Portsmouth House

I've written about our college rental house before. Recently, our artist friend Stacia showed us her home studio and we spotted this pencil drawing that includes that house (middle). We keep a framed photo of the house as a reminder to appreciate our current home. Stacia let us take this drawing for a high-res scan and we then ordered a large print of it.

It's funny--we knew Stacia in college and I had a few classes with her, but we didn't actually become good friends until after we graduated. Now we visit them 2-3 times per month. And here she was with this pencil drawing from freshman year of the house Neil and I ended up living in. I vaguely remember the drawing studio at SSU (I took a few drawing classes but not enough to spend a lot of time there) and recall that it overlooked Third Street. I wonder how many other students drew our house?

Shepard Fairey Tags Cincy

photo
Originally uploaded by True North Two

These wheat paste and paper installations are popping up all over Cincinnati, leading up to the opening of the Fairey show at the CAC on the 20th. Will cover in-depth when I get the chance to visit more+the exhibition, but visited this one on the way back from a meeting today and thought I'd post. This is on the side of Arnold's.

Cincy as a home base...and some homework for Vanity Fair

 

The Great Serpent Mound

I recently guest posted over at  Cincinnati Re-adventure, where I defended living in the suburbs. I got some interesting responses, including some that were puzzling. To rehash that whole conversation, head on over there!

Recently, Vanity Fair published a highly offensive article (link below) that concluded we're all nutso zealots. While many Cincinnati bloggers are rightfully taking a stand by pointing out the wonderful things Cincinnati has to offer (Brad King, Cincinnati Re-adventure, Kate the Great ) and tweeting about the controversy (@brad_king), I thought I'd take a unique approach and point out things that are, like the Creation Museum, within driving distance of Cincinnati. Unlike (in my humble opinion, of course) the Creation Museum, I believe these sites are important to our region and common history.

When I started writing my book (which now has a Spring 2011 publishing date), I was worried some people would perceive it as an effort to get people away from Cincinnati. In a way, I suppose it is--but there's a bigger picture.

My book, tentatively titled "Tiny Journeys: Day Trips from the Queen City" was written as a reaction to constant complaints I heard about being bored in Cincinnati. I do point out the wealth of museums, parks, historic sites and cultural events available--but the book is about day trips to locations within 1-4 hours of downtown.

My quest is not to drive people away, but rather to show them that there's plenty to do IN Cincinnati, and that it also makes a great home base for adventures to lesser-known places.

This all being said, and in light of the horrific Vanity Fair article that has us all in an uproar, here are some things worth seeing within a short driving distance of Cincinnati (which only add to the reasons to live in the area)! These are pretty well-known, but hey...I want to keep the weird and unusual to myself for now so you buy my book!

1. The Great Serpent Mound.  Before I explain this site (which I hope many readers have, in fact, at least heard of), I would like to point out that during a 2003 visit to the British Museum, my now-husband spotted relics from Serpent Mound in a case. IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM. As in, one of the world's greatest collections. Something from humble ol' Adams County, just an hour's drive from the Queen City on display.

Excavated in the late 19th Century by a Harvard archaeologist, this Fort Ancient culture earthwork has been interpreted in a variety of ways. One of the most common is that it's a snake with either an open mouth or devouring an egg. Sites around the mound align with astronomical phenomena. Extra cool: the valley visible from Serpent Mound is peppered with evidence of meteor strikes.

For those who enjoy the supernatural, a mysterious black panther has been spotted by various residents and there have been reports of UFO sightings in the area.

http://ohsweb.ohiohistory.org/places/sw16/index.shtml

2. Rankin House. Minister John Rankin and his wife Jean harbored over 2,000 slaves in their home, which served as a stop on the Underground Railroad. You can tour the home seasonally to get a sense of their lives and the bravery of those who crossed the Ohio seeking freedom. Open seasonally; check before you go!

http://ohsweb.ohiohistory.org/places/sw14/index.shtml

3. Paint Creek State Park. I've been to many Ohio State Parks, but this ranks as one of my favorites for watersports, hiking, mountain biking and nature viewing. It also has one of the  best campgrounds around. When we have cabin fever, this is one of our go-to spots for a little break.

