Back in the beginning of October 2016 we stopped by a place I wanted to photograph on what I thought was going to be a quiet Sunday morning.  At about 11 am we rolled into an area of south/central Ohio once known as Moonville.  Now if you are interested in history or fascinated by things that go bump in the night I am sure you have heard of the Moonville Tunnel.  I was excited as we arrived in the area and hoping to grab some quick images and be on our way –that is not what happened.
I was sad to see as we pulled up quite a few people milling about- not exactly my expectations for this photography jaunt.  We were here and I was bound and determined to still get my images so we casually walked up to see what was going on, much to our surprise it was a dedication of the Neal Shaw Memorial Bridge.  The ceremony was a very nice one and it was great to see people so passionate about the Moonville Rail Trail.  Apparently Mr. Shaw had worked diligently to see this project come to fruition only to pass away before the bridge was completed.
There is quite a bit of folklore that surrounds this tunnel, who the ghosts are, why they died –lots of rumors and stories.  Some stories state the ghost is Frank Lawhead an engineer that was killed in a head on train vs. train collision in 1880.  We did not see a ghostly figure carrying a lantern-just a few orbs and some unexplained glare and focusing problems.  There were also a few odd unexplained noises in the tunnel itself, otherwise the trip was uneventful.  The only thing left of the town we could see were some old telegraph poles.  I look forward to heading back to Moonville to really explore this area, maybe find some old foundations and the cemetery.  It is hard to believe that nestled in the middle of nowhere was a bustling little coal town.  Maybe I can convince Mr. Trent to head back down in early Spring.

​After a couple weeks of bitter cold single digit temperatures we are now in a bit of a thaw, which made it a perfect morning to get Mya out for a walk.  I decided on the longer walk today-my body didn’t feel like it but my mind did.  Temps in the mid 30’s with lots of moisture in the air made it a bit more challenging.  There was just a hint of ice glaze on everything.  The first bit of the walk is always crazy with cars moving in and out of businesses on a busy main street-but then the reward -a quiet street with large houses that leads to a wooded area that we cut through.  As I walk down this street I think of my 8 year old self, with my Mom, at her friend’s house picking apples.  The sweet smell fills my memory as does the taste of that homemade applesauce that would come from those tart apples.  I walk on turning quickly -ducking between two houses knowing with anticipation this is our favorite part.  The lock on Mya’s lead is released and she delightfully romps and smells all the animals that have moved through the area this morning.  I let out a deep sigh and breathe in the sweet smell of pines and wood smoke.  I take a moment, there isn’t a soul around us, if it wasn’t for the drone of traffic from the highway seeping down between the trees I would think we were far away from civilization-and this is what I imagine.  The birds sing their winter songs but the mild air reminds me slightly of spring-I know that is months away but I let my imagination go.  This was a much needed break. We move slowly on.  The hazy ball of the winter sun glows low in the sky behind the large oak trees-which look almost as if they would bend down and scoop us up with their knurly branches.  Not in a scary way, but comforting as if to say “right now, in this second, in your world, everything is ok.” As we approach another road I know the end of my quiet time is near and reality will be waiting as I pass between two bushes.