EARLY LIGHT: Could we really be seeing lightning bugs this early
in the season?
Yes. We had two reports Sunday one from Rudy Luce in Bradford
and a second from Skip Riekofsky of Kushequa. Skip writes, “Early
Sunday A.M., actually 2:50 a.m., I saw a lightning bug (firefly).
It was 57 degrees and fairly humid out. I saw only one and was a
little in disbelief unless, of course, there is another insect that
makes ‘cold light’? Has anybody else seen any?”
BLACK CAT?: Speaking of odd sights, Bob Murphy of Smethport
tells us about one while driving recently on Route 6 near the fly
fishing section of Marvin Creek:
“A large black animal crossed the road in front of me. At first
I thought it was a dog, but it stopped right beside the guide rail,
turned its head toward me, then jumped like a cat over the rail. It
had a long black tail. I stopped and got out of the car. I looked
over the bank and could see the creature in the brush below. The
only thing it could have been was a black panther. Has anyone else
seen anything like this in this area of McKean County?”
BIG MIRROR: Richard l. Dent tells us he was a supervisor when
Corning produced that huge mirror for a telescope in Canada.
“Corning has made several after this mirror, and bigger. I was
involved with most of these. A few of these were made in Bradford
but most were made in the Canton, N.Y., plant.
OH, ZIPPO: Martha Ahrens of Arlington, Va., just returned from a
trip to Alaska. “While in Juneau, we spotted a display of Zippo
lighters in a local shop. Later that day, you can imagine my
surprise when a local Alaskan started a fire with a Zippo when we
were at a salmon bake at a local outdoor restaurant. He said he
had purchased the lighter in Juneau and it was the best lighter
that he had ever had, no more throw-aways for him. It was nice to
have a touch of home in such a beautiful place.”
Speaking of Zippo, Jim Belardia of Bradford phoned Friday to
tell us he had a “Zippo sighting” that very morning during “Fox and
Friends.” Apparently, a person on-screen was wearing a race car
driving uniform with Zippo blazoned across it.
