I Love KY

It's great having such a varied, mostly rural state so close to us. I'm not really into the horse farms, but the rest of the State, from Harlan County to the Missippi farmlands, it is a fantastic place. A few shots here from this weekend:

East Family Dwelling
 

Barrels of Bourbon:
 

Copper Still:
 

Old Mill Site, Spring coming out of rocks:
 

Train Speeders

A week ago, we were in Elkins, WV, and happened upon a very unusual sight. Turns out this was a meeting of NARCOA, a club for collectors of old speeders. Speeders are what was used on rails for maintenance runs after the hand cart and before being replaced with modified road vehicles. As I came upon this group, they had just finished a 120-mile group trip over a mountain pass, and were in the process of removing their vehicles from the tracks. They have little tiny gasoline engines, but because of the low friction and low grade, can go long distances on little fuel:
 

A single car:
 

Weathertight:
 

Santa Fe, off the tracks:
 

Old Man and Train

Just a shot I took last weekend in Elkins, West Virginia. The train was full of old people going to look at the fall colors:

 

This conductor was a very friendly man, and he showed me all his ribbons for long service, and if I wasn't so camera shy I would have gotten a picture of him with his ribbons on his chest.

 

Marble Fest

There are a million things to do this weekend locally so it is unlikely you'll make the 4.5 hour trek to the Marble Festival. A few years ago, I found some ancient marbles while rehabbing. Since then I have had some interest in them.

Sistersville WV is across the river from Fly, OH kinda between Marietta and Wheeling on the river. Map here

Marble Festival celebrates the marble making industry that once thrived in this area. At one time, there were over 20 marble factories within a 60-mile radius of Sistersville.

Today, only two remain: Jabo Vitro marble factory located 25 miles south of Sistersville in Lower Newport, Ohio and Marble King located in Paden City.

During the long weekend, children will be instructed on how to play marbles and afforded the opportunity to participate in a youth marble tournament Saturday morning.

A fan favorite are the marble makers themselves. Amateurs and professionals alike will line the streets, shoulder to shoulder plying their trade and hobby for the gathered visitors.

Old postcard of Sistersville:
Unfortunately we just missed the Oil and Gas Festival

Misc Pics

Some miscellaneous pics from travels last week to Massachusetts:

compact travel vehicles:

a typical Greek Revival house:

fishing boots:

windswept beach:

inside a fort:

National Day of Mourning Plaque at Plymouth Rock:

Improved Order of Red Men, 1921, also at Plymouth:

Tourists in Cincy

 

Many times when I am walking around downtown I will see people who are obviously tourists. This photo is of a young Japanese couple, snapping photos of the buildings. Sunday it seemed like there were a lot of people walking around taking pictures. It was sunny, but still pretty cold, so I was wondering what brings someone half-way around the world to Cincinnati on a cold January day?

Sometimes it is obviously a businessman, touring the city where he is on business, but not most of the time. This couple looked more like newlyweds than business partners. Were they here as part of a cross-US trip, stopping at various cities? I wonder what they think of this place.

View from Anderson Ferry

Day trip to the pumpkin patch:

 

He-man grill at park in KY, Rt 8.

 

View of Ohio from KY:

 

Hocking Hills Weekend Getaway

 

October is the perfect month to take a weekend trip to Hocking Hills. If you take the kids, walk the trails in the hollows, the ridge trails have some very steep drops that would frighten any normal parent. State cabin rentals here.

Ash Cave:

 

Trains, Subways and Amtrak

 

Doesn't look like much fun getting kids in and out of old timey street cars does it?

In my opinion trains are the ideal way to travel with children. We just completed a trip in which we rode on several versions of rail travel: Amtrak, two subway systems and one incline.

Amtrak provided us with a very smooth and enjoyable ride from Harrisburg to Manhattan (Penn Station). What a relief to get away from a steering wheel for 3 peaceful hours and read with the kids. We got 4 seats facing each other, and we packed a lunch and could get up and walk around as we please. Also, what kid doesn't like trains? Very enjoyable. The only negative with our travel on Amtrak is that on the return trip, someone either stole or found our camera on the train and kept it (along with our memory card with all of our photos)

Subways: Kids also like the subway, but it is louder, bumpier and more confusing for kids. In NYC very few of the stops are stroller freindly, and thus it is a very big headache getting in and out. The subway in D.C. however was totally accessible and a much more pleasant ride, being that long stretches of the track run above ground, and kids and parents alike prefer to gaze at passing neighborhoods, not sooty black tunnel walls.

Incline: Wow, the kids loved going up the incline in Pittsburgh. Kinda like Charlie and the glass elevator. I wish I had those photos.

After this trip, I am more than ever excited about Cincinnati's proposal for streetcars. Above-ground rail travel is the most pleasant and accessible way to travel. Separated grade trains are ideal for longer distances of course, but after seeing the video showing people in wheelchairs rolling on and off street cars in Portland, I am convinced this will be a great way to move around the basin area.

Pittsburgh kicks ass

I just spent half a day or so in Pittsburgh with the kids. I had visited once or twice before many years ago, and always liked it. Being a river town, with steep hills I always thought of it as a kind of sister city to Cincinnati.

In the past I travelled their very short subway/light rail, line, and basically checked-out the "downtown" area. This time however, we visited the University area, Oakland, and then spent an enjoyable evening in Southside. We ended up the evening with a trip up the Duquesne Incline.

I was impressed on several levels. First, the people were down to earth, regular and freindly. Oakland is home to several universities, and the campus buildings interact with the city life much better than UC does in our Clifton neighborhood. Also, the civic buildings are very impressive. These proud buildings made me feel that these people had civic pride and love of their city.

Southside is a kinda working class, Over-the-Rhine or Northside type neighborhood, that seems to have embraced it's destiny. I know nothing at all about this neighborhood. But the streets, the ethnic churches,and brick rowhouses tell you where you are. It was chock full of people on a Sunday evening. I saw many young families in Southside. I also saw lots of active storefronts and renovated houses. I saw some buildings that needed maintenance, but never saw one totally vacant building, like you will find all over parts of Cincinnati.

Overall, Pittsburgh kicks Cincinnati's ass in that the University area is better, the civic structures are better, and the streetlife and nightlife are better. Add on top of that, the steeper, and taller hills, 3 rivers, 15 bridges, and many tunnels and intense rail traffic, and you have one great city.