Signs of Summer (Past)

Posted on May 17, 2020 by Denny

This article first appeared on May 20, 2012. Recent memories and shared pictures reminded me of the places it features so I decided to repost it as close to its anniversary as possible. With concerts, museums, travel, and other story-generating activities currently non-existent, there will likely be more of this sort of reuse before the current summer slips into the past.

The fountain in front of Union Terminal, a.k.a., Cincinnati Museum Center, runs all summer and is turned off all winter. Therefore, one sure sign of summer in Cincinnati is the turning on of the fountain. That happened Friday at 10:30 AM. I had kind of hoped to see the stepped pools below the fountain go from bare concrete to a series of waterfalls right before our eyes but it wasn’t quite that dramatic. Whether the pools were primed in the interest of time or whether the standing water was simply left over from some secret testing I cannot say, but they started the day ready to overflow at the slightest provocation.

I still think bare concrete morphing to cascading waterfalls would have been cooler but watching the fountain go from zilch to a spurt to a full spray wasn’t bad.

All the kids, and there were plenty, were properly wowed and they also enjoyed the characters on hand to promote the ongoing A Day in Pompeii exhibit. I’ve seen the exhibit and it’s a duesy. University of Cincinnati Professor Steven Ellis, along with several UC students, has been instrumental in the current excavations in Pompeii and that was instrumental in making Cincinnati one of only four US cities hosting the exhibit. As you can see, security was tight.

The weather was obviously quite nice for the events at the fountain but Friday was just one of several consecutive near-perfect days. Perfect not only for fountains of water but for fountains — or taps — of root beer. I made it to three different root beer stands on three of those near-perfect days.

On Thursday it was the Jolly’s on the west side of Hamilton, Ohio. Back in 1938, Vinny Jolivette opened an A&W Root Beer franchise in Hamilton. He built this place in 1967 and, casting off the A&W identity, used the family name to inspire a new one for the restaurant. It’s west of the Great Miami River on Brookwood. Somewhere along the line, they added another on the east side of town on Erie. That one has a cooler sign but this one still makes its own root beer and that trumps the sign. The two remain officially connected (The car side signs carry both telephone numbers.) but are managed somewhat separately by two brothers. There is a third Jolly’s in Tiffin, Ohio, that was started, also as an A&W, in 1947 by Vinny’s brother, Roy, and it seems there was a fourth somewhere in Indiana (possibly Bloomington) but I know very little about it.

I stopped by The Root Beer Stand in Sharonville, Ohio, on Friday afternoon. It started life in 1957 as an A&W then went independent in 1982. It stopped using carhops in 1972. Originally built and operated by the Rideour family, it moved on to its second and current owners, Scott & Jackie Donley, in 1990. The Donleys have kept everything pretty much the same and that definitely includes making the root beer using water from their 280 foot well. Claims that “it’s something in the water” may very well be true here.

I got my Saturday root beer fix at the A&W in Union City, Ohio. Despite this being a place I frequented as a teenager, I know few details of its history. I do recall that is was owned by a fellow named Smith in the 1960s and that he operated a used car lot right next door. I have vivid memories of sipping root beer and drooling over a black 1956 Thunderbird that sat in that lot when I was about seventeen. At some point, it became Neil’s A&W Drive In and so it remains today. Curiously, this place doesn’t show up on the official A&W website nor does it have its own site but it does have a FaceBook page.

All three of these places make their own root beer using at least some of the original A&W equipment. Guess that stuff was made to last. All of them taste great and I’m guessing that the recipes are all the same or similar. The Root Beer Stand has its special water and both it and Jolly’s serve their brew in chilled glass mugs. I love ’em both and I do tend to dislike chains but “real” A&Ws (Not stuffed-into-a-corner-of-a-gas-station A&Ws.) are pretty cool and it’s hard to beat an ice-covered mug.

