William Howard Taft National Historic Site

We continue to celebrate National Park Week here on Femme au Foyer with a visit to a lesser-known site managed by the National Park Service. Everyone is familiar with the big National Parks such as the Grand Canyon, Arches, Great Smoky Mountains and Shenandoah, but did you know that under the purview of the Park Service and the U.S. Department of the Interior are dozens of National River and Recreation Areas (such as Big South Fork), Military Parks (recent examples on this blog are Chickamauga and Chattanooga or Kings Mountain), Monuments (Fort Sumter and Moultrie fit the bill), Preserves (Big Cypress) and Historic Sites? Although we’ve got a couple of Historic Sites closer to home (Carl Sandburg and Ninety Six), we were in route from our Easter celebration in Ohio – which meant William Howard Taft National Historic Site was on our way to Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky.

William Howard Taft is the only person to hold the offices of President and Chief Justice of the United States, and the two-story Greek Revival house where he grew up in Cincinnati highlights the path that led him from his birth in 1857 to the two highest offices in the Nation. A small parking lot off Auburn Avenue allows access to the Taft Education Center, full of interactive exhibits in addition to an orientation film, gift shop and knowledgeable staff. Our arrival coincided with the beginning of a tour of the childhood home of President Taft, and so we hurried over to the house leaving the Education Center for later.

The family home was sold in 1899, 10 years before Taft would become the 27^th president of the United States. With each successive owner it underwent modifications, and after being divided into apartments and eventually approaching demolition, a movement began to save the house. In 1969 it was designated a National Historic Site, and today several rooms appear as they were when President Taft was growing up there, while the remaining house a series of exhibits on the life and career of Taft.

I could write a rather lengthy essay on Taft’s life and career, but I won’t, even though there were plenty of interesting tidbits and fun trivia to get the kids interested in touring the site. It helped that they had picked up Junior Ranger Books – it never ceases to amaze me how the activity booklets manage to involve the kids while encouraging learning and exploration. We spent some time listening to the guide, and then split off when Vilis started to fuss, touring the rest of the building at our speed.

Our visit wrapped up with a second stop in the Education Center. After exploring the space and getting our National Park passports stamped we headed south across the Ohio River into Kentucky, towards a much different National Park – one underground…

Boonshoft Museum of Discovery

Somewhere in all the traveling we did last month we stumbled upon another really cool children’s museum, the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery. I can’t take the credit for finding it, as it was suggested by our hosts as a good place to let the children run free for a bit to give them a change of pace from sitting in the car. We had discovered the joys of driving during late evening/night, as the three boys would mostly sleep in the backseat and the miles would pass with far less stops, and so it happened that we spent the afternoon in the Dayton museum with our hosts and their daughter Annalija, taking some time to relax before another five hour drive and the real beginning to the holiday craziness.

The Dayton Museum of Natural History began in 1893 as a part of the Dayton Public Library and Museum, and over the years grew with local natural history collections added in addition to international material, with a new planetarium added in 1991. When a movement to create a Children’s Museum of Dayton gained momentum in the early nineties, the Dayton Society of Natural History was brought aboard in a collaboration, resulting in a merger that was renamed Boonshoft Museum of Discovery in 1999 (in recognition of Oscar Boonshoft, a friend of the Museum).

Like so many of our favorite children’s museums, Boonshoft is a combination museum, in this case a zoo, aquarium, planetarium and natural history museum all in one. The zoo aspect was a definite plus, as our membership to the Greenville Zoo had reciprocal benefits reducing the cost of entry. Because of hours of operation, our first stop was the tidal pool, where tucked into a rocky display were sea stars, anemones, cucumbers and chitons. We were able to touch the sea stars and learn a little about tidal life before continuing on.

The tidal pool is considered part of the Discovery Zoo exhibit, which is home to over one hundred animals and insects ranging from river otters and prehensile-tailed porcupines to one of the biggest snakes I have ever seen - Rajeev, the Museum’s 16-foot-long Burmese python weighing in at 155 pounds! We got to see Rajeev on the move – a bit disconcerting with only glass separating us from its giant coils.

The Explorer’s Crossing was also a popular exhibit. The grocery store could be compared to our own Children’s Museum of the Upstate, except the food items were of a healthier variety. And in Cassano's Pizza Kitchen the kids made their own pizzas.

