Steampunk Train Ride
Sep. 17th, 2016 11:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cornerofmadnessSo today was the annual steampunk train ride in Nelsonville. My neighbors, especially shit stirring drama king (as he shall now be known as) loved my dress up. For a second time I have to conceed that Google Earth and Mapquest are on drugs. This is further than 1 hour away (more like ten, fifteen minutes longer) but this time I allowed for that.
I think it was a smaller group this time, but the usual core was there. Plus a lesbian couple from Columbus with their kids and a couple from Pittsburgh. The only downside was it was nearly 90 degrees and equal humidity (I was almost wishing I was in AZ). Also we ended up in one of the non-air conditioned cars for nearly 3 hours. I literally have no idea how women back then did it and concluded that they were made of sterner stuff than I.
In fact I drank 2 bottles of water (okay one was sugary lemonade which should have made things worse) and then was on that train for nearly 3 hours and then we all went to the Dew House which is an old hotel turned sort of a half way house/assisted living for disabled people but with a coffee shop in the ground floor. I drank two large cups of ice coffee and still once I got to the chinese restaurant I STILL didn't have to pee much. I was THAT dehydrated (this from a diabetic who has to pee every 2 hours at best especially after something surgary). Even then I had two more cups of water and a tim horton iced tea and still most of that stayed in the body to replenish.
It was a relaxing fun time. Talked some, sat and just watched the scenery roll by mostly. There is one town though that I don't know the name of (and I think it's actually in WV) that is SO depressingly poor, I actually want to find it and document it. It made me feel bad for wasting money on this train ride. I can't even explain just how run down and terrible these trailers were and the houses (though there were a few outstanding early 1800s brick homes) too. I saw a teenaged boy waving to us through a 1970s trailer window and I could have sworn it was gutted and if not should have been. Most mysterious was the nearly falling down shed with two solar panels on it. That was WTF.
We stopped at Robinson (Roberts?) village on Hocking College's grounds, a 1700s village (original homes pulled from everywhere) but seriously either they need to put money in to fix it or stop letting people go there. MANY of the wooden steps and ramps into the buildings were broken and a few were so spongy underfoot I refused to go up them.
Afterward in the coffee shop, I think I stunned and maybe scared the guy from Pittsburgh (or maybe he was pissed I interrupted him but probably stunned as we were talking before that affiably or it's my social anxiety issues....) Anyhow he was lamenting that in Pittsburgh there really aren't steampunk groups that want to do anything, just cosplay at various events and he was tired of running things. I was the president of Parsec for years. I leapt up OMG I was a MEMBER of Parsec. I was, back in the 80s. So cool. He told me things I didn't know about the Carneige Library in actual Carniege in that it was once a meeting ground for the confederates and when the library was reclaimed (after the last member of the ex-Confederates stopped using it as a meeting hall in the 1930s and it was immediately locked up and remained that way until the 1980s) that they tried to get it repainted in the original colors of pumpkin! I need to go see how much of that is true.
I got the phone to work. I'm sure i'll have more pictures later.
Me and mothman from last night. I learned my phone takes particularly shitty low light photos so nothing else was worth looking at
Before leaving for the train -
Ditto -
Me and the fan grandma bought in Spain
God selfies just show how fucking fat my face is
Word count day 17 - 446
I think it was a smaller group this time, but the usual core was there. Plus a lesbian couple from Columbus with their kids and a couple from Pittsburgh. The only downside was it was nearly 90 degrees and equal humidity (I was almost wishing I was in AZ). Also we ended up in one of the non-air conditioned cars for nearly 3 hours. I literally have no idea how women back then did it and concluded that they were made of sterner stuff than I.
In fact I drank 2 bottles of water (okay one was sugary lemonade which should have made things worse) and then was on that train for nearly 3 hours and then we all went to the Dew House which is an old hotel turned sort of a half way house/assisted living for disabled people but with a coffee shop in the ground floor. I drank two large cups of ice coffee and still once I got to the chinese restaurant I STILL didn't have to pee much. I was THAT dehydrated (this from a diabetic who has to pee every 2 hours at best especially after something surgary). Even then I had two more cups of water and a tim horton iced tea and still most of that stayed in the body to replenish.
