Heading For Home

I wanted to share with you some photos of the cornfield next to Indian Springs campground in Ohio on the Indiana line.  Farmers are not even harvesting, it will all be plowed under.  Food prices are going to be escalating because of the corn and soy failures due to the drought.

Karen and Ron met us for lunch on Sunday and then we went to Miamitown to see Todd and Ann compete in the Cowboy Shoot and Ride. They were already finished but we had a quick visit and Ted got to see Zoe, Rebel and Latte and give them some hay so he was happy. We said our goodbyes and went home to dress for the visitation.

Ted's family is no different in that they see each other at weddings and funerals. We were delighted to see so many cousins but with Eileen's passing, we are now the old folks. As Fr. Terry said at Mass "The last chapter has been written, the book is finished." To have known Ted's Grandma and 9 of her 11 children over the past 51 years is one of my greatest blessings. Ted was a pall bearer, complete with green carnation, and both of us served wine at Communion. What an honor to have been asked.  This is the green and white arrangement the Rogers family sent to the wake.  The long green flowers on top are Belles of Ireland.  There were shamrocks on the ribbon.

There was a nice luncheon afterwards at a hall and then we headed for home to prepare for our Tuesday departure.

We got off about 8 am and drove over 500 miles to Memphis. One of my favorite parks is in West Memphis AR, right on the Mississippi River. I love sitting on the bench watching the barges go up and down the river. My inner child imagines a big paddlewheel rounding the bend with the calliope playing "Waiting For The Robert E. Lee."

This campground has a FREE laundry (a big deal in the camping world) so I did two loads, got a shower and prepared an easy dinner for us and Rick and Brenda who came for a visit. We were so glad to see them. What a great overnight stop.

We drove a little over 400 miles today and are parked at the Carthage TX Campground. We have about 150 miles to go. We are trying to outrun Isaac but rain is predicted tomorrow. Normal rain we can deal with. Hurricane wind and rain is another matter.

If you come home as happy as you left, you have had a good vacation .

Back In Cincinnati

We were able to stay until the end of the rally in Manistee with the Haulin' HitchHikers.  I did four of the five days water aerobics, we came out $50 ahead on the gambling money and we didn't pay for any meal while we were there other than with the vouchers they had given us.  We even had one left over to pick up two sandwiches at the deli and put them in our refrigerator for travel on Friday. 

Thursday we all met up again for the buffet luncheon and then went back to the pavilion for games and karaoke followed by Happy Hour at five.  A lot of folks went back to watch the sunset and another stop at the other ice cream store in town, not the Dairy Queen, but we wanted to get things put together for the next day.

We drove to Auburn IN and spent the night at a campground we have used before.  We did unhitch and go into town for fuel but didn't do anything else.

Saturday morning we drove into Cincinnati arriving about noon.  We showered, had one more LaRosa Pizza and then went to St. Joseph's in North Bend for church.  As we were walking in, people were walking out.  One of the priests in hospice was dying and the other priest was with him and the priest assigned didn't show up!  There was a communion service instead so we stayed.

Ted's brother Kevin and his wife Barb were there and they invited us back to their house for the evening.  She offered us all sorts of food and drinks but we weren't hungry at all but we did drink some lemonade.  I enjoy their company so much.  We were glad we had that time together.

We have to be at the funeral home late this afternoon.  Karen and Ron were going to meet us this morning for breakfast but they hit something on their way home last night that tore up their tire and rim.  They need to assess the situation this morning.  They are selling their truck and are down to just one car. 

Tomorrow will be the funeral Mass at Holy Family Church for Eileen, Ted's family's church since the early 1900s.  His mother was baptized there, his parents were married there, he was baptized there and our granddaughter Morgan was baptized there.  I suppose Eileen will be the last to be buried from there.  Everyone else has gone before her.

We have come full circle.  We started our summer trip here arriving June 1, traveled up through Ohio and Michigan all summer and now we will head home from here.  It's been a crazy, sometimes sad summer.  We are used to being on the go and sightseeing much of the time.  That didn't happen this time.  Sometimes in life we have to set aside our plans and tend to others.  I hope we did a good job.

Philippians 2:4

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Another Change In Plans

We have been enjoying all our HitchHiker friends in these beautiful surroundings. We meet people out and about, have our Happy Hour each night and have been plugging away at our free gambling money. Ted is doing way better than me!

