Listermann Brewery – Cincinnati, Ohio

Brewery hopping is my joy. Love that I have a man to do it with that is in the business and also loves to check out new small brewery venues. Its getting tougher to find ones in our cities that we haven’t tried yet. Listermann Brewery is one neither of us have been to, so while killing time New Year’s Eve early evening, we decided to take a peak.

Pulling up it was super close to Xavier campus.

We only had one hour before they closed. Inside they had Tickle Pickle as their food venue. Always love when there’s food with beer. One thing about Rhinegeist I just don’t understand.

They had mead on tap which made George happy. It was actually quite good. One of the better meads I’ve tried.

Looks like a lot of recognition from the time they’ve been open. Love that they continue to stay local.

German heritage bold and proud in Cincinnati.

Our tasters. I got a Calista Flockhart or something that reminded me of a show from the past. I love the names of different beers when they are clever. Just makes it all more fun to try.

Christmas 2022- tis the Season of Family, Friends and Creating New Memories

Our holiday season started off with going down to Louisville to see George’s daughter in a play. My daughters came down early in the afternoon and we had a blast shopping in Nulu and checking out a brewery which is located near to where we hope- to- be- George’s new Hive and Barrel location in the future. There was an old fashion photo booth and we had to buy a couple rounds just for fun!

Zoe and Sedona love Christmas and do all the baking and decorating around the house. I am nicknamed The Grinch, which is appropriate. I get overwhelmed with all the holiday fuss. These days I can’t even say I do a lot with Christmas, my daughters truly picked up the responsibility of it all. But somehow I still am a ball of stress.

Sedona purchased our first artificial tree and they decorated it beautifully. At a certain point in their childhood, I divvied up the ornaments and they have been in charge of putting them on the tree ever since. Its amazing how many memories ornaments hold.

Sedona purchased new stockings for our blended family and we had fun stuffing them with random small gifts we picked up along the way. Totally scored at World Market.

We all went to the Festival of Lights this year and literally picked the best day! A Tuesday night which had warm weather and not too many people.

Took a photo outside the tree just like when they were little.

The jellyfish lanterns were so creative. I haven’t been to zoo in years and they really do a great job with their displays.

Christmas day we all wore our matching pjs and did nothing but eat, drink and play games. I picked up my Taiwanese student from OSU and brought her down to join in the fun and experience an American holiday. What an experience to join this crazie crew 🙂

Zoe ready to open the presents. The girls designate a wrapping pattern per person. Its so cute.

Everyone got mini lego toys and Sedona mastered hers.

Love that Ki joined us for the holidays too since his family was out of town. It was fun having him join our traditions.

KangKang and I headed back down to Louisville after Christmas and I showed her around some of the sights. Had her pose by the Louisville Slugger bat. Taught her about Muhammed Ali and the famous Riverboats. Thought it was cool taking her across a state border to experience a different state.

She was always cold and was constantly drinking hot water. I took her to Feast, a BBQ place to experience some Kentucky food culture. She was also introduced to Mexican food and loved it.

On our return route home I took her on a very brief tour of Cincinnati . The blizzard came through before Christmas which prevented us from driving around previously.

I ended my holiday season watching my daughter’s best friend Tracy’s wedding on New Year’s Eve. It was the perfect way to end my year. So happy for her and witnessing the hope of young love celebrated.

This was the first wedding my daughters were in. I remembered being in several before my own. It brought back memories of crazy taffeta dresses.

Here’s hoping 2023 brings many new memories and beginnings!

GhostBaby Speakeasy- Cincinnati Celebration

I have always been a part of a trio. I am one of three sisters, have twin daughters. There are usually complications when three people hang out, but with Beth and Linda this is never the case. We have a energy that radiates love and support for each other never with conflict. We are fortunate to have this friendship trio which dates back over 10 years.

We got together to celebrate Linda’s birthday and we ended up at a speakeasy in the underground historic brewery tunnels of Cincinnati. Highly recommend if you are ever in this city to check GhostBaby out. It was mystical and such an adventure for us aging folks who rarely get out past certain hours.

Our trio- happy from the celebratory champagne.

