Tag Archives: Cincinnati

Smoke on the Water

Posted on by

20

Leaving my house thirty minutes earlier than necessary to meet friends for lunch yesterday, I had enough time to take photos of the Ohio River and the Downtown area of Cincinnati from the Kentucky side.

I didn’t expect the beautiful fog.  I live 35-40 minutes from Downtown and as I crossed a bridge into Kentucky, I had to pull over on the Highway to take a photograph.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

After arriving in Newport, Kentucky, I walked on to the Purple People Bridge, which is a pedestrian only bridge.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERABridges always fascinate me.  I love all of the lines and angles.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

This little girl is so colorful with her oh-so-long lollipop!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

The fog dissipated pretty quickly…

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

I have some lovely shots of Cincinnati Street Art for tomorrow!  Hope you have a wonderful day!

Related articles

Snow Day

Posted on by

31

I love snow!  So…today was a special treat in Cincinnati!  Being surrounded by acres and acres of trees provides a winter wonderland to take photographs!  I didn’t even notice the cold…standing outside in my house slippers…taking delight in the beauty!

I tried a few new settings on my camera and was pleased with the result.  It started sleeting this morning, and turned to snow later today.  I was so blessed not to have to drive in it!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

“The snow began to fall again, drifting against the windows, politely begging entrance and then falling with disappointment to the ground”  ~Jamie McGuire, Beautiful Disaster

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA “A fool sees not the same tree that a wise man sees.” ~William  Blake

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

“The first snow is like the first love. Do you remember your first snow?”  ~Lara Biyuts

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

“There is in every true woman’s heart, a spark of  heavenly fire, which lies dormant in the broad daylight of prosperity, but which kindles up and beams and blazes in the dark hour of adversity.”  ~Washington Irving

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Staying warm by the fire…filled with gratitude!  xoxoxo

Related articles

 

Wonders of Winton Woods

Posted on by

32

The Park of choice for last night’s hike was Winton Woods on the West side of Cincinnati.  I used to live in that area when I was a single mother 20 years ago.  I haven’t been to that Park in years and it brought back lots of memories!  We walked the loop around the small lake.  I’m not sure how far that is…probably about 2 miles and then walked part of it again and veered off onto another path.

There’s the lumberjack…

I haven’t gotten to swing in a while either.  I asked the lumberjack if he would take photos of me.

He was delighted after he took this photo, because the timing was great for capturing me jumping from the swing…

The colors weren’t as vibrant as at Sharon Woods, but there were some other interesting photo ops.  I purposely stood off-center for this shot under a bridge…thinking that would give it more appeal…

This photo makes me want to go sit on the bench.  But knowing me…it wouldn’t be for long!

Just like Sharon Woods, there is a Boathouse there for rental of paddle boats, pontoons and aluminum canoes.

After using the restrooms, the light streaming in caught my attention.  I couldn’t decide which photo I liked better…so I posted both!

More color!

I enjoyed the stripes in this shot…

I like the kayaks’ bright colors against the muted earth tones!

I hope you’re enjoying a tour of Cincinnati’s finest parks!!

Related articles

Walking Mariemont, Ohio

Posted on by

24

If you’re ever in the Cincinnati area, I highly recommend taking a stroll through the Village of Mariemont.  Especially in Autumn!  It’s a small community…about 3,500 residents.  Yesterday, seeing that we had another glorious fall day, I parked in the town square, where a number of upscale restaurants are located and went exploring.  The hiking club I belong to have an urban hike scheduled there on Sunday.  I passed the Quarter Bistro Restaurant and thought their outside seating area looked quaint and a bit European…

As I meandered from street to street…I wasn’t prepared for the spectacular and riotous display of color.  Everywhere I looked there were varying shades of orange, red, yellow and green!  The houses were quaint and most were decorated for Halloween.

I passed by this little park…

If you need motivation to get out and exercise…a place like this will do it!

The lawns were landscaped beautifully…

This was another area with benches to sit and relax and if you stand at the stone wall, there’s a beautiful view of the countryside…

Just when I thought I had seen the most brilliant colors…I walked down this street and was blown away by the beauty!

