Sourcing in Ohio

38 yesterday morning, a mite chilly. I think there was frost on top of the van, but nowhere else. 48 this morning, and a cloudy/sunny day. Nice enough to open the door a while.

Yesterday we took off to Ohio to pick up some things for our booths. It was a beautiful morning; I almost didn't want to leave. The ridge was just stunning.

Redbuds and dogwood are in the height of their bloom right now.

Seems like we can't keep ahead of the furniture sales, a good problem to have but it means we have to take time to find new stock. After several hours on the computer Thursday and Friday, I came up with 2 chests of drawers, a table with six chairs, 4 chrome and metal chairs to go with a mid-century modern cracked-ice table we have, and an old lawnmower. 

So that's 10 chairs--and it turned out to actually be 11 since there was an extra. The table and 7 chairs were free, and who can turn their back on that? They all need a little gluing, and all will need painting, but it will be a beautiful set again in the end.

The chests of drawers, which you can't see in the photos except for the top of one antique oak one painted green, had to be stacked one on top of the other to get all this in the van. The other chest is a 1930-1940 waterfall style. 

When we got to the place to pick up the last chest, I really didn't think we'd get it in without leaving some chairs behind, which I didn't want to do. We unloaded everything on the sidewalk of a pretty rundown area of row houses in a city, and began trying to fit it all back in. Two young men showed up and offered to help. Now, they were rough-looking, in wife-beater shirts, tattoos, cigarettes, and the kid of skin that made you wonder if they were on drugs--that dingy, rough look, if you've seen it you know what I mean.

But those two guys were amazing. While half the neighborhood and a few dogs turned out to watch, they stacked the chests on top of each other and worked everything else in like a jigsaw puzzle. In 15 minutes it was all back in the van with hardly an inch to spare. I offered them twenty dollars for their help, which at first they refused, but finally took. It was probably the best entertainment the neighborhood had had in a while---and certainly the best for us. 

Which got me to thinking about appearances. Were they druggies? Another young man had been there with them at first, dressed in a dark blue suit and white shirt. As he left, they hugged, and he said, "In two weeks I'll be getting out. I'll come back by then." I wondered if he was in drug rehab perhaps? And our helpers were actually living in a halfway house? Or was this something else altogether. Two girls there also had that druggie look, one we've sadly become familiar with in the past few years. So were they all users? Or recovering? Or did they just have the look?

And in the end, did it matter? They were all as nice as could be, funny and pleasant, no bad language flying around and so willing to take on this challenge. Even if they were users, they were good people. I was glad to have met them all, and we smiled and laughed for a long time after leaving there. 

One other experience of our trip happened when we were on the way to pick up the first chest of drawers. The gps was unclear about where we should turn and we ended up going the wrong way, and up a very steep, narrow little street one lane wide. Halfway up, a Model A car was blocking the road. The driver, an elderly guy, hurried to get out of the way, but of course Larry had to stop and talk to him anyway. 

The car was newly restored all original, and still had new-car tags on it. The driver was happy to tell Larry all about it. Another encounter that had us driving away with smiles on our faces. Had we made that wrong turn just to see and meet this man and his car? Apparently so. 

It was a long, full day. The van is still full so I need to get to work figuring out where to put all these finds until we can get to work on them. I'm still smiling though, remembering our good day junkin'.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

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.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

New Year's Day: Into Old Man's Cave

We decided to start our new year a little dfferently than the usual. Instead of cooking a big dinner and having some family over, we planned a hike. Our destination: Old Man's Cave, in the Hocking Hills State Park near Logan Ohio.

According to the park's website: "Old Man's Cave derives its name from the hermit Richard Rowe who lived in the large recess cave of the gorge. His family moved to the Ohio River Valley around 1796 from the Cumberland Mountains of Tennessee to establish a trading post. He and his two dogs traveled through Ohio along the Scioto River in search of game. On one side trip up Salt Creek, he found the Hocking Region. Rowe lived out his life in the area and is buried beneath the ledge of the main recess cave. Earlier residents of the cave were two brothers, Nathaniel and Pat Rayon, who came to the area in 1795. They built a permanent cabin 30 feet north of the cave entrance. Both brothers are buried in or near the cave. Their cabin was later dismantled and relocated on the nearby Iles farm to be used as a tobacco drying house."

We were intrigued. Live an entire lifetime in a cave? What sort of place was this anyway?

The cave is located in a gorge cut through sandstone by Salt Creek. There are several waterfalls and lots of hiking options. Given our limited time, we opted to take the 2-mile hike that took in the upper and middle waterfalls and the cave itself.

It was warmer than usual on New Years day, cloudy and threatening rain but the temperatures stayed in the 40's. The ground however, was soggy, soggy, soggy from the heavy rains of the past few days.

We hoped that the rain meant that the waterfalls in the park would be flowing full. They did not disappoint.

