Dining at a Haunted Depot

Ever since college, I've found Kent, Ohio to be quite lovely. It isn't a huge city, but maintains a lot of its history and has so much to see, do, and enjoy. Too many towns and cities tear down their historic buildings. Kent has lost some gems, but still keeps as much as it possibly can.

During a meeting of the paranormal group last week, we dined at a wonderful restaurant I've been to several times over the last decade: The Pufferbelly Ltd. It's an old railroad depot converted into a restaurant which has been in business for 26 years. I was quite surprised to learn that it also has a resident ghost, known as "Charlie".

Kent Railway Station was originally constructed in 1875 to service the Atlantic & Great Western Railroad, which began running through the town (then known as Franklin Mills) in 1863. It was designed and built by Marvin Kent, a local businessman whom the town was renamed after the following year. It was later used by the Erie Railroad and finally fell into disrepair in the mid 1900s. In 1971, the Kent Historical Society was formed to save the depot from demolition. It was fully restored in the late 1970s.

"Charlie" is an unidentified spirit who haunts the entire building. Manager Kevin Long gave him the nickname at random and his real identity remains unknown. There is nothing dangerous or threatening about the presence, and workers actually enjoy the ethereal company. There are many interesting historical aspects of the building which still need further investigation and hopefully I'll have a chance to shed a little more light on some possibly "colorful" history.

Not far from the depot is the Cuyahoga River. Just below the depot in the water, you can still see the remains of a canal lock. This was the Lower Lock of the Pennsylvania & Erie Canal which ran from Akron into Pennsylvania near Warren, Ohio. The canal was in operation from 1840 until the 1870s when the railroad made it obsolete. Across the river once sat a tannery as well. it was run my a well-known abolitionist and used to hide runaway slaves. Could these bits of the past be connected with the haunting? Perhaps.

The restaurant itself is highly recommended. They serve wonderful food at fair prices. And if you've been there before and find that one of your favorites is no longer on the menu? No problem. Simply call them with some advanced notice (perhaps a week, to be safe), and they will be sure to have it for you when you arrive. That's what I call service! If you wish, you can sit beneath a surrey mounted from the ceiling in the bar area. It is believed to have once carried President Garfield. Or dine in the southern sining room, which was a dining room when when the depot was first constructed (the kitchen was also the kitchen at that time, but don't worry... they have updated equipment since then).

I will say this: I definitely plan on returning to the restaurant soon and hopefully seeing what else I can find.

What? More Snow??

According to the National Weather Service, there could be "blizzard-like conditions" over the next two days. What a perfect way to start the weekend. Hopefully this won't make my weekend a nightmare of being trapped indoors, unable to leave from the piles of snow heaped up against the door.

I would officially go insane if that happened.

But this is Ohio. This is that wonderful part of the United States where the weather changes before you know it. Where snow is followed by rain with a break of sun. Winters can be harsh and summers incredibly hot. We deal with extremes... and a lack of sunny days.

I ask myself very often why I live here. I have no good reason. I'd be happy with only seeing snow one day out of the year. I'm not terribly fond of extremes. I enjoy sunlight. The only positive thing is being so close to a national park. But we need better weather to make it more enjoyable.

Honestly, I don't see myself living in Ohio permanently. I wouldn't want to be here until the end. People ask me all the time where I would want to be, and I can never give a definite answer. Florida? Maybe.. I've never been there to know. California? Ditto. Arizona? Heck no! Too hot and too far from water. Georgia? Well, maybe Savannah... but I could do without hurricanes. London? If I could afford it, maybe. Paris? No thanks... not that I in any way dislike the French, but I don't care for big, busy cities.

Somewhere nice. Somewhere with pleasant people. Somewhere near water. And definitely with some eye candy.

Obviously, I'm skirting the issue. my ultimate, dream, "I have to live there before I die" place?

Melbourne, Australia.

I've heard that out of all the cities on the eastern coast of Australia, Melbourne is the most beautiful. Of course, I need to find out for myself. I do seriously hope to finally make my way "down under" within the next few years. Sooner, if luck finally falls in my favour. There is no point in denying that I'm an aussiephile (though that actually being a word is debatable). I love the history, the culture, the lay of the land... and it doesn't hurt to have an incredible friend living there (well, not in Melbourne, but you know what I mean).

As I awaken to the white glow from the window, I know my thoughts will wander to bright beaches, cool breezes, and perhaps a koala or two...