Here are my two “artsy” photos…

I discovered through the hiking club I belong to that perhaps the world’s largest Serpent Mound is located in Mariemont.  This was reported in August of last year!  So…having just seen the Serpent Mound in Adams County over the weekend, I was excited to hear about this.  A blog called “Goddesschess” has a great post about it–if you’d like to learn more.

The Madisonville Site was–according to the Ohio Historical Society–the location of a large Ft. Ancient population.  I’m learning all kinds of things about Cincinnati!

At one point on my hike–being the explorer that I am–I saw a tunnel and decided to go through it to investigate.  There wasn’t much to see on the other side, but as I was going to return, I heard male voices coming through the tunnel, so I ran up the hill and found a little pathway back to the front of the tunnel.  Whew!  I was a little scared since there was no one else around.  They were probably harmless, but it’s best not to take unnecessary risks!

I had to take this photo of the birds perched on the telephone wire…

A girlfriend met me there after she got off of work and we hiked it again.  I’m glad I went early to get my photos…because she’s a fast walker!  After hiking we went to another restaurant in the square called The Dilly Cafe.  It’s owned by one of our friends Chuck Warinner.  We both had the Seared Ahi Tuna Sandwich with Sweet Potato Fries.  It was tasty!  They have wine tastings and outdoor seating.  Lots of fun!

Thanks for coming along and may you find time and motivation to explore your own hometown!!

 

Related articles

Ohio Riverfront Walk

Posted on by

37

Last week I walked along the Ohio Riverfront in Cincinnati with girlfriends.  It was a beautiful day!  I drove in my friend’s car to the river and forgot my camera in my car.  Although I missed some great shots…I knew it was for the best because it gave us more time to talk.  Normally, when I’m taking photos, I lag behind and then run to catch up…and miss out on the visiting part.  So…yesterday was another beautiful day and I decided to drive the 35 minutes to downtown and retrace our steps.

This was my first view of the waterfront…the Purple People Bridge.  It’s a pedestrian only bridge over to the Kentucky side.

The BB Riverboat hosts weddings in addition to sightseeing and dinner cruises.  It’s strange to me to think that you can take a boat from the Ohio River to the Mississippi River and then all of the way to the ocean!

There are quite a few bridges that span from Cincinnati to Kentucky…

Of course, I tried to get some artsy shots…

At first I thought this was a labyrinth but it’s a squiggly walking path…

The City has been working on sprucing up the area…putting in plants and statutes…

The views of downtown are lovely…

This is called the serpentine wall.  During the summer they have an event called “Party in the Park” that is held on Wednesday evenings and people will spill over from the main level above to this area…to sit and relax.

Here’s the Purple People Bridge on my way back…

Love the flag shots…

I just like the lines on this one…

The contrasting red in the tables-chairs is cool against nature’s vibrant colors…

One last shot of a bridge from a fresh perspective…

The sun was beginning to set and I’m glad I captured it next to the building…

Hope your week is wonderful!

Related articles

Serpent Mound

Posted on by

19

The Great Serpent Mound is a 1,348-foot-long, three-foot-high prehistoric effigy mound located on a plateau of the Serpent Mound crater along Ohio Brush Creek in Adams County, Ohio.

The “Lumberjack” and I visited there on Saturday.  It’s located about one and one-half hours east of northern Cincinnati.

The Ohio Historical Society owns and manages the property.  This is their office at the site…

There is an observation deck…

The observation deck is located at the back of the third hump, near the end of the tail if you’re looking at this drawing…

English: Drawing of the Serpent Mound

I’ve read that there is a special energy here…a spiritual energy that can be tapped into.  I didn’t sense anything, although I was hoping to.

A hiking trail was located on the grounds.  By the time we walked the paved walkway and I took photos…we didn’t have time to hike.

As you can see, Autumn is a wonderful time to visit.  The colors were spectacular!

The sun was beginning to set when we left and it was a beauty!!

Related articles

 

Jungle Jims International Market

Posted on by

19

Yesterday was absolutely glorious!  The sun was shining and it was in the 50’s!  After taking Jake (my dog) hiking, I went to Jungle Jim’s International Market.  Jungle Jim has two grocery stores in the Cincinnati area–one on the West side and one on the East side.  I used to work for him at his Banquet Center as the Event and Sales Manager–selling the space and helping corporations/brides/etc. decide on how to set the room up, what food to serve, the timing, etc.

