No one has returned the journals that were taken. I have been on a couple of trips since discovering their loss, and am now on a major one. But the "spirit" is no longer with me to maintain journal postings. So much of what was taken was before I started the blog and was, therefore, the only copy I had of my travel experiences during those years. I even have problems going to the journals I still have and reading about the past travels in them because I find details there I have forgotten over time and it just increases the awareness of the loss I occurred when the journals were taken from my home.
Anyway, I am now in the Middle East for two months. I am just finishing 9 days in Lebanon (Beirut and Tripoli). During the rest of March, I will be in Luxor, Cairo, Muscat (Oman), renting a car and traveling around Oman, Amman (Jordan). The April itinerary still is not confirmed yet. I will probably post it in a week or two.
Tuesday, March 12, 2019
Sunday, October 28, 2018
Possibly My Last Travel Bog Entry Ever and the Reason Why
Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018--Cincinnati
Some of you who know I am on a trip and have been reading my travel blog probably have noticed there have been no entries for the past two days. It is because I am upset about something that has happened, and it has caused me to lose interested in writing about my travels.
Before the travel blog, I wrote long, handwritten entries into journals related to my travels. They took a great amount of time to write. I didn't do this just to be doing it. These were the records of my past. I have gone back through entries occasionally and have always been surprised to find details that my mind had forgotten. My plans, my reasons for writing the journals, were twofold: 1) To have them to read and remind me of my travels throughout my life as I age and can no longer travel, and 2) To possibly pick out the best of the entries to write a memoir someday.
Neither of those is going to be possible now, and that is the reason I have lost interest in writing the blog. Someone has removed about half of my handwritten journals--from the beginning of my travels in the 1970s through early 2002--from the bookshelves in my home, and these are years BEFORE my blog, so there were no other records other than those handwritten journals.
I've known all along that people liked to read about my travels, and I didn't mind sharing them via the blog. That's one of the reasons why I started the blog. But since I discovered the disappearance of my early handwritten journals, I cannot keep the loss off my mind. Next to losing Arne as my partner, it is the worse loss I have experienced in my life. Actually, losing those journals is like losing much of my life. Only someone who enjoys reading about my travels would have taken them, and only someone who is enough of a friend to be invited in my home would have known what they were and have had an interest in them.
Losing the journals has caused me to lose interest in writing the blog. I tried on this trip, but while traveling, the loss of the journals has been on my mind every day. Finally, on Friday, I just didn't want to write another blog entry. Yesterday was the same. And last night when I should have been sleeping but was in fact staying away suffering from the loss of the journals I decided it is time to end the blog for now. Maybe it will come back someday, but I am not sure. I do plan to keep traveling with trips next year tentatively planned for Bolivia and Peru and for Lebanon, Jordan, Oman, and Egypt. But at the present time I have no interest in sharing my travels with anyone, since among the readers is likely to be the person who took my journals.
Not everyone knows I am traveling right now. So in addition to writing this last entry in the blog, I plan to email the entry to everyone I know well. That way, more than likely the person who took the journals (out of interest in reading about my travels, I'm sure) will realize that they should be returned to me.
If you have my journals would you PLEASE return them?
I promise I will not try to find out who had them. They can even be sent to my sister's mailing address and I will ask her to remove them from the packaging and to discard the packaging before giving them to me, and I promise to her now and to you that I will not ask if there was any indication of where they were sent from or who might have sent them.
Randell Drum
8000 Donore Pl. #47
San Antonio, TX 78229
My sister:
Scharlotte Bradley
8415 Fredericksburg Rd. #806
San Antonio, TX 78229
PLEASE, and goodbye.
Randy
Some of you who know I am on a trip and have been reading my travel blog probably have noticed there have been no entries for the past two days. It is because I am upset about something that has happened, and it has caused me to lose interested in writing about my travels.
Before the travel blog, I wrote long, handwritten entries into journals related to my travels. They took a great amount of time to write. I didn't do this just to be doing it. These were the records of my past. I have gone back through entries occasionally and have always been surprised to find details that my mind had forgotten. My plans, my reasons for writing the journals, were twofold: 1) To have them to read and remind me of my travels throughout my life as I age and can no longer travel, and 2) To possibly pick out the best of the entries to write a memoir someday.
Neither of those is going to be possible now, and that is the reason I have lost interest in writing the blog. Someone has removed about half of my handwritten journals--from the beginning of my travels in the 1970s through early 2002--from the bookshelves in my home, and these are years BEFORE my blog, so there were no other records other than those handwritten journals.
