John Merrill

“Cat Bay Tunnel” Set to Open

April 1: The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) announced this morning that construction of the tunnel connecting South Bass Island with the Catawba Peninsula is ahead of schedule and expected to open in time for the upcoming Memorial Day Weekend. Memorial Day historically is the weekend when activities typically heat up on the islands and Marblehead Peninsula.

The Cat Bay Tunnel as it has become known, will include 3 lanes of traffic that travels the 2.85 miles from Catawba to the southwest tip of South Bass Island. ODOT spokesman noted it took five years to build and cost more that $75 million to complete with no loss in human life. Although the tunnel was bored through solid limestone, the tunnel was sealed with 12” of a special concrete mix designed to last more than 150 years. The entire trip will take just five minutes and cost drivers $10 per trip. An annual pass is available for $200 and includes unlimited to and from travel, even when the lake freezes over.

Governor Kasich is slated to cut the ribbon at at 9:30 a.m. on May 27. When asked to comment on this momentous event for the millions of visitors expected use the tunnel in the coming years, the governor quipped, “I hope they’ll still appreciate me come November.”

The Cat Bay Tunnel is expected to increase tourist activity both for Put-in-Bay and the Catawba Peninsula which has in resent years has already seen an increasing amount of residential development. Put-in-Bay has long been an island destination unlike anything else in mainland North America. Regulars to the island compare it with the Florida Keys, but without the heat and hurricanes.

The new connecting tunnel is expected to dramatically effect the 3 ferry lines serving the Marblehead Peninsula and South. Today the trip from Catawba to South Bass Island by ferry takes less than 20 minutes travel time and up to an hour wait time if a passenger just misses the ferry. Most effected by the direct drive tunnel is the Miller Boat Line which services Put-in-Bay and Middle Bass Island.

When asked how this was going to effect their business, a Miller Boat Line spokesman, Wanda Baker said, “Sure, it’s going to hit us in the pocket book. But, we knew this day was coming and I think everyone will be surprised with our new schedule of special event trips that will be an attraction in their own right. I think everyone will love our moonlight drive-in theater trips where a full-length movie will be shown in its entirety, will be shown as the boat circles the islands. It’ll be just like grandpa’s drive-in movie stories. I don’t think anyone else will be offering anything like this.”

In a long tradition of celebrating certain events, the one that most comes to mind is a particular day in April, much like today, when all reason can be suspended and almost anything can be believed. We hope you have a great and enjoyable fools day.

Birds of a Feather

Ohio’s north coast is known by birders world-wide for being a paradise of activity every spring as migrating birds stop for a rest at the many marsh lands. Last week we were up to the cottage and enjoying the brisk winds of late winter and decided to drive over to Magee Marsh to see if any eagles were nesting. It was great seeing so many active pairs nesting.

I say this only to put you in my mindset when on Saturday morning, a particularly foggy Saturday morning, I glanced out the window and saw my neighbor carrying two flamingos under each arm. Things that might seem unusual someplace else, at the lake nothing seems that far removed from normality.

I watched Tom carrying these two large birds over to Jim’s side yard where an entire flock of flamingos were patiently waiting underneath one of Jim’s bird feeders. Back in the city, I used to feed the birds but the bird food also attracted squirrels. One year a pair of those squirrels decided to setup housekeeping in my attic by pulling back the attic vent and having babies nestled in all that warm pink insulation. How cute is that?

Not very because one day one of these cute little babies chewed through 120 volt house wiring that not only gave him a shock, but shut down the power requiring an electrician to come out and repair the damage. Saying it was a nightmare doesn’t put that particular spring into perspective.

So you see, I’m not a big friend of squirrels. I once asked Jim about why he liked to feed so many birds and of course those squirrels, who had already learned to shake one particular feeder just right, so they could get an extra helping of sunflower seed. Jim said he does it for his cats who spend the day watching all the activity through his large picture window. He said it was like his cats were watching TV. I thought maybe it would be cheaper to just hire someone to come in and train his cats to actually watch TV instead of going through I don’t know how many pounds of bird seed every week just so the cats could watch birds and squirrels.

