I went on an adventure yesterday. I had a delivery to make in Columbus. Please note to begin this story, you need to know that I don't do big cities or their tangled freeways. I am totally opposite of Eva Gabor on Green Acres. She can have New York. I'll take the farm living. So, I had this plan and brought my camera along with me to take pics. I had every intention of making a post in My Daily Snapshots forum. I am sitting in the parking lot and I punch in the address for Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery. Then I think, "Wait! I don't want to do the freeways." So I chose the option to avoid them. It's 12 miles away/ 20 minutes to arrive. And so it begins. I can do this. Ha ha. It takes me right in the heart of Columbus. I drive by all the protestors. It was peaceful, BTW. But boy is there graffiti every where. The gps keeps telling me to turn the wrong way on one way roads or to turn on closed roads. It was a night mare! Finally, I get out of the heart of the city and am driving down through a worn, old business district. Then, 45 minutes later, I turn into this very old and run down plat. The gps tell me to continue off road to my destination. What freaking off road? There are nothing but houses here! Yes, my nerves were shot. Obviously, I chose the wrong "Sullivant RD" address. So, I punched in my home address. Gps say to turn right. I remember that I have chosen to avoid freeways, so I pull over to correct that. Oh now it tells me to turn left. Finally, I make it back to I-70 heading to Dayton. Then, I see it. Sullivant RD exit. Crap! I can't be this close and not try again. Oh boy! As soon as I got off the exit ramp, I new I was in a worse area than before. But, I sucked it up and drove on. And it kept getting worse. Run down businesses, barred and/or boarded up. I am nervous. All of a sudden the emergency alarm goes off on my phone. What the #@!!? Is it a torado warning and I am in the middle of this?!?!? Nope. Not a tornado warning. Just a reminder that there is still a 10:00 pm curfew in effect in this area. Son of a....! Then, I come into a little residential area. 200 year old houses, again, barred, boarded up, and graffiti everywhere. Oh, and the vehicles changed. Not very many newer SUVs, but old beat up barely running clunkers, none on jacks, though. What did I do?!?!?! I stuck out like a sore thumb! Speed limit is 25 mph. There's 2 tall, brown, old apartment buildings on the right. And, what's that in between them? That stone archway? There it is and there it went. Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery. No place to pull in. No place to park, not that I was going to at this point. I turned into Wendy's, punched in Dayton again. And went home. Sorry, Tnetters. There will be no pics of Camp Chase. I highly recommend visiting it on their website. I will not be going back unless I have armed chaperones with me.
What? No door knocking around them old houses?
A friend and I were returning from Georgia , tired ,burned out enough that I took a turn a driving while he tried to sleep.
My orders were to wake him at Cincinnati to visit an Aunt.
When we hit Cincinnati I was freaking out at all the lanes and traffic!
Yelling at my friend to wake up and then he's yelling to take an exit....
I'm nearest the centerlane white knuckled in solid traffic going a wee bit fast , while cars zip past me still.
I looked at one passing me (a slightly tired Plymouth Duster looking car) and the ol gal on it's gas pedal looked determined...L.o.l..
We didn't make it into the city.
Been through some cities where I didn't feel welcomed in the slightest. Being a stranger didn't help.
Others were better. But...I was not detecting either.
One old house (not in a big city) kinda messed me up by the smells coming out of it.
Raccoon pee is no strange scent , but the combination it and probably cat pee for a kicker , with neglect and water damage as a bonus smells got harsh pretty quick. Harsh as in a reality of historical decay and the ravages of unattended dwellings..
A warm day and the banked cool night air was seeping out of the structure into the yard.
A far cry from the homes occupied history , that scent.... Holidays , harvest season , day to day clean kitchen scents.
Later a former resident showed up.
Must have been very different for her from the memories of when the home was livable , and the yard looking more civil. But she visited regular back then... Almost like a living ghost.
That home was built on a previous ones site long ago.
And it now is gone too. Site leveled and commercially for sale.
I kept a large spoon from it's yard.
Not sure who is left that ever lived there , but know another gal who is fading who used to visit/be there a lot.
One day a spoon might be all that's left as a tangible to remember that homesteads former habitation. Till no one knows where the spoon was recovered from anymore , or it gets discarded..