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/parks/paintcrk/tabid/776/Default.aspx

4. Rabbit Hash. This small hamlet in Kentucky has a real-deal general store (complete with peanut shells on the floor and a gather-round stove), a dog for its mayor and an antique shop that runs on the honor system. What's not to love?

http://www.rabbithash.com/

http://www.rabbithashusa.com/

5. Big Bone Lick State Park. Go ahead, snicker at the name. But this is a very serious, important place--that happens to be a ton of fun. They have a great museum dedicated to the discovery of prehistoric animal remains in the area, great trails, a salt lick that once made the area a destination for those who believed in its healing powers and an American Buffalo Herd. Yep, you can get up close and personal with these creatures (within a safe distance and through a fence), which are located in a pasture off a short trail.And don't forget to visit the Salt Festival in the fall!

http://parks.ky.gov/findparks/recparks/bb/

These are just a few of the places I've been to repeatedly and they're a good beginning for people who have lived in Greater Cincinnati their whole lives but want to expand their knowledge about the surrounding area. It's also a good list for Vanity Fair reporters who can only find the airport and the museum a lot of us like to pretend isn't there (as Kate pointed out).

When life gives you Potholes...

A few summers ago, we purchased our Canon. We started taking photos of everything around us and then Neil decided we needed to go somewhere scenic to really try it out. So we packed the car and headed to Canada.

We ended up in Sault St. Marie, where we rented a room for the long weekend. We barely slept there...we discovered the Trans-Canada highway and made daily excursions along the Lake Superior Circle Tour route.

I'm a big planner, and have binders (yes, binders) from past trips, full of itineraries, maps, menus and notes. This trip, however, was as random and whimsical as could be. When we got tired, we pulled into a parking lot and slept for an hour. When we saw a waterfall on the side of the road, we got out and spent hours exploring. We ate lunch in the Canada Goose Capital of the World. We kept seeing a weird sign with some sort of monster on it (it turned out to be a sign for Agawa Rock, an amazing place that needs a whole other post).

The most special place we found, a little park with a funny name, is what you might call our happy place. Potholes Provincial Park is located in Chapleau, Ontario (although I don't recall seeing anything resembling civilization). We found ourselves alone, walking in the afternoon sun along a trail filled with grouse and wild blueberries. I can't describe that day...it was just one where we felt good, had all the time in the world and just felt right being there. We spent hours on the rocks, in the water and eating the wild berries.

Whenever we're sad or Neil is sick from treatments, we talk about Potholes and what a wonderful day we had there. It's an instant mood lifter. In the past few months, we've talked about going back.

Today at lunch, Neil mentioned that he'd like to go up for our anniversary. It seems like so much has happened since we were last there, but I can't wait to renew my passport and head up to the place that holds so much meaning.

Journey

If you're here, you know my love of symbols. Before my husband was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma in October, I sometimes sported a pink ribbon for breast cancer awareness since it's a cause I like to support. However, it wasn't until I had a reason to wear a violet ribbon that I truly understood the point of awareness symbols.

In college, I had a professor rant one day about the pointlessness of wearing awareness ribbons (as half the class sat wearing them since it was Breast Cancer Awareness Month and they were being sold on campus). He criticized it as a way to show off instead of a way to draw attention to a cause. He reasoned that all the money spent on making awareness items could be that much more money given to a cause. I did that day, and still do, somewhat agree with his points. However, I think there's much, much more to the story.

When my husband was diagnosed, I felt very alone. Here I was, 27 and my husband 26. Within a matter of hours, we had to make decisions about our future such as if we would ever want to undergo IVF if chemo made him sterile, which oncologist he wanted to see and if we would go through with the purchase of the home we were building. When he called to tell me the bad news, I don't remember how I ended up in a chair in the lobby of my office. I sort of fell into it, not attaching the words to our lives. "They think it's lymphoma." Boom. I watched other office workers walk by the windows. I had been one of them a few minutes ago.

It took me a long time to want to be part of the cancer community. I cried during my husband's first chemo, watching as the drugs dripped down a long tube into the port in his chest. We were given materials...lots of lighthouse imagery, soft colors and line drawings of how to live with cancer. Not anything I wanted to face.

Eventually, though, I started looking for a way to own my role as a caretaker and spouse of a cancer patient. I exhausted my vacation and sick leave almost immediately with his two surgeries and first chemo. His mom doesn't work on Fridays, so she offered to take him to treatments. Other family members and friends stepped in to take him too. There was nothing worse that trying to concentrate at work knowing that I couldn't be there for him. And so I started to wear a red rubber bracelet from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society . It might sound silly, but it was a constant reminder of his fight and made me feel like I was there in spirit when I couldn't be there in person. I gave them to our family members and friends, who all wear them too. Whenever we're all together or I see a photo of someone wearing their bracelet, I feel a connection. We're all in this together.

