Here's a local connection to Oprah Winfrey that's worth a blog. Not because it's Oprah, but because of the story. Sufiy Davis has been using the movie The Pursuit of Happyness to promote happiness. Actually, the real intention, I think, is to promote hope, possibility and drive in people who are homeless. Sufiy's been taking homeless men and women from Faith Mission operated by Lutheran Social Services in Columbus to the Drexel Theatre. And not just a couple of people, as many as she can afford to take. The Drexel has also helped offset the cost.

Sufiy let The Oprah Winfrey Show folks know what she was up to as a "Pay it Forward Challenge." Being that Oprah's show knows a photo op when they see one, Sufiy was hooked up as a guest. Her TV time on Oprah was on Friday, January 26. From what I heard, the crew went to the movies with Sufiy and the gang . Plus, interviews with residents and Sheila Gaston, the shelter manager were included in the broadcast. Here is the link to The Oprah Winfrey Show broadcast that highlights Sufiy's story with text and pictures.

I like this story for a couple of reasons. It's such a simple concept to take folks to the movies. One person had this idea, followed through with it, and it actually was recognized as being marvelous. There are folks all over Ohio who are making a difference. I can think of a couple of school classrooms for one. It's neat, though, that at least one Ohioan got a trip to see Oprah. To the rest of you out there, keep doing good. You know who you are.

Every day there is something new to write about. The list is long. Here is one item that's been on my list for awhile.

Art for a Child's Safe American Foundation (ArtSafe) located in Columbus is one of those organizations every state needs, particularly if one listens to the nightly local news. The organization's founder, artist Stephen Canneto, was moved more than ten years ago to do something to stem the violence he saw affecting our nation's youth. In his mind, the way to make the world safer is by helping those young people who could make it even more dangerous if they don't get intervention.

ArtSafe uses art, writing and drama to help young people find an alternative voice. Instead of being left to beat the same drum of violence, despair and disenfranchisement, the participants of ArtSafe are given the opportunity to experience life through a different lens-one where anger is put on hold.

Although ArtSafe programs taught by professional artists, writers and theatre folk also happen in other venues besides prisons, it's the prison art programs I've seen at work. I've observed the workshop sessions, celebrated the end of projects and have interviewed some of the youth offenders myself. What I can say is true is it is wonderful to see hope at work and to listen to young men and women say that they feel heard and valued. It's also true that ArtSafe is one of those organizations that ought to make Ohioans feel proud. For more information about ArtSafe, head to the website. What I've given is just a snippet. There are examples of participants' writing and art as well. The link Memorial to Our Lost Children provides insight into the heart of the organization.

I'm a nature watcher, from way back. I like to get outside as much as I can and see what's happening. There are always birds and animals and plants to watch. There's always something different to see. Clouds, snowflakes, nothing is ever not unique in this ever-changing world. In short, there's never a moment to be bored. Life's just too fascinating and too beautiful.

I've been in Ohio for close to two years now. After a life spent in the foothills of the Pennsylvania mountains, living in flat-as-a-pancake,at least by my standards, Ohio is like stepping into a whole new world.

Of all the things I've come to know and love about Ohio, there's one that will always top the list. You can travel all over the world. You can see everything it has to offer. But for sheer, everyday beauty you'll never find anything to surpass Lake Erie sunsets. You may find a lot of things that are equally beautiful, but I'll bet you don't find anything more beautiful repeated in endless variety almost every day. Lake Erie sunsets. There's nothing like them.

Cincinnati has the distinction of having had four ships of the US Navy named in its honor. That's more than any other Ohio city. But then, Cincinnati got an early start. The story of the four ships to bear the name of Cincinnati starts with the Civil War.

The first Cincinnati, shown in the picture, was an ironclad river gunboat. It was built in 1861 and served on western rivers throughout the course of the Civil War. The vessel was one of the few ships that sank and was raised, not once, but twice. The Cincinnati took part in the Battle of Vicksburg, in 1863. After four years of being under heavy fire in combat, the first USS Cincinnati was sold for scrap in New Orleans.

The second USS Cincinnati didn't come along until 1892. It was much larger, a cruiser, in fact, and was a sea-going vessel. The Cincinnati saw action in the Caribbean during the Spanish-American War, in 1898. After that it was used for goodwill missions around the world. The ship was decommissioned in 1919.

