The Harding Home On June 21, 2001, the first solar eclipse of the 21st century occurred, and the best place in the world to view the event was Zambia. What were the odds that I would be teaching in Africa -- in Zambia -- at that time? I usually am not a person who finds himself in the right place at the right time. But, on this occasion, it happened. Everyone at school was given their special glasses. Parents, children, teachers, staff, friends, and administration gathered on campus to watch the moon pass in front of the sun. It was every bit as incredible as the hype. However, since I'd already witnessed this event in Zambia, I wasn't as excited as many people were about the recent eclipse across the United States.
I didn't get a T-shirt, although there were many to choose from.
Columbus, Ohio, was just outside of the area for a 100% viewing of the event. If you wanted the total eclipse, you had to go west, just a little bit. I called up my aunt, who lives on a farm, directly under the projected path of the sun. Was she up for a visit from her favorite nephew? (My description, not hers.) Of course, she was! So, I headed to Marion County to see my aunt and the eclipse. The National Weather Service said the best weather for viewing was in New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine, as well as New Brunswick and Newfoundland. Ohio was rather cloudy, with one giant cloud stretched across the sky. But, I tested things well in advance. Once you put on the eclipse glasses, the sun was clearly visible. It was the only thing visible.
I wasn't the only person willing to drive an hour to witness this event. Traffic was the most congested I've ever seen heading out of Columbus on Rt. 23. That's the way I go home to see family. I've been on it hundreds of times over the years. I'd never seen anything like it before with bumper to bumper traffic.
I didn't get a T-shirt, although there were many to choose from.
Columbus, Ohio, was just outside of the area for a 100% viewing of the event. If you wanted the total eclipse, you had to go west, just a little bit. I called up my aunt, who lives on a farm, directly under the projected path of the sun. Was she up for a visit from her favorite nephew? (My description, not hers.) Of course, she was! So, I headed to Marion County to see my aunt and the eclipse. The National Weather Service said the best weather for viewing was in New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine, as well as New Brunswick and Newfoundland. Ohio was rather cloudy, with one giant cloud stretched across the sky. But, I tested things well in advance. Once you put on the eclipse glasses, the sun was clearly visible. It was the only thing visible.
I wasn't the only person willing to drive an hour to witness this event. Traffic was the most congested I've ever seen heading out of Columbus on Rt. 23. That's the way I go home to see family. I've been on it hundreds of times over the years. I'd never seen anything like it before with bumper to bumper traffic.
The Harding Memorial Bird One in Marion County While visiting Marion, Ohio, I thought it was a good time to kill two birds with one stone . . . or eclipse. Nobody should go to Marion without visiting the Harding Home and Harding Memorial. Yep, Marion, Ohio, was the home of the 29th president of the United States, Warren G. Harding. He was the first president elected after women won the right to vote. Honestly, I lived in Marion County before the Internet. I never researched the guy. I always heard that when the U.S. Presidents were ranked, Warren G. was at the bottom of the pile. Of course, now there is an entirely different debate over who is the worst president in our history. And, either way you choose to vote, there is a very good chance that you believe the worst president in our history is running in the next election. I certainly have my opinion, as I'm sure you do as well.
The Harding Memorial, next to the Marion Cemetery, may well be the most elegant presidential burial site in the country. I can't honestly say I've been to any others, but it is just so very beautiful. However, on this day of the solar eclipse, many people chose it as their destination of choice for the viewing. I must say, it hadn't occurred to me. Seriously, who would go to a cemetery? But, there was no parking available. I had to go back for a visit later in the day when the moon and the sun no longer were showing off the spectacle above us.
I drove on to the Harding Home.
I love homes built in the mid to late 1800's. Ohio has so many of them, and the Harding Home, built in 1890, is a lovely Queen Anne Style house. Typical features of that style include wrap-around porches; an asymmetrical façade; overhanging eaves; round, square, or polygonal towers; second story porches or balconies; leaded windows and monumental chimneys. You see a lot of that at the Harding Home, but my favorite feature is the round sitting area on the front porch.
Harding owned the local newspaper, The Marion Star, and was very familiar and popular with the press. He ran much of his presidential campaign from that very porch. The strategy worked for him because he garnered 60% of the popular vote come election day.
His time in office as president was only for 29 months. He died of a heart attack while on a tour of the U.S. West Coast. While he was president, he was actually fairly popular. His reputation slid after his death. Warren placed friends from Ohio in some key government positions. They may have been loyal to the president, but that didn't stop bribery and corruption scandals that were to follow. His Secretary of the Interior, Albert Fall, was the first former cabinet member whose crimes in office got him sent to prison. On top of that, word got out about two women back in Marion who had affairs with the president. One of those affairs lasted 15 years! So, he might have died popular, but now you have a hint about why his reputation is at the bottom of the pile . . . or next to last.
The Harding Memorial, next to the Marion Cemetery, may well be the most elegant presidential burial site in the country. I can't honestly say I've been to any others, but it is just so very beautiful. However, on this day of the solar eclipse, many people chose it as their destination of choice for the viewing. I must say, it hadn't occurred to me. Seriously, who would go to a cemetery? But, there was no parking available. I had to go back for a visit later in the day when the moon and the sun no longer were showing off the spectacle above us.
I drove on to the Harding Home.
