Matsos Family Restaurant

Recently, I was home for my 40th High School Class Reunion, and some dear friends took me to one of their favorite restaurants in a nearby city, Wooster, Ohio. A Greek restaurant, Matsos offers a mouth-watering array of fine Greek cuisine, one of my favorite of all international culinary delights.

Matsos offers an amazing array of Greek favorites. I can vouch for the Spanakopita (which is a filling entrée, not an appetizer) and the souvlaki. My friend, Thorne, loves the Seafood Pizza. I've only been there once, but everything I saw looked and smelled great. Check the place out if ever in Wooster. The menu is here.

Here's another view of the front of the restaurant with Spiro Matsos, the owner.

An interesting sidelight is the owner's participation in a group called Ohio Light Opera. He has pictures of the group decorating the eatery's walls. Here he appears in costume for one of their productions.

For more on the Ohio Light Opera, check out their web site here.

Matsos Family Restaurant offers their delicious Greek dressings online at http://www.matsosgreekdressing.com/.
Thanks again, Thorne and Linda, for treating me at this great Ohio restaurant. Next time, I'll have the presence of mind to snap some photos of the food, which looked and tasted great!

Usage notes:
An entrée, although formerly a smaller course that precedes the main course, the term is now used to describe the main course itself, in which case what would otherwise be called the entrée is called the first course, appetizer or a starter.

Spanakopita (σπανακόπιτα, from σπανάκι, spanáki, spinach, and πίττα, pítta, pie) is a Greek spinach pie made with layers of phyllo and a filling of seasoned spinach, onions and scallions, feta, and sometimes eggs.

A Peaceful Day on the Lake

This year Kathy's annual family reunion was in Toledo, Ohio, so we took the opportunity to visit my family in Ashland first. One of the highlights of our too-short visit was the wonderful morning and afternoon we spent with my good friends from high school, Thorne and Linda. They took us out for a delightful cruise on their pontoon boat.

Here was the view from where I was sitting as we set off on our voyage.

Here's our grandson, Aidan, helping the Skipper steer his boat!

Linda in the bow of the boat. Aidan steering. There was a heron in the background but somehow it didn't show up in this picture.

It's not in this picture either, although that's what Jimmy is photographing.

Here's Aunt Hannah with her newest nephew, Jack.

At lunchtime, we found shade near a small island and had a tasty and refreshing lunch prepared by Linda in the onboard galley.

Here we are saying goodbye after a wonderful cruise. The weather was beautiful. The lake was calm, and the company was delightful. Thank you, Thorne and Linda, for this fantastic highlight of our Ohio trip.

Ashland, Ohio -- Someplace Special

I am totally ripping off my daughter's blog post (like that lingo? Totally!).

Bonnie took some great pictures of the three grandchildren near my family's home in Mifflin Township and a classic view of the water tower on Clermont Avenue that has been there as long as I can remember but was recently painted with the slogan "Someplace Special."

Ashland, Ohio, really is someplace special, and there are a lot of special people there, who touched my life deeply, not only my family but many friends from my life before the Navy. Although I may never live in this special place again, I'll never forget or regret growing up there.

These are our "something special" grandchildren, Jono and Alia, and Aidan, during their road trip to see Grandma.

Above are Aidan, Alia, and Jono on the road in front of Grandma's house. (When I was growing up, this was a dirt road.)

We end this travel-blog with the grandkids walking hand in hand down a country lane in Mifflin Township, Ashland, Ohio, in the good old USA.

My children never really had a place on earth to look back on as the place they grew up. They grew up in Spain, Italy, Maryland, Canada, and Japan. All of those places hold a few of their childhood memories, but ultimately home was wherever the family was. They tell me that was okay. For me it was the same growing up. My home was always where my family was. It just so happened that my family was always in the same place -- and that was okay, too.

Here's a link to a fascinating site put together by the father of one of my good friends from high school: Click here: Ashland County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society