Chilling In Small Town America

It wasn't all just cruisin' the cornfields of Columbiana County. For one thing, I had some work to do at St Paul's Cemetery where many of my ancestors and other relatives are buried. I wanted to plot all the grave sites in the cemetery, taking care to note the various family groups. I worked several hours Saturday and about an hour Sunday before I experienced a minor catastrophe which brought everything to a halt. I managed to run over my garden bench; I saved the mangled remains as mute proof, if someone should demand it, that I was unable to continue taking notes and making sketches to supplement the photos of the family groups.

I did, however, start off with a few general shots of the cemetery, figuring I might get something of a picturesque nature I could use. The cylindrical stone on the left topped with a cross is the monument for my great, great grandparents, John and Sarah Conlin. The stone in front with the American Flag is the marker for Civil War veteran Jacob Kleinman, Co D, 102 Ohio Infantry.

After living in Austin, Fort Worth, Atlanta, etc. for so long I might have some withdrawal issues moving to a small town, but I don't know. It's not without its attractions. This shot is looking up S. Market Street into Minerva's main business district, and shows stereotypical Small Town America.

I don't have a clue what this little place might be, but it makes an interesting picture. It was taken from the same spot as the previous one on Market St; I just turned 150° or so to my right.

Sunday afternoon Charles and I drove around Malvern to take a few pictures. Nothing much was going on otherwise. If anyone was busy, they were busy indoors. This is Furey Motor Service on Porter Street. It had been my Uncle Louis' garage. It looks pretty much as it always has, but it's now run by his son, Tom.

Charles and I stopped by the bridge over Sandy Creek, which feeds into the Tuscarawas River at Bolivar, OH. The car on the bridge is my cousin Carol's. She was watering flowers downtown so they'd look nice for Thursday's "Dancing on the Bridge".

 

On Monday, Robert picked up Charles and me and we spent the morning at the Classic Car Museum in Canton. It was established in a former Ford dealership by Marshall Belden in 1978. As you can see, vintage cars are only a part of the show. Marshall's wife, Florence, didn't care a fig for cars, but antiques, memorabilia, and most anything nostalgic immediately caught her attention.

That afternoon, I sat on the porch with Charles and watched my truck get washed. The weather had been generally beautiful since I left Texas, if hot and humid. Would that it were this humid in Austin for awhile!

One last picture as I make ready to depart about 7am Tuesday. This is how I remember mornings at the Fureys. . . cool, with barely a breeze, soft light, and a little ground fog