The first week of May, I headed to Overshot Class at Red Stone Glen near York, Pennsylvania. Tom and I had only been in Ohio for two weeks, but I had been wanting to take this class for a while so we worked it into our schedule. We took the RV and stayed at Gifford …
Honeysuckle Lane in Char-Mar Ridge Park
Now that we are back in Ohio, I have resumed my morning walks in Char-Mar Ridge Park. Recently, as I was walking, I smelled an intense fragrance and smiled. The honeysuckle is back in bloom. I may be allergic to most plants, but I love the smell of honeysuckle. I’m still allergic to it, but …
101 Beer Kitchen in Dublin, Ohio
On a recent Saturday morning, Tom and I ate at 101 Beer Kitchen for the first time. John and Jackie know that we enjoy trying new restaurants so they suggested 101 Beer Kitchen for brunch. 101 Beer Kitchen started in the Columbus area in 2012. There are currently five locations, three of them in the …
Norris Dam State Park in Tennessee
We visited Norris Dam State Park in Tennessee along with all the national park sites. Before I start writing about being back in Ohio, I thought I would tell you about Norris Dam. Norris Dam was built in the 1930’s and formed Norris Reservoir. The dam was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps as part …
Observations about Life and Aging
Today I want to make a few observations about life and aging. They are not profound or even particularly important. As an introvert, I have lots of conversations in my head, and these are a few of the observations I have made from the conversations with myself. First, why does one side of my face …
Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
The last National Park site that Tom and I visited, before heading home to Ohio, was Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. To Native Americans, Cumberland Gap was the passageway to their traditional hunting grounds on the western side of the Appalachian Mountains. To the early pioneers, Cumberland Gap was the gateway to new land and …
Obed Wild and Scenic River, Tennessee
Obed Wild and Scenic River is another National Park site in eastern Tennessee. It was an easy drive from where we were staying in near Knoxville and we decided to visit. The National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 sought to preserve free-flowing rivers to balance national policies of extensive dam building. In 1968, eight …
Oak Ridge, Manhattan Project National Historical Park
Tom and I have been waiting two years to visit Oak Ridge, Tennessee. We have visited the other two parts of the Manhattan Project National Historic Park – in Hanford, Washington and Los Alamos, New Mexico – and only needed Oak Ridge to finish the park. But we were waiting for the Department of Energy …
Clinton Knoxville North KOA
While Tom and I were exploring the National Park sites in eastern Tennessee, we stayed at the Clinton Knoxville KOA. KOAs are our go-to campsites. They aren’t the most spacious or scenic places we could stay. Instead, they are usually close to the interstate and thus convenient for what we call “park and play”. We …
Big South Fork National River
Another National Park site that is just a short distance from Knoxville is the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. In fact, the Big South Fork is about the same distance west from Knoxville as the Great Smoky Mountains are to the east. Yet Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area only …