I’m guessing that some noticed the slightly red convertible in the center of the Root Beer Stand photo. That’s my 1963 Valiant and plans to drive it to Darke County and the A&W at the border led to the warm-up visits to Hamilton and Sharonville. The 200-mile round trip was the car’s longest outing since the cold drive home from Cambridge in early 2011. She done good. These pictures show her at Jolly’s and Neil’s.

I recently learned that the neighborhood Flipdaddy’s does brunch on Sundays so I walked over this morning to check it out. It was quite good. I’m always dismayed but rarely surprised to find myself alone on a restaurant’s patio. But, with the thermometer at 74 degrees, I was a little bit surprised today. Lots of people just don’t like any temperature I guess. To be fair, one couple and their home from college daughter did venture outside to eat. That was it. The restaurant was fairly busy inside but just one other outside table was ever used all the while I leisurely worked through my bacon & eggs and slowly sipped my Magic Hat dessert.

So It’s a Little Fishy

Posted on January 26, 2020 by Denny

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of Groundhog Day. I don’t mean the movie, although I like that well enough. No, I mean Groundhog Day the day. I’ve seen Punxsutawney Phil, Buckeye Chuck, and Rosie the Groundhog perform predictions regarding the nearness of spring. I once had plans to observe Woodstock Willy at work but those got knocked off by a blizzard. I have eaten some sort of pork sausage on the second day of February for several decades. I’m quite taken with the holiday and may get out to see one of the furry forecasters next week, but yesterday I checked in with a popular predictor of a very different sort.

Several years ago, some folks in Buckeye Lake, Ohio, hatched a plan to give their community a little mid-winter boost. Winterfest involves many of the town’s eating and drinking establishments. Special food and drink offers combine with assorted entertainment to make it a fun day and fuel sales. A blatantly groundhog day like event anchors and opens the festival.

By 6:00 AM, a crowd had begun to gather in the park near the lake. Around 6:30 Benny the Bass arrived in his hundred-gallon aquarium. Music, dancing, and some lighthearted speeches helped build the excitement until 7:00 when a bucket of minnows was emptied into the tank. According to the six-year-old legend, if Benny downs a minnow in a minute or less, an early spring is on the way. If not, winter will drag on for another six weeks. I’d read that the official chant was “Take the bait. Spring can’t wait”, but chants of “Eat it Benny” were all I heard today as time ticked away. The thirty-second warning was reached then a countdown of the final seconds and a loud moan of disappointment from the crowd. I wonder if the old “Take the bait” chant would have made a difference.

It was a short moan that got quickly covered by the boom of fireworks and a blast of Springsteen. “Glory Days”, rockets’ red and white glare, “Born in the USA”, and for many, it was time to go get a beer.

The crowd thinned quickly so I was able to see the whole tank for the first time. I walked around it to photograph the bad news that someone had written on the glass on the opposite side, but before long, the same sad prediction was written on the other side as well.

The opening photo was taken yesterday when I first came into town and stopped by the Buckeye Lake Brewery. That’s where Benny will be displayed for the rest of the weekend. The bartender had suggested parking near the brewery and walking to the park. That’s what I did which gave me an opportunity to stop by Our Lakeside Diner for breakfast on the way back. A Groundhog Day breakfast always includes pork sausage. Today was a lot like Groundhog Day but sausage didn’t seem all that appropriate for the occasion. My problem was solved when I saw perch & eggs on the menu. Walleye was also offered but perch seemed just right.

By the time I finished breakfast and walked on to the brewery, Benny had been moved to an adjacent spot. The finned boat and wood-grained wagon make for a really classy ensemble. I don’t think there was an official minnow count so it’s unknown if any are missing but Benny and most — if not all — of the minnows seem to be getting along reasonably well.

