Colour of Autumn

This morning I drove an hour to Yellow Springs (a village in Greene County, Ohio).

Yellow Springs was one of the final stops on the Underground Railroad and the village was known for its racial tolerance.

I was struck by the Autumn colours of the hundreds of trees around the village. There was even a local artist out on the corner painting the reds, oranges, browns, ....

Also, everyone seems to be going crazy on the pumpkins, ghosts, ... Halloween is not far off now (thank goodness I'm out of the country then!).

Stating The Obvious!

Only in America!

Due to Health & Safety, this is what is written next to the car park 'man-holes' at work.

Ohio Renaissance Festival

This is the 21st year of the 16th Century England experience (it’s upon for 7 weekends this year). It is situated in a permanent mock-up of a 30-acre English village.

There are about 100 shows daily on 11 stages with lots of arts/crafts shops and games. In the Medieval Marketplace there was glassblowing, stone carving, blacksmithing, leather tooling and boot making.

Not only were there over 150 costumed characters welcoming you to the village, but a lot of the public dress up too (spot the rather large American Vikings in the photo)!

Had a great time with friends. It was very sunny and warm (around 27 degrees C).

The One That Got Away

Last night I received another text (I'm either becoming popular or people are worried I'm turning into "Billy no mates"!!), inviting me to the Rusty Bucket (American bar) to watch the 2nd game of the National League Division Series between Cincinnati Reds and Philadephia Phillies.

The Reds flitted away a four-run lead in a comedy of errors, with the Phillies winning 7-4. As the Reds have lost the first 2 games, this Sunday's game is make or break (best of 5 games).

Chilling Out In The Evening

Received a text from a friend at 7pm saying "do you want to come round for a cold beer on the patio?". Well, it would've be rude to say "NO" so I said "sure, be round in 5"!

Had a great time, laughing the night away.

Still can't get over how warm it is during the evenings (my friend was wearing shorts!).

The 5K Reggae Run

I entered the local 5K run/walk last night. Apparently it was the first time that it rained, but that didn’t stop any of us doing the run and partying the night away! It was a hilly circuit, starting and ending in Ault Park, and I crossed the line as the digital clock turned 28 minutes (although I had to walk the first 1-2 minutes because of the large amount of people at the starting line!).

The Reggae Run was started in October 1994 by family and friends of Maria Olberding to commemorate her life (she was killed in May 1994 while running near her residence in Mount Lookout). The Reggae Run quickly established itself among runners in greater Cincinnati. In only its third year, the Reggae Run became the largest 5K race in the Tri-state. Last year, more than 8,000 people participated in the event.

Proceeds from the Reggae Run go to a charity help fulfill the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions in greater Cincinnati.

Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey

I visited Woodford Reserve Distillery in time for a tour, and of course a sample of their finest Bourbon.

Woodford Reserve is a brand of premium small batch bourbon whiskey and is a product of The Woodford Reserve Distillery. The distillery is in the heart of central Kentucky's bluegrass region, around the famous horse breeding farms of Woodford Country.

We were told that distilling on the site began in 1812 and the distillery building itself was built in 1838, making it the oldest of nine working bourbon distilleries in Kentucky. In 2000 it was granted National Historic Landmark status.

Apparently by law Bourbon has to meet a list of requirements. Some of them are: it must be made of a grain mixture that is at least 51%, it must be aged in new charred oak barrels, it must be entered into the barrel at no more than 62.5% alcohol, may not be bottled at less than 40% alcohol!

One of the notable features is the numbering system that is used; every bottle is individually numbered with the batch and bottle numbers. Woodford Reserve's alcohol content is 45.2%.

Yes, before you ask, I did buy a bottle.

Meet Me In Midway

As the local flier says!

I stopped off at this very small town (note that the locals call it HISTORIC Midway Kentucky) on my way to the distillery.

Midway was founded in 1835 by a railroad company in need of a "midway" point between Lexington and Frankfort. As this part of the country is known for its thoroughbred horse farms, there are a lot of horse racing designs.

Dinner At Newport on the Levee

Had a very enjoyable meal with wonderful friends at Bravas (Italian restaurant) on the Kentucky side of the river Ohio.

I can't believe how warm it still is out here!