Tom set his two flamingos down under the feeders. It was quite the sight. Ten or twelve of the giant pink birds standing erect, patiently waiting. Tom, satisfied he had accomplished his goal, started back just as I stepped outside to investigate further.

“Mornin’ Tom,” I said. “Nice spring morning eh?”

“Oh yeah. It’ll be a great day soon as this fog lifts,” he replied. “Did you have a good winter?”

“Oh yes. Much better than last year.”

“Yeah. I heard last winter was really something. Naples was nice though. Didn’t miss the cold one bit.” he said glancing back at the birds.

“You know when I looked out here this morning, in the fog and all, I was thinking to myself, ‘I didn’t know flamingos migrated this far north.”

“What?” Tom paused a second. “Oh, right. No, these are for Jim’s wife. It’s her birthday today. It’s like a little tradition. Last fall was my birthday and Betty over on 2^nd Ave got word about it and dropped them birds off in my yard. Now it’s Jane’s turn to find them a home.”

“Yeah, that’s good. Good to see you again.”

“Hey, I smoked some pork yesterday. You want me to bring you over some later?”

“Ah that’d be great. I love it.”

“I didn’t put any spices on it, just the smoke. Twenty-four hours. Never did it before, but I do say, I think it turned out pretty good. Just shredded it with a fork. Amazing. I’ll bring some over later.”

I nodded.

“Oh say. When’s your birthday?”

I nodded again and grinned.

“See you later Tom. Good to see you survived the winter.”

Tom gave a little wave as he headed back to his house. Good to be back.

The First President

George Washington leading his men at Valley Forge. Painting by William Trego. — George Washington leading his men at Valley Forge. *Painting by William Trego.*

February 22: My parents, who both came from southwestern Pennsylvania, were married on this day in 1942. Mom always said the reason they picked that day was so they would always have the day off. Dad said it was so he would never forget their anniversary, I suspect they were both right.

My parents grew up celebrating the birthday of our First President, George Washington. It was a day worth celebrating, worth remembering. Today, his birthday is hardly mentioned. Some radio stations mention this as being Our First President’s birthday, but I fear for most, this day’s significance has just become another bit of trivia that doesn’t mean squat to the young. Even worse I fear they don’t even know who George Washington was or what he accomplished.

A few weeks ago I was at local carryout pizza parlor. The bill was $18.11. Gave the guy a $20 and before he had could put the bill into the cash drawer, I handed him 11 cents. He said, “Sorry, I already keyed in the $20.” So instead of accepting my two coins, he had to count out 89 cents and a dollar bill. I’m sure the young kid could have figured it out, but then maybe not.

Today’s youth have been so coddled, so infused with a sense of entitlement, and so empowered with their electronic devices, there’s no reason for them to know anything. With everything at their fingertips, why waste all that valuable real estate in their head with trivia, and after all, isn’t at that stuff that came before them just that: trivia?

My father’s logic came true. In 1971 Washington’s birthday was relegated to just another date in history and in 1996 for whatever reason he forgot that day was his anniversary.

We no longer honor our Great Leader on his birthday, instead we just lump him together with all the other forty plus men who have held that office at sometime. No matter what they accomplished or failed at, they are all honored on President’s Day, some nondescript Monday in February when a few get to have another long weekend.

For those that never knew today was George Washington’s birthday, or can remember it was once a day when all Americans celebrated his birth, here’s a few of the reasons we did so.

Without George Washington’s contribution before the founding of the country, there very well would not have been a new country. At a time of revolution, it was George Washington that stepped up and took a radical concept of a relatively few radical thinkers mostly from New England and made it possible for those ideas to become reality.
The man was a natural leader, not a great general, but a leader. His men followed him regardless of his military mistakes. The war began in April 1775. Two months later, Washington agreed to lead those men willing to fight and on June 14, 1775, the Continental Congress appointed him commander of what they called the Continental Army. It would take six years for all the military pieces to fall into place and for Great Britain to give up their colonial plans.
In 1789, seven years after the end of the Revolutionary War, George Washington was elected the First President. He could have been a king, a dictator, a chancellor, he could have been anything he wanted to be– this is how powerful this single individual had become in the eyes of his fellow citizens. George Washington chose to become the President of the United States. It was his ideas on how the President should act, the duties that he would perform and it was idea that the United States should have a strong military, despite the fact that there were some in Congress who feared the military could take control of the country at some point and that the President would be the Commander-in-Chief of our military forces.