It was a relaxing fun time. Talked some, sat and just watched the scenery roll by mostly. There is one town though that I don't know the name of (and I think it's actually in WV) that is SO depressingly poor, I actually want to find it and document it. It made me feel bad for wasting money on this train ride. I can't even explain just how run down and terrible these trailers were and the houses (though there were a few outstanding early 1800s brick homes) too. I saw a teenaged boy waving to us through a 1970s trailer window and I could have sworn it was gutted and if not should have been. Most mysterious was the nearly falling down shed with two solar panels on it. That was WTF.
We stopped at Robinson (Roberts?) village on Hocking College's grounds, a 1700s village (original homes pulled from everywhere) but seriously either they need to put money in to fix it or stop letting people go there. MANY of the wooden steps and ramps into the buildings were broken and a few were so spongy underfoot I refused to go up them.
Afterward in the coffee shop, I think I stunned and maybe scared the guy from Pittsburgh (or maybe he was pissed I interrupted him but probably stunned as we were talking before that affiably or it's my social anxiety issues....) Anyhow he was lamenting that in Pittsburgh there really aren't steampunk groups that want to do anything, just cosplay at various events and he was tired of running things. I was the president of Parsec for years. I leapt up OMG I was a MEMBER of Parsec. I was, back in the 80s. So cool. He told me things I didn't know about the Carneige Library in actual Carniege in that it was once a meeting ground for the confederates and when the library was reclaimed (after the last member of the ex-Confederates stopped using it as a meeting hall in the 1930s and it was immediately locked up and remained that way until the 1980s) that they tried to get it repainted in the original colors of pumpkin! I need to go see how much of that is true.
I got the phone to work. I'm sure i'll have more pictures later.
Me and mothman from last night. I learned my phone takes particularly shitty low light photos so nothing else was worth looking at
Before leaving for the train -
Ditto -
Me and the fan grandma bought in Spain
God selfies just show how fucking fat my face is
Word count day 17 - 446
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no subject
Date: 2016-09-18 01:32 pm (UTC)I'm glad you had a good time. That town sounds like a sad place. I wonder if you could partner with some group? I know that's what my friend M did when her church found out about a town where the kids were in serious need - they partnered with Backpacks for Kids and raised tons of money/food/backpacks/clothes for those kids and plan on going back a few times each year to help.
no subject
Date: 2016-09-18 01:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-09-18 04:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-09-18 07:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-09-18 08:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-09-18 08:04 pm (UTC)That's a very good idea. Honestly there are probably too many towns in this area that are just like that to help. We do what you're talking about at the COLLEGE. Donate clothes, food and body wash/shampoo to our students as many don't have anything and especially nothing appropriate to wear to job interviews.
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Date: 2016-09-18 10:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-09-19 01:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-09-19 02:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-09-19 02:20 am (UTC):-)
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Date: 2016-09-19 03:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-09-19 03:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-09-19 03:03 am (UTC):-)
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Date: 2016-09-19 03:45 pm (UTC)http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01394vt
My Life in Five Books (Val McDermid)
kerk
no subject
Date: 2016-09-19 07:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-09-19 07:51 pm (UTC)And what a gorgeous fan! Completes the ensemble admirably.
no subject
Date: 2016-09-20 02:19 am (UTC)I'm pretty sure grandma got that in Spain in the 70s. I will say lace does NOT generate much wind.
no subject
Date: 2016-09-20 02:20 am (UTC)You can barely find MY place and my own house hunting has been very hampered because there's next to no Google-Earth street views in this area (I'm beginning to suspect the moonshiners chase them off)
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Date: 2016-09-20 02:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-09-20 04:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-09-20 08:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-09-20 08:18 pm (UTC)No Google Camera car has been anywhere around most of these parts. I seriously think the moonshiners run them out of here. But at least you can see where I live