Since the red bracelets are a symbol of the LLS, I also purchased buttons specific to Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Friends and family also sport these, some with violet ribbons attached, to show support and solidarity. I've been asked about mine several times, leading not only to discussion about this specific cancer, but also to recommendations for diet and exercise, offers to visit and promises to take better care of oneself by not avoiding routine exams.

Right before Neil's first surgery, a biopsy and removal of lymph nodes in his neck, family friends stopped over with a St. Christopher medal. While we are not Catholic and do not attend church, the gesture and meaning was appreciated. "He's the patron saint of long journeys," the husband said, "and you're about to go on one." Since Neil could not wear it comfortably during chemo, I held it in my hand as I sat on the hospital bed with him.

It's been some time since those rubber awareness bracelets were at the peak of popularity.And some may misunderstand my wearing of a button and ribbon as a way to get attention or show off chartiable giving. And though you'll never find me at mass, I still take out the St. Christopher medal from time to time, reflecting on our journey...something I'm sure people balk at.

I hope my experience will show others that these symbols are so much more than a fashion statement or attention-grabber. They are a connection and a comfort.

The Santa Fe

This is an old family photo. Harrison Combs is my great-great grandfather from Jefferson, KY. I think he is the one on the left. On the back (it looks like this is a postcard), it says:

J Goo said before he died there was one more train he wanted to ride. People said what the train might be it was the Southern Pacific on the Santa Fe.

Harrison Combs and Dave Gayheart

I have absolutely no idea what this means, during which war it was taken or what the inside joke is. My father's family history is somewhat fractured as my grandfather was adopted and there are a few blank spots elsewhere where two ancestors married Cherokee women and were unfortunately ignored for that reason. Other fascinating facts have come to me recently--some of my ancestors had a skin condition where they turned blue (science now thinks it's the result of mining, which would make sense) and I had a relative named Shanghai Nick.

I have family in Hazard and Somerset and would love to find out more. It seems like there's a very colorful past to be discovered. For now, all I have are a few photos as symbols of my lineage.

Dillinger

IMG_8066
Originally uploaded by True North Two

Back in July, we visited Indianapolis with some friends. At the time, the movie Public Enemies was being hyped and I happened to pick up a newspaper at the hotel only to discover that John Dillinger was buried at Crown Hill Cemetery, near the art museum we were about to visit. Of course, I insisted we stop even though it was pouring rain.

Here is Dillinger's nondescript stone in the family plot. Apparently, he was buried under three feet of cement to prevent grave robbing, and this isn't his first gravestone either--others were broken into bits and stolen as souvenirs.

I always think it's interesting to visit the burial sites of famous people. Even though they may have been unapproachable in life or dead before my time, it's like a private conference with their spirit. This was my first criminal grave visit and it seemed appropriate it occurred on such a dreary day.


Find more information, as well as the exact location, here.

Long break!

I want to explain my recent absence since a guest post on http://www.cincinnatireadventure.com/ today means people might end up here!

My husband was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma in October and has undergone chemo since October 23rd. Since this blog depended on our weekend trips, it was put on hold. I am happy to report that I am currently finishing my book (after being given a generous extension) and even better, my husband is in remission! He is still under treatment, but at this point it's all preventative.

Check back when we hit the road again in search of the weird and wonderful! Until then, I'm going to dig up some things from my archives for a few posts!

Graveyard Tourism

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TRAVEL/10/30/graveyard.tourism/index.html

Tippecanoe Battlefield

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Originally uploaded by True North Two

On our way back from an exhausting but incredibly trip to Chicago, we stopped at Tippecanoe Battlefield, just outside Lafayette, Indiana. It's probably equally famous for its being the home of Purdue.

We've visited several battlefields, including Gettysburg, Stones River and Perryville, all Civil War sites. We also visited Tu-Endie-Wei, a pre-Revolutionary War conflict site. This was our first foray into the period called Tecumseh's War, when a federation of tribes was battling for their lands against colonialists and was threatening a British alliance.

I'll leave the history to the experts, but it was interesting to learn how such a small, wedge-shaped piece of land lodged between a creek and a swamp was so important. Today, a large obelisk stands near the entrance in honor of those who lost their lives in battle.