Siena Heights University

I love the idea of being a “tourist in your home town.” There are so many things that we take for granted and don’t bother to really see.

While Adrian isn’t my hometown, it’s certainly familiar. On my last trip there, I visited the campus of Siena Heights University, a little Catholic school. Campuses are often so pretty and the religious ones really dress things up, it seems.


The school houses a cemetery, where you'll find this gorgeous Pieta:

A mesmerizing labyrinth:

The campus has different little pockets of beauty and solitude.
Pretty little garden:

A peaceful place to rest:

This would be a great place to bring a picnic and spend an afternoon!

Community Spirit

Aren’t small towns great? An event can include everyone in town, if they want. I recently went to a fair in Pemberville, Ohio, population 1371 (how’d you like to be the ONE registered sex offender there?). There was also a parade through town; apparently anyone can participate, including political candidates, anyone who can tack some fake turf to a wagon, and those Shriners in their crazy hats and tiny cars.
Flying batons -

All the downtown merchants had specials. Because the fairgrounds is right next to the American Legion, they offer great food selections, which is a big money-maker for them.
Girls ready for the parade -

Old men ready for the parade -

And, of course, the midway -

Broom Maker

You know those cool, old general stores that you can rarely find anymore? The kind where you can still purchase yesteryear items like meat grinders, tin campwear, lye soap and linseed oil? They’re usually in an old Main Street store front, with squeaking wooden floors and high tin ceilings. Well, I found an amazing one in Victor, Colorado. The proprietors were, by trade, broom makers. I’ve never met a broom maker, although my great-grandfather did it as a sideline for extra income.
These folks, just a solitary couple, make brooms using 18th Century equipment, in the traditional fashion. The machine she is using is pedal-powered, like an old sewing machine! They are also tinsmiths and candle makers, among other things.

Note the sign behind her, which reads: "You live in a $300,000 house and you have a PLASTIC broom?"
Look at the impressive broom collection they have!

You can order from them through their web site at victortradingco.com. Turns out, the lady is originally from Michigan!

Denver

A cousin got married this past weekend in the Denver area, so I spent a long weekend there. It was great to see the family and to meet those I'd never seen.
I haven't been to Colorado since I was a kid and the trip just whetted my appetite for more of the Centennial State. My favorite thing about the city is probably how easy it is to bike there. I would love to have that many bicycle paths near me!
Outside the city, of course, there's the scenery.
Gorgeous red outcroppings:

The city of Golden from Lookout Mountain:

More formations:

Old Colorado healing springs:

I'm ready to go back!

Bikes in the Barn

I have 7 bicycles. I guess I’m a bit of a pack rat. I decided that some of them have to go, starting with the oldest. Here’s how that played out:

The silver bike is an old Raleigh Boardwalk (not the fold-able type) from the 60’s. My hubby worked at the Toledo Zoo and there were three of them which hung for years in the Medic’s Office there. He bought two of them. They are heavy and durable. I fully intended to sell them, but when I cleaned them up, I found the Toledo Zoological Society tag on them and started thinking about their “local historical prominence.”

I know it’s crazy, but I really have a thing about local items. I like thinking about what happened decades and centuries ago on the very ground on which I now walk. Again, I know that it’s crazy!
See, Toledo’s zoo is a tremendous source of local pride. It’s one of the best in the nation. And Butch was proud to work there. It’s fun to think about some veterinarian zipping around the 74-acre zoo on these bikes, with the big basket full of medication and supplies. And I think it’s neat that they were preserved because someone hung them on a wall. So, I’ve decided that I can’t sell them.

Then, there’s the red Huffy, another solid, weighty bicycle from that era. This is my bike of choice right now, although the chrome is really rusty. I love riding this bike because you sit up so straight and tall, which isn’t the case with any of the bikes I’ve ridden in the last 15 years. It’s been an adjustment getting back on a fixed-gear, I’ll tell you.
I can’t sell the Huffy, either. See, Huffy bicycles were made in Dayton, Ohio. That’s pretty close to here, ya know?

No Visuals

Suddenly, I can't post pictures to this blog. I have so many things I want to share, but you need to see them! So, the cool old bikes in my barn will have to wait until someone can show me how to work with this new format . . .
No pics needed for the first mosquito of the summer, which I saw last night. That's one good thing about dry weather; normally, you can't walk outside at dusk at my house on the edge of the woods. It was also pretty easy to use the weed wacker in the ditch, too, since there's no water in it.
I'm off to Denver tomorrow for a cousin's wedding. My aunt and I are spending five days, so I sure hope that I can post the pics when I get back!
Enjoy!