Fogeyisms

2012-02-14T05:00:00.000-05:00

THE INDRIO SAVANNAHS--

You have to know how deathly afraid of snakes Sue is to appreciate her courage in the above photo.

This day we slithered between the strands of barbed wire beside a gate on an access road that appeared to be a dike-like pathway between the little stream in the left of the above photo and an expansive area to the right most folks would regard as a swamp.

We joked about the unseen population of surrounding snakes while Sue mostly ignored us. Warning signs about poisonous snakes we encountered later confirmed our suspicions.

We were in search of the new nesting site for eagles who apparently were disturbed from their previous home just to the south--one of whom was featured in the story of January 30th.

We did find the new nest quite a bit east of that current trail and apparently close to where we saw the earlier bird. That took us back to the trail of our January 30th outing where we subsequently found the nest well hidden in the high pine foilage and barely visible from the trail that offered the closest access.

It's not likely to be a good photography candidate.

Regardless, our 2 mile, round-trip hike was a refreshing outing in an eco-system very strange to we northern visitors.

Anywhere you hike in Florida, informed folks will maintain a high degree of awareness. American alligators, feral hogs, poisonous snakes and an occasional jaguar all are possible encounters.

As we enjoyed our walking expedition it was fun to joke about only needing to be able to run faster than the slowest person in our group in order to insure one's personal survival.

Can you imagine that discussion in our geriatric group?

and, our neighborhood
eagle...

On the day of the Indrio Savannah hike we later drove into a neighborhood that borders our RV park on the south and enjoyed the above peek of an eagle feeding its young in this nest between our park and that neighborhood of fine homes.

We can see this nest from very near our camper but the view is less obstructed from the opposite side as shown above.

Note also, the smaller picture is the full frame done with a 200 mm lens on my digital SLR camera. I do not like to ever get close enough to these nests that I might become worrisome to the birds. And, the closer you get the more your shooting angle is elevated until you are seeing only the underside of the nest.

Better to stay back, enjoy this viewing angle, and, enjoy the degree of enlargement possible with a quality lens on these cameras with a large megapixel capability.

The larger image was cropped and enlarged out of the middle of the smaller one thus making it appear I was much closer to the nest than I actually was.

2012-02-11T05:00:00.001-05:00

GATORS and MANATEES and DOLPHINS...

and another peek at a Cocoa Beach sunset

Our expedition that day started at a memorial wetland near Melbourne then continued to the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. That island also hosts Cape Kennedy and the nation's space-launch complex near Titusville; about 50 miles or so north of our winter digs.

All critters featured in this story were seen on the refuge's Black Point Wildlife Drive, a seven mile, self-guided auto tour described by the NWR folks as "...one of our best wildlife viewing areas" or in the nearby Haulover Canal.

We agree with the NWR assessment--wholeheartedly!

The refuge all 140,000 acres of it, was established in 1963 when NASA created Kennedy Space Center. 330 species of birds have been seen there; both year-round residents and migrants who find the refuge a delightful rest stop.

The Manatee photos below were done there in the canal. That is the face of a Manatee at snorkeling depth immediately below:

...and this is the south end of a north-bound one.

This playful dolphin also enjoyed swimming with pleasure boats transiting the canal:

There were thousands and thousands of ducks on the NWR's water courses; joined in this view by very colorful Roseate Spoonbills:

We capped this delightful outing, accompanied by our friends Dick and Dee Weeks, with another fine dinner and a spectacular sunset at the Lobster Shanty in Cocoa Beach.

2012-02-09T05:00:00.011-05:00

SEA SHELLING—

My favorite Florida pastime

Tuesday’s photo was of Sue Brooks at the John Brooks (no known relative) Park south of Fort Pierce, FL as we were exploring our way south toward a favorite shelling beach; the “dog beach” near the Port St. Lucie power plant on the outer-banks.

I was armed for the first time that day with my Susick Seashell Sifter acquired during our Florida “off-season”. It is a nicely engineered, 6 inch or so wide, mostly triangularly square, plastic basket with ¼ inch, square holes. You drag it across the sandy bottom toward yourself, then shake it just below the water surface which clears the sand and smaller debris; revealing whatever treasurers you might have uncovered.

The nifty little rascal in the above photo is a West Indian false cerith about 3/8 inch long and 1/8 inch in diameter; my smallest find of a complete shell that day. It is lying on a dime in the picture.

My beachcomber’s guide to “Florida’s Seashells” regards this find as relatively uncommon.

Even more delightful was the Lion’s-paw (right). My guide book says, “Lion’s-paws are impressive and rare enough to be a quest shell for many beachcombers. While bits and pieces of these are fairly common, “whole shells are an unusual find.”

Woohooo!

These can grow to a maximum size of 6 inches across. This specimen is 3 1/8”.

My collecting project is to finish filling the tubular glass base of a table lamp for our camper. The collection (below) will do that and is representative of the variety of shells commonly found on area beaches.

With that project done I hope to refine my technique with a more selective harvest while enjoying the surf breaking across my legs and the breeze quietly pushing billowy cumulous clouds across the deep blue sky.

Of course the surface view on the beach can be very pleasant as well.

2012-02-07T05:00:00.000-05:00

SOLITUDE BY THE SEA

2012-02-04T05:00:00.000-05:00

One of several buildings in the Indian River County (Vero Beach, FL) Administration complex is shown in all its sub-tropical delight (above) while immediately behind this opulent building is the main hub for the county's bus system (below) where a collapsed sign greets passengers, and in the lower view, the only amenity is a pair of portable toilets lumped in the corner of the hub's parking lot while passengers wait--as the sign directs--before boarding their buses.

SOMEHOW I EXPECTED BETTER--

I caught the bus at its stop at a shopping center located within walking distance of our RV park on the south edge of town and was whisked into the bus line's hub in the central business district about 25 minutes later.

There are 14 routes in the system and their bus-stop signs literally cover this large county's area.

Sue was on an out-of-town junket with our friends, the Weeks, so it was an ideal time for me to go exploring.

The service is known for its reliability and departed on time. At the hub my plan was to change buses to a line that ran north completely out of the county between Sebastian and Melbourne. There I could loiter a bit along the inter-coastal waterway in Sebastian then catch a later bus back to Vero and, with another change, back to my starting point.

While the system's--known as the GoLine--equipment is modern and apparently well maintained and the drivers were, without exception, friendly and courteous, I was astonished to find a nearly bare parking lot for the "hub" rather than a nice building with amenities common to modern public transportation.

Surely there would at least be a shelter from the rain with a few flush toilets and a place to rest while waiting for one's departure.

Nope.

The county building (above) is a dandy but the bus facilities around back were a slap in the face to the GoLine's customers.

It was evident those folks were given consideration that mirrored their, evidently, modest social class.

The first hint was the complete absence of modern, "droid" type cell phones. Clothing was not exactly designer inspired. These were the working folks and I suspect many of the bus customers were not inclined to vote.

Politicians in control of the purse strings tend to be aware of such things.

Regardless, I noted our driver on the Sebastian run knew her passenger Edward who swapped greetings with fellow passenger Rich. These folks were regulars.

The driver even had her lunch handed to her through a window and had 6 minutes to consume it before the next scheduled departure. It was delivered, compliments of her husband who I met later and who just happened to be in the area.

Forget the class limitations and enjoy the civility.

On the way back to my starting point I noticed a very modern, artistic even, covered bench, gaily painted, at a bus stop. I wondered what political big shot lived nearby.

I was riding with Valerie, a 50-year resident of Vero Beach and we discussed the dismal facilities at the downtown hub. She summed it up cogently by noting, "When it rains we get wet."

Below is a view at the hub looking East. That is the only bench that was in view in any direction and it was occupied by a person who appeared to be homeless.

Actually, he could have arrived there by bus. The service is by donation.

2012-02-02T05:00:00.002-05:00

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO FOGEYISMS--

Ooops.

Our fifth anniversary occurred on the 15th of January and I failed to take notice.

I launched this effort shortly after cousin Bob Wolf introduced me to blogging by involving me in a family blog he had then created. Soon I found myself dominating his creation so I launched my own.

Believe it or not by the 15th of January this year I had published to the blog 1,093 times--posting items that inaugural year on a daily basis. That began to turn into more work than pleasure so I have been publishing on a more relaxed schedule ever since.

For me, as a former journalist and professional photographer, the blog is a marvelous outlet for those creative urges that yet remain in this aging body. I make no effort to track readership. While folks have inquired about advertising on my blog I do not intend to ever go there either.

This is a fun thing to do and any focus on readership or commerce would destroy that.

Since photography is my favorite hobby I enjoy republishing my favorite photos of the year as a year-end item. There I often add technical comments for readers who also are photography enthusiasts.

I enjoy doing pieces I usually call COMMENTERRY. That is a convenient outlet for my urge to editorialize on life's events but usually I restrain myself which makes the content more like a journal of life's experiences.

One of my favorite poetic efforts was published in January 2007 entitled "Frost on the Window Pane". You can go there quickly buy typing "Frost Window Pane" (without the quote marks) in the search box top left and clicking on the little search icon.

In fact, if you know a name or some key words you would like to find simply use that search function. Similarly, remember to click on any photo and you should be able to see a larger version.

Another way to quickly navigate to older articles is to click on the year of publication in the right column of each blog, then click on the month you think the story you are interested in appeared.

The occasional comment posted on the blog, or, much more often expressed personally to me, is ample reward for these modest efforts. In fact, it is often a matter of complete amazement to me that folks participate at all--an event for which I am always truly grateful

2012-01-31T05:00:00.002-05:00

FROG FESTIVAL FELLSMERE FLORIDA--

I headed for the festival enjoying visions of Huckleberry Fin and his pal Tom Sawyer in their idyllic days along the Mississippi River

This festival, however, wasn't exactly a festive time for the frogs

The longest line we saw was of folks waiting for their helping of fried, frog extremities.

There were a few carnival-type rides there too but about the most exciting ride for us was the pedal-powered trip we enjoyed from our parking area to the festival grounds. That's lady friend Sue (above) along with friends Dick and Dee Weeks arriving at the festival gate...

...whereupon we immediately commenced a tour through rows and rows of commercial tents with a wide variety of surprisingly nice products.

Sue bought two computer mice decorated with acrylic encased sea shells and Dee contributed to the carnival economy with the purchase of two nice shark-tooth necklaces.

There even was a pirate selling spiced pickles among other flavorful veggies. He warned Sue he would have to alert the Pirate Protective Agency if she told anyone of his secret recipe.

I felt sympathetic for the folks patrolling the grounds in their frog suits on a near 80 degree, sunny Florida day.

My companions cajoled me to ride the carnival's mechanical bull; you know those contrivances you sit on like a rodeo cowboy while it bucks and spins until you fly to somewhere in an adjoining county. They assured me they would use my cameras to take nice photos of the event.

I carried a second camera that day with a telephoto lens hoping for some nice super-detailed photos of folks enjoying frogs. Turned out that wasn't to be.

The enforcers of those enterprises were carefully protecting frog booths from photographers who failed to pay their $5 or $10 for a critter photo--the advertised ransom appearing to be related to the size of the critter.

We left the carnival and headed for a highly recommended, local restaurant, The Marsh Landing. That turned into a delightful experience. The restaurant building, now beautifully restored, began life as the home of a huge real estate business capitalizing on a Florida land boom which ultimately crashed after a huge flood then the depression in 1929.

While leaving the restaurant I shouted an "O-H..." to the gal running the adjacent gift shop. She recognized my cue with a rousing "Ohio!" I had learned earlier she was from Reynoldsburg.

Curious about the restaurant? See the link below. I was too, especially the origin of its name. But, none of the staff I talked to, nor the many historical photos on display, nor their web page answered my question.

Regardless, I will be watching for my next opportunity to feast at that fine establishment.

Marsh Landing

2012-01-30T15:48:00.000-05:00

THE NEST NEAR INDRIO ROAD--

American Bald Eagles have been nesting near the intersection of US 1 and Indrio Rd., south of Vero Beach but appear to have abandoned that site this season. A local observer believes new lighting in the nest area has caused the birds to move away from their old site.

We were not successful in locating the new site but did find this solitary adult perched in a mature pine growing in a scrub pine, dune area just north of the old nest.

A nest adjacent to our RV parking area also is active again so we will be keeping our eyes on both locations as the season progresses.

We did not disturb the above bird. The photo was taken from about 150 yards distance. It simply sat quietly and observed our brief visit.

The photo was done with Canon's 70-200 mm, f/2.8 image stabilized, L model lens and fairly severely cropped to create the relatively close appearing distance. You can do that with this very high quality lens, carefully, hand-focused.

2012-01-29T05:00:00.004-05:00

COMMENTERRY--

Saturday we drove from Vero Beach 105 miles to Lakeland for the Florida Winter Square Dance Festival.

Just before Lake Wales we saw a roadside caution sign which read: Jaguars Crossing.

Don't remember ever seeing a sign quite like that in Ohio, or anywhere else for that matter.

************

We stopped at a Wendy's in Lake Wales and ordered lunch. When we finally got our order it seemed like dinner time.

On the bright side, they were just a wee bit faster in service than our local Wendy's.

************

We rolled back into Vero Beach just after dark and I had a clown on a motorcycle riding my tail and blinding me with his bright headlight. I reached up and toggled the rear-view mirror on Sue's new Chevy Cruze to its night position and that gesture immediately launched an emergency call to OnStar.

If you grasp the little lever behind the mirror to make such an adjustment your thumb lands squarely on that little blue button.

I wondered which gee-whiz-kid in GM's engineering department came up with that brilliant design while Sue talked our way out of OnStar's insisting on sending something with lots of flashing lights our way.

And so it goes....

2012-01-28T05:00:00.002-05:00

THE FULL MONTY

A Musical Comedy

The phrase “Full Monty” is a British term meaning “complete”, or, like popular US slang, “going all the way.” “It also became known to mean ‘taking it all off’ “, according to the director’s notes in the playbill for the production of this name we recently and very thoroughly enjoyed at Vero Beach’s Riverside Theater.

The play is about six out-of-work steel workers who are driven to make some cash in order to save their families, their homes and their self-respect, and they choose to become male strippers. What follows is nearly two hours of hilarious, poignant, very, very professionally staged scenes that celebrate the strength of the human spirit.

It features the actors and behind-the-scenes folks alike who dazzled the audience with a staccato of smoothly transitioning scenes framed by an eye-pleasing montage of sets.

There are splashes of visual sizzle as the play delighted its evening guests who wondered just how the obvious conclusion of “taking it all off” might be presented in this very tasteful, family environment.

It was handled masterfully as the actors did a dazzling choreography of undressing until exquisite timing had them reaching nudity at precisely the same time the audience was blinded with a blast of light from the play’s illuminated name.

This acclaimed facility is known as a professional producing theater.

It was easy to see why it enjoys this artistic acclaim.

Bravo.

___________________

That’s lady friend Sue (top) approaching the palm lined entrance of the theater in a city park on its barrier island while (below) patrons are dazzled by a terrific light sculpture in the lobby. We were unable to share any views of the stage or auditorium because theater officials are fussy about such things and we respected their wishes.

2012-01-26T05:00:00.002-05:00

SEAGULLS and DOLPHINS
and fun with friends

While we enjoyed the antics of always-hungry seagulls, we felt really blessed when a dolphin or two swam within 20 feet of our dining table on a restaurant pier in Sebastian that recent day.

As the big fish enjoyed a gentle frolic in the boat basin it shared a smile when it porpoised its sparkling length above the water's surface.

I'm sure we smiled back.

It was one of those magical days when good friends, in the comfort of their mutual presence, shared the routine tasks of the day with the unhurried pace of our advancing age.

While younger folks hurried about we paused to enjoy those two bald eagles perched unseen by most in the nearby oak tree.

While our friends the Weeks handled the chore of enrolling with a new doctor in their winter digs, Sue and I loitered away some time in the nearby shopping center then returned to the waiting room until our friends were paroled from their task.

Even the quiet conversation shared in the waiting room was silently recognized as a blessing of friendship.

After lunch we headed for Merritt Island to see what we could then reversed course for home as we noted the time already passed that day. That island deserved more attention than we could bestow in the waning hours.

Highway A1A courses easily down the barrier islands from our Melbourne location so we drifted along that route hard beside the coastlines of the ocean and the inter-coastal bays.

Cormorants perched lazily in the restful sun and ospreys peeked from their fussy nests here and there above our route.

We passed the Sebastian inlet on our return route and I wondered where our dolphin dining companions had gone.

Yup. Life truly is good.

2012-01-24T05:00:00.003-05:00

INSIDE OUT TICKET TELLER--

The queue for purchasing movie tickets is located outside the theater in this Vero Beach facility.

They do things like that in Florida.

Inside, the building is very similar to the more modern movie houses in Ohio; complete with the vividly lit walkways and the deep red material adorning the walls.

