I’ve driven by it many times but this morning I turned the corner and photographed it. Read the plaque. A ghost bike is a visible reminder to share the road with cyclists and drive more carefully.
William Theisen, a cyclist killed when struck by a car at Stanton Avenue and North St. Clair Street in Highland Park, is memorialized with this ghost bike.
In February 2020, I had seen a ghost bike in Gainesville, Florida while visiting friends. I was a passenger in the car so was able to take the photo as we drive by. Unfortunately I don’t know the name of the cyclist who is memorialized.
There’s a plaque on the face of the engine house with the 9/11 fallen heroes faces and names “Dedicated to those who fell and to those who carry on. May we never forget.”
Originally posted April 2011
“Still Standing”. The Seagrave Truck made in Clintonville, Wisconsin has an amazing story on the Ten House website.On the side of the building is the Bronze 9/11 Memorial Wall. The garage door was open part way.
A day to reflect and remember, with gratitude. “Memorial Day is an American holiday, observed on the last Monday of May, honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military”
From archives Etna 2016 -watching her father play Taps
2010 Archives -Muskingum County World War II/Korean War Memorial Zanesville, Ohio
To read the poem In Flanders Fieldswritten by Lt Col. John McCrae, M.D., hailing from Canadian Army WWI clickhereand see the original copy handwritten in a page of notepaper.
A loving husband, father of three, and a proud grandfather. A brother, a teacher, a gifted musician, gardener, and woodworker.
And our beloved cousin.
Cousin Paul R. Van Sickle, photographed June 2017
We’ve just returned home after celebrating Paul’s life during a Memorial Service at Trinity Episcopal Church in Lenox, Massachusetts last Saturday the 20th. Paul would have loved all the music- the singing, the playing of the organ. It was beautiful. Poignant.
The cousins drove in from Vermont, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York. After the service we gathered together at his home to share stories and memories.
Paul built his workshop
I felt moved as I entered Paul’s workshop, behind his home, and inhaled the scent of wood. He could repair things, too. See his tools all lined up? His grandfather’s toolbox on the bench. There’s a wooden toy box in my home that Paul crafted for my son, Mark.
A panorama of his workshop
Paul was a master musician, organist and vocalist. He had a beautiful singing voice. I remember his playing our family piano when he’d visit our home. J.S.Bach was a favorite composer.
Paul’s favorite cookies were my mom’s recipe for Sour Cream Cookies. His wife Susan baked them for the family gathering after the service. My mother baked them for a Paul in the sixties when he’d visit our home. That kitchen was in Morris Plains, New Jersey and he’d visit when he was on leave from the US Army -Ft. Dix, New Jersey.
A sprinkle of cinnamon sugar on top, a pinch of nutmeg in the dough. A soft sugar cookie, moist from the addition of sour cream. Here’s a photo from June 1974. Paul and his daughter Amy at my wedding.
It’s hard to sum up a life in a few words. Paul was a blog follower and told me one time I was a little heavy on the photos showing decay. You know those abandoned buildings and discarded furniture pieces, the garbage I post? 😂 We’re going to miss his laughter, his kindness, his generous heart- full of love for all of us.
Monday morning we went to the playground in Upper Arlington. Ohio. Charlie and his friends didn’t mind playing in the heat but I found this lovely bench in the shade. As I sat and knit on a sock, I noticed this plaque in the cement. I don’t know who Cornelia R. Pond was but her son Jim took good care of her and donated the park bench in her memory.