Unlike many of the festival attendees, I wasn’t quite ready for a beer. I paused briefly at the brewery then moved on for a walkabout that let me peek at some of the other businesses in town. I eventually settled down in the tent in front of the brewery to listen to Paper Street Music Company while enjoying one of those multipurpose beers that fans had promoted at Benny’s side. Not every business in town was open but those that were seemed pretty busy. Apparently that wintertime boost Winterfest was created for is a reality and bennyfishal to all participants.

Dynamic Traditions

Posted on December 1, 2019 by Denny

The ways I have experienced Thanksgiving are many. Early in my life it was as the large family gathering typically presented as the ideal. I don’t disagree. There were seldom seen relatives bringing an astonishing assortment of edibles; Some you’d been craving for a year while others you just hoped your parents wouldn’t make you eat. But we could never put together that Norman Rockwell scene with everyone sitting around a single table. Instead, Grandma’s house was filled with happy people eating in the kitchen, at folding tables, and from full plates balanced on knees. Marriage triggered a switch from celebrating the day with the large family in Darke County to the small but growing family in Cincinnati. Divorce changed things, too.

As a single, I shared Thanksgiving with friends and friends’ families. Some gatherings had a real “Alice’s Restaurant” feel though without the court appearance. That phase ended when three kids moved in. The “head of household” period saw some awkward attempts at feast making by me and some much more successful efforts by girlfriends. A shortlived second marriage included a new family to celebrate with. My current solo period began when the last of the young ‘uns moved out.

It was a little different than it had been before the family period. I was invited to join friends for holidays but everybody was a little more mature now. There was no question of me being genuinely welcome but I saw myself as more of an add-on than I once had. I dealt with the situation by running away. I first ran away for Thanksgiving in 2005. I started running away for Christmas in 2006.

I have left home for every Christmas since then. My Thanksgiving escapes have been less consistent. Since 2009, Thanksgiving has been a mix of home and away for me. Somewhere along the way, I realized that many state parks offer buffets on holidays. It’s something I’ve taken advantage of for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. Last year, my daughter and I enjoyed a traditional Thanksgiving meal at a local restaurant. This year we borrowed from my “away” experience and took in the buffet at Deer Creek State Park.

The place was absolutely packed and they were running behind schedule. That wasn’t much of an issue for us as there was a bar area in the lodge where we could pass the time with beer in hand. Our name was called about forty-five minutes after our scheduled time and we were seated at what we considered a primo spot overlooking the lake.

We joked about the possibility of there being nothing left to eat for us but that wasn’t the case at all. The only thing that ever seemed to get depleted was the stack of plates but even that shortage didn’t last long as the staff hustled to get clean ones to the table as soon as they were ready. The food was quite good and included all the standards like turkey, ham, stuffing, and potatoes along with some nice cold shrimp and baked salmon.

I realize that none of the pictures here are very good. They were taken with little care with my pocket camera. But more important than the quality is the absence of any pictures of my daughter or me with full plates. Heck, there aren’t even any pictures of the full plates and that’s just about unheard of in a Thanksgiving Day post. The truth is I had no intention of posting anything about the day and only snapped the few pictures I have because that’s what I do. In hindsight, I do wish I’d asked our waitress to snap a picture of us at our table but accept the fact that I’m lucky to even have a picture of the table.

I was also lucky in spending time with my daughter. I didn’t actually speak with either of them, but I did exchange text greetings with my sons in New York and California. There’s a meme bouncing around the interwebs with the observation that “Happiness is when you realize your children have turned out to be good people.” I realized that a long time ago but the fourth Thursday of November is a very good time to remember it and to be thankful for it.

Abandoned Delaware County Roadmeet

Posted on November 10, 2019 by Denny

This happened a week ago yesterday and would have been a fine subject for last week’s post if that slot hadn’t already been taken. Last Tuesday was Election Day which means the preceding Sunday was filled by my annual screed on voting. I don’t see that as a bad thing since it spared me working in Sunday’s wee hours (one of which went missing) to get this post together. The opening picture is not of one of the meet’s scheduled attractions but of one of the locals who joined us in looking out over Hoover Reservation from the Oxbow Road Boat Ramp.

