Franklin Crawford

Tiny Town, USA – This is Chris.

Or Nick.

Or Kit.

He has a few names he likes to use.

Chris is originally from the Hyde Park area of Chicago. He says he is a distant relative of Douglas MacArthur and the grandson of Sri Chaudhuri, the Bengali philosopher who founded the California Institute of Integral Studies.

According to a Wiki entry Chaudhuri was the first to publish in the West on Integral Psychology, during the 1970s. I could not confirm if in fact Chris is Chaudhuri's grandson -- but who cares?

It's a good story and I'm not about to botch it. There is a resemblance, I'll say that.

Chris was working on a short poem, in French, when I ran into him. The gist of it escapes me.

We remembered each other from a conversation long ago and far away at a downtown bar. But this is the first time we both sat down sober and had a chat -- the first time for me anyway. He is a habitue of this coffee shop on Cayuga and Cascadilla Streets.

While Chris seems standoffish he is in fact a very warm and fun person to spend time with.

I took several pictures of him -- a couple of brooding shots of a man who practices the sullen arts -- but Chris decided he wanted to go with one of him smiling. I think he was right on the money.

– C. Penbroke Handy  

Tiny Town, USA – Pictured left is Christopher Wright, a very accomplished photographer who specializes in black and white portraits and has worked in large format medium and likes, truly, to get under the hood in his studio.

He stepped into a conversation I was having at Gary's bookstore, Buffalo Street Books, about the legendary Weegee ... Wright pointed out, correctly, that Weegee was a big slob.

But Wright went on to add more details: Weegee rarely bathed and stank of dark room chemicals and was not someone within whose fragrant zone a body wished to be.

It always has been a peeve of mine that someone's body odor, if in fact they bore a generous aura -- a key fact about them -- is often absent in general biographies.

But if they did smell and it is mentioned, it is usually because they smelled bad.

It is rumored that Napolean stank to high heaven as well as Chairman Mao. I think this is important to know.

Anyway, I did not ask Mr. Wright if he ever got close enough to get a whiff of Weegee's musk, but in perusing Wright's work there is no doubt in my mind but that my new acquaintance is a fine artist [and --see comment below -- he presented with no odor, offensive or otherwise, that I could detect].

Mr. Wright knows all there is to know about the elements of photography and apparently has taught students how to make their own cameras with items you can get at a supermarket. He teaches a course at Cazenovia College on some of the more arcane photographic knowledge he possesses and we are interested in checking it out. Wright's work can be viewed at -- www.visionsinsilver.com. We recommend a visit.

– C. Penbroke Handy 

Tiny Town, USA  – Yes! He's back among us -- Billy who was struck down by a hit and run truck  on Sept 30.

Oh, no doubt. He's in a world of pain, but he's in our world again. Broken ribs, fractured pelvis and some other things that would keep most of us in a bed for a year.

We were happy to accompany him to his favorite reading spot in the DeWitt Mall.

He's also shaved his beard, which we're not yet sure whether we are for or against.

But it's Billy all right. Welcome back, friend. 

– C. Penbroke Handy 

The original police report: "The Ithaca Police Department with the assistance of the Tompkins County Sheriff’s department and the New York State Police are investigating a personal injury Motor Vehicle Accident that resulted in serious physical
injuries being sustained by a 56-year-old Ithaca man.  
 
The victim was discovered in the parking lot of Maxie’s supper club in the
100 Block of S. Fulton St. suffering from injuries consistent with being
struck and/or run over by a motor vehicle. The victim was discovered at
the location sometime just before 9:45 p.m. on Wednesday Sept. 30.
The police are looking for assistance from anyone who may have seen a
vehicle leave the area in hurry or anything that may have seemed
suspicious. 
 
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Ithaca police at 
(607)272-9973 x3241."

 ←PICTURED: Billy taking a snooze with Harry the Hound in Buffalo Street Bookstore last spring. 

Tiny Town, USA – Renown local character Billy Klemann is on the mend from serious injuries suffered during a hit and run accident on Fulton Street in September, according to anonymous reports. Billy was reported to be sitting up in bed and in stable condition (which might be one of the few times that such can be said of our beloved tippler).

Police are still looking for the driver who took off after hitting Billy. Here is their report: 

"The Ithaca Police Department with the assistance of the Tompkins County
Sheriff’s department and the New York State Police are investigating a      
personal injury Motor Vehicle Accident that resulted in serious physical
injuries being sustained by a 56-year-old Ithaca man.  
 
The victim was discovered in the parking lot of Maxie’s supper club in the
100 Block of S. Fulton St. suffering from injuries consistent with being
struck and/or run over by a motor vehicle. The victim was discovered at
the location sometime just before 9:45 p.m. on Wednesday Sept. 30.
The police are looking for assistance from anyone who may have seen a
vehicle leave the area in hurry or anything that may have seemed
suspicious. 
 
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Ithaca police at 
(607)272-9973 x3241."

On a final note, any rumors of a TTT posse being formed to track down Billy's aggressors is pure rumor and not condoned by this publication. Get well soon, Billy, Tiny Town needs you. 

–– C. Penbroke Handy 

PICTURED RIGHT: Billy the Tree Hugger with a coupla rounds of Olde English 800 helping to keep the tree in place.