Cincinnati

We arrived on Sunday, June 26th in Indian Hills near Cincinnati to visit Bill's brother Scotty and his wife Robi.  It was a special day!   Scott and Robi's first grandchild, Ryder James McIntire was born earlier that day. He is the first child of their son, Chris and his wife, Leigh Ann McIntire and the first of a new generation of McIntires.   This was our first visit to Scott and Robi's new home too - a lovely setting on a pond with gardens cultivated by Scott.

Scott, Robi and Casey

View of the pond

A wonderful screen porch - like a tree house- great place for relaxing with a book, a drink, or friends

Casey, the family's dachshund - taking an afternoon snooze.  Bill likes to take afternoon snoozes too.

 

We took a ride out to see some of the ancient Indian mounds that are along the banks of the Miami River.  These were a couple of Wright University students assisting in the excavation project conducted by the archaeological professors. 

                     The rolling hills of the area are quite lush and beautiful.

Budding flowers of all sorts are blooming everywhere.

Some of the housing styles of the mound Indians during their period in the area.

We stopped at one of the farms in Indian Hills for fresh produce...

                           One of the rare farms in the Indian Hills area.

Visited Waynesville  to shop - dine - explore

Summer time in this area is an explosion of colorful flowers and all sorts of garden plants.

Of course we could not leave Cincinnati without having lunch at Skyline Chili.

Visiting Chicago



There is no doubt that Frank Lloyd Wright is one of America's most well known architect of the past 100 years.  Since we visited Taliesin in Wisconsin a few weeks ago, we had to see his home and studio in the Oak Park area of Chicago





The Oak Park home of Frank Lloyd Wright where it all began... a look at modern architecture that was unique to the period... very similar design to Taliesin. 





The entry to the house shared with his first wife and six children



Sculpture in the garden

Using the colors of plants to enlighten the surroundings of the Wright home

 

The opinions of this architect who not only designs structures but the furniture and art that surrounds and is encased in these dwelling are of a love hate variety 


                                                 Family Visit

While in the Chicago area we stayed in Wilmette and visited with Bill's sister, Charlotte and her youngest son, Chad, his wife, Beth and their three children, Ben (a tennis player), Sarah, and Rachael...also their two dogs.

Sammey




Jessey



Charlotte and Chad (also known as Billy)

Rachael -ninth grader, Chad, and Beth

Charlotte, Nancy, & Bill

We enjoyed our visit and ended it with pancakes at Walker's.

Milwaukee M's

                  Miller's, Motorcycles, and Museums

The King of Beers in Milwaukee is Millers . . . . and that's a fact Jack.

The tour is cool, the beer is cold and best of all the beer is FREE!



A 1950 bus used to promote Miller Beer





One of the beer's first logos, The Girl on the Moon.





Free beer served here!



The home of Captain Fredrick Pabst built in 1892 - one of Milwaukee's architectural landmarks.  It has incredible wood craftsmanship, elaborate wall coverings, and an impressive fine arts collection.



Harley Davidson HOG heaven



Statuary depicting the best of cycling expertise

The first Harley Davidson - Serial Number One!



Buy a Harley!




Nancy testing her abilities on a HD Hog

 Whether you like Beer, Motorcycles or Mansions of the past, Milwaukee opens the pleasure for not only these places to see and visit but much more.  Milwaukee is a great tourist destination and worth several days of exploration.

Milwaukee Art Museum



A gray and rainy day in the city led us to one of our favorite museums -MAM





Looks a lot like a space ship getting ready to take off.  Hey!  Maybe it is!



Alexander Calder mobiles seem to be everywhere in the art world.

The same with this guy



What a view of Lake Michigan shoreline from the Museum's observation area



Could this be added to Nancy's rock collection from her travels?

Looks a lot like Bill's mother's suitcase . . .

A "Chair Park" for the museum visitors to take a brief rest trying out a large grouping of differently constructed chairs.



An oasis for one to pause and reflect on the art and view within the museum





Yes, two that are having a Bad Hair Day!



Looks like one of Jack Dowd's creations . . . the one on the left I mean.



An eerie type modern display (click on the picture several times and get a closer view)




As we depart the area the fog comes in across the lake...not a pyramid in the back but the MAM



The Road to Milwaukee

The road to Milwaukee took us through small towns with a stop in one for lunch and a walk.  Over the last few weeks we have noticed a trend in revitalized downtown areas - murals painted on walls, buildings, and even flood levees.  Here are a few...





And yes, there was a time when they sold wool suits for $15.

Towns along the lake had parks, walkways and photo op views of the town's lighthouse.

Some of the parks were not dog friendly...

....but seagull friendly

When we saw the sign for "Free Wine Tastings" we decided to stop in Cedarburg - a little north of Milwaukee for lunch and a look.  We did some tasting and bought a few bottles of wine.

Lunch was in the town's old blacksmith stone building - lots of charm and good food.

A walk took us to some charming shops along the lake....



where some ducklings were taking a snooze - and we were ready for one too.