The restaurant we went to before the speakeasy was perfectly decorated for the holidays.

When we drove to find Ghostbaby, the guys dropped us off at the address but we literally could not find the entrance. (hence I suppose why its called a speakeasy) Eventually a very tall man with a top hat came out and asked where we were going. He was spooky enough to add to the atmosphere as he informed us of the history of the tunnels and some upcoming films being shot in Cincinnati.

Going down the many flights of stairs. Good thing I am not claustrophobic. We were going deep.

At the bottom of the staircase was a random chandelier.

Linda picked up the phone and appears to be a ghost.

The bar scene was really cool, narrow and crowded. We made reservations and had a beautiful table in the main tunnel where there was a chill band playing.

Blink Cincinnati 2022

When I saw the FB notifications of this event coming back to Cincinnati, I was trying to figure out how to squeeze it into my travel filled weekend schedule. Determined to support Cincinnati and inspire myself, I decided, even if I had to walk downtown alone, or take a scooter, I was going to make it happen.

Luckily, Zoe volunteered to come with me on an early Sunday evening. We live walkable to downtown but on the top of a gigantic hill, which often times keeps us from travelling by foot. Zoe came up with the genius idea of driving down the steep Sycamore hill and parking there, then walking the rest. It was a perfect plan that my hips thanked me for later.

As we meandered down the hill, I saw signage for this exhibition. No clue what it was. Looked like a kids bouncy house from the outside. Having done zero research, we inquired and it was $15 each to get in. I paid, because I wondered what could it possibly be?

It was an air filled tunneled light extravaganza. They made you remove your shoes at the door and told us we could sit or lay anywhere for any amount of time. I thought it was going to be like a temple. Instead it was an experience!

You felt like you were in a spaceship on another planet. They were playing wonderfully calming mood music and the colored glow from the lights was simply fascinating. Genius.

As you walked the tunnels it was an illusion of space and distance and many times caused me to lose my balance due to the lack of perspective. I really loved it!

I’m so glad we went early and were able to beat the crazy families that filtered in later causing the peace to dissipate. I often wonder why people feel these art experiences are for toddlers.

We headed over to the Asian market where there was a wonderful variety of food. I went for the Thai chicken satay and Zoe ordered a fresh soup. Was affordable and excellent quality which was an unexpected bonus. They did a great job.

Nearby there was a light show playing against this classic toy mural that has been around for awhile now. The projected images made the toys come to life while a decent rock bank played live in the background.

At Washington Square Park they had quite a few fun lighting displays. This one reminded me of roasting marshmallows.

Then we walked under this florescent cobweb of yarn which you were encouraged to pull and manipulate.

Zoe climbed into this art display showing her flexibility and kid energy.

We saw many visual shows being played against historic buildings. A perfect conflict of old and new.

Music Hall had a disco light which we joked the ghosts must be enjoying.

This was a new mural to me. It was huge.

The lights created different effects which made her candle come to life as she transformed into a skeleton.

This view from across the street shows a better proportion of the mural.

Ezzard Charles is an icon in Cincinnati and his mural came to life with some home movies and quotes from the inspirational community boxer.

As we approached Findlay Market we saw several new murals.

Maps of the Blink venue and where to find the art pieces were wonderfully placed so you could frequently check what was nearby to see.

We stopped where the DJ was playing classic Gwen Stephanie and we purchased these glow in the dark light up drinks. Perfect to walk with.

A new mural discussing the history of Cincinnati and its significance in the US history of beer making.

We spotted some displays from a distance and found our way to Northern Row Brewery where they had hay bales in their parking lot for us to sit and watch. The weather was absolutely perfect.

You couldn’t see enough. The creativity, the colors, nonstop stimuli.

I posed in front with my shadow mocking me.

This was another new mural I hadn’t seen before.

They had a nitrogen bubble machine across the street which they cast lights onto to create the movement in this colorful spiral. Was fun to watch the bubbles fall to the ground and mist away.

We decided to head back and then saw this movie playing at the end of an alley. It was one of my favorites! Primary colored mural with the projector displaying contrasting black geometric imagery.

