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Thursday, June 28, 2012

Our Big Day in Put-in-Bay - June 24, 2012



With plans to visit the Pyrate Fest in Put-in-Bay (blog post here), Julia and I decided to head out for a full-day mini-babymoon...



...grabbing a Miller's Ferry in Catawba (Port Clinton)...



...and cruising across Lake Erie.

As we enjoyed the cool air off the water and the warm sun from above...



...we were near South Bass Island within a half hour...



...and docking shortly after.



We were equipped with a fancy electric golf cart...



...which we used to check out interesting accommodations...



...a wooden carousel...



...restaurants with awesome names (Goat Soup and Whiskey)...



...and the cart-filled town of Put-in-Bay.



After taking some time to experience the Pyrate Fest...



...we walked around town to find a place to eat.

Put-in-Bay is filled with tons of restaurants and bars to enjoy...



...including Pasquale's...



...the Boathouse...



...the Beer Barrel Saloon (with the world's longest bar)...




...and many, many more.

In the end, Julia and I decided to get lunch with a nice lake view...



...here at the Boardwalk...


...where a rich lobster bisque almost makes you forget that Lake Erie is not the ocean, after all.

(Although all those lobster and seafood dishes keep making you think otherwise.)

Afterward, we drove around some more until we eventually found our way...



...to the Perry's Cave Family Fun Center...



...where visitors toured the cave underneath this shop...



...mined for gems in the running waters...



...and tried their putts at some miniature golf.



Julia and I decided to try our navigational skills at the Fort A Maze'n...

...but couldn't find the "A" in the end (you punch a card with hidden letter punchers to spell "MAZE") and eventually gave up.

Fortunately, any disappointment brought on by our unsuccessful letter punching...



...was soothed by the Butterfly House...



...where caterpillars slept soundly...



...until reborn as beautiful butterflies...



...only to spend the rest of their lives playing, fluttering...



...and eating.



A handy guide even helped you learn who was who...



...like this Owl Butterfly, for example.

And although it was really warm inside, we stayed there as long we we could.

Because it really was an amazing experience to be there...



...as all those butterflies flew around you...



...and sometimes rather close.

I should also point out that the Butterfly House gift shop sells Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies and Star Crunches for $0.50 each.

They brought a nice babymoon finish to the day to say the least.





***Author's Note: A special thanks to Miller's Ferry for helping with the transportation and activities. If it wasn't for you, we could have possibly missed out on such a great time on the perfectly weathered day. Thanks again!***

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Monday, June 25, 2012

The 2012 Chalk Walk - Oberlin



While I was out and about, checking out local festivals, Oberlin residents and visitors hit the pavement with a spectrum of free chalk.

The Oberlin Chalk Walk is an annual event where the downtown comes alive with artists of all skill levels, the people who love watching them draw, and local merchants who take part with sidewalk sales and activities.

It's actually a lot of fun to walk around town during the event - artist or not.

For me, being that I didn't get home until the event was over, it was nice to take a very long and indirect walk to Lorenzo's Pizzeria for a ball of dough (we made pizza at home Saturday night) and check out all the artwork in its finished form.



The downtown sidewalks were brightly decorated...



...with messages...



...dedications...



...political endorsements...



...religious metaphors...



...local business advertisements...



...and laser-eye Lully Lizards.

Speaking of lizards, there were various other critters too, like...



...fairy-luvin birds...



...tree-luvin goats...



...Nyan cats that fly...



...bunnies that breathe fire...



...unicorns that catch fire...



...Pooh bears (traditional and Disney)...



...and octopus-walloping yellow-haired monkeys.



There were also ancient cities...



...fallen superheroes (I think)...



...mustache trees...



...the Beatles...



...toilet demons...



...and more.

As you can see, during that walk, I took plenty of pics...



...as did the others who walked around town that evening.

And as most of us stepped around these art pieces that also included...



...Noah's Ark...



...Adventure Time, cupcakes...



...and little red dragons...

...there were the occasional pieces that fans refused to part from...



...no matter how many times the parents begged.

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