Photo detail

Stories this photo appears in:

Tease photo

With the journey comes adventure

Back in the Saddle

In the photograph, the railroad depot is well-lit, freshly painted, and clean. In my memory, it was derelict. The photo was of a rally in Fort Wayne in hopes of making that city a stop on a proposed high-speed rail line between Chicago and Cleveland.

Tease photo

Staff found way to get the job done

Back in the Saddle

What does the boss do when his employees look at him as if he has lost his mind? That’s the question I was faced with Thursday morning, standing in the dark and chilling offices of the newspaper in Portland. At that early hour, only a handful of employees had made it in.

Tease photo

Hike brought a jaw-dropping start to new year

Back in the Saddle

It’s called a First Day hike. That’s because you take the hike on Jan. 1, the first day of the year.

Tease photo

Take time to remember, wonder

Back in the Saddle

Right now, there is no plan. That’s not unusual at this point. As I write this, New Year’s Eve is nearly a week away, we’re still digesting Christmas, the last of the houseguests haven’t yet caught their flight home, and — let’s face it — the notion of staying up until midnight is a little daunting.

Tease photo

Christmas Eve is about anticipation

Editor’s note: This column is being reprinted from Dec. 24, 2014. It is funny how our perspective changes over years. Youthful joy of Christmas anticipation can turn to parental stress or even adult indifference. As we celebrate this week, let’s all try to remember and recapture that Christmas joy of our youth and carry it throughout the holiday season.

Tease photo

The season brings back memories

Back in the Saddle

It’s inevitable, I suppose, that we get a bit sentimental and reflective during the holidays. Every celebration brings echoes of past celebrations. Every toast brings to mind those who aren’t here to raise their glasses. Every tradition reminds us of how each tradition was born.

Tease photo

Gratitude grows for childhood gift

Back in the Saddle

Childhood Christmas presents date you.

Tease photo

Technology update was frustrating

Back in the Saddle

The temptation is always there. Why not, I ask myself, just let the parade of technology go on without you? Just let the next “rev” of software pass you by. Just let the next new gimmick or gadget do its thing without you. And, to some extent, I give in to the urge.

Tease photo

Appreciate the Thanksgiving table

Back in the Saddle

It was a typical Ronald family Thanksgiving, probably in the mid-1960s. In those days, the clan — as many of my father’s siblings, their spouses, their children, and grandchildren as possible — gathered together for a huge celebration.

Tease photo

Friendship continues uninterrupted

Back in the Saddle

Some friendships require effort. Others sustain themselves. You know the ones I’m talking about, those friendships which can be disrupted by years and hundreds of miles but are renewed as easily as a conversation that has been momentarily interrupted.

Tease photo

‘Zoo’ served to liven up a gray day

Back in the Saddle

“I feel like I’m in a zoo,” I told my wife over a bowl of soup. It was Monday, and November had landed with an audible thud. Gone were the crisp blue skies of October. Gone too were most of the autumn leaves, stripped from their branches by Saturday’s gusty winds. The only thing to look forward to was Tuesday’s election. And the only incontestably good thing about that was that the campaign would be over.

Tease photo

Will stories have a happy ending?

Back in the Saddle

The road home wound through the Indiana countryside as Svetlana unwound stories from her life on the other side of the world. We’d first met in Kyrgyzstan, the land of her birth, in 2002. And now she was in the Midwest to take part in a panel discussion at a scholarly conference at Indiana University. It seemed the perfect opportunity to offer a little hometown hospitality and bring her back here for the weekend.

Tease photo

Project was not an improvement

Back in the Saddle

Somewhere along the line I forgot a couple of the basic rules of do-it-yourselfing. First, you don’t know as much as you think you know. Second, it’s never as easy as it looks on television.

Tease photo

Nicknames are an odd phenomena

Editor’s note: This column is being reprinted from Oct. 14, 2009. Tracking nicknames can be an interesting endeavor. The origins of some are obvious, while others seem to be created out of nothing at all. Think about the nicknames you’ve had over the years as you take this trip down memory lane with Jack.

Tease photo

Community weekend offered a lot

Back in the Saddle

Professional hand-wringers love to decry the loss of community in America. They should have been around this weekend.

Tease photo

A new phone provided challenges

Back in the Saddle

Maybe my old phone clued in my new phone. The old phone, which dated from about 2004, was one of those flip models. And it’s still in mint condition, largely because it spent most of its life turned off and sitting in the console of my car.

Tease photo

Corvette club was not a good fit

Back in the Saddle

The vanity plates caught my eye. “AWHSUM” said one, with dubious spelling. “QCKNFUN” said the plate on the car in front of “AWHSUM.”

Tease photo

Plain white bread was right for job

Back in the Saddle

About a week ago, I spent a couple of days hitting my mother-in-law in the face with a couple of loaves of bread.

