Oddities and Anomalies of the Marblehead Penninsula

Of nostalgic landmarks around the Marblehead Penninsula, two wistful notes come to mind.  One is the larger than life fiberglass figure setting near the Shell Station (I think) on route 163.  He’s in sad need of repair.

Not too far from there is the former Mystery Hill.  No longer in operation, there’s a cave and an entryway that went to somewhere long before I came to live in the area.  Recently the vendors that were there closed it down for good.  The old fiberglass dinosaur looks so lonely there.  His tail is all bandaged up and covered in plastic.

Here's where there used to be the only bridge that spanned between the main land and the Marblehead Penninsula.  Now it's a state park, and the strangest one I've ever seen.  It's easy to find when you take the Bayshore Road exit from Route 2.    Turning right a.s.a.p. from the exit, you'll soon see the state park sign a few hundred feet traveling as if to Port Clinton and Portage County.  Make a left by the state park sign, (sorry, I can,t think of the name of "park.")  And that's probably because, as I said earlier, it's the weirdest park I've ever seen.  It's nothing more than a road with rails on either side, and a few dumpsters.  

Fishermen and women go across the railing, climb some steep rocks to get close to the water, and they go fishing.  For others, it may be a place for lovers to have clandestine, romantic interludes.  For high profile people, this could mean trouble if seen there in an embrace with someone who isn't the spouse.  This actually happened quite to the embarrassment of a local resort organization situated on Lake Erie.  He was high profile enough to come out of it unscathed despite the photos that were shown in the local rags.

As the story goes, the bridge used to lead to Castalia, a tiny, family oriented town.  Once the powers that be decided the old bridge was dangerous and had to be demolished, the town of Castalia disallowed it.  The citizenry simply wanted a nice place to raise a family.  The mayor and chief of police are the same person.

Interesting Email about Asian Carp, Lake Erie and Government Involvement

The tourist industry really brings in a lot of money to the state of Ohio.  For the residents, it's easy to notice by the increased traffic everywhere.  See the statistics in this letter.  Hopefully, the solutions won't get bogged down in governmental red tape.

Stopping the Threat of Asian Carp The Great Lakes region and the Ohio River basin are invaluable resources—providing a source of water for countless households, generating economic activity for the region, and providing jobs through commerce, fishing, and tourism. In fact, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, some 450,000 people fish in Lake Erie annually – contributing about $680 million to Ohio’s economy. But our fishing and tourism industries are threatened by Asian carp. Protecting the Great Lakes region and the Ohio River basin from Asian carp is about protecting our regional economy and the livelihood of thousands of Ohioans. These invasive species, with their voracious appetites, significantly alter the habitat – by crowding-out native bass, catfish, and walleye – and are also a threat to boaters. The time to act is now as Asian carp have already been identified in the Ohio River – at the mouth of the Little Miami River, near Cincinnati. Although several federal agencies have already been combating Asian carp, we have yet to designate an agency as the lead. Simply put, we need a coordinated federal response. Last June, I helped pass the bipartisan Stop Invasive Species Act to expedite a strategy to block Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes. And though the bill was signed into law last summer, there is still more we must do. While we rightly focus on keeping the carp out of the Great Lakes in the Chicago region, we must also protect other pathways into the lakes. That’s why I’m re-introducing bipartisan legislation, Strategic Response to Asian Carp Invasion Act, with Senator Pat Toomey, a Republican from Pennsylvania, to stop Asian carp from entering streams and rivers in our states. The Strategic Response to Asian Carp Invasion Act would coordinate a new federal effort with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, U.S. Geological Survey, Army Corps of Engineers, and state wildlife agencies to share best practices and technology to stop the threat of Asian carp. It would also require a yearly report to Congress on the efforts and movement of Asian carp within the Ohio and Upper Mississippi River region. We must all work together to protect the Great Lakes region and the Ohio River basin from this invasive species. The Strategic Response to Asian Carp Invasion Act is another much needed step to secure the economic drivers shoring up Ohio’s multi-million dollar fishing and recreation industries.  Sincerely, Sherrod Brown U.S. Senator

At the Pub - Scary Event

Searching the Internet for any pro republican article, I finally found one despite a close race. The sentiment is like finding a kindred soul out there in the darkness. Normally, I’m an independent voter. But I’m really anxious about the current administration, and would like to stop the direction we’re set upon as a nation, so I'm trending toward the Republican ticket.

 A stop at the pub after shopping highlighted the post Memorial Day change of atmosphere. Halloween is still a way off, but around here, it always seems to surface earlier, symbolically. The bulk of the tourists have closed up camp. In turn, the atmosphere at my favorite pub gets a more intimate feeling with familiarity between the localsI like the bartender at Waldo’s. He’s from a nice generation. Maybe he’s the one who attracts the interesting people who gather there. Teddy even goes so far as to arrange seating for people who he thinks will enjoy a conversation together.

