Blog-azic

When I was a younger man and aspiring to find an institution where I could pursue an higher education, my father gave me some potent advice, which - for reasons even Emmerson could not fathom - has stuck in my mind and guided my heart (and body my association) since. He told me, "Christopher, you should go where you are wanted because where you are wanted, there you are cared for." He told me this as an appeal to choose Ohio University over Oberlin College. Now, Oberlin and its college called to my heart. I dreamed of studying music at the Conservatory, of being a young and learning progressive. But Oberlin, it seems, didn't want me. At least not much. I was denied admittance to the Conservatory and received a meek $8,000 in financial aid, which left a total balance of $24,000 for the first year and possibly the full amount afterwards. Ohio University, on the other hand, offered me a four-year full tuition schollarship, room and board included as well as book money. They ...

Mas picturas... I make it down to the beach just about every day now. About Thursday or Friday when I finished up printing t-shirts at the studio, me and banjer went down to Playa Maria. I sat down under a palm tree next to a couple of kids. Singin' and playin' away. When the boy went off to surf, I talked to the girl. Julie from Detroit. "Oh. We're neighbors, really," I said. "I'm from Ohio." These little shells (the one on the left is about as big as your thumb nail) are about my most favorite. The mollusks inside cling to the rocks near the water that are partly exposed to the air. They cling hard because they get pounded by the waves. I use them extensively in my necklace making. Check out banjer in the last pic. He's wearing a necklace I made for him. Even banjer wants to feel pretty. A palm tree blowing in the wind at Playa Escalada (there's tons of beachs here). It reminds me of a Yanice, who I met at el banco today. She said, "F...

Hey ya'll some pics from my time here thus far. Damn. Check out those colors! That's laundry on the line, balcony outback of the house. Jungle's in the background. Yesterday, Grandpa and I went to the chicken fights: Guellera la Monseratte (that's the chicken pit). Well, guess what happens right as soon as I get in there. They're taking the chickens out that just fought, and something falls down onto my toes. It's red. And spotty. Yep. BLOOD. SPOOKY!! Goin' to the pit? Leave the Chaco's at home. OK. I was NOT disgusted by the fights, but not that interested either. Most of the time, the fight goes for 15 mins. then they stop it. But sometimes a chicken scores a death blow, which completely cripples its opponent. That's pretty cool to see. And if the chickens don't want to fight? Well, too damn bad!! You gotta fight! There's this rooster under the seat of the judge, and if the cocks stop fighting, he lets it loose on 'em. That gets 'em...

This is gotta be the most expensive blog post I've ever made. $1 per ten minutes, plus tax. So I ain't got time to check any spellings or use the backspace button. The public library in Rincon won't let me onto my blog or my social networks. Rude. OK. I was feelin' soo stressed before I came down here. Had the trip on my mind: getting me and my grandpap down here, plus his truck (and it's not here, yet). Also had that girl on my mind again. Damn. Just when I find a girl, I go and leave the continental US. Smooth move, Exlax. But, now I'm much better. Life is easy down here. This morn' grandpa showed me all the fruit trees around his house. Mangos, oranges, grapefruit, coconut, avacado. Most of them have fruit, too. Took a couple of machettes and whacked back the jungle that springs up in this perpetually beautiful weather. It's the rainy season (the cool season). Temperatures in the mid-eighties. Gentle rain every afternoon. And tourist season is just st...

Well, I'm all packed. Out the door at 7 a.m. And, I'm not sure when I'll be near a computer again, so be patient. I'll write you all at the earliest possible convenience. Until then, I've changed the podcast feature. First, it will no longer start automatically when the page loads. That automatic start feature annoyed the hell out of me: anytime I wanted to read the blog I had to pause that thing. Becuase I don't want to hear those recordings. I was there. Second, new color! Oh my god, it's pink! Can you say 'adorable'?! Third, I've taken away some songs and kept others. And, I've even added two new songs. 'The Letter' is one I just put together a few weeks ago. Did it all in one night, so it's a bit janky here and there. Maybe I'll get around to re-recording it someday... The song is a fancy about a boy who travels across the sea, leaving behind a girl whom he loves. And, he could not bear to tell her goodbye, so he steals aw...

