HOCKING HILLS

Invariably during casual chats, the difference between Seattle and Columbus come up.

Usually it’s along the lines of “how do you like it here?”, and with living in Seattle as my sole point of reference, I draw the comparisons. Fact is, Columbus is a very livable city. There is vibrancy about it with Ohio State University playing a strong role. Good restaurants, good people, it’s a nice city.

The things I miss are the mountains and the water, but invariably when I mention the mountains, I get asked, ‘Have you ever been to Hocking Hills’, or ‘you should see Hocking Hills’. When I recall the beauty of Mount Rainier, I get chided, ‘you should go to the Hocking Hills’. Talk of hiking in the cascades invariably result in ‘you must get to the Hocking Hills’. Words like ‘Olympics, Mt Baker, Mt Adams’ draw the response “Hocking Hills”.

OK already.   Off to the Hocking Hills!

My first clue was going on line and getting maps. There’s quite a trail system. Most of the trails are ½ a mile long. There’s one, ‘for the very physically fit’ that’s 6 miles long. All the trails have names. Out west they are so numerous most simply have numbers, but here they are individually named.

The second clue was the history. I’m quoting now: “The region was first settled by Christian Eby and was named from a shortened version of the Hockhocking River by the Shawnee Indian tribe. Hockhocking, in the Delaware tongue, signifies a bottle”.

Wait a minute. That’s a little like saying ‘It’s the ancient native description for a laptop’.

Since when were aboriginal tribes familiar with bottles?

Once the Europeans came some perhaps became all too familiar with the bottle, but something tells me this is not an age old name that the natives had for the place.

In any case I slapped together a sandwich and headed for the hills. As I got there I was wondering ‘where are the hills’.

While there’s no clean definition between a mountain and a hill, in general mountains are above 1000-2000 feet and hills are below that. Out west, our definition is a little higher. We may call it ‘Mount Si’, but it’s in the Cascade ‘foothills’. Rainier, Adams, Baker: Mountains at roughly 14,000, 12,000 and 10,000 respectively.

Some call Tiger, Sauk, and Cougar ‘Mountains’, and include them in the ‘Issaquah Alps’. Other cynics say they are the Issaquah ‘blobs’. I’m inclined to call them ‘blobs’.

So in the spirit of ‘Mountains’, ‘Hills’, and ‘Blobs’, where do the hocking hills stand (or lie, as the case may be)? They are lumps. Very minor lumps. Really small lumps. But very civilized lumps.

The ‘trail head’ is incredibly civilized with even a gift shop. The hike is quite pleasant and pretty.

 The rock formations are cool and it is a nice walk. But in general the adjectives are ‘pleasant’, ‘pretty’ and ‘nice’. The modifiers fall well short of ‘awe inspiring’ and ‘breath taking’.

The best part? Ice cream at the trailhead!

UNCLE DICK'S 80TH BIRTHDAY

Over the weekend I was lucky enough to attend my Uncle’s surprise 80th birthday.

I had talked with Leslie the previous weekend and she chatted with her co-conspirators (my other two cousins), and I was a late addition to an elaborately planned Party.

Dick has traveled the world. Retiring from Lufthansa, he took full advantage of flying benefits and extended his already extensive travels and has hit every continent except Antarctica.

The cousins, Dana, Leslie, and Andrea had built the party on the theme of ‘Around the world in 80 years’. Tee shirts had been printed with that logo, then each of the three families had different places he had been over the years. The Hosts (Bill and Dana Miller along with daughter Brittany) had Spain, which Dick had visited in 1957. Leslie and Kevin Carson, along with daughter Meghan, had England (visited in 1954) and Andrea and Chuck Mahon, along with sons Pierce and Logan, had Hong Kong (visited in 1964).

Kevin and Meghan

Brittany

Logan, Pierce and their dad Chuck

With Bill and Dana’s house and deck fully decorated with world travel themes and pictures, Chuck and I went to pick Dick up.

