31 Years at The Falls of the Ohio

The DNR Division of Communications created a short video from a recent interview. It was a byproduct of a series of videos filmed to record my institutional knowledge from 31 years at the Falls of the Ohio State Park. (I was the second full-timer hired.) This is the first time a video has been created for a retiring employee; some people worked decades longer than I.

I want to spend less time dealing with traffic and the chain of command typical in government work, and more time doing what I want to do when I want to do it. I wrote a list of activities in six categories: geology, astronomy, home & garden, volunteering, traveling, and writing. They are in no particular order, and categories overlap. In fact, the list has some 50 different objectives to accomplish, but it’s not for the next year – it’s a “20-year plan!”

In the weeks that remain, my big focus will be on completing tasks that will make my absence less burdensome for the park manager and my eventual replacement. Yes, I will work with school groups – we’ve got them daily for the next two months. But thanks to volunteers and Nick Feltner, the seasonal naturalist, that load is shared.

Driveway Sale

The date for my driveway sale is July 12 & 13, 2025**. Minerals from the collections of Steve Garza, David Horn, and Bob Robinson will be set on tables in my driveway and wherever else room is needed. I expect to have 100+ flats out. Everything is 50% retail, payable with cash, check, or credit card.

** Subject to postponement if there is a decent chance of rain. Cardboard boxes and water are a bad combination.

The show will run from 9 to 5 both days. Street parking is available since my driveway is full of tables. Details will be sent out by email: the address on my “Contact” page. It’s with or without the “1”. That’s better than messaging me on my Facebook page.

My driveway mineral sale where everything is 50% off retail cost.

My 51st article for Astronomy magazine

My 51st article for Astronomy magazine, “Take a Trip to the North Celestial Pole,” is forthcoming in the November 2025 issue. I just got the author’s copy. I’ve been writing for them since 1981. The backstory – the editor contacted me, wondering why I hadn’t signed the contract. I’m usually on top of it. It turns out they sent it to my old email address, which I can no longer access. So I reminded her of the email address I’ve been using for two years. (A different department in the magazine office deals with work orders.) Short story, shorter. I wrote this article over two evenings and submitted it. I’ve written an article in one sitting before, but that’s not my preference!

This is the last issue with my friend David J. Eicher at the helm as Editor-in-Chief. He retired recently, and I’m going to join him in “retirement land” in November.

Ben E. Clement Mineral Museum show

I participated in the early June 18th annual Ben E. Clement Mineral Museum show in Marion, Kentucky. Attendance was among the best I can recall; it was almost crowded on Saturday for several hours, and Sunday morning was busy, too. The museum set a single-day record with admissions and gift shop sales. Rural museums always struggle to stay afloat, so the show plays a critical role in covering expenses during quiet seasons when tourism is low.

When I retire from the Falls of the Ohio State Park in early November, I will increase my volunteering for the Clement Museum. It’s challenging living 3 1/2 hours away, but I’ve got a place to stay, even with the passing of my long-time friend Bill Frazer earlier this year. This is one of America’s must-see mineral museums for anyone who likes minerals. The new Charlie Ruble collection room (finished weeks before the show) shows beautiful worldwide minerals, complementing the large collection of Illinois-Kentucky fluorspar district specimens. Newly acquired minerals from the Kentucky Science Center also add to the experience.

Crowd at the Clement Museum show June 2025

Panorama at the Clement Museum show in Fohs Hall, June 7, 2025.

Vendors on the stage in Fohs Hall.

Two vendors on the stage in Fohs Hall.

I planned to have the Garza-Horn-Robinson collection driveway sale the weekend after the Clement Show (while I had flats of specimens easily accessible), but Mother Nature nixed those plans. The sale is rescheduled for July 12 & 13.

Ohio River’s greatest flood in January 1937

Happy 2025! I plan to post more blogs and add content to this website. However, it will garner more attention after I retire in November. The start January, I am posting several photos and a newspaper article related to the Ohio River’s greatest flood in January 1937. These photos are part of the family history I’m scanning and sharing.

Cannelton Indiana at the height of the 1937 flood.

Cannelton Indiana at the height of the 1937 flood. My grandparents’ house is on the upper right edge. It has a sloped roof. It was above the crest.

Flooded houses closer to the river channel in January 1937.

Flooded houses closer to the river channel in January 1937.

A newspaper article in February 1937 – about my grandfather who accurately predicted the crest in Cannelton, Indiana.