retirement activity

Macedonian Orthodox Cathedral of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, Reynoldsburg, Ohio

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This beautiful Greek Orthodox Cathedral was constructed in 2006 after the local parish community had purchased 17 acres in Reynoldsburg, on the near east side of Columbus, Ohio in 2003.

The main entrance doors and triple domes

The Cathedral’s marquee

Mosaic over north door

Mosaic over south door

Mosaic over the main entrance doors

The history of the parishes is just fascinating, and somewhat hard to follow. Strongly recommend that if you are interested, go to the St. Mary website. Lots of history, lots of photos, and just lots of information. We enjoyed seeing this magnificent cathedral while visiting family.

 

Covid-19 lockdown: remembering March 2020

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This is a post we published in March, 2020, after the Indiana Governor’s Executive order to shut down the state.

When the sound of a mower is relished

Our local NBC station showed a video on their noon news of the city of Indianapolis. The video was in black and white and showed scene after scene of the city with no people, cars, buses or any sign of life. Totally empty streets and parking lots made the shots look like they came right out of the last scene of the movie “On the Beach”, an apocalyptic movie from 1959.

Carry out only

Sher and I and our son were commenting on the video which led to the discussion of the quiet nature that has become our neighborhood. It seems as though most of the neighbors are paying attention to the Indiana declaration of “stay at home and work from home”. Very little traffic, even the guy with the extra loud Harley is not to be heard recently.

Then we heard someone starting up their lawn mower. Wow who would ever think that the usually obnoxious noise from a Briggs and Stratton engine would provide a twisted sense of normalcy to this COVID -19 pandemic abnormal situation. Thus the title of this post.

At times the pandemic lockdown feels like years ago, at times it seems like yesterday.

The Lincoln Memorial Bridge over the Wabash River

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One of two pylons on Indiana side of the bridge.

This bridge carries U.S. 50 Business across the Wabash River from Vincennes, Indiana to Lawrence County, Illinois. The east end of the bridge is in the George Rogers Clark National Historic Park. At this entrance to the bridge you will find two large pylons made of granite, each with a raised sculpture depicting  a Native American Chief.

The bridge is what is called a deck arch design, and has two traffic lanes and wide pedestrian walks on each side of the roadway.  It was opened to traffic in September, 1933, the same year that the George Rogers Clark Memorial was completed. President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the monument in 1936.

View from the George Rogers Clark Monument

Wabash River walk, Illinois is on the other side of the river

Parked after crossing the bridge

This was one of the attractions we enjoyed on our trip to Vincennes, Indiana in August of 2020, during the height of the pandemic. We had a spot at a nearby RV Park, and were able to maintain the then acceptable “social distance” and had masks available.

Chief Tecumseh statue

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It is always fun when travelling to come across an interesting attraction. We found this striking likeness of the famous Chief Tecumseh near the Wabash River levee in Vincennes, Indiana. The statue is the creation of Peter “Wolf” Toth, a Hungarian artist, and is the most recent addition (the 74th) to the “The Trail of Whispering Giants” series of statues scattered across the country.

Some squirrel scenes

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Here’s some squirrel action we observed on the tree in our backyard.

This nut tastes pretty good, glad I found it.

There must be something to eat around here

The squirrels were out in force this afternoon enjoying the sunlight, even though it was chilly and windy with a definite feel of fall in the air.

Hannibal, Missouri, home of Mark Twain/Samuel Clemens

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Statue on the riverfront of a young Sam Clemens as a riverboat captain

During one of our trips from Indiana to the west coast we stopped in Hannibal, Missouri. Famous for being the home of Samuel Clemens, also known as the author Mark Twain, Hannibal is a really interesting and very historic small town on the banks of the mighty Mississippi River.

Mark Twain is of course everywhere, both in name and in picture.  One local restaurant proudly proclaims that it has Mark Twain fried chicken on the menu. Hmmm I didn’t know that Twain had scooped the colonel.

” the extensive view up and down the river is … one of the most beautiful on the Mississippi.”

The original homes of Clemen’s family and those of other real life people who became the fictional characters in the Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn books are open for tours.

Clemens’s (Tom Sawyer’s) home and that famous white-washed fence

Tom Sawyer’s first love, Becky Thatcher, who existed in real life when Clemens was but a young lad

In addition to all the Mark Twain attractions, this river town is filled with some magnificent old Victorian homes, some restored, some in the midst of restoration and some in need of immediate attention.

Lincoln’s Tomb in Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield, Illinois

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Lincoln’s tomb is in the huge Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois. This is a State historic site, not a National property. The impressive structure is on top of a hill in roughly the center of the cemetery grounds.

You enter the tomb into a small round room. There were two volunteers in the room answering questions. The tomb itself is reached via a marble lined hall way with different bronze statues of Lincoln along the way.

You enter the tomb via the small door seen on the lower right of the structure.

The entry room has a small version of the Lincoln Memorial statue in Washington DC

Not a clear photo, but this shows the hall leading to the tomb.

One of several depictions of Lincoln in various places in the walkway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once you have seen the marker for Lincoln and the internment wall behind which are Lincoln’s wife and children you continue out another hallway. This was a very somber and, for me, emotional time. All of Lincoln’s history, the tragedy of the Civil War and his untimely death seemed to rush to the forefront of my thinking.

Lincoln’s casket is actually behind and 10 feet below this massive marker. It is encased in steel reinforced concrete.

Lincoln’s children are also here next to Mrs. Lincoln

One of four statues representing the Infantry, Cavalry, Artillery and Navy that fought in the Civil War, and that Lincoln commanded.

The photos do not really do justice to the magnificence of the exterior and the interior of tomb. This is a true must visit site if you are near Springfield.