LFS: The Storyteller

©2013 Text & Photos by LeeZard Tuesday August 18 – Ft. Loramie, OH-Latrobe, PA Leaving Ft. Loramie, I drive a variety of Ohio state roads for a few miles each. The landscape is still primarily agricultural and it is still mostly corn. No surprise, not only is corn the biggest crop in America, we are the largest producers in the world. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates the 2013 yield will be 13.8-billion bushels, up from 10.8-billion in 2012. Not unlike Ohio, the many small towns along the way show their age with the classic colonial buildings along their main thoroughfares. There is so much history here. I wish I had time to stop and soak it all up. This was the post-revolutionary “Northwest” as those New Americans began to explore their continent. Not only did they explore and build overland, they built canals to move their goods and they fought Indian Wars to establish new territories. Many of these towns – and their buildings – date from the early-to

©2013 by LeeZard Thursday August 15 – Springfield, IL-Delphi, IN via Monticello, IN My itinerary to date has been delightfully random and intentionally shortsighted. I usually select my next destination a day or two before leaving my current one. I look for smaller cities and towns, do some initial online research on those I like and throw my digital dart at the map. It’s worked very well so far. Yesterday, however, the request line rang and I had to answer; it was my brother Steve. His life is another book entirely but he won’t let me write it. I pressure him relentlessly.  Steve’s story includes his devotion to family, his phony gruff exterior, our shared terrible sense of humor and his generosity to those he loves. He is brother, hero and friend so when he calls and asks me for a very personal favor, one that will divert me more than 100 miles from my planned route, I cannot say no. The drive from Springfield, IL to Monticello, IN is unremarkable. I have little