Tuesday, Aug 25 Last year it was an unexpected treat to spend time camping on South Bass Island with Airstream friends – this year it is a full-blow Island RETREAT, planned by Dan and Dawn! The word must have gotten out how much fun it was last year, because this year many more wanted to come! We left Tuesday morning at 9:30 and followed the familiar route to Port Clinton. There, we made a side trip to the Port Clinton Fish Co. to purchase some Lake Erie fish. We ended up with three 1-pound Walleye fish fillets and plans to have a fish cookout with John and Suzie. Then . . . on to the Miller Ferry where we got the 12:30 ferry over to the Island. By 1:30 we were all set up in the South Bass Island State Park campground, surrounded by Silver Friends that had arrived before us. The campground is small and wooded with basic forest-floor (no grass) campsites. We were in a wonderful spread-out section with generous open areas behind our silver trailer row for free-standing awnings, several large outdoor rugs, picnic tables, kitchen set-ups, and chair groups. First on our agenda was to hustle down to retrieve the 2-seater golf cart that we had rented and were set for the next 6 days! A short afternoon excursion to the Heineman’s Winery resulted in a small gathering for wine-tasting, where we downed a bottle in short order. We purchased a 4-pack of wine to take home to our dog-sitting son and DIL Dinner was fresh-caught Walleye fish fillets, cut in thirds, dipped in egg/milk, dredged in yellow cornmeal breading, and fried in a deep Dutch oven filled 1/3 full with oil and fired over a single propane burner to 375 degrees. Unconditionally, as good as any fish we have ever had! After dinner there was a small expedition of 8 of us in two 4-seater golf carts around the island. The sun was rapidly setting and this made for some fun after-dark pictures of the monument, lake, and downtown area. The cool, breezy ride was a wonderful way to end the evening. Wednesday, Aug 26 There was a little thunder in the night, and a brief rain shower – all out of the way by the time I got out of bed at 8:30! Things dried up quickly as breakfast was under way. John was cooking bacon and sausage on his flat-grill and Dawn was cooking French toast on her disc grill. There was always somebody standing by to scramble or fry up some eggs . . . and lots of good company during the wait. At 11:30 Mike, Sue, Tom and I headed to the Boardwalk for the celebrated Lobster Roll (me) and Perch (Tom.) We had a marvelous view in the upstairs restaurant on the pier, in a booth overlooking the water. We took the long-cut back, returning to the usual afternoon activities: chatting in small groups and Island excursions on the golf carts. Tom and I ate a late dinner and followed Carie, Alan, and Larry out for an evening drive and search for ice cream. On a Wednesday evening all of the ice cream joints were closed, but we found Topsy Turvey's, a little deli store, with outside seating and pints of ice cream in the freezer! Thursday, Aug 27 Tom and I had breakfast on our own: Tom, a bowl of cereal at 6:30, and Ella a sausage/egg/biscuit at 9:00. We took the golf cart for a spin around the island, with Tom covering all the little back roads. We stopped, as always, for a picture of the little garden shed where we visited a doctor on our honeymoon! Miss that story? Nutshell: we honeymooned on the Island 42 years ago and Ella got stung by a bee . . . in the mouth! Police Officer Bruce Mettler rushed us to retired Dr. Cook's little emergency treatment shed for a life-saving shot. Here is a picture of the beautiful yellow garden shed as it is now . . . and a picture of Ella standing with Dr. Cook and Officer Mettler 42 years ago! I, of course, tell this story to anyone that will listen whenever I am on the island. On this trip I found a great listener, Jess Greene. She is a Linear Sculpture Designer, of Jessie’s Jewelry whose store sells items hand-crafted by artisans on the island! As I purchased a little charm of a gold bee on a silver honeycomb, I explained to her the meaning the piece held for me. She had solid ties with Dr. Cook and Officer Mettler, and during our subsequent text-exchange over the next few days she added more facts to my story! I gave her my treatment follow-up picture, and she shared it with Dr. Cook’s grandchildren! She also shared the picture with Officer Mettler’s widow! In 1983 he had perished on a heroic EMS airplane run with three other police department staff to assist a police chief on a neighboring island who was having a heart attack. The three heroes flew into a bad storm and heavy fog, and were never seen again! This little side-note: The philosophy of Jessy's Jewelry is "My story . . . plus your story . . . is the story of the piece!" So true for my little bee/honeycomb charm! We were back at the campsite for lunch. While I rested, Tom took the golf cart