Travels With Clancy: Withrow Nature Preserve

Clancy and I had a guest along for the ride on our latest travels, as my brother was in town for a visit. So the three of us got up early Saturday morning and headed to Withrow Nature Preserve. Clancy was surprised to have company, but he always enjoys having another passenger in the car with us whenever we go somewhere.

Withrow is part of the Hamilton County Park District, and is located on the eastern side of Cincinnati. I'd read good things about the hiking trails there, so it seemed like a great place for an early morning walk.

The parking lot was nearly empty when we arrived at the preserve, and we were able to get a spot right near the start of the Trout Lily Trail.

According to the sign, red foxes are a common sight on the trails, and I can't deny I was hoping to get a glimpse of one. But there were no foxes to be seen, and maybe that was for the best. I have no idea how Clancy would react to a fox, and it's probably better not to find out how a fox would react to him.

All was well as far as Clancy was concerned though, as he met a new friend, an adorable and friendly chocolate lab, at the start of the trail. There's nothing Clancy loves more than interacting with dogs. The lab seemed just as happy to make Clancy's acquaintance, so they had a good time saying hello and checking each other out.

Here we are at the start of the trail into the woods.

We had hoped to take the Hepatica Hill Loop trail, which is the longer and more scenic route, but unfortunately the loop was closed due to landslides caused by the heavy rains we had back in the spring. So we just stayed on the shorter trail, which was a nice walk, but didn't really have any noteworthy scenery. 

At the end of the trail, we came to a solitary bench nestled in the middle of a lush and green clearing. The bench offered a perfect view through the trees to the Ohio River below.

Clancy's labrador pal was just leaving the clearing as we arrived, so the two of them enjoyed another quick round of doggie bonding. After saying goodbye to the lab and his family, my brother and I sat on the bench and had a nice chat, while Clancy checked out the scents and took a well-deserved rest. When we were all ready to move on, we turned around and headed out of the clearing.

Back at the parking area, we came upon the Highwood Lodge, which is used for weddings.

I can imagine it is a very pretty setting for weddings, as the benches can be covered with white cloth, and the ceremonies are performed in front of this white lattice backdrop. 

According to a sign at the park entrance, a wedding was scheduled for that afternoon, so I hope the bride and groom enjoyed their day.

Off to the side of the lodge, there is a gazebo at the edge of the woods. I'm sure the gazebo is very popular during the weddings, as it provides a wonderful backdrop for pictures.

Throughout the morning, Clancy fussed whenever my brother held his leash. This picture was no exception, as he stared at me and whined as if I was abandoning him just by walking fifteen feet away to take a picture. 

It was clear he'd had enough of pictures, and was ready to get back in the car. The humidity was starting to build up anyway, so we were all fine with taking our leave.

Clancy and I enjoyed having a guest with us on our travels, and the visit to Withrow Preserve turned out to be a perfect way to spend a Saturday morning.

Weekend Inspiration

I came upon this poem from Shel Silverstein's Where The Sidewalk Ends yesterday, and I immediately wanted to add it to my favorite quotes. I'd read it before, but had forgotten about it, and the timing for finding it again couldn't have been better.

This has been a long week, and I'm very glad to see the end of it. Nothing particularly bad happened, it was just a series of irritations, like falling on a wet floor and twisting my left foot one day, and getting stung by a bee on my right foot the next. Taken together, the minor nuisances added up to a major headache. 

It was also the kind of week where I seemed to be losing my ongoing battle with the doubts and insecurities in my head. The poem provided me with not only a smile, but also a much needed shot of inspiration. And, if I'm being honest, the kick in the pants I needed to stop wallowing and get on with it. :D

So for anyone else who might be needing a smile or some inspiration, I hope Mr. Silverstein's words will touch you, too. 

  LISTEN TO THE MUSTN'TS

Listen to the MUSTN'TS, child,
Listen to the DON'TS
Listen to the SHOULDN'TS
The IMPOSSIBLES, the WON'TS
Listen to the NEVER HAVES
Then listen close to me --
Anything can happen, child
ANYTHING can be.

Happy Friday, and Happy Weekend, all! 

A to Z Blogs of the Week, and Belated Thanks!

I've made my way through more of the A to Z Bloggers list and, as expected, I came upon many more wonderful blogs. I'm happy to highlight three of them this week.

1) Cheekyness

I love the title of this blog, and Su writes about lots of interesting topics with a fun and "cheeky" style. From what I have seen so far, her blog is a great read.

2) Cheap Therapy

Another great title! I discovered "Project 52" on Cheap Therapy, and I think it is a really clever idea for goal-setting. I may have to do my own Project 52 next year.

3) Writers' Ally

Great blog title number 3. When I first saw the web address for S.A. Larsen's blog, I read it as "writer sally," and was expecting a writer named Sally. Instead, I found Sheri, and though she is taking a bit of a hiatus from blogging over the summer in order to focus on her writing, she and others created a Facebook group to support bloggers called Writers Support 4 U. I've joined, and I think it seems like a fantastic group.


