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Gotta get back to the simple life again.
By Silver Blue | 1 comment
1
On the way out of Kenton, Ohio, en route to Columbus is a “restored” Gulf Service station. I’m pretty sure it didn’t start off selling “That Good Gulf Gasoline”, and in fact, it most likely never sold gasoline at all.
Still. The colours, the…the everything. I doubt it was a house (I didn’t go up and peek in the windows), but whatever it was… was classy.
My passion is photography. The passion of others certainly includes restoration of historical artifacts.
They even advertised “Squirt” soda on the door! LOL.
[audio:https://www.eyesofsilverblue.com/ej-sl.mp3]Silver Blue, who really DOES miss a lot of the simple life.
You can’t hide your Lion Eyes….
By Silver Blue
From Kenton, Ohio, 1996:
See the top of the building? There’s a lion hiding there.
In 2006, a decade later….movin’ on up…
movin’ on up….
…then coming into focus…
I don’t know what this building used to be, or why the lion head adorns it.
I don’t even know when it was cleaned and painted.
I do know it’s the pollution, however, that causes the discolouration…
It’s been 4 years since I’ve been back to Kenton, and I wonder if the building is still standing, if the lion is still there, gazing at the Court House, keeping watch over the city.
[audio:https://www.eyesofsilverblue.com/gm-adc.mp3]Silver Blue, who wonders what awaits beyond the next corner I turn.
Funny how time flies…
By Silver Blue
The year: 1973. The city: Kenton. The state: Ohio. The location: My Grandma’s house, the backyard sandbox, which was in a giant truck tire. The subject: 3 of my 4 cousins on Mom’s side.
From the left: me (age 4); “Mikey” Megison, Jr. (age 5); Regina Van Hoose (age 8); “Patty” Megison (age 3).
Too many years, too many miles, too many lost opportunties. The four of us wouldn’t be back together again (after circa 1984) until my Grandmother’s passing in 2008.
The year: 2008. The city: Kenton. The state: Ohio. The location: My Grandma’s house, the backyard flowerbed, which is now in that self-same giant truck tire. The subject: 3 of my 4 cousins on Mom’s side.
From the left: “Patte” (Megison) Lamer (age 38); me (age 39); Regina (Van Hoose) Soape (age 43); Michael Megison, Jr. (age 40).
35 years had passed since we had our photo taken together. Chances are good that we’ll never pass that way again to all be in the same place as the same time. In fact, I have four cousins (there are five grandkids), and to be best of my knowledge, only one photo was taken with all five of us together:
From left: Michael Megison, Jr.; “Patte” (Megison) Lamer; me, Regina (Van Hoose) Soape; Douglas Michael Van Hoose. (Taken at Grandma’s funeral viewing, September 9, 2008)
[audio:https://www.eyesofsilverblue.com/sr-hbty.mp3]Silver Blue…who does try holding back the years…but to no avail…
A long (and long overdue) post about Roxette Bunny™
By Silver Blue | 1 comment
1Roxette Bunny™ is the cutest, truest, and sky bluest bunny that has ever existed. She hopped into my life in 2003, and made herself right at home. She’s a great travel companion, and being that she recently traveled to Virginia Beach with me, I thought it best to take you back in time… back to Kenton, Ohio, when they were having the “Little Chicago” night in 2003 as a fundraiser to help restore the Hardin County Armory.
My late grandmother (Katie Cottle), my mom’s teacup Chihuahua (“Miette”), and Roxette (in nothing more than a bow! Scandalous!)
Hopping uptown to explore the festivities.
Paying homage to fallen heroes at the Liberty Garden.
Here, Roxette pauses to pose on the steps of the Armory.
Gazing in the windows to see what renovations have taken place (I hope her eyes were better than mine — I couldn’t see through the curtain!)
Lending a paw to the Emergency Crew of the “B-K-P Life Squad”
Inside the Armory, Roxette causes a stir by invading the men’s room!
She took some time out to raise money for scholarships…
…and oversaw the cooking of 100 chickens.
Her eye was caught (as was mine) by the silver and blue computer case in the window….
….and was distracted by looking for carats. (Carrots? Well, DIAMONDS are a girl’s (and bunny’s) best friend. LOL)
Hopping to the Arcade in search of Family Fun.
Reading about the history of the courthouse.
In front of the courthouse. A Grand Old Building.
Here, we find Roxette eying the goods at Kenton Surplus.
All that Hopping gives tiny blue bunnies a great thirst!
Roxette wanted to catch a film (Showing? Spy Kids 3D, Tomb Raider 2, and Pirates of the Carribean).
Unfortunately, she couldn’t get someone IN the ticket booth to sell her a ticket.
So, she looks at a historic site (now a parking lot) and comments on how it would be a LONG way down.
Deciding what flowers to send Grandma. The building behind her used to be a laundromat and the Wards store in town.
Roxette proves that even small blue bunnies, when they pop out of the mailbox, can startle the mailman.
Even bunnies like to have fun, and sliding down the banister is just the thing!
Roxette was to go to New Orleans with me, to Florida, Nags Head, and other places… so you may see those photos at some point in the future.
[audio:https://www.eyesofsilverblue.com/ls-aatw.mp3]Silver Blue, who remains young at heart, thanks to a small blue piece of plush, affectionately known as Roxette Bunny™
Bringing back the Past
By Silver Blue | 1 comment
1In the town of Kenton, Ohio, where my grandmother lived, there was a beautiful building that had fallen on hard times.
The Hardin County Armory, circa 1998.
