Thursday, August 23, 2007

A Few Days in Cincinnati



The girls and I drove back to Ohio from South Carolina with my mom. We went up highway 77 through West Virginia. I love that drive, it is so lovely. We only had two days in Cincy, so we jam-packed them full of experiences.



A must for any trip to the Queen City is a trip to their fantastic zoo. The girls are in heaven there. They got their faces painted, we all rode the train, we cooled off in the misting station. Vivi had her heart set on seeing the giraffes, but their habitat is being re-done, so they were not there. She did enjoy the manatees, or nanatees as she called them.



I think we wore Vivi out.





Another must-have from southwestern Ohio is Cincinnati chili. YUMMMY! I make a reasonable facsimile of it, but nothing is better than the real thing at a Skyline Restaurant. My niece, Maggie, and my sister, Liz, joined us for dinner at the Skyline up the road from Mom's place. It was heaven.




Vivi and Maggie bonded nicely.



And Liz and Maggie are joined at the hip. Okay, there may have been some wine involved on the part of the adults.



The next day was our visit with Susan and her lovely blondie girls. What a blast that was. Vivi, Zoey, Lorelei, and Isabelle got on wonderfully. They played and played. We dragged them from the playground for more Skyline. YUMMMY!




After the chili, Susan treated us to a private educational tour of RAPTOR. What a great facility. I loved the setting, right near (maybe even in) Winton Woods, on Mill Creek.













Susan is a gifted educator. She clearly adores her job. I am envious and RAPTOR is lucky. My only complaint is that our visit was way too short. Sigh....





Back at Mom's condo we went for a swim, ate some salad, and then fed the blue winged teals. Mom had a nest right next to her entry way, in the rosemary. They hatched just before she left for vacation. She got see them as little bitty things, but missed the middle.




There were load of the teals in the pond, with even a large bass. It was a relaxing end to a big vacation.



My mother's home is lovely, I so enjoy being there. This sunset was fantastic.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

WOW, looks like you guys had such a wonderful trip! So many smiles and love the lories! Red Lory is my favorite of the lories!

Mary said...

So you drove up 77 through Charlotte? Gosh, you were only minutes away from me. I, too, love the drive through the VA mountains. It's beautiful, isn't it?

Your photos are so nice, Trixie. The girls look so cute and it was fun to see Susan's habitat!

Love those face paintings! That first shot is framable.

I hope you get to see your Mom again soon and the rest of the family.

RuthieJ said...

Hi Trixie,
Those were such fun pictures. Thanks for sharing the adventure.
Are you and your sister twins? 'Cuz you two really look a lot alike!

entoto said...

Mary,

Next time I travel 77 we will get together! I had no idea you were so close. I did wonder when I was driving through there.

Ruthie,

My sister and I are not twins, but there certainly is a strong resemblance. Thanks!

Susan Gets Native said...

WAAAAAY too short, girlfriend.
Thanks for the nice words....I do love to talk about the birdies.

Hugs to you. Ohio ain't the same without ya.

Anonymous said...

Good for people to know.