His stores are amazing!  They have over 20,000 s.f. of space and over 150,000 items for sale.  You can spend hours looking.  He just opened the store on the East side…the one I went to.  There are maps at the entrance!  This is what it looks like when you enter…

The restrooms look like port-o-lets…but they’re not.  Once you enter, you’ll find normal stalls, sinks, etc.  They were voted one of the best public restrooms in the nation!

Jungle (that’s what we call him) is a bit of a prankster!

You’ll find other stores within his store…

He has hookahs for sale…

People from neighboring States come to shop because of the selection of goods from other countries (hence the name “International” market).  I love the use of props!  Guess which culture is being represented here…

Jungle prides himself in having the largest selection of certain items…such as hot sauce…

There’s an entire section devoted to children’s candy!

Now this is my style…hippy chick!  I wish I could tour around the world with this…or something similar!  I just entered a contest to win a teardrop camper…somebody has to win!

The wine and beer selection is unbelievable!

I like the sports fans in the stands…

For 25 cents you can have a taste from a few selections of the day…

Don’t forget…they also have food and lots of it…

 

 

Jungle keeps a watchful eye!  I noticed some of the employees following me around while I was taking photos.  They reminded me of the FBI and I felt like ducking behind displays to lose them!

I bought a huge dog bone for Jake while I was there.  It’s at least a foot and a half long!  He’s gnawing on it right now…

 

If you’re ever within a 100 mile vicinity…I would definitely recommend a stop at Jungle’s!  Jake would too!!

Related articles

Photography while Hiking

Posted on by

20

Sometimes I wish I lived somewhere other than Cincinnati, Ohio…. somewhere closer to a beach or mountains…but when I look back through my blog posts and photos, I realize there are lots of things to do in this area, natural beauty abounds, and best of all…I have some wonderful family and friends!

I haven’t been jogging for the past few weeks because my neck and back were hurting.  Since I’ve quit, they’re getting better, so I’m trying to hike more.  We went to East Fork State Park last night and hiked a couple of miles.  It’s only 30 minutes from our house.  First, we stopped at the beach and let our maniac dog…Jake…out.  He took off chasing the geese and I started snapping photos!  That’s him in the center at the water’s edge…

I really enjoyed having the birds so close to me.  It’s magical when you hear their wings flapping as they circle around you!

I enjoy everything about photography.  I love looking at the photos afterwards… deciding which ones are my favorites.  It’s interesting to see how the colors change as you change the angle of your camera.  The sky is so blue in this one…

It was very difficult to take a photo of Jake because he never stopped moving and was quite unpredictable!  His enthusiasm is evident though…

We tried a new trail this time.  It’s a 31 mile perimeter trail…but we only went one mile in and then returned before dark.

We stopped at the dam on the way out to capture the sunset…

Randy thought this photo was “artsy”…

I’ve never tried taking photos while the vehicle was moving.  I like the effect…

Thanks for joining me.  I’ll see you soon!

Related articles

Family Fun

Posted on by

15

Friday night we went out with my son and his girlfriend (pictured below).  Originally we were going to go out to dinner and then to a haunted theme park, but it was raining, so we had dinner and then went bowling.  I haven’t bowled in a few years…it was fun!  We went to a place in Franklin, Ohio called J.D. Legends.  It was our first time there.  They also have outdoor sand volleyball, concerts, a bar and restaurant.  Sometimes it can be a challenge to find something to do (that everyone wants to do) with an adult child!

If he looks tall compared to her…he is.  He’s 6’9″ tall and I’m guessing she’s about 5’4″!

I tried to get a few “artsy” pics…

Don’t most bowling alleys have dusty disco balls?

Posing for the camera!  I’m such a ham.  At least I admit it!

I’ve never taken photos of people bowling, so it was fun to see everyone’s style (or lack of — on certain throws).  Randy looks like he’s going to fall here…

Justin has a long way to get down…

Ashley beat us the first game.  One of the cool things this facility has is the ability to display how fast you are throwing the ball.  I was the slowest…usually clocking in around 13 mph, then Justin and Ashley around 15-16 mph and Randy around 17 mph.  Randy’s fastest ball was over 20 mph.

Randy said I looked like “Tinkerbell” walking down the lane and releasing the ball.  But, I got the most strikes in a game!

Although we have a small family, all of our parents are deceased, and we rarely see our siblings, I’m grateful we have each other!