Last night we all ate with our vouchers at the buffet and then carpooled to Scottville to see the Clown Band for which they are famous. I was expecting 3-4 fellows but it was an entire orchestra dressed as clowns. They played so well and got the whole audience involved. We had a great time. There are You Tube videos if you Google Scottsville Clown Band.

The band has been in existence since 1947 and there were a half dozen or so original members.  This fellow was 82.

This morning we received an email telling us Ted's Aunt Eileen passed away last night. We had to make a lot of calls to switch our plans. First up, cancel the dinner in Joliet and the reservation at the casino campground. Call home and cancel participation in Canasta. Then I called Gerre and told her to invite someone to use our play tickets and accompany them.

Once we received funeral plans we determined we can leave here as planned and take two days to drive the 450 miles back to Cincinnati.

To add more drama to the day, Ted dropped a plastic lid in the fuel filler neck on the truck. Ford said it wouldn't hurt anything in the tank but when he tried to fill it, the pump kept shutting off so he knew it was stuck in the neck. He planned to take it to the dealer tomorrow.

I wondered if we could shove it into the tank without hurting anything so I laid under the truck. There was a sleeve clamped in two places attaching the filler hose to the filler part of the tank. I told him to get a screwdriver, take off the clamps and drop the hose, fish out the lid and then put it back together. He did that and it worked! I told him my fee was $1 but I needed another $99 for telling him what to do. He took a lot of ribbing from all the fellows!

With all our plans in place and the truck situation handled, we joined the group to watch the sunset over Lake Michigan. It was beautiful and we all stopped at Dairy Queen on the way home.

I attended water aerobics this morning and plan to go tomorrow. We have a goodbye luncheon and a last Happy Hour later in the day. Everyone is pulling out Friday so there will be preparations by all in the evening.

It's been a good week but that black cloud just refuses to leave us for too long.

Rest in peace, Eileen. You are together again with Grandma and Grandpa as well as Margaret, Mary, Helen, Agnes, Betty, Ann, Bill and Jack. I know the bagpipes are playing Danny Boy.

Yeah! Full Hook Ups!!

We have arrived in Manistee for our HitchHiker rally.  This town is located right on the shores of Lake Michigan.  We are in the casino campground with 50 amp electric, water and sewer.  Plus we have cable TV and wifi.  The lap of luxury.

We drove to Harrison, MI on Sunday and got tucked into a wooded site. That was our last stop without a sewer hook up (11 weeks in all) but we did have a water hook up. We did four weeks using our storage tank and pump for water over the summer. It was almost like camping!

Monday we did laundry and called John and Dianna. They are at their summer home here and were bummed we went to the campground instead of staying in their yard where they have two RV sites. We didn't know for sure if they were even in town. They invited us over for Tuesday and we made plans to go to dinner and stop at the Moose Lodge which is exactly what we did. I just loved sitting in their sunroom watching all the hummingbirds. We had a nice visit and Dianna invited us for dinner on Thursday but we planned to go to Houghton Lake for the day. After hugs and handshakes we told them goodbye and we would see then in the valley in January.

Wednesday was gorgeous and we drove to Dow Gardens after attending Mass in the morning. As luck would have it, there was a "concert" starting just as we arrived so we took a seat and stayed for the entire performance along with many others.

Afterwards we walked the gardens for an hour and a half, admiring the beauty. I will just share my photos and you can see for yourself. It really is a lovely place.

This was called Sun Bridge.  I loved the reflection it made in the water.

Thursday was cool and rainy but we drove to Houghton Lake anyway. It is an "up north" resort town and we found a nice campground for future reference. After lunch at a place Dianna and John recommended, we did our grocery shopping and came back home.

Today's weather has been spectacular.  We haven't used our A/C for the past week and don't expect to need it this week either.

We are awaiting word from Bob regarding a stop in Joliet for a visit.  If he and Lorraine are not available, we'll just drive a bit further into Illinois next Friday as we round the bend and head for home.

We Have Moved On

I haven't mentioned the movie being shot in Oakland County by Richard Armitage who stars in "The Hobbit." There is a school on one of the unpaved roads we take. First we saw big cranes and school buses. Next day was a wrecked bus and I thought a crane had fallen on it.

There were signs with UTP directing people to our park. We asked and they told us a tornado movie was being shot at the school and the extras were parking in a field at the park. There were hundreds of cars every day they were shooting.

Last time we drove by the school there were wrecked cars, trucks, guardrails wrapped around poles and huge fans. I never got a photo because the school sits on a small knoll and the driveways were being guarded day and night. I don't keep up with movies but I will try to find this one when it is named. So much for our recent excitement!

