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May 10, 2016
Our next stop was Bloomington, home of the University of Indiana. It is a wonderful college town with a beautiful campus. The highlight of our stay according to Mike was visiting the Helmsburg Sawmill. It is a family operation in a small town. Mike stood grinning for 10 minutes watching a huge log being turned and cut as the boards came down a conveyor belt. The owner’s daughter showed us where the wood is stored and dried until shipping. There were some unique cuts of wood perfect for some great projects. Mike’s eyes were dancing as thoughts of great wood projects flew through his mind. Then he remembered…RV, no tools. We left with wood for the evening fire.
Our next stop was Bloomington, home of the University of Indiana. It is a wonderful college town with a beautiful campus. The highlight of our stay according to Mike was visiting the Helmsburg Sawmill. It is a family operation in a small town. Mike stood grinning for 10 minutes watching a huge log being turned and cut as the boards came down a conveyor belt. The owner’s daughter showed us where the wood is stored and dried until shipping. There were some unique cuts of wood perfect for some great projects. Mike’s eyes were dancing as thoughts of great wood projects flew through his mind. Then he remembered…RV, no tools. We left with wood for the evening fire.
Many small cities in our country are having trouble surviving the economic pressures of modern society. Vacant and decaying historic buildings that were once thriving business have become the norm. Columbus, Indiana, a city of 45,000, is not only surviving, but thriving. The American Institute of Architects ranked Columbus sixth in the United States for architectural innovation and design. It is on a list that includes Chicago, Washington DC, and New York City. This remarkable designation was a result of a program instituted by the Cummins Engine Foundation which offers to pay the architectural fee for any public building that used architects selected from a list supplied by the foundation. Columbus is a 3 1/2 hour drive from Chicago and certainly worthy of a visit. For more details peruse their web at site: www.columbus.in.us. If you should stop in Columbus, step back to the early 1900s by visiting Zaharakos Ice Cream Parlor and Museum. You will not be disappointed.
May 31, 2016
There is no place like home! After traveling for 6 years, it is hard assign where that designation belongs. The Chicago area is where we last had a job and owned a home. Many friends and members of our family live here. It is wonderful to spend time with them which is an indication of “home.” During our visits “home,” it seems that much of our time is spent in the hands of doctors and dentists. During this trip particularly, we have been pushed, prodded, poked, punctured and penetrated in order to preserve our health.
Chicago is also the home of our beloved Lake Michigan where we raced for a number of years and set sail from as we began our sailing adventure. Mike, who bought our boat, took us sailing with several friends. As we boarded the boat, he mentioned that we didn’t have to worry about touching anything and feeling salt since we are in fresh water. I suddenly envisioned a margarita without salt on the rim. We certainly had become ocean sailors!
We parked the RV at the Indiana Dunes near Valparaiso, Indiana where Francie’s sister and mother live. We were able to show them our new home and even share a meal or two. On the weekend there was a vintage RV gathering. The nostalgic tour of camping in the 50’s and 60’s was a hoot.
There is no place like home! After traveling for 6 years, it is hard assign where that designation belongs. The Chicago area is where we last had a job and owned a home. Many friends and members of our family live here. It is wonderful to spend time with them which is an indication of “home.” During our visits “home,” it seems that much of our time is spent in the hands of doctors and dentists. During this trip particularly, we have been pushed, prodded, poked, punctured and penetrated in order to preserve our health.
Chicago is also the home of our beloved Lake Michigan where we raced for a number of years and set sail from as we began our sailing adventure. Mike, who bought our boat, took us sailing with several friends. As we boarded the boat, he mentioned that we didn’t have to worry about touching anything and feeling salt since we are in fresh water. I suddenly envisioned a margarita without salt on the rim. We certainly had become ocean sailors!
We parked the RV at the Indiana Dunes near Valparaiso, Indiana where Francie’s sister and mother live. We were able to show them our new home and even share a meal or two. On the weekend there was a vintage RV gathering. The nostalgic tour of camping in the 50’s and 60’s was a hoot.
