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Friday, November 26, 2010
17th Annual Thanksgiving Photo Show - 2010
This year I wandered off the hill and toured my adopted state of Vermont. That is not to say that I didn’t take a few up here but this year I took pictures from the Northeast Kingdom, from South Royalton and the 1st branch of the White River Valley stretching past Tunbridge to Chelsea area. There are some from Sharon, and some from Beaver Meadow, and a few from other hills in Norwich. But this year’s show it is far from being just about Vermont. I found a few spots to photograph in our visit to The Florida Keys, and I also had my camera ready on our visit to the Kennedy Space Center to watch the shuttle Atlantis launch. Of course Emily and Andy's wedding is included - at least the few shots that I was able to take.
Then in September we drove the Lincoln Highway across country from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Salt Lake City, Utah. This drive was slow and back road, many times stopping to shoot things that caught my eye. This ride with Susan, and our longtime friend Pearl Wolfson (I drove while Pearl and Susan navigated using all the latest GPS technology). It was a great deal of fun.
Then in Salt Lake, Susan and I met up with the McCampbells, and the Bagnatos to head off in a 30 ft RV (we called it the Tin Can) around Utah visiting The Arches N.P. , Moab and a raft trip on the Colorado, Natural Bridges N.P., Monument Valley, Lake Powell and Glen Canyon Damn, the North Rim of the Grand Canyon (across the border in Arizona), and finally both Zion and Bryce N.P. There were many stops along the way and in between destinations. All in all this cross-country tour was, for me, the trip of a lifetime.
So welcome to this year’s photo exhibit in the barn. This annual photo show has become a family tradition each Thanksgiving, and also a chance for friends and neighbors to come by and see what we have been up to. For me it has always served two-fold. The first is it helps me organize a year’s worth of my photographs. This has been helpful. However, more important, it is my attempt to give something to my neighbors and friends on this my very favorite holiday – Thanksgiving. I hope that this year’s show is interesting. I hope that you all find something that you like.
So look around and enjoy this year’s show. Tell others about it who might be in the area and might enjoy it. And have a Happy Thanksgiving holiday.
This year’s show is dedicated to my friend Uwe Bagnato. As he now fights the good fight we all are in his corner, doing whatever it takes to see to it that he gets back on his feet. On this tour of Utah, Uwe’s love of the outdoors shined through. In addition, his sense of humor and his camaraderie made our life in The Tin Can not only tolerable, but enjoyable. I Look forward to being able to laugh with Uwe again about our Life in the Tin Can.
Chad Finer
November 2010
4. Hallelujah Anyhow Gospel Talk Barbershop
“a touch up on the inside as well as the outside”
North Side – Pittsburgh, Pa.
September 16, 2010
5. Friday Night – Denniston Ave. – Squirrel Hill
Pittsburgh, Pa.
September 17, 2010
In photo: Susan, Pearl Wolfson, Franklin Toker, Chad Finer, Ellen Toker
6. At the Pennsylvania – West Virginia Border – “Wild and Wonderful”
east of Chester, West Virginia
Hancock County
September 18, 2010
At the Pennsylvania - West Virginia border.
