Small Travels and Musings

Riverfront Park and International Friendship Park, Cincinnati, Ohio

2012-01-05T12:02:00.000-05:00

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

Flurries

2012-01-02T16:47:00.001-05:00

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

2011-12-17T16:21:00.001-05:00

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

2011-12-09T08:12:00.001-05:00

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

2011-12-05T22:22:00.001-05:00

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

Davis Flea Market, Level Cross, N.C.

2011-09-11T21:32:00.000-04:00

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

Krohn Conservatory, Cincinnati, Ohio

2011-08-26T15:27:00.001-04:00

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,

New Harmony, Ind.

2011-08-19T15:10:00.001-04:00

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.

Angel Mounds Historic Site, Evansville, Ind.

2011-08-10T16:17:00.000-04:00

Not too long ago, Chris, Sidney and I headed out west to visit family. While there, of course, we made sure to visit some sites. Many of those Chris had visited often when he lived in the area, but this was my first time seeing a lot of these places. One place Chris has wanted to take me for several years is Angel Mounds Historic Site, Evansville, Ind. Since we usually visit in December, we

Big Bend Picnic Area, Big Walker Mountain, Wytheville, Va.

2011-08-05T10:00:00.006-04:00

Updated: I had a plant mislabeled. See below We've visited the Big Bend Picnic Area twice in the past couple of months. Though it's a picnic site, we didn't take a lunch with us. We were there to explore the Big Walker Mountain area. A turk's cap lily. A mondara, or bee balm. A friend corrected me and said this is a "wild bergamot." Oops! Chris has lamented the lack of butterflies

Francis Beidler Forest, Harleyville, S.C.

2011-07-28T19:49:00.001-04:00

On our way home from our Charleston trip we visited the Francis Beidler Forest, an Audubon Center in Harleyville, S.C. It is an hour from both Columbia and Charleston. The 1,800-acre forest sits within the 45,000-acre Four Holes Swamp. We walked along the park's boardwalk and some of its dirt trails, though most were flooded due to the day's rain. We didn't see much wildlife, but we could hear

Big Survey Wildlife Management Area, Wytheville, Va.

2011-07-26T14:39:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, we checked out Big Survey Wildlife Management Area, which is a fairly new addition to the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries' land. It's located of Interstates 77/81 near Wytheville, Va. We parked at the trail head of High Rocks Trail and hiked about 1.5 miles to the top of a hill, which overlooks Wytheville. The trail has a fairly moderate incline. I was proud

Charles Pinckney National Historic Site, Mount Pleasant, S.C.

2011-07-23T19:33:00.003-04:00

On our way to visit Boone Hall Plantation and Gardens, we stopped at the Charles Pinckney National Historic site, which is also located in Mount Pleasant, S.C. This house sits on the former site of Pinckney's home, according to info on the website. Here you'll find a home and foundations of former slave cabins of Charles Pinckney, a signer of the U.S. Constitution. This plantation was called

Boone Hall Plantation, Mount Pleasant, S.C.

2011-07-18T17:02:00.000-04:00

On of our stops during our Charleston, S.C., trip was Boone Hall Plantation and Gardens in Mount Pleasant, S.C. It still produces vegetables and fruit, which can be picked out various Pick Your Own fields or bought at the plantation's market on Long Point Road. We ate lunch at the market after our visit. It's well worth the trip! Shot of Boone Hall. Long driveway to the plantation.

Fort Moultrie, S.C.

2011-07-08T17:11:00.002-04:00

Fort Moultrie is part of the National Park Service and is an amazing relic of our history. I loved walking around the fort, imagining what it must have been like to work as a soldier there during the years. The current fort was built in the 1800s. Two other forts sat on the same site prior to the current structure. Interpretive signs point to the former fort locations and tell when they were

Exchange and Provost, Charleston, S.C.

2011-07-01T16:17:00.002-04:00

Our last stop on Charleston's Museum Mile was the Exchange and Provost Dungeon. To the right is our tour guide. An animontronic figurine is to the left. The tour provides a lot of historic info about the city, pirates, George Washington's visit and the city's part in the American Revolution. Down in the dungeon, you'll find animontronic figurines that'll tell stories about the prison and

Nathaniel Russell House, Charleston, S.C.