The interior photo was done as patrons began to fill seats for a showing of War Horse--a show with dramatic war scenes and extraordinary "acting" by the animals.

Movies are an occasional diversion for us when weather conditions or a relaxed social schedule make them a good alternative.

Otherwise I would prefer a nice romp on the beach.

2012-01-22T16:08:00.003-05:00

ARCHIE'S BAR and GRILL--

On a Sunday in Fort Pierce, FL

Our waitress told us, as we were pondering our lunch offerings, "You should have been here just a bit earlier--and enjoyed the biker church service.

She said something about the beer flowing and I wondered if she was talking about communion.

Actually, we've enjoyed many visits here. It's kind of a cross between Key West and Woodstock. Regardless of the casual ambiance the food is very tasty and the behavior has always been civil but, well, a bit casual too.

It is located on Highway A1A along the ocean shore and on the way to numerous beaches where we have enjoyed shelling and hiking and just plain loitering--the nautical variety.

2012-01-21T05:00:00.001-05:00

Lady friend Sue Brooks enjoys an expansive view of the Atlantic Ocean from the deck of the unique, Driftwood Inn in Vero Beach, Florida.

FROM JUNK--

to a tourist mecca

The Driftwood Inn, Vero Beach's oldest landmark, is the creation of an eccentric, Indiana plow salesman who wandered into Vero Beach in 1914 to peddle his wares. Impressed by the town's then raw beauty he decided to make his home here.

His name was Waldo Sexton.

He had a passion for collecting the unusual and began constructing his family's oceanfront retreat from whatever he could scavenge; scraps from a demolished barn, discarded planks along the roadside, and, ocean-washed timbers--driftwood.

There were no formal plans. His construction technique was to shout instructions to his helpers while eye-balling the work's progress.

His project was described as "...the most parallel, just about square and close to level...wooden melange," with "...the most dramatic result you'll ever find."

Just as important to Waldo as the casual construction was the "fixin' up" of his showplace decorated with art, artifacts, antiques and just plain junk he collected.

He had a special fondness for bells and accumulated many "...still abundantly apparent" at the resort; now a combined time-share and traditional hotel with a restaurant, pool and outdoor, beach-front dining area.

It originally opened in 1937 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.

A cannon from an ancient warship works as a silent sentry in the courtyard of the Driftwood Inn (above) while guests enjoy their ocean view from the inn's outdoor dining area.

2012-01-19T05:00:00.001-05:00

Wind driven, ocean waves roar shoreward toward the Driftwood Inn in Vero Beach, Florida while lady friend Sue Brooks enjoys the scene while dressed snugly against unusually chilly weather in early January. Saturday we take a look at the history of this architectural phenomenon.

2012-01-17T05:00:00.001-05:00

AN ANTIQUE SHOW--

Sue Brooks and Dee Weeks stroll through the show arena of the county fairgrounds near Vero Beach during a huge, antique sales event recently. I now call the arena the 104 Building.

That's how many minutes it took us to thoroughly examine just this part of the show.

I pointed out a beautiful, 4 foot model yacht and suggested to Sue we could share the cost of the little boat and add it to a growing nautical display in our camper. In fact, I noted, we could split the model in half length-wise so it would better fit our display. That way we would only have to buy her half.

She did not appreciate my sense of humor.

In the lower photo Dick Weeks and wife Dee, our friends from Syracuse, NY, examine a huge display of Hummel figurines. I asked Dick why they didn't purchase one. "Our display at home is full," he quipped.

My vote for the most unusual item on display at the show was a nicely polished, hardwood, baptismal sink. The sign invited viewers to inquire about the price.

I didn't have the courage to ask.

2012-01-14T05:00:00.000-05:00

TWO BLOG STORIES THAT AREN'T--

I started out the other morning to do a blog story on the local bus service and watched the buses leave as I was hoofing it their way.

Evidently I was misinformed by the well-intentioned folks who told me their schedule.

Then, later that same week Sue and I headed downtown, hoping to do a blog story on their 1st Friday of the month Art Walk.

The only "artist" we saw engaged in painting when we arrived was the fellow on the right who was redoing the exterior wall of a local sporting goods store.

He thought it rather funny when I shared that news with him.

There was one 14th Avenue studio mildly populated with finely dressed folks enjoying their tea and pastries while being "seen" downtown with the artist whose work was on display.

"The place to be seen" was how the local columnist had previously described the two-block art walk.

How nice.

We did find a splendid, artsy gift shop open where Sue found a delightful gift (left) for a friend soon to celebrate a birthday.

Later we found our way to other amusements, but, now armed with good bus schedule info I hope to salvage that story with a future expedition.

We'll see.

2012-01-13T09:32:00.000-05:00

GREAT DAY WITH GREAT FRIENDS--

...and, life is good!

Lady friend Sue Brooks casts a gee-whiz grimace toward Terri Garafolo who can be imagined to be wondering what bit her toe as we romp in the surf at Cocoa Beach, Florida yesterday.

Terri, who lives in Savannah, GA, was visiting Mansfielder's Dave and Mary Ann Lenahan and Sue and I drove up to spend a day with them. All of us have danced together with the Johnny Appleseed Squares, our Mansfield, OH square dance club.

A wee bit of silliness continued to prevail as the five of us splashed our celebration of the 80+ degree, January day in sunny Florida. The photo was done by Janet from Windsor, NY who readily volunteered to photograph our mini-expedition. She and a friend were enjoying the sun as we passed by. Janet's son lives in Cocoa Beach and she was here for a short visit.

Our marvelous day was capped with a fine dinner at the Lobster Shanty in Cocoa Beach where we were rewarded with this also delicious sunset as viewed from their outdoor dining area--looking across the Banana River, part of the area intercoastal waterway.

Life is good, indeed.

2012-01-11T05:00:00.003-05:00

POTPOURRI from VB--

The above scene lingered into 2012 as we celebrated New Year's Eve at the clubhouse on the pond at our digs in Vero Beach. Christmas decorations even lingered until January 5th in the clubhouse, and, a huge, Christmas star remains aglow at a neighbor's abode just across the street.

At our collective ages there does not appear to be much reason to hurry. Ever.

That's Sue (below) taking a peek at Vero Beach's public marina on the intercoastal waterway. The bridge in the background is the northern of two that serve the city's traffic from the mainland to the barrier islands. If you look closely between the pilings in front of Sue you will see a Zodiac-style boat. They are commonly used to ferry folks back and forth to shore who live aboard their boats while anchored in the waterway.

The main channel for the waterway is hidden from view by the island greenery.

2012-01-07T05:00:00.002-05:00

A TOURISTY COST OF LIVING—

I wandered the aisles of a Vero Beach grocery store and it quickly became apparent the cost of living could be higher here than in Ohio.

A tub of “I Can’t Believe it is not Butter” was priced at $3.81. I remember that being about $2.50 back home.

Here are a few more items with which you can make your own comparisons: Large Grade A eggs were $2.19 a dozen, Heinz Ketchup, 32 oz., was $3.19, a 15 oz., can of Del Monte peas was $1.43, and a 7 oz., box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese was $1.69.

Ground beef in this Publix store was $3.69 a pound. Publix dominates the local grocery market but shares it a bit with Win Dixie. Wal Mart has a presence here as well.

Naturally, costs were considerably lower if you use the store’s brand. The Publix box of macaroni and cheese sells for 79 cents.

On the other hand, Bryer’s ice cream sells for $6.17 in the shrinking, 1.5 quart size at Publix. I remember that selling for about ½ that price at the Mansfield discount store.

In fast foods, a Big Mac sandwich costs $3.39 and Wendy’s charges $3.69 for their single burger with cheese.

Gasoline was about $3.20 a gallon for regular during this period.

Herb Tunis, who, along with wife Karen, serves as our RV park host, says he finds the costs here similar to their Delaware (state) home except for the local 7% sales tax. They don’t have sales tax in Delaware he explained.

The local sales tax compares to 6.75% in Ohio.

Without doing serious math, Sue felt the local food costs were about 10% higher than at home.

Our Syracuse, NY friends, Dick and Dee Weeks, make good use of coupons, bulk purchasing, and “buy one, get one free” deals, for another example. They find they do as well here as at home.

In casual conversations, some local folks believe prices appear to be higher here during the winter when the supply of snow-birding tourists is ample.

Other folks just shrug when I randomly inquire about local prices. Judging by the more than ample quantity of very pricey automobiles on the road around here, I do not find that surprising.

However, when scenes like the above photo are commonplace as they are here, enduring a wee-bit higher cost of living somehow becomes a lot more tolerable.

2012-01-04T05:00:00.005-05:00

NIGHTS OF LIGHT—

Just a mile or so north of our winter digs in Vero Beach is the McKee Botanical Garden where last week visitors were treated to their first-ever, after dark peek at this luscious, 18 acre piece of tropical real estate.

In 1922 a local land company purchased 80 acres of tropical hammock along the Indian River and seven years later the McKee Jungle Gardens was born. With the help of a landscape architect the basic infrastructure of streams, ponds and trails was designed.

Native vegetation was augmented with ornamental plants from around the world and the work grew into an acclaimed collection of water lilies and orchids.

By the 1940s more than 100,000 tourists were visiting the gardens each year but, by the 1970s attendance dwindled due to competition from new attractions and the garden closed its doors in 1976.

The land was sold and all but today’s 18 acres were developed. The remaining acreage sat vacant for 20 years then, in 1995, a local land-trust purchased the remaining acreage for 1.7 million dollars. Close to $9.1 million was raised to purchase, stabilize and restore the garden which held its formal dedication in 2001.

This season’s inaugural “Nights of Lights” event featured 400 walkway luminaries with 100 additional, floating luminaries leading visitors through a visual treat of spotlighted ponds, plants and sculptures.

A rustic building known as the Hall of Giants contained a mahogany table; at 35 feet in length, the longest piece of solid mahogany in the word. It was tastefully adorned by 190 conical shaped “trees” fashioned by the staff from scraps of wrapping paper (pictured above).

More than 1,000 folks were expected to enjoy the three evening walk in the park such as shown in the small photo top right.

We, along with friends Dick and Dee Weeks, were happy to be among them.

____________________________________

http://www.mckeegarden.org/index.php

2012-01-03T09:32:00.000-05:00

CALIFORNIA ORANGES; in Florida??

We were shopping in the Vero Beach Sam's Club yesterday and noted their large display of navel oranges on sale.

They were grown in California.

We found that very curious, but, as I learned later, adverse weather in the late 19th and early 20th centuries shifted the dominance of orange production from Florida to California.

It still doesn't seem right.

Speaking of adverse weather; we awoke this morning to a temperature of 42 F.

That doesn't seem right either.

2012-01-01T05:00:00.002-05:00

FLAT STANLEY ARRIVES ON THE BEACH--

Second graders at Mansfield Christian School recently read the book "Flat Stanley". This book is about a young boy of that name who is squished "as flat as a pancake" when a bulletin board falls on him. Stanley is very, very flat but otherwise just fine.

The story goes on to tell there are advantages to being flat. Stanley can slide under doors or go down into sidewalk grates to do some exploring. He even can fold himself up small enough to fit in an envelope and be mailed to some far-off place for an exciting vacation.

Sue's co-worker Sarah Conn (before Sue's retirement) has a second grade daughter at Mansfield Christian, X'zaria Murphy, who colored the Flat Stanley pictured above and mailed him to Sue in Vero Beach where we took him on his adventure to one of our near-countless beaches.

Flat Stanley asked us to share this picture with X'zaria and to wish everyone out there a very HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

2011-12-31T05:00:00.001-05:00

FAVORITE PICTURES OF THE YEAR--

Part 2

Macro photography (say extreme close-up) is a delightful, compositional tool. It often succeeds just because it presents an uncommon sight to the viewer; in this case drops of early morning dew on a weedy leaf. Note the extremely shallow depth of sharp focus. Barely 1/2 inch is clear between the fuzzy foreground and background.

Sue (right) and Savannah, Georgia friends--plus one passing seagull--enjoy a sunrise on the beach at nearby Tybee Island. Part of the success of this photo comes from its strong, rectangular shape. You can achieve the same thing often by simply loping off wasteful or distracting parts of your photos with a pair of scissors. There is no rule that insists they remain the same shape the photo machine provides.

Ashland's balloon glow affords a marvelously colorful subject--especially if you turn your flash off. It does you no good at this distance anyhow. If it will not shut off, cover it with something. If you have a simple camera try the night scene setting and hold your camera perfectly still. I had mine propped on top of a fence post for these shots. If you have manual settings on your camera try a couple of test shots first. My exposure for this photo was 1/20th of a second at f/4 and ISO 400.

This night photo is the Ferris wheel at the Bellville Street Fair. It appears a bit unusual because I used a fairly long exposure to create the trails of light as the wheel was spinning. The exposure was for 2 seconds at f/22 and ISO 400. Had I made the exposure a bit longer the dark wedges would have disappeared. The camera was held steady by mashing it against a steel light pole.

I liked the spontaneity of this muscular sclerosis patient enjoying the beat of the music as members of my Johnny Appleseed square dancing club provided the entertainment at their annual picnic. Sometimes photographers can be a nuisance but getting close to the event can be a key to good composition. I did not use a flash because it would have rendered the background quite dark and destroyed the overall sense of joy during their participation in the dance we take for granted.

Often interesting compositions can be found is less than ideal weather. The patterns reflected on the wet bicycle trail and the color fading to a misty gray background made this picture of March-of-Dimes participants more interesting than if it had been taken in nice weather. No flash is advised here either. That would produce little blobs of fuzzy white reflections on the raindrops close to the camera--and likely destroyed the photo; about like flashing your high beam headlights in a nighttime snowstorm.

I liked the soft presence of the foreground plant and my lady Sue, both being dwarfed by this rocky massif at Hemlock Falls. It is hard to imagine the geologic powers that created these monstrous stones then tumbled them into this pleasing formation over periods of time that defy human comprehension.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2011-12-29T05:00:00.000-05:00

FAVORITE PICTURES OF THE YEAR--
Part 1

Sports photography crossed my plate for the first time in years this summer when I became an adopted grand pa of Sue's grand daughter, Mackenna Curtis Collins. She is an outstanding athlete and excels at both soccer and cross country running.

In this photo she is defending against overwhelming force from a much larger opponent. An exposure of 1/1,300 of a second at f/2.8 with a 200 mm lens was sufficient to stop the action yet give nice exposure under back-lit conditions. Sensitivity was ISO 100. The long lens and wide aperture helped shallow the depth of field and confine sharpness to the athletes.

Here she digs deeply but had to settle for 2nd place, to an obviously larger opponent, at the finish line of this cross country race. Exposure data was identical to the first photo but focus was done manually to keep Mackenna rendered sharply. She wound up taking top honors at her school for her personal race results in her first year at the junior high.

This is the Honey Run waterfall in Knox County. My Canon Rebel T3i, digital single-lens reflex camera was propped on a sloping rock and leveled with my pocket knife and the lens cap for a make-shift tripod. The camera had to be held still for the relatively long exposure of 1/4 second which rendered the flowing water in silk-like wisps. Remember, you can click on these images to see a larger view.

While the back-lighting was dramatic on these dogwood leaves it is the magic of Photoshop software that is responsible for the pressed-in-wax flavor of this composition shot on my upper deck. The surface of the out-of-focus pond is responsible for the blue background color. Software certainly adds a stunning, creative tool to digital photography, but, every other photo in this year's series could have been done with film.

This was a spontaneous photo done at a fund-raising event's registration. It made me sympathetic to the little person's shy expression while I envisioned the ample protection surrounding her with an admitted sense of mirth.

Sue Brooks takes a peek at the moon through the large telescope at the Warren Rupp Observatory at Hidden Hollow Camp during one of their monthly public, viewing nights. I am thankful for the cooperative assistance of the scope's operator for aligning the observatory's roof opening for my composition while both he and several observers at a time were hoisted about 10 feet above floor level so they could see in the eyepiece.

My oldest son Brian enjoys a relaxing cast into the sunset at Charles Mill Lake from the deck of their newly acquired pontoon boat. This simply is a nice photo from one of those special events life provides from time to time. Can you see the two dark parts of his spinner bait in mid-flight?

This series will conclude with seven more images Saturday, December 31st.

2011-12-27T05:00:00.002-05:00

A FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH?

One of the ageless, feature attractions in St. Augustine, FL is the Fountain of Youth (above); the dream discovery of explorer Ponce de Leon in 1513.

It has been more than a week now since Sue enjoyed a hefty gulp from the fountain, and, *Gasp* nothing has happened.

She is taking it gracefully.

We arrived in St. Augustine Sunday, the 18^th after saying goodbye to TJ and family over a delightful brunch in Jacksonville.

While south-bound travelers begin to see palm trees in S. Carolina we had our first opportunity to express our appreciation to one of them personally (left) in this touristy town.

We enjoyed a stroll through the oldest part of town then lazed across the Bridge of Lions to an evening visit with the town’s historic lighthouse. St. Augustine was founded in 1565 and is the oldest, continuously-occupied, European settlement in the US.