I've known all along that people liked to read about my travels, and I didn't mind sharing them via the blog. That's one of the reasons why I started the blog. But since I discovered the disappearance of my early handwritten journals, I cannot keep the loss off my mind. Next to losing Arne as my partner, it is the worse loss I have experienced in my life. Actually, losing those journals is like losing much of my life. Only someone who enjoys reading about my travels would have taken them, and only someone who is enough of a friend to be invited in my home would have known what they were and have had an interest in them.
Losing the journals has caused me to lose interest in writing the blog. I tried on this trip, but while traveling, the loss of the journals has been on my mind every day. Finally, on Friday, I just didn't want to write another blog entry. Yesterday was the same. And last night when I should have been sleeping but was in fact staying away suffering from the loss of the journals I decided it is time to end the blog for now. Maybe it will come back someday, but I am not sure. I do plan to keep traveling with trips next year tentatively planned for Bolivia and Peru and for Lebanon, Jordan, Oman, and Egypt. But at the present time I have no interest in sharing my travels with anyone, since among the readers is likely to be the person who took my journals.
Not everyone knows I am traveling right now. So in addition to writing this last entry in the blog, I plan to email the entry to everyone I know well. That way, more than likely the person who took the journals (out of interest in reading about my travels, I'm sure) will realize that they should be returned to me.
If you have my journals would you PLEASE return them?
I promise I will not try to find out who had them. They can even be sent to my sister's mailing address and I will ask her to remove them from the packaging and to discard the packaging before giving them to me, and I promise to her now and to you that I will not ask if there was any indication of where they were sent from or who might have sent them.
Randell Drum
8000 Donore Pl. #47
San Antonio, TX 78229
My sister:
Scharlotte Bradley
8415 Fredericksburg Rd. #806
San Antonio, TX 78229
PLEASE, and goodbye.
Randy
Thursday, October 25, 2018
German Village and Granville
Thursday, Oct. 25, 2017--Columbus and Granville
Today was a bit cloudy, but it was still dry. My body was a bit sore from all the walking yesterday. But I had plans and followed through with them.
In the morning, I drove south of downtown to the area of town called the German Village. It is a very quaint area with mostly narrow streets paved with bricks and mostly small houses built close together with the fronts at the sidewalk line and small yards on the sides and in the back and an occasional corner retail spot, each probably a former corner grocery but now a variety of places such as chocolate shops, gift shops, restaurants, etc. It has a European feeling to it and is a very popular neighborhood covering many blocks. I just walked up and down the streets throughout the area and through the local Schiller Park.
From there, I needed to get to Hwy 16 to take me to the small rural town of Granville, but it wasn't easy. So many streets are one-way and so many of those are closed off at various points because of reconstruction of intersections, installation of new under-street infrastructure, etc. At least I knew I needed to go north to Broad Street and turn right. But it took a backtrack or two and some zigzagging to make my way there.
When I did reach Broad Street, I was beside Franklin Park which is surrounded by nice mansions and is the home of the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. I didn't stop, because I had read they are closed temporarily until tomorrow because of some work happening there. If it doesn't rain, maybe I will go there part of tomorrow which will be my last day in Columbus.
Even though it is only 35 miles away, it was a long drive to Granville via Hwy 16, but it gave me a chance to see that part of Columbus. For blocks after Franklin Park, there were nice neighborhoods. Then I passed through an older area that has gone downhill over time. Next came a suburban area with offices, new shopping areas, etc. Finally, I was in the countryside.
Granville is nice and small New England-style town--one of the Top Towns in Ohio as far as multiple lists of places to visit. It must have been a wealthy town, because there are so many large houses (blocks and blocks of them) from the 1800s and early 1900s. There is a tiny, but beautiful and nice, downtown that is about 1 1/2 blocks long with one more block off to the side. I walked the streets for a couple of blocks in all directions seeing the houses, the shops, etc.
Granville is also a college town with Denison University located on top of the hill above the downtown area. Denison is similar to Trinity in San Antonio. They have the same enrollments, are both highly ranked among small colleges, both have similar size endowments, both have campuses on hills overlooking the town, etc. Denison has a noticeably diverse student body I observed and then read about online. Up on the hilltop, I parked my car and walked through the major (central) part of the campus.
Back at the apartment in the middle of the afternoon, I finished watching the Danish series (the first 3 seasons of it) Dicte on Netflix; the series expires on Oct. 31. Then at 19:30, I walked over to the High Street to explore the part of it nearest to my apartment. There was only a short section of about two blocks with shops and restaurants. Most of the businesses on High Street are the other direction from where I live, but now I know.
Today was a bit cloudy, but it was still dry. My body was a bit sore from all the walking yesterday. But I had plans and followed through with them.