Last night Teddy brought an elderly fellow to talk to me. A lonely widower, Alexander had a lot to say about his life. His father was a German immigrant who had served in WWI. I perked up my ears to hear about his childhood wondering whether anti Semitism existed during his father’s time. I got the answer by end of the conversation. Anti Semitism spilled over to racism in Alexander’s case. (An entire theory evolved from this conversation, and it goes to waves of dangerous fanaticism throughout history.)

This elderly man from Parma bantered how the blacks should have been sent back to Africa upon the victory of the Civil War. Alexander went on to explain that the assassination of Abraham Lincoln conspired due to abolition of slavery 

He put in plain words the reason he believes the U.S. economy is bad. The people who have money are hoarding it he related. All of this money-hiding is due to our current president’s racial background. The result is that big money is frozen in Caymen Island and other foreign banks rather than circulating here in the U.S. according to his philosophy. He projected that the bleak financial state of affairs will remain as long as there’s a black president.

A complaint that I voiced about an insanely dumb article in the “Sandusky Register” is what motivated the old man’s dialog.

“I’ve had it with the bias of the news on the internet, and now this local publication!” I ranted with the newspaper Teddy had provided me in hand.

“Don’t you know the liberal press is the reason for the black president?” Alexander queried. And then I got the whole bleak picture.

I should have gotten away from this bigot, but a momentary strange fascination came over me. I wanted to discover how or what could make someone’s mind so twisted and predatory. I thought of the impressionistic works of the artist who went to an insane asylum and painted portraits of people there. I also wanted clues to look for these characteristics concerning who’s running for president.

The Hitleresque dialog was way more extreme than the horribly incompetent article in the Sandusky Register. This bimbo’s writing actually paled by comparison to the dialog before me now. Yet the outlook of her article is only a lesser degree of the same intent as this racist. Spooky.

To the Sandusky news rag’s credit, I will say that I realize the circulation goes down after Memorial Day when the tourists close up camp. The Register had no other choice than to buy a cheap article from an ignorantly biased writer. Unfortunately, publishing this prejudiced writer showed the Register to be out of touch with current events. A photo nearly as large as the space that the article consumed showed Mitt’s portrait defaced with a black splotchy something around one eye. If this isn’t Halloween imagery, I don’t know what is.

 Clever in her slant, she coined a one word nick name for Mitt Romney which I won’t repeat because it’s so banal. She is only one example of how press has gone so wild, has so abandoned any attempt to publish quality, unbiased reporting that only one avenue remains. That avenue is more like a dark alley. I felt like I was mugged by this arrogant crap written by an empty headed bimbo. Forget about presenting both sides of an issue. But anyway, this so called writer compares Mitt to some kind of space age robot like Robo Cop. How unoriginal. What a lack of emotional depth! Halloween carries imagery that makes people want to vomit, sometimes.

This cheap trick article is the like a cousin of the fanaticism that permeates pre election 2012 sentiment. The attacks on Mitt Romney had the unpleasant flavor of something akin to gang mentality. Let’s get this guy. Everybody else is doing it.

The other frightening scenario could be that news organizations are emulating contemporary politics . . . follow the money stream. Remember Citizens United vs. Federal Election Board? That’s an ongoing nightmare.

So, this is how two themes conjoined in one evening. It went from an anger producing article of half truths, to meeting a man steeped in Nazi propaganda. I decided to get away from the eerie darkness of the evening and go home. When I stood up, the neo Nazi grabbed both of my arms. I tugged myself out of his grip and said loudly “Let go of me!” to which he responded by asking for a kiss. After a struggle to get out of his grip, I storm out; grabbing a few mints at the hostess station where the cute little hostess signaled a heads up.

The evening air and dark but starry sky felt scary and full of spooky goblins haunting and creeping things resurrected from ultimate darkness. Like I said. . .Halloween imagery comes early around here.

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The Great Lakes is another phenomena that shows how Planet Earth is changing.

 
Scientists have traced the formation of the Five Great Lakes and Niagara Falls to their inception.  These  Lakes are the largest body of fresh water in the world.  Many water supplies are gleaned from these legendary waters.
 
The shape of the body of water that creates the powerful water fall feeding into the Great Lakes is changing.  It is getting larger and the northeastern edge of it is moving outward toward the ocean. 

The expected results of a larger perimeter is that due to spreading out over a greater area it will become too shallow.  Shallow water isn’t able  to provide the driving force that has kept Niagra Falls as a significant source of power. Since the power of the falls generates a lot of electricity, the shallower lake basin became an item of concern some years back.
 
Researchers have finally concluded that the origin of the Lakes evolves from two different glaciers that moved down from the North Pole.  As it were, when these huge glaciers moved southward, they picked up land mass dragging heavy rock and earth along their path.
 
