We’re having a good time on our trip across the wilds of Ohio this week. We started at Lucy’s parents’, watching Star Trek with her sister (second time for both of us, but worth it). Afterward, I let Lucy in on a few secrets, like the Red Shirt thing, the Dilithium Crystals thing, and the “Bones means doctor” thing, which isn’t really so much a Star Trek thing as an English thing.
We went to Lucy’s 5-year reunion for college, which is like an “All-years renion with 5-year highlights”. We slept in dorms, which was as dormtastic as you expect, with drunk 25-year-olds leaving messes on the lawn and everything. We ate fantastically with Vanessa and Ryan (alum) as well, and took a 3 mile trek through the forest next to their Field Station… which turned out better than I thought it would. See, I thought I might die, and I did not!
We left Cleveland for Anne’s, and toured their used book store while we waited for her to get out of work. We left with no less than a dozen books, including Larklight, a young adult steampunk novel that I’ve been interested in for a long time. I also picked up a paperback copy of my first chapter book ever, Under Plum Lake, so I can give a copy away. :) I wish I had more copies, heh.
Let me just say that this is the warmest and dampest vacation we’ve ever taken. The book store was the worst – our will to live was crushed by having to wade through the humid heat.
We ate at The Winds, one of those swanky restaurants that serves arugula, and hung out with Anne for the rest of the evening. After sending Anne off to the airport the next morning, we headed to Cincinnati and Vanessa and Brian.
We stopped at the Air Force museum and marveled at some of the first airplanes to fight in war. As always, I was way more interested in the torpedoes, rockets and space ships. We picked up Chocolate-chocolate chip Astronaut Ice cream, which was way more delicious than flavored melty styrofoam has a right to be.
Our time here in Cinci has been full of games and merriment. We exposed Lucy to Grosse Pointe Blank, Tremors and Star Trek II: Khaaaaaaan! V & B bought an air conditioner for our room this weekend, which was so sweet and, as it happens, a lifesaver in this heat.
The room that we’re in is fairly large, with immense windows all around. That means that when the intense lightning storm struck, Lucy was instantly downstairs. I felt like I was in an observation bubble as rapid lightning rolls lit up the sky and my room.
I got to sleep anyway, though, and Lucy eventually came back upstairs so that, at 7 am, we could enjoy together the sounds of construction workers scraping an immense garbage trailer against the concrete outside. While they finished that at 8 am, we could not sleep through the direct striking of the sun upon our faces, which was much like an instant sun tan.
So we’re up! And that’s our week so far. We’ll be headed back to Cleveland early tomorrow, where her parents are holding an engagement party for us. My mom is coming up, and so are three of my favorite chikas (my side of the wedding party!), so I am geeked. :)
Thanks for reading!
On behalf of everyone at The Castle… We miss you guys!!
Hurry home.