Tuesday 13 October 2009

Monday 12th October 2009 - Across Rural Ohio

          The United States is a pretty empty place, despite the huge population.  Once you're away from the cities and the interstates, there's not a lot there.  Glasgow Columbiana County Ohio is a long way from any interstate.  Even Dulcie will not be able to devise a way to get there without using country roads.  And it's only about fifty miles from Glasgow Tuscarawas County, so it's not going to be much of a trip.  (Surprisingly, it's only about twenty miles from Glasgow Beaver County Pennsylvania, so I'd better be careful I don't end up in the wrong place.)
          I like to think I'm very observant, but, actually, I'm not much interested in scenery.  And on the 'Blue Highways' (as William Heat-Moon called them), there's really not much time to take my eyes off the road.  But the hilltops are still tree covered, and, although not many of the leaves are falling yet, the trees are turning to red and gold (those that change, that is, not the evergreens).  And what the hills look like is a sort of foam, with each bubble a different shade of red, or yellow, or green.  I think there must be a wide variety of different species to have this effect.  But I'm not that interested: in my head, I design a range of toiletries called "Autumn Foam" all the packaging, clours, smells, TV advertising.
 
          It's election time here.  As we pass through the little towns, I am exhorted to vote for all sorts of things.  But not the things I'm used to.  Here I can get to vote for village trustees, school board commissioners, even judges.  There are no claims of party alliegence, not even with colours.  Many of the boards seem home-made.
          I'm also, disconcertingly, invited to vote for "Two".  That seems a bit late to me.  I'm not sure whether the vote is village, township, county, or state-wide, but I don't see how they can get by without it if the rest of us keep  using it. 
          I'm reminded of a Hypnotist I saw on TV many years ago.  He managed to persuade one of his subjects that there was no 'nine'.  She quite haappily counted up to ten without using it.  The he asked her to count her fingers.  When she got to ten, with one finger left, she was exquisitely non-plussed.  She knew she had ten fingers, but the evidence of her eyes was telling her something else.  I hope they vote for it.  Save them a lot of trouble.
 
          I've asked Dulcie to take me to the co-ordinates the US Geological Survey provided, and, as she tells me I'm getting close, up pops a sign I'm getting used to:
[n0264]
 
The last Glasgow had a Scottish flag at its centre.  This one, rather surprisingly, has an Irish one
[n0265]
I wonder what the explanation for that will turn out to be.

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