CovidJournal, Day 259: Over the River and Through Ohio

38 and rain showers this morning. The snow is almost gone.

Yesterday was road trip day. I found a sweet dinette set from the 50's online; it was miles away but we were ready for a break so planned a day trip to fetch it. Travel these days is a risky business. We packed our food and coffee so we wouldn't need to stop to eat, and also packed masks, wipes and gloves. 

It was good to get out. We hadn't been anywhere since Thanksgiving, and while we weren't stir-crazy in the least it was nice to take a day off and just go.

The part of Ohio where we went didn't seem to have as much snow as we had, and most of it was already melted. The landscape is so different from what we're used to--once we left the rolling hills along the Ohio River, the land flattened out. We've traveled this route before, on our way to Cincinnati, but it's been a few years. 

Grain silos dotted the fields, and most homes had thick windbreaks of evergreen trees planted around them.

There were many lovely, stately old homes along the way,

and wide, wide open fields.

Abandoned farms and houses dotted the countryside too, a sad sign of the changes in American agriculture. We also saw many Amish homes and farms, well kept places with no electric lines leading to them, and here and there a meeting house. It made me wonder why, in this fertile land where many farms seemed to be thriving, there were these forlorn places left to rot away.

This is on the campus of Cedarville University, which I've never heard of before. They owned extensive tracts of land near the town of Cedarville, as did the Air National Guard. We passed their facility, complete with landing strips too.

In downtown Cedarville, a large building is undergoing extensive renovations. I wonder if it also belongs to the university. The sign over the door said "Opera House." So apparently a performing arts venue.

On the opposite corner, a "flatiron" building, so named because of its shape. Apparently this was once a bank--usually a door on the corner like this indicate a former bank. The idea being that it was easier to see who was coming and going, I think.

The sun was setting--so early these days-- as we continued on toward home. Such monochromatic landscapes.

I don't know if I could live in such flat country. I've never tried so I can't say. It has a certain beauty, and straight roads and flat lawns might be a blessing, but I don't think it's for me.

And yes, we did get the dinette set, from a great man named Fred who had kept it in immaculate condition. I'll post photos tomorrow.

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