hocking hills

Shadyside Haiku of High Praise

Mary

Marsh Hollow attracts the best and most talented guests. Recently, Debbie and Denny stayed with us at our beautiful Shadyside Cabin. Debbie was inspired to write a poem:

Shadyside Haiku of High Praise
 
Shadyside Cabin
Is a true woodland icon
A pristine retreat
 
Nestled by the creek
Offering peace & quiet
A haven for man
 
Hot tub bubbling near
Wood floors beneath your bare feet
Beams soaring o’erhead
 
Soft strains of music
Decorated in fine taste
Expertly designed
 
The place is perfect
My husband wants to live here
For eternity
 
I’ll miss him.


Another Level I Snow Emergency in the Hocking Hills

Mary
Pinewood cabin at Marsh Hollow

The Hocking county sheriff just announced a Level I snow emergency. There are only  few inches of snow, but township roads like ours are very hilly, curvy and only slowly plowed or sanded. We are lucky to be so close to a well-maintained county road and state highway.

New snow is so beautiful. I think it adds more romance to a weekend in the Hocking Hills. It’s usually very quiet and peaceful. While I was out getting the hot tub ready for this weekend’s guests, I listened to softly played classical music on our outdoor speakers. It didn’t bother the birds at the birdfeeder at all.

Birds are extra active when snow covers the ground. They also love the corn we put out for the deer. That usually draws in the bluejays – bold, noisy critters! In the photo on the left, a male cardinal is sitting on the feeder tray. Mrs. Cardinal is not in the shot, but she’s just off to the left. On the right side of the suet cake, a male red-bellied woodpecker is ready for his snack. On the left of the suet, a tufted titmouse has his/her rear end pointed at the camera.

I took this picture through the cabin living room window. I wish I had taken my Canon Rebel with me instead of the little pocket camera. Some of our guests have taken amazing pictures of wildlife they’ve seen at the cabin. I just don’t have the skills yet.

Mary at Marsh Hollow

Breakfast at Jack’s Steakhouse

Mary

Dave and I have had quite a few dinners over the years at Jack’s, especially when brother Rob and sister-in-law Deb would visit. Rob loves this place, and that may be an understatement. For dinner, this is your basic, local steakhouse. Nothing fancy here, and even Rob will admit that it was better when the actual Jack owned the place. In my opinion, it has really improved since indoor smoking in restaurants was banned. I am usually not that sensitive to smoke, but this restaurant was just a haze of smoke, even the nonsmoking section. Really ruined my appetite which is hard to do. But those smokey days are long gone.

Anyway, Rob and Deb like to have breakfast at Jack’s when they are in the Hills. Since we needed to be out and about this morning, we decided to have breakfast there. In the daytime, the restaurant is a much cheerier place than at dinner time. There was a good size crowd, a mix of locals and a couple of vacationing families. Service was just a little slow, but friendly and attentive once it started. Dave and I both had steak and eggs, but while he had hash browns, I had grits. Our “breakfast steaks” were thin, but quite good. The over easy eggs were the best I’ve ever had. Perfectly runny yolk, white cooked through but not browned or lacy. We both ordered the excellent sourdough toast, but could have had white, wheat or rye.

So after all these years I have to admit my big brother is right: Jack’s Steakhouse is a great place to have breakfast in the Hocking Hills.

Jack’s Steakhouse
35770 Hocking Dr.
Logan OH
http://www.jacks-steakhouse.com

– Mary at Marsh Hollow

Location:Logan OH

Wildflower: Golden Ragwort

Mary
photo of golden ragwort
Senecio aureus

I was trying to be arty for the Shoot the Hills competition with this shot of golden ragwort along the Marsh Hollow creek. That’s the bridge to our hillside trail in the background. From April to July, visitors to the Hocking Hills will see clusters of golden ragwort plants in wet ground, low woods, swamps and meadows, and especially along our many forested roads in Hocking County.

This ragwort is native to North America and can be distinguished from a lot of look-alike plants because it blooms much earlier than they do (always helpful for us amateur wildflower enthusiasts who get excited about a wildflower find only to discover that it doesn’t bloom until August). Another helpful tip for identification is that the basal leaves are heart-shaped, long-stemmed and often reddish beneath. I had to pull away a thick layer of leaves to find this plant’s basal leaves.

WebMD has an interesting write-up about the medicinal uses of golden ragwort, which include diabetes, high blood pressure, fluid retention & pain during childbirth. After reading the side effects, especially effects on the liver, I think I’ll give it a pass.