Took a road trip this weekend. A farewell tour of Ohio. First stop, Buckeye Donuts, High Street, Columbus. Reason being: sitting way off in the corner, reading a book about the wonders of fermented food, Claretheconte. We had just about a swell time in the Old Capital City: food, coffee, walking, talking. When we parted, I turned my Chevy Impala, Enterprise Rent-a-Car south and east heading for Athens. Snuck into the co-op to find that Z. and Colt had started the party without me. I had to drink an old bottle of mad dog just to catch up. Colt's got a new kid: a puppy. A very cute puppy. The cutest thing I've ever seen. Chilled for a bit then headed to the Union to check out the Makebelieves show. There's still many people down there who've never seen me without the beard. Like this girl, Liz, who used to live with me. She walks up to the bar and I'm like, "Damn, this girl doesn't even see me." So I start yelling to her, "Hey! Girl! Hey, Lisa! Lisa...

As per usual, we headed to breakfast after church this morning, me, Dad, Grandma Tomazic, Father K. and a whole gaggle of old ladies from S.S. Cyril and Methodius, Slovenian , Roman Catholic (thank you very much) Church. The ladies were a-buzz with questions: "When are you going back to school?" Actually, I graduated almost two years ago. I'm headed to Puerto Rico a week from Tuesday with my grandpa. I'll be there till February. "Oh, the weather will be wonderful down there! How's your sister?" (they love Jessica because she graduated from the South Hudson Institute of Technology .) She's wonderful, ma'am. In Germany still. Dad's set to visit her next week. "Both of you gone for a trip then?! Wonderful! God bless you!" Let's hope, ma'am. Here's some pictures from a trip that Mom, Rosalie, Aunt Mona and girl cousin Christina took to Puerto Rico back in June. Grandpa's house. Behind a fence. Pink trim. Built in the m...

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody, but especially youbody. Yeah, you (the one with the face ... THE FACE). OK. To celebrate, I went out to the woods and walked around for about an hour. Did lots of jumping: jumping over fences, jumping across streams, jumping for joy...............Example: I was stalking these deer, all happy and whatnot, trying to get close, but they spotted me and ran away. So I was like, "I don't even care because I'm gonna go get that dogbane over there. I don't give a flying monkey f*** about deer anyways (until it's butchering time)." AND LET ME TELL YOU. That dogbane. Was spectacular. Like, oh my Lord, the freakin' motherload. I've never seen dogbane get THAT BIG. It was taller than me! I figured you wouldn't believe me. I figured it, and I'm one step ahead of you. I TOOK A PICTURE. Put that in your pipe and smoke it! Curious... that astonished boy... his face... why it's: BEARDLESS!! Oh yes. Look at it again. DO IT YOU ...

I don't rightly remember. Maybe because I woke up earlier than usual: 7:00 a.m. Dad had to take his car down to be fixed. Air conditioner on the fritz, or something. I followed him down to the Chevy dealer, and he hopped into Old Blue . We were both itchin' to get to work. There was some windows 'round the house needin' paintin', and the air when we left the house this morning was almost balmy. What's that mean? Good day to paint!It was sweet! Primed and finished two windows. Finised three more. Even primed up the corners of the house. Pops took the aluminum corner caps off a couple years back, the time we repainted the house. Before he puts them back on, he wants the bare boards beneath primed and finished. Maybe for the insulation it will add? Who knows. That man has me do some wierd stuff sometimes. Like today he tells me he'd like to pack up all my stuff and put it away into storage in the attic on Sunday, so he can get a sense what it will all look like...

My dad invited me to a concert at the college today, but I blew it off because I had the urge to see the woods again. Went out to a spot I visited a couple times last summer. Was there in late June (just as summer started). That time was real fun. Took the shoes off. Walked in the shale bottomed Black River*. Tried to catch fish with my hands, learned how to walk quietly through the river. All the while, this big buck was watching me on the other side of the river. I walked over there and saw him lounging in the shade. Next time, I took Derek out there in late August. The mosquitoes were so bad, I couldn't stand it. Derek and I cut through the woods and came up a hill and out by the highway. Today, the plants had mostly died back, except for the smallest ground covers: ivys, money wort, mustards, etc. I collected plants here and there. Got some of that money wort, stinging nettle, some mint, wood strawberries and dogbane. I also saw lots of a herron. It would fly onto a branch and...

