Time to get away!

Vacation!

Okay, two days is not exactly long enough to be called a vacation. Let’s call it a much-needed mini-break . A mini-break followed by a weekend of dog sitting. The dog sitting will cover my vacation. It should go towards my credit card, but it won’t.

And what amazing locale have I chosen? I went to Sidney.

Australia?

I wish, but since you know I only had two days you have probably also guessed that I am not typing this from my penthouse hotel room with a view of the Sydney Opera House. The Sidney I speak of is much closer to home and significantly less exotic.

I traveled a short hour and a half west and slightly north of Columbus to the small town of Sidney, Ohio. This Sidney does not have an Opera House, but it does have a drive-in movie theater, which is just another kind of cool.

Why did I choose this random town? Because of its courthouse. No, I’m not planning a career change, not one that involves law school and a bar exam, nor do I plan on committing a crime any time soon. I chose this town and this courthouse as the setting of a book I plan to write. Just check this courthouse out…

Can’t you just picture a John Grisham novel coming to life here?

The building was started in 1881 and covers one city block in the middle of Sidney. And no, I’m not going to write a Grisham-like novel. I mean, do you even KNOW me?

Directly across the street is this century-old diner (I think the pie I ate there may have been made a century ago as well, but I convinced myself that it’s all about the experience and choked it down). President Bush (the younger one) visited here during one of his campaigns, as the dozen or so framed pictures on the wall verify.

I decided to stay at a Bed and Breakfast. I hoped it would give me more of a townie feel than staying at a plain-old hotel.

The name of the B and B is the Great Stone Castle. Aren’t small towns great? If a house has a turret on top it can be a castle. Well, a castle it wasn’t (not that I expected it to be since I was still in Ohio and the US for that matter), but it was a nice, century-old house decorated in the Civil War/Victorian style. It did have moss covered steps that seemed to have been built in 1545 and would have been right at home in a castle. Steps which I walked down on my way to sight-see. There was probably a much easier, less heart-stopping way, but when staying in a castle you must always descend the moss-covered steps. Believe me, it’s a rule.

Inside the Great Stone Castle B&B it was really lovely, cozy and only slightly creepy. (Note the hallway full of dolls).

I don’t know why, since I never watched any movies about dolls brutally murdering people, but ever since I was a child old dolls have always freaked me out.

My room was lovely, large and had two beds! I just used one though. The Christmas tree did give me pause. I mean, it’s not even July!

After an almost uneventful night (it’s not like the dog attacked me, he just snarled and barked like he most likely was going to attack me, and to give them credit they did have a sign posted that there was a dog on the premises. I just didn’t know they meant Cujo!) and a semi-good night sleep which was only broken by me waking up in the middle of the night, terrified that someone was in my room (I may have screamed, but I hope I didn’t) I went down for breakfast.

Breakfast was the highlight of my stay. It was made and served by a friendly lady from China named Ji. She made me some amazing pancakes and perfectly crisp bacon and we talked about Asian markets in Columbus. It was delightful.

After breakfast I went downtown, met the spunky security guard at the courthouse and wandered through its lime-green painted halls. Then clicked some more pictures around town.

 

I discovered two things about Sidney as I walked around the town. #1…

they must have been really freaked about nuclear holocaust in the 50’s. I found two fallout shelters, one in the courthouse and the other at the elementary school.

#2…they value history. The town has built around it, protected it and added to it.  It’s a beautiful, old town.

And here’s a bonus #3…a town that has Lora Innis’ graphic novel The Dreamer in their library has to be pretty awesome.