In 1921, the third USS Cincinnati was launched. It was another heavy cruiser. She spent most of her career in the Atlantic and Caribbean, before being decommissioned in 1945.

Finally, there was the fourth USS Cincinnati. This one was a nuclear powered submarine, built in 1974. The fourth Cincinnati once played host to former President Richard Nixon for an overnight cruise. That was in 1980.

I'd have to say that four US Navy ships is a very good record for a city so far inland.

Have you ever thought your house or apartment was a bit blah? Most people have. It doesn't have to be that way, though. You might try adding a piece of architectural salvage.

Every year, old buildings are torn down. A lot of them have beautiful woodwork, stained glass windows, stone carvings, or even just a nice brass doorknob. All that isn't usually hauled off to a dumpster. It's usually salvaged and made available for people who think their home needs that something extra.

Believe it or not, one of the USA's most well-known purveyor of items like these is located right in Downtown Toledo. It's called Architectural Artifacts and you'd be amazed by their store, at 20 South Ontario. It's packed. The first floor has the real gems. There's everything from wooden mantels to life-size marble statues. Upstairs, you'll find doors, stair rails, hardware, and everything you could possibly use to decorate a building. Other interesting antiques aren't neglected, either. Be sure to say hello to the two very friendly resident cats. If you're a cat person, I am, they might supervise your tour themselves.

Can't make it to Toledo? Try the website at the link below. Architectural Artifacts does a lot of e-business. One more thing. If you need something they don't have, which is hard to believe once you've seen the place, just let them know. You never know. It might just turn up the next day.

Perhaps you too are a native Clevelander, and perhaps you too have frequently driven by the Cleveland Public Power building on Marginal Road, right in between the Shoreway and Lake Erie. If you have, you are guaranteed to have seen it: the Wall of Whales. Or, more colloquially, the whale building.

Well, it wasn't until this very evening (coincidentally enough) that I found out that the whale building was the work of a specific artist, Wyland, who specializes in environmentally conscious, marine life artwork. The Wall of Whales on the side of the Cleveland Public Power building features swimming whales, dolphins and scuba divers in an incredibly blue ocean. He's also done manatees, turtles, fish, rays, people (in the water) and lots of different kinds of whales.

Now, we could be cynical, and point out that there is just no way that you're going to get whales in Lake Erie (sigh), but what I find more odd is why Wyland paints whales! And other maritime fishes and mammals, of course. Well, for starters, it's Whale Wall #75 - Wyland is currently painting his 95th mural of whales. These murals are for one major purpose: to raise environmental awareness about the undersea world, through the work of the Wyland Foundation. (In fact, the 95th mural is in Key Largo, Florida, and will be dedicated on Feb. 12.) All of Wyland's murals are painted in life-size dimensions, and in a wide range of sizes and locations. Power generating stations, museums, boats, department stores and piers - nothing is too weird to show us what's under the sea. I think this is beautiful, and I'm proud that Cleveland and Ohio are part of a larger, environmentally loving tradition.

Ohio cities have a long record of providing names for US Navy ships. Toledo is no exception. The current USS Toledo ( SSN-769 ) is the second ship to bear the name. This time we got a nuclear submarine.

The USS Toledo is a Los Angeles Class attack sub. This class of vessel broke the old tradition of naming submarines after sea creatures. The Toledo was launched in 1993 and is 360 feet long.

Since her launch, the Toledo has taken part in Operation Iraqi Freedom, been involved in drug interdiction in the Caribbean, and patrol duty in the Persian Gulf. She is best known, however, for something she wasn't involved in. There's a conspiracy theory floating around that claims the Toledo, along with the USS Memphis, sunk the Russian submarine Kursk back in 2000. The notion is based on the fact that the Toledo was ordered home for repairs three days after the incident. Well, that is unusual. This type of vessel is usually short on problems. But, while other subs were in the Barents Sea at the time, the Toledo apparently wasn't one of them.

Cincinnati is a rather unusual name and a challenge for spelling classes. Just where did it come from? Well, the answer comes in two parts. It goes back to January 4, 1790. That's when Arthur St. Clair, the first Governor of the Northwest Territory, renamed the settlement of Losantiville Cincinnati.