Last before we turned the corner home was James Brown coming to life.

Cincinnati Reds Game

In typical Tonya style, I booked Reds tickets for the wrong game on the wrong date. I called around trying to cancel the minute I hit the purchase button, but as everyone in America experiences there is no true customer service- everything is computerized and automated and nobody is truly willing to help if it means refunding your purchase.

I was upset. Mostly at myself and my quick impulsive trigger- pulling purchase. But in the end, it was perfect! After meeting George’s daughter, I wanted to spend some quality time with my own and that’s exactly what I did!

Zoe and Sedona outfitted themselves in red and black and even gave me a hat and some red lipstick to fit right in. It was great. A day at the ballpark was just what we needed.

I made them pose by Pete Rose, a favorite that I used to watch as a kid growing up.

We opted for local craft beer and a brat to start with.

Then found our amazing seats in the warm sun. We had a great view of the Brewers dugout and third base. The stadium was quite empty and people were seat jumping expectedly. There were quite a few foul balls coming our way which was fun. Seeing the kids with their mitts ready is the best.

We walked around the stadium to see what other vendors there were.

Zoe was trying to get the attention of number 22 who admittedly was cute! Even made an impressive sliding catch. Zoe is too shy to taunt him but we bet her to go down to the edge to see if she could.

Check out these colors! Green, red, blue- with the skyline in the background. We are so fortunate here in Cincinnati- it was closing season for the Reds but the Bengals are just beginning and everyone was out in either red or orange to show their spirit.

Enjoy these days while the blue skies are still showing up.

Trivia at Mecca

I never considered myself knowledgeable in any way. I always lost at board, card, and any sort of trivia games. I don’t read. Most of my understanding of the world comes from story telling and my own curiosity and exploration. Not any sort of report or actual data.

Nonetheless, I joined a trivia group and we are named the Trash Pandas. We never fret about coming in last and feel victorious when we get any answer right. I discovered that trivia is not about knowing the most, but having fun guessing and realizing there is so much in the world we still don’t know. (Apparently, a lot I don’t know about Africa which is always a topic that we lose out on.)

The Trash Pandas try to get out about once a month and we jump from venue to venue. Never the same place twice. This Tuesday eve we ended up at a hidden bar in OTR named Mecca.

You walk in from a side street without any signage. The outdoor area is adorable! Picnic tables are a tad unstable from what seems to be plenty of use, the decor is eclectic and charming.

Love the growth in Cincinnati OTR area. The historic buildings are such a beautiful backdrop to my selfie.

Sedona and her boyfriend Key joined in the fun and were good sports about posing for this picture.

The outdoor bar wasn’t open but I imagine during the summer weekends it would be. I so love all the new outdoor spaces created during Covid. Another positive to take in from the pandemic.

Inside was equally creative. Love the plant life, am always wondering who’s keeping them alive.

Kevin is our fearless leader at trivia holding a PhD and tons of travel experience. This man makes my adventurous soul look weak in comparison.

After coming in 4th place, Zoe arrived so she and I adventured out for one last margarita to close down this weeknight outing.

Landen Deerfield Park Trail- Ohio

Putting aside time for friends I never regret. My circle has always provided me with insight and growth as I listen to their stories and we catch up on our lives. Most of my friends by now know a walk in the woods is an excellent way to get onto my calendar.

I’m pet/house sitting this weekend up in the Mason area which is exciting because that means new trails to explore.

This looked like an odd trail located in the backfields of a baseball park. I was a bit nervous that it was a bike path, but opted to check it out anyways.

Immediately I was welcomed by wildflowers.

This plant mystified me as it was swarming with mating bugs. If you look closely you will see there are two bugs on top of each other. I thought spring was mating season, but apparently these guys are in it for fall.

Our path led under thick tree coverage which was great for beating the late afternoon sun.

This tall weed was so pretty sprouting its purple horns.

These daisies were temptingly pickable. I wanted to make a bouquet, but snapped a photo instead.

We stumbled across the stream. I love the sound of the running water. Have you all seen the reel going around on Instagram where the man speaks about “what if God is actually water”? It was so eye opening to me.