The non-historic features of the town are, well, touristy and the trolley ride cost $35 each with stops at a few of the “touristy” attractions so we reduced our planned stay to one night and rolled on south to Vero Beach on Monday the 19^th.

Except for a lazy refrigerator we got our camper-home up and hospitable in short order. It wasn’t long until we were shopping for necessary provisions—and a Christmas tree; camper sized. If I remember events correctly it was aglow before we managed to nudge the refrigerator into operation.

Why it refused to start initially remains a mystery.

By Wednesday Sue had corralled a Comcast cable TV tech who arrived and installed that service—thus completing our transition into the comfort of winter life in our sub-tropical home.

Later that afternoon we realllly celebrated. Wednesday was the first day of winter and Sue marked the occasion with this frolic on the beach—

2011-12-25T05:00:00.004-05:00

CHRISTMAS IN THE PALMS—

May your celebration of Christ’s birthday be the most enchanting ever.

2011-12-23T05:00:00.002-05:00

This gentle giant of a giraffe peers at visitors to the Jacksonville Zoo during our stop there while we were enroute to southeast Florida.

SNOWBIRDING—

20011-2012 style

We said good-bye to winter Dec 16^th and a leisurely four days later arrived at our winter digs in Vero Beach, FL.

Our first stop was about 3 hours down the road from home where we enjoyed granddaughter Brittany Wolf (right) receiving her graduate degree in occupational therapy from Shawnee State U in Portsmouth, OH.

Portsmouth also is known for its marvelous display of murals painted on concrete panels on the dry-side of their Ohio River flood wall.

From there we breezed past Charleston then ground our way through rainy-snowy darkness on our meandering ascent of the West Virginia Turnpike to a fuel stop near Beckley at about 3,500 feet above sea level.

We paid close attention to the falling temperature during our ascent. It dropped to 34 degrees and was headed down as we stopped for fuel.

I was seriously considering that for our first over-night stop when a friendly truck driver told me the local forecast was calling for an overnight accumulation of ice and snow.

We offered her our thanks and hustled on down the road; relieved by a slow climb in temperature as we lost altitude through Fancy Gap into Wytheville, VA and a very welcome late dinner at the Log House Restaurant which resides in a building born there in 1776.

It was meaningful to contemplate the colonies when the walls that surrounded us were hewed from local timber and fueled the westerly expansion of our then yet-to-be nation—as we munched our tasty steak dinners.

The following afternoon we visited daughter TJ and family in Jacksonville, FL then took a peek at the city from across the St. John’s River that evening (below).

Our story will continue soon with our final stop on the way south in St. Augustine. Please stay tuned.

2011-12-22T05:00:00.001-05:00

It is hard to imagine the Ohio River, on the opposite side of this wall, could ever reach a flood stage as high as this side of the dike. Lady friend Sue enjoys taking a peek at some of the murals local folks enjoy in Portsmouth, OH, then, in the lower photo, she is visiting an aquarium in the Jacksonville, FL zoo. Tomorrow we will share some other photos and a story on the first half of our trip south.

2011-12-18T20:09:00.000-05:00

ANOTHER APOLOGY!

Just had an opportunity to view Sunday's blog and it certainly did not appear as I had it formatted. Somehow, somewhere along the line paragraph spaces were removed. I'll try to fix it. Soon.

2011-12-18T05:00:00.004-05:00

(News of a new planet's discovery arrived recently and that lit the fuse of my imagination which led to this dalliance being authored as we prepared for our departure for Florida.)

SETI--

The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

Our sun is regarded as fairly "puny" as stars go and there are billions and billions of stars (sound like Carl Sagan?) in our Milky Way Galaxy alone. Each one of those suns (stars) has an habitable zone capable, perchance, of supporting life as we know it.

Therefore, in our galaxy alone, the odds are astoundingly high there would be other planets somewhere in those countless zones--like this newly discovered one.

Then, consider, there are billions and billions of galaxies in the universe. That compounds, exponentially (beyond human comprehension actually) the odds of there being intelligent life somewhere out there.

Then, consider, the cosmos which includes us and everything beyond the known universe. Sagan described the cosmos as "...everything that has been, is now, or ever will be".

Actually pondering this makes two things happen to me; 1) I feel quite puny myself, and 2) my head hurts.

...and, I have not even begun to wrestle with the meaning of "intelligence".

Also, there is the matter of distance. The Milky Way Galaxy is, itself, a fairly large neighborhood. Our galaxy is about 100,000 light years across. Remember, a light-year measures distance and space, not time. It is the distance light travels in a year at a speed of about 186,000 miles per second.

Now, imagine traveling at that velocity for 100,000 years just to cross our own Milky Way neighborhood.

After that little jaunt you can begin to consider visiting our nearest neighboring galaxy, Andromeda. It is a mere two and a quarter million light years, more or less, away.

Humans certainly are going to have to speed-up our means of locomotion if we ever hope to have eye contact with any of our galactic neighbors.

Unless, of course, they arrive here first. In that case, we might learn a new definition of the word "intelligence".

2011-12-16T05:00:00.009-05:00

HERE WE GO AGAIN--

Today Sue and I launched ourselves on the first day of the rest of our lives.

We are headed to Shawnee State University in Portsmouth, OH where granddaughter Brittany will be awarded her graduate degree in occupational therapy--the very first day of her new life as well.

From there we will continue south for our second winter of snow-birding in Vero Beach, Florida.

The blog may be silent for awhile. Consider us on vacation if that happens.

I have selected my favorite pictures of the year and they are in the queue to be published on the 28th and the 31st.

Meanwhile we will be trundling along with our next planned stop being in Jacksonville, FL to say hello to my daughter TJ and family.

From there we may spend a couple of days in St. Augustine. Founded in 1565 it is the oldest continually occupied European settlement in the US.

While we will enjoy our unhurried pace of travel we also are anxious to rejoin our very special friends Dick and Dee Weeks from Syracuse, NY who are waiting for us in Vero Beach--along with long-time Bellville friends Dick and Jan Shafer and Duane and Jerri Maxwell; with whom we will be spending Christmas day this year.

Yes, life has been bountiful in many ways and I am thankful to be blessed with marvelous friends, good health and abundant energy with which to continue its celebration.

Can you see me whistling as Sue and I meander along hand-in-hand sharing a devilish wink from time to time.

We hope you will stay tuned.

2011-12-13T12:24:00.000-05:00

OOOPS--

Loyal blog reader, Mark Meinzer, pointed out today's BOOK REPORT was a duplicate.

I was inclined to quip I had read those books each, twice. But, really I am sorry for the mistake and appreciate Mark's bringing it to my attention. I guess I am paying more attention to Florida trip preparations than I am to blog scheduling.

Recently I have been reading books faster than I have been publishing book reports and I had several reports languishing in the queue. That also contributed to this posting error.

I guess it really is time for a vacation. < Smile >

2011-12-13T05:00:00.001-05:00

BOOK REPORTS--

The Takedown by Jeffrey Robinson

It reads like a novel but in this case truth is better than fiction. The subtitle describes it as, "A suburban mom, a coal miner's son, and the unlikely demise of Columbia's brutal Norte Valle (drug) Cartel." The story regards a 13 year investigation of the group responsible for 60 percent of the cocaine entering the US. A good read about the good-guys winning; well, more or less.

A Life on the Road by Charles Kuralt

Longtime CBS-TV personality and host of his popular series "On the Road" shares this book-full of tales encountered in more than a million miles travelled in producing that show and many others in his stellar career. Travel stories are my favorite genre and this one is a potpourri of pure delight.

The Whole Truth by David Baldacci

This is another dandy effort by this very popular novelist. It takes a look at the armament industry and its use of marketing to manage the public perception of world events in the industry's best interests. It has all the ingredients for another of his yarns you will want to read non-stop. Baldacci has 14 previous best sellers. I hope I can find all the rest I have not yet read. Soon.

Riding the Iron Rooster by Paul Theroux

Imagine hopping a train in London then winding up in Moscow after a right turn in Warsaw. From Moscow its on to Irktusk via the Siberian Express then a rolling jaunt south through Mongolia on the way to the journey's real destination; exploring China by rail. Theroux is an marvelous travel writer and this was a dandy read.

2011-12-10T05:00:00.002-05:00

HER WIPER BLADES NEEDED REPLACED--

This adventure began when I took my truck to the Graham Ford garage one recent morning for some recall work and Sue arrived as planned to help me loiter away the hours.

Since the Graham Chevrolet dealership was right next door to the Ford place she led the way inside to take a peek at the new Cruze models. That didn't take long to arouse the interest of a salesman and soon we were riding about their car lot on the cold, rainy morning, examining a generous selection of models.

I rode quietly in the back seat of Graham's fancy SUV, with a sticker price over 50 grand, and stayed in the background during her interrogation regarding the virtues of her selected vehicle which she was soon piloting back to the showroom for dealer plates and a demo spin.

Long story short; an hour or so later I had my truck in custody and her vehicle of interest was on hold while we headed off for lunch and her tending to some arrangements with her finance folks.

She was bemoaning her recent purchase of new tires for what was rapidly becoming her "old" car while I peeked at her over the top of my glasses. At least it will save you the cost of new wiper blades, I quipped. That and a lube job were other expenses she had been pondering before we launched for the sunny south.

That wiper blade purchase is no longer an issue. She took delivery of her new Chevy Cruze the following morning. That's it pictured above in one of my favorite Mansfield, outdoor "studios".

Meanwhile, the Ford service guy had told me my truck was making a funny noise in the front end. I had noticed the same thing recently so we headed off to my local shop, Buckeye Auto Center, while I had chauffeur service available.

Their examination found a tie rod had failed when it fell apart as they put the truck up on their rack. $160 bucks later my truck no longer had that funny noise and I was thanking my lucky stars the tie rod did not become deceased along the road somewhere.

While I was paying my bill I was pondering the costs of maintaining an 11 year old truck versus car payments.

I think I'll take my son up on his offer to sell my truck while I am in FL.

A fellow could easily develop an interest in a newer vehicle.

I can hardly imagine a vehicle like that SUV with the little TV in the dash that shows a live color picture while the driver is backing up--or, the heated leather seats that make you feel like you had an urinary accident when they cycle into action.

It's more likely I will wind up with a slightly aged motor scooter--hopefully one with a good heater.

2011-12-08T05:00:00.001-05:00

CORNELIUS ANTHONY MC CAFFERTY JR
September 24, 1940 - February 17, 1969

My high school classmate and neighbor Cornelius A. (Neil) McCafferty Jr., died in combat in Vietnam, February 17, 1969.

My memory of Neil was rekindled recently when a friend shared a link to the Vietnam Wall memorial and I found his name there--even though I was hoping not to in spite of my knowledge of his tragic death.

In our high school yearbook his ambition was "To be a general in the marine corps." In real life he served in the US Navy for 10 years and was a first class petty officer; SM1. That's not as much rank as a general but it certainly is near the top of the list for enlisted, non-commissioned officers.

His unit awards included US Naval River Patrol Service Vietnam with a Purple Heart, the National Defense Service Medal and government of Vietnam campaign medals.

He was 28 when he died. Already, he had given more than a third of his life in the service of his country.

Ultimately, as a casualty of hostile enemy fire, he gave it all.

May you continue to rest in peace my friend.

I hope you somehow know we will never forget.
______________________________
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall

2011-12-06T05:00:00.001-05:00

BOOK REPORTS--

The Takedown by Jeffrey Robinson

It reads like a novel but in this case truth is better than fiction. The subtitle describes it as, "A suburban mom, a coal miner's son, and the unlikely demise of Columbia's brutal Norte Valle (drug) Cartel." The story regards a 13 year investigation of the group responsible for 60 percent of the cocaine entering the US. A good read about the good-guys winning! Well, sorta'.

A Life on the Road by Charles Kuralt

Longtime CBS-TV personality and host of his popular series "On the Road" shares this book-full of tales encountered in more than a million miles traveled in producing that show and many others in his stellar career.. Travel stories are my favorite genre and this one is a potpourri of pure delight.

The Whole Truth by David Baldacci

This is another dandy effort by this very popular novelist. It takes a look at the armament industry and its use of marketing to manage the public perception of world events in the industry's best interests. It has all the ingredients for another of his yarns you will want to read non-stop. Baldacci has 14 previous best sellers. I hope I can find all the rest I have not yet read. Soon.

Riding the Iron Rooster by Paul Theroux

Imagine hopping a train in London then winding up in Moscow after a right turn in Warsaw. From Moscow its on to Irkutsk via the Siberian Express then a rolling jaunt south through Mongolia on the way to the journey's real destination; exploring China by rail. Theroux is a marvelous travel writer. He described a Mongolian yak, for example, as looking "...like a cow on its way to the opera."

2011-12-05T09:10:00.000-05:00

The spectacle of a secular Christmas celebration morphs into...

the celebration of Christ's birth.

...in the 25th anniversary year of the Living Christmas Trees pageant presented by the Grace Polaris Church, Westerville, OH.

The Story: Cody has been asked to bring cookies to his second-grade holiday party to celebrate winter and he is left wondering who took the "Christmas" out of Christmas. Later that night he has a bad dream that Christmas might go away forever. Under the cloud of this being his last Christmas, Cody travels back to witness the first Christmas, first hand. Though it was all just a dream, Cody realizes Christmas is not just here to stay, it is for yesterday, today and forever.

Remaining performances scheduled for December 9th, 10th and 11th: Click!

Do your soul a favor!

2011-12-03T05:00:00.008-05:00

APPALACHIAN ANTS--

We started out that day looking for ants most folks have never seen and hiking on a bicycle trail that does not yet exist.

The ants are the Appalachian variety (above) with the rusty colored head and thorax with a black bottom or gaster. The critters in the photo were about 1/2 inch long and appear to be discussing the best use for the piece of dried leaf being hauled into their nest cavity.

A few years ago bicycling friends and I rode part of the abandoned railroad corridor which one day will be a bike trail from Brinkhaven to Killbuck via Glenmont in southwestern Holmes County. I discovered huge ant mounds that day and our recent outing was to rediscover those mounds for this story.

The normal range of these ants is along the Atlantic coast from Nova Scotia to Georgia and inland to the western side of the Appalachian Mountains. So, these critters have expanded their advertised range a bit west of there.

These are mound building ants; big mounds--often several feet tall and six feet or so across at their bases. These mounds can be undermined with a tunnel system another several feet below ground and six feet or so outside the perimeter of the nest. They may contain several hundred thousand ants.

The colonies living in the mounds can have numerous, egg-laying queens. Their mounds serve as solar-powered incubators for their eggs.

If young trees begin to grow around the nest creating shade, the ants will bite the tree bark and inject formic acid, killing the offending trees and protecting the solar exposure.

We hiked about two miles out that day and noticed maybe a dozen of these mounds just along the edge of the abandoned right-of-way. These ants really prefer fields that are not mowed but are occasionally grazed. The grazing animals keep the weed growth low enough so the weeds do not interfere with sunlight heating the nests.

Who knows how many nests might be found if the conditions met the ant's ideal specifications!

And, consider this from our story's research: Though only a tiny fraction of the size of humans, the total weight of all the ants in the world is estimated to equal that of all humans.

Mark Meinzer takes a close, photographic peek at a mound. Notice the good, sunlight exposure on this mound and several tunnels visible to the mound's interior.

2011-12-01T05:00:00.000-05:00

HIKING ON A WARM NOVEMBER DAY--

Square dancing friends Mark and Nancy Meinzer, Roberta Karger and lady-friend Sue Brooks enjoy a rock formation along an abandoned railroad right-of-way between Brinkhaven and Glenmont in southwestern Holmes County.

One day this trail will connect the Mohican Valley Trail which runs between Danville and Brinkhaven to the Holmes County Bike Trail which now ends in Killbuck.

On the day of this hike in early November we were in search of mound building ants like the one pictured below. Please stop by Saturday for the tale of our outing.

2011-11-29T05:00:00.001-05:00

Last week's bicycle ride in Holmes County reminded me of a yet-to-be-done story on ants. That story will follow later this week.

In the process of doing the ant story on a marvelous day in early November we enjoyed not only the hike along an abandoned, railroad corridor (above) but also the scenes below, all within several miles of each other near the junction of Knox, Holmes and Coshocton Counties.

I was accompanied on this delightful outing by square dancing friends Mark and Nancy Meinzer, Roberta Karger and lady friend Sue Brooks pictured immediately above on the Bridge of Dreams, Ohio's longest covered bridge. It spans the Mohican River in Brinkhaven and is, itself, the end of the Mohican Valley Trail, a combined bike and buggy trail that courses the four miles between Brinkhaven and Danville.

Mark is paying photographic attention to an Amish buggy clip-clopping eastbound on US Route 62 as viewed from the covered bridge. Holmes County boasts the largest Amish population in the world.