Related articles

Hiking in Autumn

Posted on by

27

My dog Jake lives to hike with us!  He knows when we put on our hiking or jogging shoes that soon he’ll be out running in the woods!  He races in and out of the doggie door, unable to contain his excitement.  If we take too long, he’ll stick his head through it to see what we’re doing…

I had to take a picture of some of the trees above the roof of the house before leaving for the woods…

And the front yard.  We live on 5 acres (of which 4 acres is wooded) at the end of a lane and love the seclusion.

This spot is located right around the corner from my house.  Definitely worth a stop!

We stopped along the way for a quick photo of a farm.  I love the texture and color of the drying soy bean crop…

These photos are a combination of two different hikes we’ve taken this week.  I am very grateful to have a park within five minutes of my home that is over 500 acres with hiking trails and that I usually have to myself!

The leaves are glittering like gold…

I couldn’t believe how beautiful the trees and reflection were when we arrived to the lake.  If you’re a photographer, you know that almost giddy feeling of enthusiasm when you see something beautiful.

I recently realized that my camera has enabled me to appreciate and observe more of the beauty that surrounds me in people, nature and things.

This is from a hike a couple of days ago as dusk was settling…

Fog had descended upon us as we finished the hike…just in time for Halloween!

Get out and enjoy the beautiful outdoors!  Some people aren’t able to!

Related articles

Cincinnati Oktoberfest 2012 & Ft. Thomas Festival

Posted on by

21

Hello everybody!  Hope you’re having a great weekend!  I’ve been sick all week…a cold.  I’m glad I decided to get out yesterday and go to the Cincinnati Oktoberfest and especially the Ft. Thomas, Kentucky Festival.  It was so crowded at the Oktoberfest, you were shoulder to shoulder with people most of the time.

I was in my usual mood of “lets enjoy every minute”!  Here are some of the photos from the afternoon…

We ate some yummy Goetta Balls…deep fried deliciousness!  Goetta is popular in Cincinnati because there is a rather large percentage of people with German heritage.  It is made from ground pork and beef mixed with oats and a few other ingredients.  Of course we had to have some Warsteiner beer!

My girlfriend Cindy came with Randy and I.  She’s a Grandmother and the oldest grandchild is 16 years old.  It’s hard to believe!  Here she is with a cowboy on stilts!

Randy’s looking quite manly beside this cool car at the Ft. Thomas festival…

I took some (what I thought were) “artsy” photos.  A guy laughed because I took this photo…

When we were walking to our car, I looked up and saw the light shining through the flag…

Fire escapes are an interesting photo opportunity because of their sharp angles and repetitive shapes!

While walking through the crowd, these guys asked me to take their photo…

Have you ever seen a “Redneck Humidor”?

The weather couldn’t have been any nicer…70 degrees and sunny!  The usual rides were there.  I think they look a little out-of-place in a City setting…

There were lots of booths at the Ft. Thomas festival.  Although the town is located right across the river from Ohio, this was my first time checking it out.  Some of the streets were paved with bricks and it was very quaint!

Randy bought me a “Shamballa” bracelet at the festival.  The beads are sewn together using the ancient macrame method.  Shamballa is actually a “place of peace, tranquility and happiness”!  Here are some of the displayed bracelets…

One of our favorite bands was playing at the festival–“The Danny Frazier Band“!  When Randy and I were dating 20 years ago, we used to dance to his music!  He’s the one in the center…

I hope you enjoyed coming along with me for a look at the Cincinnati Oktoberfest and as an added bonus…the Ft. Thomas, Kentucky Festival!

Related articles

End of Summer

Posted on by

11

This weekend has been wonderful!  Saturday we started the day with our usual three-mile trail jog at the nature center.  There were beautiful wildflowers weeds everywhere, so I picked some to bring home.  Breakfast was a yummy smoothie with strawberries, banana, Greek yogurt, coconut milk, oatmeal flakes, honey, 1 cup of ice, and some Chia Seeds.  I discovered the Chia Seeds at Trader Joe’s and was impressed by the amount of fiber, Omega 3, and Protein in 1 tablespoon!

