After our enjoyable afternoon at Lakeside, we stopped by Tofts Ice Cream Parlor in Sandusky before heading home. Ohio Magazine recently had an article called, “25 Classic Ohio Ice Cream Shops and Stands.” If you are one of those people who think ice cream is a summer thing, you can just stop reading now. Fortunately, …
From October 2023
God Is Not Our Vending Machine
Yesterday in her sermon, Rev. Jessica Cavinee, the lead pastor at Lewis Center United Methodist Church said “God is not our vending machine.” It was a throw-away line. Not one of the central points of her sermon, which was about stewardship. But I really liked the line and have been thinking about it ever since. …
Ooh La La Fine Food in Lakeside, Ohio
On a recent adventure day, Tom and I picked up Mom and Dad and headed to one of our favorite places, Lakeside Ohio, where we had lunch at Ooh La La Fine Food. Lakeside is a very special place on Lake Erie with a unique small-town, resort feel. Mom and Dad had a cottage at …
Dad and Trike Get Hit by Truck
My dad loves to ride his trike. It is sleek and fast and lets him zip around on the sidewalks and bike paths in Mansfield. Dad isn’t able to walk much, but he can really zoom on his trike. He tries to get a trike ride in every day when the weather is decent, averaging …
GE Refrigerator Meets Repairman
When Tom and I got back to Ohio, our GE refrigerator wasn’t working right. We replaced the refrigerator in 2021, so it is practically new. When we opened the door, no light came on and the water wasn’t working. Fortunately, the cooling part worked just fine, and the light in the freezer was working. We …
District 13 Gastropub in Sunbury, Ohio
In our continuing effort to find the perfect restaurant, four Hartleys recently ate at District 13 Gastropub in Sunbury Ohio. Gastropub is a term you will see at restaurants in the Columbus area, although it never sounds appetizing to me. Gastric reflux, gastric distress, gastric surgery, gastropub – those all sound like the same unpleasant …
Alex Varga Gets Married to Jen Gartner
Alex Varga got married! Tom and I got home from Cumberland Gap on September 19. We had to come back that week because we had a very special event coming up: the wedding of Alex Varga and Jen Gartner. Alex Varga is a very special man to Tom and I. He and John grew up …
Appalachian People, the Friendliest Welcome
Tom and I have lived all over the US working for the National Parks. The welcome we received from the Appalachian people we met at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park was the warmest and friendliest of any we have experienced. We felt more connected to the people in the Appalachian community after four months than …
Lots of Ways to Camp at Wilderness Road Campground
There are lots of ways to camp. Camping can range from people sleeping on pads on the ground to Full-timers in big rigs who hardly ever sit outside. Over our summer at Wilderness Road Campground, we saw a huge variety of ways for people to camp. Class A’s are generally the biggest motorhomes. We didn’t …
Seen at the Visitors Center
When you are working at a National Park Visitors Center, you never know what you will see. Here are some random things that didn’t fit into any of my other posts about Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. A big part of our job at the Information Desk was taking reservations for tours. Starting at 9 …