Happenings

Here are the latest happenings from Ohio:

First stop: The Book Loft in German Village

Steve was antsy to get out of the house one night so we decided to go see some random, 32-room bookstore in German Village to check out the selection and see if there is anything we had to have to expand the Adams' library.

A little chaotic, but a really fun place to explore for a couple hours...

No books, but one KKA to go, please.

It was raining pretty hard when we decided to leave, and the friendly cashier offered each of us (myself, Steve, Joe and Jacob) a plastic bag to get from the store to our car.

Next stop: AMISH COUNTRY!

Woot woot!

I was really excited to go visit our friendly neighbors, especially when I got to see a gigantic picnic basket on the side of the road on the way there...

How cool is that?!?!? We had just browsed through a book (at the Book Loft, two days prior) about funny landmarks one can see while driving across the U S of A. Didn't see this one in the book, but I laughed when we saw it en-route to visit the Amish.

Welcome to Amish country!

We didn't keep a tally, but I believe we saw at least twenty buggies being pulled by horses in and around Walnut Creek, OH.

Most people we saw were really friendly and waved back at us as we passed by. Couldn't help but think of Pres. Faust's Conference address in 2007 about the Amish (the one about forgiveness).

A peek into their world.

Steve was hoping we'd get stuck behind a buggy, which we did (multiple times). For some reason, getting stuck behind a horse and carriage in downtown SLC drives me nuts, but being stuck behind a horse and buggy in Ohio's Amish Country was the coolest thing ever.

Go figure.

We had to check out the local library. From the little that I know about this culture, they strive to keep the outside world at a distance, and stay close to home. I read a handbook on Amish culture and remember three rules that (generally) determine their behavior:

1) Does this keep me apart from the world?

2) Will this divide my family in any way?

3) Will this take me far from home?

An interesting sight in the library that caught my attention was seeing the Amish with the world at their fingertips, thanks to the internet. The 12.5 mile radius (horses can travel 25 miles in a day - another piece of info in my Amish handbook) that constitutes the normal boundaries of the Amish isn't as restrictive as one might think.

A paradox?

Steve really liked these. All that stuff in there...

Corn!

This was in the late afternoon, so I assume this nice woman was heading home.

Last stop: The Gallery Hop

The first Saturday of every month is set aside as a gallery hop - all the galleries in the Short North stay open until 10:00pm. Steve planned the evening, and we ended up spending time with some friends from the Glenn school for dinner and a night of gallery hopping.

Future city managers, agency administrators, public policy analysts...

This is Alex.

As you might imagine, he always makes us laugh.

Not exactly sure what is on top of my head, but I couldn't resist trying it on. I may have to come back to this vintage shop next October when I'm coming up with my Halloween 2011 attire. Speaking of that, congrats to Alisha Clark for guessing the identity and context of my Halloween 2010 costume - Eliza Doolittle (My Fair Lady) at the Ascot Races.

"C'mon, Dover!"

A very funny scene...

Art lovers (or pseudo art lovers) trying to figure out what they're looking at.

Ha!

I don't pretend to understand Contemporary art.

We stopped in a little shop and struck up a fun conversation with the owner/shop designer. I saw this decoration on the window ledge and asked how much it cost. Officially, it wasn't for sale, but the owner said he'd let me have it for 5 bucks.

Nice.

We didn't have any cash on us, but told him we'd be back. We came back about 40 minutes later and he said that right after we left, another person came in and had their eye on the same decoration. They said that if it was still there at 9:40pm, they were buying it.

We went back at 9:30pm.

Score.

It reminds me of something I'd find at the Kimball Art Center in Park City, and if you haven't been there, you should definitely go. Park City also has a gallery stroll - it's on the last Friday of every month. The Kimball should have their annual glass Christmas ornament exhibition up right now, and if you find an ornament you like, you can purchase it on the spot.

Happy hopping/strolling.