Why? Just what is a cincinnati, anyway? Well, that goes back to the fact that St. Clair had been a general in the Revolutionary War. He was also a distant cousin of mine, but that's neither here nor there. He, along with a lot of officers of the revolution was a member of the Society of the Cincinnati. The Society was open to a select group of veterans and to the French officers who had helped the USA achieve Independence. It had one curious feature that was very controversial. It was set up to be hereditary. The membership was to pass to the eldest son of the original member. You can imagine that didn't go over well in some circles, but the Society was close-knit and, at the time, influential. So the City of Cincinnati was named in honor of the organization and its members.

But that still doesn't explain how they got to be called Cincinnati. Simple. Cincinnati is the Latin plural for Cincinnatus. Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus, to be exact. In the early years of US history, there was a lot of interest in and fellow-feeling for the ancient Roman Republic. Cincinnatus was a well-born, but poor Roman. He was respected by the whole city for his wisdom and virtue. One time, Rome was about to be attacked by the Aequi and the Volscians. The Senate decided the city's best hope for victory was under Cincinnatus' leadership. They sent a delegation to offer him the position of dictator with absolute power. Cincinnatus, who was plowing a field at the time, knew he could defeat Rome's enemies, so he accepted. To make a long story short, Rome won. Cincinnatus immediately resigned his power and went back to plowing his fields.

Cincinnatus was regarded by the officers who founded the organization named in his honor as the perfect example of the "citizen soldier". He was a role model for the whole generation that founded the USA. And that's how a city in Ohio came to be named after a Roman farmer.

The Toledo Museum of Art, in keeping with its reputation as one of the top ten museums in the USA, has a widely varied collection. Most periods and parts of the world are represented. If the art of ancient civilizations strikes your fancy, the museum has a lot to offer.

Egyptian work is well represented. My favorites are a small chalice of faience. It's only about six inches high, but it's covered with an intricate relief of animals. I'm also partial to a stone hawk, symbol of the god Horus. He's from the Ptolemaic Period but he's so stylized that he could fit right in on a twentieth century building. There's also plenty of sculpture, a papyrus scroll, a model boat, and one of the "mummy portraits", a highly realistic portrait on wood that was placed over the subject's face when mummified.

The selection of Greek and Roman art is superb. There are dozens of Greek vases, including one by one of the great masters of the art, Exekias. If you're interested in military history, you'll like the very rare Corinthian bronze helmet. There are several Roman portraits, including one of the Emperor Domitian. The guards like to point out that he wrote a treatise on hair care, but he's wearing a wig. Be sure to notice the mosaic floor from North Africa, as well.

You'll find work from Babylon and Persia, Sumeria and Petra. There's a fine display of Etruscan art. You can see some of it in the picture. The terra cotta bust is their sun god Apulu. There's so much to see and enjoy in the Classical Hall that you could spend a whole day just in this one room.

Oh, yes. One other thing. At the back of the room is a little alcove leading to a door. If you look through it, you'll see the Peristyle, the museum's auditorium. Putting the Classical Hall next to it was an appropriate move. It's a beautiful room in the purest Classical Greek style. But that's another story.

There isn't much that will cause a building to stand out from the crowd quite so much as the use of different and contrasting colors. Toledo's Lasalle Apartments is a good example. The limestone of the upper and lower parts is accented by the mellow brick of the middle. It's sort of like an architectural layer cake. The icing is provided by the copper cornice with its green patina.

The Lasalle was built in 1917, for the Lasalle and Koch Department Store, or "dry goods" as it was called then. Lasalle and Koch was one of Toledo's oldest businesses, having been founded in 1865. To design their new store, they hired the New York firm of Starrett and Van Vleck. This firm specialized in large retail structures. Their work could be found all over the eastern USA, including Polsky's in Akron. I've been told they built an almost exact duplicate of the Lasalle in Atlanta.

Starrett and Van Vleck's design for the Lasalle is in the Renaissance Revival style. The two-story arcade at the base would fit right in on a street in Florence. For extra variety, the columns are made of polished granite. Another two story colonnade adds interest to the upper floors

The Lasalle has the distinction of being Downtown Toledo's first important commercial to residential rehab project. In 1996, after standing vacant for twelve years, it was converted to apartments. To show how big the building is, there are one-hundred-thirty of them. It's success led to a long string of similar projects, which make downtown a surprisingly trendy place to live.

