My Life as a Museum

 Friday-Saturday, May 6-7, 2022

Today started out rainy. VERY rainy. And almost all day continued getting wetter and wetter. But somehow, we were very lucky. The rain let up while we drove into town, filled the RV with gas, and hooked up. From there we went straight to the Zanesville Art Museum to finally get inside and see the pottery collection.

Roseville and More Roseville

The collection lived up to its billing-- it was fantastic. SO much Roseville, as well as Weller, Owens, and other examples of the Zanesville pottery industry. We ooohed and aaaahed at the gorgeous glazes and examples of all kinds of shapes and techniques of pottery decoration. Joe said that seeing all the examples of Roseville made him more impressed with MY collection--I actually have two exact pieces which are on display in the museum! We really loved seeing it all.

I own 2 of these!

The rest of the museum, while not large, was also very enjoyable. There was a special photography exhibit by an Ohio photographer which we thought was excellent. There is a nice collection of art from various periods--a little bit of everything, really. It’s a small city and a small museum, but extremely well done and well worth the couple of hours we spent there.

Before leaving, we almost took a vase home with us! It turned out that we had noticed in the back of the museum there was a large painted vase in the vicinity of the back door, looking very forlorn and unloved. We surmised that it was one of the 7' vases we’d looked for yesterday, part of “Vasehenge.” We asked the man at the front desk as we were leaving what had happened to the Vasehenge display downtown, and he said the vases had become so decrepit that they had been taken down, because they couldn’t be saved. He added, “We have one of them out back.” So we were right! We asked what they were planning to do with it, and he said, probably throw it away. So we said we wanted it! He wasn’t sure what the plans were, but he took my name and number so they could get in touch with us about it.

We went back to the RV for some lunch, but about 10 minutes later, there was a knock on our door. A young woman working at the museum said, “The man at the desk told me you were interested in taking the big vase outside--was that a serious inquiry?” We said yes, it was (with Joe adding, “Uh oh!”) So I went with her to look at it more closely. She said they had been “trying to find someone to take it for a while.” Joe and I both thought it would be cool to bring it home, renovate it somehow (perhaps asking Beth to repaint it) and put it outside the house as a piece of sculpture.

Alas, I had to let my common sense overrule my heart this time. The vase was, indeed, about 7 feet tall, and dilapidated. There were chunks of plaster chipped out and the paint surface was significantly peeled. The plaster where the paint had come off had also started flaking off. That part didn’t bother me so much--I thought it could be sanded down to get all the old peeling paint out of the way, replastered, and repainted. The problem was the SIZE. It was simply too big for us to manage. I could not figure out any way to do it. It was too big for inside the Jeep (especially with the spare tire in the back) and the only way to take it in the RV, assuming the diameter wasn’t too wide for the door, was to let it take up our entire living space for the next week. I thought that would be a little bit too much--we would have to climb over it or squeeze around it constantly. As we ate lunch, we discussed putting it on the roof of the Jeep. But, it was so heavy (undoubtedly 100 pounds or more) and I couldn’t imagine how we’d get it up there and secure it. Sadly, we had to leave it for some other fool(s) who might want to rescue it.

Roseville Olympic

We left the museum after lunch, and drove for a couple of hours on I-70 to Buck Creek State Park. It rained on and off as we drove, but the heavy rain (and some lightning) arrived just as we were arriving at our destination. I scooted quickly into the office to register, and miraculously, the rain let up just then to let us unhook the Jeep before heading for our campsite. It began to rain again just as Joe was hooking up the electricity, so we curled up inside our little den and listened to the rain hammering on the roof for hours. At some point we had some dinner; I was deep into my book and I think Joe was reading and dozing on and off. Cassie was curled up by the bed too. And that was how our day ended-- LOTS and LOTS of rain. There was some pause around 11pm, so we walked Cassie then, and went to sleep as the pounding rain started up again.

Saturday: We woke up to a very wet campground, but at least the rain had stopped. However, the sky was heavily gray and it was quite chilly. We dressed in several layers, thinking how cold it seemed for May. I felt bad for the campers who had tents-- they looked pitiful. Most of us are in RVs though. The park is enormous, with a huge reservoir for boating and fishing, walking paths, and all kinds of amenities. But the weather certainly wasn’t great for enjoying them.

However, we are not huge outdoor enthusiasts anyway (except for Cassie). My day was spent antiquing. I left Joe and Cassie at about 10am and drove to the Heart of Ohio Antique Mall. I spent hours there, but wasn’t hugely inspired by the choices of Roseville I found. I had a small list of items i was interested in, but nothing made me jump for joy. I had some lunch at their small snack bar, then went out and drove 2 miles down the I-70 to the Springfield Antique Malls 1 & 2; yes, TWO huge buildings full of MORE antique dealers. The first one was a bust, but the second one had quite a bit, including a wall pocket for my collection at a very good price. There were also some more expensive items I was interested in, but I decided to wait, think about them, and come back tomorrow morning--I was very tired, and felt as if I wasn’t at my best.

I went back to Heart of Ohio, where I had left one piece that I thought was interesting and a good price, and before I bought it, I went back to look at the pieces I had been considering. I suddenly found a pedestal which I thought would be perfect for the new jardiniere Aimee got me for my birthday. I took a photo of it and sent it to Beth, who agreed it would work. By that time, the place was starting to close. So I decided the pedestal, too, could wait for the morning. I bought the piece I had had put aside earlier in the day, and drove back to Joe.

Joe, meanwhile, had spent the day with Cassie taking walks, resting, and just hanging out. He said they had a wonderful time! He made us a lovely steak dinner while I told him about my adventures, and he approved both my purchases and the idea of the pedestal for tomorrow. It’s made by Weller, not Roseville, but as it happens I have always liked these large Weller pieces. It should look quite attractive with my new jardiniere standing on it.

We finished the evening by listening to the Nava Tehila concert on the Anshe Emeth live feed. Now Joe’s asleep, and I am going to upload this blog. I hope I can get the photos of the museum up to go with it. Tomorrow, our plan is to leave here, stop at the Heart of Ohio right down the road again for the pedestal, and then head up to Delaware to our next Boondockers Welcome anchorage. The drive isn’t more than a couple of hours, so perhaps we will find a place to stop along the way as well. Meanwhile, I think I might be tired of antique malls for at least a little bit. (Or.... maybe not....)