We pictorially return to the state of my birth, Ohio.

Pandemic Series 13 - June, 2021

(Hopefully, the last in this series.)

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Content

 

Male goldfinch

Opening Comments from Bob

This Issue: Pictorially, the focus is my home state of Ohio. The poems, Reflection and Equal, are wide open for your interpretation. My short vignette is about a brief business meeting with Janice Marler. The guest vignette by author G.L. Rush is a humorous look at something we can all relate to.

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This section, pictures from Troy, Ohio

Miami County courthouse and offices

Two Poems this Month

Reflection

Gazing into the quiet pond
   my image stares back me.

"Can this be me
   or an illusion?"
   I question.
Right becomes left,
   and left becomes right–
   a yin and yang effect.

I barely recognize
   what has happened.

As a soft breeze
   caresses my skin,
   ripples alter
   my perceptions.

I touch my face,
   it appears unchanged
   yet, that is not
   what now peers back.

Breezes become wind,
   goose bumps rise,
   where have I gone?

Will I reappear someday?

Comments: Having recently experienced a birthday,. the poem provided "food for thought."

 


 

Equal

Reading Emerson and Thoreau
   humbles one’s feeble efforts
   to translate
   thoughts into written words.
Yet, within any seeker’s
   inner thoughts,
   the mystical and immeasurable,
   are likewise majestic.

 

The Great Miami River flows through downtown Troy and is a tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 160 miles (260 km) long and is located in southwestern Ohio and Indiana. The river is named for the Miami, an Algonquian-speaking Native American people who lived there.

The Seventeen Year Cicadas were there to welcome us to Ohio. They were only present in some of the areas we visited. They live underground for 17 years and come above ground to mate and die.

We returned to Ohio on business, see family, and visit with friends. I have three sisters, Gay, Joy, and Pat. Pictured are Gay and her husband Jerry. We joined them for one of their afternoon social hours.

 

Troy's renovated town square

Like many small Ohio cities, there is an abundance of churches. I found the architecture
of the First United Methodist Church especially intriguing.

What an empty field and sign? Just a reminder that almost wherever we walk, ancestors have tread before, each absorbed in the daily routines of their lives thinking little of the past, concerned mainly with the future. Someday, others will walk our same grounds oblivious of what went before. This field, Fort Ancient Earthworks, was once home to a vibrant culture of the Ohio Hopewellian people starting around 1000 C.E. and ending approximately 700 years later. The earthwork is in SW Ohio near the King's Island exit off of I-71.

Vignette this Month: Janice Marler

 

I currently operate three small businesses, one (two websites) focuses on my writing, one on publishing, and the third with instructing Tai Chi and Qigong.

One of the most enjoyable portions of my recent visit to Ohio was to meet with Janice Marler, her daughter Sandy, Janice's pastor, and a friend. Janice and I have emailed back and forth for several years and spoken on the phone many times. She is also a PJ subscriber. I recently published her first book, Grandma's Wisdom Or Not. I will soon be publishing her second one.

While the original purpose of the visit was business related, it soon turned into sharing friendship. She even had a small gift bags for us. My wife Janice and I were treated with the upmost graciousness.

Pictured: Janice is to my immediate left.

Guest Vignette this Month: Good Neighbor

Bio: We haven't heard from author and playwright G.L. Rush for quite awhile. We are pleased that she is back and shared what has now become a humorous event to her. However, at the time, I am sure that was no so.

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The event all started when I decided to have a hot dog for breakfast. (I am not a fan of the traditional breakfast.) Since I didn’t want to dirty a broiling pan in the toaster oven, which would have automatically shut off after the time was up, I put it in a pan of water on the stove to boil. I’m hungry! Hence, I turn the burner up to medium high .

Then, I made the Big Mistake! I decided to go to the basement to find a larger container for my coffee filters. When I reach for the one I want, it falls back behind the three-tiered shelf. Of course, I pull out the shelf, and the other ones fall. I pick them up and, being a neat and tidy person, I also sweep up dust from behind the shelves. Almost done, I hear the blaring of the smoke alarm in our kitchen and hallway which definitely caught my attention . Upon rushing upstairs, I discovered hot dog char broiled and kitchen and family room filled with smoke. Quickly, windows and doors are opened wide until we can see again. About an hour later, I decided to just do toast for breakfast.

