June 7, 2012 -- Adler Planetarium

The much awaited visit to the Adler Planetarium did not disappoint. It was a spectacular day and after a small parking SNAFU (cost is $29.00, cash only -- who carries cash? not me...) we entered the museum and planetarium. We saw several planetarium shows including a fabulous 3D feature about the Sun, took a tour of the night sky on the dome, and had a hearty lunch at Galileo's Cafe.

Adler trivia: The the bronze relief sculpture of the planets in the lobby of the Adler was inaccurate from February 1930 (the discovery of Pluto) until August 2006, when the International Astronomer's Union revoked Pluto's “planet” status, making most people very sad. I suppose it's good that someone is happy about Pluto's demotion!

June 3, 2012 -- Buckeye Lake, OH, to Chebanse, IL

We drove pretty much straight through from Ohio to Illinois today, relying on GPS to take us the shortest way. Know though, that “shortest” roads may not be “widest” ... About 30 miles of our trip was on narrow country roads, through cornfields and tiny towns. Beautiful, green, interesting, and most definitely NOT interstates. We're staying in a lovely, quiet campground that's nestled in a clump of trees in the midst of miles and miles and MILES of corn. (Arrow on this map points to our campground.)



To recap: This is pretty much what Illinois looks like, if you're not in Chicago:

June 2, 2012 -- Theresa visits Antoinette; Scott visits Max and Lola

I don't suppose it's surprising that when we gathered this afternoon, Theresa and Antoinette wore matching turquoise blouses and black pants. (Sorry there was no pic, but take our word, it was wicked cute.) Antoinette's friend Sam also joined us and we spent a marvelous afternoon chatting, playing with some overjoyed dogs who apparently receive NO affection whatsoever unless there's company, and going out for Thai food in Columbus.

May 31 - June 1, 2012 -- homebodies

Not much to tell, except that Fortune smiled on us when Theresa went to the grocery store to find the proper “step stool” for our WiFi antenna:

May 30, 2012 -- Theresa visits Antoinette, Max and Lola

Today was an ordinary workday for Scott. Theresa drove to Columbus in the afternoon to spend a few hours with her college classmate Antoinette, who is now a professor at Ohio State. (Go Buckeyes!) This was their first meeting in 27 years, but they recognized each other OK and had a great time reminiscing about life in Georgetown's Arts Hall and catching up on the past couple of decades. Also present were the charming Max and Lola, Antoinette's furchildren. (photo by Antoinette)

May 29, 2012 -- Buckeye Lake, OH (greater Columbus)

Sad as we were to leave Camp M&M, we were on the road fairly early for Buckeye Lake, a small town east of Columbus, and will be staying this week at the Buckeye Lake KOA campground. It's lovely and we got a very friendly welcome from the staff here. Stay tuned for more adventures!

May 28, 2012 -- Slippery Rock, PA

Today Meagan showed us around her old stomping grounds including McConnells Mill State Park. We took the stairway down from the parking area to the creek. Oddly enough, the stairway was much longer and steeper than Meagan remembered it from back in the day, and we both found it, umm ... challenging. Once at the bottom of the trail, we walked along the bank of Slippery Rock Creek, with its covered bridge, grist mill, whitewater rapids and insane people in kayaks. It was at this point that we learned that the creek lives up to its name: today it was Scott's turn to slip and fall. Luckily there was only a small scrape, and we had antiseptic and bandages on hand with which to patch him up. When it came time to climb back up to the car, Meagan made the selfless gesture of returning alone and coming back with the car to get us. We did not protest. After the park, we went for a late lunch at North Country Brewing Co., “where Bilbo Baggins would hang out on a Saturday night.” The food was delicious, and the beers (and cider) were amazing. (If you are sensing a theme here, we salute your powers of observation!) Meagan indulged Scott's t-shirt addiction and added a “Stinky Hippie Pale Ale” t-shirt to his collection. It definitely suits him.

Once back at Camp M&M, we returned to yesterday's construction theme with a replica of the legendary Frank Lloyd Wright home “Falling Water” in Legos! Now, Falling Water is in Pennsylvania, and not really far from Camp M&M; however the days were just too jam-packed to fit in a trip over there. But we can assure you, building this structure out of teeeeeny tiny Legos is enough to give us a sense of just how amazing it is. Here are some photos of our triumph: