Gypsy Road Trip

Dennison Depot welcomes guests to its museum located inside train cars.

Every day is Veterans Day at Dreamsville, USA. At Dennison Railroad Depot Museum, veterans are welcome at no cost every day of the year.

Treating our soldiers, sailors and marines in a special way began here way back during WWI. Dennison just happened to be halfway between Pittsburgh and Columbus on the Pennsylvania Railroad, so the train needed to stop here for refueling. That gave opportunity for the Red Cross to open a canteen to give food and cheer to the servicemen on board. A little eight year old girl, Lucille, helped her mother bring food to the troops. From April to October in 1919, over 136,000 servicemen were served.

This picture from the WWII Canteen stop shows the GIs receiving food and cheer.

This shows the same restored area today.

Things moved up a gear during WWII, when that grown up Lucille proposed the idea for the Dennison Servicemen’s Canteen, which the Salvation Army then operated as the trains rushed in. The canteen served  all the GIs when the train stopped. Her idea inspired other cities across the country to set up canteens for points of cheer along the way. This Dennison Servicemen’s Canteen served over 1.3 million servicemen during WWII.

When the conductor called, “Dennison, next stop”, young men in all branches of the service put on their coats, combed their hair, and straightened their hats. The friendly, smiling girls meeting them reminded them of their moms, sisters, and girlfriends..and there was free food. A dream come true! Thus the name Dreamsville, USA.

Some were away from home for the first time so the stop greatly touched their lives. When the train stopped 600-800 young men would step off and get in line for a lunch bag, handshake, and warm smile.

This display inside the museum depicts life at that time.

At the Dennison Depot from 1942-1946, four thousand volunteers helped with the canteen. Farmers donated crops from their gardens and orchards, while women baked cookies even though sugar was scarce. A little bit from a lot of people made a big difference.

It didn’t matter what time of the day or night the train arrived, women in white uniforms waited to give the servicemen a touch of home. 24/7, these volunteers served a cup of hot coffee and a lunch bag that included things like fruit, bologna or cheese sandwiches, eggs, doughnuts or cookies.

When the people of Dennison restored this site, they saved a national treasure. Today this is the only remaining canteen site that reflects this WWII heritage.

Lucille’s menu tells the story and lists some special GI sandwiches.

Have lunch at the station’s friendly diner called Lucille’s, in honor of the WWII founder, and veterans even get a free piece of pie. While eating a Boogie Woogie Bacon Cheeseburger or a Gunner Hot Dog, listen to music of the 40s in the midst of a room filled with posters from the war era. Their menu states:

Lucille knew that a hot cup of coffee and a smile would make a world of difference to the servicemen passing through Dennison. We hope our coffee and smiles make your day just as special.

Dennison Depot Museum is located in Dennison, Ohio  not far from I-77.  Take exit 81, 36 East, to the Dennison exit. Turn right on Second Street and continue on Second Street until you reach the tracks. Turn left on Center Street and after two blocks you will see the museum. Parking is on the left side of the street.

Going to lunch in Amish County always turns out to be more than just lunch. How can you not enjoy all the shops and scenery along the way?  Let’s take a picture tour of Beautiful Amish Country!

 A drive in the fall is extra special as the leaves are just starting to turn and the bright autumn colors of flowers and pumpkins cheered the spirits, even if there was one brown spot along the way.

Everyone wants to enjoy a fine Amish home cooked meal. Homemade noodles and real mashed potatoes top the menu for me. Therefore, a stop at Mrs. Yoder’s Kitchen started the day in a tasty manner.

Roadside glimpse of what appeared to be a wedding in Amish Country added a smile to the day.

A large bed of bright, beautiful petunias bloomed along the street across from Heini’s Cheese Chalet and Country Mall.

Recess was over at New Bunker Hill School  on the return trip from lunch. Earlier the playground was filled with the activity of all 15 students and one teacher.

Fresh fruit and vegetables beckoned from the side of the road. Yellow mums and orange pumpkins brightened the parking area of Miller’s Field Fresh Fruits and Vegetables. Inside their roadside stand, everything looked delicious…even after lunch!

In the midst of all this fresh produce, the fragrance of concord grapes took me back to my parents’ grape arbor. Yes, a purchase was made. They tasted as good as they smelled.

Now appeared that drab brown spot in the journey – Coblentz Chocolate Company! Watching the girls meticulously examine each piece of chocolate, gave assurance of a quality product.

These delicate wire chains made the proper design on each piece of chocolate.

Dry field of cornstalks stand ready for picking as they hold their prized ears.

Josiah for President  As presidential election time approaches and candidates are getting ready for debates, the Amish show their sense of humor by having a play about one of their own candidates – Josiah!

