Late August Beauty in Burnet Woods

Dear George, 

This weekend feels right between the end stase of summer and the beginning of fall.  The leaves are still green on most of the trees and shrubs, but others are yellowing and drifting to the ground.  Lots of autumn berries have suddenly appeared.   I find myself drawn to our nearby Burnet Woods every day to take some pics of local flora.  Here are the ones I like best.

Love,

Dave

V and L Do Cincy From A to Z

From the left:  Dave, L, J, V, and Katja 

Dear George, 

Our son J and ten-year-old grandkids L and V recently flew up from New Orleans for a long weekend in Cincinnati.  The four days were packed with hoopla.  The best way to keep such memories fresh, it seems to me, is to put them in alphabetical order.  Here’s the story.

Love,

Dave    

AtmosFear.  At the Boone County Fair V was the only member of our group who opted for the scary rides.   On the AtmosFear she rode straight up for 250 feet, then plummeted down at 60 miles per hour, stopping just before crashing into the ground. We couldn’t imagine any human being surviving this, but V got off from the ride glowing with excitement.  

Big Boy breakfast bar.  Katja and I regularly brunch at Frisch’s Big Boy, so we took our gang there.  Our breakfast bar plates overflowed with scrumptious edibles.  

  Coney Island.  The Sunlite Pool at Coney Island is a must.   L and I paddled around while V and J zoomed down the high slide into the pool.  Then we all huddled under the cold water spraying down from the Typhoon Tower.   

Dora.  The children were eager to see Dora and the Lost City of Gold at the Cinemark, but the outing was only so-so.  Katja fell asleep, L felt sick, and the kids decided that Dora had become suitable for a much younger age group.

        Egypt exhibit.  “Egypt: Land of the Pharaohs” at the Museum Center was filled with mystery and wonder.  We were impressed by the gods, visions of the afterlife, Nefertiti, and  the amazing 3-4000 year old artworks.    

Ferris wheel.  At the county fair Katja and I rode the giant ferris wheel with its bird’s eye view of the fairgrounds.  Not as hair-raising as the AtmosFear but plenty thrilling to us.    

Goodwill.  J and I made our semi-annual pilgrimage to the Goodwill thrift store in Oakley.  He found some fashionable items for the kids, and I bought an art book and a mottled cocktail glass for only a dollar ninety.  

Horses and cows.   We enjoyed all the animals at the fair — horses, cows, sheep, goats, pigs, chickens, rabbits (especially the rabbits).  V mixed up a concoction of sugar and oats at a volunteer-staffed table and fed one of the horses from a bucket.   

Ice cream.  Driving home from the airport the children’s first question was when we would go to Graeter’s.  We wound up doing multiple tripss.  The favorite:  Double Chocolate Chip.  

J.  J did his annual catching up with his cousin Chris and wife Karrie at the Clifton Meadows Swim Club while L and V hung out with their three-year-old cousin Hanna.    

Katja.  Katja recruited the children to ready the table for our dinner guest, Jim S.  Drawing from their recent cooking class training, L took charge of the ice water while V plated the salads.   

Lydia’s on Ludlow.  School was scheduled to begin the day after the children’s return home, and, at their dad’s urging, they all went to Lydia’s coffee shop to work on summertime homework assignments.  

Midway.  On the Midway at the county fair the kids asked their dad for money to play various carnival games.  J explained to me that it only costs five dollars per game to win prizes that are worth at least $1.50.  

Nail salon.  Katja took V to the nail salon at Rookwood Plaza, and V had her nails done in indigo blue.  I went with J and L who got haircuts at SuperCuts.  L’s cut was good, but J was trimmed more closely than he’d hoped.   

Orthodontics.  V had brand new braces that made her smile even brighter. 

Pig scramble.  At the fairgrounds all the six and seven year old boys gathered in the show ring in order to chase a small pig until the lucky winner finally captured it.  We felt sorry for the frazzled piglet, but the spectacle was extraordinary.   Like something out of Lord of the Flies.    

Quilts.  I always like the arts and crafts building at the fair.  The artwork was good and the flowers were pretty but the quilts stole the show.   

Rooftop.  Although we were a month early, we celebrated J’s fiftieth birthday on the rooftop of the Gaslight Bar and Grill, Clifton’s popular new hot spot.  The children liked being out in the bigtime, and we all admired the two-story aerial view of Ludlow Avenue. 

Suduko.  Last trip I taught V and L how to do Suduko puzzles, and V in turn taught her dad.  We all worked at Sudoku at the breakfast nook table.  

