Hi gang! Well what road did I ramble this past weekend? None other than the might I-75. North. To Toledo. You know, the last stop before ... dare I say ... Michigan? That reference may only make sense if you follow college ball. Just Saying.
Thanksgiving is a time to spend with ... what ever gives you thanks. I have much to be thankful for, but this day I spent with my ... ummm... I spent it with Al. But more importantly I spent it with Al's family. Namely his Sister and Niece.
Those that know me understand I really like Sisters :). They can be the best! Jill is proof of that. I am still sorta getting used to the Niece thang - I'm not married and the salutation always made me wince slightly ...
Any way - Al and I wandered up Route 68 to 15 to 75. I don't mean to be anti-climatic with the mundane detail that we actually spent more time on 68 than I-75. Please, try to put your grief aside. Here is a hankie ...
Bucolic would be a fitting explanation for the trip to Toledo. It truly was both going to and coming from. Our route took us through Amish country. I know, so what? I am still enamored by those who chose to live off the land, yet are savvy enough to figure out how to make modern times work for them. As we were traveling down the road I saw an Amish farmer plowing his field. He was on the plow as his 2 large horses pulled him through the muck and the dirt. He was turning the field. A simpler time perhaps? Or not ... all the same it made me smile.
Toledo is a far cry from an Amish man plowing his field with horses. But still it was interesting. Scrappy town, Toledo. You can see it's hey day in the abandoned buildings and dilapidated properties. It's once proud contribution seemingly dissipated. But not really. There is still a lot going on in the heart of Toledo. Restaurants, hard-working stiffs, and just folks who call Toledo home. That is what I got to see ... folks who call this place home. This included Al's family. They haven't given up on this city. I don't think it has even occurred to them. They are where they are and they are living their life. Period. Pretty cool if you ask me.
Did you know that you can have chickens in Toledo? OK. But did you know you could have chickens in your garage in Toledo? Yep. I saw it first hand. Part of that scrappy attitude. Al's sister has transformed half of her garage to egg laying hens! AND they have a run - a passage from inside the relative security of the garage to an outside run. While I was there several eggs were collected, chickens were thanked for her contribution, and life within this city continued in a most unexpected way.
Ahh - such a vision on my trip to Toledo. Did I mention on the way home I watched an Amish buggy go up the road and then continue on its route on a somewhat chilly, damp, dreary day? Again I marveled at the tenacity of the Amish.
I wonder what I will behold on the trip to Florida .... :)
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