PUT-IN-BAY EXPEDITION!

It was a commemorative coin from the U.S. Mint's series on state quarters, that was probably the seed that was planted, making me want to see the subject of this 2013 twenty-five cent piece.  Up until I saw this quarter, I was familiar with most of the subjects embossed on the state quarters.  In fact, I published an article about the Indiana State Quarter, called "The Quarterly Expedition", that you can see in the archives, dated May 23, 2011.   However, I had to do some research to find out what the "Perry's Victory" quarter was about, and where in Ohio, it was located!  

 

Getting to the location of the Perry monument involved boarding a ferry at the Cataba Island dock, in Ohio,  then cruising a few miles across Lake Erie, to land on the dock of Put-In-Bay Island (www.visitputinbay.com).   I had traveled this far on my quest, on a big motorcoach,, as a part of Making Memories Tours (www.MakingMemoriesTours.com), so a boat ride was a nice change of pace.  Although a few cars are allowed on the island, our group went on foot, and walked onto the ferry.  For people whose bladder starts to spasm, as soon as they see a big boat on the water that might not have a toilet, you can notice there is a port-a-potty located in the holding area, just before boarding.  

While we were in the holding area, I noticed some of the people in the group in front of us, were wearing the uniform of National Park Service employees, so I assumed they were taking the ferry to Put-in-Bay (abbreviated PIB), to report for work at the National Park Service Perry Victory Monument.  The EMS worker, accompanied by an empty stretcher, is a reminder to say there is no hospital on PIB, so avoid having an accident, which would probably involve a helicopter flight to the mainland!

 

Getting onto the ferry involves a bit of walking and stair-climbing, so keep this in mind, when planning your visit.  

This is the view from above, where most people go, once aboard the ferry.  

When we disembarked from the ferry on Put-In-Bay Island, we hopped onto an open-air trolley, to get a narrated tour around the island.  

The cart driver gave each of us a souvenir PIB bag, that had maps of the island, post cards, attraction brochures, and a souvenir ink pin.  

 

Many visitors rent golf carts during their visit, and the rental office is adjacent to the ferry landing.

 

I was thankful not to have to deal with driving, because it gave me hands free, for taking photos!

 

Our tour package included a fifteen dollar meal voucher, so the tour driver was pointing out places where we could use the voucher, such as the easily-accessible Burger and Fries cafe.

 

PIB has a nickname of "Key West North", and even has a miniature replica of the famous Key West, Florida, landmark:

I decided to use my meal voucher at a cafe on the boardwalk, that allowed me to sit on the deck and watch the boat traffic. 

At the Boardwalk, I noticed a small poster advertising harbor tours, on a decommissioned Coast Guard boat, which caught my interest, because I have a friend on active duty in the Coast Guard:

 I saw a man on on the boat preparing it to set sail, and he told me that no advance reservations were required, and I could go on the next tour, which left in five minutes.  He took the payment with my credit card, and VOILA!  I was cruising like a cadet, in a decommissioned Coast Guard vessel.  The boat only holds six customers, and it departs, even if there is only ONE customer, which was the case today!  The Boardwalk looked entirely different from the water, than it did from the land!

We circled the C-Shaped island, which gave us a good view of the Perry Monument:

 

The boat captain put the boat in neutral, and came down from the upper bridge, to where I was sitting, to see what questions I had about the tour, so far.  I asked if he would take my photo, and I explained I usually lift my arms in gratitude in a photo, to give thanks to God for getting to see a particular scene.  He very skillfully lined up the shot, so it would appear as if I had the Perry Monument, resting in the palm of my hand!

The harbor boat tour also cruised by the dock of The Ohio State University Stone Laboratory, that conducts fresh water research.  When I posted photo of this on Facebook that day, a friend from my church commented that he had done some of his graduate studies in environmental science at this location, and lived in the "castle" building which housed students at that time.  

When the very enjoyable 45 minute boat tour ended, I disembarked, and started walking back through the main part of town.  That gave me the opportunity to enjoy the shaded tranquility of DeRivera Park

Across from the park, is the hundred-plus year old Round House, which has a very colorful interior, as well as its distinctive exterior shape:

 

Eventually my walk down main street led my to the site of the National Park Service Facility :

After getting my obligatory NPS rubber passport stamp, showing the date and the location, I watched the short video, telling about the famous Battle of Lake Erie, which was a part of the War of 1812.  Then it was time to study the diorama that had miniature ships, depicting their location during the battle.  I thought of my son when I saw the diorama, because he often sets up battle dioramas on a large tabletop, with miniatures, to re-enact famous and imaginary battles.  