I live and work with my dad. Daddy Tomazic, Jimmy. He lives alone in the house I grew up in. An old, woody house. White aluminum siding. A lawn filled with gnarly, old silver maples. Three or four summers back, I returned from college with no job lined up, no prospects for a job and no desire to have one. I wanted to chill most hard. But, I ended up workin' with my dad. I'd wake up every morn, get over to his house by 8 or so, and work with him till the afternoon on various zanny projects. Hangin' gutters, painting the house, cleaning out the yard, trips to the dump, cuttin' up the trees. Took some pics of my dad's yard, house and space so you can get to know him a little better. He heats the house with kerosene heaters. Piles and piles of stuff in the attic. Anyways, check out my public box ( public.box.net/christomazic ) to click through the pics. The highlights are below. Dad's House He keeps the extension chord in the garbage can. Toasty warm. The man's ...

Oh boy! Athens was fine again. Like salami on rye. Like pastrami on wheat. Spent most of the time hangin' with Clare. Within an hour of me arriving we were headin' up the town for some buskin' . Well, first she had to adjust to my CLEAN SHAVEN FACE!! Ha! I love it! Don't no one see me no more wit'out my beard. Like, we're up on the street sittin' on the stoop and runnin' the old lists, right. So, who's walkin' by but all the people I know. And, I'm starin' 'em down 'cause, yeah, we do know each other. I'm not some strange-o boy with clean face and a banjo. Remember me? Saturday, got up to the farmers market before headin' out to MacArthur to help out Cory. He does AmeriCorps with Sojourners mentorin' youth. He brought out a bunch of singer-songwriters and we just jammed out with the kids. Played 'em some of my songs. They really dug this one I wrote about my fam. Like, this girl was like, "How about rhyming?...

I've been on a vacation in Athens. My buddy, Cory, asked me to come down and lay a little music on him and his. I played banjo/guitar for a bunch of little-uns on Saturday afternoon. Ate some pre-Thanksgiving dinner. Chilled with the peeps. But, we'll talk all about it later. Right now I gotta focus on getting to sleep because by 2 p.m. tomorrow I need to be back in Lorain. And that means I need to hit the road by 10 a.m., and that's A to the freakin' M to the what the heck are you doing up that early in the morning? Go back to sleep, silly. What? You got a job suddenly? And, no I don't. But, I got a plane ticket. And it says: "Destination: Aguadilla, Puerto Rico; ETA: 23:56, 12/4/7." Word to ya motha'!

Today, I went down to the lake right about sunset. It was a windy day, but I was totally unprepared for just how windy it was. Standing on the beach of Century Park, I was almost blown away by a 30-40 mph wind steadily moving from the west. A slight drizzle pelted my now beardless face. I scurried over to a line of breaker rocks that seperate Century Park from the endless stretch of private beaches, which run almost unbroken from Lorain to Cleveland. I dodged onto the east side of the breakers to get out of the wind. The seagulls were hovering above me, flying into the wind but getting blown hither and thither in the process. Still, they looked like they were enjoying the free lift provided by the gale. The waves were 3-4 feet high, frothy white on a grey lake. The clouds raced east overhead. From crevice to crevice I crawled looking deep inside for treasures washed up in the surf. Drift wood. Rocks worn round and smooth from relentless waves. My mother would take my sister and I to th...

If I'm not paying attention, I may find that I've dressed myself like an army man: green wool pants, brown sweater, green wool field shirt. Combine this with my long hair and raging beard, and you might think I bear a stricking resemblence to an anti-American dictator, just like what happened last Halloween. Well, last night I was paying attention to what I was wearing, but I ended up at Church Street Bar in Amherst, OH dressed like a dictator once again. I'd been out doing yard work with my dad the previous afternoon, and I went right from there to David's band practice, then straight to the bar. So, there I am playing pool with the new boys (David, Adam and Josh) when I look up at the bar and there's this couple (man and woman) who are all giggling and looking at me. And, they call me over and the girl says, "You're not from around here are you?" And I tell them, "I am from around here. I live in Lorain." And they're all like, "Wel...

At first I didn't realize that he was refering to our lunch at Biggie's Pub where I hesitated when he asked what I'd like to drink. I was dreaming of a Great Lakes Brewing Co. Christmas Ale, but asked for a Pepsi Cola. "Cola," I said, "contains a mineral that stimulates the appetite." I know it because I've been studying up on minerals lately. Clare had a test in one of her nutrition classes on Monday, and I went up to Perks to help her study on Sunday night. Coffee and flashcards. Life doesn't get better than that. I am safe and sound in the city of my birth, Lorain. The drive home was leisurely, though my leisure added about an hour to the normal time. I stopped in Nelsonville to lament my departure over a cup of coffee. I meditated on all the wonderful friends I left behind, and nearly cried doing so. Then I stopped at an military surplus store in Lancaster that sells wool field shirts - the kind of OD green sweater that I wear. I finally stop...

