September 20-22, 2020; Cincinnati to Saginaw--Birthday #59, Friends and Finally--A Pirate Visits Michigan!

 Getting older is an adventure, not a problem. ----Betty Frieden.

A beautiful lemon raspberry cake made for Paul by Dr. John Caldwell. YUM!

The whole goal of our trip this time is to celebrate #59 for the pirate and get him to Michigan. So GOALS achieved! The rest is gravy. 

We left off in Cincinnati where we decided to explore the Riverwalk on the Ohio River. The city is named for Cincinnatus, a Roman statesman who after saving the day for the Roman Army, retired to normal citizenry and is seen as the father of civic virtue. There is a statue in his honor on the river. 

The liberty of this country and its great interests will never be secure if its public men become mere menials to do the biddings of their constituents instead of being representatives in the true sense of the word, looking to the lasting prosperity and future interests of the whole country.

They have made a wonderful greenway walking path filled with many works of art, sculpture and even historical postings about the many ships that traversed the Ohio River, particularly in the 1800. 

Homage to the ships of the Ohio River

After our excursion, we headed for Yellow Springs, Ohio. My friends John and Lynn and their two felines live in a lovely home close to Wright Patterson where they are (or were in his case) experimental PhD psychologists. They made Paul a wonderful grilled salmon dinner and the amazing cake you see above. We had a great visit that included a good walk too and a viewing of the original BLADERUNNER in surround sound!

B.C. in repose 

Halley was not enthused to get a photo taken. 

John and Lynn---great bakers and even better hosts for a birthday.

We really appreciated their kindness. You really understand missing your friends during the COVID distancing. 

The next day, we were off to visit other lovely friends-- Jen and Amanda and their beautiful foster daughter. We stopped before for a nice walk at Alum Creek Lake. 

Alum Creek Lake

We hiked a  bit along the water, but mostly through forest paths. 

Pirate shortly after turning 59

We walked along the Alum Creek Dam and through the woods. There are plenty of miles of hiking here! Additionally, the dam sits on the site of the former community of Africa, Ohio where slaves freed by a North Carolina plantation owner earned a living by working on local farms. The community dispersed after 1865 into the surrounding cities and counties, but there is a historical marker in the park to share their legacy. 

From here, we proceeded to birthday party #4 for the Pirate sponsored by our beautiful friends, Jen and Amanda, their foster daughter and Sophie the Golden Doodle and felines Roxy and George. They knew how to do it up right and we thoroughly enjoyed meeting their foster child.  She's a doll.

He even got a BANNER!

Sophie offered to share her tennis ball with the pirate.

Master Chef Amanda made this dough from sourdough starter and used a special oven broiling technique on the pizza!

Jen insisted on a pesto base.

The pirate had fun adding his own toppings.

Results. Very tasty. 

Of course, since it was the pirate, they went "overboard" in celebrating with an after eight cheesecake with a chocolate crust. This is one spoiled 59 year old!

Again, we were treated to amazing hospitality. Thanks so much to our friends 

Today, we headed to Sagninaw, Michigan. Most of our waypoints are an effort to avoid more than four hours a day in a car. This is a good stopping spot on the way to Mackinac Island. On the way, we discovered Snootie's BBQ at  a nondescript Marathon Gas Station near Sandusky. The "Q" was world class. It caused us to look for a nearby picnic table which lead us to Castalia Quarry Metropark...which in addition to picnic tables, had a number of hikes!

One of the hikes was the Gentian loop. And there actually was gentian on it. It has a long history as a medicinal plant.

Many lovely flowers along the loop hikes at Castalia. 

It's impossible to appreciate it , but these trees are full of migrating small birds. We thought it was a babbling brook until we saw hundreds lift off from the branches. 

A shady path on a warm day

Snooties makes some danged good "Q!" They had a few tables near the Marathon gas station but we were deterred by construction on the gas station and the overpowering smell of nearby manure. We appreciate the Erie Metropark system for providing a better place to eat. 