Tease photo

Teacher shared stewardship lesson

Back in the Saddle

What was it about that generation? What made them so special?

Tease photo

Drop off at college sparked stories

Back in the Saddle

We were awful. There we were, taking Sally down to Bloomington for her freshman year at Indiana University, and all we could talk about was what it was like — a million years ago — when our parents had taken us off to college.

Tease photo

Interstate sign always brings smile

Back in the Saddle

Plugging down Interstate 90, heading for home after two weeks of vacation, we passed the exit for Geneva on the Lake, east of Cleveland, and I found myself smiling.

Tease photo

Books can transport you for free

Back in the Saddle

Travel is expensive, and it isn’t going to get any cheaper. That’s why the bookshelves of your nearest library or your favorite bookstore will always be the most affordable way to see the world.

Tease photo

Salamonia’s Smith rose to occasion

Back in the Saddle

Everyone, I think, has had the daydream at one time or another. You’re going along, minding your own business when you chance upon the scene of an accident, or maybe a house fire. Then, without a thought for your personal safety, you rise to the occasion. You meet one of life’s toughest tests and perform heroically.

Tease photo

Writer couldn’t read his own book

Back in the Saddle

It’s done. Finally. I hope. Actually, it’s done for about the third time.

Tease photo

Uncle Fred occupied special place

Back in the Saddle

Uncle Fred never looked better. At least, I’ve never seen him looking better. But then, I’ve never really seen him at all. Let me explain, or try to.

Tease photo

Dustin made impact on the cycle

Back in the Saddle

It was 14 years ago when I interviewed Tom Dustin. But if it had been 50 years ago or last week, it wouldn’t have mattered. His core principles would have been the same.

Tease photo

Jay County Fair has a rich history

Back in the Saddle

One of these days, the sign will have to be changed. Ever since the Roundhouse at the Jay County Fairgrounds was restored in 1986, it has had a sign marking it, “Floral Hall 1891.” Trouble is, it was built in 1883.

Tease photo

Big brother hit marriage milestone

Back in the Saddle

Fifty years. That’s a milestone for any marriage. And it’s a milestone my brother, Steve, and his wife, Beth, passed this month.

Tease photo

Young niece provided a reminder

Back in the Saddle

It’s a standing joke at our house that we had our third child because we’d forgotten how much work the first two were.

Tease photo

Recorder caught history in the making

Back in the Saddle

The tape is a time machine. Friday afternoon, alone in my office, I push the play button and Tiananmen Square erupts all over again.

Tease photo

Art addiction came about honestly

Back in the Saddle

If this is a character flaw, I come by it honestly. My father had a problem with charity auctions as well. The latest proof of my own problem came over the weekend in Muncie. Connie and I had gone to a wine tasting event at Ball State that was fund-raiser for Indiana Public Radio. The samples of wine were modest, but the munchies were delicious, enough to take the place of dinner.

Tease photo

Call added branch to family tree

Back in the Saddle

The phone message went something like this: A woman from Kansas called who said she is related to you. OK, I don’t know about you, but that got my attention. Enough to call back.

Tease photo

Selflessness was signature moment

Back in the Saddle

The place was crawling with Cub Scouts. Not that I have anything against Cub Scouts. I was a Cub Scout myself.

Tease photo

Day was a success despite weather

Back in the Saddle

Sometimes, tradition trumps common sense. That was the case on Sunday.

Tease photo

Wonky move eliminated the wobble

Back in the Saddle

It was about 2:45 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. And there I was, standing in the stairwell at the back of the newspaper building in Portland, halfway between the landing and the first floor, trying to make my way up from the basement. I was bent over like a creature from The Lord of the Rings. On my back was an eight-foot-long table. And I got the giggles.

Tease photo

Memories flew him back in time

Back in the Saddle

As I snapped the picture, I was seven again. At my age, that’s a whole lot of time travel in the blink of an eye.

Tease photo

Let loved ones know they matter

Back in the Saddle

Don’t wait. Don’t wait until someone is gone before expressing how much they mean to you. That’s the lesson driven home over the past month.

Tease photo

Birthday present hit a home run

Back in the Saddle

When it comes to birthdays, sometimes you hit a home run and sometimes you strike out. I’ve had plenty of gifts misfire over the years, but I think I’ve knocked it over the fence a good many times as well.

Tease photo

Indianapolis hunt came up empty

Back in the Saddle

It was about 4 p.m. when I parked my car in a garage on Pennsylvania Street not far from Conseco Fieldhouse. With a little time to kill, I gave Ray Cooney a quick call and asked if there was anything I could do for him in advance of Jay County’s debut in the IHSAA state basketball finals. There was.

Tease photo

Tub revelation made caller’s day

Back in the Saddle

You never know when you’re going to need a butter tub.