The steep bank kept us from crossing or getting a closer look.

Vines intertwined with many of the trees.

Sarah wore tie dye appropriately. I also was wearing my new tie dye tee that George bought for me at a street fair. I regret not taking a selfie of us together. We looked quite the pair.

I was able to cross the stream and squatted in the middle on a rock to breathe in this view, admiring all the textures placed into one gorgeous place.

We kept climbing up and down as the path wickedly wove in and out. We only encountered one group of mountain bikers who seemed to be struggling with the terrain.

This Sycamore tree reminded me of vitiligo.

We were lost for a bit and ended up at the opposite end where we discovered another falls.

Later kids were playing in the water as their parents sat by watching them enjoy the simple joys in life, electronic free.

A beautifully decaying tree like a piece of art itself.

We exited to find this tribute. Agree light is found under the coverage of trees.

Fungi beauty dressing up this tree stump.

Logs for bikers being slowly absorbed by the earth. Reminded me of the metal bike sign I saw on a tree previously that was being swallowed by the bark. Nature may be slow at times but it is very powerful.

Another slow progression of decay and absorption with this termite invested tree.

As we were heading out I spotted this large camouflaged toad. First time I’ve seen one so large.

After an hour’s walk in the heat, I talked Sarah into checking out a brewery that was only 1.5 miles away. We arrived thankfully before the rush and relaxed at a picnic bench outdoors cooling off with a cold brew and some grub.

As trusted friends we were open with our vulnerability and honest with one another about the challenges we are facing. Oftentimes I appreciate how alcohol can give you bravery to speak your truths.

This is located in the midst of an industrial park. Strange location, but everyone found it even on a weekend. I can imagine it being a hot spot after work, if in fact people are going into the offices.

The outdoor seating was a perfectly spaced open area welcoming the mixed aged crowd complete with dogs and children.

This quote reminds me of all my friends who are ever changing and finding themselves again in mid life.

Queen City Underground Tour with Todd Colquitt

I am behind on blogs. I finally finished my freelance contract and have time to catch up, explore and reflect on my adventures in life which is such a necessity for my sanity. A couple weekends ago, a very dear childhood friend of mine came to visit. We’ve known each other since highschool and kept in touch ever since.

We usually just hang out or bar hop whenever we are together but this time, I booked us a tour because I thought Todd would enjoy the historical aspect of brewing in Cincinnati.

The Underground Cincinnati tour started off in a courtyard in OTR where they paused to tell us that children historically drank lagers. Basically everyone drank beer all day long. As we turned the corner he showed us a historic park where Annie Oakley preformed.

As we headed to Washington Square Park, we were told how bodies were found when they dug up the ground for the parking garage underneath. They later realized that this was a burial ground. Music Hall is one of the most haunted buildings in America. They found 40 skulls when repairing an elevator shaft. A mass grave for cholera deaths. I had learned previously that supply wagons at that time were only allowed into the city if they agreed to haul bodies out.

OTR (Over the Rhine) has been renovated over the last decade and many historical discoveries have surfaced along the way. This district in Cincinnati is the largest historically preserved area in the USA.

The building behind our tour guide is the now home to “Alcove by Mad Tree. George and I went there before our candlelight quartet earlier this month, but I had no idea the history of this place.
Its a must see if you are in the area.
Apparently Mad Tree Brewery, headquartered in Oakley (where Annie Oakley grabbed her name) saved this building from destruction and restored it for a new venue. This is a building where the baseball league of America started and was also a huge German bier hall.

OTR is so walkable and filled with non-chain restaurants, boutiques and bars.

We headed into a locked area revealing a beautifully kept garden walled in with St. Francis Seraph Church. Right outside of this church are many homeless and street preachers. I found it oddly peaceful to be inside the garden with the chaos continually outside.

Beautiful mosaic windows. We were here to hear about how this used to be on the outskirts of town, on Liberty Street, but as the city grew, they continued to dig up graveyards and move the bodies further out. Many of the families did not want their loved ones moved, so they kept them in the crypt in the cellar of this church and used the tombstones as part of the flooring.

Always amazing what people have behind walls.

