This weekend I attended part of a weekend retreat for people who have experienced loss and are grieving. The organization is called Karmfarm, a 501-c3 nonprofit committed to supporting those experiencing grief through free retreats. They’re located in Brooksville, Kentucky, on … Continue reading
These past couple of weeks, I’ve gone hiking a couple of times, and led one of the hikes. I also went cycling a couple of times. I met a friend for salsa dance lessons on the rooftop of Braxton brewery … Continue reading
Last week was busier than usual for me. In addition to joining a friend for a water aerobics class and having a friend over for lunch, I went for a 3 mile hike in the woods with a group of … Continue reading
I went out with my good friend Sherry last night. We went to a festival in Covington called Smoke on the River BBQ fest. It was fun. The weather was in the low ’60s. I loved the COV letters for … Continue reading
The Kentucky Derby is a big thing in Kentucky. I went to a derby party with a guy I was dating. I purchased a new dress, shoes, hat, and purse. I wanted something simple, yet casual and somewhat dressy. He allowed … Continue reading
There are lots of events to choose from on Thursday evenings in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area. My friend Linda and I went to Ault Park for a summer series with live music, food trucks, and drinks. Next, we drove to … Continue reading
Wednesday, I went to a new friend’s house for dinner. We met through my hiking club. The food and company were excellent! I love her deck. She’s an artist and her ceramic feet are a great conversation piece. I had … Continue reading
So far this week I’ve been biking from my place in Ludlow, Kentucky across the Roebling Bridge to Washington Park in Over the Rhine, Cincinnati, then across the purple people bridge into Newport, Kentucky and back home. I’ve also been … Continue reading
I went to a friend’s house Saturday evening. We played with his Mastiff dog Fred, and he is massive 🐾. For dinner we made my recipe for sea bass and a side dish with asparagus, peas, shallots, and honey. We … Continue reading
I returned yesterday from a two night solo camping trip. I camped at Cumberland Falls State Resort Park in Kentucky. There was one other couple tent camping, they were very nice and helped me put the rain fly on my tent. I haven’t camped in 10 years and I haven’t solo camped for 16 years. I forgot how much work is involved. It was beautiful weather, it did get down to 46° the first night, but I slept better there than I did at home. I hiked 3 trails in 2 days, for a total of 11 mi. Cumberland Falls is called the Niagara of the South.
I prepared my dinner at home and had enough for both nights, it’s called black bean, zucchini and rice casserole. Of course I had to have some s’mores. I met another couple around my age who had a VW camper. I took my chair down to their area and we talked for an hour or two. It was nice to have company. Both couples thought it was brave of me to camp by myself.
One of the hikes is called Eagle Falls. It follows along the shoreline of Cumberland River with a beautiful view of Cumberland Falls on the way to Eagle Falls. I decided to dip my feet in the ice cold water, it was very refreshing.
One of the hikes was 5.5 mi and there was no one on it. There was no phone service, so it was a little creepy, but I only thought about the possibility of bears, snakes, and injuries for the first mile 😊
I drove 25 minutes to an area called the Natural Arch Scenic area (image above). It was pretty. When I got home yesterday, I unpacked, vacuumed my car, and ordered pizza. It’s good to be back.
For St. Patrick’s Day this year my friend Linda and I went to a few bars in Covington, Keystone, Blinkers Tavern, and Smoke Justis. They were situated close together so we weren’t out in the cold too long. I asked random people if I could take their photo, everyone seems to love to have their photo taken.
We had a drink at Blinkers Tavern, the least busy of them all.
Next we drove 20 minutes to a party at my brother’s house. There were about 30 people there. That’s my brother and his wife below.
It was a nice time, but I prefer one-on-one versus parties nowadays.
2019 was a tragic and heart shattering year. It began with a trip to Chile, Argentina, and Brazil. I was gone for 18 days with people I didn’t know, on an adventure tour through Intrepid Travel. After a short introduction to Santiago, Chile…
We took a bus across the Andes
And spent a couple of days at a ranch in Argentina. I took this time to recuperate from the worst intestinal bug I’d ever experienced. I had a doctor come to my hotel room because I was so ill and dehydrated. When you go through the loss of a loved one, it manifests itself physically in addition to emotionally.
We then moved onto Mendoza, Argentina (wine country), which was gorgeous.
Buenos Aires was next on the agenda. Very vibrant and busy!
Next, we visited the amazing Iguazu Falls, from both the Argentinean and Brazilian sides.
Finally, we arrived in Rio de Janerio, Brazil…
It was an interesting trip, but I didn’t feel like myself. A week after arriving home, I flew to Playa del Carmen, Mexico for the annual Urban Adventures conference, and was ill there also.