So those are my blog hop highlights for this week. Shannon at The Warrior Muse has re-opened the submission link for the A to Z Visitors Blog Hop, so if you'd like to join, there's still time! I have a page at the top of my blog where you can add your link, or you can sign up at Shannon's page or at Life is Good.

Also, I want to send a very belated THANK YOU to two bloggers who were kind enough to give me blog awards in the past few weeks.

First off, the very sweet nutschell at The Writing Nut honored me with the Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award. Thank you, Nutschell!

And, the creative and talented Deirdra at A Storybook World gave me the Creative Blog Award. Thank you, Deirdra!

It's always a treat to get these awards, and I'm very grateful to both ladies!

Travels With Clancy: Versailles

In spite of what you might think, Clancy and I did not head to France and the palace of Louis XIV for our latest travels. Although it sure would have been nice if we had! But, Clancy's never been on a plane and we don't have that kind of time or money right now anyway, so we stayed much closer to home, and drove to Versailles, Indiana.

Versailles is about an hour west of Cincinnati, and traces its history back to 1818, when it was established as the county seat of Ripley County. County Commissioner John DePauw named the new town after his native city in France. But as the years passed, the French pronunciation of the name was lost, and the town is now known as "VerSALES." Somehow, that Americanized pronunciation doesn't have quite the same panache.

At any rate, Clancy and I had heard good things about the park in Versailles, so we hopped in the car and headed west on State Route 50. We were expecting a peaceful drive on a sunny morning, but that didn't turn out to be the case, as I was cut off and nearly driven off the road by a guy driving a pickup and towing some kind of huge recycling dumpster behind him. While my hands shook and my heart pounded as if it would leap right out of my chest, he drove on, completely oblivious to the fact that he had nearly sent Clancy and me to the great beyond.

We probably should have taken that as our cue to just turn around and head back home.

Instead, we continued on, and quickly came to the Indiana state line. I have always found the drive across the border to be kind of funny on Route 50, as it is a tad seedy. On the Ohio side, there is a motel that has been there for as long as I can remember, and looks like it hasn't been remodeled since the 1950s. It's simply called "State Line Motel," and I would be willing to bet that the rooms are rented out by the hour. I also wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see Norman Bates and his stuffed birds behind the desk if I went inside.

The sale of fireworks is a big business around the border, as fireworks are technically illegal in Ohio, so Ohio residents who want to purchase fireworks for the 4th of July or other summer holidays have to travel to Indiana or Kentucky. As a result, Route 50 is lined with billboards advertising fireworks dealers. The signs shout "POW!" and "KABOOM!" in huge red and yellow letters, as if they are straight out of the old Batman television show. I can't help but find the signs funny, even though they are not exactly high-class.

About a half an hour after crossing into Indiana and leaving the garish fireworks signs behind, Clancy and I made it to Versailles State Park. As we drove in, we came to the Versailles Lake, and it was immediately clear that this was indeed a peaceful and lovely park.

The problem was that it was too peaceful. Because there wasn't anyone else there. Our only companions were these guys.

I'm normally not one to complain about peace and quiet, but this was too quiet. To the point of being eerie. Clancy and I walked around, and saw a huge pool with several water slides, numerous picnic shelters and tables, and a variety of playground equipment. But there wasn't a single soul to be seen. I felt like I was in some post-apocalyptic movie, and Clancy and I were wandering around looking for other survivors.

Even the boats along the lake were empty and unused.

We found a trail across from the lake that looked like the start of a great hike.

But it became obvious very quickly that this trail was heading deep into the woods.

Since I couldn't see another human being within shouting distance, and I had lost my cell signal, walking on didn't seem like a very wise decision. Clancy can be intimidating when he views something or someone as threatening, but that really wasn't enough to reassure me. We turned around and headed back out.

The more we walked around, the more my imagination went into overdrive. By the time we got back to the car, I really had the creeps. And our duck friends were still our only companions.

We got in the car and drove out, but I did stop the car and get out again in order to take a picture of this covered bridge from the 1850s. I love old covered bridges like this, as I think there is something so romantic about them. I would imagine the red of this bridge is beautiful in the winter up against a snow-filled white backdrop.

With that,Clancy and I left Versailles and headed back to Ohio. Versailles is a beautiful park, and I've no doubt that on the weekends it is alive with children playing and swimming, families picnicking, dogs barking, and walkers hiking. But on this particular weekday morning, the place was not for me.

So this trip was a swing and a miss, but I knew we couldn't have a successful outing every time. We're staying on our side of the state line for our upcoming travels, and keeping our fingers and paws crossed that we have some human companionship!

Hopping Through the A to Z List, and Congratulations to Jennifer Hillier!