The Delaware County of the title is in central Ohio directly north of Columbus. The roadmeet differed from others I’ve attended in multiple ways. In my experience, roadmeets tend to focus on new or recent developments. This time, as the name implies, the focus was on older and often abandoned structures. Timing was another difference. Previous meets I’ve attended were in warm summer months. Autumn was intentionally selected for this meet in hopes of improved visibility through trees that had shed many of their leaves. The cooler weather many have also been a factor in turn-out. There were just five attendees with one of those dropping out early in response to a message from home. The Facebook event entry is here.

One other way this meet differed from others was in the amount of off-road travel involved. The pictured trail hadn’t always been off-road, however, and patches of old Sunbury Road pavement can be seen here and there through the leaves. Bridge abutments where the road once crossed Big Walnut Creek are at the end of the trail.

Not everything we looked over was actually abandoned. This covered bridge on Chambers Road is still in use. Originally constructed by E.S. Sherman in 1883, it has been rebuilt at least twice. It is the last of its kind still standing in Delaware County.

Not only was not everything abandoned, some things weren’t even in Delaware County. These two bridges are within about half a mile of each other on Morrow County Road 225. The pony truss bridge was built in 2000 across an unnamed tributary of Alum Creek. What makes it interesting is what it was built on top of. That stone arch has been there for a very long time. The through truss bridge hasn’t. Built in 1876, its original location was near the Morrow County Fairgrounds. It’s unknown when it was moved to its current location on Alum Creek. One possibility is during major rehabilitation in 1942.

We got back on message with a stop at these abandoned bridge abutments in Delaware County. Before the Delaware Reservoir flooded the area, the Water Hill covered bridge crossed Whetstone Creek here. That’s roadmeet organizer Sandor Gulyas standing on the nearside abutment. Not only did Sandor provide a detailed map and overview, he shared lots of additional information at every stop.

Technically, these stone bridge piers aren’t abandoned; They were never used. They were built in the 1850s as part of a proposed Springfield-Mt. Vernon-Pittsburg Railroad that was only partially completed. One more stop was planned but the sun was rapidly approaching the horizon and we decided not to even try. Recent rain had scared us away from a couple of other planned stops but we got to nearly all of them. And I really enjoyed each one.

———-

I spent the night in the Columbus area with thoughts of taking in a little music somewhere but found nothing that fit my desires. Breakfast was a different matter. Some online research turned up several places that sounded interesting and tasty, but it was Gena’s Restaurant that got my business. I once drove for days to reach the “Cinnamon Bun Centre of the Galactic Cluster” so I could surely drive a few miles to the “Home of the Greatest American Pecan Roll”.

Inside, some wall space is devoted to the pecan roll boast and to their “Three Pancake Challenge”. There are photos of those who have downed three one-pound pancakes in forty-five minutes along with a few who have downed four and fewer who have downed five. Downing the pictured pecan roll was no challenge at all, and I will not challenge its claim to being the “greatest”.

Kentucky Giants

Posted on September 22, 2019 by Denny

Just like the subject of last week’s post, I’ve been aware of the subject of this week’s post, since it — or they — first appeared in early spring. And, just like last week’s walk, a visit to Bernheim Forest and Thomas Dambo’s giants has been waiting for good weather and available time. However, it took more than clear sky and schedule for me to actually make it. It took two tries.

The first try was on Monday. Bernheim Forest lies just twenty-some miles south of Louisville, KY, and I planned to drive most of the way on US-42. I used I-71 to get through Cincinnati then left it for US-42 — and the Dixie Highway. This gave me a chance to stop by a restaurant that has been on my to-eat list for quite some time. Colonial Cottage has been serving Dixie Highway travelers since 1933 while establishing itself as the “Kentucky’s # 1 Goetta Restaurant“. They are also known for their omelets so my first meal there was naturally a goetta & mushroom omelet. I returned to US-42 but the trip was cut short by a flat tire. A broken wheel key/spline meant the car had to be towed to get the wheel off. I’ll make the story as short as that Monday trip by saying that I did eventually get home and the tire did get replaced.

