Happy Birthday

This month, it was my turn for a birthday. Sweetie spoils me and showered me with gifts and surprises. For my actual birthday, we went to Yellow Springs, Ohio for a brunch at "The Winds" restuarant, which was really lovely. I had a delicious borlotti beans and orzo dish, which at the time, did not seem that large, but it filled me up for about 6 hours! Unusual for me, because generally I like to eat every few hours. We walked around quaint Yellow Springs, enjoyed the fall colors, and visited some artists' galleries.

It's really a cute little town, but sadly, the college located there (Antioch) has apparently GONE OUT OF BUSINESS, which is really quite sad for a town like that. I am not sure how it is going to affect the local businesses.

This past week, I did a bit of traveling for work, and ventured to three liberal arts colleges in Minnesota. I really enjoyed the town of Northfield, in particular. It had a very British feel and had the usual assortment of upscale college-town gift shops, bakeries, and decent restaurants.

I think that is what our town is missing -- it has a college, but really is not in any way a "college town."

Back on the Grid!

Sweetie and I FINALLY got Internet service at home after many trials and tribulations that I will not even go into. In the end, we subscribed for a wireless service called BridgeMaxx, which is working fairly well (if a tad slow sometimes). Hooray!

We've been trying to get away from the rather, ummm, limited town where we live, at least once each weekend. One weekend we ventured to Indianapolis for an incredible dinner for Sweetie's birthday. Oakley's Bistro has a somewhat uninspiring location at a strip mall, but the food was divine! We really enjoyed our dinner and I enjoyed having some inspired food for a change.

Last weekend, we took a train from Connersville to Metamora, where, little did we know, a HUGE "Canal Days" festival was underway. This photo was taken there in one of the few square feet that was not occupied by several people. We really enjoyed ourselves and the injection of "Americana."

Today, we ventured to Oxford, Ohio, which is a nice college town. We had a nice lunch at Kona Bistro (bistros seems to be the theme...) and walked around the town and filled up on the much cheaper gas there. We've learned that virtually everywhere has cheaper gas than our town, so we justify our weekend journeys by filling up the tank at a much lower cost!