 

The statue that is depicted on the Ohio quarter, is the centerpiece of the Visitor Center.  I had done a bit of studying of the War of 1812, due to attending its centennial celebration in Baltimore.  The story of that event is in a blog I published called "A Very Admirable Expedition!", that can be seen in the archives, dated June 22, 2012.  

 

It is the Battle of Lake Erie,  that made the phrase "Don't give up the ship", famous:

Since my son has the word "ship" in his name, I bought one of the souvenir flags, for him to hoist on the mast of his sailboat!

 

Another famous phrase from this battle, is the one Commodore Perry wrote to his commanding officer, and was painted on the wall of the visitor center:  "We have seen they enemy, and they are ours."

The confidence that Commodore Perry had, reminded me that students of the Word can have that same confidence, because they know the triumphant conclusion of events, because of what the Bible says in Revelation 19:19-21.  "Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image.  These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone."

 

Before I arrived on the island, I had been looking forward to getting to visit the top of the tower, to brag I had been in the tallest structure that was part of the NPS system.  However, it was not to be.  In celebration of a huge AMERICA 250 event taking place the following weekend, access to the grounds surrounding the tower, as well as the tower itself, were closed off to the public, as NPS workers were giving it a thorough scrubbing and paint touch-up to get it ready for the big celebration:  

 

This photo shows an empty lawn around the tower, but this will be a much different scene, when the America 250 Celebration opens the grounds to the large crowds expected: (Flags were at half mast in recognition of the death of U S Senator Lindsay Graham.)

 

After a very informative visit to the NPS Visitor Center, it was time to head towards the meetup place for our group, to take the free Downtown Bus, that would take us back to the ferry dock:

At the ferry landing, cars were beginning to line up, as well as several folks who had come on bicycles, including recumbent bicycles:

Once on board the ferry, a person takes the stairs to the upper deck, where we enjoyed a beautiful, sun shiny day, gliding across the water, while meditating and giving thanks for the gorgeous weather, and the many blessings of living in the beautiful United States of America!  This trip to Put-In-Bay, Ohio, gave me "MILES OF SMILES"!  Tricia

Note:  In addition to being "motivated" to travel to a spot shown on a state quarter, it was nickel, that inspired a visit to Monticello, as shown in blog called "MONTICELLO EXPEDITION!", dated April 6, 2017.  Likewise, the blog titled "FDR PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY EXPEDITION",  dated April 17, 2026, tells the background of the Roosevelt dime.   Wonder where my next "coin trip" will be??!!


ADDENDUM;

I was thankful to receive this photo, indicating my son had received the "Don't Give Up The Ship" flag and decal, that I mailed him!

 

 

TOLEDO EXPEDITION!

A visit to the city of Toledo, Ohio, never crossed my mind, until I found out my granddaughter was scheduled to be living in the Honors Village at The University of Toledo ( www.utoledo.edu ), during the summer of 2019.  That is when I first started reading up on this city I knew absolutely nothing about!

During my research into popular tourist attractions of the city, I learned that the Toledo Museum of Art was one of their highlights, so I put this on my itinerary of places I wanted to visit.  The museum is a Greek revival building, and moved to its current location in the 1920's.

A major expansion of the art museum was funded in part by the WPA, during the Great Depression of the 1930's. You can learn more about their history, and some of the famous works of art they house at their website of www.toledomuseum.org

When I arrived at the museum on a Sunday afternoon, I knew I had to put my exploration of the many works of art there on "Fast Forward", because it had a 5 pm closing time.  When I asked the docent at the information desk, what would be a top exhibit I should see in this short time, she immediately mentioned the cut glass punch bowl, shown in this photo.  It was a piece from the Libby family, whose name in synonymous with glass manufacturing. In fact, the Toledo Art Museum was founded by Edward Drummond Libbey in 1901 . The punchbowl piece was crafted as an entry in the 1904 World's Fair art competition being held in Saint Louis, Missouri. This dazzling Libbey Glass punch bowl was once the largest piece of cut glass in the world!  I would agree that its artistry and craftsmanship are magnificent, and a good representative of one of the reasons that Toledo has earned the nickname of "Glass City". 