From the covered bridge we drove those four miles along route 62 to Danville then another four miles or so south, crossed the intersection with SR 36, immediately crossed a bridge over the Kokosing River then headed east on the first township road to the Honey Run Park about a mile or so east of route 62. From that park it is a very short hike to Knox County's only waterfall (below).

As you can imagine, local folks take considerable pride in the bounty of natural scenes glorifying our area of Ohio. It was a special blessing when it could be shared with equally special friends on a warm and sunny November day.

2011-11-26T05:00:00.004-05:00

A NOVEMBER BIKE RIDE--
Will December also be as kind?

A culvert under state route 83 near Holmesville, OH colorfully frames biking friends Nancy and Mark Meinzer as well as my lady Sue Brooks as we head north on the Holmes County Bike Trail from Millersburg to Fredericksburg.

Sue smiles (right) because the Village Car and Buggy Wash in the latter town serves another function as well.

Our ride that early and warm November day was a 20 mile round-trip on this dandy, multi-use trail where bicycles and Amish buggies share the right-of-way. Buggies are confined to one side of the trail for obvious reasons.

Regardless, there often is gentle eye contact and a modest wave shared when "English" folks on their bicycles roll by our clip-clopping travel companions.

This trail now extends from Killbuck in Holmes County through Millersburg to Fredericksburg in Wayne Co., a distance of about 16 miles. When finished it will extend from Killbuck through Glenmont to Brinkhaven where it will connect with the Mohican Valley Trail near Brinkhaven.

One day it will be a link in a continuous bike trail from Cincinnati to Cleveland.

Meanwhile it is unique as the first trail in the US to accommodate horse and buggies as well as more traditional trail users. That distinction happens here because Holmes County also is home to the largest Amish population in the country.

The noise of highway traffic sometimes assaults the ears and makes Amish and English riders alike grateful for this travel route.

More often the trail is accompanied by the splashing of creeks which share its course through idyllic pastures and quiet woodlands.

My companions make a nicely timed passage on the trail (below, top left) as I compose the photo of a beaver dam which flooded a small tributary into an aquatic home for countless basking turtles who also were enjoying our sunny and warm fall day.

2011-11-24T05:00:00.001-05:00

BUGGIES AND BICYCLES--

Cultures cooperate nicely on the Holmes County Bicycle Trail where Nancy Meinzer (above) and Sue Brooks (disappearing under the sign) head out on a 20 mile jaunt recently. Please stop by Saturday for a story on our very enjoyable, late-in-the-season bike ride.

2011-11-22T05:00:00.000-05:00

BOOK REPORTS--

Born in Africa by Martin Meredith

Sub-titled "The Quest for the Origins of Human Life" the book takes a peek at the seven million years that have passed since the precursors of humankind began to evolve in Africa; always in search of the oldest human ancestor. The whole process however was marred by the intense rivalry, personal feuds and fierce controversies of the sciences and scientists involved. The current agreement seems to point to Homo sapiens beginning about 60,000 years ago, generally in East Africa. More or less.

It's All About the Bike by Robert Penn

The funniest line in this book was when the author described one design of a bicycle seat as like "riding on an irritable lobster." Penn is in the middle of a life-long love affair with bicycles and in his mid 20's pedaled around the world. In his book he travels internationally accumulating bicycle components from top of the line manufacturers with the hope of assembling a world-class, dream bicycle.

The Rise and Fall of the Bible by Timothy Beal

The author, a professor of religion at Case Western Reserve University "...takes us back to early Christianity to ask how a box of handwritten scrolls became the Bible, and forward to see how the multibillion-dollar business that has brought us Biblezines and manga Bibles is selling down the Bible's sacred capital." Scholars will find the book challenging. The faithful likely will find the book unsettling.

The Statues that Walked by Terry Hunt/Carl Lipo

Sub-titled "Unraveling the Mystery of Easter Island" the authors harness the power of modern science to unravel the mysteries surrounding this extremely remote Pacific island. Why were the island statues created and how were they moved? Where did the native population go? After some plodding through the abstractions of sociological theroy they arrive at horrofic and evidence-supported conclusions.

2011-11-19T05:00:00.003-05:00

The Opera House is the grand ole lady of Main Street in Hayesville, Ohio. She is sandwiched quietly as the second floor neighbor of the town's post office in the commercial block east of the village stop light.

She has been there since 1886 presenting stage acts, musicals, movies, graduation ceremonies and more than a few minstrel shows.

She may not be as glamorous as she once was but, she has hosted silent movies, then the ones that actually could talk. She has outlived eight tracks, and dial telephones and carriages that were replaced with automobiles and their fancy new running boards.

And, she still is going strong.

In the top photo you can see the little valves that once controlled the gas that was burned to illuminate the entryway. Today modern spiral bulbs reside in the antique fixtures.

Backstage in the smaller photo (top right) Dave Roepke tells Mark and Nancy Meinzer and Sue Brooks about the colorful, original stage sets hanging in the picture. Six of them were painted in Chicago in 1886. Four remain.

He also points out a gentle slope to the stage. That was designed to help audience visibility since there was not room in the building to slope the seating floor. That technique also gave rise to the theatrical phrases "Up Stage" and "Down Stage."

Dave still is going strong too. He conducts the tours and sells the tickets and mans the concession stand and runs the projector. Popcorn sells for a buck and bottled pop is 75 cents--quite a pleasant surprise if you are accustomed to the prices of those products in the modern cinema.

Tickets for this day's movie were 3 bucks a head.

A change of film reels results in a brief intermission which lasts as long as it takes for the last person to return from the restroom.

The opera house has struggled over the years as community awareness of her true value has waxed and waned. After sitting idle for more than 30 years a group of 600 people from Ashland and surrounding counties formed a restoration committee in preparation for the 1976 bicentennial.

They raised more than $2000 for new wiring and interior decorating. That same year the opera house became the first Ashland County building to be named to the National Register of Historic Places.

Restoration efforts slowed until 1994 when local folks launched another series of fund-raising efforts. They replaced air conditioning, installed restrooms and, most recently in 2009, refurbished the wooden seating.

If you glance below the seats ahead of you, you will see a circular wire object. They are the original holders for patron's hats.

Attendance ranges from what turned out to be our private screening of the movie "Contagion" to well over 100 folks at a recent musical event.

Here sits one of life's delightful bargains just a few miles and a phone call away. Do yourself a favor.
__________________________
Click here for a nice recent article on the Opera House by Courtney Albon of the Ashland Times-Gazette.
For a current schedule, call Dave at 567-203-3231.

2011-11-18T10:36:00.000-05:00

BRRRRR-GRRRRR!

Icycles cling to a stray branch after overnight temperatures in the mid-20s constructed this wintry tapestry beside the pond's spill pipe. Splashing water is frozen into the crystal stalactites while little bubbles float merrily by.

Since my pond is part of the Mississippi River drainage basin this water soon will be passing by palm trees in the Louisiana bayous--actually, a very sensible thought this time of year.

For you photography buffs, this picture was done with a 100mm Canon, f/2.8 macro lens. In this case it performed the role of a modest telephoto lens allowing me to enjoy a fairly close view while clinging to the creek's bank.

The camera was a Canon Rebel T3i digital, single lens reflex. This model has a fully articulated viewing screen which allowed me the comfort of swinging the screen so its was visible as I held the camera near water level while I remained high and dry and composed the photo.

2011-11-17T05:00:00.002-05:00

LIVING HISTORY ON MAIN ST--

Hayesville, Ohio

Buffalo-Bill Cody signed the backstage wall of the opera house during his "one night" performance there on October 28, 1888. The signature has been abused and cleaned over the ensuing 123 years. (Remember, you can click on blog images to examine a larger view).

Please stop by Saturday when Fogeyisms will take you inside this marvelous trophy of local history for a peek at what we enjoyed during our recent visit.

2011-11-15T05:00:00.041-05:00

MY HYPOTHESIS--
Today's Standard of Excellence is Mediocrity

My online supplier recently shipped a vest to me via UPS.

It arrived at their local terminal on a weekend and was on the little brown truck for delivery Monday.

For some reason, however, rather than delivering my package to my home, as both UPS and FedEx have done for the past 19 years, they surrendered it to the US post office in Bellville.

Once the post office got involved my package did not come into my possession until Wednesday and I had to go to the post office to get it.

This pathetic episode reminded me of another recently botched delivery by the post office when my priority mail package was sent to the wrong post office distribution joint where it languished until someone, I presume, could finally find Bellville on their Ohio map.

That one left the shipper, addressed correctly by the way, on a Monday and with the post office's version of priority handling, arrived here on a Friday.

2011-11-12T05:00:00.002-05:00

A VISUAL TREAT--

On our trip across Ohio

Delphos, OH, which describes itself as "America's Friendliest City", was the most visually interesting to us in our trip across Ohio's Lincoln Highway (LH).

The town is a little less than 3 miles square and contains about 6,700 souls but its history smacks you in the nose on arrival.

The Miami and Erie Canal rolled toward us on the GPS while the fabled highway morphed into 5th St., as we slowed into the downtown.

On our right was a delightful mural depicting the town of the 1950s. A LH "control station" sign is at the west end of this building (pictured below). If you set your odometer to zero there, your mileage will conform to the directions in the local copy of the 13 US Coast and Geodetic Survey maps that cover the highway across Ohio from east to west.

At the canal which crosses the LH straight ahead there is an historical marker that also shows the elevation changes in the canal from Toledo to the Ohio River at Cincinnati, a distance of 249 miles.

Delphos grew out of four different villages in the early 1800s, three named after the families of settlers and one after a plat of land. From 1836 to 1842 the town began to assemble itself while the canal was being built and Delphos was officially established in 1851.

By 1879 over 100 factories were operating there, providing goods to the world's commerce because both the canal and the nation's first paved, transcontinental highway passed through its boundaries.

But, already, railroads were encroaching on the canal's lucrative business. From 1850 to 1860 railroad track in Ohio grew from 375 to 2,946 miles and the canal was history after devastating floods in 1913.

Another mural on the side of the Delphos Herald building (above) enjoyed dramatic back lighting during our visit. That mural actually depicted its own location. Note the shape of the building in the photo being reproduced in the painting.

The locally preserved section of the canal is located behind the newspaper building. The water flowing in the small photo (above) supplies water to local industries to this day.

While the town displays its history proudly it doesn't appear to be terribly busy otherwise. Under the section of "local activities scheduled" on its web site--there is nothing listed.

As we walked across 5th St., in our photo session, holding hands as we often do, a lady in a passing SUV opened the side door of the moving vehicle and inquired how long we have been married. "We're not," Sue responded to the obvious disappointment of our inquisitor.

My simultaneous response to the passing lady was, "That's why we still are holding hands."

I don't think she heard me.

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http://www.cityofdelphos.com/

Editor's Note: We conclude our series on the western half of Ohio's Lincoln Highway with this photo taken in Delphos which not only demonstrates a violation of the laws of composition, but a violation of the traffic laws as well:

Serious photographers should avoid having things like telephone poles and signs growing out of the heads of folks in their photographs.

And, drivers always should be alert to one-way traffic signs.

This photographer was guilty on both counts; neither of which was noticed until the pictures were being edited. * Gasp *

2011-11-10T05:00:00.000-05:00

FIRST COUNTY LIBRARY IN THE US--
On the Lincoln Highway in Van Wert, Ohio

In 1890, 12 women in Van Wert, OH formed the Van Wert Ladies Library Assoc., to establish a subscription library for residents in the area. That library contained 1,400 books and became a free, city library in 1896 as a result of a city tax.

Meanwhile John S. Brumback who was born in Licking County in 1829, moved his family to Van Wert in 1862 and established a dry goods store. Twenty years later he became the first president of a local insurance company. In 1884 he sold his store and bought controlling interest in the Van Wert National Bank and went on to become known as a keen businessman and philanthropist.

He believed all county residents should have access to a free public library and offered his financial support to making that happen, but, he died before building plans he had ordered could be completed.

His family fulfilled his wishes and his son was responsible for the legislation passed by the Ohio Legislature approving the first tax-supported public library in the United States.

The cornerstone for the library was laid in 1899 and the building was dedicated in 1901, 12 years before the Lincoln Highway was launched.

To this day the library sits in a public park on the near west side of Van Wert on the original alignment of that famous highway.

It was added to the National Register of historic Places in 1979.
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http://www.brumbacklib.com/

2011-11-08T05:00:00.000-05:00

BOOK REPORTS--

2012 and the End of the World by Matthew Restall and Amara Solari

The authors, both professors at Pennsylvania State University, have more than 30 years experience studying the Mayan culture, hence are well equipped to examine the popular prediction the world will end in December 2012. In professor jargon, here's one of their revealing comments: "...as with the more hysterical 2012 literature, or as the butt of parody, which is what 2012 is no doubt soon destined to become."

Regardless of who is right, I did go ahead and buy that expensive camera I've been drooling over.

Wild Bill Donovan by Douglas Waller

Donovan is described as the spy master who created the OSS (during WW II) and modern American espionage. In its nearly 400 pages the book takes a close look this WW I hero who won the Medal of Honor, went on to achieve the rank of general in the Army then formed the organization known today as the Central Intelligence Agency. This is a dandy read--if you are a military historian.

The Haunted History of the Ohio State Reformatory by Sherri Brake

This is another of those relatively little, 150 plus page paperbacks; this one a quite interesting read about the historical Mansfield facility. There is lots of local history here including a chapter on a Civil War camp that preceded the reformatory--and, as is suggested, may have contributed to some of the paranormal activity described. I found it curious the author waited until the 85th page to finally get to the "Spirits, Ghosts and Shadowy Encounters" clearly implied as the central theme in the book's title.

Flashback by Dan Simmons

This is a chilling, Orwellian-like novel which takes a peek at the near-future US where a huge percentage of the population is addicted to the drug "Flashback". There, they blissfully enjoy the past while ignoring the country's unbelievable turmoil under the threat of an Islamic Global Caliphate. It is a chilling tale of the Muslim march to world dominance.

2011-11-05T05:00:00.006-04:00

We found the above historical marker as we approached downtown Upper Sandusky from the east on the Lincoln Highway--today known as Wyandot Ave. Note the pink area of road surface to the left. That is some of the rarely found, original brick surface of the Lincoln Highway. Some crumbling asphalt road surface of the old highway is visible in the lower photo alongside what is now County Highway 330, 5.3 miles west of downtown Upper Sandusky.

TRAVELING ACROSS OHIO--
On the Lincoln Highway; part 2

We launched this half of our trip across Ohio on the Lincoln Highway (LH) from downtown Mansfield and headed west on Park Ave.

The original Proclamation Route of 1913 took the LH from Mansfield to Galion, Marion, Kenton and on to Lima. We know that today as SR 309. Earlier it became known as US 30-South. But, just three weeks after that route was established the route was changed and, after Galion, went to Bucyrus and on west through Upper Sandusky.

In 1920 a new road from Mansfield to Bucyrus left town via 4th Street. It became known as US 30-N and went through Crestline. For a short while that route branched through Leesville then rejoined route 30 on the way to Bucyrus.

Today, at the corner of Park Ave., West and Western Ave., you will see a sign directing the LH north on Western Ave. That is where the 1920 alignment changed and coursed via 4th St., through Crestline, Bucyrus, Oceola and on to Upper Sandusky on its way west.

There were a few other routing curiosities in this segment. An earlier version of route 30 followed what we now know as Mabee Rd., for a short while. From my childhood recollection that could have been caused by localized, swampy areas that were easier to go around.

A similar event happens west of the new four-lane interchange where route 30 used to follow segments of Eckstein and Snodgrass Rds., for a half mile or so.

That was our route of travel avoiding, of course, the new four-lane US 30 which now extends from Mansfield to Indiana.

After the new four lane highway captures route 30 traffic west of State Route 314 it gets quiet. Very quiet.

We were able to stop in Crestline and ponder LH signs without the snarl of diesel powered traffic.

We did the Leesville detour and didn't even have to signal our turn to other traffic. There wasn't any.

This entire route is dotted with LH signs like the one pictured on the viaducts just after the golf course as we approached downtown Bucyrus.

We trundled along a leisurely 16 miles from Bucyrus until we encountered the historical plaque in the lead photo above on the east side of Upper Sandusky.

As we enjoyed our solitude I was reminded we were experiencing a highway that was the first paved one across the US. This road's history began in 1913. The 1920 route change mentioned above happened just 20 years before I was born.

Thirty six gentle miles later we had crossed I-75 and were in the village of Beaverdam. Here the coast-to-coast LH intersected the north/south, transcontinental road known as the Dixie Highway which traveled from Michigan's Upper Peninsula to Key West.

Just imagine, those two major, US highways crisscrossed on the tiny street in the tiny town pictured behind the road sign of Main and West Streets.

There was not a lot of traffic fuss in those days when there were more horse hitching posts than parking meters on the town's main street.