June 11, 2016
After Valparaiso we stopped for a few days in Lansing, Michigan to visit with Mike’s parents and friends. We made a visit to Michigan’s capital building with Mike’s nephew and his girlfriend. In the late 60’s, Mike remembers touring the building thinking it was rather dumpy. From 1989 through 1991 the exterior and interior of the 1872 Victorian State Capitol Building was meticulously restored and the results are stunning. To the Michigan taxpayers – We thank you for the money you spent on your capital building. It is a building that all of Michigan should be proud to call their own!
After Valparaiso we stopped for a few days in Lansing, Michigan to visit with Mike’s parents and friends. We made a visit to Michigan’s capital building with Mike’s nephew and his girlfriend. In the late 60’s, Mike remembers touring the building thinking it was rather dumpy. From 1989 through 1991 the exterior and interior of the 1872 Victorian State Capitol Building was meticulously restored and the results are stunning. To the Michigan taxpayers – We thank you for the money you spent on your capital building. It is a building that all of Michigan should be proud to call their own!
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June 16, 2016
Six years ago we traveled the Great Lakes to the Erie Canal. After a memorably rough passage from Detroit to Port Clinton, we experienced first-hand the nasty reputation of Lake Erie’s short steep waves that build from one shore to another. We parked the RV very near Port Clinton to explore Sandusky, Put-In-Bay and Cleveland. This is the land of the maritime battles of the War of 1812.
June 16, 2016
Six years ago we traveled the Great Lakes to the Erie Canal. After a memorably rough passage from Detroit to Port Clinton, we experienced first-hand the nasty reputation of Lake Erie’s short steep waves that build from one shore to another. We parked the RV very near Port Clinton to explore Sandusky, Put-In-Bay and Cleveland. This is the land of the maritime battles of the War of 1812.
Sandusky, Ohio in modern times is known for the amusement park Cedar Point. It had a long and prosperous history if the numbers of beautiful large homes are any indication. It is also Lake Erie Mayfly season. They covered the walls of the buildings, fences and anything not moving. A little trivia: Mayflies exist for 1 -2 years on the bottom of Lake Erie as a nymph living burrowed in the mud. After they emerge from the water, they live 24-72 hours.
On Monday, the day after the Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA title, we visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. We have been known to tour an entire Smithsonian Museum in a couple of hours, but spent 5 hours enjoying a nostalgic walk through our own musical history.
As part of our Presidents’ houses and museums pursuit, we visited our 19th President, Rutherford B. Hayes’ home, Spiegel Grove, and museum in Freemont, Ohio. The 31 room mansion has been recently refurbished. Each room has been accurately returned to the time period of the President’s occupancy including the furniture and light fixtures thanks to pictures taken by a relative when President Hayes was alive. At one point in the tour, the docent asked if anyone played the piano. No one volunteered. Francie reluctantly said that she learned to play the First Noel when she was a child. She was asked to play the song on Lucy Hayes’s melodeon. So twice now, the world’s worst rendition of The First Noel was played on one of our nations treasures! (See journal) It is quite rare to see the amount of original furnishing in a historic home. The President’s children in 1912 gave the Spiegel Grove property to the State of Ohio, although the family continued to live in the house until 1965.
A woman at the tourist information center suggested that we visit Toft’s, the oldest dairy in Ohio. She did not get much of a response from us until she described their old fashioned ice cream parlor; or was it the amount of ice cream that came in the cup! We have been thinking about making ice cream parlors another one of our quests as we travel across the country, but then we thought of our waist lines.
In our travels we have learned more about the War of 1812, than either of us remember from school. That knowledge was expanded when we visited Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial on Put-in-Bay. The memorial operated by the National Park Service commemorates the lasting peace between three nations at war, as well as the historic victory over the British led by Master Commandant Oliver Perry. All around the island there are copies of the famous “DON’T GIVE UP THE SHIP” flags.
June 23, 2016
As we watched the waters of Lake Erie from the top of the monument, we reminisced about our experiences on Lake Erie and our first overnight sail by ourselves to Erie, PA. Ironically our next stop in the RV is Erie, PA. Our campsite is on the shore near the channel where the tall ship Niagara transits.
As we watched the waters of Lake Erie from the top of the monument, we reminisced about our experiences on Lake Erie and our first overnight sail by ourselves to Erie, PA. Ironically our next stop in the RV is Erie, PA. Our campsite is on the shore near the channel where the tall ship Niagara transits.