7. Frank’s Bakery – Chester, West Virginia
Crystal
she sold us some cookies then told me that Lou Holtz had lived
across the Ohio River in East Liverpool, Ohio…the Upper Ohio Valley
Hall of Fame there was dedicated to him
September 18, 2010
8. Home of Fiestaware© - - Homer Laughlin China Co.
Newell, West Virginia
September 18, 2010
Homer and Shakespeare Laughlin, two brothers from East Liverpool, Ohio, formed a partnership in 1871 to sell pottery ware, which was made in the factories located in their hometown. In 1902, a tract of land on the opposite side of the Ohio River was purchased from the Newell family. A subsidiary company, the North American Manufacturing Company was formed to develop the town, which would become Newell, West Virginia. Building lots were laid out, a water and sewer system was installed, and electric power was secured. A suspension bridge was built across the Ohio River, connecting the new community with East Liverpool and a trolley line was built to transport pottery workers across the river. During 1905 and 1906, the company constructed plant #4, which at that time, was the largest pottery plant ever built in the world. Homer Laughlin now had a combined production capacity of 300,000 pieces of ware per day (10% of the U. S. production capacity). The company’s headquarters were moved to the Newell location at the beginning of 1907. The company had hired Frederick Hurten Rhead as design director in 1927, a post which he would hold until his death in 1942. Rhead’s 15 year reign proved to be the most prolific period of new product introductions in the company’s history. Rhead designed Virginia Rose as well as the several Eggshell shapes. Rhead’s most famous accomplishment, however, was Fiesta. With Fiesta leading the way, The Homer Laughlin China Company continued to flourish until the onset of World War II. During the war years, much of the company’s production was shifted to the production of china for our armed forces. After the war, production returned to normal and the company reached it’s peak production year in 1948. More than 3,000 workers were employed to produce over ten million dozen pieces of ware. In the early eighties, the company began to produce lead-free china, something that would become very important as the country became more environmentally conscious. Using lead-free glazes and a vitrified china body, Fiesta was reintroduced in new and updated colors.
9. Fiestaware© Brokenware Garden at the Factory Outlet – Homer Laughlin China Co.
Newell, West Virginia
September 18, 2010
10. The World’s Largest Tea Pot
Chester, West Virginia
September 18, 2010
The teapot stands on a manicured lawn between the elevated highway and the exit ramp.It is 12 feet high, 44 feet wide, originally built as a giant keg by William "Babe" Devon as part of a Hire's Root Beer ad promotion. It was brought to Chester in 1938 and converted into a teapot to trumpet the region's then vibrant pottery industry.
11. Wall Mural of riverboat on the Ohio River
East Liverpool, Ohio
September 18, 2010
Hall China became the largest producer of tea pots in the world. The teapot business was so successful that the company decided to expand it from the original three designs to a plethora of new shapes and colors. In the 1940s the teapot business began to dwindle. By the 1960s, probably due to the increased preference for coffee by the buying public, teapot sales had fallen to insignificance. Hall China continues in production today. The company has re-issued many of its earlier designs, including some which had previously been considered rare, such as the Airflow and Rhythm teapots, the Donut and Streamline jugs, and some of the water servers from the refrigerator-ware lines.
15. Kewpee Hamburgers Downtown
Lima, Ohio
September 18, 2010
Kewpee Hamburgers is the second known chain of hamburger fast-food restaurants, andwas founded in 1923 in Flint, Michigan under the name "Kewpee Hotel Hamburgs". Kewpee's current headquarters is located in Lima, Ohio. The chain is named after the Kewpie doll. Kewpee was one of the first to institute curbside service, which morphed into drive-in service, and then finally was transformed into drive-thru service. Its founder, Samuel V. Blair, also claims to be the first to use the flat bun and developed the "deluxe" hamburger. At its peak, before World War II, there were more than 400 Kewpee restaurants in operation with half closing during the Great Depression. In 1928, the Lima, Ohio location opens under the ownership of Stub Wilson.
16. Kewpee Hamburger Wrapper
Lima, Ohio
September 18, 2010
“Hamburger – pickle on top – makes your heart go flippity-flop”
18. Best One Tire Service of Delphos – a Mural
Delphos, Ohio
September 19, 2010
One of two locations where the Lincoln Highway and Rt. 66 cross in Ohio
19. War Memorial
Delphos, Ohio
September 19, 2010
AM: We stopped in Delphos , a town that an old college friend of mine had come from. That morning the town was having a harvest festival (they called it Canal Days) and a 5k road race was about to start. Of interest to me was the road race, a few buildings, and a number of murals.
