Perch

Motionless in full camouflage, Bill Fehon was 15 feet up a beech tree when nine bearded turkeys strutted down the ridge. He moved a hand; a couple jumped nervously, then quieted down to peck at food 20 yards away. A few minutes later, the turkeys squawked and flapped and made their way up different trees to roost for the night. "That was pretty cool," Fehon said, his bow still on his lap. It was the off-season for turkey. "That . . . made my day. " He climbed down at sunset, two hours among the branches having got him no closer to bagging a deer than a brief glimpse through distant foliage.

The Overbrook Farms home of Paul Wilson has been guarded for a decade by a family heirloom - a bronze-and-copper foo-dog statue that in Asian traditions brings luck. But not, apparently, for the statue. It was taken from the Wilson family's front porch, where it stood by the door on Overbrook Avenue, sometime between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Wednesday, and police last night asked anyone with information for tips. Foo-dog statues are common sights in the nation's Chinatowns, including Philadelphia's, and throughout much of Asia, where they have a rich and long tradition.

The waters are frozen a dull gray around the red-and-white lighthouse here at the southern tip of Lake Michigan, but unlike most winters Chris Furness is not breaking through the ice to head out fishing. Instead, the fisherman is at his other job at the fire department, fretting about his bills and thinking that he and his wife may have to close the fish market that his father started and that has been a local institution for more than a quarter-century. Used to be Furness and his brother and father could fish just about year-round, hauling in thousands of pounds of Lake Michigan yellow perch, a tender, tasty delicacy favored by those who live along the lake's southern rim. But conservation officials, citing a dramatic decline in perch population in Lake Michigan, have put strict restrictions on commercial fishermen like the Furnesses.

Two painters leaped to windowsills on the 10th floor of a Center City building yesterday after their scaffolding tilted sharply underneath them, authorities said. Firefighters rescued Michael Marlin, 40, of the 3800 block of L Street, and Richard Miller, 28, of the 2500 block of South Seventh Street, from sills of the Bell of Pennsylvania building at Ninth and Race Streets. Neither required hospital treatment, according to Capt. Paul Seaman, a Fire Department spokesman. The painters were lowering their scaffolding about 8 a.m. when it tilted until it was nearly perpendicular to the ground.

A rail with a view was an inviting perch yesterday for Atlantic City Convention Center employees Maryann Miller and Hakim Shabazz.

We adopted Amelia as a young turkey in 2007 after a local farmer gave her up. She lived in our sanctuary until August, when her legs gave out and we had to call our veterinarian to put her to rest in the yard, surrounded by her friends. Until those last sad days, she hung out with the chickens and ducks, and when people visited, she'd fan out her snow-white tail feathers and stroll with them, never leaving their side. She chose a leafy nesting spot that she hollowed out a little to lay her eggs.

In an Ivy League city, they are masters at climbing walls. Skateboarders come from near and far to test their skills at FDR Park, a section of South Philadelphia beneath I-95 that has been set aside for the freewheelers' gravity-defying runs. At a distance, one can spot the Navy Yard. Question is: What must it look like from a 90-degree momentary perch?

We adopted Amelia as a young turkey in 2007 after a local farmer gave her up. She lived in our sanctuary until August, when her legs gave out and we had to call our veterinarian to put her to rest in the yard, surrounded by her friends. Until those last sad days, she hung out with the chickens and ducks, and when people visited, she'd fan out her snow-white tail feathers and stroll with them, never leaving their side. She chose a leafy nesting spot that she hollowed out a little to lay her eggs.

Nobody puts on a suit and tie anymore to go out to eat, as formal dining continues its quick fade. But Philadelphia's restaurants still have some serious style. Here are eight great destinations, from cutting-edge city hot spots to cool suburban classics, a Paris-style boite, and a parkside perch where the people-watching is as prime as what's on the plate.   Adsum This fall's hottest no-reservations table comes courtesy of ex-Lacroix chef Matthew Levin, whose debut as an owner-chef is refining contemporary bistro style in Queen Village with a menu that's both cutting-edge and affordable.

The man with the hand truck - Ian Brendle, by name - had it tipped back, the better to negotiate the threshold at the eatery called Noble, on Sansom Street west of 20th. If you'd come from a lunch of salt oysters and pickled vegetables at a bar nearby one recent day, and ambled west, you might have encountered that hand truck just before it ducked inside. It was stacked with boxes of local produce, the top one open, showing heaps of strawberries that glistened in the midday sun. Could Ian Brendle - he was from Green Meadow Farm in Lancaster County - spare a strawberry or two?

Michelle Brown and Mary Bohi led the Seneca track and field team to a state Group 3 title two years ago, a big achievement. Dubbed "my two horsemen" by Seneca coach Francine Siedlecki, Brown and Bohi this season spearheaded a drive that led to a successful defense of the title, a confirmation that they are for real. Seneca is The Inquirer's South Jersey girls' track and field team of the year. "The key was their desire to repeat," Siedlecki said about Brown, Bohi, and the rest of the team.

One was an upset. The other was a loss waiting to happen. Between the two, South Jersey lost its defending state champions in the NJSIAA softball tournament in the last seven days. Top-seeded Gloucester City, the Group 1 state champion, bowed, 2-1, to fourth-seeded Pennsville on Tuesday, raising eyebrows throughout the South Jersey softball community. Williamstown, the fourth seed and Group 4 state champ, lost to fifth-seeded Eastern on May 20 in a quarterfinal. Pennsville (15-5)

ATLANTIC CITY - Following his team's 56-52 victory over Richmond yesterday in the championship game of the Atlantic Ten Tournament at Boardwalk Hall, Temple coach Fran Dunphy was asked whether the Owls are now the kings of the league after adding the accomplishment to the Owls' regular-season conference title. "I'm quite sure that whenever our first Atlantic Ten game is next year, we won't be sitting there with crowns on our heads or anything else," Dunphy said. "We'll be worried about who the opposition is. " Top-seeded Temple, which is ranked No. 17 in the nation, won their league-record ninth title.

I'M FROM Philadelphia, and I'm proud. It's not just because the Phillies are back in the World Series. Truth is, I've come to expect excellence from my hometown baseball team. It's not the cheesesteaks, either, although the grease orgy that passes for a Philly sandwich is a caloric delight that most cities are unworthy of serving. Baseball and food aside, real Philadelphians know that there's one abiding reason to be proud of our hometown, and that's our grit . This is not to say that other cities aren't gritty.

Asked about Temple possibly earning an at-large berth to the NCAA tournament after last night's 55-53 Atlantic Ten semifinal upset of Xavier, Dionte Christmas gave an answer that could have put into words his mind-set every time he launches a three-pointer. He thinks the Owls - like his shots - are in. Whether Temple falls into the NCAAs or rims out is up in the air. If the Owls can successfully defend their crown in tonight's A-10 title game against sixth-seeded Duquesne (a 77-66 winner over Dayton in the other semifinal)

The Overbrook Farms home of Paul Wilson has been guarded for a decade by a family heirloom - a bronze-and-copper foo-dog statue that in Asian traditions brings luck. But not, apparently, for the statue. It was taken from the Wilson family's front porch, where it stood by the door on Overbrook Avenue, sometime between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Wednesday, and police last night asked anyone with information for tips. Foo-dog statues are common sights in the nation's Chinatowns, including Philadelphia's, and throughout much of Asia, where they have a rich and long tradition.