Christmas 2019

Christmas 2019 and the temperatures were in the mid 60's.

We had already had two snowfalls; enough snow to plow the drive. 

Snowfall on December 16th. 

The Louisville clan drove up Christmas Day. 

Noah played on the freshman team at Trinity this fall. 

He, along with several other freshman, were invited to practice and play with the varsity team

as they competed for the State Title. 

The Varsity team did indeed win the State Title. 

We are the proud recipients of assorted Trinity wear...

The year of the blankets. 

Christmas in Connecticut.

Christmas in Louisville.

Miami and Erie Canal

After a delicious buffet lunch at 17 West, we walked to one of the remaining locks

along the Miami and Erie Canal, Lock One. 

Features along the lock

It was a warm day. 

Young children were playing in a splash pool down the hill. 

We stopped at the Visitor's Center. 

We boarded our bus to go to the Wilson Manufacturing Company in Ada

where NFL footballs are hand-made. 

Pictures were not allowed on the factory floor.

Check out the url above to see pictures of  the construction of footballs. 

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17 West gave us the remainder of the cookies and brownies to enjoy

as we rode home. Yum! 

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"Pedal Pushers"

Miami University's ILR headed north to the Bicycle Museum of America
located in the heart of historic New Bremen.

The three floor museum displays  +/- 225 bicycles from 1816 to present day 

from its expanding collection of over 800 bicycles. 

One of the earlier bicycles.

The handle was used to pull this bicycle up hills. 

A land surveyor created the Draisenne in 1816. 

This high-wheeler was set up for people to ride.

Our driver enjoyed pedaling. 

World War II bicycles. 

Bicycles were folded front to back and parachuted to earth with their riders. 

A display of women's bicycles. 

Susan B. Anthony:

"Let me tell you what I think of bicycling. 

I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world....

It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance."

February 15, 1820 - March 13, 1902.

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Harley Davidson bicycles. 

Bicycles made in Ohio include Huffy made in Dayton.

Other manufacturers gone, but not forgotten, include:

Colson of Elyria, Shelby Bicycles of Shelby

and Cleveland Welding, the producer of Roadmaster. 

And Dayton Cycles made by the 

Davis Sewing Machine Company. 

The origins of the Bicycle Museum of America come from the Schwinn Bicycle

collection in Chicago. In 1997, Jim Dicke II President of Crown Equipment Corporation,  

a manufacturer of electric lift trucks, purchased the collection of 

bicycles and memorabilia and moved it to New Bremen. 

It is only fitting this museum has found its home in Ohio.

The Wright Brothers Bicycle Shop was located in Dayton. 

The Davis Sewing Machine Company produced the famous Dayton bicycle. 

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Covered Bridges of Preble County

Miami University's Institute for Learning in Retirement (ILR)

 hosted the second Covered Bridges Tour. 

Four bridges in Preble County were toured after visiting 

the Black (Pugh's Mill) Covered Bridge in Butler County. 

Pugh's Mill Bridge was built in 1868-1869 to give access to Pugh's saw and grist mill. 

The bridge was built over the Four Mile Creek, later called the Tallawanda Creek. 

The saw and grist mill ceased operation two decades later. 

The name of the bridge gradually changed to the Black Bridge,

as there was a 'White Bridge' down steam. 

The next bridge we visited was the new Hueston Woods Covered Bridge. 

One of the eight covered bridges of Preble County. 

Decades of use and exposure to the elements took a toll on the previous structure. 

In September 2011, construction began on this new bridge.

The bridge was dedicated in June 2012 with a life expectancy of 100 years. 

The bridge is Burr Arch truss construction, patented in 1804.

It has a span of 108 feet over Four Mile Creek. 

Walkways on either side of the bridge allow for safe passage and scenic views. 

The next stop was the Harshman Covered Bridge. 

This bridge is an example of Childs Truss, built by Everette S. Sherman in 1894.

It is over the Four Mile Creek. 

The oldest of the nation's six remaining double-barrelled bridges 

and the only one in Ohio is the Robert's Covered Bridge. 

