Early August visitors

Several weeks ago, my parents came to visit us in Cincinnati for the weekend.  During their time here, we did several interesting activities together.  We viewed Cincinnati from the top of Carew Tower.  We went to some interesting restaurants.  We went to the aquarium (see next post).  I was really happy they had a chance to come visit us.

First a few pics from the top of Carew Tower - 

SSE view, with the Reds stadium peeking out behind the central building:

S view, with the Roebling Bridge and the Freedom Center:

NW view, with the Cincinnati Museum Center (the old railroad station):

Anne and Peter:

Dad and me:

Me, Dad, Peter, Anne, Mom:

More pics around town -
Coffee time at Peter and Anne's house:

Brian, me, Mom, & Dad:

Everyone (minus Ginger):

Brian and my parents on the Purple People Bridge:

Evening icecream/froyo time, Peter and Dad:

Mom and Anne:

Visit to Ripon

A couple weeks ago, I headed out to California to visit my grandparents.  My grandma had a bit of a health scare, so I went to make sure they were okay and take care of things around the house for a while.  I am happy to report that they are doing a lot better this week, so it was a really good and important trip for me.  My grandma has taken care of me countless times over the years, so I was happy to go out and give her a hand for a few short days.  

During my time in Ripon, we had several nice visitors.  I didn't take as many photos as I should have, but I have a few to share.

Gma and my cousin:

Gpa and me:

Gpa & gma, with my aunt and uncle:

On the way home, I had a bit of a travel hiccup and ended up stuck in the Charlotte airport overnight.  Luckily, I had a small blanket/shawl to help me stay warm in the overnight hours.  I did make it home (eventually), and I am happily putting my schedule and house back in order.

Dublin Irishfest

A few weeks ago, we went to Irishfest in Columbus.  It is a great place to listen to festive music, eat delicious food, and look at fun craft items.  It was good to see Brian's parents and enjoy the festival.

crab

Last weekend, my parents visited us and we went out for a couple great fish meals.  Since we were in a fish groove, we decided to have more this week and experiment with crab.

Over the Rhine

This past weekend, we took a tour of an area in Cincinnati called Over-the-Rhine.  It was an underground tour, which meant that we got to see some neat underground spaces.  I especially enjoyed the underground parts of the tours and seeing the hidden tunnels.

Brian, under the city:

Some of the neat spaces:

Here is the courtyard of the central church in the neighborhood (St. Francis).  It is a lovely oasis:

Brian taking his own pictures at St. Francis:

The rose window at St. Francis:

Our tour guide inside St. Francis:

An inner courtyard among old houses in the neighborhood:

A cat sitting in the pet store window (very effective advertising):

An old filing system in an old beer hall:

Music Hall, with the new park in the foreground:

Thanks to Peter and Anne for the gift of these tickets!

Howdy from Bloomington

It has been quite a while since our last post.  I have been spending a lot of time in Indiana working.  I don't want to post details on the internet, but in general we are examining archaeological materials in an area that will soon be covered by a road.  

Here I am with one of my coworkers:

Here is a view of our parking area and break/work tent.  I do my computer work in this tent.  We also store our supplies in the tent, and usually have lunch there too.  I am standing at the start of the site, which is uphill from the tent.  Since I take all the photos for the project, I hike up and down this hill frequently.

Over the past week, we have had some impressive clouds appearing in the afternoon.  We haven't gotten significant rain from these clouds, but they are still nice to observe.

Here I am with another one of my work buddies.  I have to wear a safety vest because there is a backhoe and bobcat working on site and I walk all around the site (so I need to be visible).

Holland trip

Several weeks ago, I went to Holland for a few days to see David and Rachel and their gang before they moved to Colorado.  It was really good to see them, and I was happy I ended up going.  Brian had to stay home to go to work, sadly, so this was a solo trip for me.  I finally pulled the pictures off my phone this week, so I had a few to post.

There was a lot of packing and sorting and throwing away to do.

David and Dad by the front deck.  The lovely green plant at David's feet is a mat of thyme.

Rachel's folks and my Mom: We grilled burgers and asparagus and had some folks over to celebrate D&R's anniversary (10 years!).  When I told Joes that we were celebrating his parents' anniversary, he asked if they had ever had one before.

The boys: this is the best picture I could get.  They are in constant motion!  Also, I am in serious danger of getting sprayed by the hose.

Butterly exhibit, Krohn Observatory

When my parents were here last weekend, we went to see the butterflies at the local gardens.  There were a lot of people there, and it was very crowded.  But there were also many nice butterflies to see as well.