The Undead Political Graveyard...

Well, I'm keeping tabs on the primary elections tonight, just to see what is happening. Hillary already won Ohio... and it's looking like Texas too (as of a few minutes ago). If she does indeed win both, that means she's not out of the running yet. And I'll be glad.

Yes, I voted. Since I was an emergency poll worker, I was on call. Thankfully, with all the problems they were running into today, they didn't call me in. Though, of course, the money would have been very nice.

This is turning into quite an interesting election. Most Americans would be happy with either candidate, but I'll confess I voted for Hillary Clinton. Why? Well, for one it's a major chance to have a woman in office. I also liked her while she was First Lady, and she did reach out to people even back then. She seems to have an insider's perspective of how Washington and the presidency works so at the very least, she can tell what changes can be made and how. She has been attacked for getting defensive and attacking Obama, but if she were a man would we be taking that more lightly?

That's the tricky part of this campaign. Who you vote for will be scrutinized. If you vote Hillary, you might be a racist. If you vote Obama, you might be sexist. If you don't vote... well, then you're safe except for being an idiot for not voting in the first place.

Seriously. There's no excuse.

It seems like the younger crowd likes Obama. Also, judging by the exit polls, votes are also strongly divided along racial lines. Well, not so much on Hillary's side... that's all rather even. It makes us wonder: are we voting for one candidate because of who they are outside instead of inside? If both were white males, would the voting be different right now?

Sadly, it's the way people think. It's not about what's inside... the platform... past experience. It's white woman versus black man. Simply put. And that's how many people view it. Not all, but many.

Do I like Obama? Well, yes... but I disagree with him on some of his ideas. Health care... honestly, just making it "more affordable" and not universal? We're still the one "powerful" country that doesn't have universal health care. Shouldn't we try to be even with the rest of the world? And how exactly does he plan to make all these things happen? (Not to sound like Hillary) But I would like to see definitive plans, not just a pipe dream. And yes, Hillary does spell things out quite clearly on her website... she actually covers the "how" portion.

So, the lines are drawn but fading between the two. The race is neck-and-neck. Obama was gloating the other day over his latest victories.... now the two big states are letting him know that arrogance isn't pretty.

it's not over yet... and neither are the heated discussions between the candidates and the American people...

Malfunctioning Internal Clocks and Fixed Trinkets

For the last few days, I've been getting up around 5:00 AM and finally falling asleep around 9 or 10 at night, Eastern Standard Time.

Australian Eastern Standard Time, that is.

Yes, my sleep patterns are horribly off, and today I'm trying to get back to my normal patterns. It's not easy. I've only had maybe four hours of sleep today, and I can feel it. I feel drained, sleepy, and nauseous.

Another week finally begins, and I'm feeling hopelessly optimistic about it. Tonight, I have a meeting to attend... tomorrow I'm on call for the election polls. Some part of me keeps thinking I have things going on the rest of the week, but my hazy mind can't wrap itself around it today.

The weather is shocking today: sunny and... that can't be right...63°F (17°C)??? Holy cow! No wonder there's a flood watch for the entire area. The snow will be melting today! Of course, there will be more of it in the next few days to replace it...

I hate Ohio.

Otherwise, aside from having a few down, dull moments this weekend I was rather productive. In fact, after waiting almost a decade, I fixed something of mine.

Back when I visited London in December of 1998, I stopped at a little stand (I believe it was at a train station) where a few artists set up a table of their wares. I bought a large, metal pin that was interesting and a bit humorous and put it on my coat almost immediately. A few days later, the fastener detached from the pin itself. I told myself I'd fix it... and threw it in my desk, only to forget about it.

I finally found the proper glue and reattached a different back onto it. This time, it seems solid enough, but we'll find out how long it lasts.

So much else to do today... and so little time to do it in. And my sleep deprivation isn't helping me face it all!

Recognition for Being Long-Winded...

Yes, ladies and gentlemen: I am now officially a columnist.

The wonderful people at GenQ, an online Australian magazine, have taken pity on me and are permitting me to babble about a topic every week. I truly feel honoured and hope I can meet their expectations!

You can check it out yourself here: Yabbering Yank

So, yes... this means my blog will be more odd and interesting news and tidbits, personal updates, paranormal topics, etc. and I'll save my long rants about life, love, and politics for the column.

Yay for me!!