7.17.11 – The Wescott House (Springfield, Ohio)

I took advantage of a recent Groupon offering and went to Frank Lloyd Wright's Wescott House in Springfield, Ohio. I remember being in high school and seeing a photograph of Fallingwater and being mesmerized. As a graduate student in art history I fell more in love with his buildings after visiting Oak Park and Chicago, Illinois during a class field trip. In my early thirties I was able to tour a home he built in Clifton, here in Cincinnati, that was up for auction, and even though I was more gainfully employed at the time, there was no way I could have bought the house. Still, I fantasized quite a lot about living there. Of course the real problem is I have too much stuff and clutter to live in a Frank Lloyd Wright house. I keep trying to de-clutter, but I know in my heart I will never be that free of possessions, but one always needs a goal.

As for the Wescott House, it is certainly worth the trip. I kept being drawn back to the enormous flower pots in the front of the home (that also appear in smaller versions on the side). It had fallen on hard times and had even been used apartments at one time (I missed my chance!), but it has been meticulously brought back to its original state, and is now a museum. They don't allow photography inside, so I can't show you the bookcases I'd give just about anything to have.

The added bonus of going to Springfield is that there is a Krispy Kreme donut shop very near. I think some of my fondness memories of growing up in Florida, and of my father, are going with him to Krispy Kreme on Sundays to get donuts. That probably explains my weight that goes up and down, but Krispy Kreme is also worth the stop every now and then.

7.16.11 – Ault Park (Cincinnati, Ohio)

The heat is becoming more and more oppressive making me want to hibernate in the air conditioning and watch movie after movie. Last weekend wasn't quite as bad as it is now, so we ventured briefly to Ault Park. We tried to stop at the Hyde Park Coffee Emporium first for a treat, but they now close at 6:00 p.m. on Saturdays, so we went on to the park.

I was there years ago for an event, but didn't get a chance to really see it. It is quite lovely and reminds me of the gardens connected to castles in europe I visited -- it's like stepping into another world, or at least until you start hearing a CD of Sinatra singing "My Way." Yes, it is a popular wedding destination, but being a public park, we were still able to skirt around the festivities. We even encountered a therapy bird (the signs say no dogs allowed in the park, but there's no mention of birds), who appeared to also want to take it easy on an early Saturday evening, not wanting to perform his tricks.

6.25.11 – Paddlefest (Cincinnati, Ohio)

The fests just keep coming. Last weekend was Paddlefest. I can't swim and prefer my exercise in climate-controlled places, so it was not really for me, but Kent partook, so I performed good girlfriend duties and got up in time to catch his arrival (thankfully the currents were slow that day).

The sky was beautifully blue and the weather was good, so a good day to be by the water.

6.12.11 – Italianfest (Newport, Kentucky)

Another weekend, another festival (and there's more this weekend!). It seems people in this area can't drink and party without having a sanctioned festival where they're overcharged for food and drink. We attended Italianfest at Newport on the Levee last weekend. Luckily it was not as packed as Taste of Cincinnati (I wisely chose not to film that event. To say it was too packed would be an understatement). There were far less people and vendors at this event. Going upstairs to the Starbucks in Barnes & Noble provided cheaper beverages and a better vantage point to the activities. Still, the fried raspberry cheesecake was worth the trip.

5.29.11 – Krohn Conservatory (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Big Bone Lick State Park (Union, Kentucky)

Over the Memorial Day weekend Kent and I took in a few local attractions. First we visited the butterfly show at the Krohn Conservatory. After getting over my automatic freak-out response to creatures flying at me, I was able to appreciate their beauty and then drove myself crazy trying to capture them on video. The owl butterfly looks quite beautiful when its wings are open, but it was way too quick to see well when it was flying.

After stopping at a friend's house to pick up a bicycle (yes, I'm going to attempt to learn at this late age), we attempted a trip to Big Bone Lick State Park, but due to intense heat and what appears to be dehydration, I spent more time in the air conditioned gift shop/museum. I did drag myself over to the replicas of the mammoths, and was able to fully understand how they could die there.

5.14.11 – Maifest (Covington, Kentucky)

The last time I was at Maifest I was still in college and thought schnapps was something desirable to drink. Ahh, how times change. I'm not crazy about crowds, and I've never liked beer, so I hadn't bothered going back, but the boyfriend wanted to go and the draw of potentially good sweets was enough of a lure for me.

What I remember from before was food, booze, and rides. That's still the predominant part of this loosely Germanic-based festival (the people in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky love festivals). There were bands and street performers, along with sadly bored vendors selling all sorts of things that people interested in beer and funnel cake were not buying. I myself managed to fight off the urge for funnel cake due to my frugality -- why spend $5 on it when it's just going to go to my hips. Luckily the storm held off until we got home.

5.7-11.11 – Asheville, North Carolina

We spent the Mother's Day weekend at Kent's family's home in Asheville (There's a waterfall in their backyard!). I'd never been there before, but had heard from friends that it was beautiful, and that was definitely the case.

Luckily there was time on the trip to stop at Panera for some safe fast food and at Berea's Kentucky Artisan Center for a little shopping expedition. It seemed most appropriate during the drive to listen to David Sedaris, talking about the years he spent in North Carolina. Our first stop in Asheville was to Thyme in the Garden to pick up flowers. This was no run of the mill flower shop. I felt I was in someone's well cared for garden, with lawn furniture and even a hammock to rest on. They had the most gorgeous peonies, and a fuchsia hat I plan on trying on next time we go down.

Mother's Day itself was spent at Biltmore. The pictures and clips do not do it justice. It is an amazing place and even after the seven hours spent there, we did not see it all.

A day downtown seemed a good way to end the trip, although a slight driving incident, conveniently enough, prolonged the downtown sightseeing. I loved the ornate architecture (inside and out) and the whimsy of the flat iron sculpture in front of the flatiron building. The only downside to the trip was the oppressive heat, which was present, surprisingly, in Cincinnati when we got back. All in all a very good trip and one I hope to make again.