Sal Attempts to Visit a Popcorn Museum and a President's House

On the way home from the Midwest Uke Fest, Norma, Sal and I decided to stop in Marion, Ohio.  There is a POPCORN MUSEUM there!  Who could resist such an attraction?  Not me (or Sal)!  Marion is also the location of the Warren G. Harding Home.  Harding may not have been one of the country's most illustrious presidents, but we were open to seeing his house and learning about him.  Anybody who becomes president is bound to have an interesting story -- and we were sure that the Harding Home staff would be full of information to share.

We three travelers drove into Marion and, with the help of our trusty GPS, located the museum.  We got out of the car and approached the door.  Uh-oh.  The museum is open Wednesday-Sunday -- and this was Monday.  Sadly disappointed, we looked longingly through the windows a bit, took a few pictures and started back to the car. 

Argh!  Popcorn denied!

Even though we couldn't go in, the outside of the building was an attractive spot for Sal to pose.

So close, and yet so far...

Norma volunteered to step through the ivy to place Sal on this book, which is located in front of the museum.  (As a librarian, I felt it was necessary to photograph Sal there.)

We realized that it was lunch time (because we were very hungry and had just been deprived of popcorn), so we needed to find a place to eat.  What's the best way to do this?  Ask a local!  At that very moment a young man came walking down the street and I asked him where a good restaurant might be.  He gave us lots of suggestions.  Then I asked him the most important question --  "How do you feel about ukuleles?"  After giving me a brief look -- possibly indicating that he was wondering why he had stopped to talk with this kooky person -- he said that they are okay.  This gave me the opening I needed to bring Sal out and ask him to pose for a photo with her.  He began to strum, so I asked if he was a musician.  He told us that he has been rapping for quite a few years, and has done so with some rather famous folks.   

This gentleman was a good sport to talk to two odd older women about restaurants, ukuleles, and music.  Unfortunately you can't see his multitude of rap-themed tattoos very well -- but you can see Sal, which is the most important thing!

After this conversation, we decided to stop at the Harding Home before lunch, as it was very close to the Popcorn Museum.  We drove over there without getting lost -- thanks to the GPS's ability to navigate the plethora of one-way streets in Marion.  Imagine our chagrin when we found that President Harding's place is also open Wednesday-Sunday!  Our mood brightened when a man who was doing some exterior painting said we could look around the grounds.  The first thing we noticed was a Mobile Voting Booth.  According to the sign near it, "this booth was used in Columbus, Ohio between 1880 and 1940.  Kept in storage most of the year, on election day such booths were towed by horse or tractor to the precinct where they remained for the day."   The door was unlocked and we went inside -- asking for permission from the painting man first, of course.

Sal is ready to vote!  I did some iPhoto manipulation of this shot and really like its old-timey feel.

We walked around the outside of the house to get a few more Sal shots.  I'd love to return to Marion (but not on a Monday or Tuesday) so we could go inside the house -- and the Popcorn Museum, too!

Sal posing on the sundial, with the Harding Home in the background.  Wish we could have gone inside...

It's a Registered National Historic Landmark.  Too bad we couldn't go inside...

Norma strumming Sal on the Hardings' front porch.  You can see the mobile voting booth in the background.

On the way into town we had passed a music store, and decided it would be a good idea to stop there after the Popcorn Museum and Harding Home.  Since many of Marion's streets are one-way, it was a bit of a challenge to find the store again, but we did it.  As is her custom, Sal was a great conversation starter.

Here is Chuck, the proprietor of Musician's 1 Stop introducing Sal to a tiny violin.  Yes, it plays!

Driving home after our unsuccessful attempts to visit two of Marion's attractions, we passed some things I had to get pictures of.  Luckily, my friend Norma is very easy-going, so she didn't mind my daredevil driving as I stopped to take these photos.  Here's the thing.  Sometimes you pass something and think, "I should stop and take a picture of that," but you are in a hurry so you don't stop.  Later you wish you had.  On the way to the Uke Fest, we passed a sign for a town called Texas, and I thought we should stop, but we were rushing to meet our ukulele chums, so we didn't.  On the way back home we passed signs for Cairo and Siam.  As we passed each one, I thought that I should have started taking pictures of these signs back in Texas!  The photos would have added the illusion of national/international travel to Sal's adventures, but alas, we didn't stop.  I think we'll be taking pictures of such signs in the future! 

When I saw this building I swerved quickly off the road to take pictures of it.  Covered in grapevines and obviously unoccupied for some time, I thought it was a perfectly picturesque place for Sal to pose.

Another swerve off the road moment.  When I saw this sign I could not resist!  (Disclaimer:  Sal is not in this picture.  I guess I should have put her on the curb, but I was concentrating on the sign and didn't think of that.)

We took this photo for Ehukai Teves and Lois Hornbostel, who are taking pictures of water towers they pass in their travels.  I don't think there is a good way of including Sal in a water tower shot, but I'll start thinking about it and maybe I'll come up with something!

I hope Norma is willing to come along with Sal and I for more trips in the future!  We sure had fun with her along!