what about the plastic animals?

The Steps of Hanna Hall

In the summer the steps of Hanna Hall made for a good lunch spot.  I'd bring some work or the paper, eat my lunch, and watch Bowling Green go by.  Most days the campus mail courier would go up the steps on her delivery rounds.  We'd normally exchange greetings.  One day I brought way too many grapes with me so I offered her some.  Instead of eating a couple she scarfed them all down in about two seconds.  Slyly asking some questions over the next few days I was able to piece together that she was a near-destitute student semi-estranged from her family who was skipping meals to save money for the fall semester.  I had to get inventive with my excuses for why I always brought too much to eat for lunch, but I don't think she ever caught on that I more or less fed her for a couple of months.

Anyway, it was nice to see that the university finally repaired the steps, even if they did a crappy job in doing so.

Seems Ideal for Me

I walked by this place a couple of days ago and thought, "That place has my name on it... and it looks Super!"

Something old:  I miss the Miami Valley Rail Authority.  Luckily the Wayback Machine has  it preserved.
Something new:  Rocketboom makes for a great start to the day.

The Old Neighborhood

44 Van Bomel Blvd.

The Triangle

The Farm and Artist's Colony

I took a little detour on the drive home on Sunday to visit a place I hadn't seen since August 1972.  I lived in the house in the second photo until I was 11 years old.  My parents added the second floor to the house.  When we lived there the house was white stucco with green trim and shutters.  Although the windows are small on this side of the house the other side had picture windows off the living and dining rooms.

The triangle is a plot of land where Van Bomel Blvd. and Chateau Dr. intersect.   It was a convenient playground for kids in the neighborhood.  At the time it was sort of a no-man's land with weeds.  The weeds would grow high enough, and we were small enough, that you could easily hide in them.  The town would come by and mow it once or twice a summer.

The Idle Hour neighborhood was once the estate of William K. Vanderbilt, grandson of Commodore Vanderbilt.  A number of the original (1880-1890) buildings, many designed by Richard Morris Hunt, still stand.  Dowling College occupies many of the larger buildings.  Our house was one of the lesser original buildings.  A childhood friend of mine, though, lived at the Palm House.