  Three-ways.  Skyline Chili and Graeter’s are tied for the children’s favorite Cincinnati eating spot.  We went to Skyline twice for three-ways and could have gone even more if L and V had had their way.   

Upbeat.  J, simultaneously a dad and a son, kept everybody upbeat and smiling.  

Video games.  Both children brought their own cell phones, allowing them to wander off now and then into virtual reality.  

White Castle.  V and L had never heard of White Castle, but I told them that once they’ve eaten there they’d never want to go to Skyline again.  They did like their WC sliders but decided that I’d been way too excessive in my praise.  

X-cellence.  We grandparents were pleased and proud that both L and V wound up their fourth grade year on the Honor Roll.  

YouTube.  J got news about one of his grade school friends who was obsessed with TV as a kid and was pretty nerdy.  We looked him up on YouTube, and it turns out he is now a TV celebrity and an actor who specializes in playing nerdy characters.   

Zinzinnati.  It’s not easy to impress visitors who come from the tourist mecca of New Orleans, but I’d say that L and V had a fun time in Zinzinnati.  

Katja's Final New Car

Dear George,

As newlyweds Katja and I did all our shopping together, reaching agreement about each purchase before plunking down any money.  Toothpaste, a new desk lamp, Argyle socks, shish kebab skewers, whatever.  Our marriage, we had pledged, was based on equality.  We were positive that marriages last longest when couples make all decisions jointly.  Eventually, however, the novelty wore off, and buying stuff became more and more laborious.   Basically, as a child of the Great Depression, I didn’t want to spend money on anything but the barest essentials.  Katja was a depression baby too, but, thanks to her exuberant father, she grew up with a more free-wheeling attitude.  I’m not sure if we made an explicit decision, but, one way or another, our financial procedures changed dramatically.  I like to think of it as a matter of specialization.  I specialize in Goodwill purchases (mostly T-shirts) and cheap red wine.  Katja takes care of the rest: e.g., housing, appliances, furniture, vehicles, vacations, sundries.  This system proved more workable.  Also I get treated to many surprises. 

Katja picked out our two cars quite a while back: a 2008 Honda Accord and a 2003 Chevy Trailblazer SUV (which she purchased to transport our two Old English Sheepdogs).  Several  years ago some close friends in our age group bought a new Lexus, deciding it would be the final new car they would purchase in their lifetimes.  That reasoning struck a chord with Katja, and she’s been thinking about a final new car ever since.  My own take on the matter was that since we only drive about 8000 miles a year, our current cars could serve excellently as our final cars.  An idea which did not get popular support.  

Things came to a head last month when I noticed a grinding noise in the innards of our SUV.  The mechanic confirmed my worst fears: the SUV’s transmission had had it.  A new transmission would cost more than the SUV was worth, and we regretfully disposed of it.  Katja started thinking more seriously about a  final new car purchase.  I proposed that we could manage just fine with one car since we go most places together.  Unfortunately I also told her about an AARP website that lists local dealers’ new car inventories and prices.  The website also requests phone numbers and e-mail addresses.  Within an hour Katja was contacted by every Honda dealer in the region.   

 I didn’t want to go to the appointment.  “This will be your car,” I suggested,  “you should just take care of it.”  In truth, the emotional demands of buying a new car were just too much for me.  Katja came back very enthusiastic about a Honda CR-V (a compact SUV), but she wanted advice on choosing a color.  We went back together the next day and took a test drive.  Katja liked being high up while driving.  She was upset that new cars don’t have CD players, and we were both overwhelmed about the prospect of dealing with things called Bluetooth or Sirius.  We agreed that the basque red Honda was the prettiest.  To make a long story short, Katja signed one form after another, wrote a whopping check, and we took her new red CR-V home that very day. 

While I’d long resisted the idea of a new car, it took me a only a short time to become enthralled.  Among other things, the Honda CR-V is more intelligent than a human driver.  It hits the brakes by itself if a crash is imminent, tells you if you’re about to be sideswiped, beeps when you drift from your lane.  Beyond all the technology and improved gas mileage,  Katja’s new car has transformed our married life.  Just weeks ago we were a couple of old fogeys with a fairly old car and a very old SUV.  Lots of dings and pings, gizmos breaking down.  Now we’re a more sprightly couple with a snazzy new red car, ready to go places and do things.  I compiled a checklist of about six dozen destinations in our tristate area.  We took our first big trip to the Ohio State Fair last week.  Who knows what might be next?   

Love,

Dave