Tat’s Bizarre Travels

This week I traveled deep into Ohio to see the giant baskets. More specifically the Longaberger baskets. There were three in all to see, but by the time I hit Dresden I was tired and cranky and there was some sort of street fair closing up so I passed. Now kicking myself for doing so. I totally should have pushed through the vendors closing up and visited the house sized basket.

(more…)

MIDDLETOWN, OH - So for Mothers Day the fam decided to all pile in the car and drive to good ol’ Berea Ohio. I’ve been to Berea at least 10,000 times in my lifetime and have seen very little beyond the house my mum grew up in and the retirement village my gram has been calling home for the last few years. So, I figured I’d see if there was anything a little odd and interesting around. All the internet could come up with was a colonial cemetery in the parking lot of a Regal theatre. I figured, why not, maybe I’ll find something else weird and wonderful along the way…or not.

Since I was limited to exploring within walking distance of the home where old people grow older there was no chance of seeing the Christmas Story house or the Worlds Largest Rubber Stamp unless I wanted to walk the 13 miles to do so. So instead I walked the mile to the strip mall where the Regal stood. Sure enough there was a little gated “park” with all of 2 tombstones and other tombstone like rubble. The gate was locked, but there wasn’t much to see close up that your couldn’t see far away. I took a few pictures and continued on the long, dull walk back.

The Ohio suburbs are terrible. They are everything you image a suburb to be only always cold and rainy. In fact the walk back was so dull I almost called my mom to pick me up so boredom wouldn’t force me to play in traffic. Don’t get me wrong, my hometown suburb doesn’t even boast a cemetery in a strop mall, but there’s at least some visual interest.

The moral of the story? If the big attraction you’re going to see is located in a strip mall don’t be surprised when the walk there and back almost kills you from boredom. Seriously, boredom is nothing to laugh at.