In retrospect, I suspect I know what happened. Dick not only did not know I’d be there, but he also didn’t know the theme of the party. He assumed Chuck was simply going to pick him up, but a couple of things happened. Owing to Dick’s punctuality (one of the many themes for the evening), Dana had called informing him Chuck would be about 15 minutes late. In the meantime, Chuck and I got there about 15 minutes early. Dick has just taken his shoes off in his room to relax thinking we’d be late and no sooner had he done that Chuck called informing him he was there. Dick hastily got ready and ambled out expecting to see Chuck but in keeping with the travel theme, I was provided a plaque with the name ‘Aberle’ on it, like it was a limo driver picking him up and Chuck had been provided a set of cardboard wings to attach to his shirt in keeping with the travel theme of the evening.

Not knowing anything about the surprise theme, all Dick saw was that Chuck was trying to attach something to his shirt with another fellow holding up a sign with his name on it and in his haste of getting out the door, he didn’t hit upon the fact it was me holding the sign or the significance of what the sign was trying to convey.

In any case it was the better part of a minute before I finally spoke saying ‘I suppose you didn’t expect to see me’ and suddenly Dick recognized me.

We took the short drive back to Bill and Dana’s and the theme of the party and the detail behind it was slowly revealed.

Among the well planned details: Several of Dick’s travel pictures had been blown up and were staged throughout the family and living rooms.

Unbeknownst to Dick, his Christmas list had been hijacked and cards had gone out to family and friends asking for their favorite memory of Dick. Cards had been returned by the scores – upwards of 100 or so.

Globes, maps, and quite a few other decorations, all with a global or travel theme adorned the house and Bill (supervised by Kevin, or so Kevin claimed), had drawn upon his cooking expertise to prepare foods from around the world for the evening meal.

Dick first took everyone through the significance of the pictures. He had traveled quite a bit, notably with his Army buddies, and pictures of him on Camels and elephants figured prominently into the story line.

We moved outside for appetizers and I was able to get a better appreciation for the ‘East Coast’ Aberles. Meghan and I shared an appreciation for each others pictures. Turns out we both liked pictures of sunsets.

Brittany is just starting high school (and is on level 118 in Candy Crush). I had already gotten to know Pierce and Logan after staying with Chuck and Andrea the previous evening.

What struck me about the party in general was how much work had been put into it by 3 daughters who clearly loved and appreciated their father and the genuine affection the 3 son-in-laws had for each other. The 4 grandkids each brought something to the party as well. While Snowflake and I didn’t hit it off very well, the only one I got to know by only reputation was the goldfish “Taco” (the fish with personality). Taco doesn’t talk much, but even in the fish bowl, he (she?) is adept at making his (her?) needs known.

The food was unbelievable and Bill was a tour de force, cooking, arranging, cleaning, etc. I think he was in motion for most of the evening. Dana was right there as well, but Bill holds court over his food. The menu was terrific. The printed menu followed the international travel theme. From the menu:

Appetizers: Barbeque Pulled Pork Dumplings (Asia)
Fresh Fruit/Local Cheeses (United States)
Toasted Pita Bread with Spinach Dip (Middle East)
Schweine en Decken “Pigs in a Blanket” (Germany)
And the featured cocktail was ‘The Frenchy’

Some of the many decorations

The detail was amazing

Main Menu Fusilli Alfredo (Italy)
Beef Wellington (Great Britian)
Arroz Con Pollo (Spain)
Featured Beverage: Red Sangria

Accompaniments Roasted Carrots, Peppers, Onions and Asparagus (Italy)
Haricot Vertes au Limone (France)
Schlongs a la Abby (Upper Chester County)
Twice Baked Potatoes (a la Lala)
Croissants (France)

Note, the Schlongs were bread sticks and their name ‘Schlong’, and all the phallic connotations, caused a great deal of hilarity. I didn’t get the full back story and that fact alone may merit a return trip.