I love homes built in the mid to late 1800's. Ohio has so many of them, and the Harding Home, built in 1890, is a lovely Queen Anne Style house. Typical features of that style include wrap-around porches; an asymmetrical façade; overhanging eaves; round, square, or polygonal towers; second story porches or balconies; leaded windows and monumental chimneys. You see a lot of that at the Harding Home, but my favorite feature is the round sitting area on the front porch.
Harding owned the local newspaper, The Marion Star, and was very familiar and popular with the press. He ran much of his presidential campaign from that very porch. The strategy worked for him because he garnered 60% of the popular vote come election day.
His time in office as president was only for 29 months. He died of a heart attack while on a tour of the U.S. West Coast. While he was president, he was actually fairly popular. His reputation slid after his death. Warren placed friends from Ohio in some key government positions. They may have been loyal to the president, but that didn't stop bribery and corruption scandals that were to follow. His Secretary of the Interior, Albert Fall, was the first former cabinet member whose crimes in office got him sent to prison. On top of that, word got out about two women back in Marion who had affairs with the president. One of those affairs lasted 15 years! So, he might have died popular, but now you have a hint about why his reputation is at the bottom of the pile . . . or next to last.
Eclipse in Marion County, Ohio Bird Two in Marion County On the drive to my aunt's farm, it was interesting to see where people decided to set up camp to watch the eclipse. Any place with an open view of the sky was fair game for picking. I saw people at cemeteries, schools, playgrounds, parks, back yards, and intersections. I selected a very quiet spot with my aunt and another cousin in her driveway.
The whole process of the eclipse was much longer than you might expect. From the moment the moon first passed in front of the sun until it entirely was on the other side took about an hour. But, the big moment, the total maximum blockage, was for a mere four minutes.
It was interesting to watch as the daylight faded away. Even with just a tiny sliver of the sun showing at the edge of the eclipse, the planet had a good amount of sunshine. But, when the eclipse was at its fullest, it was noticeably darker. It wasn't total nighttime darkness. But, looking up at the sun through my protective glasses, everything was black. Those lenses did their job to filter out the sun. It was totally dark with no sun to be seen.
About that time, I thought I should grab my phone for a picture. I raced back to my car. When I looked up at the total eclipse -- without my protective lenses! -- there was a lovely corona visible around the sun. I know, you aren't supposed to look at the sun, but the sun wasn't visible! All three of us took off our glasses for that brief moment in time. None of us are blind today! So, even though nobody told us about it, that was a great time to take the glasses off. It would have been terrible to miss the beauty of that moment.
We stayed out in the driveway for most of the hour. Eventually, we decided it was time to go in for a drink. My auntie had my drink of choice. You may never have heard of Vernor's Ginger Ale, but my grandfather always had that on hand. He served up Vernor's floats with Neapolitan ice cream. So, I drank some ginger ale in memory of my grandpa.
My aunt and I played several rounds of Aggravation. I've played this with siblings and cousins where nobody ever shows anyone any kind of mercy whatsoever! You can't be aggravated if everyone is sweet in this game. My aunt was too sweet to aggravate me. So, there was no way that I could be mean to her. It was the sweetest series of Aggravation games that I have ever played. She still whooped me! I am not meant to be a gambler. I am terrible with dice. She didn't need to be mean to me in that game and she still won almost every time.
When I thought I had given traffic enough time to clear out from all parts in western Ohio including my aunt's farm, I headed my way for Columbus once again. So much for well-made plans on my part! It was the worst traffic I'd ever seen going to Columbus as well. Okay, so the driving wasn't that great, but I hope everyone had a lovely eclipse day like I did.
The whole process of the eclipse was much longer than you might expect. From the moment the moon first passed in front of the sun until it entirely was on the other side took about an hour. But, the big moment, the total maximum blockage, was for a mere four minutes.
It was interesting to watch as the daylight faded away. Even with just a tiny sliver of the sun showing at the edge of the eclipse, the planet had a good amount of sunshine. But, when the eclipse was at its fullest, it was noticeably darker. It wasn't total nighttime darkness. But, looking up at the sun through my protective glasses, everything was black. Those lenses did their job to filter out the sun. It was totally dark with no sun to be seen.
About that time, I thought I should grab my phone for a picture. I raced back to my car. When I looked up at the total eclipse -- without my protective lenses! -- there was a lovely corona visible around the sun. I know, you aren't supposed to look at the sun, but the sun wasn't visible! All three of us took off our glasses for that brief moment in time. None of us are blind today! So, even though nobody told us about it, that was a great time to take the glasses off. It would have been terrible to miss the beauty of that moment.
We stayed out in the driveway for most of the hour. Eventually, we decided it was time to go in for a drink. My auntie had my drink of choice. You may never have heard of Vernor's Ginger Ale, but my grandfather always had that on hand. He served up Vernor's floats with Neapolitan ice cream. So, I drank some ginger ale in memory of my grandpa.
My aunt and I played several rounds of Aggravation. I've played this with siblings and cousins where nobody ever shows anyone any kind of mercy whatsoever! You can't be aggravated if everyone is sweet in this game. My aunt was too sweet to aggravate me. So, there was no way that I could be mean to her. It was the sweetest series of Aggravation games that I have ever played. She still whooped me! I am not meant to be a gambler. I am terrible with dice. She didn't need to be mean to me in that game and she still won almost every time.
When I thought I had given traffic enough time to clear out from all parts in western Ohio including my aunt's farm, I headed my way for Columbus once again. So much for well-made plans on my part! It was the worst traffic I'd ever seen going to Columbus as well. Okay, so the driving wasn't that great, but I hope everyone had a lovely eclipse day like I did.
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