esprit de l'escalier

Delight

My friend Mary and I took a mini road trip on Saturday to Yellow Springs, Ohio. We had figured that gas prices had dropped and the fall colors were around their peak, so a road trip was in order. Plus Yellow Springs is a delightfully cute town, and this weekend several artists had open houses to their studios.

We drove through Antioch College's grounds, which are sadly empty at the moment. (The above polaroid is from the school's fire station.) I hope that the school can come back, or at least something new and positive can take over the campus. It seemed wrong to see a campus in fall with no students lolling about.


We enjoyed wandering around the town and visiting with different artists and shops. All in all, our trip was a success.

This is as far as I'll get involved

I'm not a big football fan. Ironically it was the Ohio State Buckeyes who killed any interest in the sport, because as a young child there were often riots and burning cars and couches on campus after the team lost. As a kid I wasn't interested in being associated with a bunch of lunatics. Of course, what I didn't realize then is that you end up associating with lunatics at some point or another, completely outside of the realm of your control. (And sometimes you end up going to grad school at a school you never thought you'd go.)

Ahem. So, in honor for the big game today, I thought I'd show my support. I was raised a Buckeye, after all. Here are a couple of buckeye glamor shots I took this summer. We've got a tree in our yard - something my grandmother always felt was good luck.

I also want to wish my parents a happy anniversary. Thirty five years today. Unbelievable.

Jeni's Ice Creams

Ever since I got back to Columbus, I kept hearing people rave over Jeni's Ice Creams as being the best in town. Pshaw, I thought. Graeter's is clearly the best. What were these people talking about? But everytime I went to the North Market, there was always a line snaking through the tight aisles for Jeni's "gourmet, artisanal ice creams." I figured what was the harm in trying, right?

A couple of weeks later I found myself in the Short North with an hour or so to kill. I snapped some photos, had some coffee, and thought I'd treat myself to some ice cream. Right away I loved the decor. It looks like a modern creamery - clean lines, calm colors accented with bright yellow stools (that evoke milk cans a bit), light fixtures that look like milk jugs. Plus they had a display of enlarged polaroid photos.

The people working were extremely friendly and let me try about 7 flavors. Now, since this isn't any old ice cream parlor, but a "gourmet, artisanal" place, you don't find your normal 32 flavors. They have nine signature flavors: Salty Caramel, Gravel Road, Dark Cocoa Gelato, Pistachio & Ashland County Honey, Black Coffee, Thai Chili, Lemon Yogurt, Queen City Cayenne, plus a fresh sorbet of the day. Jeni Britton, the founder and ice cream maker extraordinaire, is all about using local foods, so most of her flavors are seasonal, and reflect the produce of Ohio.

I tried something with a lavender base, but opted for the sweet corn with black raspberry sauce. (There were still summer flavors when I visited.) See descriptions of the current flavors here. Looking over the list again, I'm amazed I ever came to a decision. Oh, and the cones are all made in-store and were delicious. It was the best sugar cone I have ever had - cone alone.

As you can see, I quickly became a convert. I don't think it's the sort of ice cream I'm going to always want - have simple tastes (plus there are a couple of Graeter's flavors that will always bring me there), but I will definitely go back. Change is sometimes definitely for the better.

Some cows for your pleasure

On her trip this weekend, Natasha and I did some country rambling. Well, sort of. We drove to the suburb where I work (she wanted to see Commute B), but along the way we poked around in graveyards, old barns, bought some apples and generally enjoyed our grey autumn day.

But did I mention the cows? I snuck off at the cemetery and took their photos.

They were so stinky and cute. I had to show my city friend the country.

Rediscovering Columbus

I have a post bubbling about this subject, involving ice cream, but I'm too tired to type. Tuesdays wipe me clean. I want to continue enjoying my gin and tonic, take up my crochet and veg, but I have to do some stats homework. For now, enjoy a couple of shots from my hometown, from a day not so rainy as today.

(PS, where's the love for the previous post? I thought I'd have some discussion on how cute those pouches, etc. were!)