I had read beforehand that the detached Glass Pavilion of the art museum is famous for its curved glass walls, and this photo shows one of those walls. The Glass Pavilion was opened in 2006, and received the Travel & Leisure's 2007 Design Award for Best Museum.  Each of the more than 360 panels---many of them curved---that make up the glass walls weighs between 1,300 and 1,500 pounds.   These walls were imported from China, which amazes me that they could travel from such a great distance away and not get broken!

There are several locations in the Glass Pavilion annex where the graceful curves of the glass walls, are as significant to the aesthetic of the location, as are the individual works of glass art themselves.  There is a separate building, called the Center for the Visual Arts that was designed by prize-winning architect, Frank O. Gehry.   

I was glad the museum included this timeline, showing the history of glass production, because my knowledge of this subject was very sketchy!

Just as Seattle/Tacoma, Washington have been made famous in the art glass movement by the presence of the Dale Chihuly studios, so Toledo may even be more deserving of such notoriety!  That is because Dale Chihuly "studied" here in his early days, long before he was the world-famous artist he is now.  Persons so inclined can take a glass-making class in this Toledo hotshop, and work on making their own piece to take home (along with the skilled guidance of a master glass-artisan), as shown in this photo of the student in the white slacks, waiting for instructions from the artist as to what her next task will be.

The red glow of the fire in the kiln, as well as the red hot ball of glass on the end of the rod, show why "skilled adult supervision" is necessary for any students wanting to create their own glass masterpiece.

This

glass dress is an intriguing exhibit, and I had seen it earlier (or a similar one by the same artist) at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, in Bentonville, Arkansas ( www.crystalbridges.org ).

When I entered the glass pavilion of the Toledo Art Museum, the very first piece to catch my eye was the unmistakable work of Dale Chihuly.  Although such fragility makes me "nervous", I heard Dale Chihuly say in an interview, that it is this very fragility that makes his work so exciting to him!  When the Chihuly team installed this chandelier in the Glass Pavilion, they arranged the 243 forms to echo the curves of the architecture seen in the Glass Pavilion.

Since the real purpose of my Toledo visit was to take my granddaughter out for a special meal to celebrate her birthday, I ended up at the docks, down on the Maumee River, because that is where the Internet told me the top rated restaurant was in Toledo, that also had a water view.  Therefore, I wanted to check out the place, before I took my granddaughter there. 

The reason my granddaughter was in Toledo for the summer was because she was completing an internship as part of her college major in Professional Sales, at Baylor University ( www.baylor.edu )  I took the photo below, on one of my visits to see her lead the crowds attending football games in Waco, Texas, in chants yelling "GO BEARS!".

This was not my first trip to a big city for the purpose of visiting a loved one who was doing a college internship.  Back in the last century, I made a road trip from my home in Arkansas, up to the thriving metropolis of Chicago, Illinois.  The goal was to visit my son, who was completing a degree in Electrical Engineering at the University of Arkansas.  The company where he interned was Searle Laboratories in Skokie, Illinois.  It seems the major thing he learned from that experience was that he did not want to live in a large metropolitan area, which explains why he ended up choosing a career that placed him in a town with a population of less than 10,000!  For this reason, it will be interesting to see how my granddaughter weaves her intern experience, into the career path she chooses. 

The waterfront views at the restaurant did not disappoint!  Plus, I was very thankful for the beautiful weather the city was experiencing on my very "condensed" visit to Toledo!

There was a great view of the Owens-Corning World Headquarters building, on the opposite bank of the Maumee River.  That was important to me, because that was where my granddaughter was doing her summer internship. 

Before moving to this sprawling, "low rise" , glass encased building in 1997, the Owens-Corning Headquarters in Toledo had been in a skyscraper in downtown Toledo, that had the nickname "Fiberglass Tower", which served as their world headquarters for 37 years, before moving to the new location shown above.

While I was

down by the river docks, I was fascinated by the rowing activity taking place that morning.  As a very amateur paddler of streams and lakes in the Ozarks, the sight of the elongated rowing boats (I think it is called "sculling") was fascinating!

Notice how it takes TWO people to carry the very long paddles required for this sport.  This body of water is part of the Maumee River Water Trail, a 107-mile water passage from Maumee Bay (Lake Erie) to the Ohio-Indiana border.  With 39 access points along the trail, it is easy for folks to enjoy this State Scenic River, a designation it earned in 1974. 

