Myrtle Beach

Summer trip to Myrtle Beach ---Turn your speakers on!

Louisville – An Owed Fieldtrip

My son, Michael, has now finished his last year at St. Therese School. He was in the school’s first kindergarten class, and as an eighth grader, marked the end of his grade school career on May 28th. As part of the eighth grade culminating activities, his class was scheduled to have their fieldtrip to Louisville, to the science center and to Churchill Downs. Michael was unable to conclude his travels with his schoolmates because of the death of my dear mother, his wonderful grandmother.

Yesterday, I made good on my promise that he would still go on a “fieldtrip” to Louisville. We drove to Louisville arriving to a bustling town of activity. Apparently, American Idol was in town to hold auditions for the show. There seemed to be license plates from all across the eastern and southern part of America.

Ignoring the crowds, we first stopped at The Old Spaghetti Factory for lunch.
Unfortunately, this was probably not such a good idea. With no pizza or hoagies being served, Michael was limited to an order of garlic bread with sauce. But if you know Michael, he didn’t complain, but rather he focused the beautiful restaurant, and commenting on how tasty everyone else’s food looked, as a way to please us.

Next, we were off to the Louisville Science Center. We went to IMAX Theater to watch,“Mummies,” and then quickly toured the Museum, as they were closing soon. We walked a few blocks around the city enjoying the architecture. We stopped for a photo in front of the Louisville Slugger Museum. We drove past the shops/restaurants on Fourth Street. We took a look at the beautiful park along the river. Then, we headed home.


We didn’t make it to Churchill Downs, but we still made the most of the day. I know that Michael would have enjoyed his last fieldtrip with the students of St. Therese; however, he seemed content to spend his eighth grade “fieldtrip” with his family...



...Although, a brown bag lunch might have worked out better on this fieldtrip…














No, Michael did not audition for American Idol, however, he did make a cool video for WAVE TV at the Museum...

Dig This!

Not much to do…Why not go hunting for fossils…

It was a gorgeous day with deep blue skies and mild temperatures. It was a leisurely kind of Sunday yet, we wanted something to do. Next thing I knew, we were at Trammel Fossil Park in Sharonville.

Katie, Michael, Rachel, and Brandon sprang out of the car to check out the place.

This fossil park is a place where schools and avid fossil hunters come and explore. Trammel Fossil Park is unique because there are very few places to dig for fossils in the Cincinnati area that are safe and accessible. Since the plot of Trammel Fossil Park has never been disturbed, there is a plethora of fossils in very good condition. Schools as far as New York have come to Trammel Fossil Park for exploration.

So off everyone headed with their digging tools in hand… with eyes peeled, they collected many interesting rocks to take home and clean up.

I think we all would have liked to have found a T-Rex tooth or a something comparable, but the vast majority of fossils we found were less than one inch in size. Most of the fossils were pieces of crinoids, trilobites, brachiopods, bryozoans, gastropods, and horn coral.

Some rocks were plain and uninteresting while others looked like the ocean floor teaming with life. It was fun to chip away at dirt/clay/rock to find some sort of treasure inside. There’s something about digging in dirt that brings out the kid in you.












Brandon said he found a mustache fossil!

A Day in the Past

Another entry for Sunday --- on the way home from Trammel Park we rode past a couple other relics from the past.


Right up the road from the fossil farm was this neat old school. The sign said, "Old Runyan School" and was built in 1879 on the farm of Henry Runyan.


Then, we drove up to the 104-year-old Cincinnati landmark, the Hauck mansion, in Sharonville. Once I saw this wonderful piece of history, I immediately turned and drove right up the driveway as if I were home. At first the kids were afraid that we would get in trouble but I assured them that we would only stay for a minute.

This was once the country home of famed Cincinnati brewer Louis Hauck who raised hay on the property to feed the draft horses that pulled his beer wagons. Just recently in June, the house was sold on the courthouse steps. $601,000 was the final price for 18 rooms... 7,200 square feet of mansion on three acres. Andrew Thul didn't do the bidding, but he wrote the check.


When Andrew Thul, the Hauck Mansion buyer was asked,
"What do you hope to do with this historic property?”

He quickly replied, “Put it to the best use the Lord wants for it."

I like the way this guy thinks. I got a feeling, we will be back.
















Brandon at home at the Hauck Mansion

Fourth of July

The 4th of July is one of the most-anticipated holidays of the summer. For us, the 4th of July is associated with family cook outs, swimming, and ending the day with tons of fireworks. All of which, you need nice weather for.

I woke up this Friday morning not particularly happy with what I saw out the window --- gray skies and rain, lots of it. I immediately thought that this year’s 4th of July was doomed because of the wet and cool forecast.

As it turned out, we did stay indoors for much of the day. Finally the rain slowed down to a light drizzle so I attempted to start the grill. As I held an umbrella while I cooked the meat, the kids ran down to the ball field where Jeff lit some parachutes. I watched as they ran after the smoke to find the parachute gracefully falling, hopefully to their waiting arms. I smiled as they laughed while they ran back and forth across the field to catch each coveted paper parachute.

The food was ready as the rain got heavier again. We made room in the kitchen and held our picnic there. We had so much food that a single plate could not hold all the culinary delights. After dinner sweet, sugary watermelon, brownies and cupcakes were also waiting to be consumed.

As nightfall set in, the rain had decidedly stopped. It was finally time for everyone to pull up their lawn chairs to watch our family fireworks show. We started with the usually Morning Glories (much like sparklers but only on a stick instead of a metal wire). Next, Philip and Jeff announced the name of each firework before they set them off. Names like Delta Force, Purple Peony, Cuckoos, rang thru the air. As always, we shouted oohs and aahs after each one displayed their barrage of colorful sparks. As for my family, nothing says 4th of July more than fireworks.

We took a short intermission as we all walked to the end of our little street. From the view up here on our hill, that overlooks several adjoining cities, we could see fireworks from family gatherings, corporate parties, and local cities, all exhibiting their best pyrotechnic displays. We could have watched hundreds of fireworks shooting colorful illuminations for hours. However, we still had several of our own waiting to be exploded back the street.

As we concluded our show with the grand finale, I thought about this Fourth of July.

First, our indoor picnic worked out just fine, the food was still very tasty. And, we didn’t have to fight any annoying bugs, which can sometimes cause more swatting than eating. And, we were not sitting in the sweltering sun, dripping while we ate.

We were still able to catch the tons of firework magic this July 4th (thankful that the rain stopped).

And, most importantly, we all were able to take advantage of the day off, and enjoy a long weekend to gather with family and friends.

As for swimming, we still have the weekend…

This Fourth of July ---rain or shine, I give it a thumbs up!

And, Happy Birthday America!