Johnny Appleseed and Pulitzer Prize winner at Malabar Farm State Park and more .

As a child, I heard and read the romantic story of Johnny Appleseed planting apple trees wherever he went.  Since  most  of  my  childhood  books  were from England, I  thought he lived in England, UK. Until ... Jackie and Frank Luppino brought  us  on a  road trip to Malabar Farm State Park  in Pleasant Valley, Lucas, Ohio  which  made   me realize Johnny Appleseed was actually American. By the way Malabar is the name of the south  western  coast  in  Kerala, India.  Why  did this  State Park doing in Ohio have an Indian name?

Long yellow school buses bring school kids to Malabar

Malabar Farm is nestled in the hills in Pleasant Valley Lucas.

 Many famous movie stars stayed as guests in the
 Big House but had to do work on the farm during their stay.

Malabar Farm State Park is educational and is a popular choice for school field trips. By the way do you know why Malaysian school buses are painted yellow?Why is Malabar Farms so popular? One reason is that it was built in 1939 by Pulitzer Prize Loius Bromfield. Another reason was that this author practiced conservation farming using natural compost and other healthier options. Malabar Farm is actually a national model for sustainable agriculture. Why was the Indian name Malabar chosen? Bromsfield spent a period of his life adventuring in India. One of his 31 books is called         " Night in Bombay". I have just finished reading his Pulitzer Prize book "Early Autumn"

Jackie and me toured the Big house with many special rooms.

Before entering the Big House

Malabar Farm State Park nestled in the hills of Pleasant Valley.
The Indian name Malabar means hills

Ohio Historical Marker

 Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall had their wedding and
 honeymoon  here.  The bride descended on these staircase

Loius Bromfield is quite a colorful flamboyant
character as can be seen from the portrait

Pretty rooms with lovely wallpaper.

Shirley Temple was a frequent guest to the Big House

His family knew how to live luxuriously..

Ellen's room . They had 3 daughters and each had a
pretty room and the 3 rooms merged into a living room.

Pulitzer Prize Award for Early Autumn

Yeye study the luscious berries on the tree.

At the water spring where Johnny Appleseed frequently stopped at.
This spring lies below the Malabar Inn where we took a yummy lunch.

This spring in Pleasant Valley was frequented by
Johnny Appleseed, the Red Indians and also wild deer.

Yeye with a picture of the flamboyant Bromfield
and his beloved dog in the background.

Lovely lunch at Malabar Inn

 Johnny Appleseed whose  real name was Johnny Chapman lived from 1744 to 1845. He was a pioneering nurseryman. He was also a faithful missionary. He introduced apple seeds and apple planting to Pennsylvania,Ontario, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois - near the Great Lakes. He became a legend due to his kind generous ways and his leadership in conservation. After lunch, we drove up the hill to view Pleasant Valley from the top. It was windy there.

Jackie and Frank looks down on Pleasant Valley.

Enjoying the wind up on the hill

Frank droves us to Pugh Cabin which was built by Bromfield's neighbor. He also show us the miller's house otherwise known as the Ceely Rose House. Here a young mentally challenged girl named Celia Ceely Rose poisoned her family of three by feeding them cottage cheese laced with rats' poison. The arsenic in the rats poison killed her father first and her brother died soon after. Frank told the gory story of Ceely Rose to Jason and Yeye while Jackie and me had the pleasant tour of the Big House.

That afternoon, we drove to Wooster Quail Farm where Ken Jon and Francesca were married in a lovely outdoor ceremony. Here Jackie bought pretty footsie gifts for Emma. Yeye was very happy to go to the place where Ken Jon and Francesca were married in.

At Wooster Quail Farm where Ken Jon and Francesca were married

The garden wedding unites the Luppinos and the Yeongs at Wooster.

Emma looking pretty in her blue dress and footsies.
These are officially called baby bare foot sandals.

Jackie bought these blue footsies for Emma.
Are they pretty and unique?

That night before we picked up Grandma Helen who is 87 years old for dinner. She enjoys reading and so we enjoy each other. Ken Jon and Francesca and Jackie drove to Stow for an interesting Thai dinner. After the Malabar Farm and Wooster, we went home and Ken Jon and Francesca came over again. Frank and Jackie took us for fine dining at the Oaks on the scenic Chippewa Lake. During one of the night rides home, Frank drove us through forest where we saw a wild deer cross.  Ohio is called the Buckeye State after the buckeye trees which have brown nuts fruits resembling the color of the buck eyes.

Grandma Lee and Grandma Helen. at the  wedding

Entering the Oaks. Feel the ambience.

Fine dining at the Oaks

Ken Jon and Francesca drives 1 hour from Mayfield on 2 nights
to join us for dinner.

Yeye enjoying the lake

Girls on Lake Chippewa

It is very scenic.

Frank told us to listen for the katydids. These are bush crickets or grasshoppers which makes a noise sounding like "katydids. " I thought Frank was pulling my leg until I read about katydids in Louis Bromfield "Early Autumn" and indeed our visit to Cleveland is in early autumn. Jackie and Frank have really taken us places and we have learned so much and enjoyed ourselves greatly. Thank you Luppinos for hosting us so wonderfully!