I wondered how those people got down there...

 and soon found out. The trail winds down and down, and I have to admit there were times when my vertigo nearly had me frozen against the cliffs. The steps are stone and many are not level and/or are high steps for a short person with a bad knee, but here and there kind young men grabbed my hands and helped me over some of the harder places. Bless them! I was determined to go on and not turn back after coming all this way. Vertigo is an odd thing--I never know when it's going to hit. This day, it reared its mean old head a few times but in the end I won.

The green lushness of the place reminded me very much of Beartown Rocks in Pocahontas County, WV. Ferns abounded and I wondered what it must be like in this place in summer.

Amazing rock formations everywhere.

And waterfalls! A person could satisfy their waterfall craving here!

This wild whirlpool is called the Devil's Bathtub. Can you imagine tying a load of clothes in a sack and dangling it in that? I bet the clothes would be clean in no time.

Larry enjoyed trying out his new phone's camera. He's still getting the hang of it, but he took many photos during our walk.

And another waterfall... ahhhh....

These steps caused me to catch my breath! At the bottom I found I could not make my feet move. I was frozen to the wall, until a nice young man, who had been watching me come down, came over and gave me a helping hand. Whew.

At the bottom of the steps, this place--well worth the scare.

Along the path, a witch hazel shrub was in bloom. It was nice to see something flowering on the first day of the year.

More falls, which we would cross...see the path there?

Huge, jutting rocks hang overhead...

This bridge was another vertigo-inducing experience. Normally I'd skip right across something like this but it took everything in me to cross it this time.

Far above, the A-frame bridge we would cross later on our way out.

The pale area in this photo was such a surprise--it looked like the sun was shining on it, but it's actually a completely dry area under a gigantic hanging rock--the Old Man's Cave.

Roots of an overturned tree drew my eyes; they looked like basket-weaving.

Then through a tunnel..

and under a small waterfall...

through another tunnel...

and there it was, the yawning opening of a gigantic cave. I wish I had some people in this photo to give an idea of the scale of the place.

Here Larry talks under the cave to a young veteran we met along the way. More about him later.

Can you imagin living in this place? Shelter, running water, plenty of game, wood for fuel, and natural protection from any marauding Natives that might pass by. Perfection.

The end of the trail. Larry and his new vet friend posed for a photo. I asked permission to post it because this man's story is incredible. At 42 years old, he has already had a broken back and other injuries and has had three heart attacks. He also has many blood clots in his legs and elsewhere, and walking was a real struggle for him. But he did it, and he is an inspiration to anyone who thinks they can't do something. With enough will power, the impossible can become possible. He knows he is living on borrowed time and he means to make the most of what time he has. It was humbling to meet him. Here I was struggling along with my vertigo and Larry's knee wasn't much fun, but this man had such serious health issues---and still he took that hike.  We never learned his name, but he will be in my prayers every day.

One last thought: John Muir once said we should not "hike" in the woods, but rather saunter. His words: “I don't like either the word [hike] or the thing. People ought to saunter in the mountains - not 'hike!' Do you know the origin of that word saunter? It's a beautiful word. Away back in the middle ages people used to go on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and when people in the villages through which they passed asked where they were going they would reply, 'A la sainte terre', 'To the Holy Land.' And so they became known as sainte-terre-ers or saunterers. Now these mountains are our Holy Land, and we ought to saunter through them reverently, not 'hike' through them.”



Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Gallipolis Lights

 

 

 

We went to Gallipolis (pronounced Gal-i-poll-EES) Ohio last night to see their Christmas lights display. This small city on the Ohio River is a beautiful place to visit, with a quaint, well preserved downtown and a large park right in the center of town overlooking the river. I posted a little about the town last summer and its brush with Yellow Fever; it's history is colorful and varied, and it maintains a strong hold on those stories to this day. When I heard about the lights, I was ready to drive on down.

It worked out well for us anyway. We were able to stop by our Ravenswood booths and bring in some new things and pick up our check; then we also needed to stop to pick up a cool old metal lawn chair from a man who lived about halfway between Ravenswood and Gallipolis, so we were able to get all three things accomplished in one trip.

The drive was well worth our time. The lights were fabulous.

The trees below light up in time to music--very dramatic! I took a video with my phone but sadly cannot get it to upload. I'll be trying again and may post it later.

What I liked best is that we could walk all through the park; so many light displays are drive-through events but this one was in the perfect place to just stroll around, staying as long as we liked in each place. And it was all free. What a gift the city has given its residents and visitors.

There were plenty of people out, too, even on a Monday evening. We stopped in at the Courtside Br & Grill for a bite and a drink; it too was all decked out, and there were plenty of people there, eating and enjoying the evening.

As we were leaving the park we passed a long line of people with their children waiting to see Santa, who had a little house of his own for receiving visitors. So cute.

We didnt expect to see anyone we knew so we were pretty surprised when someone called out to us! It was our granddaughter Jordan, her husband and her three children! What a delightful surprise. They had also come to see the lights, and were in line to see Santa. I didn't even think to take photos I was so surprised to see them. Lots of hugs, laughter, and fun with the little ones.

If you live anywhere close, it is well worth your time to pay a visit to Gallipolis during this holiday season. I am so glad we went.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.