When this happened the tons and tons of ice became even heavier.  As they moved and scraped the rock surfaces, the weight also compressed the earth.  Thus, the freshwater left behind by the melting ice created these wondrous lakes.
 
The St. Laurence Seaway leads from the Atlantic Ocean, and was once used as a path of travel for early settlers in the new world.
 
Over the past fifteen years, the Niagara Falls as well as the five Great Lakes have seemed to be getting lower water levels.  Naturally, the first thought was that the water is evaporating, or that there hasn't been enough rainfall.  However, the cause is much more complicated.
 
The new theory is that the compression that created the lake basins is loosening up.  Is it because of global warming? 
 
After substantial research, scientists found evidence of crystallized lava.  From this discovery, the deduction is that the St. Lawrence seaway is the result of a fissure, or a fault line that also filled with water flowing in from the Atlantic Ocean.
 
Though they only could speculate, geologists do sense that a heat source lays deep below this ancient fault line that may have erupted after the glaciers went through.  In any event, the scientists and geologists feel that heat rising from inside the earth, is causing the land below the Great Lakes to expand upward. 
 
Hence, as the lake bottoms rise, the water is moving elsewhere. 



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Vitamins and End of Summer Energy Drop Possibly about “B” Complex

Since this area had 104 degree temps and week of higher temperatures than Florida was having, I thought it would be a good idea to post something about  the physical reaction to extreme heat and how extreme perspiration can deplete vitamins from the system -

Heat waves, outdoor sports, during an active summer can result in a post season slump because of a B vitamin deficiency.  Although this extra hot season created lots of reasons to be tired, I had a hunch that my low energy was more than just normal fatigue.  Usually, I schedule eight hour days, and promise myself some relaxation time.  However, that turns out to be something akin to a split shift.  I had one clear symptom that told me something was amiss with B vitamins.  Apparent symptoms help to pinpoint if this is the case.  What are they?

Though low energy is broad based, and could even be a state of mind caused by excessive worry that drains energy.  Yet, summer weather is suspect for contributing to getting behind in B complex.  The B vitamins are delicate and water soluble. Drinking large amounts of liquid on hot summer days is one thing that can wipe out the store of the energy producing “complex.” Heavy perspiration is a major culprit that flushes out this water soluble, important vitamin.  The B complex is indeed complicated.  Replacing the lost nutrition isn’t always simple. 

Something might be missing in commonly available “B” vitamins sold in the stores: First, the studies that ended prematurely cast a suspicion that to isolate the B complex isn’t a good thing.  The waves of people who took an interest in vitamins curtailed motivation to go ahead with research about B vitamins found in nature. Suspicion was that because these phytonutrients always appeared in the same proportions - maybe they shouldn’t be separated and used as individual components.  And that each individual type of B has the symbiotic function of upholding the others.  It’s sort of like a family that sticks together.  Theoretically, focusing with one element such as niacin, or B12 creates a deficiency in the rest of the individual elements of the complex.

Second, the lining of the stomach must have the right culture to accept B vitamins.   With a good diet hydrochloric acid helps keep a balance. And this equilibrium is a very important precursor to vital mental and physical health.  Without beans and legumes and cultured food products in the diet, it’s possible to disrupt the culture of the stomach lining.  The result is that B vitamin absorption doesn’t happen.

Deficiencies in the B vitamins at the most severe level lead to depression, or even worse, mental illness.  According to nutrition writer, Adelle Davis, even some cases wrongly diagnosed as schizophrenia, have been cured with restoration of this nutrient. A slight deficiency could just show up as general malaise or a case of the blues - one symptom that something’s off in the digestive tract.

A minor deficiency is easy to correct with cultured dairy products like yogurt or keifer.  Sauerkraut is another helper.  Brewer’s yeast tablets have the entire balance of the complex.  Yet, by the time these are processed into pill form, it’s necessary to take them by the handful.  So they are pretty inconvenient.  Brewer’s yeast flakes combine with orange juice or a favorite fruit juice, but the flavor leaves much to be desired.  Some people get accustomed to it, though.  After a while, I eventually acquired a taste for the flavor.  

Severe deficiencies are indicated when there’s a strange burning sensation over the top lip.  Recognition of this lack shows up in lipstick bleed lines.

A long term B deficiency yields symptoms such as people who are cold even during hot weather.  Checking the tongue out in the mirror tells even more.  If the sides of the tongue are cracked or have a bumpy outline, this is clear evidence of a problem.  Vertical lines forming above the upper lip are often associated with growing old, but these lines may not be simply wrinkles - they could be caused by lack of B.

