Wedding and Forgetting

Last weekend we attended my cousin's wedding in Cincinnati. As the ceremony and reception were taking place north of town, we decided to stay at a Holiday Inn Express in Blue Ash Friday and Saturday nights. Because the wedding did not begin until 4:30, we had time to go downtown and do some exploring. It was a beautiful day, with low humidity, a nice breeze, and temperatures in the upper 70s. As the song goes, "It's a nice day for a white wedding..."

downtown Cincinnati

By mid-afternoon we were back in the hotel room changing for the wedding. I was unaware that the entire event was outdoors, so I was even more grateful for the mild temperatures. The wedding was very nice, and the vows spoken by the bride and groom were heartfelt. The dinner was great, and we had fun talking with our table mates and dancing the night away. The next morning we were invited to a breakfast hosted by the groom's mother for out of town guests. It was nice to be able to talk to my cousins in a less formal (and less stressful) setting.

the wedding

After breakfast we packed up and headed to Lexington, this time staying at a Holiday Inn Express in nearby Versailles. I had never been to this part of Kentucky, and was eager to see the horse farms and play tourist for a couple of days. We spent the afternoon driving on the Kentucky Scenic Byway, and then looked around downtown Lexington. 

Lexington, KY

That night I happened to ask Jim if he had grabbed our dirty clothes out of the drawer at the hotel in Blue Ash. Unfortunately, he had not. Oops! We immediately called that hotel and after giving them our credit card number, they said they would ship them to us. At that point we were hoping that whatever was in the drawer was worth the shipping costs.

It began to rain during the night, and was still raining when we awoke Monday morning. After checking the forecast, it was predicted to rain all day Monday and Tuesday. After a brief discussion, we decided to head home as the things we wanted to see and do were mostly outside. We drove in torrential rains 3/4 of the way home, and were happy and relieved to get back to Webster Groves. 

While I was unpacking, I realized I had left my camera charger and battery in the hotel in Versailles. Really? Twice in one trip, at two different hotels? When I called the second hotel, they were not as easy to deal with. They said I needed to prepay for a Fed Ex or UPS mailing label, and then email that to them before they would ship anything. That became a bit of a process as I had no idea what size the shipping box would be or how much it would weigh. But I finally figured it out and sent off the label. As of today we have received the clothes but not the charger and battery. With it being the holiday weekend, I have been unable to talk to the office person who handles this stuff for the hotel. 

We have traveled extensively for both work and pleasure, and have never forgotten things in a hotel. Hopefully this is not a sign of things to come!

Shooting the Breeze

Audubon Center at Riverlands

Last weekend was somewhat gray, cold and windy as has been the case January heading into February. On Saturday a photographer friend joined Jim and me as we set out to go hunting (with our cameras) for eagles along Illinois Route 100. We stopped first at the Audubon Center at Riverlands, a wintering spot for a number of migratory birds. While we saw a few, it was nothing like the number of birds I had seen back in December.

We continued on our journey north through Alton. Normally teeming with traffic this time of year, the Great River Road was relatively empty - and so were the trees. Of leaves and birds. For a change of pace, we took the Brussels Ferry across the Illinois River to Brussels. After leaving the ferry, we spied what appeared to be a large gathering of birds. Driving down a gravel road to get closer, were we ever surprised! It was a decoy spread. What the flock?

decoys

In Brussels we found several interesting buildings to photograph. The first was a barn just as you entered town. The second one was an abandoned "duplex", and the third a barn quilt. It is always a good day for me when I find a new barn quilt!

Brussels, Illinois

Following lunch at a local dive in Brussels (not a good choice, unfortunately) we decided to change up the scenery by taking a different ferry back home. I found a couple things to photograph while waiting for the ferry to return to our side of the Mississippi River.

Mississippi River

Alas, for all our driving there was not an eagle in sight. Well, except for this one - ha!

Golden Eagle Ferry