DAY TRIP TO HARTVILLE, OHIO

We drive though Hartville at least once a week, if it’s going to the flea market or just passing though on our way to the main highway.  We have seen some places that we are interested in to stop and see, but wanted to make a day trip to see them all. Hartville is known as an Amish town, but I have not seen a horse and buggy on the streets since I was a little kid. Today you will find family own stories right along side big name brand stores. 

First, on our list was the Hartville Chocolate Factory. The store sites right on the edge of town as we entered coming from our campground at 114 South Prospect Ave. The store is family owned and in business for the last 26 years. As you walk in and look around they sell more than just chocolate. The store is a dream for kids all ages. Besides chocolate, they have salt-water taffy, assorted candies and ice cream you can get in a cup or cone. There is even items for the cook in the family. They have jam (made locally), cook books, cut outs sheets that are made in the store basement and for those who love Asian snacks I even saw wasabi peas. As you look around on the top shelves you will see old candy and cookie cans along with old cut outs (these are not for sale, but just for show). I saw it as a small tribute to the history of candy and cookies. The workers were very nice and friendly and while talking they even had free samples to try. Free chocolate and good conversation, what else could I ask for. For all you candy and chocolate lover this is a must stop.

Second, on our list was the old train station, just located behind Hartville Chocolate Factory at 120 East Maple Street. The train station is no longer a passenger stop. However, back in the late 1800’s this was the main station for passengers and freight to get the goods in and out of the town. The last passenger train left Hartville Sunday 17 July 1938. Today, the train station is an art gallery. There are still items of the old station house hanging on the walls like signs and even telegraph poles along side today arts and crafts. There are even two train cars on the site. One is steal and one from wood. They are used as work studios because the station is small. One still has passenger seats and the owner told me he is working on to make it a small movie theater. He did not say what movies he will show, but the idea sound like a good one. Today, the tracks still run freight trains and it runs though Kent, Ohio. This track is the same one that ran behind my apartment when I attended Kent State, at 2:00 am every night I would wake up to the sound of the train blowing their whistle.

UPDATE:
A little history I wanted to add.

In 1901 after the assassination of William McKinley the 25th President of the United States in New York, crowds of onlookers gathered at the Hartville station to await the arrival of his body en route to McKinley's burial place in Canton.

We heard thunder rolling in with dark clouds so we jumped in the car and head back home. With black clouds rolling in fast though my rear view mirror, we stopped at Maize Valley Winery & Market. Good thing we did, because as we got out the car the rain started coming down hard. As you walk in there is a farmer’s market, along the walls are jams, sauces and syrups all made on site. As you enter the back there is a meat deli and handbags. This winery has something for anyone. What makes this unique from other wineries is their grapes are grown on site and not imported. Finally, came the good part, wine tasting. Samples are only a quarter a glass. You also buy a glass ($5~$6) or bottle ($9~$18) and drink it in the store at a dinning table or sofa couch. As we looked out the window we could no longer see our car with all the rain coming down, so we decided to weather the storm out with wine and bread.

Small towns have so much history with interesting places and people to meet. When we decided to start Rving, this was the opportunity we wanted to take time out to visit. Most people who travel just stop for gas or fly by them without evening thinking twice. If you are ever in the area of Hartville, Ohio stop, smell the roses and see what history you can find. 

HOT WEATHER AND POT LUCK

All last week the weather was hot, hot, hot and even more hot. I never remembered Ohio weather was like this. It was the first time ever we have ran our air conditioner all day long the whole week long. I even tried to find ways to keep cool by going to the pool. Early in the day was good, but around mid day the water started filling like bath water and was just too warm to cool down. Our evening walks even got shorter than usual. On Friday night there was a movie pool side. To keep cool I laid on a raft in the pool while I watched the movie.

This week was Cutty's monthly pot luck. The owner has everyone sign in who attends the pot luck and she has every sign in sheet for the last forty years. This month was the largest we have seen, a total of 52 people showed up. Usually, there is lots of leftovers to take home, but this month every dish was empty. After everyone is done eating, the owner has a forum where she like to start off by letting the new people introduce themselves.Then, she cover details of upcoming events and then opens the floor to comments and suggestions. They have been working on a Cutty's cooking book for almost two years now and talk was about have it printed in book form and how much it was going to coast. I suggested to the person who was leading the project to have it done electronically and save in PDF format. When the idea was forward to the owner she knew me as the computer guy, because most of the time you will find me in the adult center working on my computers. She said we have to work fast because you are only here for this season. I think I just unknowingly volunteered  myself to help make the cook book.

