Toledo Travels

The Glass Pavillion...across the street...



Perhaps this 'blogspot' has not outlived its usefulness.

I took a quick trip to Toledo from Tuesday at about 4pm to Wednesday nearly the same. Although about 450 miles were added to my odometer, it was a great day spent. I got to hang out with a buddy from the Ashland Seminary days (Steve North) and some of his creative day-seizing friends uptown, downtown, old west end, Polish Village, central city, and various other parts of Toledo.

It was really my first time to actually stop in Toledo and I thoroughly enjoyed the personality of the city I was able to experience. We visited a poetry reading at the Collingwood Arts Center, got a delicious cup of organic Guatemalan coffee from Brewed Awakenings, then spent several hours at a sacrosanct fire pit at Dennis' "place" just enjoying good conversation and friendship.

I believe that Rick McKinley and Donald Miller's church in Portland has really pegged the core philosophy of community in the simple name of their effort...Imago Dei...the image of God. When fellow image bearers share deeply from their own experiences, pain, weaknesses, and imaginations...beautiful things happen.

In addition to the art of fellowship, I experienced some of the most magnificent art created by fellow image-bearers from the past few hundred years at the Toledo Museum of Art. Who knew that Toledo was hiding this gem of a collection...just a few hours away. As really my first experience of an art museum (of that caliber) I am inspired to seek out the art here in Cincinnat...and a place to share with some local poets!

Thanks to Steve, Joseph, Jim, Tom, Dennis, Alfred, Geoffery, and the rest...for a great taste of Toledo!