Ten miles west of Beaver Dam we crossed Pike Run creek and paused briefly to note the site that snarled Admiral Byrd's "Snow Cruiser." which was on its way to an Antarctic expedition in 1939. News accounts of the day said the cruiser hit a bridge and stumbled into the creek causing several days of delay until it could be hoisted out and continue its journey.

Just a few miles west of the accident site our notes indicated we would encounter the "Beach ridge" of the Maumee Glacial Lake which would parallel the LH route nearly 50 miles into Indiana.

The Wisconsin Glacier of the ice age of 14,000 years ago stopped in this area and, while melting, dumped its debris into things geologists call moraines; ridges that later became the routes of trails then highways in modern history.

In the incredibly flat topography of western Ohio this "ridge" was barely discernible.

As we approached Delphos we passed the old junction point of US 30-N and US 30-S where US 30 became whole again.

Thirteen miles northwest of Delphos we enjoyed a visit to Balyeat's Coffee Shop in Van Wert (left) where a patron caused Sue to chuckle as he hustled to avoid our photography. He was a retired fellow, working part time for the local florist and heading to Balyeat's for lunch as folks have done here since the restaurant opened in 1924.

About nine miles west of Van Wert the old road disappears under the new four-lane US 30 which roars on another 6 miles to the Indiana line.

Here, the modern highway has obliterated one of the original "Seedling Miles". These miles scattered along the LH route through Ohio were then very modern concrete slabs meant to inspire further highway improvement after locals experienced the contrast between driving on the original then newly paved portions.

Also in the area from Van Wert to Indiana it looks like a continuous orchard of electricity-producing wind turbines. Strangely restricted to the north side of US 30, these huge white pillars, each topped with an enormous, three-bladed propeller, turn slowly at the prodding of whatever wind Mother Nature happens to be providing.

Below, a melancholy trucker finishes yet another fast-food lunch at a truck stop near Beaverdam. He originated in Milwaukee, picked up a load of scrap in Pennsylvania and was on his way to a delivery in Green Bay, WI.

It was easy to see through his eyes and appreciate modern highways making possible in hours what it took months to do with motor vehicles just 90 years or so ago.

Still, I am not convinced all "progress" goes forward.

2011-11-04T05:00:00.005-04:00

THE LINCOLN HIGHWAY REVISITED--

Tomorrow we share the story of our travel across the western half of Ohio on the Lincoln Highway from Mansfield to the Indiana state line.

In the above photo the Lincoln Highway sign perches on a pillar symbolic of the original location of that historic highway as it now crosses I-75 near Beaverdam.

Stories to follow Saturday's will include visits to Delphos, and a very historic library in Van Wert. Yet to be produced is the story on a visit we hope to enjoy at the J & M Trading Post in Leesville. On the day of our Lincoln Highway trip the trading post was closed but, the sign in the window invited us to call if they were closed when we passed by. We hope to do that.

Plus, we also have visited the Hayesville Opera House, first mentioned in our earlier story of traveling the Lincoln Highway across the eastern half of Ohio. The opera house story will follow on November 19th.

Please stay tuned.

2011-11-02T05:00:00.007-04:00

This judicial candidate's presentation was about as bland as the above photo of him addressing a recent Monday lunch of the local GOP in Mansfield.

OLD TIMES REVISITED--

It has been about 25 years since I last attended a weekly, Republican lunch in downtown Mansfield.

This close to the election the lunches give current candidates a forum to present themselves and their campaign thoughts to a highly supportive and partisan crowd.

My near quarter century of absences began when I left the commissioner's office in the county courthouse in 1987 and drifted into the political obscurity of serving as treasurer of the Clear Fork Valley Local School District.

One person I was delighted to see at this lunch spanned those years of my absence; Ken Humbert, formerly of the Shiloh area and yet now a GOP precinct committeeman from his Mansfield home neighborhood.

It was marvelous to introduce Sue to Ken while we meandered briefly through that shared history of political involvement from the late 1970s, a few years before Ronald Regan was elected president.

County engineer Tom Beck was there as was Sarah Davis, country recorder, and Sue and I both signed their petitions for reelection, the start of next year's electoral cycle. It was nice to inquire about Sarah's husband Aaron, a long retired Mansfield Realtor who is managing his early 90s these days.

Adrianna Miranda joined us at our table for lunch. She was an exotic young lady from Argentina when I first knew her back then. Now she is the very gracious GOP nominee for 6th ward council in Mansfield and chuckled knowingly when I inquired about the ratio of Democrats versus Republicans in her ward.

My favorite candidate in attendance was Marianne Gasiecki, running for the Ontario Board of Education, as well as serving with distinction as the founder of the Mansfield Tea Party Patriots.

Frankly I am more pleased about her Tea Party work than I am with the Republican Party.

But, I also regard it a privilege to know Barbara Walter who is an enthusiastic co-worker with Marianne in the Tea Party movement while she also serves as chairwoman of the county GOP. Go Ladies!

Barbara and I recently discussed Ryan Hoovler, candidate for Clerk of Mansfield Municipal Court. She was delighted to tell me his presentation to this very group a few weeks earlier was rewarded with a standing ovation. "I was so proud I wanted to adopt him," she enthused.

That's Jerry Thompson, candidate for judge of Mansfield Municipal Court in the above photo. He was successful when I confronted him earlier with my litmus test for all candidates but he needs to spend more time being sincere with his audience than looking at his carefully constructed speech notes.

Tim Theaker, GOP candidate for Mayor of Mansfield was there. He sat across the room and, well, smirked. I wondered why he never bothered to offer his candidacy to the newcomers in the room.

Maybe he has an ample supply of committed votes already.

Maybe not.

2011-10-31T05:00:00.003-04:00

It was gloomy as we approached the Armstrong Air and Space Museum in Wapakoneta that dark and rainy morning.

Tendrils of water leaked under the collar and made goosebumps loiter on the spine.

Inside the museum a black tunnel masqueraded as outer space as it moved visitors, one-by-one, through the cosmos, each with thoughts of the celestial abyss.

Suddenly, an apparition joined the quiet parade--a black silhouette of human-like form, staring facelessly while pointing with an extended, left arm.

Instant silence numbed the senses and wisps of cold air coaxed arm hair to rise while shivers assaulted the soul.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-29T05:00:00.004-04:00

SENIORS TAKE A WALK--
At the Gorman Nature Center

Naturalist Jan Ferrell (top right) and Sue Brooks share a sunny, Fall afternoon with countless frogs and turtles who were sunning themselves at the nature center's pond during the recent string of terrific weather days.

Below the boardwalk picture they are busy netting an array of aquatic critters at pond's edge. Tadpoles, snails, diving beetles, bluegills, dragon fly larva, back-swimmers and clams were a few of the near countless creatures in attendance.

All the captives were released, of course, after a brief stay in their enameled, dishpan jail where they could be observed.

In fact, the critters actually won this temporary skirmish when a crawdad awarded a very noticeable pinch to yours truly while the lower photo was being arranged.

That led to some mirthful comments about Sue's fondness for seafood.

The green frog in the bottom photo has a body about three inches long. He (or she) was very busy doing nothing on this Lilly pad; itself containing a nifty private pond of its own for this froggy visitor's enjoyment.

We paused on our leisurely circuit to munch on the leaf stems of some Sassafras trees along the edge of the center's meadow trails.

What a delightful way to spend an hour or so in salute of nature's seasonal blessings!
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Jan Ferrell has appeared on the blog previously in stories dealing with the local bald eagle population, a few blogs on spiders and another nature walk or two. There is a search box upper left. Type Jan's name in there and click on the search icon to find all those stories at once.

2011-10-27T05:00:00.001-04:00

AUTUMN-OLIVE--

This plant, a deciduous shrub from 3-20 feet in size, is an invasive species native to China and Japan. It was introduced into North America in 1830.

It invades open fields and woodland edges and forms a dense shrub layer which displaces native species. It spreads by birds dropping the undigested seeds from its bright red berries and will completely close open areas if left unchecked.

Besides it's fairly transparent berries it can be identified by its oblong, crinkled-edge leaves with their dotted and silvery undersides.

We saw dreadful expanses of this plant at the "Wilds" in southeastern Ohio this summer. It also is being fought at the Gorman Nature Center where volunteers often help eradicate the plant.

Saturday, Fogeyisms will feature a recent visit to the center for a Senior Nature Walk led by naturalist Jan Ferrell. We hope you will tune in and enjoy our romp across some of their 150 acres.

2011-10-25T05:00:00.002-04:00

CREEK CLEANING--

A small creek that drains an 80 plus acre watershed into the lagoon on the east side of my pond has suffered heavy siltation over the 18 years since the pond was built.

This in spite of the fact that stream flows entirely through wooded area with no tillable land between us and its origin.

This sediment build-up has plugged the unrestricted flow of the inlet stream and causes the water to spill over adjacent paths, blocking their maintenance and enjoyable use.

Downed trees, branches and extreme weed growth then exacerbate the problem.

The reedy-type weeds flanking lady-friend Sue Brooks (above) are easily 10 feet or more tall. Each plant had to be cut by a pair of pruning shears. Their stalks then were accumulated into a hand-sized bundle which was dragged to a nearby compost pile.

Once the path along the old flow line was cleared we shovel-dug the old channel clear of incredibly rich soil and piled it along the little stream's banks to help contain future flow. Both the cleaned ditch and spoil pile will be sown with grass to help reduce erosion.

About 100 feet of the creek upstream of the work area is unmolested by our cleaning effort and heavy weed growth there will help slow future infiltration. We hope.

Nature always wins this type of battle, however. This creek flows through a 30" road culvert so in periods of heavy rain we have a tiny version of the Mississippi River Delta roaring into the lagoon.

At my age I figure it will be someone else's problem the next time it needs cleaned.

Eventually, the lagoon will turn into a bog which itself will turn into tillable land and then new forest in spite of man's comparatively feeble efforts.

2011-10-22T05:00:00.002-04:00

Eight of us, all current or past members of the Johnny Appleseed square dance club of Mansfield, enjoyed our continuing hiking odyssey--this time along the Little Miami River just south of Springfield, OH. That's Rosa Hatfield in the orange coat; author of the quip in the first paragraph of the story. The massive rock wall in the photo below was a common container for the river valley of our hike.

At the headwaters of the Little Miami River
IN THE CLIFTON GORGE--

Rosa Hatfield had one of the best lines of the weekend when some young hikers passed our group on the trail at Clifton Gorge and noticed all eight of us were carrying hiking sticks. Rosa quipped, "Folks our age not hiking are usually carrying canes."

The impertinent hikers didn't have a clue.

We launched ourselves from near the Clifton Mill and headed downstream along the Little Miami River where it has chewed itself deeply into the earth's rocky skin since geologic time began to take note of such things.

The river lurched and roared as it cascaded through its often narrow sluice. It was engorged by recent heavy rains as it hustled down a drop of nearly 130 feet while racing into the developed end of the state park to the west near Yellow Springs.

The stunning geology of the ever-growing river's course and its confining valley of stone massifs often were obscured by the towering trees and lush vegetation. The area was named a National Scenic River in 1973.

It was sobering to imagine what it was known as by Native Americans.

It's rapids boiled in white froth as the energetic river battled the rock formations for space--a visual clue of the tug of war between an irresistible force and an immovable object.

The upper section of our hiking trail was headed toward another known as the Pittsburgh-Cincinnati Stage Coach Trail. I don't know where those coaches roamed but it certainly was not on the tortured path adjacent to sites we were passing known as The Narrows, Steamboat Rock or the Blue Hole.

A measured 1.3 miles from the trailhead the river makes a sharp bend and is crossed by a footbridge where we encountered an enthusiastic park naturalist who was pleased with our appreciation of what we had just seen.

As we were at our turning point for that day's hike she confirmed doing the stage coach trail upstream from lower in the park would connect this day's hike from the opposite end and treat us to the best the park had to offer wanderers like us.

Later on our hike the following day, another one measured at 1.3 miles to the turnaround, we confirmed her assessment. This trek began from a parking area within the park proper and we were highly amused when our first trail marker was an undergarment hanging high on the branch of an old Sycamore tree.

There was considerable humorous speculation about the source of that landmark.

While this section of the hike treated us to some more challenging footwork the river was largely more placid as it continued its journey toward joining the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers on its course to freedom in the Gulf of Mexico.

The group: Front, L to R; Sue Brooks, Rosa Hatfield, Nancy Meinzer. Back: Don Karger, Dick Hatfield, Roberta Karger and Mark Meinzer. In the small photo, left above, Nancy is enjoying a view common along the upper level of the first day's hike where water boils through the narrow rock confines--often far below the trail level.

(Remember, clicking your mouse on the photos should treat you to a larger view.)

2011-10-20T05:00:00.003-04:00

THE CLIFTON MILL--

The mill is one of the largest water-powered grist mill buildings still in existence. A Revolutionary War soldier built the first mill at this site in 1802. During the War of 1812 the mill processed grain to feed the troops.

That mill burned in 1821 and the present building was built on the old foundation. During the 1800s 16 mills were located in the Clifton area. This is the only one still in operation as a business.

Other mills of that time harnessed the Little Miami River's power to saw lumber. Some produced woolen goods; others produced paper. From 1908 to 1938 this mill provided electricity to local residents at the rate of $2 monthly for businesses and $1 monthly for private homes.

The river forms east of Clifton after several local streams combine their energy. Their collective power is then amplified as it flows through the constricted gorge the river itself created over geologic time.

Clifton's industrial era ended when the then, new railroad was built through Yellow Springs instead of Clifton. Cholera came to the village in 1849 killing half its residents and half the survivors were inspired to leave town for good yet, most of the town's original buildings remain.

Today's mill building operates mostly as a restaurant and gift shop. Our hike along the gorge (which will be featured in Saturday's blog story) concluded in late afternoon so we hoped to celebrate that day's end with dinner there.

It was not the kind of dining experience that encourages return visits.

Our group found the dinner menu both quite limited in selections and pricey. Several of us preferred just a salad and that was not an allowed choice. One wanted just a grilled cheese sandwich. That also was not available.

She noted an egg and cheese item on the breakfast menu which was available all day and asked for one of those without the egg. The waitress was not enthused with her sense of humor.

Consequently, we were left with the breakfast offerings for our evening meal choices. My French toast was delightful and another companion's pan cakes could have been cut in half and there would still have been plenty to take home for another meal or two.

Regardless, it is not likely we will be back there for an evening meal anytime soon.

But, beyond launching a delightful hike nearby in the Clifton Gorge, the mill also is a visual treat at Christmas time when the buildings and surrounding trees are illuminated by a bazillion lights. Maybe more.

That alone could be worth a trip to this tiny town just a few miles south of Springfield.
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The power of the river's flowing water was harnessed when it spun a water wheel like the one in the small photo upper left. That wheel is partially visible outside the window in the lower photo--far above the river's surface. It is quite likely this wheel was installed just for demonstration or landscape purposes.

2011-10-18T05:00:00.001-04:00

THE TOWPATH BIKE TRAIL--

In the Cuyahoga Valley National Park

A whitetail deer munching on the bank of the Cuyahoga River caused a burp in our ride through this Autumn-dappled park on one of Fall's recent streak of dazzling weather days.

Nancy and Mark Meinzer and Sue Brooks are on the towpath (above) flanked by the Cuyahoga River on the left and residual traces of the Ohio-Erie Canal on the right.

From this natural solitude it is hard to imagine the chaos of Cleveland just 15 miles or so downstream.

Later we stopped to watch four young muskrats enjoying the still waters of the historic canal while painted turtles celebrated the season's waning warmth on log perches in the still waters--everywhere.

That's Mark in the Breksville Station (small photo) pondering the cut-away view of a canal boat representing those that drove the state's commerce in the nearby waterways of the 1800s.

Cuyahoga means "crooked river" in the language of the Iroquois and defines this watercourse that flows 22 miles through 33,000 acres of national park between Akron and Cleveland.

A few restored locks--but most of the crumbling variety--dot the old canal course along with evidence of an aqueduct here an there that once transfused the system with navigable water.

That's a close-up peek of the Cuyahoga (right) where water trickles through rapids which dump at right angles into the main foreground channel. A slow shutter speed smooths the roaring stream into visual satin.

My riding companions (below) rumble across several hundred yards of boardwalk spanning a marshy area north of Peninsula while Ohio Turnpike traffic sizzles silently across the towering bridge top right.

Brooding over the Blitzkrieg of super-highway traffic between us and home it was easy to dream of cycling this southbound course and meandering another 75 miles or so through Ohio's tranquil woodlands to the solitude of my tiny piece of rural, Richland County.

2011-10-17T09:23:00.000-04:00

BOUQUET ON A BRANCH--

2011-10-15T05:00:00.000-04:00

A female mantis is significantly larger than her male counterpart as shown above in this year's mating season. Note their presence in a field of goldenrod, their favorite habitat. (All photos courtesy of Mark Meinzer)

PRAYING MANTISES--

These remarkable critters got their common name because of the manner in which they hold the upper part of their bodies with their large front legs as if in a prayerful attitude. They have a truly striking appearance when seen fluttering through the air, or simply loitering around the weeds, often a goldenrod, waiting patiently for their usually insect prey to come within reach.

