Midwest Tourism

If you live in the Midwest, you enjoy blue skies and expansive views of fertile farmlands. Miles and miles of it. It's possible here to travel great distances on country roads and highways without seeing a single billboard or commercial sign. That's good, right?
Well, it can get old, and those of us who live here forget what it's like to be in a hub like Los Angeles or New York.
Before we moved to the Midwest, my kids didn't even look up from their Tetris games as we motored through neighboring San Francisco, across the Golden Gate Bridge, and through the wine country of Marin County. If we went south for the day, they would nap, obliterate to passing wonders like planes, trains, and actual late-model automobiles. We didn't bat an eye as we passed Stanford University, or the beaches on the coast or the celebrity homes nearby.
How times have changed. Now I thrill to the mere sight of something as significant (to me) as the Gorilla Glue Factory in Cincinnati. As we passed this sign, I screamed at my daughter to "Stop the car!" so I could get this photo. I screamed and jumped out of the car so quickly she thought the car door had fallen off.
Now I realize why it thrilled me. Wherever you are, you probably know Gorilla Glue. Seeing this little factory reminded me that in some remote way, whether you live in the insanity of L.A. or the tranquility of a mountain retreat, we're all stuck together with the same kind of glue. And check out that blue sky.