9/27/2026

"Colman Hawkins" Moonglow

Driving to the build site yesterday, the Harvest moon was impressively full, giving off an orange glow as the sun started to rise behind me.

Too bad the build wasn't as impressive--it was the last day of the 12 day build. Two houses were erected for the happy families. Our job was to do the final grunt work-- trim, cabinents, the last of the siding-- all jobs that I loathe. It was a case of no one knew how to do anything or there were too many of us on a single task. The crew head I was assigned to overexplained things and by the time we started, someone had already finished the job.

After about 30 minutes of this madness, I decided to pack up and go home. The sound of nail guns and generators was too much for me.

Instead, I opted for road tripping to a farm and winery south of Columbus, which proved to be a much better use of my time.

While the wines were less than stellar(and the pours even worse!), the grounds were a gardner's paradise with Koy ponds and gurgling fountains, brick cobblestone paths and bountiful, lush flowers as far as the eye could see.

The historic house was built in 1836 and saw some action in July of 1863 during the Civl War-- Confederate Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan led about 2,500 cavalrymen across the Ohio River into Indiana on July 8, 1863. His forces moved through southeastern Indiana, passing near neighboring communities in Jennings County like Vernon and North Vernon around July 11.

Local folklore in the Commiskey area is tied to the James Covered Bridge (located near Commiskey). A regional legend claims that a Confederate soldier from Morgan’s raid did not return south across the Ohio River and that his spirit—specifically a leg—can still be spotted hanging from the bridge's rafters.. You can read about this beautiful farm HERE.

In the end, my day turned out to be pretty nice. While I feel a little guilty bolting from the Build, it was the right choice for me. Plus, I can work on my own damn house without 25 clueless women working with power tools any time I want.

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