In the court house area the kids had a chance to experience what it’s like to stand in the jury box, or bang the judge’s gavel. Of course it was one of the dads that ended up in jail. Guilty of having too much fun?

A veterinarian clinic and a landfill were both super realistic, but the recycling center was a huge hit; possibly the lure of the truck?

The boys’ favorite portion of the museum might have been a tie between the giant water table and the climbing tower. Two stories high, the tower is crisscrossed by rope ladders and was an ideal spot to exert the last of that energy. And my favorite? The Mead Treehouse, a space extending into the forest canopy surrounded by birdfeeders providing a lovely space to read, birdwatch, or listen to one of the informative presentations put on by museum staff. There’s no doubt the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery was worth the side trip on our trip through, and I know that we’ll be back in the future when we are visiting Annalija!

Roadside on I-75

On our way home from Michigan we stopped at what might be a familiar sight for those of you who have headed up I-75, the giant dinosaur. Originally a mascot for Thunder Mountain Fireworks, this hand-built green dinosaur has looked out over the highway from Caryville TN since the 1980’s.

Sadly, in May 2011 the fireworks store caught fire, and the site is now occupied by a Dollar Store. Rumor has it, the dinosaur is for sale…

Caryville doesn’t seem to have good luck with fireworks stores. You might recognize another site from the interstate, just minutes north of the dinosaur.

source: maps.google.com

We made an overnight stop outside of Lexington in order to break up the trip, had we not we would have witnessed the fireworks… That’s right, the store caught fire that evening, and firefighters had the dangerous task of preventing the neighboring buildings, and even cars on the highway from catching on fire. I-75 was shut down in both directions, it must have been quite a sight.

Source: USA Today

It isn’t just the fireworks laying waste to I-75 roadside attractions on the north-south highway. Some of you might recognize this 62 foot tall giant Jesus from the roadside just north of Cincinnati.

Source: here

Nicknamed “touchdown Jesus,” it was struck by lightning and destroyed in 2010. The church has rebuilt, and the new statue (nickname “Hug me Jesus”) was dedicated in 2012. Named Lux Mundi ("Light of the World" in Latin), the 52 foot statue was designed by Tom Tsuchiya.

Source: wikipedia

What is your favorite roadside attraction on I-75?

Directions to giant dinosaur:

Take exit 134 and head east on US Hwy 25W/Hwy 63. Make a right (south) onto Hwy 116/John McGhee Blvd. and after 0.5 miles turn into the Dollar Store parking lot. The dragon is located behind the store on the highway side. 

Adventures in fried cheese curds at Young's Jersey Dairy

When visiting our relatives in Ohio we sometimes manage to fit in a little sightseeing. One year we drove to Clifton, birthplace of OSU Buckeyes coach Woody Hayes as well as home to one of the largest water powered grist mills still in existence (with a restaurant overlooking the scenic gorge). When the OH destination was Cincinnati, we often strolled the University campus. This Easter our side-trip was geared towards the younger crowd with a visit to Young’s Jersey Dairy in Yellow Springs, OH. The farm dates back to 1869 when relatives of the Young family built the red barn, and received its name when Hap Young bought the 60 acre farm shortly after WWII. They grew grain, raised hogs and milked cows, selling milk and dairy products and eventually baked goods.

In the 1990s the farm branched out into family entertainment, adding an 18-hole mini golf course, driving range, batting cages and seasonal entertainment, such as the corn maze, pick-your-own pumpkin and wagon rides in the fall. It didn’t take much to satisfy Lauris, Mikus and Annalija though, watching the cows and feeding the goats was adventure enough.

Cheesemaking started in July 2009; using only milk from their herd of Jersey cows they produce cheddar, colby, baby swiss, jersey jack, pepperjack and fresh cheddar curds. The trip was worth it only to try the deep fried cheddar cheese curds – our order disappeared in record time! Ice cream was the big hit with the boys, for once it was being consumed faster than it could melt.

We spent some additional time exploring the area next to the farm, where in addition to picnic tables a pair of old tractors are displayed and climbing areas made up of tractor tires and milk jugs provide free entertainment. Soon it was time to head back to join the rest of the family, stomachs full and energy spent (although I could have ordered more of those fried cheese curds!), glad that we had the chance to check out this local hot spot.