With stunning speed they will grab their next meal in those forearms equipped with spiny-like appendages to securely grasp their meal while they dispatch it by biting off its head.

The females also are well known to deliver similar treatment to their mates during the reproductive act which usually occurs in September and October.

This story was launched when my square dancing friend and retired engineer from the phone company, Mark Meinzer, told me about his abundant population of these critters. That led to a census of my acreage which turned up, well, nothing.

Turns out Mark has had a life-long fascination with these critters and several years ago met a vendor at a Kingwood Center flower sale that had a jug full of praying mantis "nests" for sale. He bought several and seeded a 1/2 acre of his "Alpine" setting which he and wife Nancy manage for wildlife habitat.

By fall of that year he began seeing the mantises on his property and has seen them every year since. Three years ago they had their best census ever. He and his grandchildren counted 67 of the critters on one pass through the field.

That same year in November he removed over 60 of the "nests" from his field and stored them over winter in a refrigerator, to protect them from predation, then distributed them around the property the following Spring.

In autumn females lay their annual generation of eggs in a frothy, gummy cluster about an inch long which drys and glues itself to tree twigs, plant stems etc. There, the eggs will overwinter and tiny nymphs will emerge from the egg mass in the Spring or early summer.

During mating season, Mark notes, the females will attract multiple males; all of which will be found on her back at the same time. The most males Mark has observed at one time is five.

They are not an endangered species nor protected by federal or state law; both common misconceptions.

By helping control other insects they are highly beneficial and they do not bite humans. If you handle one, however, you could receive a sharp pinch from their powerful forearms.

Wise folks will enjoy observing them in the wild while practicing the often good advice, "Look but don't touch"!

________________________
At least three male mantises are mating with this female (top left) while the female in the lower right photo appears to be pondering her next meal, starting with the head of the male on her back. Regardless, both will die naturally with the approach of the following winter.

For an OSU Extension Fact Sheet, click here!

2011-10-13T05:00:00.006-04:00

MOTHS AND MANTISES--

Square dancing friend Nancy Meinzer did these photos of a hummingbird moth several years ago feeding on garden phlox wildflowers growing at their wildlife habitat-abundant, southern Richland County home.

Saturday, Fogeyisms will take a peek at another interesting critter that lives at the Meinzer place; praying mantises which are there bountifully because of husband Mark's critter husbandry. Nancy is a computer programmer and Mark is a retired engineer from the phone company as well as an award-winning cultivator of dahlias and an enthusiastic amateur photographer.

Nancy's photos were done with a Canon Power Shot, point and shoot digital camera while Mark did his work with a Canon Rebel T2i, digital single lens reflex camera. Mark's photos will be featured Saturday.

2011-10-11T05:00:00.002-04:00

BOOK REPORTS--

Lost in Shangri-La by Mitchell Zuckoff

This is a true story of three American service people who survive a plane crash deep in the mountainous, interior jungle of New Guinea in 1945. Twenty one of their companions died in the crash. Their crash site put them between the enemy Japanese and head-hunting jungle tribes, the latter living like they had in the Stone Age. This is a marvelous, historical narrative, the story of their adventure and the most incredible rescue mission of World War II. Do yourself a favor and read this one. It will not take long.

Red on Red by Edward Conlon

This, the author's debut novel, is an articulate and penetrating look at life as a New York City detective--which he is. Joseph Wambaugh, a seasoned and successful "cop story" author said, "...this is the cop novel for everyone who reads books." I whole-heartily agree!

Jihad Joe by J. M. Berger

The sub-title describes this offering thusly: "Americans Who Go to War in the Name of Islam." Frankly, I got about 100 pages into this book and quit. It is a distressing topic about Americans who have volunteered for battle in the name of Islam but it trundled through the topic like that history teacher whose class it has been easy for you to forget.

Up Country by Nelson DeMille

I have yet to encounter a DeMille offering I did not like. A lot. This one takes you back to the Viet Nam War with a veteran who later became a career military cop and is assigned a clandestine investigation that romps from Saigon to Hanoi. Some reads are hard to put down. This is one of them.

2011-10-10T11:45:00.000-04:00

MY HYPOTHESIS--
Today's Standard of Excellence is Mediocrity

Ford Motor Company in late September put out a recall notice for their 2000, F-150 pick-up trucks.

They advised us one or both fuel tank straps could fail due to corrosion.

They warned us the tank could fall to the ground and there is a potential for fire.

They went on to say, "Please call your dealer without delay and request a service date."

The local dealer said the parts involved are not available.

"Call back in November sometime," the lady chirped on the phone.

2011-10-08T07:25:00.000-04:00

LOUIE--
The Play at Malabar Farm

Phoebe (Wise) coaches Louie (Bromfield) into a collective after-life (above) where they present a lively review of the famous, local author's storied life. They shared snippets of on-stage conversation then drifted into the shadows (of death) and witnessed the portrayal of the scene they just discussed. Repeatedly and masterfully.

Carl Hunnell was riotous as George, Bromfield's secretary.

Stunning theater tradition was upheld by Amy Stoner, Gabriella Sanchez, Mary Ann Calhoun and Ryan Glass; all of whom stepped-in to their roles after the program was printed--Stoner (as Bromfield's wife) with barely a day's notice.

Imagine that!

The play was punctuated by film-clips of Bromfield's life including one outstanding creation where the play's cast portrayed itself in the "antique aged" black and white film.

Kudos by the bushel to local Author and Director Mark Sebastian Jordan for bringing this bubbling evening of entertainment to the neighborhood stage.

The play will continue tonight, and October 14. 15 and 16th in the barn at Malabar Farm. It is a fund-raising event and your $36 ticket includes a BBQ dinner, house tour and the 2-act play.

You will get more than your money's worth! A lot more.
______________
Malabar Farm

2011-10-08T05:00:00.001-04:00

Lady friend Sue Brooks (above) enjoys an excursion thru the Smucker Brand Showcase Store just south of the company's factory in Orville, OH. To get there take US 30 east from Wooster about 8 miles, turn north in Riceland on State route 57 and the store is about 1/4 mile north on the east side.

THE SMUCKER JELLY STORE--
Treat yourself to a treat

The Smucker company got its start about the time the Lincoln Highway was headed toward the drawing board. In 1897 Jerome Smucker opened a cider mill in Orville and soon produced a by-product; apple butter.

By 1900 he and his son were selling apple butter from the back of a horse drawn wagon. The production and sale of jellies and preserves began in 1923 and by 1942 they did their first shipment to a national customer on the west coast.

Those yummy toppings we like to spoon on our ice cream arrived in 1948.

Today, their spiffy retail outlet which opened in 1999 is chock full of Smucker products as well as samples of other brands they have acquired, like Jif peanut butter, for example.

See their web site here!

This photo was done of a display of colorful jars on their retail store's rear wall, visible in the top photo under the corporate banner. The geometric streaks were caused by zooming the lens during a modestly long exposure of 1/10 second, f/22, ISO 400.

2011-10-06T05:00:00.002-04:00

MY HYPOTHESIS—

Today’s standard of excellence is mediocrity.

We encountered this dilly of a road construction sign while on our Lincoln Highway excursion recently. It was located on a Wayne County road project just east of Dalton, OH.

Someone ordered this sign and likely sent a written request to their sign shop where someone processed that request then sent it on to the shop floor where some supervisor likely assigned the job to a worker who made the sign then sent it back to the office for distribution to the ordering department where it was received and placed into inventory for the shop supervisor to distribute to the road repair supervisor who gave it to a worker to install on this road project.

How is it possible that many people missed this glaring error...

...unless, of course, mediocrity truly is today's standard of performance.

2011-10-04T05:00:00.001-04:00

THE PINE TREE BARN--

For years I wondered how the Wooster area was able to support two nifty, barn-style eateries; this one and The Barn Restaurant between Wooster and Smithville.

Now I know that isn't the case.

I made that discovery as we turned toward home from our recent excursion on the Lincoln Highway in the eastern part of Ohio.

This particular barn, while it has a gourmet lunch "Granary", is mostly a barn-sized shop of fine furnishings and gifts....unique gifts sufficient for your lifetime of presents-pleasure. ...with a staff of five interior designers ...and multiple levels of display space in their fully restored 1868 barn. ...and a year 'round Christmas shop. ...and a floral shop located in the barn's atrium.

Can you tell I liked the place?

Curious, click here for their web site.

2011-10-01T05:00:00.013-04:00

TRAVELING ACROSS OHIO--
On the Lincoln Highway

My sense of history tingled as Sue and I pondered the above stretch of the Lincoln Highway (LH) about mid-way between East Canton and Minerva. Notice both the original brick pavers and the width of the "highway" compared to the modern automobiles.

The current highway seems to exist in three phases. the earliest being the brick pavers, the second being the old routing which has turned into secondary back roads and the third being modern, four lane highway which often has been built on top of the original alignment.

There are only short and fragmented sections of the original brick surface remaining. Some of the old alignment even has reverted to private ownership.

Imagine! About 100 years ago there was no paved road across the United States.

A vehicle trip across the country then would take about 60 days; 90 days if difficulties were encountered.

The first cross country drive was done in 1903. In 1911 the president of the Packard Motor Car Company, Henry Joy, and his chief engineer decided to drive west from Detroit to test his new automobile. At Omaha they asked a Packard dealer for directions west.

The dealer got in a car and led them a bit west where they encountered a wire, ranch fence. "Just take the fence down and drive on," he said. "When you get to the next fence take that down and go on again."

"A little further," Joy said, "...there were no fences...nothing but two ruts across the prairie."

The proclamation honoring Lincoln and launching the new route was released in September 1913.

One history describes the Pennsylvania Turnpike in 1940 becoming the ultimate by-pass of the original LH; "...the original roads becoming faint traces in the woods, their secrets fading into the bramble."

Following the original highway alignment today is a challenge. The nifty red, white and blue markers with the big "L" in the middle are only as prominent and numerous as local volunteers have the capacity to maintain them.

In our area they are abundant. Over near East Liverpool they are virtually non existent.

We drove the oldest alignment we could find; route 430 and County Road 30 to Wooster, for example. From there to east of Canton it was a combination of four lane highway and old segments like Lincoln Way East from Wooster for awhile.

There is an original segment through Dalton but even part of it was under construction when we passed by. A little east of there you can take route 172 through Massillon, Canton and East Canton where you will rejoin the old, 2 lane US 30.

That alternates with old segments and modern 4 lanes on to East Liverpool. We managed to cross the Newell Bridge over the Ohio River in E. Liverpool (toll 75 cents) which was one of two ways the highway arrived in Ohio from the east.

The other headed north in West Virginia crossing into Pennsylvania where it joined State Route 39 back into Ohio. We tried that but were baffled by the absence of adequate signs and wound up recrossing the Ohio River via US 30.

We bounced through East Liverpool's version of streets and headed back on Ohio 267, the old alignment toward Lisbon where we unloaded at our motel, had dinner at a marvelous local restaurant, Pondi's, then waited for darkness so we could do the photos of the diner in the original story of this series.

Pondi's, by the way, was established in 1916 at this very same location with Aunt Anne Pondi selling burgers on the front porch of her home. Today's restaurant is an addition to that very house and still is going strong. Stop there for a bite and you will know why.

We returned to Mansfield the following day mostly via the modern US 30 with a stop at Smucker's retail shop south of Orville, lunch in Wooster, then the Pine Tree Barn, not on the LH but certainly worth a peek.

The bronze casting in the small photo above right is on a building being refurbished in downtown Lisbon. Note it tells of Lincoln's secretary of war having a law practice in this very building. (Remember to click on that image for a larger view). The LH route through downtown Canton is shown above.

While preparing to launch our exploration of the highway in western Ohio we poked around the Mansfield area a bit more and made the delightful discovery of this segment of original brick pavement on Windsor Rd. Windsor Rd., wyes off US 42 near Laver Rd., northeast of Mansfield and rejoins US 42 about one mile northeast of the Richland/Ashland county line. This small section of brick surface is in Ashland County.

Note the sign shows the dates of 1913-1928. The original alignment of the LH left Wooster and went to Ashland via what is now US 250 then rejoined route 30 via US 42 in Mansfield. Windsor Rd., was route 42 in those days, likely bypassing the swampy area near the county line.

Today's LH alignment between Mansfield and Wooster began after 1928 and followed what we now know as route 430 and County Rd., 30 A through Mifflin, Hayesville, Jeromesville, etc. until it was replaced by the modern US 30; now a four-lane highway.

2011-09-30T05:00:00.002-04:00

MY HYPOTHESIS—

Today’s standard of excellence is mediocrity.

The battery in my lawn tractor failed so I called the Interstate battery store on N. Mulberry St., in Mansfield to see about a replacement.

I gave them the brand name and model information from the old battery and inquired if they had a replacement.

"Yup, we sure do," chirped the guy on the phone. "$39.95 plus tax which includes disposal of your old battery," he continued.

"Marvelous," I responded. "See you shortly," I added after asking about their hours.

An hour or so later I arrived at their store and plopped my deceased battery on their counter. "I called a little while ago about a replacement for this," I told the clerk.

He took a peek at my battery, shuffled through some paperwork and announced, "That will be $59.95."

I looked over my glasses and informed him about my very recent phone call. "What happened to the $39.95 model the guy on the phone told me about," I asked, with visions of 'bait and switch' beginning to float through my cynical mind.

He sputtered a bit then said, "Let me check," as he headed somewhere into the bowels of their store."

Soon he was back with a new battery and said "I can sell you this one for $39.95." I looked at its performance numbers and told him it was 25% less powerful than the one that had recently failed.

"Where's the one they told me about on the phone." It's out of stock," he said.

"Must have sold your last one in the hour it took me to get here," I offered and challenged him to explain why he was attempting to sell the lesser battery at the originally quoted price.

While he stood there and struggled with that combined concept, I left.

...and headed to Mid-Ohio Gravely where I bought the tractor originally and had an informative conversation about battery life. I brought home my replacement--same terms as originally quoted by Interstate, my ex-battery supplier.

2011-09-28T05:00:00.000-04:00

TRAVELING ACROSS OHIO--
On the Lincoln Highway

We launched our Lincoln Highway (LH) excursion on the square in Mansfield. Long before the expressway was built, US 30 (and the LH) passed through Mansfield on Park Ave., so we headed east from there on what is now SR 430 through Mifflin.

In fact, the Lincoln Highway had several alignments on Ohio roads through its history. The original LH left US 30 in Wooster and followed what we now know as US 250 to Ashland then US 42 to Mansfield where it regained route 30. US 30 also split into a north and a south version between Mansfield and Delphos. The original LH followed the south version which we now know as OH 309.

Notice the "30" in the different route's numbers. That numbering protocol is used throughout Ohio when a state or federal highway changes it's status like in the next sentence.

From Mifflin route 430 changes to County Road 30 in Ashland County and continues east through Hayesville and Jeromesville and on into Wooster where it passes through that town on Liberty St.

We arrived in Hayesville about the same time as lunch so we stopped for some tasty munching at the Olde 30 Inn near the town's square. There, we had the good fortune of a maturing waitress who told us about the town's watering trough which used to be located in the middle of the road but had to be moved when the increasing auto traffic and the town's vandals became perilous.

It now resides in a dedicated, protected location near the town's ball field just northeast of the LH intersection with SR 60. She also told us about the Vermilion Institute that used to be located in town. It was a private college chartered in the 1840s and one of its buildings remains standing on the east side of town.

Hayesville also has an Opera House which was opened in 1866 and remains in operation to this day; featuring mostly movies. The institute and the opera house are on our agenda for future blog stories.

As townsfolk finished their lunches and cleared the counter area its unique seating was revealed:

Antique tractor seats welded to milk storage cans seemed like some dandy, home-spun practicality in small town USA!
_________________________
Saturday we will continue with our romp through eastern Ohio then we will follow with pieces on Smucker's nifty retail outlet near Riceland and another piece on the Pine Tree Barn south of Wooster; not on the LH but a treat to see also.

2011-09-26T05:00:00.006-04:00

An estmated 100 plus junior high school-aged girls formed this scrum as officials prepared to launch them in their age group of a cross country meet at Marshal Park in Ontario Saturday. They represented 15 area schools and were part of an estimated 1,000+ contestants in the meet.

Adopted granddaughter Mackenna Curtis-Collins (center) is part of the pack shortly after the start of the race.

Mid-way in the 2 mile event Mackenna has caught and joined the leaders.

Digging for every ounce of energy and heart Mackenna closes on the race leader as they approach within mere feet of the finish line...

...and congratulates the winner as the following runners just begin to approach the finish in the distant background.

Mackenna (12) is one of the youngest and smallest competitors in the junior high division. She just started in junior high school this year and already has multiple, first-place finishes. As you can imagine, her high school cross country coach already is paying attention.