FORTH OF JULY AND FAMILY

Fourth of July weekend was busy at the campground. The campground had a small parade that had the local police, fire and veterans along with classic cars, golf cart and kid bikes. My Aunt and Uncle who is also at the same grounds invited my Mom and Dad, my other Aunt and Uncle and my Uncles brother and Mom for a BBQ. We all brought a covered dish and there was enough food to feed a small army. We had hot dog, burgers, ribs and a table full of sides and desserts. There was so much food everyone took something home. We had leftovers form our neighbor friends who came the week before and had to stuff our refrigerator and freezer just to put everything away. The following week we would not have to cook anything as we just reheated our leftovers for dinner.

My cousin who lives in South Carolina came home for a Cancer Fundraiser at Milk and Honey (ice cream story) where he worked as a student in high school and college. I have not seen him in about three years. It was nice to caught up. Next time I travel around the Carolina I have to find a park and spend some time with him. Earlier this year when I was in South Carolina I tried to get a hold of him, but we just missed each other. The wife and I ordered a banana split sundae; it was big enough for the both of us to share it.  The ice cream was melting fast, so I have to eat some before I could take the picture.

20th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

18 JUNE

One day you get married and the next it has been twenty years! Where has the time gone? Looking back most of the time I was stationed on a ship and out to sea, so ten years we was apart. Maybe that was the key to being married so long, free time away from the wife. Sometime I wish we were never apart for so long, but that is why I think we are so close today. I'm trying to make up for the time we was apart. Living in a RV you have to get along, there is no where for you to go. You cant go to the other bedroom or lock yourself in the bathroom.

Because of her birthday just a few days ago we did not do much. I made her a video DVD of pictures of us together over the last twenty years with songs from Journey: After All These Years ([2008] Revelation) and Bret Michaels: All I Ever Needed ( [2005] Freedom Of Sound). We took our wedding rings to the jewelry store to get checked and cleaned. Then, we went out to eat at a Japanese buffet for late lunch/early dinner. A nice quite day all to ourselves.

I had to do some digging, but I found some of our wedding pictures. I had to scan them (no digital camera in 1993). I also found some of our Japanese wedding pictures too, but that anniversary is not until October.

Wife's dress same my mom worn when she got married

and me in my service dress whites

Japanese Kimono 

Japanese Dress and Tuxedo

WIFE'S BIRTHDAY

16 JUNE

How hard is it to throw a surprise birthday to someone who knows you like no other and someone I can't keep a secret from? I spent most of the week leading up to the wife's birthday away from the RV and in the Adult Center just so that she would not see me and know something is going on.

It was a perfect day, everything I had planned went off without a hitch. As every week we went to the parents to do our laundry. I told the wife that I would do the laundry today and she did not have to do anything. After we ate lunch I pulled her presents out and she was shocked. I got her a slow cooker and electric burner. When the weather is too hot to cook inside the RV she can cook outside. Then, I carried her birthday cake (red velvet). After our laundry was done and on our way out to take her out to eat dinner we said our goodbye to the parents. As we arrived at the restaurant there was two lines coming out the doors and over a hour wait. To my credit, I called in early to get reserve seating and had to wait only five minutes. Just as our beeper went off I pointed to our left for my wife to take a look and it was my parents coming in the door. Everything I did surprised my wife and she had no idea what was coming next.

Opening gift like a kid at Christmas

 Look at that smile... says it all

 Blowing out the candles

 Trying to cut the cake

 The wife's dinner

 My dinner

AKRON AEROS vs PORTLAND SEA DOGS

7,8 & 9 JUN

My favorite baseball player (Travis Shaw) returned home for a three game stent against my beloved Cleveland Indians Double A farm team the Akron Aeros. I had this day marked on my calendar all season. I got tickets for all three games behind the visitors dugout, where last year I got two game balls... will my luck continue? Travis had been in a slump lately and when he left Ohio, he was still in the slump. He was 1 for 9 with 3K's 3BB and 1SB. In the end the good guys (Akron) took the series 2-1. As always I was on the hunt for autographs at the game. I put all my efforts on the Portland Seas Dogs and after the three game series was over I made a killing; I had 9 autographs (8 Travis Shaw and 1 Xander Bogaerts [Red Sox number 1 prospect]) 1 game used baseball and one night was bobblehead give-a-way where the person was at the game and signed one of the bobbleheads. 