Sadly, I could not give you the Ohio 5 interview that we all wanted, because Ms. Mooney foolishly decided to have a baby instead, which ate up all of her time. But that's not going to stop me from talking about her, because she is so funny, and more importantly, she's a transplanted Buckeye.

That's right, Megan Mooney is from Ohio! Don't you get that special little glow when you learn that someone you like/appreciate/think is brilliant is from your area? I always do. And mwa-ha-ha - just to put the cap on it, she's from Cleveland! She even went to John Carroll. Love it. I like to picture her originally thinking that the Improv was the pinnacle of comic existence, and now that she's a professional comic living in Los Angeles, she occasionally thinks back and says, "Are you kidding me?"

Let's see, Megan's done college tours, she's done Comedy Central specials, she's done the US Comedy Arts Festival, and in September 2007, she'll be performing on a cruise! (Is it just me, or do all celebrities now occasionally go on cruises to do whatever they do? It's probably just me.) And supposedly her website promises that she'll come to your college if you ask her. By the way, a tip: if you click on the contact button, an email will pop up addressed to her with a subject that already says "You're Hot, Megan!"

Megan, if you're reading this, I'm sorry we could never do the interview! But I wanted to brag about you anyway. Go, Mooney!

Toledo's Martin Luther King, Jr. Bridge has been subject to short closings lately. It's about to be out of commission for a longer period. The structure is in the process of getting a complete overhaul, and will close today so the central drawbridge section can be replaced. People will have an easy time remembering when they'll be able to cross it again. It opens two days after Valentine's Day.

The Cherry Street Bridge, as it was first known, was built between 1910 and 1914, at a cost of one million dollars. That may seem like pocket change for building a bridge these days, but back then it was the most expensive public improvement project in Toledo's history. Like most expensive public projects, the building of the bridge was controversial. There were a lot of people who thought spending a million dollars on a bridge was just plain crazy. They lost the argument, but managed to get a few corners cut in the budget. For example, the best part of the design, four tall, column-like towers were never built. Two of them were to sit at either end of the drawbridge to house the lift mechanism. That's a shame. I've seen the plans and they were impressive. Everyone likes to save money, but no one liked the plain wooden sheds that were built instead. It was a long while before they gave way to the current structures, which are an improvement, but nowhere near as nice as the towers.

One other interesting thing about the building of this bridge, it was constructed right next to the old bridge it replaced. No traffic problems there.

My mother-in-law is wild about quilting and, luckily for us, she shares what she makes. When she emails me about a neat quilt store she's found, I know it's great. Here is her tip for anyone looking for a place that will give you some inspiration and goods if you're in the mood to buy. She also really likes the owner. Since Thymbles is located in Smithville at the edge of Amish country, this would be a fun jaunt for a day trip.

Thymble's website is still being added to but there are class offerings and special events. Last weekend, for example, there was a quilting retreat. If you're looking for what else there is to do in Smithville and the surrounding area, it's in Wayne County with plenty of places to poke around. Be sure to eat at The Barn Restaurant in Smithville. This was one of the restaurants that a lot of Ohio Magazine readers wrote in about as one of the best destination restaurants. It's no wonder. There's an electric train that goes around the lobby (you can hear it on the website). You can also feed ducks, smash a penny, play checkers and more. On the restaurant's website you can also hear bees and the tractor that kids can pretend to ride.

The quilt in the photo was made by Jane Hardy Miller and was used as the design for the quilt retreat. The pattern in called French Braid.

It's always interesting to find out what captures Ohioans' interests, particularly when they are Ohio transplants and originally hailed from elsewhere. When I gave Rachel Shaw, a writer's group friend of mine, the Ohio 5 questions, she described the scenery from the window of the 100 year-old farmhouse between Dublin and Plain City that she shares with her husband. "Every sunrise, every sunset was a new masterpiece that my suburban eyes were unused to. I have lots of pictures of the same scene - right between the barns - of a different more beautiful sky dotted with purple and blue and pink clouds."