Then...

...about an hour later she (#6) competed with her soccer team...

...and celebrates (below) what turns out to be the winning goal made by her teammate late in this 1-0 contest, much to the chagrin of the competitor behind her.

Can you see the smile on this very proud grandpa's face!

(That's me behind the camera.)

2011-09-24T05:00:00.003-04:00

TRAVELING ACROSS OHIO--
On the Lincoln Highway

The Steel Trolley Diner is aglow (above) after a warm summer rain on the Lincoln Highway in Lisbon, OH recently. It was the most colorful venue we enjoyed on our recent trip across the eastern half of that storied route in Ohio.

Our adventure began with an overnight, round-trip drive from Mansfield to East Liverpool where we explored the various segments of roadway that highway has followed since its construction beginning in 1913--mostly along what we now know as US 30.

Classic American diners are often characterized by an exterior skin of shiny, stainless steel and, in their heyday, over 6,000 of them dotted the US landscape. Today, fewer than 2,000 remain.

The Steel Trolly Diner was built in 1954 by one of the largest diner manufacturers in the US and transported to Salem OH where it operated for 24 years. It has operated continuously in Lisbon, OH since May of 1979 just a block from the county courthouse at 140 E. Lincoln Way--as the highway is known in that county seat village.

Only 20 of this particular make of diner remain in existence throughout the world.

We got acquainted with the diner staff during an afternoon visit then returned for the night photography where Sue enjoyed a yummy oatmeal pie concoction and I some chocolate ice cream in an old time, stemmed soda-fountain dish.

We were entertained by the folks in a nearby booth where a minister was providing wedding rehearsal coaching to a soon to be bride and groom

I regretted we would not be around as we speculated on the etiquette of that wedding ceremony.

We poked around the diner's souvenir shop and wound up with matching and saucy tee shirts advertising the diner's pie by asking "Gotten a piece lately?"

I'm not sure we'll ever wear them in public.

The grill cook (above) prepares a taste treat for a night-time, diner customer. Several stories will follow on our recently concluded tour of the eastern half of OH. We expect to do the western half as soon as our schedules allow. Please stay tuned.

2011-09-23T05:00:00.001-04:00

DEW POINT--

Defined, dew point is: The temperature to which a given parcel of humid air must be cooled, at constant barometric pressure, for water vapor to condense into water.

That condensed water is called dew as in the above photo.

When the temperature cools to the dew point, as defined above, water vapor also usually turns into fog.

Pilots need to have a very clear comprehension of that fact.

Poets sometimes refer to it as involving locomotion on little cat's feet.

These days I like to think in the latter terms.
_________________________
The above photo was taken during yesterday's foggy morning while hiking the trail below my dam using Canon's 100 mm f/2.8 macro lens on a Canon Rebel XTi digital single lens reflex camera. I didn't want to get my new Rebel T3i wet while frolicking in the weeds. < Smile >

2011-09-22T05:00:00.001-04:00

A rural Hayesville, OH resident chuckles at the kneeling photographer as the resident leaves the village post office and the photographer (me) adds him to the composition of the Lincoln Highway monument at the intersection of that highway and SR 60.

Lady friend Sue Brooks and I were launching our tour of the Lincoln Highway in eastern Ohio that rainy morning and had stopped for lunch at the Olde Inn in that rural, Ashland County town. A series of stories from our tour will begin Saturday with a piece on the Steel Trolley Diner in Lisbon, OH.

2011-09-20T05:00:00.000-04:00

BOOK REPORTS--

Then and Now: Mansfield by Jeff Sprang and Tim McKee

This book takes a look at old photos from Mansfield's beginning in 1808 and features current photos done by Jeff from the same vantage point. The comparisons are remarkable--a sometimes jolting peek as history marches along. It was a nice dose of nostalgia for me as my memory easily spans the last 60 years or so of that history and I have fond memories of working with Jeff at the Mansfield newspaper back in the 1960s and early 70s. Thanks for both Jeff. This nice addition for your library is available at Main St. Books in Mansfield.

Ford Country (short stories) by John Grisham

All stories set in a rural Mississippi town: A mother and two sons take a road trip to visit a third son who is on death row. A low-life divorce lawyer makes drastic plans to escape his life-style. A life-long dull, data collector hones newly discovered blackjack skills and adds substantial ambition to his sedentary life. ...and four more dandies just like these. Perfect bedtime stories from a favorite author.

The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson

I was amazed recently when I picked up a paperback copy of Anson's book at the local library and discovered it was non-fiction. It is about a house on Long Island, NY where a family was murdered in 1973 and 13 months later it was bought by at a bargain price by the Lutzs' with full knowledge of the house's history. They moved in and were driven out within 28 days by a series of haunting experiences. Or were they. Many critics dispute the legitimacy of the facts upon which the book is based. I believe them and am compelled to wonder why this book continues to pose as non-fiction.

The Mansfield Riots of 1900 by Robert Carter

This 90 plus page 8 1/2 x 11 published, paperback by my friend and local historian Carter reveals a shocking chunk of Mansfield history rarely told. The riots surround a Chicago church described as being in the "faith cure racket". Traveling apostles of that church were becoming established in Mansfield and interfered with the medical treatment of a deathly-sick 2 year old local boy, a child of their parishioners. The riots that followed made national and international news.

The book is lavishly illustrated with photos and illustrations of the time. Much authenticity for the story also came from a scrapbook-heirloom of Carter's family whose mother was the oldest daughter of the sheriff involved. This is another nice addition for your library of local history, also available at Main St. Books in Mansfield. My copy is autographed. < Smile >

2011-09-18T05:00:00.002-04:00

THE WORLD'S FAIR

Bellville style...

In a Facebook post Saturday I described the top photo thusly:

"An amusement ride spins a neon glow against the night sky at the "World's Fair" Friday night in Bellville. For my photography friends, this exposure was 2 seconds long at f/22 and ISO 400 with my digital single lens reflex camera mashed solidly against a steel utility pole at the north end of Main St."

As darkness asserted itself the village green was packed with an enthusiastic crowd enjoying the ageless and highly popular music group Phil Dirt and the Dozers (lower photo).

The midway was jammed with a boisterous, serpentine crowd doing the Bellville slither up and down and up again along Main Street munching on those annual "fair food" delights and frequently colliding with old friends in this annual homecoming celebration.

For those magic moments in this four-day extravaganza, all is right with the world.

2011-09-17T05:00:00.001-04:00

THE GREENVILLE TREATY LINE--

If you take a peek at the border line of Richland County down in the southeast corner below Butler, you will see a chunk of the county was sliced off by a gentle bevel.

If you explore a little further on an Ohio map you will see the same bevel across southern Ashland County and along part of the border between Stark and Tuscarawas counties.

Here's what that is all about:

The Battle of Fallen Timbers took place in August 1794 just south of present day Toledo and was a decisive battle between US forces and Indians for control of the Northwest Territory.

Shawnee war chief Blue Jacket with 3,000 braves had chosen the defensive position along the Maumee River because a large stand of trees had been blown down by a heavy storm (Fallen Timbers) and were believed they would help hinder the advance of the army.

Peace negotiations had been going on with Indian tribes as US authorities sought to confirm possession of the lands north of the Ohio River they had claimed from Great Britian after victory in the American Revolutionary War.

The Indians wanted to maintain control of those lands as established by a previous treaty with the British, and, in fact, which had been the birthright of their people--forever.

The negotiations gave General "Mad" Anthony Wayne time to train his 4,600 plus troops during 1794 and the August battle did not last long. The defeat of the Indians led to the signing of the Treaty of Greenville in 1795 which led to the ever-increasing settlement of Ohio and finally statehood in 1803.

The Greenville Treaty Line began at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River in present-day Cleveland and ran south between Akron and Canton and on down the Tuscarawas River to near present day Bolivar. From there the line stretched straight across present day Ohio in a west, southwest direction to a branch of the Great Miami River near present-day Fort Loramie, Ohio as shown in the large map above. Richland County is shown in blue.

From there the treaty line zig-zaged west-northwest to the Wabash River near the present Ohio-Indiana border then south-southwest to the Ohio River and a point opposite the mouth of the Kentucky River.

The portion of that line shown in red on the map to the right is along the southeast border of Richland County to this day. That is the result of the 1795 treaty.

Another nearby reminder of this historic period is a marker on Yankee Rd. (Co Rd 55) in Knox County which runs west from Ankenytown and crosses State Route 13 just south of Palmyra. The marker is located just east of SR 13.

So, everytime we pass north and south across the Richland-Knox County line in that general area we are also crossing the historic border between US territory and Indian territory as it was established more than 216 years ago.

Knox County was in the growing US territory.

Richland County was in Indian territory.

This treaty, like most with the Indians, was largely ignored. however.

Just 47 years later the Wyandots gave up their claim to their reservation at Upper Sandusky and in 1843 the United States government sent the Indians off to another reservation in Kansas.

They were the last Indian tribe to leave Ohio.

2011-09-15T05:00:00.002-04:00

OHIO BECOMES A STATE--
More or less...

The outline of Ohio in this 1803 map is recognizable. That is the year it became a state. The grid lines in the east, southeast and southwest are the results of early survey work to establish base and range lines from which townships, villages and ultimately cities would be formed.

The white area--not surveyed--in the southwest part of the new state was known as the "Virginia Reservation". That area was then set aside for Virginia veterans of the Revolutionary War as homestead land in payment for their service.

The white area--also not then surveyed--in the northwest part of the new state was simply called "Indian Lands". It was the area carved out of the new state by the Greenville Treaty of 1795; a line that forms part of the southeast border of Richland County to this day.

That is the topic of Saturday's blog story.
___________________________________________
We tip our hat to Mike Cecil, a project manager with the Richland County Engineer's office, for providing the copy of this map by Rufus Putnam, first Surveyor General of the US. Mike made his debut on Fogeyisms with his friendly and professional help on the blog story we did August 28, 2010 on Richland County's highest elevation. Thanks again Mike!

2011-09-14T05:00:00.001-04:00

My adopted grand daughter Mackenna Curtis-Collins, 12, coolly confronts overwhelming force on a Lexington soccer field last night.

A NEW CAMERA AND A JOCK!

My new camera, a digital, single lens reflex, Canon Rebel T3i arrived just a day before my adopted grand daughter's next soccer game so I had a few hours to immerse myself in its 300+ page manual. Since I was transitioning from an earlier model in the Rebel line, an XTi, I went to her match with some confidence I wouldn't embarrass myself.

Here' s how I described the shoot to my friend and fellow photographer, Dave Richardson:

"Attached is a shot from last evening's soccer game with my adopted grand daughter participating. I loitered around the goal with the T3i wearing my Canon 70-200 mm f/2.8 L lens--which is 2.8 across the full range of focal lengths BTW. Awesome. This shot also appears on my Facebook page today.

I always worked sporting events in Nikon's only mode--manual--so that carried over into my first Rebel and my very few sport shoots. Last night I did the "sports" mode thingy and it was amazing. It selects the ISO and a fast shutter speed with the appropriate aperture setting then adjusts that stuff automatically as the light changes. It went from ISO 100 to 400 and changed the aperture down to 2.8 as the light dropped; keeping the shutter speed as high as possible.

It also shoots short bursts with a slight delay of shutter release, so you can capture images all around your intended shot at something like 3+ frames per second. How's that for a motor drive! ...which I never owned during my working/shooting career.

I simply had to fiddle with the focal length and keep the shutter button half plunged to keep the auto focus engaged while Mackenna ran this way and that. The camera did an outstanding job even when she was headed toward me. I read about all that stuff yesterday afternoon. And, it worked. Can you see me scratching my head--in amazement!

Another thing I like about this new camera is the articulated and huge LCD screen--and it shows a live view. Handy feature when holding the camera high above the crowd or at ground level on a rainy day. And, with an 18 megapixel sensor you can crop a shot fairly sharply and still be left with ample resolution for good quality.

The 300+ page manual will be a constant companion--perhaps forever!"

Congrats, Dave, on your recent success in your local photo competition, and...

Go Mackenna!!

Malabar Farm; 7th in series

2011-09-13T05:00:00.002-04:00

OHIO'S HISTORICAL MARKERS
Richland County

When acclaimed author Louis Bromfield returned to Ohio from Europe in 1938 the average annual salary was $1,368 and the US population was just over 123 million. All of his 30 books were best sellers which made his dream of creating Malabar possible.

He had developed a vision of farming in harmony with the environment; of soil restoration and new types of tillage. Inspired by his love of the land he created Malabar Farm with a 32-room home where his family, friends and neighbors could share the pleasure of life on the farm. (1)

The farm often hosted celebrities back then and is well known as the location of the wedding of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall of Hollywood fame in 1945. Bromfield died in 1956.

From 1958 to 1972 the farm was operated by a foundation and was nearing foreclosure. The state accepted the deed in August of that year and pledged to preserve the beauty and ecological value of the farm. In 1976 Malabar became one of Ohio's state parks.

Today the farm includes 875 acres of land and 3 acres of water.

This historical marker is located on a walkway between the modern visitor center and the Bromfield home and barn complex. (2)

(1) Malabar Foundation
(2) Malabar Farm ODNR homepage

2011-09-12T14:40:00.000-04:00

A FALL CRITTER--

I found this caterpillar on a fallen branch while both of us were meandering along the driveway today. The lens on my camera was my Canon 17-40 mm, f/4 L, my usual walking-around lens. To do the photo I set the lens at minimum focus distance and maximum focal length on the automatic mode then simply held the little branch in front of the lens and moved it about until I found the composition I liked.

I positioned myself so this happened with the critter back lit by the early afternoon sun and a dark woods in the background. The shutter speed was 1/200th of a second and the aperture was f/8. That shutter speed was sufficient to stop any blur from either the critter or the camera moving and the aperture was small enough to give sufficient depth of field to keep the critter in focus while obscuring the background detail.

The odd shaped white lines in its fur are evidently from a piece of stray, weedy fuzz.

The little caterpillar was virtually motionless during its portrait episode. No matter how hard I looked I could not find its head as it appeared to be climbing the small branch. When we were done I laid the branch in the shady weeds with an expression of appreciation for its cooperation.

That's when I noticed its direction of travel was to the left.

Unless it was backing up, that would put its head on the end opposite where I was looking, of course.

2011-09-10T05:00:00.000-04:00

MACHINES OF WAR--
As treasured collectibles

The proud owner of this portable, 700+mm missile (above) regaled me with minute details of his treasure. "It had a range in excess of 20 miles and even had nuclear capability--but never was used in that role," he continued.

Value? He wasn't sure But, after pondering my question he was able to account for more than $40,000 invested in its purchase and restoration. If I add sweat equity it's probably worth more than $60,000" he thought.

I wondered if his wife knew this.

The show had other vehicles from the popular deuce and a halfs (2 and 1/2 ton trucks) to an armored personnel carrier to a track driven missile loader to an outstanding, military version of a dune buggy on display at this, their third annual event at the Planktown Hardware near Shiloh one recent weekend.

It was fun to wander around the vendor tables and ponder current uses for some of the displayed paraphernalia. I could visualize a .30 caliber machine gun mounted on the tripod (right) while it sat in a woods in front of a fairly desperate squirrel hunter.

Or, how about the mag or grenade pouch pictured below the tripod? "Mag" stands for magazines, for your 30-06 M-1 Garand, rabbit rifle perhaps.

Can you envision a current use for a supply of grenades in that same pouch?

I watched one hobbyist fiddle with his lurching, WW-II missile transporter-loader. It evidently was balking at the taste of modern day fuel.

The show was put on by Ohio Motorpool, Inc., a group of fellows from around Ohio who enjoy the hobby of collecting, operating (sometimes) and displaying old military equipment.

It reminded me of a bass fishing expedition in Quebec, Canada a dozen years or so ago. One of my fellow fishermen specialized in vintage, military radio equipment. I was a short-wave radio listening enthusiast then so I enjoyed helping him assemble his rig including an hour or so heaving his long, wire antenna over some challengingly tall trees.

That night, with a cooperative ionosphere, he was able to coax his signal to another vintage equipment pal located in the mountains of Colorado--who was then talking to a mutual friend in south Florida.

I had hoped to tell you more about this show but the vice president of the group who lives just a couple of miles from me failed to show up for an interview.

Kinda reminds me of my hypothesis about today's standard of excellence being mediocrity.

That's lady friend Sue Brooks taking a peek at a marvelously restored military "dune buggy" for lack of an official name. Wouldn't my inept friend, the vice president of the group, be surprised if I showed up at his house in this thing to encourage him to explain why he did not show up for this story!

General James Hedges; 6th in series

2011-09-08T05:00:00.000-04:00

OHIO'S HISTORICAL MARKERS
Richland County

To take a close peek at today's historical marker you will have to enter the parking lot of Mansfield's Masonic Temple on Middle-Bellville Rd., and drive around to the west side of the building. The marker is very close to the building, just north of the main entrance.