That afternoon we rode the Harley to the Milford Street Festival.  We stopped along the way because Randy wanted a photo with this tank…

We stayed at the festival for about an hour and stopped by the booth of one of Randy’s friends…Steve Black…who makes cool jewelry out of spoons and forks.  A lot of the pieces are Harley and breast cancer (ribbon) related.

There were a variety of booths including face painting…

This parrot was cool…

We stopped in a gun shop and I thought this would make an artsy photo…

And this wall looked cool.  The three different colors and textures really popped!

We rushed home, changed clothes and left for our next adventure…Bob’s Pig Roast.  It was in honor of his deceased wife who had died from cancer.  Everyone donated $10 to the American Cancer Society…so $2700 was collected!

This is Bob…

I took about 150 photos, but picked out just a few to post.  This is my friend Shari.  I took 7 photos of her with my flash on and she blinked every single time.  So I turned the flash off and…voila…

This was the beginning of the party…before most of the group arrived.  The port-o-lets were for the guys and the inside restrooms were for the ladies.

Randy, Frank and I were toasting with three different beverages in a wine glass.  Wine for me, beer for Randy and water for Frank!

It was a busy and FUN day!  I’m grateful we have so many nice friends!  We’ve had beautiful weather, but it is cooling off this week.  Hope your weekend was great and wishing you a wonderful week!!

xoxoxo

Taste of Blue Ash and 38 Special

Posted on by

27

 

Yesterday was another busy day.  We started with a 3 mile hike at Long Branch Farm & Trails.  I love to trail jog and hike there because it’s only 5 minutes from my house and it’s lovely!  First we hook Jake up in the back of the truck where he proceeds to whine and howl the entire way because he’s so excited…

Next we enter our enchanted forest…

We follow along the trail feasting our eyes on all of the nature…

Cross over some creeks or in Jake’s case — wade through them…

Emerge into a clearing….

Take a peek inside the corn fields…

Do a hand stand because I can…

After a quick shower…it was time to hop on the Harley and take the back roads to the beautiful suburb of Cincinnati called Blue Ash.  Every year they have an event called the Taste of Blue Ash that lasts the entire weekend with well-known musicians, lots of food and plenty of people watching!  And it’s free!

Of course, I went off of my Paleo Plan again and had a pulled pork bbq sandwich and some fried pickles…

 

The bandstand…

People watching…

My girlfriends April and Anne and Chris…

This balloon was way way way up in the sky…

The band “38 Special” sounded great and they had all different colored lights…but the blue were my favorite…

My friend Frank…

We had a great time!  Hope you’re getting out and enjoying life (especially free events)!!

Related articles

 

The Germania Society – Cincinnati’s Original Oktoberfest

Posted on by

35

Yesterday was a fun packed day!  We started by going boating on the Ohio River.  Our boat is old — but it’s fast and fun!  Kinda like us!  I prefer to boat and slalom-ski on the river rather than one of the area lakes because it’s less crowded and the scenery is better.  We’ve been boating on the river for 20 years.  This is in the New Richmond area.

Some of the towns along the river are quaint and picturesque…

We didn’t stay out long because we had plans to go to the Germania Society’s Oktoberfest on the West side of town and meet friends there.  Cincinnati has a large percentage of German heritage residents.  I’ve been to the Oktoberfest that’s held in Downtown Cincinnati quite a few times, but never to this one.  I actually enjoyed it more than the Downtown event.  We hopped on our Harley motorcycle (thank goodness because there were so many people there, you had to park a mile away if you arrived by car) and enjoyed a beautiful ride there.  Randy’s holding my Warsteiner beer (he’s not a lush)…we only drank one…they’re so big!  I’m usually not a beer drinker (I prefer wine) but I really enjoyed this beer and when in Rome!

Prost!

Here’s our friend Richard on the left – he’s 6’9″ tall (just like my son) – and doesn’t he look so German and handsome!  The other people are strangers that I requested a photo from…

I went off of my Paleo Plan and had a bratwurst, a few potato pancakes and a funnel cake (that I didn’t get a photo of because I was too intent on eating it)!

Some of the traditional games were there…including “The Rat Game”….nothing like betting on rat races!

There were rides…

Alpine Horn Blowing…

I liked the look of these flags under the large tent…

I love the atmosphere once it’s dark…all of the lights are twinkling and anything is possible!

I’m glad we were able to go to a festival type event this summer!  Hope you enjoyed coming along!!

Related articles