Robert's Covered Bridge crosses the Seven Mile Creek.

The Roberts Covered Bridge was built in 1829. 

It, too, has the Burr Arch truss construction. 

The rerouting of U.S. Route 127 resulted in the bridge being in an isolated location. 

On August 5, 1986, the bridge was vandalized and heavily damaged by fire. 

Relocation of the bridge to a secure site in Eaton took place in September 1990. 

The original load carrying structure is still in place. 

We walked over to inspect the near-by St. Clair Street Bridge

constructed by Columbia Bridge Works in Dayton, Ohio.
This bridge is in use today. 

The last bridge was the Christman Covered Bridge.

This 100 foot bridge was built in 1895 over Seven Mile Creek. 

Built by Everette S. Sherman it also uses the Childs Truss.

True covered bridges are numbered with a three-part universal identification code

that refers to state, county and bridge and listed in the World Guide to 

Covered Bridges. 

Number 35-09-03 reads Ohio-Butler County-Number 3 - Black Covered Bridge

Number 35-68-32 reads Ohio-Preble County-Number 32 - Hueston Woods Covered Bridge

Many thanks to Roger Miller for sharing his expertise with us today!
Thank you!
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Signs of Fall

Utility work ahead.

The fiber optics boys are working their way down our road. 

They used a ditch witch to lay the orange fiber optic cable. 

Today the boys laid the cable to the north; 

tomorrow, to the south. 

Our yard by the road will be looking a little different...

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F.A.R.M.

We visited the Fort Ancient Restored Machinery Club's Old Machinery Days.

We walked through the restored and not so restored tractors. 

Big John

The Leader was made in Chragrin Falls, Ohio.

Pete Mueller's restored John Deere. 

Pete's Ford 4000. 

Small steam engines getting ready for afternoon demonstrations. 

Pete also brought two trailers with oil field rigs. 

We missed chatting with Pete. 

Old Machinery Days was held at Oeder's Lake. 

The campground is on the other side of the lake. 

The 'boys' were busy preparing the track for the afternoon

antique tractor pulls. 

It was interesting watching the preparations. 

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Chrisholm MetroPark

We were invited to the Farmscape Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

at Chrisholm Historic Farmstead.

It was hosted by MetroParks of Butler County. 

This year is the 200th anniversary celebration of the

Amish and Mennonite settlement in Butler County.

The Augsburger Home and barn. 

As an aside, the main part of the barn has become the home of bats.

The events took place on the lower level, on the far side of the barn. 

The front of the barn with pens for small animals. 

There were sheep today. 

This is the beginning of the Farmscape. 

The Augsburger Home is in the background. 

With talk about the wind mill providing water for the animals. 

The ribbon cutting with the huge scissors!

Ohio Senator Bill Coley to the left, 

Ohio Representative Candace Keller, 

Jon Granville, Executive Director, MetroParks of Butler County. 

Bill Walker, the Board President of MetroParks.

Anne Jantzen, Board President of Chrisholm Historic Farmstead,

and a former principal of mine,

presenting a gift of money to Bill Walker to purchase

animals and their food for the Farmscape. 

Judy Shillinglaw, the lady in white, is a Master Gardener.

She has planted, arranged, weeded the beautiful gardens in the area

with help from volunteers. 

We walked out back to see the Rosemont Barn. 

The barn was brought from another property. 

The B.C. Antique Machinery Club helped restore the barn. 

At one time, a saw mill was housed inside that was used to saw lumber

for the restoration. The saw mill is no longer there. 

The playscape with the Rosemont Barn in the background. 

Medicinal plants in the garden. 

Off to the side, in the shade, were half a dozen chicken coops. 

A field of sunflowers was in the front of the house. 

We originally thought the people were picking the flowers, 

but as we left, it appeared as if they were taking pictures. 

We had chatted with another group taking pictures 

by the asparagus in the garden. 

"Oh! That's what that is!" said the photographer...

A huge amount of work has gone into the Chrisholm MetroPark.

With plans for positive changes in the future!

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