Say Hello More Often

I made a New Year's resolution to say yes to more things, to step out of my comfort zone a little more often. If I'm hesitant about doing something (and it’s not for a really good reason), I now make an effort to do it anyway. One of the things it's helping me get over is my shyness about introducing myself to strangers.  I know, I know... me, an introvert? I'm so outgoing, yes, but when it comes down to it, I'd rather wait for someone to start a conversation with me instead of the other way around.  (It's funny though, because when I was little, my older sister said she’d take me for walks and all I did was say hello to strangers.)  Anyway...

My brother and his wife and I were going to have dinner at our favorite Melbourne FL restaurant.  Amici's opened their new Chef's Table and we love sitting at the open kitchen bar watching Dave, Paul, and Katie cook, and chit-chatting with everyone who's become more like family than restaurant staff.  The place was packed but they’d saved three seats for us.  Normally I would have picked the middle one, but I made myself choose the one next to a stranger.  I introduced myself, and soon we were talking up a storm.  It turned out that my new dinner friend Matt and his partner Tim were getting married, and I said "Hey lemme know if you need a photographer..." I didn't even have a business card to hand out--Yargh, I need to fix that!--but it didn't matter. Matt looked at Tim and said, “Wouldn’t she be so fun?” So Tim gave me their details and the rest got worked out from there.  

Their wedding was lovely. Beachside, with great people (including a rowdy-fun group of Matt's flight attendant friends), a chocolate fountain (who doesn't love that?) and delicious red velvet thank you cupcakes made by Maria of the Amici's Bakery (of course!). 

What I find so ironic about this post is that I was writing the draft on the plane ride back to Ohio, not really paying any attention to my seat mate, an elderly gentleman who was penciling notes into a music score. When we landed I finally said hello and asked him about it.  Turns out he used to be a conductor in New York, is now "retired" (yet playing drums in three different bands) and was visiting his daughter in Columbus.  We talked about music and art in a fast 10 minutes while people were deplaning... about learning new things throughout your entire life, being curious, keeping up your interests. What an amazing, wonderful man! I only wish I'd said hello when we first boarded, but that's ok, I got his email address and hope that we'll stay in touch. 

My point?  Say hello! Better yet, say hello and ask a few questions. You never know what interesting people you'll meet, where life could take you, or even whose day you might be changing by simply starting a conversation.

Who will you say hello to today?

Flying to Put-in-Bay

It feels a little late in the year to start the flying season (We usually kick it off in March with a spring camp-out under the wing), but with my travels and John’s travels and the Starfighter needing some oil and air systems attention, this is the first time I’ve been up in the plane this year.  I woke up on a perfect puffy-cloud morning and John said, “Where do you want to go?”  My first thought is always Kelley’s Island, but we had to be back in the evening and I’d rather save Kelley’s for a day when we didn’t have a clock ticking.

I thought of some of our usual favorite Ohio airports: Mad River, Highland County, Noble County, Mount Victory, but I wanted to try someplace new.  I remembered a photo John texted me once when I was out of town and he was giving the plane some exercise… he’d found a silver diner at an airfield up north somewhere.  “What about that place?” I asked.

It turned out to be the Tin Goose Diner in Port Clinton, at the Liberty Aviation Museum.  What a great spot!  It even had an airplane mailbox — so cute.  

Lunch was wonderful — I had half a grilled cheese sandwich and the most delicious baked potato soup (if you know me you know I am a soup fanatic).  It was the perfect place to plan our next stop.  

We decided to hop over to Put-in-Bay on South Bass Island.  I’ve never been there, nor has John, but we always see the giant monument when we fly out of Kelley’s Island and wonder what it is.  It turns out to be the Perry’s Victory & International Peace Memorial, which “honors those who fought in the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812” and also celebrates “the long-lasting peace among Britain, Canada, and the U.S.”  More info HERE.

While we didn’t go up to the observation deck, we lolled about in the shade of a pine tree while listening to the starlings and red wing blackbirds tweetle away.

After awhile we unfolded our scooters again and thought we’d ride into town.  It seemed a lot like any beachside party town: packs of college kids, bars, souvenir and t-shirt shops, even go-carts and mini golf (both of which I love but we didn’t have enough time).  We found the Village Bakery and Sandwich Shoppe and poked our heads inside. I neeeeded an iced coffee — and a pastry to go with it —  and John got a smoothie. I’m so glad we stopped in — everything was delicious and we had a nice conversation with the owner about the island. I’m looking forward to coming back when we have more than a couple hours to go exploring!

We usually see Put-in-Bay when we fly out of Kelley’s Island; this time it was the other way around.  I could see the state park beach, the quarry, the airport runway nestled in the trees.  I know we’ll fly there sometime this summer, but for now I waved hello.

It was so wonderful to be up in the air again after what feels like forever. I hope the year's flying adventures last through the long summer and far into Ohio's still warm autumn days. We'll see...

The Bachs

Prior to our Venice trip, John and I were able to spend a few days visiting my German "family," the Bachs, in a little town outside Frankfurt.  I hadn't seen them in over twenty years, and with my Mom and Dad both gone now, I felt a pull to see everyone again.

My brother and I were both born in Germany.  My father, an architect, had been transferred to Frankfurt and even though my Mom had relatives in other parts of the country, the Bachs became our adopted German family.  I wondered how much had changed since my last visit— as it turns out, not too much.  The kids I played with when I was younger have grown up and now have kids of their own.  Everyone stays close.  And the minute I walked in the door I remembered everything:  our parents' dinner parties, my first Nutella sandwich, shelves of books, the secret garden, and the hilarious plays we kids would put on for the grown-ups.  Good times!  It felt like coming home.  Twenty years will not go by again.

Katja and her paintings.

Klaus building miniature cities.

A few scenes from Elke's garden...

The gang on our last night.

"Schokoladen Spiel" (the chocolate game).  Players roll dice.  When you get sixes, you put on a hat, scarf, and mittens, then use a knife and fork to open and eat a bar of good German chocolate that's been wrapped in several layers of newspaper and twine.  All while the dice are being rolled again...  My favorite game EVER because your sides hurt so much from laughing.