George Washington was one of the major reasons the United States became a reality. Not only did he serve as its First President, but it was his ideas on how the office should function, that has been carried on since those early years of the country.

Today, we celebrate this man, the First President of the United States of America. He deserves a day, his birthday, when we can pay tribute that should not be lumped together with all the other presidential office holders.

John’s Scythe

There was talk among some of the men in the hardware store about old John Noble, a thrifty, but hard working farmer that arrived here in Ohio back when there wasn’t so much as a state. In those early days, he had a farm that literally made a person proud to gaze upon, an utter amazement that a man could take God’s miracle of growth and turn it into such straight rows. Remember these were the early days of farming, before air conditioned cabs and GPS guidance.

Old John had a reputation in the township that he could be counted on when someone was in need. But, he wasn’t one to trifle with nonsense. With a reputation such as this, it was only the most fool hardy that tried to take advantage. Nor did John like to lend his tools out to those that didn’t have the wits about themselves to acquire their own. To John a tool was something akin to a wife. A friend might admire both, but he would never ask to borrow either.

As the men in the hardware laughed, one remembered the time one young lad walked upon Old John and said he was wondering if he could borrow John’s scythe. John looked at him for a moment, then said he didn’t have a scythe. The young one then blurted out, “But, didn’t I see it hanging up in the shed?”

“Well then. Go ahead an’ take it, but be careful of it.”

The young lad turned to walk away and suddenly realized the old farmer had trapped him, “And where will I find it sir?” the hopeful borrower asked.

Old John had a glint in his eye, when he replied, “Exactly where you spotted it,” knowing full well the young lad could never have seen it no matter how hard he looked.

For some reason, that brought the hardware men into a momentary frenzy of laughing with lots of knee slapping which drifted off into silence and fond smiles.

It helps

This new year has so much angst associated with it that I can’t help but feel sorry for US.

If you hadn’t heard, it’s a presidential election year. If you haven’t heard, then you’re probably not a real good reader, or you probably have your head hunched over one of those mobile devices and you’ll probably never ever be reading this. I’m just sayin’.

Anyway, with this being the year that it is, you’ll probably be insane by the beginning of May after the deluge of TV campaign ads that is about to rain down upon us. Don’t worry, by Labor Day you’ll wish for those good ol’ spring days.

Since we’re in the midst of a strange winter, you’re probably not thinking about planting stuff this spring. But this is the time when the idea of planning might take up just a little bit of your time and while you might be pondering that, you might also consider Ohio farmers. These gems stand out in the mud and slop like like a green emerald sitting on top of a frozen crest of snow.

A farmer by his very nature, has a good head on his shoulder. I’m not saying he has all the answers to the world, but he knows what works on his little block of it. That in itself is worthy of emulation whether you care not a whit about growing stuff or even where it comes from.

Sometimes it can be very beneficial if we all made a visit to a farm where this group of people are the ultimate optimists. Where else would someone get up before dawn, crawl up into a cold tractor and spend the next 14 hours slogging through the dirt in hopes that grain prices next fall will be enough to do it all again next spring?

We’re going to pay for this

Being as I have always lived in Ohio, I’m a little awestruck at this winter or lack of winter to date. I once spent Christmas in Orlando and my God that was wonderful compared to what the weather reports I read for back home. Now this year up till now has been pretty good. But I grew up here and I when I talk to others that grew up here, we all know what this warm weather means: God is about ready to bring the hammer down like back in the late 70s.
That was the year that it was real warm, lots of rain, and then POW! The blizzard of 78 hit us with a vengeance. Snow blowin’ sideways, icicles hanging horizontal from traffic lights that weren’t working, electricity that didn’t electrify. Roads with snow banks on both sides that were as high as a mobile home.

Yep, thank you God for what we’re about to receive, and for remindin’ me what it means to be a Buckeye.