- published: 11 Feb 2015
- views: 37849
Coordinates: 51°31′45″N 3°41′43″W / 51.529146°N 3.695252°W / 51.529146; -3.695252
Pyle (Welsh: Y Pîl ) is a village and community in Bridgend county borough, Wales.
This large village is served by the A48 road, and lies less than one mile from Junction 37 of the M4 motorway, and is therefore only a half-hour journey from the capital city of Wales, Cardiff; in fact it lies approximately equidistant between the capital (Cardiff) and the second city (Swansea).
The nearest town is the seaside resort of Porthcawl. Pyle contains a medieval parish church whose walls are reputed to contain stones from the ancient borough of Kenfig which was abandoned after being buried in sandstorms. The village also has its own leisure centre, swimming pool, supermarket, library and petrol station. There is also a large industrial estate which hosts some notable names and a garden centre.
The street of Longlands Close in Pyle was the site of a coaching inn which was used by passing travelers using the west Wales to London turnpike. Lord Nelson stayed at Pyle Inn on his way to visit to naval installations in Pembrokeshire, as did Isambard Kingdom Brunel during the construction of the Great Western Railway line through South Wales. Pyle railway station is on the Cardiff - Swansea section of the London - South Wales Main Line.
Howard Pyle (March 5, 1853 – November 9, 1911) was an American illustrator and author, primarily of books for young people. A native of Wilmington, Delaware, he spent the last year of his life in Florence, Italy.
During 1894 he began teaching illustration at the Drexel Institute of Art, Science and Industry (now Drexel University), and after 1900 he founded his own school of art and illustration named the Howard Pyle School of Illustration Art. The term Brandywine School was later applied to the illustration artists and Wyeth family artists of the Brandywine region by Pitz. Some of his more famous students were N. C. Wyeth, Frank Schoonover, Elenore Abbott, Ethel Franklin Betts, Anna Whelan Betts, Harvey Dunn, Clyde O. DeLand, Philip R. Goodwin, Violet Oakley, Ellen Bernard Thompson Pyle, Olive Rush, Allen Tupper True, and Jessie Willcox Smith.
His 1883 classic publication The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood remains in print, and his other books, frequently with medieval European settings, include a four-volume set on King Arthur. He is also well known for his illustrations of pirates, and is credited with creating the now stereotypical modern image of pirate dress.
I wanted a hard ball,
I was tired of playing softball.
Wanted a hard ball,
Like the Major Leaguers used.
I asked for a hard ball,
But my parents said, "Just wait.
You're only seven years old
And you have to be eight."
But I wanted a hard ball
In the very worst way.
Needed a hard ball,
I already knew how to play.
I knew I would get one,
They could talk and turn blue.
But there was nothing they could do,
Nothing they could do.
I saved my pennies,
Saved my dimes.
Collected bottles,
It was summertime.
The day was hot
And the sky was blue.
I wanted a hard ball
And was gonna get one too.
I had a good friend
Who was old enough to have one.
He couldn't afford it
So a partnership was made.
He said he would buy it,
If I had a place to hide it.
I gave him my Coke-bottle fortune
And got ready to play.
He came back with a hard ball,
We took it from the box.
It was time to play hard ball,
Time to take our knocks.
Who got to bat first?
We had to be fair.
I dug in my pocket
And flipped a coin in the air.
I lost the toss,
So he was gonna hit.
I started to throw. He said,
"Back up a little bit."
I asked him why,
He said,
" I'll knock it down your throat."
I said,
"You won't even see it,
I bet you're gonna choke."
I let it fly,
Threw it hard as I could throw.
My folks were at work now,
They would never know.
I wanted a hard ball,
It took me by surprise.
When he hit the hard ball,
It hit me right between the eyes.
The moral of this story is
To do what your parents tell you.
And if you can't do that,
A friend's advice might help you.
If you can't do that,
All is still not lost,
Take a tip from me,