Newport's Eastrow Garden Walk June, 2010

We have been working hard for months and finally the big moment has arrived.Grandma Jo got to sit in the backyard as 752 people stopped by to look at the flowers and the bricks.

Justin Lawrence And Yvonne Bradley

Becky is very fond of idealistic young Justin who has been saving the world in Canada, Kenya, Ecuador and now Newport at the Brighton Center. Yvonne does all types of things for the city.

Frank Peluso, Newport City Commissioner

For the past two months I have been pestering the legendary Johnny 'TV' Peluso for his picture. At least now I have a picture of his son. Frank made my mouth water when he told me that he has a grill made from bricks from the Pink Pussycat, owned by our old neighbor, Callie Eisner.

Linda Kreidler and Luna

I met Linda many years ago over on Fairfax Ave. in Cincinnati. She is a good friend and a very talented garden designer who has helped us enormously. I have learned a great deal from her.

Photographers on the Prowl

Bruce Murray has taken thousands of picturews of the neighborhood. The young lady is from House Trends magazine.

Joy Bishop

Joy gave me the brick in the wall from Cincinnati's Longview Insane Asylum where she used to work. She is posing with an 'ABC' brick from Kalamazoo's Home for Feeble Minded Women.

Becky with John and Julie Morrow.

Julie is running a seat in the Kentucky state senate. They are both very active in the neighborhood.

Amy's Aunt

A surprise visit. Amy Katzman's 84 year-old aunt grew up around the corner and used to visit Sammy Miller who lived in our house. This was her first time in our house in 75 years. She is pointing to a brick from Louis ville where she now lives.

Father's Day Weekend in Springfield, Ohio

Grandma Jo set out the lawn chairs at 6A.M. to assure a good view of the musical "Annie". It is a great Midwestern treat to sit outside and listen to community theater at its best. A 10 year old from Yellow Springs fearlessly belted out the songs in the lead roll. Jasper has long been a big fan of musicals starting with the Music Man.

ANNIE at Snyder Park in Springfield, Ohio

Grandma Jo herself has been in several of these productions including Guys and Dolls and My Fair Lady. Jo still sings in the Covenant Church choir, but has recently retired as a tap dancer from the Sprilighters.

Father and Daughter

Here's a photo from last summer of Sarah in her classroom. She is the art teacher at the Rim of the Pacific charter school in Boston,Ma. School lets out in a week. August 7th Sarah and Dave are getting married. Big time congratulations.

NEBCO

Sarah sent me a Father's Day package including cool business cards designed by her fiance, Dave, as well as this brick that she found in her back yard. NEBCO? How about New England Brick Company? See you at the wedding

Father's Day Brunch

Sali McSherry used to live next door at 525 Lexington Ave. and has stayed a close friend of Rebecca. Way back when, Sali had her own little restaurant, Cafe Madam Springs on Court St. in Cincinnati. Now she is a reporter up in Cleveland. Tony is celebrating Father's Day here with their son, Skyler on their annual visit.

Amanda Joering Alley

Amanda is a reporter for the Campbell County Recorder. She wrote a very nice article about the wall in conjunction with the upcoming East Row Garden tour.

Souvenir Brick from Spring Brick Swap, 2010

Last Saturday Nancy and Herschel Freeman hosted a great brick swap at their country home. Herschel is the owner of Star Building Supplies, a local brick yard.

Nancy Freeman, host of the 2010 Spring Brick Swap

The swap was extremely successful. Nancy and Hershell had gone to great lengths to prepare their country estate.

Hershell's Patio

Hershell had bricks on display everywhere; on the the basement wall, the bar and here in his paver patio.

Jerry Wilinski with a Cincinnati brick

Jerry and Donna Wilinski were our houseguests for the 2010 Spring Brick Swap. They hail from Kalamzoo,Michigan. We had a great time drinking their homemade wine. Jerry is holding a 'Cincinnati' brick.

Donna Wilinski standing with Jackie Taraba

Donna is a nurse at a hospice. She is also a clown and plays the okarina. She and Jerry also volunteer with Couples Coaching Couples, a group that rekindle marriages.

ABC

Jerry gave me this brick. He told me he found it at the Home for Feeble Minded Women in Kalamazoo.

Detrick (Chicago, Illinois)

Another brick from Jerry. I like its unusual shape.

Betty Roller holding a Yoke Vitrified Brick. Both betty and the brick are from Coffeyville, Kansas

Betty and her husband Norm have the largest collection of bricks in the country, perhaps 5,000 different ones. Betty had just got of intensive care before she drove all the way to Kentucky from Kansas. I was quite that she brought me eight special Kansas bricks like this one which she is presenting to me.

Yoke Vit. Brick Co. Coffeyville, Kansas

Here is a close-up showing the ox yoke on this well-known brick. Please also note My name written on top.

