niagara grapes

if you can get to a farmers' market, look for these grapes.  
amazing.
my friend lauren posted about champagne grapes.  i wonder if they are the same?
happy weekend!

back to school

welcome back to school.

the mornings may be a little busy, getting everyone up-and-out, but 

the classroom should be calm and happy.

here is our montessori classroom before the children arrived.  it's a little bit more lived-in now, but we're happier.  it's made for kids, after all.

how's school going?  

signs of fall

 a long bike ride with no water bottle - was happy to find 

 this complicated water fountain.  

 seasons changing?  it's 90 degrees.  but there they are.. fallen leaves.

joy to you this week!

happy friday - outside

 here's hoping

 you find time to 

get outdoors this weekend.

joy to you!

top 5 - back to school

it's time for the children to begin school again.  as a montessori teacher, i love school, and would teach year-round (with breaks of course!)  
so here's my top 5 benefits:

5. routines

4.  old friends

3.  new friends

2.  fresh facts and adventures

1.  starting something new

For kids, this is the New Year.   Here's to lots of learning and a peaceful, welcome back.

monday colors - traffic

if you must be stuck in traffic, it's really nice to have a view.  this painted wall is entertaining, but is best enjoyed when you are not in a hurry.

happy new week!

reds hall of fame - big red machine

the reds hall of fame

has a special exhibit about the big red machine.

the mementos are interesting, but

the comics are compelling.

the art of jerry dowling

sports beauty.

barn owl and pigs

 a young volunteer at the cincinnati zoo was holding this bird.  when she looked to the side, the bird did, too.  or maybe, vice versa. 

they were standing in front of a sign for "miniature pig hurdles".  we went to the 11:45 show, but it was already over (at 11:46).  a very quick show.  still here is a happy little pig.

 and another.

the hurdles were very low to the ground.

joy to you.

monday colors -

the fountain,

a cincinnati landmark,

is lovely.  

for event information, check here.

it's back-to-school time, so i'll be here a bit less often.  m-w-f, probably. 

beauty happens every day, so keep finding it, will you?

casual friday - pigs

 when you go downtown cincinnati now, 

 you see pigs.  
did you know that cincinnati is known as "pork-opolis"?  we have flying pig statues and a flying pig marathon.  it's not because we are all overweight.  

this summer, our urban art is piggish.  

 "headline hog"

 can you guess this pig's name?

 exactly!  "penny".

art deco pig.

what's the pig idea?

in the 1800s, when cincinnati was a center of commerce to the west, riverboats and local farms brought pigs to town.  agriculture.  processing plants.  

then, in 1988, when our city celebrated its bicentennial, an artist put smokestacks and flying pigs in a park downtown.  

so we're pork-opolis.  

vegetarians and vegans welcome.

happy friday!

ceiling

 don't you love a beautiful ceiling?

 with something lovely in the center, and 

 ionic columns?  

guess who lives here?

pretty fine reptile house at the cincinnati zoo.

structural beauty.