Sunset from the Carew Tower

Experiencing the sunset from the Carew Tower in Cincinnati, Ohio is a must-do if you ever visit or especially if you live here.  I like being a “Tourist in my City” and take advantage of things to do in my own hometown!  One of the camera club meetups that I belong to hosted an event at the top of the Carew Tower last night.  From the time construction was completed in 1930 and up until 2010, the Carew Tower was the tallest building in Cincinnati and at a cost of $33 million, a very expensive one also!  I arrived early to take some photos of Fountain Square and the Art deco inside the Carew Tower.  I’m learning a lot in my weekly camera class and would have stayed longer to practice taking some additional night shots, but it got really cold.

Using my Nikon D5100, in manual mode I set my aperture at 8 and metered for my shutter speed away from the sun.  With my camera on a tripod, I had my ISO set at 100 and white balance on Cloudy.  A couple of the attendees said the color is more vibrant if it’s set on Cloudy.  I had forgotten and left the image stabilization on which can cause photos to not be as clear if they are on a tripod.  Luckily, one of the members reminded me, so I was able to get a few more photos with it off.  I don’t have a remote trigger yet, so I used the self-timer for some of the shots.

My photos are shown backwards…from the end of the evening to the beginning.  The Ohio River is meandering down below…

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What to do in Ripley, Ohio…go to Meranda-Nixon Winery

Wineries are so much fun and Meranda-Nixon Winery in Ripley, Ohio is no exception!  Although summer is gone…the vineyards are still beautiful.  My friends and I drove out there yesterday.  Located about 40 minutes from the east side of Cincinnati, it’s not too far of a drive.  Because it was a Friday, there were only a few other patrons there.  The owners are Seth and his wife Maura.  We joked that we wanted some “Maura wine”.  Anyway, Maura did the wine tasting for us and gave us some background about their lives.  Both she and her husband are widowers and when they met recently…they only dated for one month before getting married!

I asked her how many employees they have and she replied, “Her husband and four children!  While we were there, two of the boys came in to help wash glasses.  The 11-year-old took me for a ride on their “gator”!  I asked him how fast it would go and he said 21 mph, so I asked him to floor it!  He probably thought I was crazy when I asked him to do donuts in the front yard!

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99 Beers on the Wall at Hops House

Last night my husband and I were treated to dinner at Hollywood Casino‘s newest restaurant, Hops House 99.  It was their Grand Opening!  As we approached the entrance I took a photo…

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With 36 HD TV‘s and 99 beers to pass around…you can definitely stay entertained here!  After being seated, we had the difficult task of choosing one of the 99 beers.  We both chose the Bourbon Ale and loved it!  It has over 8% alcohol…so we didn’t have a second.

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Boogie Nights and Danny Frazier Band

Saturday evening nine friends and I had a fabulous time at Hollywood Casino’s Boogie Nights and listening to The Danny Frazier Band.  Hollywood’s PR people contacted me after reading my post about a previous evening I spent with a girlfriend at their venue and wanted to treat my husband and I to an evening out with dinner, dancing and an overnight room which we enjoyed a couple of months ago.  I was thrilled when they also offered a VIP room at Boogie nights and a sleeping room for a group of my friends and I.

Here are my gorgeous friends at the beginning of the evening…

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Friendship Park

Summertime and parks just go together!  Just this year a friend told me about a park in Cincinnati that I hadn’t heard of named the  Theodore M. Berry International Friendship Park.  I visited in the Spring with that friend and took photos.  You can read about that here.  Anyway, on Wednesday I met my friend Sherry there to walk and have a picnic dinner before heading over to Party in the Park.  This beautiful young lady, named Marie, was there with her skateboard and let me take a few photos.  Her mother was with her and informed me that she is a model.

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Stanley’s Pub Blues and BBQ

One of my favorite things to do in the summer is to sit on a patio, listening to great music, talking with friends, having a drink and last night at Stanley’s Pub I got to do all of them!  Four bands played the blues beginning with the Leo Clarke Band.  We missed them but loved Band #2 — Chuck Brisbin and the Tuna Project.  Odd name but they were great.

