A Staycation Photoblog*
*I caught a few typos after captioning the photos and uploading them (ahem, “Botatnical” garden?), and have no intention of going back and fixing them. It adds character, right? (Note: All photos except the first were taken by Trudy and Mitch Teemley.)
My wife had last week off, and my hours are flexible. Yay, vacation time, right? Only the world is in lockdown. So what to do? Obviously it had to be a staycation, but not the type with visits to movie theaters, concerts, museums, dining out. Walks in local parks are nice, but aren’t vacation time. Answer? Day trips. But how to make them special?
We did some research, found a few towns within a few hours drive that we’d never really explored, packed up our masks and TP, and hit the road. Repeatedly.
- Day One: Oxford, Ohio, is a beautiful college town a mere hour’s drive away. We’d seen the college, but never explored Oxford’s gorgeous natural surroundings. So we grabbed bakery goodies and hit the road. A lush botanical garden and a hike through a forest near a historic settler’s cabin provided just the needed first day escape from Lockdown, USA.
- Day Two: Tipp City, Ohio, was originally named Tippicano after a popular political campaign song. It was founded at the site of a lock on the historical Miami and Erie Canal, which carried settlers and goods west during the 1800s. It oozes small town hominess. We wrapped our day with take-home pizza at the Chez Us.
- Day Three: The Village of Granville was our longest foray, so we noshed on bagels and dark roast coffee to keep us going. And, oh, was it worth it! Settled in 1805 by Welsh emigrants (a few of whom I could actually be related to), Granville is utterly fall-in-lovable–and we fell! We strolled its quaint, uncrowded town center and its perfectly preserved Victorian (and even earlier) surrounding neighborhoods, masks to-ready. Then we grabbed some not-so-Victorian tacos and picnicked up-the-hill at Denison University, basking in the breathtaking views of the surrounding countryside. We finally drug ourselves away (well, drove, actually) at dusk.
- Day Four: Attended church (in our bedroom). Then off to the movies (our den), with popcorn in hand (thank you, microwave).
How was it? Honestly, better than we’d expected, almost worthy of the word vacation!
Mitch Teemley 
I love the masks on the statues …
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Me too.
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Beautiful pictures.
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Thank you.
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Reblogged this on Blue Dragon Journal and commented:
Sounds like fun!
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A woman ran for United States president in 1872?!
Thanks for the great pictures, Mitch. Going through your photo gallery is almost as good as being there.
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Yep, she sounds like a real mover-shaker type, eh? I made a point of including that plaque and the clock-bell tower erected in her honor.
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do you remember year 87 97
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I sure do remember those years. In ’87 I was working for Pat Robertson’s 700 Club in Virginia Beach, when he announced that he was running for President. He called all of us employees together and told us first, before making the announcement public. He said that God told him to run. Then he asked if anyone had any questions.
One brave soul raised his hand. “Did God also tell you whether you’re going to win?” he asked.
I will never forget Pat’s answer. “Let me put it this way: God does not back losers.” And that’s when working for the 700 Club really got interesting.
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as of year 62, 97-99?
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Yes! Perfect 10! You are number 1.
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lady subtract 99 – 2
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97!
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subtract 99 – 12
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87 😉
I am tired now. Numbers are hard for me.
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try multiply 25 * 25
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That is too difficult for me to do without a calculator. Can you multiply 25 * 25 ?
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sure it the same when you add 600 + 25
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Wow, that’s amazing!
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answer is
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what was your life in the year 62
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I was a little girl in 1962. My twin sisters were 2 and my brother was a newborn baby. I was 9. I was busy helping.my mom take care of babies.
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what month is your birthday?
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linda Lee what # comes before 100
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do you want to count to 100
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Thank you for letting me travel too, I could see and feel these places through your pictures…
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It sounds delightful! Glad you had a good week!
________________________________
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Thank you, Barbara. Hope you’re doing well.
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Terrific photos! I especially like the building advertising “Battle Ax Plug for 10 Cents”. Would that be chewing tobacco?
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Yes, it’s a form of chewing tobacco.
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Love those old buildings 🙂 Great photos, looks like a good staycation, typos and all!
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I’m all about the American Gothic!
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Great images
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I love this! What a great idea! Inspiring me!! We can totally do that here! I have certainly missed our road trips! It’s a favorite pastime of ours!
God bless!
P
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Delighted to have inspired you, Peach. Road trip on!
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That sounds wonderful! We have a three day trip planned at the end of the month. We plan to go. We don’t need to eat inside a restaurant. Like you, we can take our food and go. And we plan a couple of days walking and hiking. It will be so strange to be away from home even for a few days…
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Have fun, Lisa!
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Sounds like an awesome time! Great pictures, too. The only thing I know about any of those places is that Tipp City is the location of Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church… one of the largest UMCs in the country. Thanks for sharing this with us!
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Now that’s something I didn’t know. Thanks, Russ.
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Cool that it worked 🙂
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This was wonderful, Mitch… a great example of making the best of these times we’re in. Rather than complaining and mulling around, you two found creative alternatives that led to incredibly surprising results. Truly, an inspiration to do the same! 🌅
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Aw, thanks, Dori.
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Wonderful photos! Thank you for taking us with you on your delightful staycation.
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Sounds wonderful. The weather cooperates too
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It did. And the day after it rained veritable cats and dogs.
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