Portsmouth

On Saturday we all headed to Southern Ohio to visit my Mother's birthplace, Portsmouth, Ohio.

These pictures are of Bigelow Church in Portsmouth, Ohio. I believe it to be a non-denomination church now but, at one time, it was a United Methodist church. This is the church where my grandparents married and my Mother was baptized. This picture will give you an idea of the size...each section is also broken down into smaller sections. The school in the lower left corner was my Mother's High School during her Freshman year. It was in her Sophomore year that she and my Grandparents moved to Dayton. I think you might recognize Roy Rogers in the top left corner. He spent part of his childhood in Portsmouth. Set along the banks of the Ohio River, the flood walls have prevented any major flooding in this small town. The last serious flood occurred in 1937 while my Mother was in elementary school. In the early- to mid-1990s, the city of Portsmouth commissioned artists to paint murals on its flood wall. These murals, which depict individuals, scenes, industries, and other items of interest from the city's long history, attract many visitors to the area and make the flood wall a more attractive piece of the landscape. Artist Robert Dafford, and his talented team, created a treasure along the banks of the rolling Ohio. Dafford, a native of Lafayette, LA, is an internationally known muralist who has over 25 years of experience. His work can be seen all over the United States. The detail in each individual piece was amazing. We walked along the banks of the river and enjoyed the views and the warm breeze....Mom told Grace all her tales of growing up here and talked about her memories of the flood. We also enjoyed a visit with two of my Mother's childhood friends, had a nice lunch and then headed for home. That evening we had a wonderful dinner with our buddy T. Her Mom and Dad are here from Florida and they all prepared a delicious meal of chicken and dumplings, fresh half runner green beans and just picked corn. Do I need to tell you how much Grace ate? This girl loves her fruits and veggies! We had a lovely evening chatting and eating. Gee, those two things just happen to be 2 of my favorite things to do! No Sue!! REALLY?? Okay, now don't get sarcastic. Hmpf.