In the morning, I drove south of downtown to the area of town called the German Village. It is a very quaint area with mostly narrow streets paved with bricks and mostly small houses built close together with the fronts at the sidewalk line and small yards on the sides and in the back and an occasional corner retail spot, each probably a former corner grocery but now a variety of places such as chocolate shops, gift shops, restaurants, etc. It has a European feeling to it and is a very popular neighborhood covering many blocks. I just walked up and down the streets throughout the area and through the local Schiller Park.
From there, I needed to get to Hwy 16 to take me to the small rural town of Granville, but it wasn't easy. So many streets are one-way and so many of those are closed off at various points because of reconstruction of intersections, installation of new under-street infrastructure, etc. At least I knew I needed to go north to Broad Street and turn right. But it took a backtrack or two and some zigzagging to make my way there.
When I did reach Broad Street, I was beside Franklin Park which is surrounded by nice mansions and is the home of the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. I didn't stop, because I had read they are closed temporarily until tomorrow because of some work happening there. If it doesn't rain, maybe I will go there part of tomorrow which will be my last day in Columbus.
Even though it is only 35 miles away, it was a long drive to Granville via Hwy 16, but it gave me a chance to see that part of Columbus. For blocks after Franklin Park, there were nice neighborhoods. Then I passed through an older area that has gone downhill over time. Next came a suburban area with offices, new shopping areas, etc. Finally, I was in the countryside.
Granville is nice and small New England-style town--one of the Top Towns in Ohio as far as multiple lists of places to visit. It must have been a wealthy town, because there are so many large houses (blocks and blocks of them) from the 1800s and early 1900s. There is a tiny, but beautiful and nice, downtown that is about 1 1/2 blocks long with one more block off to the side. I walked the streets for a couple of blocks in all directions seeing the houses, the shops, etc.
Granville is also a college town with Denison University located on top of the hill above the downtown area. Denison is similar to Trinity in San Antonio. They have the same enrollments, are both highly ranked among small colleges, both have similar size endowments, both have campuses on hills overlooking the town, etc. Denison has a noticeably diverse student body I observed and then read about online. Up on the hilltop, I parked my car and walked through the major (central) part of the campus.
Back at the apartment in the middle of the afternoon, I finished watching the Danish series (the first 3 seasons of it) Dicte on Netflix; the series expires on Oct. 31. Then at 19:30, I walked over to the High Street to explore the part of it nearest to my apartment. There was only a short section of about two blocks with shops and restaurants. Most of the businesses on High Street are the other direction from where I live, but now I know.
Wednesday, October 24, 2018
A Big Walking Day
Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018--Columbus
The goal today was to explore a large portion of Columbus. Starting at my apartment, I walked over to High Street and then down it and off to the sides all the way to the end of downtown--to the Franklin County Municipal Court building.
Observations along the way:
On the corner by apartment there were three Bird scooters lined up. So scooters are this far from downtown here. I encountered a few people on scooters during the day, but not as many as I normally encounter in San Antonio.
I walked through the Ohio State University campus. (Well, to be honest, they are as silly about being uppity here as they are at UT in Austin: with the official name being The Ohio State University. Isn't that a sign of trying to overcome an inferiority complex?) Anyway, the campus is not one to recommend to people as a place to see architecture. Almost all buildings from about the 1930s through the early 2000s are rectangular solids (box-shaped), built of bricks--sturdy, but not very attractive and with no ornamentation. There are a few modern attempts of buildings built of glass or metal, but even they are not ones worth a postcard image. Most of the buildings with character and some architectural flourishes are on the Oval, the campus' version of a great lawn. But there are even a few non-special box-like buildings there. Since my interest was strictly architectural, I was disappointed.
High Street runs for miles north and south in this city and is lined with shops, restaurants, apartments, and offices. It is like a multi-mile local shopping, entertainment, living, and working street. It is very urban looking--long blocks of connected buildings rather than long stretches of separated, individual buildings. It makes a nice urban environment for all those living a few blocks from it.
I stopped at The Angry Bakery in the area known as Short North (a popular district between the university and downtown) and bought two pastries--a chocolate babka and an almond croissant. Then I continued a few more blocks before turning off to Goodale Park to sit on a bench by the lake and eat them. Being on the edge of downtown by then, I rested while reading a couple of articles in TIME magazine which arrived before I left on Saturday.
From there, I set off for the rest of downtown. I explored the North Market, a surprisingly successful old market filled with stalls hosting restaurants, bakeries, chocolates, seafood, spices, etc. All but one stall was occupied on the lower floor. Its success is probably greatly attributable to the fact it is only a block from the local convention center.
