| See our route going East | |
| Magical Horses | |
| Simon Says | |
| Mysterious Pod | |
| Oz | |
| Cincinnati | |
| Maybe Unicorns | |
| Good Eatin | |
| "Duck" | |
| See our route returning West | |
| Rub a Duck | |
| Set a Spell | |
| Special Island | |
| Sad Fish | |
| New Orleans | |
| Lost Rapids | |
| Too Hot | |
Cincinnati, Ohio
Friday, July 1, 2011. We lived in Cincinnati for many years and raised our family there. It was a treat to visit. We pulled our Casita into Winton Woods Campground where we had reservations for four nights. Good thing, too. Winton Woods is a lovely park and was full to bursting with families who came there to celebrate the 4th of July.
That evening we had Cincinnati Chili with our daughter Karen and her husband Tim who are raising their own family there. Cincinnati Chili is a special treat. There are numerous "chile parlors" around Cincinnati and we have many fond memories of a stop at one of them after the theater, a movie, or a trip to Music Hall.
After supper we wandered through Jungle Jim's, an amazing and enormous gourmet supermarket.
Saturday, July 2, 2011.In the morning, Karen and Tim took us to Findlay Market. Findlay Market is an old and revered Farmer's Market in the heart of the city. There are stalls filled with colorful produce, dairies selling freshly churned butter and homemade cheeses, and butchers with every kind and cut of meat and homemade sausages. We took a number to buy some sausages and had 54 people ahead of us. So we had time to wander and remember.
We had lunch at The Melt Eclectic Deli and Tim drove us slowly through the city showing us changes. It's been nearly 30 years since we lived there.
In the evening, Vince's past colleague, Brandon, and his wife Patti, hosted a small group of long-time friends at their home. We all happily argued about the politics of politics well into the evening.
Sunday, July 3, 2011. Brandon and Patti took us to church with them. They attend a liberal storefront church in downtown Cincinnati called The Gathering. The Pastor, Doug Slagle, talked to us about the essence of optimism. He said that deep down, optimism is based on the belief that humans want to do good things and want to be the best they can be. Amen!
Then we had a bite of lunch at a nearby cafe, and Brandon and Patti treated us to a Cincinnati Reds game! The Reds played the Cleveland Indians and won! We saw Aroldis Chapman pitch. He is the fastest pitcher in the world, clocked at 105 mph last September. At this game, his fastest was only 90 mph. Many thanks to Brandon and Patti for a wonderful day of friendship building.
After the game, Vince and I went to Karen and Tim's house where we hugged our teenage grandchildren (on their way out the door) and then visited with Doris Marks Callis and her new husband Marc Wavra. We've known Doris since she was a little girl, always welcome in our family home, and still a sweetheart. She posted photos on her Facebook page.
Monday, July 4, 2011. A friend for many years, Lib Stone, invited us to her home on Corbin Drive for lunch. Her son Andrew and his family were visiting from New Mexico and Lib had invited some other friends to lunch too. The afternoon was filled with laughter and interesting conversation, just as we remembered parties at Lib's to be.
We drove past our old house (slowly) at 4040 Beechwood, and then took Karen and Tim out to dinner before saying goodbye to Cincinnati.