Smith Mountain Lake State Park

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The most recent post is about Smith Mountain Lake State Park.

Findley Market, Cincinnati, Ohio

Chris took this photo of Findley Market on our recent trip to Cincy.

We recently made a quick jaunt to Cincy to visit family. We checked out Findley Market in Over the Rhine on our last day. Love it! If we were to ever move to Cincy, I'd want to live close enough to the market to make weekly visits.

You can buy all kinds of fresh meats, including sausages, ribs, fish and chicken, and other goodies. I loved all the different kinds of bakeries. If we weren't leaving later that day I would have bought a loaf of bread and chocolate-covered baklava (something Chris really wanted) for dinner.

We did buy grub for lunch at one of the many delis. Chris' aunt and I split a veggie moussaka, beans with leeks and dolmades (stuffed grape leaves), and the guys ate the biggest gyros I'd ever seen. I tasted a piece of Chris' lamb. Delicious!

Besides the food and delis, I also saw jewelry and plants for sale.

If you're ever in the area, make an effort to check out the market!

Some spring flowers

This spring is shaping up to be the best one we've had in a long time. Already we've seen and id'd lots of beautiful wildflowers, butterflies and birds.

Here's some flowers we found Friday and yesterday evening. I've identified most of them. If I've mislabeled them or I've left some blank and you know what it is, please let me know in the comments!

Dutchman's breeches

Bloodroot

Hepatica

Twinleaf

Cut-leaf toothwort

Spring beauty

Trillium

Rue anemone

Large-flowered bellwort

Yellow Corydalis

Ground ivy or a violet

April snow

It wasn't that many days ago I sat at our patio table studying. It was sunny and warm. Who could ask for anything more in early spring?

Today was supposed to be a cool 40 degrees Fahrenheit with some rain. Now? It's snowing. Here's hoping that the saying "April showers bring May flowers" also pertains to April snow. :)

Cardinal

    

J.C. Raulston Arboretum, Raleigh, N.C.

J.C. Raulston Arboretum is a nice park to take an early morning stroll. There were lots of robins, cardinals and other birds singing from the trees as Chris and I strolled through the gardens, checking out the various shrubs and trees planned along the walks.

Pups are not allowed, so Sydney had to wait in the car. Don't worry, it was a very brisk morning so there was no danger of her overheating. Plus, we never leave her in the car for very long. This was a quick visit.

Because the local police department was meeting at the facility, we had to park along Beryl Road. There's a nice entry way from the roadside, so you don't have to walk through the parking lot (though it's really a small parking lot so that doesn't really matter).

Chris really liked the well kept the grounds. Everything looked fresh and well-maintained.

I liked how well each of the species were labeled and included the native growing ranges of each of the plants. The park's lath house and information on it was interesting. This is where most of the plants are kept until they are hardy enough to be moved out into other parts of the property. Some plants are kept there indefinitely.

Since it was still early in the year, most of the plants were not in bloom or even had leaves. We headed toward the magnolia garden to check out the blooms. Fact: lots of magnolias bloom before they get their leaves.

I would enjoy coming here to relax early on Saturday mornings.

Free Museums!

On our Raleigh, N.C., visit we stopped at as many museums as possible. All free (except special exhibits).

North Carolina Museum of Art
My favorite pieces in the museum were photographs by Alex Soth, paintings and photographs by Page H. Laughlin and Pamela Pecchio and "Three Graces," by Mickalene Thomas. The museum houses a wide range of pieces, from Ancient Egypt to Contemporary American. Definitely an art museum to check out.

This museum also has outdoor trails (from 1 mile to just over 2 miles in length) that wind through an open field and woods, showcasing various art pieces.

"The Conversationalist," a piece by Chakaia Booker

"Whisper Bench," a piece by Greensboro sculptor Jim Gallucci

North Carolina Museum of History
We did not get to spend much time in this museum, but enjoyed the few exhibits we did see. We started at the exploration and settlement of the New World by European colonists and made most of our way to the Civil Rights movement before needing to head back home.

Besides dates and facts one usually relates with history, the museum also offered a look into the cultural aspects of the various time periods — from agriculture and tools, to education and music. I wish we could have spent more time reading each sign and listening to recordings.

A sign at the history museum that Chris liked

Note: Lots of school groups visit the museum. So expect to share the space with youngins.

North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
This museum seems to appeal to kids and adults alike, which I like. There's nothing worse to go into a museum looking to learn things but all the exhibits are dumbed down for grade school students. It makes you think you're out of place. This museum seemed to have a nice balance of nice educational aspects for adults and then some interactive activities for kids. It strikes a good balance, which, I think, is hard to do.

There were lots of student running around. Literally. And it was very loud. So, be prepared during the school day to share the visit with lots of students from grade school up to middle school. Most of the teachers, and a few of the chaperons, tried to make sure their kids were behaving, not cutting in front of people and not running. But in many cases, there wasn't much control over the kids.

Still the museum is worth the trip, though you may need to move more quickly than you'd like to get out of the way of large groups.

Butterfly in the conservation room at the natural sciences museum

So, if you're in the Raleigh area, check out these state jewels. They are worth the gas and time to get there.

Shelley Lake Park, Raleigh, N.C.

Shelley Lake Park in Raleigh, N.C., is a great place to take a stroll or, as many people were on a recent visit, jog.

The small lake is surrounded by trees and a 2+ miles of trails, including sections of a greenway. Walking around the lake we saw ducks, geese, turtles and, possibly, cormorants. The cormorants could also have been herons; the birds were far away and hard to see.

There are also basketball courts, a playground, a boat house and an art center (Sertoma Arts Center) located in the park.

Great place to take a stroll with the family on a weekday afternoon!

(Sorry, no photos to share this time!)

