Spring Awakening

Maybe it's the unseasonably warm weather we're having or the fact that my allergies are going crazy. Either way, it feels like spring is here.

Impermanence

I worked as a fundraiser for an art college for six-too-long years. The school's older building was adjacent to the Cincinnati Art Museum. The school moved its operation to a downtown facility in 2005 (I'd spent half my time while employed there raising money for that move), and it was expected that the Art Museum would take the older building and do something with it. The economy delayed this project and I'd become used to seeing the building as I made the turn into the parking lot to visit the Museum. Even reading about the construction about to take place in the Museum's magazine didn't prepare me for seeing what appeared to be ruins upon my recent visit.

I suppose I just assumed the Museum would re-open long closed doors that led from the Museum to the school and re-design the interior. I was not expecting the roof to be removed and the whole interior to be gutted. Being a staffer at a very unpleasant time certainly didn't make the Academy my home, but it still felt like some part of my past had been removed. It was very unnerving.

Cincinnati Nature Center-Maple Syrup, February 25-26, 2012

We visited the Nature Center Saturday to see how the maple syrup is tapped, and, of course, to purchase some of the syrup. It was a very cold day, strangely not what we've been experiencing this winter, which caused the sap to not flow very well. Still, we found one lucky tree.

On Sunday, Kent made carrot cake pancakes, always wanting to add some healthiness to the sweets. I must admit they were pretty tasty and the syrup quite yummy.

Peace

If only Sencha could be this peaceful all the time (and not pee where she's not supposed to). She isn't even bothered by the political commercials.

Frisky Koka

If only Kent had declawed her when she was a kitten. That's his "ow" you hear.

Rewind -- December 24 & 25, 2011 -- Asheville, North Carolina

We went to visit Kent's family over the holidays in Asheville. During our visit to Biltmore one of the drivers mentioned the Guastivino dome in the Saint Lawrence Basilica downtown, so we stopped to visit. It truly was beautiful. I'm glad the FLIP is small and quiet, as people were privately worshipping.

Wanting some fresh air on Christmas day, we drove threw the Montford historic district. While we saw many gorgeous old homes, I fell in the love with the orange bungalow. Love it!

Rewind -- December 18, 2011 -- Holiday Junction, Cincinnati, Ohio

If you're like me and don't have children, don't like children, don't like crowds, and aren't all that excited about trains unless you can be on them, then you have no business going to Holiday Junction at Museum Center. It was clearly a temporary bout of insanity on my part to suggest we go. I had free passes, so we went just before the Christmas holiday. Big mistake. There was a huge line to even get the passes converted to tickets. Then we had to go through crowds of people in an overheated museum to get to the even more crowded exhibit filled with screaming children and distracted parents. Within minutes I let Kent know that I was going to skim through and would meet him upstairs, which was what I did. Still, I did capture a bit of footage.

Carew Tower Climb -- February 19, 2012

And now for another climb. This took place on Sunday. No, I didn't partake in the climb. I'm still getting over my cold/flu/allergies/sinus/virus/whatever I had, but Kent once again successfully completed the climb (I did remind him of the event last Wednesday and nudged him to go ahead and register around the holiday to get the paperwork out of his inbox).

It was nice to see that many people in the space. Years ago I was constantly in and out of Carew Tower and the Tower Place Mall, but sadly, even though other parts of downtown Cincinnati have been rejuvenated, Tower Place is even deader than it was last year.

Rewind -- December 17, 2011 -- Santa Climb, Downtown Cincinnati, Ohio

One of the new traditions here in Cincinnati is Santa and the reindeer repelling off a downtown building several Saturday evenings before Christmas. It's a bit strange for me, but perhaps I would have enjoyed Santa as a child if he'd been more like a superhero.

Rewind -- November 21, 2011 (My birthday), Yellow Springs, Ohio

We went back to Yellow Springs for my birthday, first to the Clifton Mill Restaurant for pancakes, then on to Clifton Gorge before ending the day doing a bit of window-shopping in Yellow Springs proper. The Mill was just about to close before we arrived (I had to work that morning, sadly), but thankfully we were served their wonderful pancakes (I was focused on the pancakes rather than shooting footage). We burned off some of the calories walking around the Gorge. It was a bit bleak that time of year, but a little bit of green peaking out.

Rewind -- November 13, 2011 -- Columbus, Indiana

Columbus, Indiana is another one of those places that I've heard of for years, but never visited. It's a small city near Indianapolis that had the civic leadership that produced a huge number of buildings, not by unheard of firms that look like every other office building in most U.S. cities, but instead persuaded internationally recognized artists and architects to produce unique buildings that still look modern and function well many years later.

November was a bit tumultuous for me. I was participating in my first NaNoWriMo, which sucked up a lot of my time. That along with an upcoming birthday and another event put some strain on my emotions and relationships, but the trip still went on and proved to be a good time. We ended our visit at Zaharakos, which shouldn't be missed.

Rewind -- September 25, 2011 -- William Howard Taft National Historic Site

Back in September we visited the William Howard Taft National Historic Site in Mt. Auburn. I used to live very close to the site and kept meaning to check it out, but never did.

It's a beautifully maintained home run by the Park Service, strangely enough. While I'm not a fan of Taft's political party, I'm pretty sure he was a little more intelligent and less awful than the current batch.

The animatronic Charlie Taft is both creepy and intriguing. Since we were so close to the University of Cincinnati, it seemed to make sense to stop by and visit the Smiling Bill statue, which appeared on campus in the early 1990s while I was attending graduate school there. At that time he was placed right on the sidewalk path between the law school and the classics building. Luckily he's now been moved slightly off the path, but he's still smiling.

Rewind -- August 27, 2011 -- Cincinnati Zoo

It's obvious I need to do more creative work, whether it be paid or not, in order to keep my sanity. There are too many frustrations currently in my life that are sucking up all my energy and I'm sick of it.

Looking back, I noticed I'd collected a lot of footage last year that I didn't do anything with (or accidently deleted, grrr). Perhaps disposing of the old will help bring in the new.

Kent and I went to the Cincinnati Zoo last August after our trip to Scotland. As I recall it was a comfortable day, which has become rare here in the summers. There were lots of kids, but overall it was a good day that we ended at Essencha Tea House for tea and scones.