3rd Annual Trip with Grammy

For the third time in four years we arranged to visit a regional city with Grammy Gayle. Three years ago we hit Chicago and last year we tackled Nashville. This year we made it even closer by visiting Cincinnati.

Of course one of the big draws for Cincinnati is the fact that they have a baseball team. We weren't fortunate enough to have it be a weekend when the Giants were in town, but that is probably all for the best. Gayle would have made us all wear Giants gear to the game and it could have been tough. But we very much enjoyed a sunny afternoon at the Great American Ballpark as the Reds took on the Tigers. Unfortunately the Reds lost, but none of us are Reds or Tigers fans, so it didn't hurt our willingness to savor some good food and fine company.

Of course, the most important element of our weekend trips with Grammy is the hotel pool. Callie asked about it the moment she knew that we ware staying at a hotel. And she made sure we went to the pool on Saturday evening and as soon as it opened on Sunday morning. And it opened at 7am, for those of you wondering. This is the second one we have experienced that has been a downtown rooftop pool. We highly recommend it, though not necessarily just after sunrise.

Once we checked out of the hotel and ate a solid breakfast, it was time to head to the Cincinnati Zoo. This was our second visit, but Reese's first zoo experience.

We started outside with a quick photo opportunity with the rhinoceros statue. If you have the time, you can go back to a blog post from July 2009 where you can see pictures from our last visit. There are a few photos here that will capture how much Callie has grown in three years.

A new exhibit at the zoo included at least half a dozen baby Galapagos Island turtles. What was particularly awesome about this exhibit was how they allowed you to walk into the enclosure and pet the turtles. Reese especially enjoyed. We did have to be careful because supposedly they have a tendency to bite. But luckily we didn't have any such problems. But we did have to visit the turtles twice because they were so cool.

There are some pictures that simply defy any description or explanation. However, if we could add any additional commentary to this picture, it would be that Callie and Reese have only begun to be embarrassed by their Mom and it will not be the last time they question her antics. It truly is a phenomenal picture. However, if Sarah had it her way it would have been one of her daughter's head in that alligator mouth. Oh well, they'll learn.

This is another great picture to compare to that post back in July 2009. We have a picture of Callie sitting with this very elephant, and she was just a little older than Reese at that point. Now look at the two of them.

They are quite a pair, and it is difficult to get them both to sit still. Callie was having too much fun showing Reese all the different animals. And Reese was enjoying making all the animal sounds she could. Of course, she doesn't have the full range of animal noises, so from her perspective we saw a lot of horses. But the spirit was there.

The Cincinnati Zoo really does a great job providing numerous hands on opportunities for their guests. Here we see Callie taking the opportunity to brush a goat. What makes this moment particularly impressive is that you can't see just how many goats were there. Callie was great - she wanted to brush a goat and wasn't overwhelmed by the situation and focused on the task at hand. Of course, who knows how she would have reacted to the goat who had to be pushed away after it started eating Sarah's shirt.

All in all, it was another great trip with Grammy. Who knows what city we will hit next, but St. Louis and Atlanta are both in the running.