I've finally started on the A to Z Visitors Blog Hop, only a month later than I had planned to start, but better late than never. I thought it was great that more than 40 bloggers signed up to participate! I hope everyone is enjoying their visits so far.

I made a ticker to keep track of my visits as I thought it might help with my motivation. I've only visited 30 blogs so far, so that 1282 at the end of the ticker is a long way off, but at least I've made a little progress. 

As I make my way through the list, I thought it would be fun to do a weekly post highlighting a few of the new blogs I discover. I'm already glad I joined this challenge, as I've found some great new blogs already. Here are three that I totally missed during the craziness of April, but I'm so glad I found them now.

1) Ella's Edge

Ella's blog caught my interest right away as I love the look of it, and I love her "Summer of Yellow" post. Really a beautiful and eye-catching site!

2) Clarissa Draper

Clarissa writes great book reviews, and I enjoyed going through her blog and reading her posts on writing and on books. She's a mystery fan like me so I expect to find lots of new books to enjoy through her site.

3) The Alliterative Allomorph

I thought this was such a great title for a blog, it caught my attention right away. I'm looking forward to reading Jessica's work.

Those are my three highlighted blogs for this week, and I've no doubt I'll find many more as I continue to work through the A-Z List over at Tossing It Out. Thanks again to Tina at Life is Good and Shannon at The Warrior Muse for this great idea!

Also, I just wanted to send a huge congratulations to Jennifer Hillier, whose book CREEP was released this week. I got my copy from Amazon today, and I'm looking forward to curling up on the couch with it. It's been fun to follow along on Jennifer's countdown to publication, and I wish her much success. Congratulations, Jennifer!

Fourth of July Kitty

Nate was not the least bit pleased about wearing the celebratory fireworks bandanna....

Travels With Clancy: A Walk in the Woods

Clancy and I had a great return to our travels this week with a trip to Rowe Woods, which is part of the Cincinnati Nature Center. The Cincinnati Nature Center is not actually in Cincinnati, but is instead in neighboring Clermont County. Clermont is a predominantly rural county, but I was still surprised to find such a large, unspoiled woods less than an hour away from home.

The Nature Center has two locations, Rowe Woods in Milford, Ohio, and Long Branch Farm & Trails in nearby Goshen. Long Branch is only open to CNC members, so Clancy and I went to Rowe Woods. As usual, we went early in the morning, as Clancy has an aversion to mid-day heat. That works for me though, as I am typically a morning person, and I have to admit I am not a fan of heat myself.

I immediately liked Rowe Woods as soon as we drove in, as the road is marked with cute signs warning drivers to slow down and be on the lookout for the many animal residents.

Rowe Woods boasts ten different trails for walkers to explore. Clancy and I chose the Edge Trail, which is represented by a turtle, and listed as "easy." As we are the clumsiest pair on two or four feet, this seemed like a good choice for us.

The trails are all marked with signposts to point walkers in the right direction. I was grateful for this, as I can easily get lost in my own neighborhood. Clancy and I followed the turtle, and started off into the woods.

The Edge Trail leads walkers around the Powel Crosley Lake, and includes a boardwalk to walk along the lake's edge.

Clancy and I walked along the boardwalk, and saw numerous turtles or possibly frogs sliding into the water to get away from us. I don't think they appreciated the interruption of their day, as they disappeared instantly, leaving only a bubble in the water. Clancy was completely puzzled by the bubbles, and cocked his ears at them, staring at the bubbling water for the whole length of the boardwalk.

We continued on, and came upon a small wooden shelter overlooking the lake.

Benches line the inside walls, and the shelter is clearly intended as a place for walkers to rest and enjoy some shade. Or, since the trails are open year-round, step inside and get a break from the cold wind during a winter hike.

It was a welcome find for Clancy, as he was already getting hot.

We took a little break, and enjoyed the view of the lake through the trees surrounding the shelter.

Following our turtle sign, we continued on into the woods, where the trail gets a bit steeper.

Eventually, the trail winds around the Marsh Pond. I loved this old canoe resting near the dock.

While I can't say the pond itself is pretty, as the water is an unsightly brown, it still seemed like a peaceful, quiet place to sit on the dock and relax.

With that, Clancy and I reached the end of the Edge Trail, and made our way back to the Visitor Center and parking lot.

I was so taken with Rowe Woods that I decided to purchase a membership to the Nature Center, so I can return at any time at no charge. I want to explore the other nine trails, and see the woods through the change of seasons. I've no doubt the trails are spectacular in the fall.

As a member, I will also be able to visit Long Branch, so I am definitely adding that to my list of travels. I have next week off work, so I am keeping my fingers crossed for good weather and a cooperative car, so Clancy and I can do plenty of exploring.

Happy Fourth of July weekend to my American friends, and to my Canadian buddies, Happy Canada Day! :)