wednesday's words and wanderings and wonderings

A couple of favorite spots this week...A few days ago my friend and I took a 16 mile early morning bike ride from The Old Town Reserve just north of Xenia to Yellow Springs along the Little Miami Scenic Bike Trail. She is having knee replacement surgery in September, still wants to exercise, and bike riding is one of the least painful forms of exercise for her.

The Old Town Reserve has an Ohio Historical Marker, the birthplace of Tecumseh, a Shawnee chief and warrior who promoted resistance to the expansion of the United States onto Native American lands.

This trail is part of the Little Miami Scenic Trail and crosses creeks and the Little Miami River. This photo is from last fall. 

When we arrived in Yellow Springs, we stopped at Emporium Coffee for a little shot of energy for our ride back. My drink, recommended by the barista, was an iced latte with oat milk and a little bit of lavender syrup...very refreshing. Yellow Springs is a fun, artsy, hippy town. We walked a few blocks around town and went into The Ohio Silver Company. My friend bought a bangle bracelet to add to the collection of bracelets she always wears. Her bracelets jingle as she walks along. It's her signature wear. We're going to ride this path again this weekend. Could be another bracelet purchase 😁

I volunteer for Fiver Rivers MetroParks to do garden maintenance mainly at the downtown MetroParks. I worked at RiverScape weeding and deadheading flowers. I was trimming back lavender and with every snip, the scent wafted through the air on a beautiful, sunny day. Very calming. A bonus was watching the five river fountains arc over the Great Miami River.

After working at RiverScape, I made a stop at my favorite grocery store, Dorothy Lane Market. A display of Dad's Root Beer had been set up by the carts and I smiled as soon as I saw it. My dad loved Dad's Root Beer and he made the best root beer floats. His root beer floats were special treats on the weekend. He put a scoop of vanilla ice cream in each glass and then poured the root beer over the ice cream where it foamed up but didn't spill over the rim. He was a root beer float showman. I can't wait to continue the tradition and make root beer floats with Dad's Root Beer for my little grandsons. Need to practice that pour!