You Can Go Home Again

My sister and I went to Cincinnati for four days. We were both born there, and our family was the only twig on the family tree to move away from the area. We try to go back at least once a year even though our parents are deceased. It is always like a mini family reunion when we go as our aunts let everyone know we are coming so we can get together. It usually turns in to a food-fest, as we juggle schedules and meet at different restaurants. First stop in Cincinnati is always to one of the Skyline Chili restaurants. With a distinct flavor all its own, this chili over spaghetti and heaped with grated cheddar cheese is something we just can't get enough of. Fortunately, we don't have to as we buy the packaged and frozen variety to bring back to St. Louis with us.

Eleven of us met for lunch on Friday, including the three remaining siblings of my mom. That night we had supper with relatives on my dad's side of the family. We settled our craving for LaRosa's pizza at lunch on Saturday and then met up with a few more cousins that night for supper. Sunday we had goetta with breakfast before heading out of town. Goetta is another Cincinnati specialty, and I have been trying to reproduce it at home. In the meantime, I bought some Glier's goetta to bring home with me.

Our plan was to stop and see Megan's parents in Huntingburg on the way home. We had just crossed the bridge past Louisville when traffic came to a screeching halt. I mean, it was not even moving. In fact, people on our side of the interstate did u-turns and drove down the center shoulder to come back to I-264 which split off on the left. I was running low on gas, and with temperatures in the 90's could not turn off the air conditioner. As I was not yet past the split off, I veered off onto I-264. Following a fuel up, I headed west on Highway 60 hoping it would intersect with I-64 again. No such luck... I asked directions and people kept telling me to head east and then north, which would take me back into Louisville. I knew that would put me back in the same traffic snarl. I purchased a map, and found there are no other bridges over the river, so we headed north on a river road. It still put us in the jam, but at least we were a little farther along than we had been originally. It turned out there was a three car accident on the bridge. I called the Englerts to let them know what was going on, and they encouraged us to still stop and have supper with them. By that time I was happy to get out of the car and relax for a bit. We had a great meal and a wonderful visit. I'm so happy to have them as in-laws!

We then ran into a rain storm in Illinois, so it was after 9 by the time we finally got home. Despite the inconveniences, it was wonderful to see all the family, old and new. You can go home again.