October 19, 2013

Greetings friends and family!

I have just returned from a lovely dinner where Matt and I watched an orange pumpkin moon rise up over Cincinnati. I took this as a sign that it is high time I touch base and let you know what I have been up to. So far, the second half of 2013 has proved very rewarding. After I returned from India, Matt and I made the most of the remainder of our summer. Among other things, we made sure to spend a lot of time outside planting plants, and enjoying our kick ass new deck. We also made a point of exploring a bit. This included a trip to Shawnee State Park, which is in South Central Ohio. We stayed at the lodge, spending the day hiking, swimming in their very inviting giant pool, and watching one of the most remarkable sunsets I have ever seen. This trip reminded us that we need to get out more on the weekends and explore our surroundings. I seem to travel a lot, but it isn’t locally. There is much that Ohio and the rest of the tri-state area have to offer, and I feel that we have only begun to scratch the surface.

I spent part of August visiting Colorado. This was a very important trip in many ways. In addition to packing up my belongings that have been sitting untouched for years at my father’s house, I was able to reconnect with old friends and also spend some very important quality time with my dad and brother. I only had five days but with careful planning, I actually managed to do almost everything I had hoped to and more. We got up into the mountains and visited Long Lake, which holds a very special place in my heart, hiked up into the flatirons above Boulder, ate some excellent food, visited some local breweries, saw some magic, and spent a day at Water World (which is one of the best water parks ever in my opinion). It had been nearly since I had spent time in Colorado during the summer and I kept noting how nice everything looked.

I find it sobering to think that the devastating flooding occurred just weeks after my visit.

Dad, Scott and I rented a minivan, filled it with my belongings, and we all drove it to Cincinnati. The trip was much more scenic than I had anticipated. Kansas in particular was surprisingly green and lush. Along the way, we stopped at two bison ranches, where I picked up some skeletal material for a course I am teaching. Both of these stops were unique experiences. There’s nothing quite like picking up scattered bison bones with little kids and tourists. And we got to herd a bison with a truck. Somehow I fit the partial remains of four bison into the already packed minivan and we continued eastward. Next stop was Saint Louis, where we gorged ourselves on barbeque and then spent several hours exploring the City Museum. The name for this museum gives nothing away about the amazing secrets it holds. Because I still cannot believe that this museum is real, and considering St. Louis is a mere 5-hour drive from Cincinnati, I have already planned a return trip sometime next spring. Unfortunately, getting out of St. Louis was challenging, but driver Scott persevered and eventually we made our way on to Cincinnati. Before they flew back to their respective homes, I made sure to show Scott and Dad as much of the city as possible. Scott even helped us get a batch of our own beer started (we call it the Bitter Gnome and have been enjoying it immensely).

Scott and Dad departed, the academic term began, and the pace of life has been decidedly rapid for the past two months. I have a full lab of students this year and am teaching a new, rather involved (but also rewarding) course called “Zooarchaeology”. This course has stretched me in multiple directions, but I planned ahead so it hasn’t been too overwhelming. It is by far the most rewarding course I have yet taught at UC. I have learned a lot and the students are incredibly enthusiastic.

In September, Matt and I attended two Cincinnati festivals with friends: Beerfest and Oktoberfest. Both of these were, of course, rousing successes. Oktoberfest included the added bonus of participating in the World’s largest chicken dance (led by George Takei, a.k.a. Mr. Sulu from Star Trek). In Late September, the Department of Geology had its annual retreat. This year, we headed to Hocking Hills State Park in eastern Ohio. Once again, I was pleasantly surprised by the little secrets that Ohio has to offer. What a magical lovely place! It was like a candy store for the naturalist in me. Unfortunately I was not able to spend enough time there to truly appreciate the area. I will need to go back.

Then in early October, Matt and I headed west for a weekend in southern California. Although brief, this proved to be a much needed vacation.  First stop was Pioneertown for our friends’ wedding. Megs and Dan picked Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace, a fantastic barbeque venue set in an old western movie set. The “town” provides the feel of a 100-year-old western town in the middle of the joshua tree desert. We had a fabulous time – fun venue, great food, catching up with old friends and making new friends. After Pioneertown, we headed back towards the city for a tasty lunch with cousins in Corona, stopping on the way to check out the giant cement dinosaurs, once visited by PeeWee Herman, in Cabazon. Then on to Long Beach where we boarded the Queen Mary. This boat is fantastic. Spending time aboard the ship is truly a step back in time. The decks and staterooms have not lost their maritime or elegant appeal. We thoroughly enjoyed exploring the ship and looking for ghosts. We had the opportunity to go on a haunted tour (hosted by a very dynamic character named Bradford), during which we learned a lot about the history of the ship, and we visited some of the normally off limits bowels of the ship. According to Bradford, the Queen Mary possesses all of the right variables for a haunted place – tons of wood, metal, rock, and a dynamic history. I found the stories he told on the tour to be quite compelling, particularly when coupled with the “paranormal log”, which documented reports by guests and was available for viewing at the check in desk. I had been VERY excited about this tour. When I was little, I visited the Queen Mary with my family and we went on a similar haunted tour. I have very clear memories of this visit. At the end of our tour with Bradford, I found it curious that we hadn’t visited all of the stops I saw when I was little. In particular, I was surprised (and somewhat disappointed) that we hadn’t visited the quarters occupied by soldiers during WWII in the bow of the ship. When I asked Bradford about this, he offhandedly remarked that there had been some “incidences” possibly relating to demons in that area of the boat and that it is now more or less off limits to tour groups. Well ok then! Perhaps unsurprisingly, the rest of the time on the boat, we kept our eyes and ears out for signs of paranormal activity, and I must admit, I was hesitant to get up in the middle of the night.

In addition to exploring the Queen Mary, Matt and I made sure we saw as much of the LA area as possible in a 12-hour period. We checked out the La Brea tar pits and the associated Page Museum, thoroughly enjoying the interactive exhibits and the animatronic ice age beasts. We then headed up into the Hollywood Hills, stumbling upon a very scenic overlook in Runyon Canyon Park. And finally we headed to the Venice Beach boardwalk, where we quietly observed some rather ridiculous characters strutting in speedos, impressive skateboarding, and a relaxing sunset over the Pacific.

Back in Cincinnati, Fall has arrived. I feel like I blinked and somehow it is now going on Late October. The sun is golden, but there is a nip in the air. The trees are changing color and the squirrels appear a little bit more manic than usual. I truly love this time of year. I love the smells, the colors, and the cozy feeling of wearing sweaters. Matt and I are both doing well. We have made it past the halfway point with our term, and I feel decidedly less panicked about being able to pull off a successful semester of teaching a new and very involved class. We are looking forward to the upcoming Holidays – Halloween and Thanksgiving in particular. And Lou our parrotlet is doing well. He has learned how to say “Shiver me Timbers” and we are very proud of him.

Outside of teaching my course and advising students, I am helping develop an exhibit about climate and climate change at the Cincinnati Museum Center. I am very excited about this project, which involves collaborative input from a number of UC faculty as well as Museum Center staff. I feel like this is my opportunity to really give back something to my local community. Hopefully we will have it installed by 2014. In December, I’ll head off to the Canary Islands to conduct some fieldwork with colleagues at UC. I am looking forward to this trip and am sure I will have stories to share. Until then, happy Fall!

Brooke