20. Winner – Delphos Canal Days 5K Road Race – Ed Ditmayer
East 2nd Street
Delphos, Ohio
September 19, 2010
On this Sunday morning the only act in town besides church was the Canal Days road race. The Delphos fire department members were getting their fire engines ready for the parade that was scheduled for two hours later. Folks told me that Ed also won last year's race.
22. Metzger Block
Delphos, Ohio
September 19, 2010
Runners (from the Canal Days Road Race) head home.
23. High School Running Team – training run in town
Delphos, Ohio
September 19, 2010
The yellow shirts ran as a team in the Canal Days Road Race. This group form the local St. John's Catholic High School, along with their coach, ran the race as an early season training run. All dressed in yellow shirts - here they meet near the finish line after the race.
24. Balyeat Coffee Shop – Dale and Don Davies proprietors
Van Wert, Ohio
(on the Lincoln Highway)
September 19, 2010
Balyeat Coffee Shop
Dale (bowtie) and Don Davies – Dale worked here in 1946 to 1959, then left only to return and buy the shop in 1964. He and his brother Don have run the Coffee Shop on the Lincoln Highway ever since. It is a 1950’s/1960’s type of place.
“Balyeat's Coffee Shop offers daily specials with dinners that are priced just right. While menus are available, don't worry about asking for one - just ask the waitress what's good today. Then sit back and listen to the list ... roast beef, roast pork, Salisbury steak, Swisssteak, meat loaf, baked chicken, BBQ backbones, knockers and kraut ... and the list goes on. Top it all off with real mashed potatoes, stuffing, and a fresh veggie. Before you leave, make sure you have a piece of homemade pie (the cream pies are out of this world!).” [Discover Ohio]
26. American Café and BJ’s Lockshop
they do bagels – “we do locks.” – sign on the BJ’s Lockshop window
La Porte, Indiana
(on the Lincoln Highway)
September 19, 2010
Closed on Sunday
27. South Michigan Street on a Sunday
corner of South Michigan and Lincolnway
South Bend, Indiana
September 19, 2010
28. Greg – Hoosier Bat Company
Valparaiso, Indiana
September 20, 2010
Greg has worked at the Hoosier Bat Company for 14 years. His involvement is to lacquer the bats to give them their color. Only two colors are allowed inthe major leagues – black and white. At other levels bats can be red, blue, or
other colors. Greg, and the company, and Major League Baseball are very concerned that so many major league bats seem to be breaking. They think that ash, because of its straight grain may be more resistant to this.
At first Greg was hesitant to show us around the bat company – he expressed worries about insurance. However when he found out that we were from Vermont he changed his mind and spent about a half hour showing us around. It turns out that their bats are made from ash which they get in Vermont from a Vermont provider.
Some of the major leaguers using Hoosier Bats include Frank Thomas, Louis Alicea,Rich Amaral, Sandy Alomar, Roosevelt Brown, Mike DeFelice, Gary Disarcina,Corey Koskie, Dave Martinez, Rey Ordonez, Rafael Palmeiro, Magglio Ordonez, José Valentin, and José Vizcaino.
33. Vanilla – Chocolate Mix , Small
S’creamer’s Ice Cream soft-serve in Shabbona, Iowa
September 20, 2010
In this area there was a large “wind farm” stretching for miles on both
sides of the Lincoln Highway.
34. S’creamer’s Ice Cream
Lauren Lindgren
Shabbona, Iowa [Dekalb County] on the Lincoln Hwy.
September 20, 2010
She served us soft-serve ice cream when we stopped here for a snack.
She was born and grew up in the area and stayed here because she “liked
rural life.” She was engaged to a local boy – wore her “work ring,” on the
job and is due to be married, “in two years.” She did not like the local
wind-farm in the area because she believed it frequently upset her cell phone connections.