I'll be leaving Athens tomorrow and driving back to Lorain. Old Blue - my '89 Ford Escort - will accompany me on the 200 miles trip. Hopefully it will make it back the whole way! I feel ready to get out of this town. The past couple months have been real awesome. I'll miss many people: Zdinak, Clare, Troy - you all know who you are. Clare and I went and caught some free lunch at the Methodist Church. I met a few friends along the way and said goodbye. This past weekend was Halloween. I dressed up like a hobbit, which was not hard for me to do. I wore my OD green cape, glued hair to my feet, and had a necklace with the One Ring on it. Chris Z. and I both had bookbags filled with PBR and bag wine. We went to Joe Buzzelli's house and partied for a bit, then we crashed a party where Jesty Beatz was pumpin' the crowd. I met him a couple years ago under the alias Darell Green. He's about the most fun guy ever and a great party performer. I took my Chacos off whenever...

Clare plays the accordion - a small, Italian-made, sparkly red and ivory box. It's awesome to play music with her because she picks up music really well, and it's easy to communicate with her through the music. Anyways, we two play with Troy a lot too. He's in Silo Circuit with me. He's also my old college roommate (who almost never stayed in our room because he had a girl who had an apartment). Well, we three went up to the music building to do some practicing for a show we played last Thursday. And, we did it up nice on the rooftop balconies and in the stairwell. Then Troy went off to work and Clare and I went out to practice more. We sat on the portico outside of Memorial Auditorium. It was going real well: a Pouge's song, klezmer music, an Elvis song. Clare and I have the ability to play the same songs for hours on end. Like last weekend, we went out and played on Court Street for over three hours (and made about thirty bucks). Well, we were playing out there wh...

Me and the boys had a good weekend. Took a couple hikes: out to Zeleski State Forest on Saturday; up to Radar Hill to play some hackey sack on Sunday. Zdinak took some pics and posted 'em up on his facebook, and I linked 'em here. First of all, I don't give a f***. Remember that next time you try to step up to me. We found a whole bunch of sweet places in Zeleski. This is taken above a cool rock house. Colt (far right) came out with us, too. He works the graveyard shift at Walmart, so he can't hang with us much except for the weekends. Here's the posse. Colt in the middle. Chris Z. brought along his new backpack to try it on the Zeleski trails. We got up to Radar Hill and got ready to play some sack, which means the shirts just had to go. I saw a butterfly flying during a lull in the hack. I imagined it was the absolute last butterfly of the season, so I decided to chase it through the hills. I almost caught it! I think I'm ready to head back to Lorain. When I p...

I was out in the woods in the rain. Olive drab green, wool clothing. Leaning against a tree. Looking out over a steeply cut hollow at Strouds Run. Watching a group of blue jays dart from limb to limb, listening to their cries. That's when I got a phone call from Travis inviting me over his house for a bit of spiritual meditation based on the lessons he learned at Tom Brown's Tracker School . I had completely forgotten by that rainy Tuesday our conversation outside the Union on Friday. He wants to form a group to teach some meditation tonight at eight. Would I be interested? I didn't answer the phone, so he left a message. "Call me back," he said. It took me a few more hours to get out of the woods (I collected some sassafras root, some fungi and I shimmied down an hackberry tree from the top of a couple story cliff). When I first called back I told him thanks, but no, I wouldn't be over. Thirty minutes later I called again and told him I'd be there. He had...

I just survived another homecoming weekend here in Athens. The streets were flooded with people, some of whom I recognized as old college pals. Friday night I was up at the Union playing a show with Silo Circuit. I saw Monica Chillious. She and I both recieved a Templeton Scholarship , a four year scholarship named in honor of John Newton Templeton the 1828 graduate of OU. Templeton was a freed slave. The scholarship covered all of my college expenses (except beer!), and I'm very grateful to have recieved an education with little obligation in student loans. (If you want to see my official Templeton pic that was taken at the scholarship orientation the summer before I started college, click here .) I had another unexpected meeting. Johnathan and I took a year of African Ensemble (drumming and dance) together. I first heard his voice through the walls of the co-op. I said, "I know that voice." Turns out that he was roomies with Nick who lives here now. John and I spent a l...