Friday began as an exact repeat. I-71 through the city, exit on the Dixie, and stop at Colonial Cottage. There things started to change. Monday’s omelet had been absolutely wonderful and today’s breakfast was too but today I had no goetta. Then no flat tire. Then I made it all the way to the forest with no problems. It isn’t possible to reach the giants without some walking although there are parking spots, marked by big wooden feet, that can be used to lessen it. Maps are available at the Visitor Center where a trail leading to all the giants begins. The lady handing out maps provided a very good overview and told me the trail was approximately one mile each way.

From the trail, the first giant sighting is across the Olmsted Ponds not far from the Visitor Center. This is Little Nis. The road in the second picture leads to the Visitor Center and a glimpse of Little Nis can be had from it on the way in. I believe this is the only one of the three giants visible from a drivable road.

This is Mama Loumari, mother of Little Nis and the yet to be seen Little Elina. It’s rather obvious that a third little giant is on the way. Nis didn’t seem to have much of an expression at all and I thought that same about Elina. When viewed straight on, Loumari looks sad or maybe just tired. However, in the second picture, taken from her right side, there’s the hint of a smile on her lips. Maybe she’s thinking about the coming birth or maybe it’s because she knows, as Warren Zevon would say, her hair is perfect.

The path between Loumari and Elina leads right behind Sunset Amphitheater at the south end of Lake Nevin. This 25-acre lake appears to be the largest body of water in Bernheim Forest. Fishing from the bank is permitted but I don’t know the details.

Having detected the beginnings of a smile on Mama Loumari’s face, I’m really starting to doubt my belief that both of her children lack any sort of facial expression. Maybe I just didn’t look hard enough or from enough angles. You know? I believe I can actually see Little Elina at least thinking about smiling if I look hard enough.

The lady at the Visitor Center had marked this installation just beyond Elina and I think she even told me who the artist was. You can probably guess just how long I remembered that. It reminds me of other pieces I’ve seen built of twigs including a large maze-like structure in front of the Taft Museum in Cincinnati.

An imprecise visual study of the map indicated that there wasn’t a great deal of difference in length between retracing my steps and continuing on around Lake Nevin. I opted for the new-to-me path and almost immediately encountered this solitary duck. A peaceful spot at the lake’s northern end offered a view back towards Sunset Amphitheater. I first encountered the sea-serpent head-on and had no idea what it was. The side view (and the sign;-) cleared things up.

Back at the Visitor Center, I rested a bit then headed off to another spot marked on my map. I drove a couple of miles then parked near a 75-feet high platform overlooking the forest. This is Canopy Tree Walk. On the way back, I checked out the trees directly below the walkway.

The area around Canopy Tree Walk was to close at 6:00. When I passed back through the gate about 5:30 a ranger was in place waiting to lock it. No one was being rushed but I’m guessing he wasn’t letting any more cars in. I got to see a little more of the forest as I worked my way back to the main exit. I didn’t see it all, of course. This isn’t the sort of place that can be seen in a single afternoon. I came only to see the giants and I saw much more including this tree with prosthetic limbs. Really wasn’t expecting that.

I came. I saw. I’m sorry.

Posted on March 17, 2019 by Denny

Saturday’s weather was quite nice. Temperature in the mid-40s. Dry. Lots of sun. It was a great day for a parade so I went to one. Back in 2013 when the anti-LGBTQ slant of Cincinnati’s Saint Patrick’s Day Parade first surfaced, I noted that, “I hadn’t been paying attention.” I can honestly make the same claim this year, but I cannot claim the same ignorance I possessed six years ago. The post where I spoke about not paying attention is here. I returned the next year although I paid a lot more attention to events leading up to the parade. I think I hoped that 2013 was an anomaly but by the day of the parade I knew it wasn’t. I wrote a fairly normal post about the actual parade, but it had become apparent that the parade’s organizers, the Ancient Order of Hibernians, had views different than me and a lot of other people. My 2014 post is here.

