfway to Belmont I hit a slippery patch and given the summer (nearly bald) tires the car went into a skid, spinning around in the road, but staying in the road. I like to think that my driving prowess was equivalent to a Joey Chitwood or Evil Knieval, but in decades old hindsight I think it was a higher heavenly power that protected us that morning. Needless to say, the car had winter tires added before any other roading excursions took place. In my defense, it wasn’t completely the fault of my judgement or being too cheap to get winter tires but my $91/week salary couldn’t handle too many “extravagant” purchases.
BTW, I had a similar event in the mid 60’s when traveling home from Norfolk, Va. Driving my cherished ’61 Chevy Convertible with similarly undernourished summer tires. Coming out of Addison, NY I went into an icy road skid, spun around and passed between two closely spaced trees, missed them both and shaking it off (literally) continued home.
As I neared home in Scio today, on the other end of “East Hill Road” I almost felt like Dan Jordan of Jordan Photography and Consulting, as I approached what appeared to me as a Bald Eagle standing on the shoulder of the road. In passing, the bird didn’t seem in the least phased or disturbed by the road traffic. Wanting to emulate Dan’s fortunes in capturing amazing photos of area aviary sightings, I turned around and went back to where the bird was. I pulled to within 25 feet of the bird and was surprised that it hadn’t spooked and taken flight. At that distance I decided that it wasn’t an Eagle and I was torn between thinking it was a domestic duck of some kind or some other species. Dan Jordan has since confirmed that it is a duck. I’ll bet he has thoughts that I was really “quacked up.
”I guess I’d better get to some serious Wramblings before you share Dan’s feelings. Dan and I go back a long way since our having met when we were both in “other occupational” lives.
My recent struggles with wearing my contact lenses have brought me to the realization that if you haven’t needed sight correction either provided by glasses or contacts, you are truly blessed. I was first prescribed glasses somewhere along the lines as a high school student. My mother got me glasses, but I scorned them and never wore them. All through my military service days and early married life, I also avoided them. At some point I relented and, having obtained a pair of reading glasses, I still shunned them. I think I started taking them seriously when I started teaching, but even then, wore them sparingly. At about that time, I was re-convinced that I really didn’t like wearing glasses so got my first set of contacts. My right eye was fine with a standard “soft” lens but the astigmatism in my left eye required a lens that wasn’t any thicker than a piece of Saran Wrap. It wouldn’t easily hold its shape when holding it on your fingertip so it was difficult to insert in my eye. It was so thin that a couple of times over the years it would fold up under the eye lid.
I discontinued wearing contacts for a few years until following cataract surgery I still needed to assist my vision for up-close reading and vision. Despite being eligible for Medicare financial support, I had an option of 100% vision correction but that would have cost an additional $1800 per eye, to supplement the Medicare plan coverage. I didn’t think we could afford that luxury but now I realize I made a big mistake. If I had it to do over again, I would go “whole hog” into getting the full correction surgery. After the fact I asked the eye surgeon if it could still be done, and despite my having researched finding out that it could be done, he said: “No,” it was not possible. I haven’t given up on that wish/dream yet, despite nearing my 80th age milestone.
At this point I guess I had better check my “To Do” of Wrambling’s writings to see if I have room left for any of them. If it doesn’t wound them I may just “Bullet” them.
* On the 31st of October we had infestation of likely migrating Robins. Dozens of them I the back yard.
* Prior to today’s Near Eagle encounter I was shocked on a previous return from Olean when an Eagle took off from the middle of the road a 100 or so yards in front of me and which only reached a few feet of clearance as I drove beneath it.
* I am not now, nor do I think ever will be a fan of AI (Artificial Intelligence). We already have enough of that in national politics.
I leave you now with the picture shown above of the finished pumpkin carving at the Olean, NY, Worth Smith store. If you have any comments, cares, questions or concerns, or even topics that may be of interest to you, please feel free to email me at IM.Wiserdad@gmail.com.
Thank you for taking the time to read my Wrambling.
