A Day in Cincinnati

 

Our vacation to Alaska was of course scrapped this year, but we couldn't go the entire summer without going somewhere, even if only two hours away.

So instead of a cruise, we took a road trip to Cincinnati on Sunday. And while we were there we did something even more exciting than seeing the city -- we visited Edith's 27th and Atticus's 25th state just across the river: Kentucky.

We were gone a little over eight hours door-to-door and managed to visit two riverfront parks, two playgrounds and two states, walked across two bridges over the Ohio River, got wet at one splash pad and got treats at one the Whipty-Do! ice cream shop on the way home. We walked miles and learned something new as the Reds played a home game versus the Cubs (no fans, of course). The canned cheers from the nonexistent crowd isn't just for TV -- you can hear it outside of the ballpark too!

All in all, it was a good day with lovely weather. It wasn't quite the two-week jaunt to the northeast that we had planned, but at least the kids got to cross another state off of their lists!

 

Cabin Weekend

The leaves were changing, the weather was temperate -- what a beautiful weekend to spend in the Hocking Hills region of Ohio.

Except for the rain. Nonstop rain.

Nevertheless, our family along with about a dozen others each reserved a cabin this past weekend at Burr Oak State Park, about 90 minutes southeast of Columbus. It was raining when we arrived Friday evening, when we awoke on Saturday and when we went to bed that night. Nevertheless, we had a blast.

A friend organized the outing, and I knew most of the families there. We got together for breakfast, an indoor pool party Saturday afternoon at the lodge and a potluck supper. Paul and Edith took a hike through the rain with friends, and both kids did plenty of splashing in puddles. The group even managed a fire in the drizzling rain on our last evening there.

Of course, the sun arrived as we were preparing to leave for home on Sunday, so the four of us managed a quick walk to the lake (where I took my only photos for the weekend) before we headed home. Where, of course, it was raining.

12 Hours in Cleveland

How could I have been born and bred in Ohio and never have visited Cleveland? I'd been to an Indians baseball game, sure, but I'd never seen the city outside of the baseball field.

So when Paul had a couple of meetings in northeast Ohio on Friday, the kids and I decided to tag along. We briefly considered an overnight, but in the end decided to do it all in a day. We left our house in Columbus at 10:30 a.m. and walked back through the door a little less than 12 hours later.

We dropped Paul off at his first meeting and then drove to the Great Lakes Science Center. Right on Lake Erie, the small museum had great views and plenty of activities for the kids. They especially liked a temporary exhibit on tape and the giant climbing and slide structure constructed from it. The ball pit was also a hit.

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A friend recommended Edgewater Beach, which ended up being not far from where we picked up Paul after the museum. Paul took off his tie and rolled up his pants and waded with the kids. I ended up wishing we had brought swimsuits for the kids. The water was surprisingly warm.

Supper was at the Great Lakes Brewery. Instead of getting a pint each, we decided on the flight -- which we didn't realize included 14 beers (5 ounces apiece, I believe) until it arrived at our table! Seriously, the menu should have been a little more specific in that regard. So the bill was a tad more than we anticipated, but it's hard to be too irritated about it when the rest of our trip was almost free.

We walked around the Ohio City neighborhood taking photos until we were ready to leave. The kids fell asleep almost immediately. A 12-hour Cleveland road trip (including four hours in the car) in the books.

Photo Friday: Ohio License Plate Map

In Ohio State's student union is an interesting map. Each county is represented by a different license plate from the state. Wish I had this in my living room!

A Day at the Ohio State Fair

One of my good friends and her sister visited Columbus from out-of-town for a couple of days last week, and one of the things at the top of her to-do list was a visit to the Ohio State Fair. I was happy to oblige.

In school I would sometimes make multiple trips to the state fair every year for various 4-H competitions. (I obviously had very supportive parents -- who else would OK so many 300-mile-round-trip drives?) I got to know the Ohio State Fair quite well, but after graduating from high school I visited only once or twice. If I had to guess, the last time I was there was about a decade ago.

A few things had changed. Like FRIED BUCKEYES. As in, they now have them. These peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate are Ohio mainstays, but I'd never had them fried. Really, it just tasted like a warm, melty Buckeye (what did I expect?). Good, but I prefer the hot donutty consistency of fried Oreos. I had them later.

We walked the midway and through a flea market and the chicken and rabbit barn. We went to a petting zoo.

Of course we made the obligatory stop to see the Butter Cow -- yes, a cow sculpted from real butter. Had to get a strawberry milkshake there, too. That really brought me back.

Merchants building, youth building -- ah, how well I knew them! Of course, it all was interspersed with more photos, more food and whatever struck our eye. All in all, we spent about five hours there. It was Edith's first fair, and a great reintroduction for me.

Sunrise in Defiance, Ohio

I've been seeing more than my fair share of sunrises the last few months. Although I wish I could say I've seen more -- usually Edith gets me up long before the sun makes its way up.

But back to the point -- I've seen a few New York City sunrises, and they don't compare to the ones back home in Ohio. Of course, if you're in the right spot in New York -- on top of a skyscraper, in a park across the river from Manhattan, even along some of the borough's streets when they line up with the sun -- I'm sure those sunrises can be spectacular.

But I wouldn't know for sure. When the sun rises, I'm at tree level. We actually do see quite a bit of sky from our apartment -- by New York standards anyway -- and we get good sunshine. But we don't really see the sun.

So when I was in Defiance waiting for Edith to wake up, witnessing a bright pink sunrise from the comfort of home was something of a treat. Although sleep would also be a treat nowadays.

Baby's First Road Trip

It's an exciting weekend: We'll be in Ohio tomorrow for the first time since Edith was born. But I'm also extremely nervous: We have a 500-mile drive to endure before we get there.

Normally I don't particularly mind the drive. I'm hoping that's the case tomorrow as well. But with a baby you never know. We'll see how long the normally 9-hour drive turns into when you factor in diaper changes, etc.

The four times she's ridden in a car have gone smoothly, but she hasn't been in her car seat enough for me to be confident that we're going to have a nice and quiet ride.

And I'm just talking about the drives to Ohio and back. I haven't even mentioned how nervous I am about the time we're actually spending there. I can count on my hands -- and maybe my toes -- the number of times Edith has left our apartment. I've never even changed her diaper outside of her nursery. Now we're going to be in a completely different environment.

But overnight outings have to start sometime. I know I'm certainly not planning on being cooped up until she's potty trained. So what better way to start than around your forgiving families?

On that note, winter break begins! New blog posts will start again on Wednesday, Jan. 23.

Sunset in Defiance, Ohio

Nearly every time we visit my family in Defiance, I get a little camera-happy around the ol' homestead. And the few times I haven't, I always regret it afterward.

When we visited my family earlier this month, I snuck out of the house on our last evening there, just as the sun was setting. The grass was dewy-wet, even though the pond was at the lowest level I'd ever seen it.

Paul, noticing that I had slipped out of the living room, came outside to join me, and we took a quick stroll to the barn, pond and back before the sun went down, my shoes got soaked and the bugs ate us alive.