Morning all:

“A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of.” — Ogden Nash

Sorry I did not have you enjoy my morning coffee with me this morning. Sleeping in a wee bit Marcia and I said goodbye to our visitor – my brother Pieter. Then, because of required stuff to do a bit later in the day, I ran off to our Art Museum to view an exhibit entitled Beneath the Roses consisting of a series of photographs by Gregory Crewdson.

Crewdson produces massively large photographs, uses crews of over 40 people to stage what on the surface appears a normal and quiet scene in small-town America taken at dusk. These are almost too perfect in their clarity and dark simplicity. However, very quickly, you have to deal with a tension conveyed by the scene, and the whole picture transforms into what could be a set-up for a horror flick where you just know that something is about to spring loose but hasn’t yet. Glad I went.

The morning quote deals with dogs—btw,cats are the same. People, on the other hand, have an opportunity to, at least every so often, be on the right side of the figurative door. The last couple of days my brother was in town and by his request we went sight seeing.

Living in the Mid-West our area is often described as the nation’s ‘rust belt’. The two of us opened a few doors and discovered that there is a whole lot of ‘stainless steel’ and ‘chrome’ among the ‘rust’. The downtown area of the ‘Nati was a hubbub of activity. The de facto center of the city, Fountain Square, was packed with people, sights, and sounds. We toured the award winning Contemporary Arts center, and ended up in the outdoor courtyard of Arnold’s for lunch. Arnold’s Bar and Grill, located in the heart of the city and open continuously since 1861, is the town’s oldest watering hole.

We even ended up on the observation deck of the Carew Tower. Here I captured, in a single photograph, the reason for the initial growth of the city: the river paddleboat which transported goods and people along the Ohio, Missouri, and Mississippi inland waterway system. The modern day river tows pushing multiple barges. Each massive barge measures 50 feet by 295 feet travels to and from places as far away as New Orleans. And finally, the bridges that connect to and opened trade between the old south to the north. The bridge in the picture is the Roebling Suspension Bridge. When opened January 1, 1867 it was the world’s first and longest steel cable suspension bridge. It acted as Roebling’s prototype for New York’s Brooklyn Bridge, was started by him, and was finally completed by his son (click on the photo for a larger view).

The grand finale of the visit was last night when we descended on Cincinnati’s premier Jazz club, the Blue Wisp. I became the designated driver. Meanwhile Marcia and Pieter proceeded to simultaneously enjoy the voice of Annie Sellick while getting themselves ready for an Advil morning. The photo of the signed cover of the freshly purchased CD tells the whole story.

This week I found myself on the right side of the door.

Make it a great week. Thanks Pete for holding the door open this week. Remember, don’t let the door whack you in the backside, and if caught in a revolving door just keep on moving – quickly!

Cheers,

Dirk