Last week me and the boys were sittin' out on the porch, tryin' to stay cool through that 90 degree October heat wave. And I see this guy walk by on the other side of the street and he's carrying a camera with him lookin' all around and especially at us up on the porch. So then I see him a little later walking the opposite way down my side of the street and I said to the gang, "That guy wants to take our picture." Well, Chris Zdinak (fellow co-oper) invites him up on the porch and he gets to work snapping those pics. So then, Thursday we're all having our weekly potluck dinner and who shows up but the photographer (I've forgotten his name). Well, he hands me a CD with the pics he took and I said, "I'm gonna put these up on the old blog." So, for your viewing pleasure: Me and Wes Fillipo and Chris Z. We were having a musical jam session. Ryan was pickin' that banjo. Check out his emerald ash borer tattoo. I was jammin' a toy harmon...

I think that this eerily late, Indian summer has finally loosed its hold on October. Daytime temperatures will no longer peak in the upper eighties, and nights will be cold enough that more than a good sweater will be necessary to keep me warm. The trees have been crawling through their color change for a few weeks now. I remember back in the forests near Ironton the paw paws and spicebush, tulip poplars, sycamores and a few scattered sugar maples had begun to dawn their respective yellows, reds, browns and oranges. Back then it'd gotten down to the thirties on a couple nights, but until last night the heat and humidity was like August's in its discomfort. Of course, I wasn't outside last night to appreciate the cold. I spent the night on the basement futon at the co-op. After a night at Jackie O's playing banjo at the Celtic jam (and drinking for free because of it), and the symphony orchestra concert before that, and a few episodes of Aqua Teen after the bar, I was ti...

Well, last I talked about that bike trip, I'd just taken my run (almost) around Lake Vesuvius. Ryan and I met up the next day. It was rainy, so he'd gotten off work early and was waiting for me when I went by his trailer about 5. It was a very warm meeting. He offered me a beer and we listened to the radio, played banjo and made plans to head to Ironton for dinner. We settled on El Toro Loco, an "authentic Mexican-American" restaurant (watch out for those poser Mexi-Ameri places!). I slept in Ryan's trailer that night (it was equipped for 3 people, but only he was in it), and the next morning I went into work with him. We spent the day surveying a section of the forest that had heavy damage from a nasty ice storm of the previous winter. Lots of broken trees and thick brush. It was another rainy day, too. By the time we were finished up, my shoes were soaked with rain and sweat, and because I had no socks to wear, those shoes will forever reek of sweaty foot nastin...

I put up some new pics today. Check them out at the top of the column at left. My dad gave me a disposable camera when he visited me in the woods. I took a couple pictures of my camp and some more pics on the way back to Athens and some pics around Athens. I've been camping up at Bong Hill. A couple days ago, I cut down three paw paw trees and one maple. I did this just using a large knife. The paw paws came down pretty easy. I just sliced around the base of the tree then broke the trunk by bending the tree over (these were just an inch or two in diameter). The maple, however, was tough to fell. I've seen someone cut down a maple with a knife before, and I tried to imitate, but my knife was pretty dull. I got it down, though. Then I stripped them of their bark and cut them into lengths. I lashed them together to make a tent frame. I put a tarp over the frame. I also joined a new band, Silo Circuit. I first heard those guys (and girl) about a year ago. They play Klezmer rock. We...

On Sunday the 14 th of September, I awoke about 9 o'clock. I'd spent a couple nights in the old shelter by that point, so I was sleeping well and past dawn. See, when you're not comfortable in sleep, you'll wake up pretty soon after dawn. Well, I put a few more hours work into my camp - sprucing it up for the Dad's visit. I added some more leaves to the shelter and put some heavy rocks along one side to support the wooden frame (the shelter was built on a shelf in the hill with one wall on a slope). And I put up a clothes line and hung up my clothes. I didn't bring that many on account of I had to lug everything down there with me. In all, my pack consisted of: a knapsack, a satchel, poncho, wool cloak, wool pants, t-shirt, a small cooking pot, small cast iron skillet, a rusty tin cup, two big Nalgenes, dried tea, cooking herbs, rice, soup mix, rope, wooden backpack frame and some other small items (like knives, cell phone and charger, handkerchief, etc.). I al...

Woke up this morning at Simone's. Slept on the floor again, and again was real comfy (except the AC was on all night - a bit chilly). I've been feeling hungry since last night, so I went to Crumb's Bakery and bought a loaf of bread and some cookies for Cora later. Then to the library and ACME to get some business done. Had an IRA to roll over, phone bill to pay - you know all about it. Change my address to the post office box because I don't have a room anymore. Gave that up Sept. 2 when I left for my trip. I figure I can just crash with friends, or sleep in the park or something. Anyways, I'll be in and out of the city camping and whatnot. So, tomorrow when I leave Simone's, I might just go up to Bong Hill and camp. Now, that's the hill that overlooks Athens. I wrote about going up there back in May, I think it was, and on that little adventure I had so much fun and met so many people (it's a popular spot with the students) that I said to myself on my b...