History as we walked down the musty smelling hallways to the crypt.

A tour worth taking just to get to know some of the history in this area where churches always played a key role.

It is an honor to be buried within the church. Not sure how often they had to keep digging up loved ones back in the old times, but seems quite strange to me to have to keep moving bodies due to the city’s growth.

We learned that this crucifix is rare, left double sided, revealing Christ to the priest and the congregation who were always separated.

Was nice to be able to see inside a church that housed history here.

We walked around the corner to an underground brewery from the 1800s which was discovered only when a new owner noticed a dotted line on the architectural plans and wondered what it meant. They sledge hammered through and found this underground facility. I made Todd pose for me outside.

They have since hired people to dig out the underground brewery and discovered it was the site for the Kauffman Brewery, which if I remember correctly, the tour guide said never re opened after Prohibition.

Looking up to street level. Guess they had a space where people could roll their empty barrels down from Vine Street and they would then wash and refill.

Through the holes at the top, people would just throw down the garbage and dirt, so the dig out is quite a project. They are hoping to finish clearing it out and use it for a museum eventually.

Cincinnati Nature Center- Far Ridge Trail, Rowe Woods

I opened a link that someone posted on FB about the top ten hikes in Ohio and discovered the Cincinnati Nature Center which is only 30 minutes from me. So happy!

It was a gorgeous weekend, hotter than usual and I had plans with my neighbor Nancy to spend the afternoon outdoors. Nancy is usually my urban hiking partner who always leaves me in the dust going up and down the Cincinnati “hills.

It was Earth Day, what a perfect time to discover a new trail.

There are several trails to pick from and this one appeared to be in the “green space.

Beautiful garden walkways. They also had a lot of vendors selling natural hand made products which made me regret leaving my wallet in the car.

Cute metal sculpture with names of donors.

The trails were not well marked and I did my best with the AllTrails app to get ourselves started in the right direction. In the end a nice employee guided us to the limestone steps that eventually took us down.

Once we got to the herb garden, we took a sharp right and followed the path.

Lush greenery lined the trails. It costs $10 per person to get in. Seemed steep to me at first, but well worth it. I can’t imagine how much it costs to maintain this area.

There were a lot of steps. And between my lovely hot flashes and the sun, I soon lost my tee and hiked mostly in my tank.

We travelled up and down getting a very good workout.

Eventually there was a stream which we had to cross several times. I literally was so hot I walked in the water, cooling off with my easy dry sneakers. Nancy continued to rock hop to stay dry.

Many of the wildflowers were in bloom. Was really pretty. I should have stopped more to admire them.

Unsuccessfully attempting to capture the colors of the blue flowers and purple on the trees.

What do you see? Janet Jackson possibly? I loved how the flowers were sprouting off the tumors” of the tree.

Sending Nancy ahead to leap frog across.

We were pretty much on our own for this loop. Maybe one other couple took this route.

There was one area at the end where they had posts to hang hammocks to save the trees but promote the trend. We saw one person reading a book and enjoying the peace. I need to take advantage of my backyard hammock, this was a perfect reminder.

Heading down to the backside of the trail. Not for the elderly.

This dog knew just how to cool off and laid flat in the stream.

We decided to take a longer route back and discovered a small lake, gazebo and wooden walkway. We sat there for a bit and others took our cue and did the same. Nancy soaked her feet in the water and we watched the Canadian geese go by.

Trees are still a bit bare and I’m looking forward to them filling in this summer.

I would love to go back and try a different route next time. There were so many trails heading in different directions.

At the end I noticed this educational center where there were bones laid out that were found in the area and you were suppose to guess which animal it came from. Pretty cool.

Story Woods Park Trail- Cincinnati, Ohio

I was so happy to go on a hike this morning with Sarah who is a blog follower and encourager in my life’s adventures. She is an amazing woman who runs her own architect firm and is in the midst of a transition in her life.

I love being able to hike and chat with her, catch up on her life and see where her head is. Supporting each other in life, as women, is so meaningful and necessary.

We all go through our shit. Nobody gets out without scars. When I can inspire someone to be their best self, I always find that what they offer me is equally inspiring.