Pâques en Ohio, volume 2

As our Easter celebrations were drawn out over a couple of weeks, I feel it’s only natural to post about Easter a month after the holiday. This year we started with a bang, participating in an enormous egg hunt and Easter extravaganza, and then decorated Easter eggs the traditional Latvian way (naturally, with onion skins and red cabbage). The opportunity to celebrate a Dutch Easter came about rather unexpectedly, but we took full advantage of it. Then we had guests from Chicago the week between Palm Sunday and Easter, and stayed very busy with Bulls games, tours of the West End and hiking trips up Paris Mountain, but as they departed for Chicago, we left for Ohio. It seems as the trip to Dayton is becoming an annual tradition; Ohio is pretty much the halfway point between Michigan and South Carolina, so Easter is a good opportunity to catch up with my husband’s side of the family.

4 generations!

There was an egg hunt in the backyard...

Picking flowers for omammīte...

Plenty of chocolates and desserts to satisfy a sweet tooth...

Late night games of Risk...

We had the traditional olu sišanās, and Roberts emerged victorious… or so he claims – the supposed winning egg went missing. Lauris and Mikus spent a dozen hours with their vecmamma Aija, reading books, enjoying the sunshine and discussing life. There was even a trip to a local dairy farm and creamery. The only thing missing was Easter paska, but after a fruitless search for farmer’s cheese extending to a 50 mile radius, I vowed to bring a cooler-full from South Carolina next year… if this lovely tradition of four generations gathering here in Ohio continues.

A liels paldies to our gracious hosts – we’ll see you again soon (on our way north this summer), although you are always welcome here in Greenville!

Thanksgiving up north

Thanksgiving in Chicago was a family affair. We managed to visit with all of our family during our weeklong stay, and even fit in a few excursions: the Latvian school, the Museum of Science and Industry, an exploration of Lincoln Square and a trip to downtown. However, the highlight of the trip wasn’t the Disney exhibit at the museum or the Christkindlmarket, but all of those moments with family – the ones that make me feel that we might as well still be living in France for all those miles between Greenville and Chicago.

There was art at grandmother’s house. I’m a little abashed to admit that half of our Christmas cards were the result of a two-hour session with the artist-in-residence. Lauris shocked me with drawings of stick animals; as far as I know he had only ever drawn squiggles up until now. Mikus got into the block painting, and I got inspiration for a few projects to do at home.

We saw our first snow (possibly our last of the season, as Greenville doesn’t see the stuff too often). The boys ran around trying to catch the flakes on their tongues and mittens, watching from the warmth of the house as it accumulated ¼ inch before fading away overnight.

We watched our first Thanksgiving Day parade. Although it was from the safety of grandmother’s house and not State Street, the level of excitement was elevated; characters such as Madeline, Potato Head, Arthur and Curious George are often mentioned these days.

Roberts arrived just in time for Thanksgiving dinner, a lavish affair complete with grilled turkey, (Southern) sweet potato casserole, focaccia, green beans, cranberry-walnut stuffing, and three different pies to name a few dishes. Very American!

There was more than one night that the boys had to be carried in from the car, as the festivities went so late (or were so exhausting!) that their eyes would close as soon as the streetlights began their light show on the way home. I quickly learned to bring pajamas with, have them “bed-ready” before clicking them in.

Despite the long days, the week passed by entirely too quickly for our liking. We’ve already started our to-do list for the next visit: skolasbērni and Playmobil with tante Z, bathtime with kr. Māris, trains with Andis & Edgars, maybe some baking with Annelī, art time with vecmamma Inga, and storytime with vectētiņš and vecvecmamma! Paldies vecvecmammai par mīļo uzņemšanu, ZIGM par visām skaisti pavadītām stundām rietumpusē un DAᶟE par visu fun!!! Būsim drīz atpakaļ, bet gaidam jūs visus te Greenville ciemos!

* And the icing on the cake was our stop in Ohio in the way home; Lauris and Mikus had plenty of time to catch up with their little cousin A! Thanks Asja & Brandon for your hospitality, we hope to see you in Greenville soon!