There are few buildings downtown that attracted me architecturally even though most are the typical office buildings that most cities have--attractive, but bland. But I did enjoy seeing the Leveque Tower and its adjacent Palace Theater, the Ohio Statehouse (capitol which I would have toured if I could have found an entrance, but the tourist entrance was blocked off for installation of new air conditioners), the Ohio Theatre, the Westin Great Southern Columbus Hotel and the adjacent Southern Theater, etc. I explored as far east as Grant Avenue and as far west as Front St.
After all of that, I walked back to the apartment along High Street and then Indianola Street (where the apartment is located). That carried me through the "Greek District," the blocks lined with fraternity houses and possibly some sorority houses.
I was exhausted when I got home. I had been gone about 5 1/2 hours and had been walking about 5 of those. Whew!
The goal today was to explore a large portion of Columbus. Starting at my apartment, I walked over to High Street and then down it and off to the sides all the way to the end of downtown--to the Franklin County Municipal Court building.
Observations along the way:
On the corner by apartment there were three Bird scooters lined up. So scooters are this far from downtown here. I encountered a few people on scooters during the day, but not as many as I normally encounter in San Antonio.
I walked through the Ohio State University campus. (Well, to be honest, they are as silly about being uppity here as they are at UT in Austin: with the official name being The Ohio State University. Isn't that a sign of trying to overcome an inferiority complex?) Anyway, the campus is not one to recommend to people as a place to see architecture. Almost all buildings from about the 1930s through the early 2000s are rectangular solids (box-shaped), built of bricks--sturdy, but not very attractive and with no ornamentation. There are a few modern attempts of buildings built of glass or metal, but even they are not ones worth a postcard image. Most of the buildings with character and some architectural flourishes are on the Oval, the campus' version of a great lawn. But there are even a few non-special box-like buildings there. Since my interest was strictly architectural, I was disappointed.
High Street runs for miles north and south in this city and is lined with shops, restaurants, apartments, and offices. It is like a multi-mile local shopping, entertainment, living, and working street. It is very urban looking--long blocks of connected buildings rather than long stretches of separated, individual buildings. It makes a nice urban environment for all those living a few blocks from it.
I stopped at The Angry Bakery in the area known as Short North (a popular district between the university and downtown) and bought two pastries--a chocolate babka and an almond croissant. Then I continued a few more blocks before turning off to Goodale Park to sit on a bench by the lake and eat them. Being on the edge of downtown by then, I rested while reading a couple of articles in TIME magazine which arrived before I left on Saturday.
From there, I set off for the rest of downtown. I explored the North Market, a surprisingly successful old market filled with stalls hosting restaurants, bakeries, chocolates, seafood, spices, etc. All but one stall was occupied on the lower floor. Its success is probably greatly attributable to the fact it is only a block from the local convention center.
There are few buildings downtown that attracted me architecturally even though most are the typical office buildings that most cities have--attractive, but bland. But I did enjoy seeing the Leveque Tower and its adjacent Palace Theater, the Ohio Statehouse (capitol which I would have toured if I could have found an entrance, but the tourist entrance was blocked off for installation of new air conditioners), the Ohio Theatre, the Westin Great Southern Columbus Hotel and the adjacent Southern Theater, etc. I explored as far east as Grant Avenue and as far west as Front St.
After all of that, I walked back to the apartment along High Street and then Indianola Street (where the apartment is located). That carried me through the "Greek District," the blocks lined with fraternity houses and possibly some sorority houses.
I was exhausted when I got home. I had been gone about 5 1/2 hours and had been walking about 5 of those. Whew!
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
The Last and Best of the Days in Nature on This Trip
Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018--Marietta to Columbus
It was another day wandering through natural areas on back roads--Wayne National Forest, Trimble Wilderness Area, Lake Hope State Park, Zalesky State Forest, Turkey Ridge Wildlife Area, and Hocking Hills State Park. Along the way, I also explored the interesting small town of Nelsonville and the Hocking College campus there. The best was the Hocking Hills State Park where I hiked through the woods on trails going beside a gorge, waterfalls, and a lake. It is truly the most beautiful part of Ohio I have found.
I arrived in Columbus in the afternoon, bought gas and some groceries, and arrived at the apartment I have rented for the next four nights around 16:30. I was tired and stayed inside for the rest of the evening.
It was another day wandering through natural areas on back roads--Wayne National Forest, Trimble Wilderness Area, Lake Hope State Park, Zalesky State Forest, Turkey Ridge Wildlife Area, and Hocking Hills State Park. Along the way, I also explored the interesting small town of Nelsonville and the Hocking College campus there. The best was the Hocking Hills State Park where I hiked through the woods on trails going beside a gorge, waterfalls, and a lake. It is truly the most beautiful part of Ohio I have found.
I arrived in Columbus in the afternoon, bought gas and some groceries, and arrived at the apartment I have rented for the next four nights around 16:30. I was tired and stayed inside for the rest of the evening.
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