The Hardin Country Armory is the 3rd oldest and most unique Armory in Ohio. Its architecture finely represents the Late Victorian, Richardsonian Romanesque Style. Construction began in 1893. The corner stone was laid with an imposing parade on August 2, 1894. Governor William McKinley, soon to be President, and his staff were all in attendance as were many other prominent officials. The corner stone ceremony had an estimated attendance of over 25,000 people. The new Armory was formally dedicated on April 15, 1895 with a grandiose military ball. Some of its interior attributes included a shooting range, plunge and steam baths, hardwood auditorium floor, and a balcony which encircled the auditorium.
Massive, two story towers combined with the sharp shooter’s ports are locked in time by the inviting yet foreboding sandstone front facade. The life of this building has witnessed Ohio’s greatest dances, social, political, and military events. The structure had the ability to seat and serve dinner to over 2,000 people which caused the building to lay host to the most prominent of gatherings. One being the national Presidential campaign of 1912 when capacity audiences listened to addresses from President William H. Taft and former President Theodore Roosevelt. The Armory has also served the United States and Ohio in every military action since its completion and up until it was vacated by the National Guard in 1991.
Locally, the Armory has served the county of Hardin as the location of community events including graduation ceremonies, school dances, political dinners, professional wrestling, and golden glove boxing matches. The list goes on and on. The Armory even housed one of the very first professional women’s basketball teams in the 1920’s. Prior to and up until the completion of the present court house being erected, the Armory contained an assortment of governmental agencies and services for the county.
In 1947, the Armory was totally gutted by a fire started by two individuals from Company E who were cleaning rifles in the basement. The beloved building was reopened in 1948 after extensive reconstruction was made to the interior. All of the wood in the building was replaced with block and concrete construction (which makes total restoration impossible).
The Amory sat idle for six years and in that time was neglected. The Hardin County Armory Restoration Foundation was formed in 1997 to insure that the people of Ohio can continue to use and enjoy this wonderful facility.
The Hardin County Armory, Restored, circa 2008.
I am proud to have been a part of the restoration process for the Armory, having run a web page on my site to promote the efforts of the citizens of Kenton, Ohio, and of Hardin County to restore this grand building.
The Hardin County Armory Restoration Foundation is currently taking Donations for the continued restoration of the Armory. The foundation is a non-profit organization and has a 501 C3 rating, so all donations are tax deductible. All donations may be submitted to the address below. Make checks payable to:
Armory Foundation
P.O. Box 594
Kenton, OH 43326-0594
419-673-1599
“We like to think of the Armory,
not as a building in need of repair,
but as an elegant lady with a tattered dress,
who can still smile despite her appearance.”
[audio:https://www.eyesofsilverblue.com/lwhdna.mp3]
Silver Blue, who remembers Doris Williams (Blum) as the person who first let me into the Armory to photograph it in the state of decay it had fallen into, and Ed Rogers, who has always kept me informed through newsletters as to the restoration process.
I miss this lady!
By Silver Blue
In 2007, my Grandma introduced me to the wonders of the Wii.
Grandma was a very good bowler back in the day, with an average in the mid-200s.
That year, she encouraged me to play… and play… and play…just one more game, John. It would be 2 in the morning, and we’re still at it.
Of course, after all that “throwing the ball” my arm (and shoulder) felt like it was falling off. Still, it’s due to her that I own a Wii, and in fact, I have her “Mii” on my station.
“I am with you, because you remember me.”
Yes, Grandma, you most certainly are.
Grandma and Miette (Mom’s teacup chihuahua). A little over a year later, Grandma would have moved on in the multiverse. I miss you, and love you.
Silver Blue, who believes I’ve got angels watching over me.
In Another Place and Time…
By Silver Blue
Years ago, back when my Grandma (on Mom’s side) was still in this part of the multiverse, I would go back every summer for a visit. For the first 8 or 9 years of my life, the month-long visit was divided between both sets of grandparents (2 weeks with one, 2 weeks with the other). Then, it became visiting one side, and spending most of my time with Grandma.
Grandma lived across the street from two sets of railroad tracks. So, from a very young age, I developed a love of trains. My favourite boxcar was the “Illinois Central Gulf”, which was bright orange, marked with a white “i” in a black circle. (see an example at http://www.flickr.com/photos/prairiestar/2787689454/ )
There was a mainline, and one that crossed the river via a trestle, and which, I believe, made a stop at the local lumber yard. It was creepy (to me) to walk across the trestle, as it was a long way down if you fell off, and I have a VERY active imagination. Did I mention it was a long way to the bottom (or into the river, depending on where you’d land)?
Sometime in the late 80s, I think, they took the trestle (and rail line it carried) out; however, they left the support stanchions.
Here, you can see how the plants have overtaken what used to be the trestle.
Another stanchion:
I guess it was just easier to remove the railroad ties and rails than it was to attempt to demolish the concrete:
Here, you can still see the spikes from the old ties driven into the concrete.
I’d often wondered how old the trestle really was. Getting around for a few more shots gave me a glimpse of something:
There appeared to be… dates embossed in the stanchion!
Zooming in a bit closer:
Indeed! It clearly shows 1928. The other side either said 1917 or 1947. The tree covered it to the point that I could no longer read it. This photo was taken 2 years later, and shows how overgrown it has become:
I don’t know when, or even IF I’ll ever be able to get back to get any further photos before the stanchions are either destroyed by man, or by the ravages of time.
The other line? It’s still in use:
Of course, the “Illinois Central Gulf” boxcars are no more, but the memories I have live on… in that other place and time.
[audio:https://www.eyesofsilverblue.com/iapat.mp3]Silver Blue, who sometimes, when I hear that lonesome whistle blow, yearn for the past, when trains still had cabooses.
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