From the picnic area and loop hikes, we crossed the street to hike around the remains of a limestone quarry, the Castaglia Quarry. We are used to quarries in our own region, as Knoxville is likely on the map due to quarrying marble. This quarry operated at least sporadically from the 1870s until the 1960s. Limestone extracted here was used for general building, roads, ship ballast and construction. It's also the highest point in Erie County. The Quarry Rim Trail is a very pleasant stroll of about 2.5 or maybe 3 miles with good birding. 

Pensive Paul considers what it would be like to mine rock from this site in 1870

Snowy egret on a ledge. Never seen that before. 

Bullrushes in the quarry but no Moses!

Parts of the quarry have standing water which attracts small fish, waterfowl and frogs...and probably other stuff too!

We were looking down into the quarry and spotted this turkey vulture waiting for her next meal.

We didn't really plan this hike, but it was fun. From here we passed through Toledo, Ohio, where John Denver " spent a week there one day." Then Ann Arbor which we may explore on the way back for a peek at the university and Flint ---where we did not have a glass of water and on to Saginaw, Michigan---once the topic of an amusing country song.  The town itself was once a major supplier of components of the auto industry but has obviously fallen on hard times. I think there has been some recent gentrification and re-thinking of the economy, but it seems to still be in a slump of sorts from an external viewpoint. We got in a bit late for an in depth study, but hopefully, we will learn more tomorrow. No matter what, we made it to MICHIGAN. Woohoooooooooo!

Saginaw, Michigan by Lefty Frizzell
I was born in Saginaw, Michigan I grew up in a house on Saginaw Bay

My dad was a poor, hard-working Saginaw fisherman Too many times he came home with too little pay

I loved a girl in Saginaw, Michigan The daughter of a wealthy, wealthy man
But he called me that son of a Saginaw fisherman And not good enough to claim his daughter's hand...

Paul's Ponderings:

Despite this being a somewhat long driving date (about 4.5 hours), it was a good one.  We could not have asked for better weather when we were outside and the hike around the quarry was pretty great....nice comparison to East TN near home.   Likewise we enjoyed the BBQ and a nice dinner out at Jake's Grill in Saginaw.   I have to say that Saginaw looks a little down on its luck, which is kind of sad, even though we are staying in a lovely Airbnb that used to be a high class hotel near the river.   I'm sure COVID has impacted Michigan and that is causing issues with "downtown" such as it is.    GM and other industry used to be huge here and I think the downturn on that has caused issues, even though there are green shoots of life around.   That said, we are glad to be here and everyone we have encountered has been friendly and engaging.   It's a beautiful part of the US as well in general....lots of farmland, rivers, lakes, etc.   Hope to hit Ann Arbor on the return and see the stadium that the Vols compete with at the University!

September 19,2020: The Queen City for the King: A Month Long Celebration of a Pirate's Birthday Begins

 "As you get older, the first thing that happens is that your memory goes. And I can't remember the other two."   Anonymous

Pensive Paul the Pirate is contemplating his last birthday that starts with a 5.  And while I have known him, I respect his tendency to not be hemmed in by the modern concept of celebrating a birth for a mere 24 hours. Not Paul! Every day is celebration, a moment of joy and of course, going somewhere and making hay for at least a month is in order. 

I have seen all 50 states and my honey wanted to join the 2% club as well. Only 2% of American  citizens have seen all 50 states. My observation is that states are like people---if you look close enough, there is something  beautiful in all of them.  So in this year of restricted travel, I hope all of us have gotten to know our regions and our beautiful country better. It has been a time to SLOW DOWN, take it all in and appreciate those things great and small in our own backyards.... a maybe a few more backyards over in another neighborhood.  So for my honey bunny pirate's #59, we embarked last night on the American Classic--the road trip. I have always been non-averse to car travel, although it does take some time! But Paul is not a big car traveler. But with our little viral friend, we decided, Hey let's just get in a car and have a socially distant, for the most part, vacay. So we left about 6pm last night after I got off work and headed for Cincy, the town that spawned Doris Day and Carmen Electra.  We said that, generally speaking, we would not  drive more than 4 hours in one day, we would do plenty of hiking and sightseeing and even trusted friend visits along the way and we would go to a state on Paul's bucket list.---MICHIGAN. Other than DTW airport, the man hasn't set a foot in this state full of state and national parks. So Michigan it is. By car with several stops on the way.