The scene became her muse for her poetry . When it comes to fantasy fiction aimed for teens, she writes like a fiend. One book, The Necromancer's Scroll has been published under her pen name Sierra Torrin. Besides writing, (check out her blog) , Rachel gets around. If you're ever wondering what to do in Ohio here are her suggestions:

If it's August: "The Miami Valley Steam and Thresher Show at Pasttime Park, admission $10 (I think). The sounds of steam tractors clicking and grinding away like tiny old locomotives. . . You can find anything here. Antiques are as plentiful as old tools and crafts and Happy Meal toys. Popcorn, fried bologna, homemade ice cream in fresh waffle cones, and sausage fried up by the VFW boys are some of the smells that tempt you."

Place to Eat: "I drive my visitors to the Dutch Kitchen. Owned by the same proprieters as the Der Dutchman, it is a smaller establishment, and there is more to enjoy in a less hectic atmosphere. Here, one can enjoy the hospitality of the Amish, a large portion of the Plain City population, and enjoy the food and crafts.

Favorite Event and Place: Ohio Renaissance Fesitval and Ravenwood Castle, "a bed and breakfast just south of Hocking Hills on the edge of Vinton County. This wonderful place has been designed to look like a castle with small keeps surrounding it. Our honeymoon was spent in the King Arthur Suite, a splendid three-room apartment with a Jacuzzi bath, a sitting room upstairs, and a balcony.

And where she sees Ohio's wonder the most: "I've found pockets of beauty by the Scioto River and in its tributaries. I've discovered southeastern Ohio, the foothills of the Appalachians and the limestone caves."

I do not like guinea pigs. Or hamsters, or mice, or rats - really, anything with little grabby, claw-like hands. Yeah. They're quite gross. So the thought alone of a guinea pig rescue house is weird, but now I'm also visualizing it and it's creeping me out...

My distaste for their job makes me believe that Karen and Steve Oehlerts of This Little Piggy and Me are quite brave. TLP&M is a rescue and adoption house for guinea pigs, located in Forest Park, Ohio, near Cincinnati. It's a not-for-profit, run out of their actual home (bless their hearts, the place probably is starting to smell a bit ripe), and is dedicated to the rescue and adoption of the little animals into good homes. Such good homes, in fact, that adopting parents have to sign a contract starting they won't feed the guinea pigs to another animal or eat it themselves. And now I am thoroughly grossed out.

The Oehlerts bought a pregnant guinea pig back in 2003, and had to start giving away babies. Karen became known as Guinea Pig Lady, people began calling to have the guinea pigs taken in or to ask where they could find some, and the whole process was born. In 2006 alone, they had 193 adoptions. I am amazed that so many people want guinea pigs, but thank goodness the Oehlerts are there to help!

Seriously, I have made tonight's viewing of Miss America into an event! I made dip (so that way even if the girls on tv can't eat something good, I can), I am wearing comfortable pants with a brand-new top (so I look good too), and I have prepared to be entertained inadvertently.

Honestly, I am all for these girls, because, let's face it, I don't have the energy to have a talent and perform it! On stage, live and in person, in front of judges! My only talent is baking, and that's not really a talent - I can read a recipe and buy groceries, and somehow put the two together. But I certainly can't do it onstage!

Plus, I can't do anything with Mario Lopez staring at me.

But come on! Miss Ohio is on, and she's looking pretty! (She's a Cleveland girl, buddy. We can win stuff.)

FINAL RECAP: Well, Miss Ohio didn't even place! I am wildly disappointed. And there wasn't even a Midwestern representation after Miss Pennsylvania got booted out. Miss Georgia won the night, I am sorry to say - her interview answer was terrible, and I think the judges should be slapped for it.

Clearly, this movement is way bigger and more permanent than I imagined. I thought it'd be like how for a while all girls knew how to knit - like all girls were going to want to be in a roller derby team? Well, the fad is not ending, and there's an Akron team starting up!

The team is called the Rubber City Demolition Dolls (so fitting, and feisty), and they want roller girls, coaches and volunteers! According to the flyer I was given, all derby girls must be over 21, be willing to learn, be dedicated, and have health insurance. And from what I know about derby girls, I'm pretty sure that that need for health insurance is pretty valid. Check them out! At the least, hopefully soon, Akron will have another rip-roaring event to go to on a Friday night.