Last week I wrote about my artist friend Bob Fletcher, who died recently.

One of my favorite paintings of his featured High Mountain in the distance. I've always loved the story behind it -- Bob said that in the winter, after a heavy snowfall, the sight of the local bus plowing snow meant that the school would soon be open.

Susan Serico, director of the North Haledon Public Library, adds to the story:

"We have a copy of this painting in the library. I remember my mother, who lived up on the top of Manchester Avenue from 1942 basically until her death in 2005, telling me the Bingler bus (one that went from North Haledon to downtown Paterson) plowed the roads.

"The bus got stuck up there one year and she was asked if they could use one of her large oak trees as leverage. She fiercely protected her tree and somehow they managed to get the bus out without tying a rope to her beloved tree. By the way, the tree still stands!"

I'm sure that Bob would have loved the story.