CNBNews

William E. Cleary Sr. | CNBNewsnet

THE WILD SIDE OF GLOUCESTER CITY--Mother Nature is active in Gloucester City. People must slow down and sometimes watch what is happening right in front of them. Peyton and Me have had runs-in with wild turkeys,  a fox, a beaver, geese, pheasants, a deer, a skunk, and most recently, a Red-tailed hawk. 

All that wildlife is living right in our little neighborhood of Riverview Heights. After taking a photo of the men working on Barnard Avenue, we walked along the railroad tracks towards Powell Street. 

Suddenly, the hawk in the photo came swarming down in front of us.

We approached slowly, and as we got closer, we saw the bird fighting with something, using its claws. It appeared to be a squirrel.

We kept moving closer, taking photos every few feet. When we got too near, the hawk flew away (right and above). We checked the ground where he was but found nothing. Since his claws were empty when he fled, we assume his prey got away. 

When we looked at the photos we took with our Iphone; we were amazed that we had caught the raptor in flight.

Notice how camouflaged the hawk is. You would never know it was there if it wasn't for us marking him with the arrows. 

We believe the raptor we saw was a Red-tailed Hawk, like the one above. Red-tailed Hawks are commonly seen soaring above, looking for prey with their fantastic vision, or perched along the roadside on telephone poles. They are the most common hawks in North America and can be found in most parts of the country. These large hawks live throughout New Jersey all year long. Learn more about the Red-tailed Hawk here.

++++++

AT LONG LAST--Finally, after a decade, if not more, the Stagecoach Trail, aka Rattle My Teeth Avenue, also known as Barnard Avenue (Gloucester City), is being repaired. New infrastructure is being installed along with new asphalt paving. The cost of this project is $500,000 plus. Some years back, New Jersey Water offered $20 million to buy the City's Water Department. The employees working there would be offered a job with the new owner. There are so many streets in this city that have a similar infrastructure. The question arises, did Mayor and Council make a mistake by not selling?

++++++

WHAT IS THAT SMELL? One day last week, Peyton and Me were walking along Ellis Street heading towards Monmouth Street. A cloud of smoke blew into our faces, and our eyes started to burn. We walked a little further and saw workers laying hot tar on the parking lot in front of the Gloucester Towne apartments. Talk about having a tough job. You have to wonder if any of those guys will have COPD when they get older.

++++++

A new sign for Proprietors Park has been erected by the entrance gate. The City has hired Monarch Painting to refresh the black lanterns throughout the property. It looks very nice. Hopefully, the bent sign and the green post will be replaced with a new ones.

This would be an excellent time to fix the monument that stands a few feet from that same entrance on the right(see below). You can't read the plaque and the concrete on the top of it needs to be replaced. It has been like that for years; if the City is not going to repair it, it should be taken down. 

++++++

COMING SOON--A new business is moving into the old Orlando's Bar at 500 Paul Street called the Royal Mile Coffee Roaster. Orlando's is the last business that comes to mind for that property. Frank Orlando was the owner. After he died, the bar stayed open for a while but eventually closed its doors. He and his family lived in the back of the corner bar. At one time, there were between 45 to 50 bars in Gloucester City. And many of those establishments were owned by families who either lived behind the bar or on top of it. Some examples that come to mind; are O'Donnell's, Hoover's, Solly's, Max's, The Dixie, and The Essex House. 

.                                                                  ++++++

THE GLOUCESTER CITY FOOD BANK sponsors a Festival on Saturday, October 1, at the Johnson Blvd. softball complex from 2 to 7 PM. Beer garden, food trucks, crafters, and music.

++++++

HALLOWEEN IS ALMOST HERE--The people living in this house on Walnut Avenue have incredible decorations. Not only for Halloween but also for Christmas. The LITTLE TRIM unisex salon decorations on South Broadway look nice.

Peyton relaxing at the pool

Growing up in the 40s and 50s, I remember we had two paper machete cutout pumpkins with a small light bulb inside each that looked ominous. Mom would place them on tables behind the middle window on the front porch.

Every year, my costume for Trick or Treating was a cowboy with two six-shooters, a red bandana handkerchief for a mask, and a cowboy hat. One year Mom made my costume. It was a firecracker. It consisted of sheer red cloth that went down to my feet. You could barely see through it. A round piece of cardboard was sewn to the fabric. The cardboard had some rope sticking up in the middle for the fuse. Because the material was so long, I waddled when I walked. Every so often, I would trip and land on the ground. Fond memories. 

RELATED: 

• PEYTON AND ME MEANDERING