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04-02-2007, 07:21 PM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Aug 2006
376 posts, read 518,679 times
Reputation: 205
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Cosmic's tour of Oil City: A work of art!
Kudos to Cosmic! He has captured a pocket of Appalachia like few others before him. The pics are eclectic and genuine. There is warmth and life in the midst of a rather stark setting in winter. But anyone who has been in the hills, seen the icicles hanging from the springs in the limestone/sandstone cliffs along the cold water rivers, driven the winding roads--it is like John Denver said about "West Virginia, Mountain Mama.--Take Me Home" I don't know if it will become another Poconos, but something interesting is happening there.
And the whole Oil City thing is part spoof and part nostalgia. Is it a wasteland of shattered dreams or a cocoon of nostalgia and rest--perhaps a bit of both. Whatever, it seems to strike a chord of yearning and loathing at the same time. I'm from a small town and as I age it does appeal to me to go back to that sort of life.
And, hey, maybe a Bohemian loft district in the downtown is the future--but I would not hold my breath. Once again, thank you, Cosmic. You have been to Oz and back.
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04-02-2007, 07:37 PM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Lake Ariel Pa
2,593 posts, read 2,553,022 times
Reputation: 963
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Oh NNNNOOOOO!!! Here we go again
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04-02-2007, 10:58 PM
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Member
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Join Date: Jan 2007
77 posts, read 110,272 times
Reputation: 32
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I, too, enjoyed the pictures and descriptions of Oil City provided by the articulate and creative Cosmic. And, although Oil City is a part of Appalachia by definiton, it is not a "pocket of Appalachia" with hillside shacks and grinding poverty. For many years Oil City was the center of the oil industry and had its share of millionaires. Much of the housing reflects this early wealth.
I grew up in Oil City the '50's and '60's, and worked in Venango County as a social worker in the '70's. True poverty was at a minimum although not totally nonexistent. Everyone wore shoes, and most families had at least one car and a tv set. I roamed the hills as a kid and never saw one moonshine still.
I, too, wish I could go back to that small town life of my childhood. But I imagine it no longer exists.
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04-03-2007, 12:35 PM
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Please?
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Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Cinti expatriate in Phila.
6,049 posts, read 5,173,175 times
Reputation: 3813
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Oil City? Appalachia?
Doubtful.
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04-03-2007, 02:21 PM
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Sunshine And Palm Trees
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Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Minnesota
5,258 posts, read 1,868,858 times
Reputation: 7860
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I must admit I've been tossing around the idea of moving back there.
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