After a total of six weeks at Addison Oaks (split four and two) we left this morning for Harrison, MI. Friends from the Rio Grande Valley park we stay at live here but we didn't even call yet to see if they are around. It is half way to Manistee and seemed like a good place to set up shop for the week.

Kara was feeling better and on Thursday I drove her to get the kids' school shoes. We had lunch at Olive Garden and Ted took Sam to a doctor appointment because Kara had an appointment later too. When Allen arrived home we headed back to the campground.

Friday was free so we went to the grocery. Thank God for the Olympics.
It filled a lot of hours for us this year.

Kara came out with the kids Saturday and we all met up with Kelly and family at St. Clements in Romeo for church. Then the nine of us went to dinner at the Romeo Diner. We are going to miss that place.

Just maybe we will do some fun things this week. Dow Gardens is on my radar and I will just have to read up to see what else is in the area.

I have been getting emails from home as things get back into full swing. I have Canasta the day after we get back. The next day our season tickets start at the Owens Theater in Conroe. We will be seeing "The King and I" with Gerre and Barry.

And it will be back to our normal routine ... for two months anyway!

More of the Same

All we did Saturday was go to church and eat at Leo's, that we have driven past so many times, after Ted had gone shooting. It was just OK but I didn't cook so that is the good part.

There was a Corn Daze Festival advertised for Sunday so we attempted to take the kids but when we arrived it was a Rotary picnic so we went to see Diary of a Wimpy Kid instead. The kids spent the night with us.

We went into Kara's Monday and I spent the night because Allen left at 6 am Tuesday. There is always a lot to do that Kara can't do just yet.

She did make a good dinner and afterwards we went to Ray's in Royal Oak for ice cream.

By 9 or so we had things under control and came home because Allen was expected home by 10.

We will be going back tomorrow and Kara wants to bring the kids out Saturday if she is up to it. There are activities for the kids all weekend.

Sunday we are moving on. We haven't decided to where just yet. We only know we are heading NW towards Manistee.

Just A Short Update

Thursday Ted went in to Kara's and took care of her and the kids. By Friday I felt well enough to go too. I wore a mask when around her and gloves when preparing food.

I got her bed changed, the laundry done, watched the kids and fed them. Ted went to the grocery and grilled burgers for dinner. We came home around 8.

Last night my head was all stopped up and I couldn't breathe through my nose so my throat is dry this morning. Guess I have a ways to go before I am all better.

We are staying here an extra week to continue to help and for me to get better!!

WTH?

Well you didn't really think everything would be OK did you?

After 12 hours with the kids on Monday I got home just in time to start with a cold of my own. Allen had to get a babysitter to pick up Kara on Tuesday and Ally spent the night so he could take Kara to the doctor this morning.

Ted is feeling much better. He washed the trailer, went to the grocery and made dinner last night. I am still all stuffed up and sneezing my head off so I can't go anywhere near Kara.

Ted may go in tomorrow and Friday while Allen works at a site. Hopefully I will get well enough to go with him.

And my niece Jamie that we were with last Saturday had her candy store broken into while they were gone over the weekend.

This black cloud following us needs to take a hike!

Making Lemonade

Once we determined we had to be back at Addison Oaks by July 29, we had to decide what to do.  We chose to stay in Celina, OH and get in a few more visits.  We were glad we bit the bullet and drove the 250+ round trip to Shipshewana IN and the Amish country.  We had a good day there with Sue.

Wednesday, after our long drive, we stayed home to do laundry and I was able to put beef stew in the crockpot for our dinner.  Ted and Dan went shooting in the evening and had a really good time.  Ted knows the fellows there as well as Dan does after all these years.

We chose Thursday to drive to Dayton to take Peter's widow to lunch.  He died the day we arrived in Cincinnati and we didn't want to leave the area without spending some personal time with her.  For someone in their late 80s, she is doing extremely well.  Nicely coiffed, fashionably dressed, she hopped up into the truck with no problem.  She is sharp as a tack and we talked about the paperwork and stuff that comes up no matter how hard you prepare before you die.  Her son, Pete, is close by and is helping her with it all.  We spent a long time at lunch and enjoyed being with her for several hours.

We left there heading to Versailles to catch up with our other patient with the repaired heart valve.  We got into the worst storm AGAIN and it hailed until I thought it would break our windshield.  It was nearly impossible to see where you were going.  But Ted pulled into the far right lane, put on his flashers and crept along past those who had stopped on the shoulder.