A third situation is that vitamins manufacturers aren’t allowed to produce a full regimen of B vitamins balanced as in nature because of one component that’s been limited by government- folic acid.  It’s possible to overdose on folic acid if a person takes it by the handful, or swallows a whole bottle.  Pregnant women are allowed to have the full gamut of B with a prescription from a doctor.  

Most of what I learned about B vitamins is from information Adelle Davis provides in her book, “Let’s Eat Right to Keep Fit.”  The rest of the proof came with practical application. Davis backs up all of her information with scientific studies and the results. I’ve rarely come across other sources of nutrition information that were as thorough.  Without health insurance, learning about nutrition was a godsend.

Thanks to researching this material, I was able to concentrate on my problem of the low energy, and it was fairly easy to regain normal vitality. Now is the time to harvest and preserve the garden, and soon I‘ll start moving firewood closer to the house.  Luckily, I only needed yogurt and acidophilus capsules to get back to a normally busy life.  

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The Rest of the Story 2012 Weather Disasters – Neighbors Helping Neighbors

Gilbert's brother and faithful friend, Ron had to sit out this phase

The revival of an old time way of caring came about after the micro-burst that pummeled the Lake Erie, Marblehead Penninsula and nearby Catawba Island.  Now, the latest phenomena gave everyone a scare when the tail winds of Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc in the neighborhood.

We had barely recovered from the Microburst occurring earlier this summer, when Hurricane Sandy’s tail winds hit the Marblehead peninsula. Combining the two incidents, a bright side to the story came by way of neighbors helping one another recover from the damages.

Gilbert isn't able to climb ladders, so he's the "go fetch it" man

The higher up on the ladder, the hotter it was

A big maple tree some estimated to be around four hundred years old fell on the neighbor’s barn.  The insurance wouldn’t pay for damages though it seemed it should have.  Just on the other side of the property line, the neighbors whose barn it was had to use their own insurance to make repairs.  Naturally, the repairs would cost more than insurance allowed, so the neighbors pitched in to defray the cost of repairs.  

Gilbert and dick work in extreme heat of the drought that followed the  micro-burst

The November storm resulted from Hurricane Sandy which swept across the eastern states and plummeted into the New Jersey Shoreline.  Our end of the storm wasn't quite so devastating, but we got worried about the old willow tree, which was about thirty feet tall, branches hanging perilously close to the our good friends and neighbor's house.  This inspired the job depicted here in the below photo essay.

The new storm story in a pictorial essay below.  Since my husband helped rebuild the barn, Ron and Gilbert came over and worked all day to help get rid of tree branches.  Ron pulled up a resin chair and operated the chain saw cutting the branch into manageable pieces for firewood.  We'll have a toasty winter thanks to their help.

After the micro-burst, things had just about gotten back to normal, then came hurricane tailwinds of "Sandy."

A strange dimness remained until late afternoon the day of the tailwinds from  hurricane Sandy.  Here in the dark morning are objects blown, and downed from the wind.  In the background is a toppled swing.  Thankfully, the boat didn't sustain damage.

Below: Ron hung his cane in the tree and helped Larry tackle the big tree branch that was threatening to fall on their house. Gilbert is in the background trying to escape the snapshot.

Ha ha!  Gotcha Gilbert!  (in the background)

They wondered what I would do with the pics.  I told them I was going to write a story called "Three Bald Men."  We all got a well deserved laugh.


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Tale of Hurricane Sandy Winds and the Nor'easter

After three days of constant wind blowing from the north and hurricane Sandy tail winds bludgeon the northeast, one comes to understand this almost unmentionable word, nor’easter. 

This morning, obsessed with going out into sixty mile per hour winds, I donned a raincoat and rubber boots and went.  This bizarre fascination about weather phenomena is nothing new. Making the turn around the side of the house that sits next to a boat barn blocking some of the wind, I was almost knocked down. The power of it was dizzying. I stiffened my legs against the force, but knew staying out any longer, I’d be down.  Not very sure about whether a tree on our partly wooded lot might timber down on top of me, I was back inside in a flash.

Whenever an old fisherman talks of nor’easter, his voice is filled with reverence.  So far, living in the Great Lakes area hadn’t illustrated the fearfulness of a storm like this.  One of the thoughts to keep in mind about Lake Erie is that it’s only forty feet at its deepest.  Anyone foolish enough to take a boat out in a storm could end up pounded to the bottom of the lake in a heartbeat.

Trees are bent over ready to touch the ground.  They wave and bounce back in a valiant effort to stand up straight.  Overnight the autumn colors disappeared catapulting all into a season of bitter desolation.  Skies outline barren tree branches darkened by rain, struggling to reach upward.  With upcoming snow season, we would have a frigid sky overlaid into black and white.  Yet now, the horizon is an imperious miserable grey.  It serves us as a memento of how small we really are in this universe making our little lives but under the grace of God.

Lake Erie from the Peninsula Side Ominous yet Peaceful

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