down to the beach area where he parked and headed out on foot along the shore. He got back in time for us to head out with a group of 17 to a putt-putt golf trip at the “family fun” center by Perry’s Cave. Tom and I started out as a two-some, and it wasn’t long before Tom plopped a ball in the water and used our “spare” ball – and then I landed my ball in the drink . . . and bowed out of the game. It was 93 degrees, and I am not declaring whether my abort was deliberate . . . or not! Tom joined up with another team and went the distance! I took a shower to cool off, and then we relocated to a spot on a cliff overlooking the beach. We sat in chairs for an hour listening to the loud, pounding, surf, and enjoying a very refreshing breeze. Over the course of the week, we know that many others also retreated to this very spot! At 6:00 Dan and Dawn addressed the gathering with a welcome and an overview of the next two day’s events. More trailers had arrived during the day and no one was quite sure of the actual count! Tom and I hustled our dinner and headed out on the golf cart for some evening sunset pictures. By 9:30 we were inside . . . enjoying our books! Friday, Aug 28 I woke at 7:30 with considerable light coming through the windows. Over the next 45 minutes it got darker and darker under the canopy of trees as a storm skirted just to the north of us. Tom had left on the golf cart for his early drive-around/shore-walk. I did dishes, swept the floor and otherwise tidied the trailer – some of the more mundane chores that follow you . . . even to camping paradise! I really wanted to know how many Airstreams were gathered on the island! Tom and I took the golf cart for a spin of the campground to count the Airstreams in the campground – and get a quick pic of each one. We counted 19. Late morning we rolled off in the golf cart. It has been years since I have been out to the location of the old lighthouse, and Tom drove me there to walk around and read the signs. The lighthouse is part of the beautiful caretaker’s house is still there. Noon was a picnic in the DeRivera Park that spans the length of the Put-In-Bay Village on one side, and the waterfront on the other side. A smorgasbord of eateries was in quick walking distance, and some people fanned out to bring back eats, while some had packed their own food. There was plenty of grass, shade, and picnic tables, and wonderful views of the Harbor and the downtown scene. In the mid-afternoon thunder and lightning started and rain threatened – finally hammering in at about 4:00. This caused a scramble for the trailers, although our awning stayed out where it remained dry underneath. We cooked Bahama Mama hot dogs for supper, ate inside, and remained inside as the rain continued. Cloudbursts of rain hit on and off during the night, along with thunder and lightening . . . making for good sleeping! The morning revealed that one large tree had come down in an occupied campsite! Saturday, Aug 29 I slept until 8:30 – Tom did, too! We had a choice of cooking our own breakfast or heading up town. Three couples opted for Fuzzy’s up town; we arrived at 9:30 when there was still plenty of seating. As we left an hour later – the line was out the door. Early in the afternoon I took a shower, and later in the afternoon began work on my corn casserole for the pot-luck dinner. The pitch-in dinner was excellent, and we ate our way through a plate full of food. Tom took me for a swing around the island to see the sunset.. Downtown, things were starting to pop for the first time, and we could tell that the party would be hard and loud as the evening progressed. Sunday, Aug 30 Slow-down day . . . lots will be leaving the island today, and we will be slowly packing up to head out tomorrow morning. Up at 7:30, Tom was the breakfast chef and fixed us eggs and hash – then our customary drive around the island . . . followed by hamburgers for lunch! All we seem to do is EAT! In the early afternoon the ladies decided to head on a last sight-seeing- shopping -golf- cart-trip. What a treat those golf-cart excursions have been for the last 6 days! As it was the last night for many of us, and much of the cooking equipment had been packed, a general decision was to head for the Biergarten Restaurant for a final meal – 8 couples! Then a last loop around town. At the camper I did some general gathering and basic packing of the inside. Outside there were happy sounds as people enjoyed the last group gathering! Monday, Aug 31 We were up at 7:15 and made the mad dash to the 8:00 ferry. Others were like-minded and we ended up with 3 airstreams on the ferry – making for a great fare-well-ferry ride to the mainland. We stopped for a quick gas fill-up and then drove the 5 miles to the Port Clinton Fish Co where this whole Retreat had started 7 days ago! Five Walleye and 11 Perch fillets later, we were on the road for home!