All along the way, beautiful farms rest among the rolling hills. Their bright white fences and neat homes show the importance of home and family in their lives.

Any season of the year is a great time for a drive in Amish County.

Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures. ~ Henry Ward Beecher

Telling stories through quilts has become Kate Gorman’s passion. She enjoys sharing that love with school children whenever she gets a chance. At the present time, concentrating on line, instead of color, has become her main focus as she uses drawings and hand stitching in her creations.

At a recent display at the Columbus Cultural Arts Center, Kate displayed her work along with two of her close friends and co-workers, in a show titled “In Close Proximity”. Every piece told a meaningful story.

Here a section of her series shows stanzas from “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird”.

Family history and birds appear time and time again in her art work. One series depicts the verses from “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird”, where each stanza has been developed into a picture. Kate explained that in her mind birds represent migration and travel, something she wishes she could do more often. As she remarked, “I’m always thinking about being somewhere else from where I am.”

Kate’s early quilt showed her son as Icarus, as she hoped he wouldn’t fly too close to the sun.

Her oldest quilted work showed her son, who she hoped would have a safe journey through life. Using the mythological legend of Icarus as her basis, she feared that perhaps her son would fly too close to the sun. Even here she used one of her birds, a rare albino blackbird.  Many artists stay with one form throughout most of their life, but Kate enjoys experimenting from one thing to another and goes back and forth in her mediums as she expands her knowledge of different techniques.

Kate taught herself how to make quilts, but has since taken some workshops to improve her skills and share her ideas. She originally decided to make quilts in her spare time, but that wasn’t enough. She liked to tell stories through pictures so discovered that fabric provided a great medium because of its color, pattern, and texture.

Here one of her birds with a hoop skirt receives a gift of friendship from a suitor with a crown of twigs.

Once the quilt is finished, she can easily tell a story using the quilt as her script. Recently she even developed a “Family History” quilt with pictures of family members and bits of information about their occupations. The first in that series, entitled “Bernadette in Artichokes”, served as her Quilt National Entry in  2013. When she asked Aunt Bern if she was sad because she never married, Bernadette answered that she always enjoyed her own company. What a great lesson for all of us.

Her 2015 entry, “A Keeper of Secrets and Parakeets” was also a hit. The Dairy Barn Arts Center in Athens, Ohio displayed it this past summer. A recent Individual Artist Grant from the Ohio Arts Council will take her to Scotland for an artist residency there in October, 2015.

Kate’s skeleton bird was done as a self-portrait when she felt stuck in life. The bird appears to be giving her advice.

But Kate didn’t always make quilts, even though she has always been artistic. In the past, she worked mostly as an illustrator for text and trade books for early readers. After graduating with a BA in English from Waynesburg College, PA, she did graduate work at Ohio University before finishing her education as an illustration major at Columbus College of Art and Design . Now she uses needle and thread for her artwork, in addition to watercolors and ink.

When she is not at home in her studio in Westerville, she works at Goodwill Art Studio and Gallery in Columbus, Ohio creating art with adults, who have disabilities. Everyone has a story to tell and Kate draws that story from them as they create their own artwork.

While many have “advanced” to use of technology in their quilts, Kate seems to be going backwards in time as she enjoys working from sketches, and stitching by hand. Her outstanding work tells a story of her life and the things that have touched her along the way. May new adventures continue to inspire her as she journeys onward.

Visit Kate Gorman’s website for more information at http://www.kategorman.net. You will find many of her paintings for view on this site.

Welcome to the Geroux Herb Garden in Gahanna.

Nestled away in the middle of the city, a peaceful herb garden brings healing and refreshment to those willing to open their minds and hearts. For centuries, herbs have been used to flavor our food, cure our ills, and perfume our bodies, while growing herbs makes a decorative addition to your garden

Relax under the arbor in the peaceful gardens.

Located in Gahanna, Ohio – not too far from Port Columbus International Airport – Geroux Herb Garden provides an educational retreat for those interested in the use of herbs for many purposes. Gahanna carries the title, “Herb Capital of Ohio”. Since that title was given through efforts of the “Herb Ladies”, one of those strong promotors being Jane “Bunnie” Geroux, the gardens have been named in her honor.

Bunnie Geroux was instrumental in having Gahanna named “Herb Capital of Ohio”.

For well over half of her life, Bunnie has had a strong interest in herbs. An early “goosefoot” herb garden for an historic site flamed her passion years ago. Since then she has been promoting the use of herbs throughout the city of Gahanna. Until she retired last year, she operated  a successful business, Culpepers, which specialized in dried bouquets.

Recently Bunnie retired from her Culpepers Herb House, where this sign hung for years.