We found Eddie in fine spirits and doing very well.  I can detect a bit of breathlessness when he talks.  I assume this is due to his lung being collapsed during the surgery.  It will probably take awhile for that to be functioning at 100%.  Dustin and Brian were home with him and we had a nice visit before another storm went through.  We admired the terrific job Eddie had done on finishing his basement and when we got a break in the rain, took off back to the campground. 

Friday Ted went to the grocery and I made a couple salads and a shortcake in preparation for our company coming on Saturday.  In the evening Sue, Dan and we went back to the Beer Barrel for dinner.  They said their pizza was really good so we needed to give it a try.  We had to wait for a table but it wasn't too long of a wait.  And the pizza is very good.

We were really excited to see Marge and Steve who lived next door to us in the late 70s.  Their daughter was good friends with Kristin.  They visited us when we first moved to Michigan but then lost touch.  Enter Facebook!  Steve caught up with me and we made plans for them to come visit.  It is almost 100 miles one way so we really appreciated their effort.

It is amazing that 30 years can be erased so easily.  We talked and talked for 5+ hours.  Ted grilled some burgers, I had three different salads and strawberry shortcake for lunch.  They are big into cruising and have taken over 30.  They want us to go with them some time.  They are going on one in August and we are going in November so it won't be any time soon but is definitely a possibility.

They left about 4:15 and we headed to Holy Rosary Church for Mass at 5:00.  From there we went to Dan's where his daughter Jamie had arrived.  Her husband Rob and 3.5 year old daughter Taylor were with her.  Lakefest was going on downtown so we all made our way there.  They had vendors, games, food, music, rides, etc.  Little Taylor is not afraid of anything.  She collected lots of toys because everyone was winning at the dart game.  She used to be so shy but this time she talked to us and gave us both a kiss and big hug when we left. 

Today we pulled out about 9 a.m. and now we are set up in our Spot #2 at Addison Oaks.  Ted has started with a head cold so the kids aren't coming out for dinner tonight.  I will go in tomorrow by 10 so Kara and Allen can leave for the hospital.  Ted will stay here and rest up.  We will just have to see how the rest of the week goes.  Allen has a business trip at the end of the week so hopefully Ted will be OK and can come in to be with me when I have to take care of Kara and the kids.

Resting Up

We waited most of Wednesday to hear about Ed's operation. They were able to repair his valve and did not need to replace it. The personnel were very slow in delivering info to those waiting. He came home on Saturday and we will go see him when he is up for company. Once we got the news, Ted went shooting and we didn't have dinner until very late.

I was not "up to snuff" on Thursday and we just hung out. Ted put some laundry in and got that out of the way. We were waiting for Kara's doctor appointment to determine what our next move would be.

She has to have a second revision surgery on this one stubborn spot so we extended our stay here for another week. We will head back to Addison Oaks next Sunday to keep the kids for a week.

Karen and Ron arrived at Dan's and we met up with them after I got my hair cut. Ron still has the wound vac on his arm from his tangle with the drill press.  It will take another month the doctor said.

Brandon was home and joined us for dinner at the Beer Barrel. This is a new restaurant to the area and has a great menu. It was really late when we finished and we came on home.

Saturday we spent the day with family. Brandon is still working on his log cabin home in the woods so we went to see the progress. We spent the afternoon next to his lake with a nice breeze blowing. Karen, Ron, Ted and I all went to church and then came back to Dan's for dinner.  We met Rachel, Brandon's girlfriend, for the first time.

Ted went shooting on Sunday and Karen and Ron went home. We did a grocery run on Monday and not much else. Ted marinated and grilled some chicken breasts for dinner.

We picked Sue up on Tuesday morning and drove 128 miles to Shipshewana, IN to the flea market. It rained like the hammers of hell and we wondered if it was truly going to clear as was predicted. Just as we arrived the rain stopped and it turned into a perfect day - nice temp and no humidity - also no crowds.

Sue has a dozen grandkids and found lots of things for gifts. She makes jewelry and bought lots of beads. She found garden decorations for two sons' new houses and scarves for whomever she chooses in December.

Ted needed to buy some cleaner he uses on the trailer slides but the fellow had gone home because of the rain. Bummer! Now we will have to order it off the internet and pay shipping.

