Hello from chilly Ohio! We had a great week traveling northward toward one set of grandkids, despite Nathan coming down with a cold. We had some fun in Nashville, where we had a pleasant surprise, and in Dayton, where we finally visited a museum we’ve been trying to catch for years. Now all is grand, as in grandkids!
We spent a couple of nights in Nashville. This was our third visit to the city and it was pretty cold, so we didn’t have much planned. As we arrived, we immediately started to see the destruction from Winter Storm Fern from the week before. There were downed trees and branches and damaged power lines. We were hearning stories of people who were still without power or trapped in their neighborhoods a week after the storm hit. It was dramatic. We booked a show at Zanie’s Comedy Club based on the Nateland Podcast hosted by Nate Bargatze. We like his comedy and this was a compliation show of comedians from around the country doing 5-10 minute sets. It was really good and there were definitely some talented comics. Then at the end, the host announced that there was a surprise and out came…Nate Bergatze! He was working on some new material and had just won a Grammy the night before. He was very funny and we felt like we got a steal of a deal.
Then it was on to Dayton, Ohio. We almost always drive by Dayton on our way between Alex’s place and Lauren’s home, so we often consider stopping. It was the home of the Wright Brothers and there are some really good historical sites there relating to aviation. The problem is that the national park sites aren’t open on Mondays and Tuesdays and that’s usually when we are driving through. We purposely planned to be there on a Wednesday this time so we could check it out. However, we also thought we could catch the National Mueseum of the Air Force on Tuesday afternoon as a bonus. But, alas, not this time. It was closed due to the partial governmenet shutdown. We did get to visit the national park site, though, including the museum outlining the Wright Brothers’ history and the only one of their bicycle shops that’s still in tact. It was worth the wait and we will probably be back to see more sometime.
Now we are happily installed in Marietta, Ohio again and spending a portion of every day reading stories, building projects, and giving piggy back rides. It’s just perfect and we are soaking it up! Have a great week!
Paradise
Happy October! We hope you are enjoying this beautiful time of year! Some people dream of paradise on a quiet tropical beach, listening to the surf with a drink in hand. Not this girl! Give me mountains, especially drenched in autumn color, bursting with new spring leaves, or covered in snow. We are spending October in one of our favorite places–Big Cottonwood Canyon just east of the Salt Lake Valley. We are loving the gorgeous golden aspen with the deep pine greens. Hiking is great and so is the smell of fresh forest! Nathan’s sister, Liz, and her husband, Christian, joined us one morning for a lovely hike through the woods. We got to experience a powerful thunderstorm and then a full day of snowfall. Our condo for the month is just right for us and we love having access to a pool, hot tubs, sauna, and workout facilities. We especially like that we can pop back to the valley to do some shopping or see family and friends. So far, so good!
Fun Family Time
We have had a lovely couple of weeks in Utah. We’ve been able to rest and recover from five months of travel, help Nathan’s mom at her house, and spend time with family.
Full Circle
Five months ago we flew to Rome from Utah. We had a summer of trying new places and experiences and revisiting old favorites and now we’re back where we started. Since we get the question a lot, I thought I would share some of our favorites from our travels in Europe this year.