I hadn’t forgotten my 2013 and 2014 thoughts, but I did kind of push them aside. The Saint Patrick’s Day Parade used to be one of my favorite Cincinnati events. I attended Saturday’s parade with a certain amount of curiosity but I also had some hope of just enjoying things like I used to. There was plenty of the familiar like pipe and drum groups and people being silly. I did not see any of the protests I saw five and six years ago. They may have been some — I did not go to the parade’s start point and there was a lot of the route I did not see — but I didn’t see any.

There were also plenty of differences. A shifting of the route had been a topic of discussion in 2013. It is now even farther from the city center and closer to the river on Mehring Way and Freedom Way. Some of the other changes can be measured. In 2013 and 2014 at least fifteen Irish built DeLoreans had participated. This year there were four. Multiple groups of Shriners in miniature cars have appeared in past parades. Each group might have ten or so cars of the same type such as Model Ts, Mustangs, or racers. This year there was only one group with just a few of each type and a total of ten or or so. Maybe that’s just normal attrition or maybe car owners are staying away on principle. I have no way of knowing.

I could not put numbers on other changes and can’t even say with certainty that they were real. I had a sense of fewer commercial entries and more informal groupings. There were quite a few families like the Donnellons and the Flynns. I think that their number was increased but I can’t be certain. Even if it’s true, I can’t say whether it comes from a desire to promote families and family values or a desire to maintain the size of the parade. It remains a respectably sized event with a length of about an hour. Maybe I’ll check on it again in five or six years. Maybe not. Articles like this make me sorry I was there this year.

My after parade activities included catching a little of the entertainment on Fountain Square, briefly watching a street juggler, and downing my annual Guinness at Arnold’s. As you can see, the parade day crowd at Arnold’s has not diminished even the slightest.

I also visited a place where the crowd has temporarily, I believe, diminished. Following Terry Carter’s, retirement amid some unpleasant publicity, Terry’s Turf Club has become The Turf Club and has been stripped of almost all of the neon signs that covered the building and the lawn beside it. When Terry sold his previous business, the very appropriately named Neons, all of its electric trim went with him and it became Neons Unplugged. It’s tempting to think of this place as Turf Club Unplugged, but that would be quite wrong. Including all those outdoor signs would have made the purchase financially impractical for new owners Tom and Marc Kunkemoeller, but that’s pretty much where the changes end. Inside all of the eye catching decor remains along with the menu and most of the staff. I was torn between a ‘burger or the ham sandwich I’ve come to love on my first post-Terry visit, but ultimately decided to test what they’re best known for. The Kunkemoellers know what they’re doing and retaining staff was crucial. The neon will be missed; The quality’s still there.

Fish Farm Fun

Posted on September 23, 2018 by Denny

I like fish… and I like shrimp… and I’ve lived my entire life in Ohio. Why, then, did it take me 17 years to get to the Ohio Fish & Shrimp Festival? Is a puzzlement. It becomes an even bigger puzzlement when you add in the fact that I like music and this is a festival with a reputation for putting some of the best local and regional entertainment available on its stage.

I don’t know about previous festivals but this year’s event covered three days. I made it on Saturday, the middle day, and I made it in time to catch part of the day’s opening performance. The very impressive Devil Doves are based in Columbus, Ohio.

I hung out near the stage until the set was finished then headed up the hill to check out the festival’s reason for being. There are multiple food vendors present but the Fresh Water Farms is the host and naturally has the biggest stand in the best location. I’m a sucker for coconut shrimp so that’s what I picked from an extensive bill of fare. That’s kale Caesar salad in the box and it was delicious. So was the shrimp.