At this time of year, Marsh Hollow has a beautiful display of wildflowers, making April and May two of the most beautiful months of the year.

December in the Hocking Hills

Mary

Click on the title link to discover all the wonderful things to do in the Hocking Hills this December. Ice skating, cookie classes, parades, and much more. We’re going to try to hike the Lake Hope Holiday Trail of Lights this weekend. Note: that some events in this link are in the past. We’ll post a new link later this week.

Hocking HIlls Ash Cave Fire Tower now open

Mary

Dave and I hiked the Ash Cave to Cedar Falls trail yesterday evening, perfect day for a late afternoon/early evening hike. We saw exactly 2 people on the trail. Well, we saw them twice, once on the way out and once on the way back, but they were still just 2 people. The forest was absolutely lovely in the late day sun, and our tranquility was complete, except for those 2 people! By the way, this trail is 3 miles long, so a total of 6 to get back to the parking area.

We were thrilled to see that the Ash Cave Fire Tower is now open to climb. It’s located on this trail, but also accessible from a parking area at the corner of State Route 374 and Chapel Ridge Road. Built in 1934, the tower is 80 feet tall and you can see far and wide from the top. We were a little concerned about the fragility of some of the platforms at the end of each flight of steps. They appear to be the original wood. While most of the steps have been replaced, it’s obvious some of the platform boards are really, really old. In fact, on the first platform, two boards have fallen or been kicked off. I’ll report to Forestry today.

Laurelville Old Time Fireman’s Festival

Mary

TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY – 86th Annual Fireman’s Old Time Festival in Laurelville; entertainment, rides, fish fry, parade all in the streets of Laurelville

FRIDAY – Talent Show at 5:30pm; Black Water Run bluegrass band at 8pm; midway opens at 6:30pm.

SATURDAY – baby contest at 10am; kid’s big wheel race at noon; midway “matinee” from 1 to 5pm – all rides are one price; Queen’s Tea at 3pm; Adelphi Community Band at 4:30pm; Grand Parade at 6pm; Ohio’s most expensive cake auction at 9pm; square dancing at 9:45pm; Rt 56 & 180 in Laurelville.

We love the fish fry and will visit for multiple meals. And the local church ladies have a pie booth with the best pies ever. Buy by the slice or a whole pie.

Visit us on facebook

Mary

Marsh Hollow has a page on facebook now. I’ve been having a good time with the whole facebook thing (connecting with friends and family) and decided Marsh Hollow needed to be up to date too. Since the page is only 2 days old, there’s not much there, but hopefully we collect some fans and reviews. Click on the picture below to see what it’s all about.

Marsh Hollow
Marsh Hollow: Your Hocking Hills Vacation Log Cabin's Facebook Page

There’s No Place Like Home Dog Boarding/Day Care

Mary

There’s No Place Like Home offers a great alternative to standard dog boarding, specifically a lot of attention and personalized services, and all in the beautiful Hocking Hills.

Recently, Dave and I went on our own almost 2 week vacation. While our ancient dog, Juice, “boarded” with my son and daughter-in-law, we decided to board Mac & Bode at There’s No Place Like Home. Of course, I checked it out first and knew from the moment I met the proprietor, Anne, that the boys would be well cared for. The facility is located about 20 minutes from our home, and is even closer to U.S. 33. It includes a large outdoor playground with toys and structures to climb on, an indoor play area, as well as a separate room for the kennels. Mac & Bode were lucky enough to be assigned to the “family” kennel, which was definitely large enough for two large dogs (and Bode is extra-large).

When we picked them up at the end of their stay, there was none of the usual crazy excitement to get out of the kennel. They looked great and acted so normal you would never know they’d been in a kennel for 2 weeks. Of course, Anne and her husband gave them so much attention, it appears they didn’t even miss us. Plus, they got complimentary baths, which probably was not on either of their “must have” lists!

There’s No Place Like Home also offers dog day care. Both services, boarding and day care, are offered at several levels so you can choose as much attention that you want your dog to have. Prices vary for this.

If you are vacationing in the Hocking Hills, and don’t have a pet friendly cabin like Marsh Hollow, No Place Like Home would be a great place to take your dog. You could keep Fido with you on the trails, then take him to the kennel for the night.

Visit www.tnplh.org for more information or e-mail Anne at anne@tnplh.org.