Ūsiņdiena and Cinco de Mayo

The thing about being back in the States after living in France – commitments! We couldn’t fly back to the US for every christening, confirmation, wedding and funeral, and so our weekends were free for spur of the moment trips to Spain, hikes in the chain of volcanoes surrounding Clermont-Ferrand and relaxing jaunts to the country to visit friends. In contrast, now that we are back in Greenville every weekend from now until late summer is already booked, as it’s been since early spring. I managed to fit in that weekend in New York after my youngest sister’s visit, but then we were off to the christening in Ohio which was followed by a visit from my parents. This weekend we took a mini-vacation to the coast, but that is the sole family holiday we’ll have until much later this year, as the coming months are filled with exciting travel plans to confirmations and weddings, as well as commitments here in Greenville, visitors, seminars and festivals. You’ll have to pardon my sporadic posts, which will also be a tad outdated, as I’m already several weeks behind on our adventures.

"I call shotgun!"

We observed Ūsiņdiena, the Latvian holiday marking the halfway point between the spring equinox and the summer solstice (the beginning of summer). We celebrate because we gave Lauris the middle name of Ūsiņš, after the Latvian patron of horses, who symbolizes light and is said to bring spring. This was the first day livestock were put out to pasture, and many of the old traditions involve eggs (which symbolize life and the sun) and horses. For a great summary of some of these old rituals you can read the article “A primer on Ūsiņi, the start of summer” and then listen to Kad Ūsiņš jāj, as performed by the Melo-M Mega Orchestra.

Our celebration included a late evening trip to downtown for ice cream, as per the request of our little Ūsiņš. Although ice cream consumption was not limited to Lauris!

The following days were filled with activity; the North Main community meeting at the Soda Shop, the Arts Alive fundraiser for our nearby elementary school, plenty of time in the new sandbox and work in the old one (a.k.a. our raised vegetable beds) and trips to the zoo and Falls Park.

At the North Main community get-together with the local firetruck

The trip to Ohio was a whirlwind of driving, visiting and relatives, and it was great to be there for little Annalija’s christening. She has grown since we last saw her (as babies tend to do), and both boys showed a protective streak whenever she cried, Lauris even announcing he needs a baby sister...

Giving a kiss to little cousin Annalija

Roberts enjoyed some time with the guys, I got some time in the kitchen to bake a kliņģeris for the feast (quite an honor, thanks Asja and Brandon for asking me!) and the boys had plenty of attention and time with relatives. Oh, and we celebrated Cinco de Mayo with sombreros.

Annalija with her godfather, father and uncle

PS. We had this celebrity sighting on the way home – who knew Dolly Parton hung out in Kentucky rest areas?

Bonne anniversaire Lauri!

The Reedy River is swollen after 4 inches of rain last weekend and intermittent thunderstorms this week. We drove through a long line of storms Sunday, on our way home from Ohio from little Annalija’s christening, and my mother got more of the same on her drive down from Chicago yesterday. Luckily my dad’s flight today only saw sunshine, although according to him the mud in the rivers from all the recent rain was clearly visible from above. After a downpour ended on Tuesday we drove downtown to Falls Park to have a look, and found the waterfall looking something like this... (as opposed to this a few months ago)

 

The christening in Ohio was beautiful, we love how our family gatherings pull together relations from all over the US. The boys were spoiled silly, I was able to spend some time cooking and decorating (instead of the usual cooking and cleaning) and it was a great opportunity to dress the guys up a little.

 

And today Lauris turns three years old. I’m having some very mommy-moments thinking of the full circle we have come since then (to France and back), as well as how quickly the time has run by. He’s got some celebrating to do today, and as vecmamma and vectētiņš are here to help I’m sure it will be tremendous.

 

So stay tuned for a little kliņģeris and cake, a few pictures of the birthday boy with the Chicago grandparents and a note or two about the fun things we’ve planned!

 

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PS

 

Dear Tante Zinta,

 

So I’ve heard there have been a few questions on how I choose my blog material… as in, how your 6 day visit to Greenville resulted in four posts (well, five if you count TOW we picked you up at the airport), yet our two day trip to NYC has already resulted in four posts (and I think there is one more, because we saw a few more things after our visit to the Brooklyn Botanical Garden). I see how this can result in a few questions, mostly why Tante Zinta equates to 1 blog/36 hours and Krustmāte Anna to 1 blog/9.6 hours.

 

The answer is, that the math is really far more complicated than blogs/hour, instead the formula includes also T, time spent babysitting while I was at the dentist and D, diapers changed. Let’s not forget E, errands run which is directly inverse to %T, touristy stuff done. If I need to write another few posts on the value of having Tante Z around for a week while organizing a garage sale I can do that :) And if I have to consider calling you Tante Zee in order to avoid confusion between aunts and jams, I can do that too…