First stop: Lexington, KY at 8pm (because it is COVID control and no one is open much later) to enjoy a meal before the site of our first night hotel: 21C in Cincinnati.. We ate in Lexington at Ted Turner's Montana grill. The bison was tasty and it gave me a while to deeply consider the union of Ted and Jane Fonda ? Really? Hey I can't explain the Bermuda triangle either ! The food was passable and welcome. 

Then we were off to the 21C. This is an "art' hotel chain. We highly recommend in general, but COVID has hit them hard. They only clean rooms on request and we had to call the desk for standard items like... a trash can? That said, still clean and friendly and artsy. 

Paul prepares for rest at 21C Cincy.  Yes, Chad Helms he might wear this shirt repeatedly. 

After a great night's sleep, we enjoyed the hotel's breakfast, but the waiter said business was bad enough he was considering a career with Amazon. We did notice a sparse customer number.  He indicated the restaurant, Metropole, which we have always favored was "barely hanging on. " We feel for them.  

We then ventured out to run some errands and eventually ended up at a favorite walking spot, Sharon Woods. This is a dammed small lake with paddleboats and a moderately trafficked 4.5 mile trail around a lake creek and gorge. 

Map of the hiking trail. Admission $5 but the gatekeeper let us in for free!

A look up the lake

Now that's some roots.! It's a meditation on keeping grounded!

Birthday boy in a yellow aura

The gorgeous gorge. Leaves just starting to turn...

Hikers!

This was a great hike with many beautiful waterfowl and scenery. Plus we had to earn our dinner at Metropole!

The dinner at Metropole was really nice and seasonal. We have eaten at Metropole in downtown Cincy several times and it never disappoints. Try housemade pasta or burnt carrots!

Nice wine selection at METROPOLE

I think Cincinnati must be the Queen city because she has many different personalities and no one, even famous literary figures can agree. 

“When the end of the world comes, I want to be in Cincinnati because it's always 20 years behind the times.”
― Mark Twain

“Cincinnati is a beautiful city; cheerful, thriving, and animated. I have not often seen a place that commends itself so favourably and pleasantly to a stranger at the first glance as this does.”
― Charles Dickens

Paul's Ponderings:  Great day out with perfect weather!   Lots of great hiking followed by a wonderful meal out at 21C hotel.   Sharon Woods is a beautiful area to have a gentle hike, with a lot of varied terrain and things to see.   It's big enough that there is not a crowd out on the paths in general.

We've stayed at the 21C hotel before and enjoyed their great restaurant Metropole as well.   We were able to enjoy a couple of nice wines and some great food.    Now it's on northward to Yellow Springs, Ohio

February 5-11: V.D. for my birthday: The Bay Area

What I loved the most about Oakland was that all of my neighbors came in as many colors, ideas, and religions as there are people on the planet. How lucky I was to know so many people that were so different and yet so much alike!

Patricia Polacco

Van the Man

I always wanted to see Van Morrison---ever since tacking up the Nile River for five days on a felucca with David DuBois and Chapin Marsh and a bunch of cool Nubian sailors to the  frequently repeated tunes of Avalon Sunset on a Walkman with speakers in 1988. It was, after all, the only CD on the boat.  Oh sure, I knew Brown-Eyed Girl and Into the Mystic. Who of my era doesn't? But until then, I didn't know the likes of I'd Love to Write Another Song or Van the Man's stylings on Have I Told You Lately. Ever since that time, I've wanted to see him live. An it appears I allowed thirty-two years pass without accomplishing the mission. So, the Pirate suggested he would buy me a scalped ticket (luckily, he didn't have hair to begin with!) to the intimate 300 seat Yoshi's theater in Oakland to see Van Morrison --and a plane ticket to boot as a combo birthday/valentine's gift. I said, "Heck, yeah!" 