To find information on Gen. James Hedges, you will have to work harder than that. Since I have been doing research on-line, I never have encountered a subject with less information available.

From the marker itself, you will learn Hedges arrived in Ohio in 1803 and worked as a deputy (US) surveyor in Richland and surrounding counties. He wound up owning 19,000 acres in Richland county and became one of the city's founding fathers in 1808.

In 1811 he had the privilege of naming the first male child born in Mansfield. The name given was Mansfield Hedges Gilkison.

In the book "A Pioneer History of Richland County Ohio" General Roeliff Brinkerhoff says, "In the early part of the summer of 1809, the father of the writer drove the first team into the town of Mansfield. A party consisting of himself and family, Capt. James Hedges (afterwards known as Gen. Hedges)...and Johnny Appleseed dined on the public square....This was the commencement of the city of Mansfield."

The square then was a field of stumps remaining from recently cleared trees and a blockhouse.

The marker goes on to explain "Hedges served in the War of 1812....In February 1818 he obtained the Deposition for Mansfield Lodge #35, Free and Accepted Masons" which explains the location of this historical marker.

Hedges died in 1854 from rheumatism and was buried July 4th in the Mansfield Cemetery.

2011-09-06T05:00:00.003-04:00

BOOK REPORTS--

American Tempest by Harlow Giles Unger

Sub-titled, "How the Boston Tea Party Sparked a Revolution", Unger's book will have you feeling like you are walking the streets of Boston in the mid 1700s. It is a marvelously crafted portrayal of life in those years leading up to the Declaration of Independence. You will learn there were many "tea parties". You will feel like you are peeking over the shoulder of John Hancock or Ben Franklin or Paul Revere and their colleagues who incubated the birth of our nation. This should be required reading for all students, in fact, all US citizens.

The General's Daughter by Nelson DeMille

Another outstanding novel by a favorite author. The daughter in the title is the lead character; a vixen with a nuclear powered libido whose escapades involve a host of fellow officers at her Georgia army fort. Eventually she is murdered and the heroes of the story, two military cops with the Army's elite undercover investigative unit, are embroiled in a whopper of a whodunit. It's a hard-to-put-down read with a happy ending. Thank you Mr. DeMille.

For the Love of Physics by Walter Lewin

Yup, this one is about "physics" the scientific, not the anatomical kind. Dr. Lewin has been a physics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for more than 31 years and is the kind of teacher we all should dream about. A photo on his book's cover is perfect; showing him swinging somewhat capsized in front of his classroom doing a very personal demonstration of a pendulum--and, in the process, teaching us about gravity and Newton's laws of motion. Horray for Dr. Lewin and all teachers like him who bring passion to the learning process.

A Time for Patriots by Dale Brown

This story lands somewhere between being a primer for Civil Air Patrol cadets and a rewrite of a 1940s era script for a Sky King radio show with bushels of fictional, war fighting appliances. Nevertheless, it was a quick read for the brain candy it mimicked.

2011-09-04T09:04:00.000-04:00

FUNERAL HOME and TANK--

Follow up

We drove by the site of yesterday's story on the tank in the front yard of the funeral home and...

...the tank was gone!

I began to have visions of the blog's "Pen" being "Mightier than the sword."

But, that would be a stretch.

It turns out--between the time the photo was taken and the blog story was published (maybe two weeks), the tank was moved to a veteran's post in Ontario.

2011-09-03T05:00:00.003-04:00

A FUNERAL HOME
and a tank!

For some reason I found the above scene humorous, although, the operation of one could lead to the need for the other--and, that would not be humorous at all.

This scene exists on the east side of Mansfield where that town's largest American Legion post went out of business awhile back.

Sometime later, a funeral home moved into the site.

I'm sure the funeral home folks wrestled with the very obvious question, "What DO you do with that multi-ton tank in the front yard?"

Even though it still is wearing its desert camouflage paint job, it is quite obvious to most passers-by.

I could think of several very effective solutions for use of the tank when I pondered the craziness often experienced in vehicle traffic.

Can you imagine swinging the tank's main gun around to the rear when you are experiencing one of those insane tailgaters?

Just joking, of course....

Hemlock Falls; 5th in series

2011-09-01T05:00:00.000-04:00

OHIO'S HISTORICAL MARKERS
Richland County

Speaking of historical, the Black Hand Sandstone underlying Hemlock Falls dates to the geologic, Mississippian Period of some 350 million years ago.

About 200 million years ago a river known as the Groveport flowed from the Appalachian Mountains through here and turned south in what we now know as the Bunker Hill valley, passing the present locations of Butler and Fredericktown to join the pre-glacial Teays River.

The Illinoian Glacier blocked the Groveport about 150,000 years ago and a new riverbed was formed; known today as the Clear Fork. Waters you see flowing over Hemlock Falls today are tributary to the Clear Fork and ultimately travel down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to the Gulf of Mexico.

The feeder stream that feeds Hemlock Falls today splits in the forest above and forms two falls; one about 60 feet tall and the other nearly 100 feet. Views of both falls are quite accessible by a moderate hike from the Mohican Outdoor School which owns the falls property. You can contact them at 5370 Bunker Hill Rd., Butler to arrange your visit.

The above photo reflects the scene you will see as you proceed northbound on Bunker Hill N. Rd., approaching the Mohican School and their sign in the background. This is about one mile north of the intersection with SR 97 east of Butler.

The small photo left is a file photo from a previous blog story on the falls. Do a search for Hemlock Falls (above left) for lots of photos and several blog stories we have done on this marvelous venue.

Then do yourself a favor and take a hike--so to speak, of course.

Johnny Appleseed; 4th in series

2011-08-30T05:00:00.000-04:00

OHIO'S HISTORICAL MARKERS
Richland County

The third marker on Mansfield's square commemorates Johnny Appleseed and a run he is thought to have made in 1813 from Mansfield to Mt. Vernon for reinforcements when an Indian attack was believed to be imminent.

While Appleseed is often thought of as a fictional character, he was very much a real person; born in Massachusetts in 1774 as John Chapman. He was a skilled nurseryman who loved apple trees and supplied seeds and tree saplings to pioneers as population growth spread through what is now OH, then known as the eastern edge of the Northwest Territories.

A young Admiral Perry had just defeated the British in the Battle of Lake Erie then and news from explorers like Lewis and Clark was just becoming known when Appleseed ran through the forest for help.

Appleseed was a vegetarian and wore raggedy clothes. Some claim he wore a tin hat when he traveled and once escaped horrible weather by sleeping in a hollow tree--with a mother bear. Sometimes the line between truth and fiction becomes blurry.

Problems between the pioneers and the Indians were quite real then, however. The infamous Copus massacre had just happened the previous September.

At the time of Appleseed's run there were two blockhouses on the Mansfield square, refuges for local settlers from the violence of the War of 1812 and from Indian attack. Ohio had become a state just 10 years earlier and 90 per cent of Ohio's area remained heavily forested.

Parts of one of those blockhouses were used in the recent reconstruction of the blockhouse in South Park and Johnny's name is firmly etched in my memory banks as the Johnny Appleseed Squares, the name honored by my square dancing group.

He died in 1845 and is buried in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Somewhere. There even is some dispute about the year of his death.

But there is no dispute about his devout lifestyle and accomplishments.

2011-08-28T08:17:00.000-04:00

THE AGONY OF VICTORY--

Adopted grand daughter Mackenna Curtis-Collins, 12, shorter person, center of the top photo and at right competed in the second cross country race of her career Saturday against teams from Wooster, Galion, and Westerville.

She is gasping her way as she approaches (above) and crosses the finish line (below) for a second place finish in the field of nearly 100 competitors. That's her coach in the left background witnessing and recording her amazing performance.

In her first race--ever--last week at a Madison invitational, she placed first in her age group.

< Smile >

2011-08-27T05:00:00.001-04:00

BUY AMERICAN? HA!

The sales lady at Macy's summed it up best when she told me, "If everything made outside the United States was removed from this store, it would be virtually empty."

This story began when I was meandering around Cato Fashions in a small, Ontario strip mall with my lady Sue recently. To amuse myself I began to read the garment tags that confessed their origin: Bangladesh, Thailand, China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Viet Nam, Phillipines....

Finally, I actually stumbled on one blouse that was made in the US of A.

Much to my amazement it was priced smack in the middle of the range of all the rest of the garments--in the low $20s.

Which gave rise to an obvious question: If whoever manufactured and sold this product can do so competitively, why isn't everything in this store made in the US of A?

I got a blank stare when I posed that question to the young sales lady there.

In the JC Penny store I was looking at lady's jeans. They were sewn in China--and, finished in Mexico. A double whammy!

While we were in Macy's Sue pointed out their up-scale line of womens apparel where I did find a few items made in the US--"from imported fabric".

In Sear's I found an entire line of lady's garments made in the US. I began to feel a tinge of encouragement.

Then I noticed that same line of clothes on the next rack came from Indonesia. Again, they all had the same price.

So, what gives?

I was chagrined when it dawned on me; the stuff made in the US probably was done with illegally, imported labor.

John Sherman; 3rd in series

2011-08-25T05:00:00.000-04:00

OHIO'S HISTORICAL MARKERS
in Richland County

Another marker on Mansfield's square stands on the west lawn of the county administration building. It honors John Sherman, (1823 - 1900), who served as a US Senator, Secretary of the Treasury and Secretary of State, the last under President William McKinley in 1897.

Sherman is best known as the author of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.

This law basically encouraged business competition by controlling monopolies. That law today still forms forms the basis for most antitrust litigation by the US.

One of his older brothers was General William Tecumseh Sherman of Civil War fame.

John Sherman was born in Lancaster, OH and early in life worked as an engineer on canal projects. Later, he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1844. He moved to Mansfield that year and began practicing law with another older brother, Charles.

In his political career he was a delegate to the 1848 and 1852 Whig National Conventions and served as a US congressman beginning in 1854. In 1877 president Rutherford B. Hayes appointed Sherman Secretary of the Treasury.

By 1878 Sherman succeeded in reducing the amount of currency in circulation to the exact amount of gold in the US Treasury.

Imagine that kind of fiscal policy today.

Sherman ran unsuccessfully for US President in 1880 but lost to his campaign manager, James A. Garfield. He ran twice more in 1884 and 1888, losing both those efforts too.

He served briefly in the office of US Secretary of State and was replaced in that office by President McKinley in 1898 after his disagreements with McKinley over the Spanish-American War.

Sherman died in Washington DC and is buried in the Mansfield cemetery.

2011-08-24T05:00:00.017-04:00

MACKENNA CURTIS-COLLINS, 12

Allow me to introduce my adopted grand daughter, and the young lady who recently saved my blog story of the two fellows standing on the fence posts with her nifty photography--when my picture failed.

This photo was done just prior to her first-ever excursion into pageants--at the Blueberry Festival in Lexington recently where she was first runner-up in her age group.

It's hard for me to imagine the winner.

Mackenna is my lady Sue Brooks' grand daughter and is the daughter of Traci Curtis of Lexington.

The First Methodist Church; 2nd in series

2011-08-23T05:00:00.000-04:00

OHIO'S HISTORICAL MARKERS
in Richland County

One of the three markers on Mansfield's square celebrates the first religious service in Mansfield. It is located directly in front of the First United Methodist Church on the northeast corner of Park Ave. East and N. Diamond St. It also was the first historical marker established in Richland County in 1978.

That church is regarded as the oldest religious congregation in north-central Ohio because the Reverend James Copus preached the first sermon at the "spring" there in 1809--just six years after Ohio became a state.

Services were then moved to the blockhouse on the square in 1811and into an early courthouse also on the square in 1813. The first church building was built in 1820 at the corner of Park Ave East and Adams St and another at the present site in 1870.

Local history enthusiasts will correctly associate Rev. Copus' name with the Copus Massacre where the reverend, several neighbors and three soldiers were killed in Mifflin Township of Ashland County in September 1812.

2011-08-21T05:00:00.001-04:00

BUCYRUS BRATWURST FESTIVAL

Above is a very-crowded Friday evening at the festival. Hard to imagine what Saturday night must look like.

Friends Mark Meinzer and Don Karger (right) enjoy one of a couple of terrific murals painted on downtown buildings--this one on State Route 4 just north of the square on the west side of the street.

The murals themselves are worth a trip to Bucyrus.

A four-piece "jug" band from Cleveland was a hit with the crowd Friday evening. Of course, some of the folks who enjoy this type of music were themselves a hit with the crowd with their impromptu antics.

The midway had a food vendor featuring Bourbon Chicken sandwiches. The view below is what it looks like when you consume a couple of those things after telling the cook to "...hold the chicken."

Can you tell we had a delightful time?

The Ohio State Reformatory; 1st in a series

2011-08-20T05:00:00.004-04:00

OHIO'S HISTORICAL MARKERS
in Richland County

There are currently 1,346 historical markers across the state. Seven of them are located in Richland County; three of which are on the square in downtown Mansfield.

Today, Fogeyisms starts a series of stories, each of which will feature one of those seven markers. Articles and photos will appear throughout the next few weeks beginning with today's inaugural story of the marker at the old, Ohio State Reformatory north of town.

As you can see in the above, this marker is located on the driveway leading into the old reformatory with its administration building in the background. Three of our county's seven markers feature historical places that remain and are open to visitors: the reformatory, Malabar Farm and Hemlock Falls.

The Ohio Historical Society maintains a web page here: Click! You can go to that page then click on "browse markers" in the left column. That will take you to a list of Ohio's counties. Click on "Richland" and you will see a list of our seven markers.

Click on "Ohio State Reformatory" and another page will reveal lots of information about that marker and its subject including the text you will find on both sides of the marker, its street address and latitude and longitude of its location, etc.

In this case, lady friend Sue Brooks and I did the photo of the marker and took one of several tours that are conducted there on Sunday afternoons; ours involving the west cell block, a guard tower, inmate shower facilities, the post office, etc.

In the small photo (top right) you may get some feeling of what it must have looked like to an inmate staring out of his dank, concrete and steel cell as a guard (rather than this tourist) passed by. Each cell had two bunks, two personal cabinets and a toilet.

The east range of cells appears in the bottom photo. It is five stories tall and has an opposite side just like the one pictured.

Amazingly, the west range of cells was all steel in construction, rose six stories tall and was the largest in the world.

The Mansfield Reformatory Preservation Society maintains a web page here: Click! It is chock full of information on the institution's history and activities. Take a peek. Better yet, plan a visit. You will not be disappointed.

2011-08-18T05:00:00.001-04:00

TWO GUYS, TWO FENCE POSTS--
and a church being built in a flood plain

On yet another recent visit to southeast Ohio, we drove along the crumbling asphalt of a nearly vacant, weedy area of flood plain on the west side of Junction City, OH.

Nearby, two guys were perched mostly silently, in standing position on a pair of three foot tall posts.

We passed the pair slowly, sharing friendly nods, and headed toward a church we knew about (behind young man on the left) that was under construction in the flood plain in defiance of local building authorities.

The church's powers-that-be, we had been told, were accustomed to getting their own way in that small town and not much bothered by regulations.

Inside the metal building I could see wooden, wall studs with lots of construction-like stuff here and there; visible through a dusty window but little evidence of recent activity around the gravelly site, noticeably eroded by heavy rains.

Just like Sue's sister Patsy had told us, the main doorway wasn't even centrally aligned with the middle of the building. And, the doors already were showing rust.

We wondered who would win this tug of war between the local bureaucracy and some strong-willed deacons--or whatever.

Headed back toward the road we noticed the same two fellows still perched on their posts. I waved as we approached and got a wee bit acquainted with the pair, a father and a son actually.

'What are you doing up there," I inquired. "We're just standing here--having fun," they told me, then launched into a series of interesting geometric poses; only slightly struggling to maintain their balances.

I enjoyed the show and told them so. They smiled.

When I asked about the church construction the father said, "Yup, that building sure could get wet. This whole area floods often," he explained as he circled his arm overhead, "...clear up to Bremen" a town about 6 miles up the valley to the west.

I complimented their creativity as we concluded our conversation.

Patsy chuckled later as we shared our experience.

"They do things like that in Perry County," she smiled knowingly.

____________________________
Editor's Note: Sue is my lady Sue Brooks who was born and grew up in Junction City. Patsy is her sister who also was born there and still lives on the family's rural homestead. I did take several pictures of the event described above but failed to note the camera still was adjusted for a then, recent night photo event. Adopted grand daughter Mackenna Curtis-Collins, learning of my failure. said "You can use my picture Grandpa." That's it above--with my humble gratitude.

2011-08-15T05:00:00.002-04:00

My Mansfield JOHNNY APPLESEED Square Dance Club took a lesson from the Mansfield Multiple Sclerosis group at its annual summer picnic where we were the scheduled entertainment recently.

We shared the pleasure of the dance obviously, but mostly our lesson was in treasuring life in spite of its adversities.