the f-word and my neck of the woods

WT surprised me this morning by telling me he was taking the
afternoon off. "We're outta here!" So, after lunch we jumped in the
old Land Rover and headed off for one of our favorite haunts.

Here's a view heading west on I-70. We were lucky enough to enjoy
some dramatic N.C. Wyeth skies. As you can see, our neck of the
woods, here in central Ohio, is flat as a pancake.

It's a 40 minute drive to the Heart of Ohio Antique Center. It's one

of the largest in the mid-west with 116,000 square feet of vintage

stuff from over 650 vendors. If you like antiques, this place is

heaven.

I especially like browsing the book vendors and keep my eye out

for interesting vintage glass bottles. But today, this adorable framed

hand tinted photo (11 x 13) of a little guy in a wool beret caught my

eye. There was a haunting quality that drew me to him.

It's sad to think this priceless treasure was separated from his family

somewhere along the way. Actually, he looks like he could be WT at

this age. It was a bargain at $10. WT enjoyed digging through his

favorite tool vendor's ware and found a lovely vintage wrench.

Thankfully, we missed the heavy rains that passed through while we

were inside. In fact, we've had so much rain this summer, the

cornfields are gloriously lush.

In no time at all, we're back in our little town. Lots of old limestone

buildings in the main square. What is this one now? It's actually a

Donato's pizza shop, which I think is totally ridiculous.

It's always a little cooler on our drive home along the river. Ahh.

Our town is covered with these charming vintage limestone walls.

They're literally everywhere. There is an abandoned quarry site just

a few miles south. It's been turned into a high end housing

development. Oh, well.

Okay, we're back to the manor, safe and sound. It was an extra fun
day. Thanks for tagging along with us. Oh, and in case you're
wondering, the f-word I happen to use is FUN.

Here's the little guy in his new home.