Ohio

Just got back from a great couple of weeks in Ohio, visiting our son and two oldest grandsons, Arlo and Jack.
First we spent a weekend with Cameron and his friend Tina and her 2 girls. We enjoyed their backyard and fireworks and BBQ on the fourth of July.

                                  A firefly on the chair, they are fun to watch

                                          We planted a flower garden

                                       Cameron feels proud of his veggies. It was very moist there and
                                       we actually could watch the plants grow.

                                        Then off to meet the boys. Both of them have grown in the year
                                        we have been apart

.                                   Our friend Brad gave them some photography equipment

                                    Jack still loves his frogs

                                          While Grandad and I were buying another camera case the boys
                                                 played around with the funny face apps

                                        The next day we went to the Cincinnati museum

Arlo built a castle and Jack engineered a fan

                                         
                                        The museum is housed in the old train station
                                               with the Cincinnati skyline in the forefront.

                                 The next day we followed the GPS lady to Hocking Hills State Park in the south eastern part of Ohio. I first heard about this location from reading the book "Grandma Gatewoods Walk" She was the first woman to hike the entire  2,050 mile long Appalachian Trail, in 1955 when she was 67 years old. She continued to do it 2 more times into her 70,s. The Hocking Hills Old Mans Cave trail was her favorite trail and thus became a monument to her. We enjoyed hiking in her footsteps, following the blue blazes, even though the weather was sometimes rainy.

                                   The boys mastered their cameras on the car ride

                                                   Grandma Gatewoods trail

Grandma Gatewood continued to hike this 6 mile trail every year on her birthday until her last year at the age of  85 when she had to be carried up these last few steps.

                                          We enjoyed a picnic watched by Cardinals and Blue Jays
                                                   and surrounded by beautiful fungi.

                                        That evening we went fishing on Lake Logan

                                          Jack made friends with the worms while Arlo caught his first fish.

                                       The next day we set off to do the other half of the trail,
                                          this time beginning at Ash Cave. It was still raining
                                       and the trail was slippery but this just added to the adventure.

The rock colors and waterfalls were spectacular

                                          After I slipped in the mud the boys were helping Grandma.

                                                  Then we arrived at the fire tower to climb

                                    We followed the blue blazes marking the trail,
                                               as did grandma Gatewood on the AT.

                                             

                                            It is a beautiful trail and very green

                                      We couldn't get water out of this pump so its good we were not thirsty !

We played games, inside and out

                                                            And Canasta every night

                                          We discovered jack could see Grandads hand in the mirror

                                    And Nana got a perfect hand, forever known as a "Nana hand"

                                            Our last night in Logan included more fishing,
                                     with Arlo catching 2 more and Jack getting his first 2 fish.

                                              Arlo fed his last fish to a Blue Heron

                                         The next morning we did one more hike to the Rock House.
                                                 Arlo got to use his camera because it was not raining.

                                                 Creative jack made a mask out of a burrito foil wrapper

                                                   A freeway groundhog

                                       One last BBQ with Cameron

                                       And a wonderful rain, wind, thunder and lightening storm
                                        to end a wonderful 10 days with many good new memories made.