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The header picture
was used in Issue 120
of the PJ.

The pictures in this issue were taken at the Lakeside area in Ohio

Summer flowers everywhere as you shall see
Going Back to Lakeside: Going Back to Lakeside, Ohio: I first visited there as a teen. Decades passed until my return in the spring of 2005. I wrote about that return in the June 2005 Issue. This month we returned again and stayed at the historic Lakeside Hotel for two nights. What a beautiful experience! Please enjoy the pictorial imagines I captured while there.
Store...................
Seats among the flowers
Approaching storm

Two Poems

The Rocker

With each rock and creak
.....I travel backward into time,
.....a time as a young teen
.....with family and friend.
On this same screened porch
.....of the Lakeside Hotel
.....I anxiously waited
.....for my parents to move on,
.....and to leave their chairs behind.
Instead they rocked and talked
.....as if all the time in world
.....lay before them.
I wanted to ride my bike
.....and play tennis with my friend.
What was so wonderful,
.....moving back and forth
.....in the wicker chairs?

Today, I rock and rock
.....understanding their wisdom.

Comment: Yes, another walk down memory lane with a touch of today.


I Have Waited

Let us intertwine our fingers
.....and meander together
.....along this lonely road.

Let us bask with the sun’s warmth
.....on the nape of our necks.

Feel the energy, the excitement,
.....rush through our veins.

Tell me, are you the one
.....I have longed for?

Are you the promised one
.....that will open the doors
.....of heaven on earth?

Come to me,
.....for I have waited a lifetime.

Comments: Interpret, definitely not a traditional love story.

At the craft fair
Unusual hummingbird feeders
Top of the Marblehead Lighthouse
Peering out toward Put 'n Bay
Swim area at Lakeside
Shuffleboard, a passion there - College National Championship was be held that day
Vignette: Yes, you can relive a time.

Decades ago I traveled with my parents, three sisters, and four selected friends sixty miles north of my childhood home to Lakeside along the south shore of Lake Erie. (I wrote a vignette about my first return visit in a 2005 vignette.) This resort community, originally founded by the Methodist Church in 1873, offered a safe place for families to vacation. There were many activities including evening entertainment options for the adults. Parents could safely leave their kids in the rented cottages and enjoy a restful time listening to speakers or enjoying local symphony music. Since the two one-week vacations at Lakeside were the only family vacations I ever experienced, this resort community has always had a special place in my heart. I also credit those limited vacation times with fostering the wanderlust I have today to explore the world.

On a whim, I decided to return to this childhood favorite and rented a room at the renovated Lakeside Hotel. My wife Janice, who did not have the same memories, agreed begrudgingly to come along. Her family visited only to attend the annual Methodist Church Conference, a far less exciting venture than my friend and I had exploring with no restrictions the extensive grounds.

Being that the hotel is over 136 years old, I set my expectations low as to room size and amenities. However, I was surprised at the size of the first room we were given! I felt that I was Gulliver visiting Lilliput. After a quick visit to the front desk, we upgraded to a very spacious corner room. Should you decide to stay there, please note that the hotel was built before the cookie cutter style of today. Thus, each room is unique in size and decor. Do some research first. I already have my room picked out for the next stay. Also, say goodbye to TV, not one in the hotel. But guess what? There is wireless service.

Lakeside village has changed drastically over the decades, more luxurious homes have replaced many of the simple cottages; the entrance fees have skyrocketed; and onsite parking is a challenge. However, it has also stayed the same with minimal automobile traffic – golf carts and bikes the rule; ample daily and evening Chautauqua activities; still beautiful views of the Lake Erie islands; chairs to rock the hours away; and “slow” and “laid-back” the de rigeur.

Those two days showed me that, yes, sometimes you can relive old memories.


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.


Recommendations

Lakeside, Ohio: This small, private resort community near Marblehead on the southern shore of Lake Erie is a relaxing place to visit on a summer day. It is primarily geared for families and those who enjoy a slower pace of life, even if for only a day. It advertises itself as "The Chautauqua on Lake Erie" because of the many lectures, programs, and entertainment offered throughout the summer. Eating establishments are limited. One I encourage you to enjoy is the Hotel Lakeside Dining Room & Café. The menu is limited during the week though we found our four choices over two nights to be well and creatively prepared. The homemade dressings are delightful. If dining there in the evening, be sure to order the one dinner option. (On the weekends a number of dinner choices are offered.) The chef is the restaurant owner. He will love to talk with you but does not share recipes of which he is justifiably proud.

There is a daily entrance fee for each person as well as the car. If you are not staying over, you are better parking in the off ground lot and taking a shuttle into town thus, saving you the car entrance fee. Parking is very limited for visitors. The entrance fee allows you to tap into many of the resort's activities.


One of the larger homes (cottages)

A place to stroll
Flags and Chairs
Marblehead Lighthouse
Tiger Lilies
Sunset on Lake Erie



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