The Akron Aeros won the 1012 Eastern Leagues Double A Championship, but I could not find the pennant anywhere. I walked to the box office and asked one of the workers where the pennant was. She told me it was in the lobby of front office. I told her I want to take a picture of it and she lead me to the office. I got a picture of the 2012 Champions pennant and also saw all four Championships trophies from 2003, 2005, 2009 and 2012.  I'm glade I asked, or I would never have seen them. Another view of the game behind closed doors.

Travis Shaw throwing ball in to stands

 Travis Shaw Fielding 1B

                                                 

 Travis Shaw at the plate

 New Scoreboard

 Xander Bogaerts [Red Sox number 1 prospect]

2012 Championship Pennant

 2003, 2005, 2009 and 2012 Championship Trophies

My autographs, game ball and bobbleheads collected in the series

As a foot note the MLB draft was held during this week and five players from Kent State was drafted Tyler Skulina P (4th R Cubs), Taylor Williams P (4th R Brewers), Eric Dorsch P (21st R Reds), Derek Todvine 2B (22nd R Yankees) and George Roberts (26th R Diamondbacks). This makes the third straight years that Kent State had five or more players drafted in a season.

APRIL AND MAY UPDATE

First I want to apologize to my family, friends, followers and curious readers of live-in-RV. I have been off line for over two months and not much has happened. I'll summarize since my last post. 

APRIL

While staying at the Air Force base in NC in April I did go to my first minor league baseball game of the season. I went to see my beloved Cleveland Indians Advance A farm team Carolina Mud Cats. Remember; back when I talked about visiting the Pensacola minor league park… anyways two years ago that team played as the Mud Cats. While talking to a season ticket holder before the game the owners sold the Cincinnati Double A team to Pensacola and bought the Advance A from Kingston and made a good little profit in the process. A nice story behind the game. This years team has the 2011 and 2012 number one draft picks Francisco Lindor and Tylor Naquin, along with some young good talent and a fellow Kent State Alum. The good guys won 12-3 and I was able to get four autographs on MLB Baseball after the game from Francisco Lindor, Tylor Naquin, Bryson Myles and Kent State Alum Anthony Gallas.

We have made our way back home to Ohio for the summer. To see family, put away stuff we did not use that much and to pack the thing we did not bring that we found out we should have brought with us. That is the lesson we learned in our first full year on the road. There are some important paper work we have to update like driver license, and registration for our RV and car and of course to see the Football Hall of Fame game in August that the family has had tickets for years.  It is a good thing we did make our way back home and that the RV is still under warranty. As we arrived back in Ohio, our refrigerator-cooling unit went bad and stopped working. We took it in to the dealer and got it fixed in ten days. We only have to pay our decidable and the warranty cover the rest. While staying with family we found out that they had a pest roaming the yard and drive way at night. We found out only when the parents car and my car had our engine light turn on when we stared our cars. I took my in and found out that there was some kind of animal eating the wires in the engine block. We got it fixed. The next morning, it happened again. This time I called my car insurance company and told them a rodent has  eating the cables wires. I have learned my lesson and parked on the side road until the animal was caught. Within one hour of animal control placing the trap it was caged. To our surprised it was a groundhog. After asking a few question why a groundhog that eats vegetables was eating our wires in the car. The plastic that is used in covering the wires in the engine block are made from soy and since soy is a vegetable this made more since. Also, we were told that placing moth balls along the drive way will prevent other animals from arriving and for the last month there has not been any sign of any type of animals around the home.

MAY

May arrived and the campgrounds in Ohio have opened and we have moved in to our new home for the summer. We are at Cutty’s Sunset in Louisville, OH. We have family who’s been here for three years, so at least we have someone that we know. The campground sites in the middle of four towns and there are places to shop and eat. We are on the back lot, which is too far for TV and internet connection. We only get two TV stations and the internet single is to weak to reach us. I have to carry my PC and/or laptop to the adult center to get connected. After a few weeks this it has become a pain, but If I want to get on the web I have to do it. I was told that they are in the works of upgrading the Internet connection, but that will not be until next year. Something to do with contract with current provider or something. Now that the weather is getting hotter I will be spending less time on line and more time at the swimming pool or outside with the wife.

Besides that April and May have been pretty quite. June is here and hopeful there will be more to write about. I will try and post once a week or bi-weekly, not sure yet, no more posting once every two months. I will do my best to keep everyone up to date.