I, for one, was stuffed at the end of the meal, but we did have a choice of desserts. Including:

Sydney’s Sinful Sundae (Australia)
Mini Key Lime Pies (Del Ray Beach)
Lemon Merinque Pie (ode to Grace)
Birthday Cake (the menu quoted Julia Child as saying “If there isn’t cake, it’s only a meeting”).

Logan may have been reacting to the alleged singing

One of the many surprises of the evening for me was the singing, or what was purported to be singing, of “Happy Birthday” by the 3 girls. It could be described equally well as the absolute worst, or perhaps absolute best, rendition of the song I’ve ever heard. Done with complete and unbridled gusto, the relationship with key and pitch received no thought at all. Dana, in particular, proved she has pipes, however ill tuned.

One of the educational events of the evening was a map that the kids filled in, circling all the countries Dick mentioned. As Dick reeled off the countries, it did sound a bit like a UN roll call.

Brittany had been to a few of the countries and an informal poll resulted in her being voted the most likely to carry on Dick’s world traveling ways. Although Chuck was generally viewed as having the second most international miles, next to Dick.

After the meal, Dick opened up his suitcase. He was presented with a logo’d shirt which was an understated way to state his age. Also in the suitcase was a bottle of Maker’s Mark (Dad channeled me to put it in there). But the most valuable contents were the warm sentiments and funny stories in all the cards.

Before he got to those cards, however, there were two audio cards one of which had a very funny version of Happy Birthday done entirely by belching and other ‘natural sounds' while the second card went on to define the word ‘Ancient’ at the expense of whomever was holding the card.

The real gems were the personal cards. One by one they were read off, prompting many memories on the part of Dick and the entire family. Nearly everyone used the cards to write their thoughts (the only two exceptions were Maren and myself).

As the cards were read out, Logan and Pierce managed to entertain themselves and the rest of us with some of their impromptu antics. All and in all a wonderful and wonderfully thought out party serving as a tribute to the patriarch of the “East Coast Aberle’s”.

Note the last sentence

 And a sincere thank you to Andrea, Chuck, Pierce and Logan for putting me up the previous evening.

So why did people come to Ohio?

That was the question of the day. Why. What was the allure, the attraction, the compelling reason to root everything up and come to Ohio in the first place?

After being here for a while, that question began to haunt me. Seattle, I understand. Lumber, Salmon, protected access to the Pacific. But Ohio confused me. I knew why people stayed, and it boiled down to employment or family in most cases. But I didn’t know why they came in the first place. That question led me to the Ohio Historical Museum. I paid my $10 entry fee (about as high as I wanted to go to answer the question of the day) and walked in.

It’s clear that Ohioans have done great things and contributed mightily to the history and culture of the US.

Ulysses S. Grant. From Ohio. As were presidents Garfield, Taft, McKinley and Rutherford Hayes. And little known Victoria Claflin Woodhull – the first woman to be nominated President, back in 1872.

Ohio has a strong claim on Aviation. Orville and Wilbur Wright hailed from Ohio as did John Glenn, Neil Armstrong, Eddie Rickenbacker, and Paul Tibbets. And a whole laundry list of lesser known astronauts.

But why did people come here in the first place?

Focus on the last name of these Ohioans. Hebert H Dow, Harvey Samuel Firestone, Charles F Kettering, Ransom Olds, William Procter, and John D Rockenfeller.

Thomas Edison and Norman Vincent Peale? Both Ohioans. As were Dean Martin, Clark Gable, Doris Day and George Clooney. Zane Grey – Ohio.

Ohio has storied names building the industry of America. Akron, Cleveland, Cincinnati.

Great people. Great achievements. Great contributions. But why did they come in the first place?

I finally found the answer.
The government gave the land away.  Free. Ah.  That explains it.

LABOR DAY VACATION WEEKEND

 

Sunrise from the guest cabin

 

 

The stint in Columbus forced an ‘active’ vacation.   This last week we tried to do a number of things and largely succeeded.  We had to deal with storage as some of our stuff was in a friends basement and they are soon to be moving.  Then it was up to the island.