Hubby was still in bed during my cooking spree until he heard this new wake up alarm. When I went to the bottom of the steps, I saw him on a stool trying to shut off the upstairs smoke alarm. (It had been known to malfunction.) I told him to forget it as it was the downstairs alarm which was working quite well! I have to hand it to him, no yelling and cussing which leaves me to believe he was truly quite speechless !

I went outside, sat down, and tried to calm myself. Alyson next door who was on her back porch yells over asking how was I today. I said after trying to burn the house down I was fine . She said oh that’s always fun, I’ve done that a couple times... And that’s the kind of neighbors you like to have!

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If you have a guest vignette you would like to submit, please do so. Not only will I enjoy reading it, but if agreeable with you and space permitting, I will print it in a future issue. The vignette should be written in paragraph form and relate a personal story or event. Equally important, it should fit the overall tenor of this newsletter. Ideally, it should not exceed twenty lines. Please send to bob@poeticaljourneys.com.

This section, pictures from Put 'n Bay on South Bass Island. This small island is located on Lake Erie.

South Bass Island, the location of the small resort community Put 'n Bay, is 2.5 by 5 miles in size. It is easily assessable by private boat, small plane, Miller's Ferry, or the Jet Express out of Port Clinton. South Bass is the most famous of Lake Erie's resort islands.

Perry Memorial viewed from downtown Put 'n Bay Harbor


Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial commemorates the Battle of Lake Erie that
took place near South Bass Island, in which Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry led a fleet to victory
in one of the most decisive naval battles to occur in the War of 1812. The memorial also celebrates
the lasting peace between Britain, Canada, and the United States that followed the war.

Below 2 shots: Downtown Harbor views

 

 

Small park town center

Not only did Ohio welcome the cicadas but the annual influx of harmless mayflies
arrived at the lake. The invasion lasts a couple of weeks.

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Recommendation

There are so many recs I could give. Here are just a few.

Port Clinton, OH

For the best perch ever, Jolly Rogers.

Troy, OH

  • For delicious Taewanese J's Asian Cuisine(1743 W. Main St; Troy, OH 45373 (937) 703-1333. The hot and sour soup delectable.
  • For an extensive and unique variety of candy and soda selections Grandpa Joe's Candy Shop - soda selection pictured below

Port Clinton, OH: With the assistance of my wife's brother-in-law Bruce, I made quite a discovery. A new sculptor and artist studio now is located in downtown Port Clinton near the Jet Express parking area. On my visit, I met sculptor Andy Sacksteder. His work is incredible. I am pictured with a bronze piece I purchased. He works in a building that is owned by the Greater Port Clinton Area Arst Council; 317 W. Perry St.; Port Clinton, OH 43452. It is called TAG, The Arts Garage. Andy's website: http://www.andysacksteder.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html

Please take a look at the online book and gift pages.

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The carving of Jose De Rivera St. Jurgo, a wealthy Spaniard who bought
South Bass, known as Put-in-Bay, and Middle Bass islands in 1854.

Gulf carts rule the streets. The Beer Barrel Saloon claims to have the World's longest bar.

Enjoy a bit of Key West on PNB. The key lime pie was delicious!

Quotable Quotes

"There is no reality except the one contained within us. That is why so many people live such an unreal life. They take the images outside them for reality and never allow the world within to assert itself." - Hermann Hesse

"A day is like a whole life. You start out doing one thing, but end up doing something else, plan to run an errand, but never get there . . . And at the end of your life, your whole existence has the same haphazard quality, too. Your whole life has the same shape as a single day." - Michael Crichton

"Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.." - Dalai Lama

Stone Lab is located on Gibraltar Island, just north of South Bass Island's Put-In-Bay. Gibraltar is named for its
resemblance to the famous British fortress at the western end of the Mediterranean Sea. It is affiliated with the O.S.U.

Middle Bass Island is less than half a mile from South Bass Island, home to Put 'n Bay. It's a quick ferry ride from downtown PNB.

A Bit of Humor

A bit of laughter is healthy for the soul

A soldier serving overseas far from home was annoyed and upset when his girl wrote to break off their engagement and ask for her photograph back. 

He went out and collected from his friends all the unwanted photographs of women that he could find, bundled them all together, and sent them back with a note saying, “I regret that I cannot remember which one you are. Please keep your photo and return the others.”

Compliment of A Joke A Day

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The 1896 Port Clinton lighthouse on the mainland

Tai Chi Corner

Take some time to learn tai chi. Contact Bob.



Bob Casey
Poetical Journeys
P.O. Box 319
Midway, UT 84049

bob@poeticaljourneys.com

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