what do you think?

This is the Fort Henry Bridge in Wheeling, West Virginia, carrying westbound traffic on I-70 across the Ohio River.

Looking at this photo, I thought the bridge was designed to indicate traffic flow, but it wasn't - even though the overhead bracing pattern is identical going eastbound and points forward into downtown Wheeling. This visual pattern is called a K-truss lateral system, a structural engineering choice rather than a directional guide.

OK, so my hypothesis was wrong. What I interpreted as a visual cue for drivers was actually a structural feature designed to help the bridge withstand lateral forces.What  looks intentional from a driver's perspective is totally different from its engineering purpose. (But I think my idea is valid, too).

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When my son first moved to Cleveland, this was his view from his apartment, the Detroit-Superior Bridge (and since 1989 also known as the Veterans' Memorial Bridge).

Today the Cleveland Guardians play the Chicago White Sox in Game 5 of the American League Division Champion series in Cleveland. Whoever wins this game advances to the next round of World Series playoffs. Needless to say, the city of Cleveland is already electric and many baseball fans will be walking across this bridge to either watch the game at Progressive Field or else to find a bar to cheer on the Guardians. LET'S GO GUARDS!

the friday feed: my grocery shopping husband

I am the primary grocery shopper in our home, but every now and then Todd decides he wants to shop for a specific item or two. His forays to the grocery store typically  result in finding some “really good deals.”

Last week, we needed milk, and Todd said he would go to the store to get some. Well, what do you know? There was a buy-one-get-one free promotion going on. Oh boy.

We don’t drink that much milk. In fact, I do not like milk. Many years ago, I poured myself a glass, took a big gulp, and it was sour. Ever since then, I refused to drink milk straight up. I put it in my coffee, and that’s about it.

So in walks my husband from his grocery-shopping adventure, pleased as punch with his find, and he gets the you’ve-got-to-be-kidding look from me.

“But the expiration date is October 18,” he says. “We can use it by then.” At the end of this week, we have consumed half of one of the half-gallons. So much for that.

With the weather getting cooler and fall in the air, I’m turning my attention toward soup-making. There’s a big pot of potato-leek soup in our near future.

And there's plenty of milk to make it!

thursday's thought for the day

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”

― Leo Buscaglia

 

wednesday's words and wanderings and wonderings

Here it is - October 7, the first complete week of October. In the blink of an eye, we'll be handing out Halloween candy to the trick-or-treaters.

This past week, we were back in Cleveland for a few days. The Browns played the Pittsburgh Steelers in a Thursday night game. Todd, Andrew, and Jennifer went to the game, while I was on Grandma duty, babysitting the little ones.

Owen, Hallie, and I took a nice, long walk and collected autumn leaves and rocks, played in the backyard, and then the kids ate dinner and cleaned their plates (they even asked for seconds!). After dinner came bath time, and soon after, bedtime. That's where things fell apart. Two little grandkids against one grandma. Let's just say they got to bed a little later than usual. In the big picture, one late bedtime isn't going to disrupt their schedules. And the beat goes on...

Another reason for our trip to Cleveland was to attend Grandparents' Day at Owen and Hallie's daycare. I will accept any invitation to spend time with my grandkids and be part of their lives. I just want to be there to share in their adventures.

It's that time of year again... PUMPKIN-ZILLA! And I do believe this is the biggest one yet. The plan is for this big guy to make it through Halloween and Thanksgiving. Once Thanksgiving is over, it will get wrapped in Christmas lights.

The monarchs are still migrating, and the zinnias at the farm are still in bloom. The monarchs flit from flower to flower, resting their wings and gathering whatever pollen is left for their journey south. These beautiful butterflies still have a long way to go before reaching their winter home in the high-altitude mountain forests of central Mexico.

October carries on - continuing the big pumpkin tradition, monarchs heading south, leaves changing color, and plenty of grandkid adventures along the way.

color

Sometimes we don’t realize just how much color impacts our lives.

For me, color is an important part of how I experience the world — whether I’m wandering through a museum, hiking in nature, exploring a city, taking in public art, shopping for food or clothes, choosing art for my walls, or simply noticing the changing colors of the seasons.

Color is everywhere, constantly shaping our surroundings and influencing how we feel. We shouldn’t underestimate its power.

Take a moment to slow down and appreciate the colors in your life. Notice them. Let them inspire you. You might be surprised by how much they add to your everyday experience.

 

monday's mulling: dandelions and autumn leaves

What started out as an "ohmygosh...dandelions and pretty fall leaves together" moment lead to some deeper thinking. There's complexity in simplicity.

Dandelions represent the resilience of spring and summer while autumn leaves represent surrender and letting go. Together, they symbolize that rare junction in life: the choice between fighting to hold on or finding the courage to release.

Both dandelions (at their white seed puff stage) and autumn leaves rely on the wind to fulfill their purpose. The leaves fly to give the tree rest, and the dandelion seeds scatter to carry future wishes.

Letting go and holding on are not always opposites. Sometimes resilience means staying rooted and continuing to bloom; other times, it means releasing what we have known and trusting that something new will take root. The beauty lies in knowing when to do each.

 

art comes in many forms

Our visit to the Cincinnati Art Museum a couple weekends ago was to see the Yayoi Kusama pumpkins exhibit. It was a timed exhibit. We were allowed to view the pumpkins for 90 seconds and then leave in order for the next two people to have their turn. 

We then strolled through the museum marveling first at the Great Hall and Main Lobby with its sweeping staircase and then to the Cincinnati Wing, which has the nation's first permanent museum display dedicated exclusively to the artistic heritage of a single American city. This wing features Cincinnati artists and the famous Rookwood pottery collection. We spent a lot of time here because of our familiarity of the area and its history. We then walked through the Near East and Ancient Art collections with wonder and awe of the age of the pieces in this gallery. There’s something humbling about standing in front of an object that has survived for centuries, or even millennia.

We ended our visit in the Special Exhibition/Feature Spaces that is a rotating gallery. This work, Untitled (Fondly, to Helen), by Dan Flavin caught my eye because it's a bright fluorescent light tucked into a corner where two walls meet the floor. What the heck is a fluorescent light doing in a museum instead of an office or a basement or a classroom? For me it was difficult to get past its everyday function and see it as art. But perhaps that’s the point. Flavin is teaching us that no object is inherently mundane and boring. It just waits for a visionary person to see it in a new way and then share it. 

So...any visionaries out there?