In May, I moved to my lovely condo with a beautiful view of the skyline of Cincinnati from the Clubhouse/pool.
I began online dating and was beginning to feel more settled, when my only child, my beautiful boy, Justin passed in July. If you’re a parent, it’s your worst nightmare. This is the last photo of he and I taken 3 weeks before his passing.
Unless you’ve lost a child, you can’t fathom the suffering, pain, and grief you go through. He was my universe, my heart. Eleven days later I went on a solo 1,000-mile road trip to Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Toronto. I was trying to distract myself from the horrific grief.
I continued with the travels…next was Three Oaks, Michigan with my girlfriend for a long weekend, where we explored Indiana Dunes State Park.
I climbed Mt. Leconte (3,000 ft. elevation change – 11 miles roundtrip) with a friend
And on the way home, met another friend at Red River Gorge, where I spread my son’s ashes at Whittleton Arch Trail. He used to love going hiking/camping there.
I led a group on a hike nearby my condo. I found some solace in the woods.
My next trip was to Palm Springs, Joshua Tree Nat’l Park, and Death Valley Nat’l Park, California with a friend.
I finished the year with a trip to Cape Coral/Ft. Myers, Florida
I discovered the travel was a temporary shallow distraction, but I continued searching for beauty.
In between the travel, I was working hard continuing to build my company, Cincinnati Urban Adventures. We were having a great year – 2,500 passengers and I now had 7 freelance Tour Guides.
I grieved for my son and sometimes I would feel guilty that I wasn’t grieving for my husband as much. It’s odd that there’s a name for someone who has lost their spouse “widow” and lost their parents “orphan”, but the grief is so heavy and heart-wrenching, there is no word for a parent who has lost their child (only child for me – with no hopes of being a biological Grandmother).
2017 began with me on assignment at the Casino in Cincinnati for Cincinnati Refined. A very colorful and loud party to photograph.
I continued finding much joy taking photos in my free time…like the sunrise captured in this church window a couple of minutes from our place in the country.
and Fountain Square in downtown Cincinnati at night…
The Licking Riverside Historic District in Covington, Kentucky with a beautiful view of Cincinnati’s skyline.
Get-togethers with friends…
Family time…
My brother, sister-in-law, nephew, and niece.
I was busy growing my new business, Cincinnati Urban Adventures. Friends accompanied me on trial runs for some of the tours.
My husband, son, and a girlfriend were models on my Over-the-Rhine Sights and Bites tour for my website.
I hired a few models for my Beyond the River tour in Covington, Kentucky.
Here are some of the photos shoots I did for Cincinnati Refined…
I began managing an Airbnb located in Covington, Kentucky…
I had a few photo shoots for my own company, Sherry Lachelle Photography. A senior photo shoot…
A family photo shoot…
I was the Tour Guide and Photographer for a wedding with 40 people. It was 5 hours long, but everything went smoothly.
And I photographed my first gay wedding – 2 beautiful ladies.
I attended an annual weeklong Urban Adventures meeting in Portugal and arranged a trip to follow for a few friends. They met me in Lisbon, Portugal, where we saw the sights for a few days before moving on to Seville and Granada, Spain.
Cheers – Salud!
My husband and I were able to get away to Florida for a week in December.
As you can see, my year was very busy, filled mostly with photography and growing my business, with a little travel sprinkled in.
I recently had a photo shoot assignment for iSPYCincy (now known as “Cincinnati Refined”) at Little Nashville Newport in Kentucky. The establishment is fairly new and the Band that night was Aly’ Ann. I didn’t take my tripod, but still managed to capture a few good shots of the lead singers. I’ve been to the “real” Nashville and this was the next best thing!
Cave Run Lake in Kentucky is absolutely gorgeous! My husband and I met friends there on Thursday for a few days of camping and boating. We’ve been there before, but I didn’t remember it being so picturesque. We used to camp a lot before we moved to the house we’re in now, but with five acres of land and trees surrounding us, we feel like we’re camping without the tent. Camping is a wonderful way for families to enjoy the great outdoors and each other. My son loved it growing up! We’ve camped at many of the area lakes located within a three to four hour drive from Cincinnati…Lake Cumberland and Laurel Lake in Kentucky and Norris Lake in Tennessee, not to mention those within an hour drive…East Fork Lake and Caesar’s Creek near Cincinnati, and Brookville Lake in Indiana. Cave Run is a little over two hours from our home, which makes it a great option.
Sherry Lachelle Travels 