I was eating at one of the tables when Mustards Retreat began their set. The group from Michigan served up some excellent vocal harmonies. This would be the last group I saw. The next group was still on their way when Mustards Retreat finished and I decided not to wait out the delay although I’m sure it was a short one. There would be a total of five bands on Saturday ending with the outstanding Teeny Tucker. Check out the full festival lineup here.

Beer and wine are available but there is an alcohol free zone that includes some of the food vendors and a children’s play area. Speakers at the back of the stage means the live music can be heard through much of this area.

Some of the actual farm facilities lie just beyond the play area and were open for exploring.

On the way back to the festival’s main area, I grabbed some pistachio gelato for dessert. I finished it as Mustards Retreat finished their set. Then, as mentioned earlier, I headed home happy to have added another fine Ohio festival to my experience.

18th Century Flashback

Posted on September 2, 2018 by Denny

The Ohio Renaissance Festival began its 2018 run on Saturday as did the Fair at New Boston some twenty-five mile to the north. The Festival will last two months, operating every weekend in September and October. The Fair will last two days. The Festival celebrates 16th century England. The Fair decidedly does not. The Fair represents a settlement in the Ohio territory in the year 1798 when the England of any century was anything but celebrated. The war that had ripped thirteen of England’s colonies away from her was a very fresh memory in the fledgling United States of America of the day.

I’d attended the Fair at New Boston once before, in 2010. As it did then, the day began with a parade…

…and some opening ceremonies. The flag was raised to the top of the pole then lowered to the halfway point in recognition of the 21st century death of Senator John McCain.

With the fair officially open, the entertainment commenced immediately. Pictured are Johnathon Hagee, Jack Salt & the Captain’s Daughter, and the Clockwork Clown.

I’d essentially jumped out of bed and headed straight to the fair, then followed the parade through town and paused to be entertained. It was now time for breakfast. Freshly peeled peaches and pound cake were just about perfect.

I then headed to Cheapside Theater for the world premier of Bard of New Boston, a play comprised of Shakespeare excerpts. Volunteers from the audience fill out the trio of witches from Macbeth. Complaining about the lack of a Romeo, Juliet begins the balcony scene by herself before the town rat-catcher steps up. This guy roams all about the fair with a couple of live rats in a cage and a stuffed one in his hands and in your face. His general griminess and very audible flatulence adds to the image. He spent the first half of the play heckling the actors before bringing a dash of romance to the stage. The whole company appears at the end in a curtain-less curtain call.

I completely missed out on the preparation and just barely arrived in time for the hot air balloon launch. A strong cord between balloon and owner kept the two from being separated as the former led the latter though the fairgrounds before cooling and landing.

Authenticity and historic accuracy is stressed at the fair and that includes the nearby Kispoko Town. I eavesdropped a bit on the fellow drying pumpkin rind and heard the two young observers getting what I suspect will be a rather memorable history lesson.

I missed out on this year’s historical speakers, which included Simon Kenton, Chief Blackhoof, and Daniel Boone, and I took off before the reenactment of the Battle of Picawey. Clouds were gathering and I had things to do so decided it was time to leave.

A Week Late and Several Photos Short

Posted on July 1, 2018 by Denny

I planned on last week’s post to be primarily about the Tenderloin Throwdown in Greensburg, Indiana. I arrived in early afternoon and bought my set of four sample tickets. A fifth contestant was a no-show. I tried them all and took several pictures including one of each sample with the associated booth in the background. When I did the same thing at the homemade ice cream stand operated by the local historical society, the shutter wouldn’t cooperate.

There was an error message displayed on the camera’s screen, but there’s just no way I’m going to read those tiny letters without glasses. I don’t need no stinkin’ glasses, I may have said to myself. I went down the list of common problems. The mode dial was not out of position and the lens was securely seated. Must be something with the SD card. I popped it out and back in and clicked off a couple shots. The problem returned and I “fixed” it the same way. When It happened a third time, I began to get concerned but I was ready to leave so didn’t investigate.

