Vol. 6 No. 7
Nov. 16, 2011
Special Thanksgiving/Holiday Section By Mindy Ciofani
Inside This Issue ...
My Trip to England
and sipping afternoon tea at Harrods. In one single afternoon, London is divided into different neighborhoods, each I was able to tour the Tate Modern Art Gallery, walk across the possessing their own unique charms and personalities. During Millennium Bridge, and see St. Paul’s Cathedral, stopping along my three week stay in England, I lived in Shoreditch, a young, the way to enjoy the charm of a street trendy and artistic part of the city off the entertainer singing “Hey Jude.” No visit Old Street tube stop. Thanks to The Tube, to London would be complete without London’s underground subway system, seeing Buckingham Palace. Lucky for me, I was able to easily visit landmarks Kate Middleton’s gown from her Royal scattered across the city. On the other Wedding was on display. hand, when I had the time, I found the England is roughly the size of twisted network of streets were fun to Louisiana, so with the convenient and wander, and that’s the best way to find inexpensive rail system, my friends and I hidden boutiques and pubs. One such were able to explore several other parts pub, The Anchor, was located on the of the country during our short stay. ISA side of The River Thames where I often organized a visit to Canterbury, a town sat with friends and enjoyed a pint of in the English countryside and home to English Cider. the oldest church in England that is still A Project Management course in use. Canterbury was also the setting at the University of Westminster was that inspired “The Canterbury Tales” by what brought me to The Big Smoke as Geoffrey Chaucer. Dover was our next part of a study abroad course through stop where we saw the famous white International Studies Abroad (ISA). One cliffs and Dover Castle. It was interesting of our class assignments was to study to hear WWII history while touring the the Summer 2012 Olympic Stadium secret tunnels hidden beneath the castle Project, which I was able to visit later in grounds. person. Overall the course was enjoyable Brighton, located on the eastern and beneficial, especially for a marketing major such as myself. I appreciated my Mindy Ciofani on Bath Street in London, England coast, is home to the famous Brighton Pier and beautiful beaches; the Royal Palace professor’s relaxed teaching style and in Brighton was one of the most structurally fascinating things I the location of the University which allowed for easy exploration have ever seen. Its uniqueness comes from its Asian inspiration of some of London’s best shopping. and its likeness to the Taj Mahal. Finally, my personal favorite, Some of the highlights of my trip were my visit to Big Ben, Bath. Bath is a gorgeous, Roman city in the west of England built The House of Parliament, my boat ride to the Tower of London, relaxing in the Westminster Abby courtyard, visiting Baker Street Continued on page 2
Spotlight On ... D & S Farm and Garden Page 7
See What’s Happening “Out ‘N’ About” Pages 12-13
Great Holiday Gift Ideas Close to Home Thanksgiving Section ~ Page 7
Leather Artisan Eli Miller
Postal Customer Local / ECRWSS
OR CURRENT RESIDENT
Middlefield Post P.O. Box 626 Middlefield, OH 44062
PreSort Std U.S. Postage PAID Middlefield, OH 44062 Permit No. 77
By Nancy Huth
A string of bells jingle as you push open the door to Eli Miller’s Leather and Saddlery Shop on Route 87 in Mesopotamia. Then the intoxicating scent of soft rich leather wafts toward you. On workbenches, illuminated by gas lamps, are a plethora of tools, rolls of brown-toned leather, a hand-operated sewing Eli Miller at work in his shop in Mesopotamia. machine and a harness maker ’s stitching horse shop were on the west side of the Mespo Green which puts in 10 perfect stitches to every inch. and for the past 19 years at its present location. There are only 9,000 of these in use in the Over time Eli has branched into saddles, belts, world today. holsters, knife sheaths, tool pouches, dog Back in 1967 a neighbor urged Eli, then in leashes, and even antique car parts made of his 30s, to open a harness shop, and a cousin leather. Every handcrafted item that Eli Miller in Holmes County taught him the ins and outs Continued on page 2 of the trade. For 26 years Eli Miller’s home and
For More Gift Ideas ~ See Grandma’s Garden Thanksgiving Section ~ Page 9
Spotlight On ... Grandma’s Fabrics and Floors Plain Country ~ Page 4