2011-06-24T13:35:00.001-04:00

The Nathaniel Russell House was the second stop on our tour down Charleston's Museum Mile. This is another merchant's town home and is built in the Federalist style. We visited this home with combined admission to the Aiken-Rhett Home (see prior post). Of course, like the Aiken-Rhett House, we were not allowed to take any photos inside. Though it was raining, we did get a couple photos of the

Aiken-Rhett House, Charleston, S.C.

2011-06-17T13:18:00.002-04:00

On our tour of the Charleston Museum Mile, we visited the Aiken-Rhett House. This home was built in the 1820s and is an excellent example of town homes during this period. This home was built by merchant John Robinson and later sold to William Aiken Sr., another merchant. Aiken's son, William Aiken Jr., later became a U.S. representative and S.C. governor. The Rhett name comes from Aiken Jr

Museum Mile, Charleston, S.C.

2011-06-10T13:27:00.001-04:00

A good way to see the historic area of Charleston, S.C., is to walk along the Museum Mile. This historic walking tour (self-guided) is a great way to squeeze in as many museums and historic sites as possible. A majority of the sites are located up and down a mile-stretch of Meeting Street. But the Museum Mile's map will also take you to homes and buildings down some side streets, all within

Where to Eat: Tommy Condon's, Charleston, S.C.

2011-06-03T12:11:00.001-04:00

While in Charleston we relied on coupons to help scope out and select places to eat. During our rainy walk around the historic district of Charleston we stopped in at Tommy Condon's, an Irish pub at 160 Church St. Since we ate there for lunch we got $3 off an entree. If we'd ate there for supper, it would have been $5 off. Right now, the Charleston Area Convention and Visitors Bureau has a

Conagree National Park, Hopkins, S.C.

2011-05-27T11:36:00.001-04:00

Another stop we made on our trip to Charleston, S.C., was at Conagree National Park, Hopkins, S.C., not too far from Columbia. The wooded trails were quite wet so we only walked on it long enough for Sidney to relieve herself and stretch our legs. We then hopped onto the 2.4-mile boardwalk loop trail and explored the various habitats and read the interpretive signs. Pups aren't supposed

Cypress Gardens, Monck's Corner, S.C.

2011-05-20T11:31:00.000-04:00

I mentioned Cypress Gardens in an earlier post. This was probably my most favorite place during our trip to Charleston, S.C. It's hard to believe this is a Berkeley County Parks and Recreation park! There are 3.5 miles of trails, boat rides, a butterfly house, the Swamparium and lots of wildlife. We were able to get in a boat ride before the sky opened up and dumped buckets of rain. You can

County Parks, Charleston, S.C.

2011-04-28T10:29:00.002-04:00

One of the features that impressed us about the Charleston, S.C., area were the many county and municipal parks and their quality. I swear the county parks were like being in a state park. Awesome! We visited Mount Pleasant Palmetto Islands County Park, North Charleston Wannamaker County Park and Mount Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park (where the Mount Pleasant Pier is located). And, in the next

West Wind Winery summer concerts

2011-04-27T16:26:00.000-04:00

West Wind Farm Vineyard and Winery has announced it's upcoming summer concert series. They'll take place the first Saturday of each month. Check it out (from the winery's newsletter): Summer Saturdays Concerts We are pleased to announce the lineup for this year's Summer Saturdays Concert Series! 5th Anniversary Celebration / June 4 ENVISION (Motown, soul) 6 to 9pm July 2 BIG BLUES BEAT (Oldies

Charleston, S.C.

2011-04-22T10:45:00.000-04:00

Recently we took a trip south to spend a few days in Charleston, S.C. I was expecting a place similar to Savannah, Ga., but it was nothing like that. There is still a lot of history and historic places in the Charleston area, but the look of the city was decidedly different. Instead of feeling like we were stepping back into time in the historic downtown area, Charleston felt very modern though