Dayton Area

Zak, Taryn and I flew up to Ohio to visit my mom and her husband this weekend. The trip was a great, relaxing visit.  It's awesome for the kids to spend time with their grandparents, and vice versa.  And we got out to visit some area attractions and snap a few pictures!

Every time I see thistles I'm drawn to them.  Their color, texture and the way they stand out from their surroundings always catch my attention.

Visiting the Miamisburg Mound on Saturday was very reminiscent of our time at Brú na Bóinne in Ireland, a comparison I definitely pointed out to the kids.

The closest NPS unit is the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park, which commemorates both the Wright Brothers and poet Paul Laurence Dunbar.  On the overcast day, blooms in the community garden made great photo subjects.

A whimsical garden decoration fit perfectly with the site theme.

Taryn commented that these blooms looked like they'd been tie-dyed.

Our day wasn't done, as we swung by the Aullwood Audubon Center to take a short walk on one of their trails.  Rains from the previous night had still left droplets on some of the wildflower petals.

The kids enjoyed the chance to skip some rocks in the Greater Miami River.

Sunday morning Taryn and I went searching for a place to shoot the sunrise.  My mom had mentioned that the Taylorsville MetroPark was especially pretty, so we went there.  We had to park outside the gates, which didn't open until 8:00.  Then we hiked a short trail to the river, which I neglected to anticipate would be too low and too wooded for seeing the actual sun break the horizon.  Nonetheless, the mist made for a striking scene.

Taryn commented that the park reminded her of Costa Rica.  I know she was referring to the humidity and dense vegetation, which was epitomized by things like a mushroom growing from a fallen tree.

Driving back to my mom's house over the Taylorsville Dam I noticed that the mist we'd seen earlier down on the river was even thicker.  So I pulled over to see if I could get a view with the sun in it from this higher vantage point and was rewarded with this gorgeous scene.

Today we made one more visit to the Aullwood Audubon Center before catching our flight home.  Taryn and I took a brief walk through the woods that included something irresistible to her -- a fallen log over a body of water.

A wonderful time with family, and wonderful getting to see some beautiful parts of the Dayton area!