I love autumn in Ohio. Warm, sunny days with cool, crisp nights make the hardwood trees turn such beautiful colors. I have been a lot of places in the United States and the leaves in fall in Ohio are as beautiful as any other state. As pretty as the Smoky Mountains, New England, or Colorado. …
Humorous Signs from My Travels
Tom and I see humorous signs when we travel. I have shared some of them in the past, and you can see the posts here: from 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2021. From stick-figure-warning man to handwritten signs, people are trying to tell us stuff, if we pay attention to the signs. These are the top …
Autumn Fiber Festival in Mansfield, Ohio
The third weekend in October is the Autumn Fiber Festival in Mansfield, Ohio. Despite its proximity to my parents, I had never been to the Autumn Fiber Festival. The last couple of years we went to the Great Lakes Fiber Festival in Wooster, but I missed that this year. I needed some roving – I …
Tofts Ice Cream Parlor, Ohio’s Oldest Dairy
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, …
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 …