On our recent Wednesday bicycling outing three of us trundled 42 miles around the southern part of Richland County—not without its amusing moments such as this marvelously untimely sign compliments of the Mansfield City Parks Department at North Lake Park.

In nearby South Park we paused to ponder the restoration project on the town’s block house which once served as the county courthouse and a safe haven from Indian attack for the area’s much smaller population in those days. Back then it was located in what we now know as Mansfield’s Central Park.

Riding companions Gary Courtright and Ted Kmet are pictured (right) examining the wooden shingles which are being hand-split on the site to add authenticity to this well deserved restoration.

Farther down the bike trail the nice folks at Alta Greenhouse presented us with the cheery greeting on the rear of their building, Come in for a Break while just 20 feet or so away on the same wall another sign left the very opposite impression of their hospitality (right).

Naturally, as is often the case with intellectually challenged aspirants to the human race, one of them will crawl from under its rock and deposit some detritus in what is an otherwise pristine scene. I hope the last user of this shopping cart is, somehow, forever prevented from contaminating the gene pool.