“Bunnie”, at the age of 91, still actively participates in activities at the center. When the assistant director was asked about his favorite part of being involved, he instantly replied, “I have learned so much from Bunnie. I treasure the experience.” Walking with her in the gardens, he learned to use his senses of smell, sight, touch and taste.

The gardens contain many different kinds of herbs.

One acre here holds an amazing variety of herbs in several categories: Biblical, Culinary, Medicinal, Meditative, and Scented. Each has their own special place in the garden as they attempt to educate the public on the use of different herbs.Renovation is currently taking place while a new irrigation system is installed.

.If you don’t have room outside for an herb garden, perhaps you would like to plant something in a pot on your window sill or in a porch container during the warmer months. Their fragrance alone gives a reward for your labors. Thyme, mint, oregano, and lavender have always been some of my favorites.

A bottle lid picture brightens the lobby.

Stroll through these aromatic gardens where admission and parking are free. Slip away from the chaotic world and visit this hidden gem soon.

Natzger-Miller House hosts classes regarding herbs plus serves as a great place to buy herbs you might like to try.

The Nafzger-Miller house, headquarters for the Herb Center, was built in 1855. Now it provides a place for meetings, lectures, and even herbal tea parties. A few blocks away from Geroux Garden at this Educational Center, classes are held on Tea Gardening, Traditional Medicines, Culinary and Craft throughout the year. The instructors have a good grasp of their subject matter and present things in an interesting manner.

The drying shed stores dried herbs to use in various ways throughout the year.

September is time to harvest many of these herbs and dry them for use during the winter season. Their drying shed provides the perfect place for this activity.

Employees at the gardens and information center used herbs from their home herb gardens frequently. Basically, they used them for culinary purposes in breads, toppings, and teas. Medicinal use is an area that I would like to explore more thoroughly. I believe there is much to be learned about healing from what nature has provided.

Geroux Herb Garden is located at 206 South Hamilton Road in Columbus, just off Route 62.

Welcome to the garden!

Not every garden has to be large to enjoy its beauty. In a southwestern corner of Ohio, this friend’s garden bloomed vigorously during a recent visit. An old friend, Bess Siegfried, had moved from Cambridge to the Dayton area on a farm owned by Jill Kesler. The open fields there provide great viewing of sunrise, sunset, and the evening stars. Bess enjoys sitting on the porch enjoying nature – and her flowers of course.

Ever since she was a young girl, Bess found her life surrounded with flowers. Both of her grandmothers were gardeners – vegetables and flowers. One grandmother planted flowers around the edge of her garden to ward off unwanted snackers. But whenever Bess visited them, she helped and learned about gardening.

Once in her teens, she chose flower gardening as her main passion and has continued that ever since no matter where she has lived. Inside and out, plants are evident and cared for with a special touch. Part of her success, it seems, comes from the fact that Bess is also an excellent artist so has an eye for making things look beautiful.

Sunflower stepping stones invite exploration.

An interesting rock garden with freshly painted sunflower stepping stones was created over the years through the help of Jill’s father, who found these rocks as he plowed the fields on their farm. Her favorite turtle figures appear to add a little character to the garden.

Beautiful flowers surround this bird bath.

This summer was one of early heavy rain so plants got a great start. Then things turned dry, and Bess had her hands full watering all the flowers. Even though the flowers slowed down their blooming, the weeds kept growing fine. Her advice: Be very disciplined in the care of your flower garden, if you want it to be a success.

A Chinese Garden captures the eye.

Originally, this area had just the one tall schrub, which seemed to have a Chinese flavor. So Bess decided to get some white gravel and then added some Chinese Buddhas, Oriental figures and a small pagoda along with a few small plants.

The storage shed highlights various native American creations.

This collection of Sun and Moon faces on the side of a storage shed were found by Jill in her travels – some from Zanesville Pottery. Their circular shape symbolizes the never ending circle of life. Another rock garden grows here as new pieces are spotted along the way…with flowers and plants added by Bess.

A modern “she-shed” provides a perfect escape.

Males have always escaped to their “man caves”, while women usually headed to the kitchen. Today the female population has come up with a new idea…a “she-shed”. Here they can relax from the cares of the home and the world, in a comfy chair surrounded by treasures that make them happy. No television sets or phones allowed, just a good book or a craft project permitted.

Barbie Garrett, violinist for Springfield Symphony Orchestra, provided entertainment.

Barbie’s violin held special memories as it belonged to a friend of the family, Jill’s father, a music teacher and violinist. Even though she had a violin of her own, she never used it again after this precious, old treasure came into her possession. Her music was a real pleasure to end an enjoyable afternoon.

“Bloom where you are planted” applies to flowers and people. Finding a blossom in an unexpected place always brings a smile to my face. Finding a talented person in an unexpected place brings a smile to my face and joy to my heart. May you bloom wherever you happen to be in your life.