I found a really nice little airbnb in Oakland and we branched out from our usual downtown San Fran haunts for five days in Oakland, Ca.

Casa Havana. Stylishly decorated apartment by Francisco Javier in West Oakland

A place to lay your head.

Our habitation was in West Oakland in a very diverse  neighborhood ---and quite expensive by East  Tennessee standards!  The apartment was about 1000 sq ft but had everything we needed. West Oakland was reasonably close to the BART train when desired as well.

We had a late arrival and stayed at the airport, then drove over the next morning for a beautiful hike around Lake Chabot. This area was the original water supply for Oakland in 1875 and is named after Anthony Chabot, an engineer/philanthropist of many talents, who was instrumental in bringing water to the city. He was known in the Bay Area as the Water Baron. Due to the water supply for East Bay being centered here, the site was not open for recreation until the late 20th century. But now, there is a park with hiking, boating, fishing and a marina. We decided to hoof the nine miles around this man-made lake that encompasses the lakeside as well as higher areas of redwood, oaks and eucalyptus. 

A view of Lake Chabot. The path around it extends 9 miles.

The pirate crossed that bridge when he came to it.

I'm a sucker for reflections into lakes.

He's not out of the woods yet!

This was a really enjoyable hike with varied terrain and pretty easy for nine miles. We got out just about sunset and found our Airbnb. From there, we went the usual fine dining route. We ate dinner at Commis. We highly recommend this California fusion cuisine with an 8 course tasting menu. (Food porn warning!)

My first spirulina cocktail ever!

A really nice radish salad with vinegarette

Plating with Plastic Surgery instruments

 We sat at the counter which gave us a birds eye view into the kitchen.

Needless to say, a good meal was had by all. The next day, we made a visit to one of the Pirate's favorite locations, SF MOMA. He refuses to let a visit pass without a wander over to see what's up. There might have been a pizza en route.

Always a good choice, SF MOMA is currently displaying Soft Power featuring fifty-eight artists...amongst other things.

You can't go wrong in this museum as they have something for everyone. One interesting film artist was Richard Mosse. From 2014 to 2016, he documented the mass migration and displacement of people unfolding across Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. Filmed with a military-grade camera that detects body heat across great distances, these scenes are on view in the exhibition Richard Mosse: Incoming.  The heat-vision camera used creates otherworldly footage that renders covert viewing visible and implicates us — the audience — in seeing our fellow humans as others. This immersive video installation is accompanied by panoramic photographs from The Castle, a series of “heat maps” or digital composites of refugee camps. Another interesting collection at present is Thought Pieces, which explores bay area photography amongst the three contemporary artists, Lew Thomas, Donna Lee Phillips and Hal Fischer. Fischer is particularly intriguing. In what appears to be a drug , alcohol and caffeine fuelled frenzy in the 1970s, he photographed a busy bus-stop in the Castro area at intervals for 24 hours. It made for an interesting collage at the intersection of human activity. 

Hal Fischer sampling

Donna-Lee Phillips photo exhibition: What do I mean when I say red? Also intriguiing as was her series of chair photos.

We had a great visit to the museum which also has a store with lovely gift selections. You can use your Knoxville Art Museum membership to both gain entry (to an EXPENSIVE museum) and for discounts in the gift shop.

That night, we tried out a "wood fire" restaurant with Asian leanings called Mago in downtown Oakland. 

My first foray into pig's ear. Not my usual food, but also not half bad.

Grits don't look like this at my house.

House made linguine covered in broccolini and edible flowers. YUM.

The following day, we were awaiting the arrival of our buddies, Jen and Ed Scholte from Mather, California, so thought we'd get in a good walk. A little over a mile from our condo is Lake Merritt Wildlife Sanctuary. This area was the first wildlife sanctuary in the USA. It is very urban, as those refuges go, but still a place for waterfowl in the city. The hike is pretty short, somewhere between 3 and 4 miles, and you get to see downtown Oakland at the same time. If you are hungry, have a snack at the Boathouse at the end!

A map of Lake Merritt  right smack dab in the middle of Oakland.

We aren't kidding. Ducks and skyscrapers!

