Monthly Archives: September 2025

One for Sun(flowers) in Ohio

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Remember last month’s Two for Four in Ohio post, when one of the targeted museums was closed and the sunflowers were barely out of the ground? At the time, I noted that the projected date for Tecumseh Land Trust blooms was near the end of September. Well, the end of September is near, and the blooming sunflowers are here.

Thursday morning’s rain ended, and the forecast said it would not be back until evening. That wasn’t correct, but I did manage to get my visit in before the rain returned just past noon. This time, I was not alone. There were about half a dozen cars parked in the designated area next to the flowers, and some small winged beings hanging out right in their midst. Here’s a closer look at the bloom in the center of the opening photo.

The ground was wet but apparently not actually muddy, as a few of the humans from the parked cars ventured out into the field to take selfies surrounded by yellow flowers. Most, however, walked around the edge like I did. Just before I left, a group of women arrived with their young daughters wearing some very pretty dresses and posed the group at the field’s edge for photos. I worked at keeping all wingless creatures out of frame.

Even though none of the sunflowers said a word, I left with the impression that they were glad to see me.

Book Review
The Great American Retro Road Trip
Rolando Pujol

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There’s no road trip here. The Great American Road Trip is not a travelogue. Nor is it a guide for traveling to or through a particular place. It is a well-done, very inclusive, nicely illustrated catalog of stuff that people like me drive around the country to see.

The subtitle is more accurate. This book is indeed A Celebration of Roadside Americana, and that’s a celebration I’m always ready to put on my party hat for. It’s a celebration that Rolando Pujol is extremely well qualified to host. He is an award-winning print and TV journalist, and is the man behind The Retrologist website. Surprisingly, this appears to be his first book.

Pujol identifies seven categories of stuff people like me/us drive around the country to see, and has divided the country we drive around in into eleven regions. The chapters are the regions: Northeast, New England, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, South Central, Midwest, Heartland, Desert Southwest, Mountain West, Pacific Northwest, and California. Sections in each of those chapters are devoted to the categories: Roadside Quirks, Roadside Eats, Mainstays of Main Street, On with the Show, The Inn Crowd, Sweet Stops, and Cheers! I bet most of you can come up with an example of something in each of the categories, even without a precise definition. Sidebars appear here and there to expand on or drill down on selected topics.

The book is jam-packed with bright color photos that range in size from small thumbnails, measuring only an inch or so on a side, to double-page spreads at the front of each chapter. Many are integrated into the book’s text layout. I believe that all photos were taken by the author.

Every photo is identified in the text, and a few points of interest are described without an accompanying photo. Some attractions are covered in a single paragraph, but many get a lot more. The city and state are always provided, and more often than not, some interesting history about the building, the owners, or both is also included.

For the first time, I’m writing a book review without reading every word in the book. I did read every word from the beginning through the end of the Midwest chapter. That’s where my home is, and there are quite a few familiar items in that chapter. However, there is no storyline or itinerary to move the reader forward, and I found my page-turning motivation beginning to fade at that point. The pictures are great, and the nuggets are well-written and informative. I may finish it in some short spurts over the winter, and in all likelihood, I’ll give it a look when planning a trip to a specific area. I have not removed my bookmark.

This is a good quality hardback publication with glossy pages that properly present the photos. It is fully indexed for help in finding specific points of interest. I ordered this book when it was announced that Pujol would be featured in the Society for Commercial Archeology’s August Zoom presentation. I thought I might get in some advance reading, but that didn’t quite work out. That presentation was recorded and, like other SCA Zoom presentations, has been made available for anyone to view. Learn more about The Great American Retro Road Trip straight from the Retrologist’s mouth here.

The Great American Retro Road Trip: A Celebration of Roadside Americana, Rolando Pujol, Artisan (June 24, 2025), 7.2 x 9.25 inches, 320 pages, ISBN 978-1648293719
Available through Amazon.

A Thoroughly Modern Attic

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Museums in small towns are sometimes referred to as the village attic. Some of them really do resemble an old farmhouse attic with little filtering or organization of objects displayed. Most, however, display items in an organized manner that avoids looking overcrowded. Part of how this is accomplished is by being selective in what items are displayed and having only a portion — often a very small portion — of the museum’s collection on display at any one time. As the state’s attic, the Ohio History Connection is very organized, with a rather tiny fraction of its collection on display and the bulk stored elsewhere. Last year, it got a brand new “attic”, and on Thursday, I got to see it.