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For 10 years our WBCCI/NOVA unit has been masterminding activities to bring Airstream camping friends together. Tom and I have benefitted for 9 years, joining after the first year of its existence. We have shared wholeheartedly in the fun as enthusiastic supporters, officer/leaders, and rally participants. How can it be that we are commemorating 10 years of outings and celebrating a decade of NOVA! This rally, originally scheduled at the Mothership (Jackson Center Terraport) was changed due to the Covid pandemic. Hosted by John and Suzie, it was held at beautiful Grand Lake St Mary’s State Park, which was favorable for a rally requiring spreading-out distance . . . but high visibility. We set up camps in two lines, mostly back-to-back, with abundant open grass and large shade trees and a convenient open area for visible, social-distancing between the two rows. The rally was to officially start on Thursday, but seven Airstreams jumped at the chance for an early start and arrived on Wednesday. Here is where the story gets a bit sad. Tom was in the beginning siege of another recurring infection, and after setting up our campsite . . . he slept for 4 hours. Then, he gave up and went home to see the doctor! He returned two days later, refreshed and responding to treatment. Thursday the pace picked up as more Airstreams arrived, and before dinnertime there were 15 Airstreams in attendance. I think I was able to do a photo-capture of every person that attended. Twenty-eight people! Not everyone was happy about having a picture taken, but I thought it would make a good event memory for the rally! "Headquarters" for the entire weekend was spread out in a wide set-up of ever-rotating chairs that shifted occasionally to follow the shade. It was here that all of the activities took place while maintaining good social-distancing practices. Suzie and John had two dinners covered with a Pork/Slider/Sandwich buffet Thursday night . . . . and a Taco spread Friday night. Somewhere along the way there were two machines grinding out Margaritas! A Covid-correct food line in the Clam-enclosed food tent was limited to two ticket-holders at a time. Everyone retreated to eat their meal in a well-spread-out oval. Breakfast was included in the food plan, and mornings found people gathered for: eggs, bacon, sausage, French toast, pancakes . . . and Alan's special Bloody Mary's! The evening campfires were not the customary circle – more of an elongated oval with Biolite fire pits spread down through the center. On Friday night founding fathers Dan Bihary and Larry Woodruff, followed by a stream of past and future presidents, recapped the beginnings of NOVA 10 years ago. Suzie surprised some NOVA members with 5-year membership (WBCCI) Stars. On Saturday night Karen Fisher, Region 4 President spoke about WBCCI, and Dan Bihary updated us on the progress of the Region 4 fund-raiser that he is leading. Topping off events on Saturday were Suzie and John's Cornhole Chaos and BINGO -- both of which featured . . . PRIZES! Although the cornhole was laid out at regulation distance -- the rules got more and more lax as things went along, and everyone was (eventually) able to claim a prize. Prizes could be stollen, so winning a prize didn't necessarily mean getting to keep a prize! BINGO was a a huge success, with a rolling number cage, real daubers and cards, and comic callers! Tom and Judi also introduced a casual group to the game "Apples to Apples." The party ended with NOVA birthday cupcakes and singing.
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October 2021
We don’t go camping any more . . . we go ‘streamin’ ! The “SIlvermine and His” is our 2018 25' Airstream Serenity with Salsa interior and front twin beds., and ‘streamin’ is the name we use to describe our adventures. Stream along as we document everything from weekend trips to longer summer excursions and full-blown vacations. You know what they say: if you’re not in an Airstream – you’re just camping!
Tom & Ella Brown |