Jessie's Journeys Archives

Spring 2007

Some men desire to have statues sculpted of them, others dream of their names on buildings. Jim Bowsher of Wapakoneta, Ohio wanted his own temple, and he didn't wait around for someone else to build it, he did it himself! One of the more unique places to visit in Ohio is The Temple of Tolerance. At first glance, you might think this is just a pile of rocks in a guys backyard, but you'd be wrong...it's a pile of rocks in several guys' back yards! Seriously though, when I first went there all I wanted to do was sniff the rocks and find a place to relieve myself.
It's all a little overwhelming. For over seventeen years, Mr. Bowsher has piled huge glacial boulders into twenty foot tall man-made mountains. He combined them with religious artifacts, tomb markers, and other oddities from all over the world. What stands is an incredible display of shrines and monuments, a peaceful meditation garden. Everywhere you look, there's something amazing! There's a shrine in one corner of the yard to the Viet Nam War, look in another corner and you'll find a large gargoyle peaking out, a smiling tree, slab steps from a KKK meeting place, or the large driftwood sculpture of the tree of life.

It's as if Mr. Bowsher is showing us the best and the worst of who we are, and saying, "as human beings, we are not perfect. We have done many good things, but we've also done some evil in our time here. But if we could be a little more tolerant of each other, strive to work together, look at the beauty we could create."
Mr. Bowsher even has a museum in his home! It's filled with all the stuff that he doesn't want to get wet. My photos do not do this place justice! If you like kooky stuff like me, you gotta see The Temple of Tolerance! It's only about an hour and a half drive from Marion in Wapakoneta, Ohio and it's a nice diversion before you hit the Neil Armstrong Air & Space Museum.
Bones in the Backyard
Everyone knows how delicious bones are to dig up and chew on. I keep these little treats secret from the pack that I hang out with. Sometimes though, I forget where they're buried, but when I find them, I can't stop wagging my tail! Just like my bones, our home town of Marion also has some great treats to uncover that you may not know of, or have forgotten about, too.

One of these places is the Stengal True Museum at the Corner of Washington & State streets. Not only is it a beautiful home built during the Civil War, but inside is a treasure of weapons, Indian relics, cast iron toys, clothing and glassware, just to mention a few things. It's open Saturdays and Sundays from 1-4pm and it's just the place to go for a few hours of some fascinating history!

If you'd like to drop me a line or tell me about a cool place to visit nearby you may email me at: mchs_jessie@verizonmail.com
Winter 2007

When it gets really cold outside, I don't even like to go outside to go to the bathroom! Fortunately, there are some great places in Ohio to visit where you can stay indoors and have a great time with the family. Ohio is home to some of the best art museums in the country, and one of those is just an hour and a half drive north of here, the Toledo Museum of Art.
Inside the museum, you'll find more than 30,000 works of art by some of the most renown artist throughout time. You'll find wonderful works of art by Van Gogh, Picasso, Cezanne, Dega and so many others. I love checking out the modern art and trying to figure out what the heck those artist were drinking! For a treat, I like to pretend I'm going to chew on a painting just to get a reaction from the security guards. Hey, who broke the honker on this lady's head, I think Plato must have dropped her.
One of the best things about the Toledo Museum of Art is that it's free to get in! Sometimes there's a charge to check out one of the traveling exhibits, but where can you take the whole family be entertained, educated and have fun for free these days? You can even walk over to the new Glass Pavillion. This now houses the museum's glass collection and working glass studio. If your lucky, you can even watch glass blowers at work!

All in all, I give this journey two enthusiastic paws up! If you don't make it this winter, the Toledo Museum of Art is a great place to visit anytime!

Well, that's it until next time. If you'd like to drop me a line or tell me about a cool place to visit nearby you may email me at: mchs_jessie@verizonmail.com
Fall 2007

The Christmas holiday season is fast approaching. As we run from store to store thinking about who wants what for Christmas, it's important to take time out for the family. I'd like to suggest a trip to Frankenmuth, Michigan. I know...there are some of you out there that hate Michigan, but this place is worth the four hour trip.

The town of Frankenmuth, (known as little Bavaria) was founded in 1845 by German-Lutheran missionaries who came to the area for the purpose of teaching Christianity to the Chippewa Indians. If you like to eat, Frankenmuth is home to two of the nations largest restaurants. Hey, don't forget to bring home a doggie bag!

The Christmas season is really celebrated at full tilt. Not only is the town center magically decorated, but just a short jaunt away is a Christmas wonderland, or should I say, Bronner's CHRISTmas Wonderland!
To say Bronner's is a Christmas store is like saying the north pole is cold. This place is Christmas gone wild! It was started in 1945 by Wally Bronner and is now the world's largest Christmas store. There's over 50,000 ornaments, lights, tree trimmings decorations and more. Evrywhere you look there are interesting displays. There's even a giant Santa waving to greet you. Here I am with the big guy telling him what I want for Christmas, look how puny I am! This year I'm asking Santa for one of those giant rawhide bones, a frisbee, and an old sock.
Well, that's it until next time. If you'd like to drop me a line or tell me about a cool place to visit nearby you may email me at: mchs_jessie@verizonmail.com
1001 Mt. Vernon Avenue, Marion, Ohio 43302 • ph: (740) 389-2381
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Please contact Mr. Alan Reeve: areeve@cdeducation.org