Riverfront Park and International Friendship Park, Cincinnati, Ohio

I'm going to begin this year with a sampling of photos from our final vacation/trip last year that I never got to. We didn't do much in the fall for various reasons, but we vow to do much better this coming year as time allows.

First up, here's just a handful of photos from our walk at Riverfront Park and International Friendship Park in Cincinnati, Ohio, late last summer.

Bridge we walked across to the Riverfront Park

Shot of the bridge again

Riverfront Park

Some of the beautiful flowers and greenery we saw at the International Friendship Park.

After walking several miles across the bridge and through Riverfront and International Friendship Parks, we finally reached the end. We sat down and rested near this sculpture lated at the end of the International Friendship Park before trudging back to our car.

Flurries

There were several flurries today. We braved the cool weather to take our pup out on her daily W-A-L-K (we spell the word around here because Sidney knows what it means).

The sky has cleared up so I don't think we'll see anymore snow today. A much colder week is ahead, though, so we may see more snow before the week is out.

James F. Hoffman Memorial Prairie Gardens, Olney, Illinois

On our visit to Olney, Illinois, we visited the James F. Hoffman Memorial Prairie Gardens, which is located at the Olney Central College.

It's a garden full of native prairie grasses and plants. On the day we visited there were tons of butterflies, dragonflies and other insects flying around. Here's some photos for you:

Info on Olney's white squirrels

When I posted briefly about the white squirrels of Olney, I didn't realize I also had a picture of the marker that tells about the squirrels. They're actually albino gray squirrels, by the way. I'd forgotten that until I saw the photo.

The White Squirrel

There are several posts I haven't gotten to share with you over the past several months. I probably won't post all of them, but will most photos and updates from some of my favorite trips over the past year. School has kept me away and very busy.  And, understandingly, my blogs have become a low priority.

Several months ago, we went to visit Chris' family and one of the places we went to visit was Olney, Ill., a place where Chris lived and worked for a couple of years.

One of the sole purposes of going there was to see the famed white squirrels.

We found the squirrels as soon as we drove into a local park.

Chris said the local community college does a squirrel count every year. There were less than 100 the last time Chris heard.

We met a couple from Colorado who also came to see the white squirrels. They said there were a colony of black squirrels in Kansas. We'll have to find our way there sometime to snap some photos of them.

Davis Flea Market, Level Cross, N.C.

I recently learned about a new flea market in Level Cross, N.C.

A security guard at the Jackson Library told me about it after I stopped to ask her what she was crocheting. While watching the door to the library, she was whipping up a variety of hats in multi-colors. She said a lot of the college kids loved her pattern and she sold many to them.

Other hats she sells on Saturdays at the Davis Flea Market in Level Cross (9755 U.S. 220 Bus. N., Randleman, N.C.).

The woman said the market started up about a year and a half ago and has been growing ever since.

If you're ever in that area during the weekend, you should stop by and check it out. According to the website, the hours are 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sundays.

(As an aside, I lived in the Level Cross community for four years. I owned property there for six.)

Krohn Conservatory, Cincinnati, Ohio

We've visited the Krohn Conservatory before and it's a great place to go, especially if it's not too pleasant outside for outdoor activities. The beautiful Art Deco Krohn building houses exotic and gorgeous plants. Besides my favorite Orchid House, there are rooms dedicated to palms, tropical and desert plants.

For this visit we were there to visit the Butterflies of Brazil exhibit. Each spring, the Krohn features butterflies for a few months. It was really cool walking among hundreds of fluttering butterflies.

One butterfly landed on Chris' arm as soon as we walked into the room.

Lots of kiddies had flat foam pieces they used to soak up water from the room's fountain. They used the soaked foam to attract butterflies.

This girl was a pro! She had more than one butterfly on her foam at any given time.

She even had one of the larger butterflies hanging out on her arm.

Our visit would have been more enjoyable, however, if some parents controlled their kids better. There were a few boys running in between peoples' legs, leaning across and shoving people out of the way in attempts to capture butterflies. One boy constantly invaded my personal space ... even though I was sitting down! He also nearly stepped on many of the butterflies.

Though it was really cool and somewhat fun, my face hurt a lot from clenching my jaws and I had a pounding headache. I left wishing we'd learned about the adults only Happy Hour scheduled for later that day. Though we'd already had dinner plans, I would have loved watching the butterflies while listening to jazz.

It's too bad that a few bad apples ruined the whole bunch. Just to be clear, most of the kids were well-behaved.

Though the room felt like chaos, Chris was able to get some great shots. Here's some more:

Krohn Conservatory is an excellent place to stop if you're ever in or near Cincinnati.

New Harmony, Ind.

While we were out west, we stopped at New Harmony, Ind., the site of two former utopian societies.

First, we walked down a path alongside the Wabash River. Due to ton of rain the area had gotten recently, the walk was pretty buggy. Even though we sprayed our hair, arms and legs with bug spray, we were still covered in little, black flying insects!

We did see other insects on our walk, too.

I really loved exploring the Roofless Church.

This is a statue in the middle of the Roofless Church.

There was also a labyrinth garden. My mother-in-law, Margie, and I walked around the labyrinth as Chris and his dad, Dana, waited. You're supposed to walk around it slowly, meditating. The fountain in the park and the landscaping was beautiful.

The town's library is the former New Harmony Workmen's Institute. I loved the architecture of the building, but the inside was a little bit musty.

I loved the door handle, so I had Chris take a picture. :)

The library was hosting a sale, and Dana picked up a CD or two.

Here's some more photos from around town:

This doorway used to be part of a church. It's now an entry into one of the town's gardens.

A very modern building for such an old community.
This houses the visitor center and is where you can start tours.

The town was also hosting the Golden Raintree Antiques Show, so we did a little browsing, too.