The occasion was an architectural tour preceded by a reception and presentation. I didn’t realize that food would be available, but I did realize that it was National Cheeseburger Day. I enjoyed the lemonade, but I skipped the food because I had just left Urban Gourmet, where I had celebrated the holiday.

The tour began with a presentation in the auditorium. Several people gave short presentations about different aspects of the project, which began several years ago with the Collection Care Center opening in June 2024. I happened to catch architect Carlos Lugo at the podium.

Following the presentation, we all went out to our cars and drove from the museum, past Ohio Village, to the Collection Care Center on the north side of the campus. At the door, the fifty or so attendees were split into smaller groups to tour the building.

The group I was in began our tour in the actual storage section. Among the wide range of things stored here are lots of fossils. Some are authentic, while others are cast copies. 

The bones of mastodon feet aren’t typically found intact in the wild. These are castings from assembled fragments. I thought a shelf filled with mastodon feet was pretty unusual, regardless of whether they were bone or plaster.

There is an enclosed loading dock at the other end of the building with offices, lab areas, and an extra-wide corridor in between.We paused in that corridor to learn about the building’s use of pre-formed concrete to speed construction and about other efficiency-focused aspects of the building. We then went outside to learn more about the climate control systems. I have the impression that the majority of attendees were architects. For many, hearing these details was as practical as it was entertaining. I was very impressed by the thoughtful answers to the building’s many unique requirements, but that was probably fueled as much by things I didn’t understand as by those I did.

Our last stop was just outside the front door after we passed back through the building. Here we learned about the landscaping. Native plants are used, and there is no mown lawn. There are some paved as well as gravel paths with a few benches along the way. Several glacial erratics encountered during excavation have been incorporated. The place has been incredibly well thought through, both inside and out.

For a much better overview of the project than I’ve provided, I suggest an article and video published by The Columbus Dispatch when the center opened. It is here. 

 

500 Breweries

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In previous posts about milestones in my count of brewery visits, I’ve commented about how Untappd, the score-keeping app, can create surprises with changes in the counts. I know it has added to my count of breweries by reclassifying places as breweries that were classified as something else when I logged them. Apparently, it can do the reverse as well, since the brewery that was my 400th when I logged it is now my 396th. I’m not going to analyze and try to explain these changes anymore. I will merely note that I visited 104 breweries to move from 400 to 500. It may look like I visit nothing but breweries, and they do account for the majority of my check-ins, but I also log brews at other venues. A volleyball court, an art museum, a cemetery, and two gay bars are just a few of the non-brewery venues among my Untappd recorded locations.

I confess to rigging this brewery’s position just a little. I first learned of Appalachian Artisan Ales (#500, 9/13/25) back on August 15 when I visited the World’s Largest Acorn in Oak Hill, OH (Two for Four in Ohio). The acorn was the last of the destinations planned for that day, and a search for breweries while parked at the big nut turned up this place not too far away and pretty much on the path home. Without further research, I drove directly there to find it closed. I did the research I should have done earlier in the brewery’s parking lot and learned that it was only open on selected weekends, and this was not one of them. It looked so cool that I immediately resolved to return. When I logged my next brewery about a week later, I saw that 500 was only a few breweries away, and quickly decided to make this the one. I don’t regret it a bit. The brewery opened on April 24 of this year. Founders Shane and Nate both have day jobs, which is one reason the brewery is currently open just two weekends a month. Shane told me that he and Nate both have homebrewing experience, and both put time into it, but that Nate is really the owner. Cool location, cool building, and cool beer.

In past posts about reaching a multiple of 100 breweries, I’ve not only noted the brewery that did it, but the one just beyond that started the next 100. I’m not doing that this time because 1) I haven’t yet visited brewery 501, and 2) it might change before I reach 600. But I am maintaining the practice of naming a few of the preceding 100 breweries that made an impression. First up is Harpers Ferry Brewing (#414 12/24/23), which I visited on Christmas Eve 2023. Its Big Bucks Brown Ale is quite good, but it is largely because the brews, as the bear points out, come with views, that I’m including it here. Those views are of the Potomac River as it flows east toward the town of Harpers Ferry.  

