Another walk through Zoar

With the weather continuing it's awesome streak, I had to get back out and take another walk around Zoar.  This time, I took a different path.  Instead of walking through the town, I walked on top of the levee that is just west of the village and protects it from the often flooding Tuscarawas River. It's always nice to see things from a different perspective.  This being birds-eye.  

A walk down to Zoar

Finally.  For once this summer, it hasn't been super hot or super humid or raining.  A cold front had pushed through the region last night and left nice cool and dry air behind it.  So the entire family, including the beagle, went for a walk down to Zoar.  Hoping for more of these nights.  Seems like the summer is passing by way to quickly.  

Sugarcreek at night

Last night, my wife and I took a drive out to Amish country and stopped in Sugarcreek.  Sugarcreek is also known as the "Little Switzerland of Ohio" thanks to many Swiss and German immigrants that settled there.  The town is also home to the worlds largest cuckoo clock. It's a lovely small town in Ohio that is normally buzzing with tourists on a Saturday.  But at night, it's pretty deserted.  So much so that we almost felt like we were in high school out past curfew and we were going to get in trouble.  We strolled around the town a bit and visited the clock as well as checked out the new brick carving featuring local communities.  Why brick, you say?  Sugarcreek is also home to the Belden Brick Company and is a large part of the town.  Pretty interesting detail in carvings.  Especially the carving dedicated to former resident Lt. General Donald L. Putt.  

In this place of honor rests....

The engraving on the monument reads:

"In this place of honor rests an unknown solider who gave his life in the struggle for American independence."

Every July in a the small town of Bolivar, OH, a ceremony is held to remember a fallen hero.  No one alive today knows the mans name. No one knows where he was from.  If he had a wife.  If he had children.  If someone somewhere longed for his return.  No one knows why he joined up.  Did he have a deep feeling of resentment for the crown?  The fact is, he served this young country of ours and it's fight to break free from England.  At some point along the way of struggling to maintain Fort Laurens, this American died.  But for him, no one kept a record of who he was.  So unlike his counterparts that sit in a spot of honor hundreds of miles to the southeast outside of Washington DC, this fallen hero doesn't get the fanfare of daily changing of the guards or hundreds of people lined up to pay their respects.  No, this fallen hero of our early nation gets his just dues just a few times a year.  If you are ever in Bolivar, make it a point to stop at the Fort Laurens State Memorial and spend a minute to thank this nameless soul known only to God.  It's sacrifices like his that allowed this country to be born and to grow.

Pictures to this years encampment and reenactment at Fort Laurens are still being worked on.  Stay tuned for links.

A walk around Canton First Friday

We've heard it advertised before but had never decided to check it out until tonight.  And I wish we would have done it sooner.  On the first Friday of every month in the art district of Canton, Ohio, a street fair springs up and invades the downtown area.  It's called Canton First Friday.
Now, I have to be honest.
We've always thought that the downtown area of Canton was pretty much empty.  We were wrong.  The area is full of art galleries, trendy restaurants, coffee shops and bars.  It has a really good buzz to it.  Each months events have a theme and tonight's was based around "chalk art" on the sidewalks.  There were some really great works by kids and adults alike.  Seems like the event is very inclusive of the public and allows them to embrace and express their art.  But the bands and singers throughout the event added a lot to the evenings enjoyment. Another major plus was getting to go into the Palace Theater and listening to the organ that rose up from below the stage.  Really cool "old school" experience.
So, I think this is going to be our monthly "thing" to do every first Friday of the month.  If nothing else to get out of the house, walk round, listen to some live music and just enjoy the city we obviously don't know a whole lot about!

600 a day

600 a day.

That's how many WWII vets pass each day.  

Last summer we attended the D-Day Conneaut event and while I was walking around taking pictures I came across this scene.  I don't know this mans name, but I got to hear some of his story.  Surrounding him was a large group of reenactors, some were likely the same age he was when was in France, and he had the group captive with his tales. There were many instances where I noticed a veteran talking to different people, but this one really caught my attention.

 

What I heard him tell about was the ribbon that he is touching with his left hand on his lapel.  He said that he was riding on a tank into the heart of France chasing the Germans and they were driving through a town.  As he explained it, a VERY attractive young French women and her daughter was along the road side and she gave the ribbon to him.  So what do you think a young man would do in his situation? You guessed it.  He was starting to make his way off the tank to thank her properly with a kiss, but the column started moving and he never saw her again.  

I've met a lot of reenactors over the past several of years and in that time, I've learned that they all share the same story.  They want to keep these stories alive.  They want to continue to tell the tales of people like this hero so that he is not forgotten.  To them, and to me, it was a priceless moment in time.  On the way home from the day job today, I thought of him and wanted to make sure to honor him and all those who served.  So that they there stories are not erased with time.  

To this man, those that served with him and those that have ever worn the uniform of this country, thank you.  Thank you for dealing with the horrors that you did to preserve freedom and in his situation, liberate a continent from tyranny.  

Going low tech part 2 - The Yashica-A 120 camera

As you saw in the last post, I had recently acquired a few older cameras and finally had time to get out and about with them since I also had film.  It took two weeks to get the prints back from Rite Aid, but I was blown away on some of them.  I didn't check the box to have the negatives scanned at the lab, but my multi-function printer scanner was up to the task.  For review, the image on the left was taken with an Argus 35mm camera and the image on the right was taken with my 21st century Canon T3i.

Now, here is the image taken with the Yashica-A 120 camera

I almost forgot just how much detail these cameras capture.  I love it.  I might actually try to get this one enlarged to hang somewhere.
And while were at it, here's another one I love from the 120 roll.

I think this is another one of those cases where the phrase, "they don't make 'em like that any more" comes into play. 

Looking forward to playing with all of these tools over the summer.