PA Fireside Tales — Volume 3

Back in 1991 when I started to organize and write the episodes for the first volume in my Pennsylvania Fireside Tales series, I decided I could no longer afford the time it would take to travel and collect any more stories.  I needed time to write if I was ever going to produce even just one book, and so I resolved to stop searching for the old tales in the quaint out-of-the-way spots that seemed to keep pulling me away from my self-appointed task.  However, it seems I just can‘t resist a good story, and whenever a promising “lead” came up, I chased it down.  As a result, I’ve collected, and am still collecting, some of the best material I’ve found to date.

Not all the blame for my inability to stop collecting good material should fall upon the fascinating folk tales of Pennsylvania.  Probably just as much fault has to be placed upon the mountains themselves.   Somehow they’ve always drawn me into their cool depths and shaded solitude, charming me with a seemingly endless treasure store of wonderful sights and comforting breezes.  Whenever I need to feel at peace with myself or with the world, or whenever the pressures of the workplace or the daily “grind” of everyday life seem to be overwhelming, I can lose myself in the mountains, and there feel alive once more.  These grand and somber ridges will, I suspect, always be a source of strength for me, just as they have been for many others over the years.