As a guy drawn to mom & pop diners and motels, finding this mom & pop brewery within a year of it opening was extra special. That it’s close enough to visit now and then makes it even more so. Pop Scott brews the excellent beer, and Mom Laura makes the wonderful from-scratch pizza in this wood-fired oven. Besides being a great place to eat and drink, GlendAlehouse Brewery (#434, 7/7/24) is a popular gathering spot where live music is often heard and recorded (on vinyl!) music can be heard any time. There are a number of painted squirrel statues around Glendale, which is known for its large population of black squirrels. The one in front of GlendAlehouse is named “Squarely”, and an IPA with that name is among the brewery’s offerings. 

Santa Fe Brewing (#459 10/21/24) is not in the area around the downtown plaza that many people, including me, picture when they think of Santa Fe, NM. Although it does operate a taproom in a historic building within a half mile or so of the plaza, the main brewery is several miles away to the southwest. At that location, you will find a “brewery campus” with nicely landscaped outdoor areas, a concert venue with a capacity of 400, and a giant taproom, in addition to lots of brewing gear.   

Deep in the last century, long before craft beer even existed in any real sense, there were beer connoisseurs and mavens who compared and wrote about the brews of the day. I don’t recall details, but I do know that Point Special was at or near the top of multiple lists, and I remember being rather excited when a business trip brought me within range of this storied beverage sometime in the 1980s. I have been by the brewery a couple of times since then, but since there had never been anything particularly exciting going on there, I almost skipped it when I passed through Stevens Point, WI, in July. I was sure glad I didn’t when I saw that a taproom was operating in their old garage. It had opened just over a year before. I walked in with plans to order a Point Special, but when I saw some of the “available here only” offerings, I had to go for a Coconut Rum Stout. Stevens Point Brewery (#490 7/29/25)

With the count changing slightly due to venue reclassification and such, pace calculations are not entirely precise. They are still of some interest, however, and the small variations don’t really affect the overall averages that much. It appears that, even though I’ve “lost” some of my earlier logged breweries, I have picked up the pace just a wee bit. My 500th brewery was logged 4243 days after the first one. That’s a scosh over 0.82 breweries a week for about 11 1/2 years. As I said almost two years ago after brewery #400,  I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up.

My previous brewery boasts… I mean posts are here (200), here (300), and here (400).

More Cars, More Coffee

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There’s a bit of a chain reaction going on here. Last week’s visit to the museum at 4 Speed on 50 was the result of the previous week’s stop for a hamburger at the diner there, and this week’s visit to Horsepower Farm is the direct result of that museum visit. As Steve Ashcraft and I were saying goodbye at the end of my museum tour, we did some name checks on other car collections in the area. As if to demonstrate just how oblivious people can be to attractions in their own neighborhood, Steve mentioned Horsepower Farm, which is less than fifteen miles from my home and which I had never heard of. A check of the Farm’s website revealed that their monthly Cars & Coffee would be taking place on the very next Saturday, so that’s where I headed yesterday morning.

Horsepower Farm came into being as a place for Opie Willis to store his growing car collection. It has become a scenic event center where numerous public events are held, and which can be rented for private events such as weddings and meetings. I believe the first Saturday of every month Cars & Coffee is the only regularly scheduled event open to the public. It is adjacent to a residential area that has lots of these “PLEASE DRIVE SLOWLY AND QUIETLY” signs displayed, and I have no doubt that anyone ignoring the signs would not find a very friendly welcome at the farm.

There were signs pointing in both directions for parking, and I didn’t realize that a more proper area for mundane cars like Subaru Foresters was to the left until after I drove past the garages and the main area for cool cars. It’s a very non-judgmental crowd, and no one complained or even looked at me funny. Even so, rather than immediately driving back through the area, I parked at the far end of a large open space and walked back.

I naturally looked over some of the cars parked outside, but cut my walk short to step inside the main building. These are, I assume, some of the cars in Willis’ personal collection.

There are several objets d’art mixed in with the cars. Although it’s out of sequence, this seems like a good place to include a full-length shot of that beautiful stainless steel “Horseplay” in the opening photo.

I did not get a car count, but it was way beyond respectable, and the variety was pretty incredible.

Here are a few of my favorites. I think I did mention variety.

When I walked back to my car, I paused to look a little closer at the Hudson “tribute car” parked near the main building. I found the interior, some of which is explained here, especially interesting. I don’t recall ever hearing of holes for on-the-go tire wear checks, but I did some searching online and learned that it was truly a thing in the early days of NASCAR.

So, even though I had to go to Indiana to learn about it, I now know that one of the best Cars & Coffee gatherings in the area is only about half an hour from my home. You can bet your bippy and your VW roof rack that I’ll be back.