Lecture on Archaeoastronomy

A friend of mine, Bill Hoffman, has written the following account of a recent lecture at Kendal. With his permission I am putting it on our blog.

Dr. Michael Mickelson, J. Reid Anderson Emeritus Professor of Physics at Denison University, talked with Kendal at Granville residents on Wednesday, 9 March, about “Archaeoastromony.” Archaeoastronomy (also spelled archeoastronomy) is the study of how people in the past have understood phenomena in the sky, how they used phenomena in the sky and what role the sky played in their cultures.

The topic is one of local interest because the Newark Earthworks is some six miles to the East of Kendal at Granville. Granville also has a particular interest in the “Alligator Mound,” within the Village limits, and one of many small satellite circle mounds on the Kendal site – all part of the greater Earthworks complex. The Earthworks, which include the very large ‘octagon & circle’ [incorporates a golf course] and ‘great circle’ mounds, are attributed to the Hopewell culture dating some 2000 years before the present (BP). They have a complex lunar alignment, not discovered until about 1980. For more information, see http://ohsweb.ohiohistory.org/places/c08/greatcircle.shtml

Dr. Mickelson talked of sites all over the world that have solar and lunar orientations, notably Stonehenge and the Parthenon, and many of greater age, perhaps to at least 6000 BP. He did not discuss particular Egyptian or meso-American pyramids but they too have astronomical orientations.

It is curious that most temples and other important structures in Greece & Turkey have clear directional East/West axes – the rising and setting of the sun and moon – whereas Roman buildings are, in the main, without identifiable directional orientation, like ours; look at most of our curving sub-divisions. Some religious structures do still follow specific directional orientations.

Dr. Mickelson’s talk was part of an ongoing Speaker/Lecture series at Kendal at Granville with presentations occurring at least twice monthly. His presentation was based on his own work and that of his undergraduate students, primarily in the area of the eastern Mediterranean .

Our Pool

Here is a photo of our beautiful enclosed pool. It's another area where the philosopy and values of Kendal can be seen in action.. They are evident in the manner in which the policies by which our pool operates were developed and the way in which it is used.

The policies were developed by a committee of residents with representation from the staff because early on it was decided that residents wanted to share the use of the pool with our staff members. Opening the pool to our staff is one way we can let staff members know that they are respected and valued by residents. Because administration has the ultimate responsibility for safety and health issues there was consultation with the administrator about policies that impinged on these issues.

The pool is used for both physical therapy and recreation. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning there is a Water Wellness class designed to provide exercise suitable for those with arthritis. It is open to any resident who wishes to come. It has also been made available on a fee basis to a limited number of individuals in the Granville community who have had rehabilitation here at Kendal. Our physical therapists also use the pool to provide individual water therapy sessions. Our hydraulic lift facilitates getting handicapped persons in and out of the pool.

The pool provides a good place to get healthy exercise and is used regularly be some residents for individual or group recreational swimming. Some people use this time for doing personal exercise routine or lap swims. We have one small group of early morning swimmers. Each day they get a healthy start on their day by going to the pool for lap swimming and personal exercise routines. I understand that one of these swimmers didn't even swim until after moving here.

Both residents and staff members may bring guests to the pool during designated hours.
Children who visit parents and grandparents here seem to particularly enjoy the pool. For youngsters its a great way to work off excessive energy. It's also a fun way to interact with grandparents in the pool and then when the grandparents get a little tired they can relax poolside while letting the "younguns" entertain them with their water antics. I know that my grandsons almost always tuck in their swim suits when they come here.

I personally have gained much from my experiences with our pool. First of all I found myself some how or other chairman of the Pool Committee for the first five years during which we were establishing the basic policies which now guide us in our use of the pool. That experience allowed me to use my organizational and administrative skills. I enjoy participating in the Water Wellness Class and have been a part of it since its inception when I haven't had to stay out of the water for health reasons. As a final step in the recovery process after my open chest surgery in 2008 I benefitted from physical therapy in the water. Also, I have spent some happy times in and around the pool with my grandsons and their parents just relaxing and having fun. So I for one am very glad we have this great facility here.

Dining at Kendal

Last night I had the best sauerbraten ever! I thought no one could make it like I did, but I found out that Todd surpassed me. I debated on what to have because I saw that Francis had made chicken pot pie and I think Francis makes the best pie. I hope I get another chance. Every night is good but some nights are special and sometimes I am not sure what I want. Then I remember back when my kids would ask me what we were having for dinner and I remember the responses I would get.

We usually have our meal in the evening, but some residents prefer to have their meal at noon. Some nights we sit with friends at a small table, some nights we gather with lots of people around a big table, and sometimes, when we are not feeling especially social, we find a spot to be alone. And when there is an Ohio State game of any type anywhere, these diehard fans box up their dinner and take it home. In the evening we often have lovely piano music wafting through the dining room, a gift from D. Ellen.

The dining staff puts great effort into seeing that the food and service are of exceptional quality and that the food is nutritious. For this reason we have comment cards on the table. I am on the dining committee and once a month I and three other residents, and the chef, the dining room manager, and the general director of services, meet to read the comments. The rule is that the cards must be signed and the cards need to be dated. Sue, the chef, needs the date so that she can check her records to see who made the dish and what recipe was used. Often we get several comments that say the same thing, complimentary or not. But sometimes one resident will say the dish was great and another resident will write the opposite. If upon occasion some dish does not turn out well, I again think back to my own cooking and admit that occasionally I had a dish not turn out as expected.

The staff accomodates people who are vegetarians, people who have diabetes, gluten intolerance, lactose intolerance, or other special dietary needs. Sue, Stella, and Will are good listeners and want to please. I am most happy with our dining experience here at Kendal.

Who are "The Muggers"?

What would your first impression be if you learned that Kendal at Granville had a residents' group called - of all things! - "the Muggers"? Maybe you'd worry that we harbored a gang of street bandits? Or perhaps you'd surmise that we'd created an organization for people who liked to hog the camera's attention? I've heard both suggestions - and others as well.

Actually, the group is simply the men's breakfast club at Kendal. We meet in the dining room on the last Friday of each month to eat a hearty breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage, and pancakes; to share good conversation with each other; and to enjoy a presentation from an outside guest. And our name? Where does it come from? Well, it simply derives from the signature coffee mugs that each of us has left in the care of the dining service to certify our membership in good standing in the group when we appear each month. That's it: we have our mugs and so we're the Muggers!

Over the past three years the leadership of the group has brought in a variety of speakers and groups to get our days off to a rousing start. Nearby Denison University, for example, has provided us with musical entertainment and a small improv theater group. The local chapter of SPEBSQSA has entertained with a barber shop quartet. We've had light-hearted talks about the memorable film stars of the 1930s and 1940s, the National Road (US 40 to the uninitiated), and the contrast between gender relations then and now. A comedic ensemble from the Licking Players, our local theatrical group, has lightened our morning. We even turn serious at times, to learn for example about the global economy. One of the joys of the Muggers is that we don't know ahead of time what's on tap for each meeting: each breakfast brings its surprise.

An organization like the Muggers is valuable at Kendal, for, like most retirement communities, our demographics show a preponderance of females. That circumstance makes it useful for the men to get together occasionally - not to fall back into locker room banter, but to recover the tones and contours of male conversation and friendship. I can speak only for myself in advancing this observation - which is to say that neither Kendal nor my wife might agree! - but it seems to me that, whether from nature or nurture, certain gender differences are inexpungible. The monthly meeting of the Muggers affords Kendal's men an hour or so of male-bonding time, and the group thus becomes another of Kendal's many and various resident organizations.