Notice the person in the front of the boat without oars.  That person's job is to encourage the crew and set the cadence of the rowing.  If a team is not working in unison, the boat's forward motion is impaired, so teamwork is essential!

On the opposite side of the river from the restaurant I had picked for our dinner, sits Promenade Park ( www.toledo.com ).  Promenade Park  has a play fountain, which children were enjoying immensely on the hot day in July when I visited!  

This area boasts a bike trail that covers miles and miles of terrain, much of it taking advantage of old canal paths that were used along the waterfronts in bygone days. The photo below shows that Promedica provides rental bicycles near their location headquarters.  It is very fitting that they promote this form of physical activity, since the stated mission of Promedica is to improve health and well-being.  The rejuvenation of the downtown Toledo area was spurred on when Promedica ( www.promedica.org ) moved their headquarters to the downtown riverfront location.  Promedica is a locally owned, non-profit health care organization that serves northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan.

I was intrigued that each bicycle to rent had the seal of the city of Toledo on it.  I took a photo of it, because I wanted to later research the meaning of its components (see photo below).  I learned that the waterside fort in the seal is a reference to the fact that Toledo was built on the site of a former stockade, known as Fort Industry.  The fort was built in 1800.  To my great surprise, I learned that the Latin phrase "Laborare Est Orare" means "To work is to pray."  I need to do more of what that phrase is advising me to do!  I realized that the Latin phrase in the photo can serve as a visual aid to help me learn one of my First Place 4 Health (www.FirstPlace4Health.com) memory verses that says, "Observe what the Lord your God requires:  Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses.  Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go..."  1 Kings 2:3

Adjacent to Promenade Park is a shaded, paved sidewalk beside the water, that leads to the Owens-Corning World Headquarters ( www.owenscorning.com ), via a pedestrian bridge over the creek.  (The O-C building is shown on the left side of this photo  The red protrusion jutting out from the roof line, is an architectural detail that not only incorporates lots of glass (the city's specialty), but also provides the very artistic ceiling to the lobby/entrance of the building. 

Another feature of Promenade Park that intrigued me was the gigantic video screen, that was showing a video of women outside doing a group stretching class.  Even though in this photo, they are sitting down, earlier the screen was broadcasting a teacher, loudly proclaiming the next stretch they were going to do together)  On summer nights, this giant screen shows family friendly movies, free of charge!

I was disappointed that the blue-hulled boat shown in this photo was not available for me to ride when I visited the park, as I had seen it out on the water earlier in the day, full of what appeared to be tourists.  Its design is reminiscent of a type of canal boat, which is appropriate since much of Toledo's growth as a city in its earlier days, was because boat canal traffic was the major way goods were transported between distant locations .  I read that Toledo experienced a major growth spurt, after the completion of the Miami&Erie Canal in 1824.  This particular boat was built in 1984, just down the river in Maumee, Ohio, and is made of welded steel.  You can book a cruise on the boat at their website at

 www.sandpiperboat.com

The blue-roofed building in this photo is called the Imagination Station.  The Imagination Station is a non-profit, hands-on science museum, with 300 exhibits for kids of all ages.  The grass-covered terraces outside the entrance to the museum can also double as audience seating for the performance venue created in the plaza. 

The Promenade Park is part of a major downtown revitalization that was needed after Toledo experienced a phenomenon common to many large cities.  That is, the tendency for urban dwellers to move to the suburbs, especially after the Baby Boomer generation facilitated a house-building boom, and the rise in automobile use for transportation.

The artistic way these giant circles are arranged provide a "portal" for the visitor to make the transition from a busy down-town street to the more calming , less rushed area of the waterfront park.  Likewise, the circles could be a nod to the two letter "O's" that are in the spelling of Toledo.  One theory on how Toledo got its name, was that the name was chosen because of its melodic sound and it was easy to pronounce!  I found this out because of doing an Internet search on the phrase I have heard all my life of "Holy Toledo!"  One reference said that phrase refers to the fact that Toledo, Spain, was once the headquarters of a governing body of the Catholic Church.  And lest we forget, the circles can also represent the two "O's" in Ohio!
  My short time in Toledo only provides a glimpse of what the city has to offer, but the reader can learn more by checking out their website at www.VisitToledo.org .   I can now say, "O!  O!  O!   Toledo, Ohio gave me Miles of Smiles!!!"       Tricia