We had lunch at the Auction Restaurant and left about 4 o'clock to head home. You really need more time but with the weather it wouldn't have done us any good to arrive earlier.

I bought a new watch and a casual dress for our cruise.  Once we get into southern waters our clothes will need to change from warm to cool.  It was just fun showing Sue around and watching her delight in all her finds.

Tomorrow we are going to Dayton to take Peter's widow to lunch.  He died the day we arrived in Cincinnati.  And on Saturday our neighbors from the late 70's are coming to the park to visit and have lunch.  It will be GREAT to see them after all these years.

Another friend has passed away from a massive stroke.  That is #6 since we left home in May.  If they come in threes, we are way over quota or have hit it twice.  Either way, I am ready for good news instead of what we have been getting. 

We will return to Addison Oaks for at least a week and then will ramble around Michigan heading to the west coast on Lake Michigan to the town of Manistee.  Our HitchHiker owners group is meeting for a rally and we are looking forward to a great week with them.

From there it is a stop in Joliet to see Bob and Lorraine and then another three days to home.  I have to admit I am ready to get back.  There has been so much going on this trip that has nothing to do with vacationing and I have so much to do when we get back that I am anxious to get started on it.

We will have two months before going away for the month of November and we will have to peddle really fast to get it all accomplished.  God bless Chris for keeping our home up while we are gone.  Despite all the storms we knew everything was OK.

“Nothing travels faster than light, with the possible exception of bad news, which follows its own rules”  ~ Douglas Adams

At Last - Cleveland!

I spent 1946 in El Paso, TX and 1971-73 in Cooper City, FL. Other than those time periods, I lived in Cincinnati until 1981... and never went to Cleveland ... until yesterday.

We went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on the waterfront next to an ore carrier serving as a museum, and the Science Center.

The architecture is very modern and looks great next to the water.

We took pictures of ourselves outside with the displayed guitars.

There was a video on how Cleveland won the OK to build this museum and the work and financing it took to make it happen. We watched three short snippets on people expressing fear for what this new music would do to young folks. Considering the lyrics kids listen to today, I think they were on the right track!

There are many displays of many different singers and groups consisting of photos, records, instruments, costumes, hand written lyrics, receipts, contracts, etc. but what I liked best was a montage of all the inductees into the Hall of Fame since mid-1980s performing. It was fast paced but took a long time to get to 2012.

There were private areas where you could put on earphones and call up any song and it would play. The ultimate jukebox! Even the ATM machine was a jukebox.

We grabbed a bite for lunch and sat on a balcony overlooking the lake. It was such a nice venue.

After several hours we finished up and met up with Barb again and followed her home. She had some things of Brian's she wanted to give to Ted. Ted's great-niece was home too so we took them to dinner. It was so nice seeing them. It has been 3 years since Brian's funeral and it is still so difficult to believe.

Today we moved SW to Grand Lake. My brother Dan invited us to join his family at the Versailles Inn for dinner. His son Ed's heart surgery is today and we are still waiting to hear.  It was scheduled for 6:30 am and I am getting concerned.  He was in good spirits last night and I am praying all is OK.

We drove home watching the most beautiful sunset.

Brandon has a girlfriend now so he was out with her and we didn't see him yet. I learned we have Baby #4 on the way within the family. I will have to be sure everyone gets added to the family tree before the 2013 family reunion.

Our week is unplanned but that will fix itself I am sure. Please say a prayer for Ed.

A Gorgeous Week in a Gorgeous Setting

Ted went shooting Thursday and afterwards we went looking at campgrounds. It is apparent that boating is king and parks are an afterthought. We decided we liked the state park best. Camp Perry where Ted has been shooting has a great campground but the national shooting matches keep it full most of the summer. It could be difficult to get in to but it would be worth a try. There are 10 full hook up spots in the state park and it would be worth a try to get one of them if we were going to stay for an extended period.

We had been told by two different people to try the Mon Ami Restaurant and Historic Winery. When Ted's nephew Brian's widow contacted us to get together, she suggested she drive over here and have dinner there so we readily agreed. Turns out her best friend and husband have a cottage on the lake right across the street from the park and they joined us. We had a delicious dinner and a very nice visit. We bought some wine in the gift shop and will enjoy it over the next few weeks.

