Christmas 2013

Here are pictures from our holiday season for 2013.  Josh, Annie, Morgan, Wyatt, Sage and Jacob came to Cincinnati to our house for Christmas on Saturday, Dec. 21.  Dennis's children and their kids and spouses/significant others came on Sunday, Dec. 29.  Both events were thoroughly enjoyable.  Dennis and I spent a quiet Christmas Day together.  It took me awhile to get into the holiday spirit this year but eventually I did.  Oh, we also skyped Ana, Damien, Nara and Yuri in Australia while Josh and all were here.  A very nice holiday season.

Monday, January 6, 2014

A "polar vortex" or arctic front came in over the weekend bringing frigid temperatures following a beautiful snowstorm last Thursday.  Indianapolis got hit hard yesterday with over 11 inches of snow and temperatures as low as -12 with windchills on top of that.  Cincinnati only got a dusting of snow and a little ice but the day began with -2 degrees and will probably end with -6.  It is definitely cold in the house - have the space heaters going along with the heat pump.  I scraped the ice and snow off of the car but have not ventured out.  Dennis went out and brought the mail in on his daily trip to buy a lottery ticket (hope never dies).  So we know we can get out but who really wants to.  Fed the birds and the cardinals, chickadees and woodpeckers are taking advantage of it.  I don't know how they survive in this cold.  Here are some pictures from the last week of winter in January 2014.

December 9, 2013

Well, here it is already 6 months since we moved to Cincinnati.  After all our preparations for snow and ice, winter has begun in earnest.  We received 5 inches for our first real snowfall plus ice/sleet/rain on Dec. 6.  Cincinnati declared a snow emergency so the roads could be cleared.  We bunkered down and watched the birds coming to our feeders.  Another blast is coming tonight and another anticipated for the coming weekend.  Am hoping to make a trip to Indianapolis mid-week to do some banking for Ana.  Had to cancel seeing Jacob perform last night with the New World Concert Orchestra at the Arts Garden in Indy due to weather. 

The forest here on the hill is just beautiful with the snow falling.  I just wander from window to window marveling at the scenery.  Dennis and I will be hosting both families for Christmas - one before Christmas and the other afterwards.  So lots of preparation for both of those celebrations.  Getting used to the heat pump system - it is not an efficient as forced gas but not as bad as I had anticipated.  We just have to dress a little warmer than we did on Ritter.

Josh and Annie and kids made a family trip to London and Paris this fall.  They bought me an old copy of Charles Dicken's "A Tale of Two Cities".  I had never read it so am reading it on these cold, dark winter days.  Seems so appropriate to read Dicken's after being so familiar with his "Christmas Carol" all these years.  I am hoping to take a few classes through the community's adult education - just waiting on the new catalogs to see what is offered.  Might want to take a class on writing, photography, local history or something related to nature. 

Here are a few of our winter scenes of life here on the hill:

It has now been three months since we moved to Cincinnati.  We have only experienced the summer season up here on the hill but signs of fall abound.  Within the forest one can see some green leaves turning to brown, plants drying up and leaves beginning to fall.  We await the deluge of leaves and hopefully some brilliant colors.  We saw four deer this week meandering their way through the woods.  Cardinals, nuthatches, chickadees, starlings, and many other types of birds visit our birdfeeders on a regular basis - so do squirrels and raccoons and rabbits below. 

We are exploring Cincinnati on a regular basis, trying out restaurants, bookstores, antique stores, thrift stores, local parks, the riverfront and countless neighborhoods.  We get lost constantly despite the existence of GPS devices, mapquest and good old-fashioned paper maps - part of the fun of exploring.  Cincinnati is a very hilly city - in contrast to the flatlands of Indiana. 

I am reading quite a lot here (see my "Books Read" list).  Dennis keeps busy in the garage creating and fixing.  We have had relatives visit from both sides and so enjoy their visits.  We have joined the squirrels in planning for winter - bought a small freezer for stocking up, considering our options for supplemental heat and possible electrical outages in the winter, and getting the driveway patched.  It is a full life that we have made for ourselves here.  A cold front is coming through today - let the fall season begin!

Moving on

June 2013

In another week, Dennis and I will be moving to Cincinnati.  This is not a decision that came lightly for me as I have had to weigh proximity to my family and friends, my roots that have been established in Indiana and my identity as a person.  In the end my identity as a person won out.  I have lived at 270 South Ritter Avenue for almost 24 years - so many memories but also a lot of baggage.  I need a fresh start and a new adventure in my life.  We found a unique house on a hill in Cincinnati overlooking the Ohio River.  And we will be up a steep driveway in the heart of a forest.  It will be a new lifestyle in an exciting city with a very interesting history.  I have butterflies in the stomach and am in the throes of transition.  Check back in a few months to see how well we are adapting.

2012 Santa Fe Trip Highlights

In September, Dennis and I took a two week trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico.  We traveled through St. Louis, Wichita, LaJunta, Taos to Santa Fe and on the way back through Amarillo, Oklahoma City, Springfield and St. Louis.  We visited such places as St. Louis Zoo, Bent's Fort, Taos Pueblo, Pecos National Historical Park, Rio Grande Gorge, International Folkart Museum, Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, American Indian Arts and Culture Museum, Oklahoma Stockyards, National Quarterhorse Hall of Fame and Museum, George Washington Carver Museum, Palo Duro Canyon, Cahokia Mounds State Park.  But best of all was just the open road through the west (particularly eastern Colorado headed towards the mountains and down towards Taos.  It was a wonderful, memorable trip.Here are highlights from our trip: http://www.flickr.com/photos/13795276@N08/sets/72157631791512337/

Fort Harrison State Park

Here are my pictures of my hiking experience at Fort Harrison State Park on 6/15/12.  I think it was the longest hike I have every taken all on my own (approximately 4 miles total on a very hot day).  The challenges on this hike were the temperature in the high 80s, not knowing exactly where I was going or how long it would take, and sharing the trail with bikers (not many but the trail was narrow and it was up to me to step off to allow the bikers by).  The high points were the raccoons I spotted (or who spotted me), the Walnut Plantation, and now being more familiar with more of the state park.  Unfortunately, there are signs up saying the park plans to reconfigure the Lawrence Creek trail to make the trail better for multi-use.  I am afraid that means blacktop trails - losing the interaction of hills and the twists and turns of the trail.  Too bad.  http://www.flickr.com/photos/13795276@N08/sets/72157630160282928/