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Loved this belt my friend Laura had on…

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Plan B for Jimmy Buffett Concert

Jimmy Buffett had a concert at Riverbend Music Center in Cincinnati, Ohio Tuesday evening and my friend April (2nd from left) invited a group of friends out on her boat to listen to the concert from the water.  What an adventure!  Here we are pre-party.  (Not taken with my camera…little fuzzy)

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I’ve been boating on the Ohio River for 20 years and have encountered some hairy situations, but this one was the most intense.  I’m usually with my husband (the Captain).  Anyway, here are some pics before all of the “situations” occurred.  Love this photo of April having fun driving the short 10-15 minutes to the concert.  Grass skirt blowing in the wind…

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Midlife Madness

Remember I was telling you how this past weekend was a non-stop party…this is from Friday night at the Four Seasons Marina in Cincinnati, Ohio.  We met my friend April there, along with other friends…listened to a band, danced, talked, etc.  Walking down the dock to April’s boat…it was fun to read some of the boat owners’ names for their boats.

Midlife Madness seemed very appropriate…

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America the Band

The past few days have been a non-stop party for me.  I know….you don’t feel sorry for me in the least!  It’s been great and I’m not complaining…just giving you an insight into the life of a baby boomer.  Anyway, last night I went to an outdoor concert in a suburb of Cincinnati called Sycamore.  The bands that played were DV8 (more of a local band) and America (you know…songs like “A Horse with no Name” and “Sister Golden Hair“).  We met up with some friends and I went walking around by myself to stop by the port-o-let and snap some photos.

It was around 7:30pm when we arrived, so I was able to capture this cool shadow shot…

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Why you should visit Alms Park in Cincinnati

I’ve discovered a new park in Cincinnati….Alms Park!  Actually it’s not new…just new to me.  I met my friend Cindy there to check it out before heading over to Newport on the Levy again.  Although the Park is less than 100 acres, the pavilion, landscape and beautiful views make it a great place to have a picnic, take the kids to play on the playground, or even have a wedding!

Nicholas Longworth originally owned the land and grew grapes for his Catawba wine before the Civil War.  In 1916, his widow gave the land to the Parks commission for the public to enjoy.

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Sunday Funday

It had been quite rainy for days around Cincinnati, so when the weather was nice Sunday afternoon I had itchy feet.  I took a solo trip to Fountain Square and Washington Park in Downtown Cincinnati.  Washington Park is so cool!  They have a water feature with fun and unpredictable bursts of water.  I tried the silhouette function on my camera…the Nikon D5100.  I love this effect….

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Friday Fun

Friday was a great time!  I went to Newport on the Levee again.  There was a “bike rally” for motorcycles, but because of the chance of rain, there weren’t many attendees.

A couple of ladies were holding a snake and they asked if I’d like to hold it.  I usually say “YES” to everything!

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Stormy Weather at the Cabana

Last night the sky was filled with swirling masses of swollen colorful clouds waiting to release their rain.  I couldn’t stop taking photographs.  We went to a place on the Ohio River called the Cabana on the River.  I love venues with live music located on the river.  Although it was an hour drive, I enjoyed talking with friends, taking lots of photos,  and dancing to one of my favorite local bands…Danny Frazier Band!

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This bartender is a cutie…

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Ahoy Matie!

Boating is a fantastic way to enjoy the outdoors and your friends!  Saturday I had another fun day in Cincinnati on the Ohio River on my friend April’s boat.  She invited four of us women friends and five other boats ended up tying up to us…so we had a party!  Here’s Captain April…

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Sometimes I get bored with boating, especially if I can’t ski…so I stay entertained by taking photographs and dancing.  I really liked this candid shot of Cindy and April.  April’s bathing suit is so cool…I love the neon and loopy fabric!

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