 

Ken and Kelli were joining us at the island, but first there was some more deck work to be done.

 

 

Some of the deck boards showed signs of rot and needed to be replaced.

 

 

The weather didn’t fully cooperate.  Here we had one of the best summers ‘in generations’ according to the newspaper yet when we get  back it rains for a few days.  On the plus side, being on the island when it rains beats being on the boat. 

 

Kelli had a fever that kept spiking, so Ken left early on Thursday to get a doctor to check her out.  In retrospect she was probably on the mend, but after 3 days of a sporadic fever it was a good move.  We took a later ferry ‘back to America’ as they say in the islands, and had one of the most convoluted trips back dodging traffic.  There were two backups on I-5, one was a 4 mile backup, the other 11 miles.  Thank goodness for navigation systems.  We used city streets and residential streets to keep moving and it worked.

 

Ken had secured Seahawks tickets for their last preseason game and as Kelli seemed to be doing better we fired up the boat and headed down to Bell Street Marina, effectively taking the boat to the game.  Just as we neared the marina we were treated to an impressive lightening storm and an absolute downpour.   You know traffic is bad when you take a slow sailboat followed by a cab to a game and the sailboat was the faster part of the journey.

 

We did avoid the worst of the rain being in the cab and just as we approached the stadium it stopped raining – for good as it turned out. 

 

The seats Ken had secured weren’t really seats.  They were to the corporate box on, bordering on ‘in’ the end zone.  Food was provided and it was a very special way to see a game.

The view from inside the suite

 

The view from just in front of the suite

Food was provided -- including crab sandwiches!

Pregame festivities

 You know you are close to the action when you can use a cell phone camera to get decent shots of the action. 

 

 

I sent this shot to Devin and got a very funny response from an envious son.

 

Food included a special cake for dessert

 

We took a ‘pedi cab’ back to the boat and that was a great ride.

 

Friday morning we walked up to the Market to get some mussels and fresh produce for the evening meal.   We didn’t think the Market would be that crowded, but then learned that there were two cruise ships in town.

 

Flowers near pike place Market.  Note the coast guard cutter in the lower left

We were trying to understand what Ken was communicating at this particular point in time.  How to select the perfect peach?

The fish throwers.  Requests to throw fish outnumbered the requests to buy fish by about 20 to 1.

The culprits for the crowds at the market

 

 

Later in the afternoon we headed over to Poulsbo under sunny skies.   I was able to nap and Ken took the helm navigating through Rich passage and up the west side of Bainbridge.

 

We lucked out by using the Poulsbo Yacht Club reciprocal moorage.  I had expected to anchor out on what was the front side of a holiday weekend, but there was only one visiting boat on the dock.  Perfect. 

 

On Saturday morning the seals were out in force.  There’s a log breakwater that seals use as their personal couch.  Rex viewed each seal as a personal threat and gave them what for each time he walked down the dock.

 

This Heron was either practicing country line dancing or had to go to the bathroom

Was it trying to clap?

Hi!

 

 

A Pacific Trawler

Nice Trawler

We hit the Poulsbo farmers market and then headed back to Shilshole. 

 

Saturday night Dinner in the cockpit was excellent.  Mussels and shrimp over homemade pasta with an ale fennel broth.

 

Saturday night was also the much anticipated beer tasting event.  Ken had secured a few of the finest IPA’s available and threw in some of his personal favorites as well.  Wrapped in foil, each beer was kept on ice.  Ken wrapped them and then we mixed them around so no one knew which beer was which.  A portion was metered out to each of us and we sipped, swirled and smelled then debated the merits of each one.   I found the tasting difficult as I thought the bandwidth between them was narrow.  I liked them all, but there were subtle differences between each one and that was what we were focusing on.

 

The contestants

The tasting notes

 

 

After all was said and done, the Ballast Point Sculpin IPA was declared the winner.

Sunday included a quick trip to the Ballard Market then Ken and Kelli were on their way back to Portland. A good week!