We went to St. Joseph Church in Marblehead Saturday afternoon and then drove to the end of the peninsula for a bite to eat. I had a Lake Erie walleye sandwich. That might be pickerel to you. Afterwards we went to Lakeside, a community on the lake within Marblehead that is a gated community. But we had tickets to the Vicki Lawrence "Mama" show so were allowed in. It was like walking back to the 1940s or 50s. There is a beach, parks, shops, restaurants, cottages, bed & breakfasts, kids on bikes, folks strollong around and was so charming.

We really enjoyed the show. It was open seating but we were in the center in the 12th row so we couldn't complain. Vicki did half the show and Mama did the second half. We found it very enjoyable, laughing and laughing at some timely jokes. It was dark by the time we got home. The 10 pm sunset has given way to 9:30 or so.

Today Ted went shooting and I cleaned out the refrigerator in anticipation of a grocery run when he returned. The Speedway diesel jumped from $3.39 to $3.59 so we hurried to Kroger where theirs was still at $3.39. After shopping we had a dime off so we filled up.

Tomorrow we are going to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Tuesday we head to St. Mary OH for a week long visit with family. We know where we will be until August 3. But the time from then until August 17 is up in the air. Oh the freedom to hook up and move whenever the urge or need grabs us. We do know we will be in Michigan during that time. But where exactly is anyone's guess.

Along Lake Erie

We drove south on I-75 over such washboard roads that the trailer plug to the truck worked loose. The display in the truck told us and we pulled over so Ted could push it back in tightly.

When we arrived at the park, two glass pans had flown out of an upper cabinet and broke into pieces. Makes me wonder about these high tax, heavily union, blue states and how they spend their money.

The park is lovely and we have a long paved site that accommodates both the trailer and truck with plenty of room. We have mature trees that provide great shade. We don't have water so we stopped to take on water. We don't have a sewer either but we are being careful with the three tanks and hopefully won't have to hook up to go dump before our departure date.  I took this photo with my I-Pad and don't know how to rotate it!

We spent Monday getting acclimated to our surroundings. We drove to Miller Ferry to check it out, then drove through Port Clinton to pick up tourist info to plan our week.

We bought peaches and corn at a roadside stand and it was about the best corn we have ever eaten.

We went to Marblehead to the lighthouse which is now a state park.  We learned the light was on a weight exactly like a grandfather clock.  It would take three hours for the weight to drop to the bottom and then the keeper climbed back up, filled the container with oil, and pulled the weight back up.  Bet that was an unpleasant job in the winter in the middle of the night.

We drove the Lake Erie Circle Tour all around the many peninsulas in the area. It was very pleasant all day.

The next day we went to Put In Bay on South Bass Island in Lake Erie.  We chose the Miller Ferry because it was closest to us.  We intended to rent a golf cart so using the Jet Express which docks in town wasn't necessary.  Here is the landing as we pulled away.

It was a short walk to the golf cart rental and we were off!  We went into downtown and decided to eat lunch before taking the one hour island train tour.  This took us to nine different places of interest on the island.  We could have gotten off and caught another train but we stayed on the whole time then used our golf cart to go back to see what interested us.  This wonderful old carousel is in town.

Our next stop was the Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial.  It marks the battle for control of Lake Erie during the War of 1812.  The USA, Canada and English flags fly together to signify the longest, unprotected border in the world between the US and Canada. 

This is the third largest Federal Monument in the US with the St. Louis Arch being #1 (been there) and the Washington Monument #2 (been there also). 

The view of the island and lake were spectacular.  There are many islands in close proximity and we could see several including Rattlesnake Island which is a Private Island, $200,000 to join.  Maybe next year.

Inside the memorial are the remains of the three British commanders and three US commanders that all died during the battle.  They were originally buried in what is now a beautiful city park but were moved when the memorial was built.

We went to the Heineman Winery and I had a glass of Riesling while we sat in the Wine Garden.  They were the only winery out of about 15 that survived Prohibition.  They marketed grape juice with a recipe for vinegar on the back.  Of course if you stop the process before it becomes vinegar, you have wine!

The riesling cuttings came from the Rhine River valley.  Cincinnati was settled by German immigrants from this area, including my mother's family, and we have traveled there a few times ourselves.  This wine barrel fountain is at the center of the garden.

We spent about six hours on the island getting around in our golf cart.  The weather was so pleasant, the scenery beautiful and there are enough places and things of interest to make for a grand day.

We took the evening ferry home and grilled some steaks for dinner along with some of that terrific locally grown corn on the cob.

Immediately following his victory at the Battle of Lake Erie, Perry penned the famous words, "We have met the enemy and they are ours ..." in his report to General William Henry Harrison.