Seagull convention.

Our friends came in the late afternoon and we enjoyed a nice sojourn with them around Jack London Square. (INSERT SELFIE). There is a statue of the namesake there. ( I would also highly recommend Jack London State Park in Sonoma Valley near Glen Ellen.) We were able to catch up a little on their lives while hiking in the Redwood Regional Park. It's great walking and not as far away as John Muir Woods. 

Really beautiful AND really close by.

Paul was not disappointed at all when Ed suggested they visit Amoeba Records in Berkeley where I think both of them found vinyl. (But what else is new?)

It requires very little twisting of the arm to get the Pirate into a store full of vinyl.

Jen and Ed left for home Sunday afternoon and Paul and I were off to visit his work colleague, Valerie in Livermore, CA. It was a pretty easy BART/Uber combo. Fortunately the bay area has great public transportation! We were treated to a plant-based menu by Valerie. The food was so delish we never missed the contribution of animal-based products. It was nice to see a friendly face and share a meal and Livermore based wines (which were great.)

The next day was VAN THE MAN day, so we didn't want to stray too far from the house. Fortunately, the East Bay region is rife with hiking opportunities. We chose the Big Springs- Seaview Loop near Orinda, California bordering on the Tilden Park and Recreation Area. This was an absolutely stunning walk with wanders through redwoods, eucalyptus, and big payoff up top by showing you about 180 degrees of the Bay Area including the Golden Gate Bridge, the Bay Bridge, Alcatraz, Oakland, Sausalito, and a good deal of the area reservoirs north and east of the city. What a spectacular sight!

In case you decide to tackle this, and we highly suggest you do, set your GPS for the Quarry Trail.
O

For a walk of just under 5 miles and an elevation gain of only about 1000 feet, you get some of the best viewpoints in the area. There's even a bench to hang out and drool!

About half the walk is shaded. 

Paul and the area reservoirs behind him.

The other half of the hike is open. We hit it on a perfect 65 degree sunny day.

Unfortunately we can't do this view justice especially the view of the Golden Gate. But please go there!

Since we were only about 10 miles from our apartment in West Oakland, we got back in plenty of time for the pirate to make my dreams come true at Yoshi's. This is a small restaurant/bar/concert venue predominantly jazz artists in a cabaret type seating. The secret is to go eat there first, and the waitstaff will get you a good table. We had seats right in the middle. Fortunately, "bad seats" were almost nonexistent. 

Van the Man and his merry band

I will have to say, Van Morrison didn't play many of his standards. He stuck to mostly covers, often of well-known blues songs, but he enjoyed himself and so did we. He definite didn't disappoint. 

What a great break in, of all places, OAKLAND. I wouldn't hesitate to come here again.

You can't stay the same. If you're a musician and a singer, you have to change, that's the way it works.

Van Morrison

Paul's Ponderings:   Another great trip to the Bay Area.....been coming out here for almost 30 years for work and vacation, sometimes multiple times per year.    It's an abundance of riches in almost every regard.     Weirdly, I'd never stayed in Oakland, just passed through, so that was a first.    We had a great time in West Oakland in a neighborhood that is clearly starting to (sorta) gentrify.    

While our place was quite nice inside, it looked pretty modest from the outside and was surrounded by older wooden houses that were in various stages of repair.    However, about four houses up the street, we saw a nice place for sale that was clearly remodeled recently and we looked it up.   It was actually a duplex with two street entrances, but overall it was over 4000 square feet and multiple stories with a beautiful interior.    Asking price?   A cool $1.8 million dollars.    Wow.    In that neighborhood.    Just shows the housing crisis out there (price wise anyway) is real, even in mixed Oakland neighborhoods.   

That said, we had some great hiking experiences nearby (one of the riches of the area), visited the great SF Moma, and saw Van Morrison.    He was in a jazz-centric mood, but at the end, he did this incredible medley that was clearly "his" that sounded like an amazing outtake off of "Astral Weeks".    For me, that was a "so that's how he did that" moment.    

At any rate, a great time was had by all....I'm sure we'll be back and hopefully soon.