The Trip to the VA/District Re-Match there will be no three~peat

I got up fairly early yesterday, reason being, I had a long 100+ mile 2 hour trip to the capital city in Columbus for my first visit to the VA Clinic.  Time to begin the switch from regular insurance to the Veterans Administration, before that f**king joke known as Obama Care is forced on us....

I have used the VA for my 6 years of College and Broadcasting School, and for my first home loan, both of those back in the 1970s....I have pretty much avoided the VA since then, and was not really looking forward to putting my health care in their hands....so with that on my mind I headed to C~Bus and the Chalmers P. Wylie Care Center out near the Columbus Airport.

I arrived some 50 minutes early and I have to say, the staff could not have been better or more friendly....they got me in for my "photo shoot" to set up my badge/ID card, then I went upstairs to the 3rd floor and my appointment with Yellow Team #12  ...  Busy at the facility, but I was in by 11:25 for my 11 o'clock appointment...no complaints.  

After talking with nurse, Doctor Hanna and staff, I was sent on my way with a bag of goodies, some home tests to do and send back to the VA, and I was out of there by 12:30 or so....schedule to head back in August, where I will complete the transition to VA from Private Coverage....despite my distrust of bureaucrats(remember I was one for 20 some years} and Government in general, I have no complaints, the service and people were first rate, especially on a day where it seemed every veteran in Central Ohio was there....no complaints at all.

On to Waldo.....

My GGG-Grandfather and his sons and their families moved to Waldo, Ohio, in the early 1850s, two of those sons would end up being my GG~Grandfathers, Solomon and Frederick Houseworth, due to cousins getting hitched....I have spent many hours in Waldo, especially a decade or more ago, when I first was discovering my genealogical roots....the past few years however, I head to Waldo for a different reason....The world famous Bologna Sandwiches at G&R Tavern!

So, heading north out of Columbus, I made my way up US 23 north towards Delaware and then the small berg of Waldo, still with a population of 1000 or so....my Great-Great Grandmother, Ursula Houseworth, was a owner of two large tracts of land in Waldo some 150 or more years ago.  One of those is currently the town park, the other has US 23 running through it....

I stopped at G&R about 1:45 grabbed a cold Miller Lite, and a Baloney Sandwich with sweet pickle and Pepper Jack topping it....add a order of deep fried mushrooms, and another Sandwich to go...I was on my way the back roads to Celina...this trip though the small towns of my ancestors and

surrounding farmlands is always relaxing, I should do it more often.

There will be no 3~peat....

Last year I worked the District at Coldwater, that D4 tournament might have been the best in the state last season...this season, left out of Districts for only the second time in the past 7 season, Garry and I decided to at least take in the first game of the Coldwater District.  The first game of the Semi-Finals would see a rematch of last years championship game...Two time defending D4 State Champions, Minster Wildcats vs the Crestview Knights from Convoy.

3-2 was the final in last years game, with me making the deciding call on a ground ball to shortstop a "bang~bang" force out with the bases loaded....this year Crestview drew into a first round match with the defending champs, it appears to force their hand.  Would Minster toss their staff ACE, who is headed for Ohio State on a Baseball Scholarship, or would they try to save him for a re-match with St Henry{if they won their game} in the championship game?  A week ago St Henry had upset Minster in league play, 8-6, without Minster's ace on the mound....the Minster coach opted to toss his #2 last night, and it bit the Wildcats.  Crestview pounded out 7 first inning runs, Minster was force to use their ace, but it was too

late....Crestview moves on to the finals against St Henry{6-2 winners over Ottoville in the second game}.  Last year, I worked the plate when those teams met in the nightcap of the semi~finals...which ended on a dropped infield fly, lost in the night lights, Crestview won 3-2...tomorrow's game should be a good one.

A busy day ended with us dropping by McSober's Saloon at the Mall, and downing some Blue Moons on Tap and a few wings....all in all, a pretty good day of baseball and some good eating, along with a better than anticipated trip to the VA Clinic in Columbus.

back later>>>>

Photos-The Classic Bologna Sandwich at G&R in Downtown Waldo I like mine with Pepper Jack and Sweet Pickle and a dab of spicy mustard.....home of many of my Ancestors, including "Maish" Houseworth, a cousin, who was the longest living Civil War Veteran from Waldo...living to the ripe old age of 98...the story goes Maish joined the Union in 1861 at 15 years old...he was found out and booted out, but rejoined 2 years later at the legal age of 17...he was the toast of the town in the later year celebrations, and lived until the end days of World War II....Maish, his wife, and a dozen other Houseworth's including one of my GG-Grandmothers, Ursula Houseworth are buried in the Waldo Cemetery.....and finally my view of the District, a bit different from last year when I worked first base in the first semi-final at Coldwater, the plate in game #2, and third base in the championship.....