Vanishing Point

Apparently, it's the Fashion Police! I'm not sure how that can be -- from what I can find on the internet, the show is no longer being made. Here's the photographic evidence from a mall parking lot in the Cincinnati area: I was relieved to see what they actually were -- I was approaching them with caution, wondering whether I'd get unwanted attention from police in riot gear by taking a photo, when I was able to make out the "Fashion Police" label. It was a slow day in Karen's Travel Land. No waterfalls that I could find between Columbus and Cincinnati. There were cloudbursts, thunder and lightning, sun shining here and there in-between. When the sun was out, the temperature was in the 80's, so I wanted to keep my van as cool as possible. Cincinnati has many beautiful old trees that give wonderful shade, but the streets are too narrow to allow parking in any of that lovely shade, at least in the parts of town that I saw. I tried to go to a libra

In a sweet not-so-little suburban park near Cleveland called the North Chagrin Reservation, there is a delicate little waterfall called Buttermilk Falls. In a nearby park called Cuyahoga Valley National Park, there is a more robust waterfall called Brandywine Falls. Waterfalls don't have to be huge to be interesting. 😊 After my drive from Niagara Falls to Cleveland, I resolved not to spend the last few days of my trip on interstates driving down a bare channel between grass and trees that could be just about anywhere. On my trip East, I had wanted to visit Buttermilk Falls, but I had map and memory problems. I had discovered the park while working on Mo's computer, and I couldn't remember the name of the waterfall. Butterfield? Butterfly? Butterfinger? Try as I might, I couldn't recall "Buttermilk" and my phone's map software was not making any helpful guesses. So I gave up and took a walk by the shore of Lake Erie. While I was in Niagara Falls, I had a

As long as I can remember, I've wanted to visit Niagara Falls. My earliest memories of that desire are apparently kind-of jumbled up. In my memory, I associate Niagara Falls with Lucille Ball, but what I picture is more like the Marilyn Monroe movie, "Niagara." I went looking online to see if there was anything about Lucille Ball at Niagara Falls, and what I found really surprised me because another really early memory from my childhood is of a comedy routine that contained the lines, "Slowly I turned. Step by step. Inch by inch." I remember being a really little kid and just cracking up at that over and over. I thought it was the funniest thing. But I had no memory of the actual comedy routine -- just that line. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that it comes from a routine called Niagara Falls! Here's a link to the routine if you have a few minutes for some silliness:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN87rLDfzeM I know I saw at least part of the Mari

Because clearly I'm not in a New York State Of Mind, and I could use some explanations! First, why don't they number freeway exits like they do everywhere else I've seen -- by the mile marker? The ones I encountered on my way to Niagara Falls are numbered sequentially and have nothing to do with mile markers. I was quite confused for a little while there. Second, what's with the speed limit signs? On the interstate, I see ones that just say 65 mph. Then I see some that say "State speed limit 55." Then I see others that say "City speed limit 35." Okay, the city ones make sense. But how does it make sense that the state speed limit is 55 and then there are some highways inside the state with a 65 mph speed limit? Third, who thought it was a good idea to create toll bridges that only have automated lanes for people with electronic toll collection devices, and then put up signs that say "dial **826 to pay by mail and avoid fines?" So cros

I really enjoyed my time in Ann Arbor. It rained almost the whole time. My friend lives out in the country and has lots of windows, so we watched hummingbirds and deer and squirrels and raccoons and cardinals doing their springtime things. No visible young-uns yet, but lots of prep work for them -- nest building (birds) and gestation (deer). We didn't do much but eat and sleep and talk and watch TV, but I'd forgotten how enjoyable those things can be with someone compatible. Things did *not* go well when I visited a friend in Tucson on my Maiden Voyage, so I was concerned that maybe I'd lost the ability to be a good houseguest by getting too old and crabby. This visit put those worries to rest -- hanging out with my Ann Arbor friend was a pleasure from start to finish, and I came away with a couple of new ideas for easy meals to prepare at home. Before it was time to go, I had a decision to make. Driving from Ann Arbor to Niagara Falls is about 100 miles shorter on the Ca

Columbus, Indiana is known for mid-century modern architecture. It does have quite a few interesting buildings and sculptures -- many more than I was able to see on this visit. I was considering sticking around to take a bus tour of the city, but the weather forecast prompted me to get up and hit the road instead. Forecast: wind increasing throughout the day, and thunderstorms by evening.  I took this photo of a church across the street from the library. I like it because of how subtly the cross is incorporated into the design. In addition to driving around looking for interesting buildings, I went to check out the scene at  Planet Fitness and Walmart parking lots (research for where to park for the night). They both looked okay, and I could have done either of those, but there was a really nice parking lot downtown behind the library. There were trees along the edges of the parking lot,  and it was only a block away from a street with shops and restaurants. It just felt

This time it's for a much shorter trip. I'm winding my way up to Niagara Falls and back. I made a couple of improvements to my van since my first big trip. Hmmm... I need a name for that trip so that I can refer to it easily. How about Maiden Voyage, or MV for short? Since my Maiden Voyage, with the help of a friend, I installed the swivel base for my passenger seat. Now it can face forward like normal, or swivel around to face the living compartment of the van. It's really nice! I also made cloth seat covers so that I can drive in comfort during warm weather Vinyl is just too hot and sticky for me. They don't look perfect, but they work! My first day on the road was perfect weather. Sunny, clear, high right around 80 degrees, and not very humid. I was excited to be headed to Columbus, Indiana and to plan to sleep in my van in a parking lot. I knew better than to drive I-65 if I wanted to enjoy myself -- the traffic is just too intense! So I plotted a route based