Department of State employees in between overseas assignments benefit from mandatory home leave, in order to "undergo re-orientation and re-exposure in the United States." The prefix re would indicate that this time would be spent doing things you've already done before. Well, not afraid to stick it to the man, TJ and I used most of our home leave to try new things instead.
After getting our fill of 'Merica with visits to Walmart and Big Lots, we took our consumer ways to Ohio's Amish Country. We started by attending the Kidron Livestock Auction to scope out some potential pigs for a friend (below). Despite their cuteness, we managed not to pick up any porkers for ourselves. We did pick up some things from the outlet section of Lehman's, which is a hardware-store day-trip destination. Indeed, we re-exposed ourselves to livestock and lumber shopping as a traditional family outing.
On our loop back to suburbia, we swung through Millersburg, one of the bigger commercial centers in Amish Country. It is also home, perhaps unexpectedly, to a high-quality microbrewery: Millersburg Brewing Company (left). We had a flight of four tastes in the brewery's tap room (right) before heading next door to Bags Sports Pub, which had its Lot 21 Blonde on tap. This partnership was interesting considering the proximity -- but also because the sports-bar owner is the son of Amish parents. The owner has obviously maintained a connection with the community because there is a special room in the back for the Amish to be separate from the happy-hour heathens, and it was packed.
We had some deliciously greasy all-American burgers at Bags. And we continued to re-orient ourselves to U.S. cuisine during outings that included drinking in public, something we hadn't done in a while. Nobody seemed to gawk when I sipped a glass of La Crescent at Maize Valley Winery in Hartville (left). And of course, we had to wash down our hearty Polish fare (chicken paprikash for me and pork with pierogis for TJ) with mugs of beer at Sokolowskis University Inn in Tremont (right).
Pork played a big role in many of our activities, including one that had been hanging out and waiting for us -- literally -- the whole time we were in ham-free Pakistan. TJ had tried his hand at home curing, and we armed ourselves with hand tools, a hacksaw, to see the fruits of his -- and his family's -- labor (left). The inside marbling looked lovely (right), but the outside moldiness looked suspect, so TJ had some hunks of meat tested. Although no botulism was detected, high bacteria levels indicated a possibility of contamination. So now, unfortunately, we are the proud owners of a pig-leg doorstop. (Personally, I would've preferred a cute little piggy.)
Of course, I also had to re-acquaint myself with my hometown, where there are still plenty of unexplored corners to visit. I played tourist by finally seeing Mansfield's most famous point of interest, the Ohio State Reformatory. TJ and I took advantage of a discounted self-tour during a home show on its grounds and in its warden's quarters. The grounds, quarters, and cellblocks have been filmed in scenes for such American classics as Air Force One, Tango & Cash, and Lil' Wayne music videos (left). Oh, it's also one of the main stops on the Shawshank Trail, a driving tour of 14 filming locations for The Shawshank Redemption. The institution has been featured in many TV shows about the supernatural (Ghost Hunters, Ghost Adventures, etc.) and offers occasional ghost hunts. I didn't see any ghosts during our visit, but still, I found the old toilets plenty scary (right).
Some people consider Downtown Mansfield pretty scary, too. But I was happy to see it coming into its own. In our continuing celebration of the States' culinary ethnic diversity, we ate a Hungarian hot pepper salad at Uncle John's Place on the square (left). While we dined, the flakes started falling (right), so we ducked into Relax It's Just Coffee in the Carrousel District for an after-meal drink. We would've preferred to warm up with a drink from the new Phoenix Brewing Company around the corner, but it hadn't quite opened for business yet. Like with everything else, I blame the long winter for the delay.
By the time we got to the DC area, where we will be for a while for training, winter seemed to be gone. If the pink buds weren't proof enough (left), then the huge crowds at the National Cherry Blossom Festival definitely were. In case you can't tell, there are lots of blooming branches behind those teeming throngs (right). Despite the years we've lived in the area on and off, this was the first time I braved the crowds to see the trees, and it was worth it.