Tease photo

Historic run was a nice problem

Editor’s note: This column is being reprinted from March 22, 2006. To be fair, I’ll probably reprint it again in two years, on the 20th anniversary of the Jay County Patriots making the Class 3A state finals. Still, it seemed appropriate with The Graphic Printing Company now preparing for covering the boys basketball state finals after expanding our reach into Delaware County and picking up the Wapahani Raiders.

Tease photo

Brisk winter walk can clear mind

Back in the Saddle

Sometimes — with the endless drumbeat of troubling news — what I need more than anything else is a walk in the woods.

Tease photo

Parking turned into an adventure

Back in the Saddle

Think of it as “an adventure in parking.” That’s what I keep telling myself.

Tease photo

Contest enthralled young writers

Back in the Saddle

Americans love to compete. You name it, we figure out a way to compete at it. So I guess a writing competition shouldn’t have surprised me.

Tease photo

Quiet leader made a big difference

Back in the Saddle

Leadership is a complicated thing. Most of us tend to think of leaders in terms of presidents or generals, the folks who stand at the battlements and yell, “Charge!” But I’ve been thinking about a different kind of leader.

Tease photo

It’s good to have talented friends

Back in the Saddle

You know you’re in trouble when your day goes south before you even reach the office.

Tease photo

How did they all become so young?

Editor’s note: This column is being reprinted from Feb. 6, 2008. The job fair was a regular stop for editors and publishers from The Commercial Review before the event slowly faded away as fewer and fewer newspapers sent representatives. It was a valuable tool and brought many reporters to our newsroom, even if it did make Jack feel old.

Tease photo

Birthday pup was a gift for family

Back in the Saddle

She was a gift.

Tease photo

Battery wasn’t ready for the cold

Back in the Saddle

It only took a second before I knew I was in trouble.

Tease photo

Freedom is far from a simple thing

Back in the Saddle

Tamuna still probably wouldn’t understand. I’ve thought about our conversation for more than six years now, and I still don’t think I could have won the argument.

Tease photo

Through the ice, the job got done

Back in the Saddle

What does the boss do when his employees look at him as if he has lost his mind?

Tease photo

It’s not too late to tell the story

No one likes to learn that a story has slipped through the cracks, even if it slipped away decades ago. That’s what happened with Walter Scholer.

Tease photo

Christmas trip was frosty adventure

Editor’s note: This column is being reprinted from Dec. 17, 2008. We often hear stories of harrowing holiday travel, usually involving busy airports, canceled flights and lost luggage. Jack’s story here is a little bit different. Here’s hoping all of your holiday travel is safe and uneventful this year.

Tease photo

Visit was the point of shopping trip

Back in the Saddle

It would have been this week. Not too close to Christmas, but close enough that my father knew it was time to start shopping.

Tease photo

Remember to count your blessings

Back in the Saddle

Okay, I’ll admit it, I was feeling sorry for myself. Nothing seemed a blessing, at the moment, and who had time for blessings anyway with so much else going on. Then, as sometimes happens, I received an email.

Tease photo

Let’s be thankful for Thanksgiving

Back in the Saddle

It may sound silly, but I'm thankful for Thanksgiving. It's always been a favorite holiday, but it's also one that seems to provide the best memories.

Tease photo

Personalization just isn’t harmful

Back in the Saddle

As I sat down for a haircut, I knew something was wrong.

Tease photo

With aging comes some struggles

Back in the Saddle

You know you’re dealing with an old friend when the first words out of her mouth are, “How’s the dog?”

Tease photo

Backyard ‘zoo’ livened up gray day

Back in the Saddle

“I feel like I’m in a zoo,” I told my wife over a bowl of soup.

Tease photo

Cat could not be blamed for keys

Back in the Saddle

The black cat crossed my path in Markle.

Tease photo

Sometimes we need a superhero

Back in the Saddle

“The dam has broken,” said the voice on the phone.

Tease photo

Jack wasn’t a fan of the new name

Back in the Saddle

What’s in a name? Not much, maybe. But the wrong moniker at the wrong time can be a little jarring.

Tease photo

Grand-neighbor title worked well

Back in the Saddle

No, I'm not a grandfather. At least not yet. One of the joys — and trials — of small town life is how close we are together.

Tease photo

Historic markers can be confusing

Back in the Saddle

Ideally, a historic landmark ought to provide future generations accurate information about the past.

Tease photo

Corvette just wasn’t quite his style

Back in the Saddle

The vanity plates caught my eye.

Tease photo

Conkling was an incredible friend

Back in the Saddle

Back in the Saddle

Tease photo

Mailbox needed serious clean-up

Back in the Saddle

Maybe computers should be designed to have a flush handle. There’s a trash can, but that’s not doing the trick.

You must login to comment.