Old Mans Cave Chalets

I'll Be Your Mirror London: the DiS review 29 Jul 12:07

So ATP had a new festival and Mike Diver and Andrzej Lukowski were there to document it. Here are their words.

Why it took ATP until I’d lived south of the river for four years before hosting a festival-shaped event in what was once my back garden, give or take a couple of blocks, is beyond me. Needless to say, if I was still a local to Alexandra Palace – built in the late nineteenth century as a 'people’s palace' and once home to the BBC (hence the almighty radio tower that rises into the sky) – then enjoying everything that the inaugural I’ll Be Your Mirror had to offer would have been no problem. But with a lengthy journey ahead of me, I have to cut my experience slightly short.

In other words: expect to read about Portishead in Sunday’s report, as I barely caught any of them before my phone began vibrating, reminding me that it was about time I pointed myself towards home.

If that sounds like a cop-out, then you’ve got me red-handed. In tried-and-tested (and regretted) ATP style, I arrive on site and immediately gravitate towards a bar. Any bar. As it happens, this one is stocked with one variety of lager and no ale. Fair, thinks me. I’ll try something else later. Of course, other brands are in short supply (read: unavailable), and inevitably once darkness has descended I’m already a paper cup full of Spanish fizz beyond stringing any kind of coherent sentence together. At ‘regular’ ATP, I’d wander back to my chalet, crash out for a bit, and return fired up for late-night frivolity. But that’s not an option here, so it’s with disappointment gurgling in my gut – that’s what I’m putting that racket down to, anyway – that I have to skip while ‘The Rip’ (plus its animated visuals) reminds all in attendance of just how brilliant this event’s curators are. Somebody, somewhere else on the ‘net, wrote something along the lines of 'more relevant than ever'. Perhaps on Twitter, on the night. I forget. But I agree.

The Bristolians’ bill is impressive. It’s true that, just as when the trio played alt-pop-pickers at ATP back in December 2007, Invada Records perhaps gets a little too much attention – the most striking aspect of Thought Forms , for example, is one member’s denim shorts and no shoes combo, as their music is unremarkable drone. (And I say this knowing that I tried to book them for a gig once.

Hocking Hills offers cool relaxation to Travelers « Writing of ...

My husband and I are returning for vacation to a favorite spot – Hocking Hills, Ohio. Located 45 minutes southeast of Columbus, it is a definite “green” spot – Logan County boasts 8 State Parks! Check out these caves and rock formations! I’ll be writing another travel story about the area for a newspaper, including a highly unusual (for me) activity that I’ll participate in. Hint: I’m going to challenge my fear of heights. Stay tuned for more!

Hocking Hills,Ohio

If there is a quieter spot in theMidwestthan on the porch of Coyote Chalet perched on the top of a hill in Hocking Co,Ohio, I believe it has yet to be found.    

Surrounded by woods to the back and hills that drop away from view in the front, only the chirp of crickets and barely audible sounds of children at a neighboring chalet reaches my ears.

Coyote Chalet is part of Old Man’s Cave Chalets, which are located throughoutHockingCounty, one hour southeast ofColumbus,Ohio. Hocking County, a four-hour drive from Fort Wayne, is like a step back in time with its tranquil rolling hills, small towns, and friendly people.

Logan, the heart ofHockingCounty, has an amazing array of interesting places, including one place listed in the 2006 Rand-McNally Road Map’s list of “Best of the Road.”

One of those is The Columbus Washboard Factory, the only remaining one of its kind in theUS.  Jacqui Barnett and her husband bought the factory and moved it toLoganfromColumbus,OH, in 1999. Visitors can walk through the factory at no charge and watch how washboards are constructed in as quick as 45 seconds! The world’s largest washboard – 24 feet tall — hangs on the outside of the factory.

The Columbus Washboard Factory sells 30,000 washboards each year with clients on nearly every continent, including Madagascar, Spain, New Zealand, Australia, and Japan. Many of Barnett’s customers are musicians who use washboards as instruments. They are among thousands who come to Loganeach June to participate in The Washboard Jazz Festival ( http://www.columbuswashboard.com/festival.htm ).

Ohio is one of three states that does not charge an admittance fee to any of its state parks. With this economical advantage as well as the beauty of the area to entice them, nearly four million people visit 2,000-acre Hocking Hills State Park annually. It is one of Logan County’s eight state parks.

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