Norm and Betty Roller with a star-struck fan

I knew that Betty and Norm were bringing me some Kansas bricks, but what do you pick out for someone with such a large collection. I brought 10 specially selected bricks, and was thrilled when Norm accepted half including a Cincinnati No.1 and a H-shaped Cemroc. Norm stole the show at the brick swap when he fell off his scooter not once, but twice. Everyone was yelling, "Don't pick him up by his left arm!" He reminds me of little Kristina. There is no telling him what to do.

Buffalo Builder (Buffalo, Kansas)

Another cool Kansas brick from Betty and Norm

Jean Bear

Jean Bear is from Washington, Pa. At the swap meet she always attaches her card to each of her bricks with a message in her neat handwriting, so that after the mad scramble you will know both that they came from her and something about the manufacturer.

Frank Clement, Terry Taraba, Peggy French

Frank Clement from Buffalo N.Y. is one of the leading collectors. Terry Taraba, Stonewall, La., is the president, and Peggy French, Loveland, Ohio, is the managing editor of the Journal. Everybody loves Peggy.

Barb Ernst It's all her fault

Barb is a hippie chick from Athens,Ohio. She is the one who turned me on to the Brick Collectors. We also both collect yardsticks. If it weren't for Barb, there would be no brick wall.

Terry Taraba, President of the I.B.C.A.

In March Becky and I visited Terry in Stonewall, Louisiana. There he gave me the "Don't Spit on Sidewalk" in my wall behind him. He is a very sweet and interesting man.

Jim Graves (Wichita, Kansas)

Jim is the long time secretary/librarian of the International Brick Collectors Association.. He has compiled a huge catalog of American bricks. He is standing in front of my St. Petersburg brick.

Clem Reinkemeyer, Norm Roller, and Terry Taraba

Three of the rock stars of the brick collecting world. Can you tell that Norm can get a little wound up?

Dietrich(?) Block

I was the successful bidder at the swap meet auction for this unusual piece. I was explained this was a Dietrich block, used in a steel mill. A metal rod was inserted in the hole from which something was suspended. Look for it to be prominently displayed in the wall.

My Yoga instructor, Phoenix Wilson holding an "AH" brick

Phoenix has kept me going for the last two years so that I can still wrestle the 300 lb. sandstones. I go to her class at the Kula Center in Newport most Monday evenings. When I gave her this brick, she told me that she and her husband, Jim had just bought a house in Newport. Usually our incantation is "OM", but occasionally we'll try "AH". By the way there are both "PHOENIX" and "WILSON" bricks out there.

'OM'ega

A brick whose name begins with 'Om' Manufactured in West Virginia, found in Jackson, Ohio.

Gulia feeding the ducks on the Ohio River

Gulia is our wondrous young friend relocating from Dayton to Cincinnati. On Monday she told me she hasn't been to a Memorial Day Parade. The next pictures are for her.

The 2010 Dayton-Bellevue Memorial Day Parade

The Memorial Day Parade features high school bands, soldiers, politicians, police, and firemen and many other groups. Here is the Shriner Syrian Band. Becky and I used to bring the kids to this parade every year.

The Shriners

The Shriners and their miniature cars

Rechtin Heating

A beautifully restored panel truck from Bellevue's Rechtin Heating

Another neat old truck

Firetruck

There are always many firetrucks both old and new in a Memorial Day Parade.

Johnnie Hinton - Notary Public

Click on this picture. I have never seen a rustier vehicle in a parade.

The Kroger Grocery Company

What would a parade be without horses?

Northern Kentucky Tea Party

Take Back America! The Tea Party, a conservative group, is making its first appearance in the parade.

Rand Paul for U.S. Senate

Rand Paul is the upstart Tea Party Member who won the Republican nomination.

Katie Stine

Katie Stine is running for reelection as State Senator. She is the daughter-in-law of 'Dr. Fred', our children's beloved pediatrician, who doubled as county coroner.

JULIE smith-morrow for Kaintuck Senate

Julie is a neighborhood activist and is on the Newport school board. She is running against Katie Stine. Waving at me is Bruce Murray who has taken so many photos of the neighborhood.

JULIE smith-morrow

Our next State Senator, Julie Smith-Morrow, winning over the crowd

Corey Siddall

Corey, the neighborhood secretary, lives around the corner on Park Ave.

K. John Morrow Tea Partier?

And here we have John Morrow, our former neighborhood association president and a left wing NPR listener, graciously humoring this photographer by displaying a Northern Kentucky Tea Party brochure.

Missy Richardson holding a Metropolitan brick (Bessemer, Pa.)

Missy Richardson is the new president of the East Row Historic Foundation, our neighborhood association. With Mike Kolb's help she is redoing the backyard of her house at 635 Overton (which by the way has one of the most ornate fronts in the neighborhood). These bricks formed a patio, but now it is time for a change. Rumor has it that these bricks came from the Newport Steel Mill. Thank you, Missy.