Well I rushed off the computer last time all in a hurry to listen to that bell tower at the University of Rio Grande. So noon rolls around and there I am standing by the tower waiting for the bells to start - just trying to hold back all the anticipation welling up inside me because boy do I like the sound of bells. I have fond memories of doing yard work at my dad's house in the summer and catching a hymn played on the bells at a neighborhood church and stopping what I'm doing just to listen. So then I'm that much more disappointed when the bells don't ring. Now isn't that something? Here they got this real nice bell tower with all these pretty bells hanging there. And you can see them because there's just a metal screen around them. And the darn thing doesn't even play! Not even at noon on a school day! Go figure. So, after a stop at a bakery I hit the road and did real well. I'd finally gotten the hang of riding for long periods and I made pretty good...

So Saturday the 8th was mainly spent preparing for my father's visit on the 9th. I dreamt all day of the promised diner we'd catch. "I'm gonna eat a lot of carbs and some meat," I said to myself. "Then I'm gonna go to the store and buy more food for the camp." You can tell I was hungry. Riding a hundred miles on a pedal bike really gets the metabolism kicked into high gear. I spent most of the morning in a kyack (lord, I'm a bad speller!) that I rented from a couple high school-aged boys. It cost $10 an hour, but they only charged me $10 eventough I had it for longer. I tried to make it all around the lake, but that's a big lake. I'd get a better sense of how big tomorrow. I also spent some time worrying about the bike tire. I tried to patch it a couple more times with no luck. About the last time I was trying, a white sports car pulled up in the parking lot near Vesuvius and a large man greeted me. He introduced himself as Keith, the cam...

Well, last Friday I spent about all day trying to fix a flat tire and getting no where, both literally and figuratively. I found the hole easy enough, but the darn thing kept blowing off the patch, and then only after I'd put it on the tire and inflated it up. Figures. Don't buy a glue-less patch kit from Wal-Mart. In fact, if you're looking for anything of quality, stay away from that store. Anyway, I also worked on my shelter. I selected a spot that was halfway between the boat dock and the Oak Hill camp ground. Technically, I shouldn't have been camping there because one isn't allowed to set up primitave camps in that area (you have to walk about a couple miles out on the lakeshore trail), but I said, "I'd bet that there ain't no rangers gonna walk that path." And, I was right. I didn't even see anyone else on that path. Well, I got my camp set up and that was heartening, but that bike tire sure did make me sour. I was stomping through the w...

When I left you last, I had arrived back at Lake Vesuvius, Wayne National Forest, Ironton District, and I had begun to turn my attention to my bike. Now, that bike would cause me more headaches than I care to remember right now, so let's leave that scene for a bit and skip ahead to yesterday when I rode my (fixed) bicycle into Ironton. I awoke to grey skies forboding rain. I crawled out of my spacious stick and leaf hut and pondered what to do. Ryan had left for Athens just last night and wouldn't be back until Sunday, so I had some alone time on my hands. I'd planned to ride into Ironton today, but the rain made me feel uneasy about that. So, I decided just to eat breakfast and take it from there. Rain did drizzle down off and on while I ate, but because it wasn't much I decided to make the ride. It'd be fun to visit the town. Plus, I had a birthday present for my sister I wanted to mail. So, six miles into town without a hitch. The new inner tube Ryan brought bac...

Oh my. It has been quite a while since I've updated last. Please forgive me, but I've just emerged from a ditch on the side of State Route 93 where I've been trapped under a pile of logs that broke loose from a truck that was driving past me while en route to the Wayne. At least now I smell like cedar ... Of course, THAT WAS A JOKE, MOM! I stayed the night in Gallipolis at the William Ann Motel on September 5 (the date of my last post). As I was leaving the library, I chatted with the librarians who told me two things. 1. There ain't much between Gallipolis and the Wayne, so eat before you leave, and 2. there's a great hotdog place called "Remo's" right down the street. After a footlong with the works (which includes hot sauce), I said, "Well now, this is really a pretty town. Lots of old buildings, historical signs, a nice park - and it is fifty miles yet to the Wayne - I'll stay here the night." Got a room, stowed my bike, TOOK A SHOWER...