I’d kind or forgotten all this until I moved the SD card to my laptop in preparation of producing a blog post. It contained just four pictures and one of those was of my feet. Subsequent tests have revealed no errors with either camera or card although I don’t intend to ever use the card again. Sure wish I knew what that error message said.

So last week you got a canned My Wheels post and this week you get one picture of the back of one of the tenderloin stands with the famous tree-in-tower in the background. It is the winner of the grilled category, so there’s that. Obviously four entrants does not a major showdown make, but all four were top notch and tasty, and the homemade ice cream was excellent.

Even when I anticipated a photo spread from the Tenderloin Throwdown, I was considering tacking on a paragraph about the one concert on my schedule. I ended up attending three concerts during the week and, in light of the Throwdown’s vanished visuals, I’m including cell phone photos of all three. Remember, if you want a picture real bad, I’ve got a real bad picture.

On Wednesday the 20th, it was the LSD (Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Dwight Yoakam) Tour at Riverbend. This is one I hadn’t planned on, but when a friend’s significant other fell ill the day before, I got her ticket. It really was almost like three concerts with each of the artists doing nearly hour long sets. That’s Steve and his band in the first picture. I didn’t get a picture of Lucinda during her own set but the second picture has her and Steve flanking Dwight for the Dim Lights, Thick Smoke (and Loud, Loud Music) finale.

Thursday’s concert was the one I had planned for a long time. I’ve been sort of focusing on long time legends I’ve never seen. I saw Jackson Browne last month and Steely Dan, Van Morrison, and Paul Simon over the last year or two. This time it was possibly the ultimate living legend with Tony Bennett at Fraze Pavilion.

The quartet opened with an instrumental then Tony’s daughter, Antonia, did three songs. At that point, Tony came on and for the next hour he was on the stage, on his feet, and singing essentially non-stop. He performed basically full songs for the first half then commenced doing one or two lines from hits like Rags to Riches, Fly Me to the Moon, and I Left My Heart in San Francisco. I can’t remember everything he did but there wasn’t one I didn’t recognize at the time. It’s kind of astounding to realize that this guy could do a full concert singing just a line or two from each hit and probably have enough left over for several encores. Yeah, he’s 91 and didn’t hold every note as long as he might have a decade or two back, but he hit them and he was having fun. The Good Life for sure.

The other unplanned concert was a freebie at Miami Valley Gaming held as part of their Rhythm and Brews Festival on Saturday the 23rd. Knowing friends would be there, I stopped by on the way home from the Tenderloin Throwdown and caught the performer I was most interested in, Tinsley Ellis. I also saw part of Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials’ set but don’t have even a real bad picture of that.

Fleetwood’s Mac

Posted on May 21, 2017 by Denny

I’m sorry. I am a punster. I make puns on a regular basic. If you’re the sort of person who believes that good puns do exist, you would likely call them bad puns. Others think the phrase “bad puns” is simply redundant. Sometimes I try to defend my puns and sometimes I just ignore the groans as if the pun was entirely accidental. Sometimes I apologize.

The “sorry” that leads off this post is not an apology. It describes the way I felt when I discovered that I’d missed one of the most obvious puns to ever come my way. I was catching up on Tripadvisor reviews earlier this week and pulled up my own trip journal to check dates and notes. It was close to two months ago that I stopped into Fleetwood’s on Front Street for a beer. The restaurant/lounge is owned by Fleetwood Mac’s drummer, Mick Fleetwood.

It was the day of the NCAA Championship game and I ended up watching the entire game there while listening to some very good live music. I got hungry. It was too early for the full dinner menu but a lounge menu was available with several very tempting items. I opted for the crab macaroni & cheese. It was terrific with small bits of crab meat in every bite. I praised it in my journal and I included a picture but somehow missed the pun that makes up today’s title. I didn’t miss it this time. I’m sorry.

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