35. Wind Farming
near Shabbona, Iowa
September 20, 2010
Throughout our ride on the Lincoln Highway we would pass by extensive wind farm turbines crossing our path both on the road (in parts on trucks) and in the fields. This farm near Shabbona, Iowa was controversial (as many were). Despite Iowa getting about 15% of its power from wind (Iowa is the 2nd largest producer of wind energy in the U.S.) this farm resulted in a lawsuit brought by about 40 landowners around the Shabbona area. The wind farm was a Florida Power and Light Company(FPL) project to build and operate 133 wind turbines in the area. Lots of issues were of concern: property values, health issues, noise issues, zoning issues, and visual issues to name a few. Many such lawsuits were designed to delay wind farm development while the issues are sorted out.
36. Casey’s General Store – “now hiring – live bait”
Morrison, Illinois
September 20, 2010
More of a chain then a general store, this stop on the Lincoln Highway was in the late
afternoon on this day begun in Valparaiso, Indiana and later due to end in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
37. The Fishing Dutchman
4th Street
Fulton, Illinois
September 20, 2010
Situated on the Lincoiln Highway The Fishing Dutchman is made out of sheet of metal approx 1 inch thick like a giant gingerbread man. He is wearing size XXXXXXXXXL wooden shoes. It was created by the employees of the J. T. Cullen Company of Fulton.
Fulton is a city most known for its pride in its Dutch heritage. This is shown through the addition of a traditional Dutch windmill, De Immigrant, located near the city's dike, which borders the Mississippi. Originally called Baker's Ferry after the first settler in 1835, the town's name was soon changed to Fulton in honor of the famed inventor. During the steam boating days, Fulton was a transfer and warehouse port between the upper and the lower reaches of the Mississippi River. Fulton, situated on a narrow spot on the river, was a prime crossing to westward migration and for many years ferries ran between the Illinois and Iowa banks. Fulton drew many nationalities of people but those from the Netherlands were especially drawn to it because of it's position on the Mississippi and soon many Dutch families were living in the area. Ronald Reagan’s paternal grandparents were married in Fulton in 1878. His parents were born in Fulton.
38. Pearl and Susan
4th Street
Fulton, Illinois
September 20, 2010
When I was young, Pearl and her late husband Joel Wolfson were very kind to me after ,my father died. I spent much of my free time with them, was initially a camper, and eventually a counselor at their summer camp. It was in July (2010) that Pearl and I were talking on the phone when she asked about my plans and I told her of our cross-country tour. It turns out that she had never been able to convince Joel to go on such a trip. She asked to join on – and the rest (as they say) is history. Pearl, Susan, and I traveled the Lincoln Highway starting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where we met (and stayed at Uncle Frank and Aunt Ellen’s Squirrel Hill house), and leaving from there to tour the country, ending up after 10 days in Salt Lake City, Utah.
41. The Mississippi and Clinton, Iowa
from Fulton, Illinois
September 20, 2010 5:30 PM
We left Pittsburgh at 8am on September 18, 2010 and arrived at Fulton
and our first view of the Mississippi some two and a half days later. Across the river
sat Clinton, Iowa. as a riverboat headed downriver (to Clinton).
44. Grain Bin – corn ready for chopping – and an apartment (for sale or rent)
Clarence, Iowa
September 20, 2010 – PM
45. Archer Daniels Midland Grain Station
Clarence, Iowa
September 20, 2010 – PM
As we traveled the Lincoln Highway one obvious presence was the many A.D.M. agricultural storage facilities that we came across on the way. It was A.D.M. that provided storage of , and transportation of grain for farmers in the area. As this was a time of grain harvest, many large tankers were on the road to grain stations to deposit soybeans, sunflower seeds, corn and other goods. Periodically, and in isolated areas we would pass processing plants which seemed like huge out of place facilities, and which had somewhat irritating if not noxious smells.
47. Cedar Rapids, Iowa
1st Street NW
morning – September 21, 2010
view from under the I-380 bridge with the Ceder River and its rapids. There was a man fishing by the bank as I took this picture. When asked what he was catching he said, “nothing…it’s just nice to be out here where it’s quiet.”
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