Cincinnati and Miami : 2025-07

I was able to visit Cincinnati again (it had been awhile) and this time was with someone aware of the town's famous chili. Fortunately, our hotel was only about two blocks away so we could get a taste. We went to Skyline Chili (also at Wiki). The basic is a 3-Way which gets you the spaghetti covered with chili and topped with cheese. We both got 4-Way which adds onions. They'll throw beans on for a 5-Way. They add a bit of cinnamon with certainly makes it unique. It's goin on 76 years so it certainly has a following.

Here is my 4-Way before digging in.

We didn't have a lot of time in Cinci but at least we partook in a local custom. I had more time in Miami and I walked to the Maurice A. Ferré Park (also at Wiki). The park itself has a Dogs and Cats Walkway and sculptures. You can see all 57 cats and dogs in the proceeding link. The animals were painted by over 50 local artists but what I couldn't find was a tribute to who actually made the aluminum statues. They were very well done. Luis Miguel Rodriguez is mentioned in some articles/places, but I'm still unsure. Here are a few I took...

L: Boxer, artist Edgar Gutiérrez, Bernard I.

C: Great Dane, artist Rafael Carabano, Hero.

R: Burma, artist Hander Lara, Imposter.

Right next to the park were some handy locations to visit - the Frost Museum of Science and the Pérez Art Museum - Miami (or MAMM). The science museum was pretty cool and had several rooms to visit. The Pérez had more space than you'd expect, but I wasn't that impressed with the collection. There were a lot of photos.

There were many things to look at but I thought the Medusa jellyfish were cool (top). I despise them, but they always look impressive in the water. I forget the long nose fish, but it was with the Lionfish.

They colors of these pictures turned out strange, but Lionfish are cool to watch.

As for the Pérez Art Museum Miami, I took a few pictures...

L: Zilia Sánchez (or here) (1926-2024), Sin Titulo, 1971.

R: The map to the Frost Museum of Science and my arm bands to both.

I took a picture of Sin Titulo because of the formed canvas. I thought that was a good idea and something I could try in the future.

The two pieces are by Gyula Kosice. There were about 12 of these waterdrops. They are plastic and many had lights and water. He was a co-founder of the Arturo and Madi movements. This exhibit was called Intergalactic.

On the left is the floor under The Hydrospatial City (great pics here) which I thought was just as cool, if not cooler than the pieces. They are pretty nifty, too, but the shadow seemed to catch the vibe and "space" of the Hydrospatial City. Above right is a shot of some of the pieces. Most even had little people on them which was a nice touch. Kosice worked on this for almost six decades (1946-2004).

Once again, Florida was very generous - military and/or vets can get into both the Frost Museum of Science and the Pérez Art Museum for free. Super nice and you have no guilt if you leave early.

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Five Star Suppers and Trivia : 2024-05

Kimberly is an all-star chef. She made this with her eyes closed.  So delicious.

We did a Red Robin run - kind of a fry day (everyday is Fry Day) and we played trivia.

Contract was we couldn't leave until we won. Luckily we won about the time we were ready!

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Italian Trivia : 2024-03

Kimberly and I went to Olive Garden for supper. We like the endless salad. They have the kiosks on the tables on which you can play trivia. We are always "Fancy Octopus" and we sometimes pull out a win. This evening, however, we had a trifecta! Three games from players across the country and were thrice the victors!

The three winning announcements and total scores.

The three leaderboards

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Great Moments : 2023-03

I enjoy doing things with Kimberly - she makes me smile. You can see the smiles! We had a great flight a few days ago and the weather / day / clouds were amazing, too.

Epic mixture of sunset and shade.  

First time eating at the Rabbit Hole and first time seeing friends in a decade. It was excellent conversation and food - would definitely recommend the restaurant.  What a great evening!

Kimberly also took me to the Cave of the Winds! It's one of those places you live near but don't visit... but we did, and it was cool. If you can visit, you should. Even if you don't go into the cave, the surrounds are beautiful. We had a great day both inside and out. I imagine the cave weather remains pretty consistent.

These two shots are somewhat famous in the cave world. The "bacon" as it's called on the left and the "bleeding heart" on the right. It might've been "Giant's bleeding heart", but the point was it's redness created essentially by rust. Thank you, Kimberly, for giving me wonderful memories!

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Why I Love Airfields 20 : 2021-04

I know I've said it before, but one of the greatest things of general aviation is the variety of FBOs you'll encounter.  Or the people you may or may not meet.

This is Trinidad (KTAD).  Great building zero people, but not really accessible.  My copilot made me a breakfast burrito and we ate them on one of their picnic benches. Great moment. The right-center window reads "AIRPORT".  Classic.

This white-brick building is Raton's (KRTN) FBO. On the topic of "what do I call this place", I use the 'public knowledge' answer.  This is Raton but technically, Raton Municipal Airport/Crews Field. I will never say "Crews Field".  Never.  It's "Raton traffic"... Let's use Leadville as another example.  It's the highest field in North America, and known as Leadville.  If anyone thinks I'll say "Lake County", they will be surprised.  Regardless, this was an excellent FBO with a cool building and great views. Beyond all of that, they will make you a hamburger.  And it is NOT a 'take from the warmer burger', it is a burger made by someone who cares.  It was fantastic!

Cameras never really capture the moment.  This was a shot across from Coppertop's tail trying to show the landscape.  In person, it was very cool. Taken at Trinidad.

This was another shot trying to show the unique landscape at Trinidad.  The mountains, hills, and mesas are much better in person. Point being, go there yourself, take in the landscape, and get a free burger!

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Cancun : 2020-02

I finally made it to Cancun (or Mexico for that matter) courtesy of an airliner.  We had a longer layover which was nice because I could visit the beach.  We stayed in a great hotel - the Marriott Cancun Resort - which was right on the water.  

These are shots from my room.  Above is just the hotel next door, but I thought it could make a cool painting or drawing.  Below is the next morning.  Perfect day.  And the water was perfect, too!  I actually got whistled at by the life guards.  I'm assuming I was too far out...not sure.  I hand't packed very well for the beach, but I made it work.  It was very nice.

We arrived in the evening, but not too late to visit the Blue Gecko Cantina.  It's famous and I'd heard about it many times before so it was great to finally see it.  And their food was great!  I think I had the Coco Loco Shrimp Tacos.  Delicious.

After playing in the ocean, I tried one of the restaurants right next to the hotel.  It was Champions Sports Bar.  You never know what to expect with a hotel eatery, but I have to say, this was one of the best burgers I've had.  Incredibly tender, juicy and tasty!

This is the front of the Marriott.  I loved the white / blue contrast.  Very resort-ish or Greek Island.

Cancun exceeded my expectations for sure.  I imagined a lower-end environment catering to Spring Breakers.  Obviously, a lot of people do go there for that, but it seemed much more higher class and certainly suitable for families.  If you can make it, go see it for yourself!

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Bridge Life - Red Roof to Dossier

I wrote about Bridge Life near Burlingame, but not really about the actual "bridges".  I've spent quite a bit of time at the Red Roof Plus which is withing walking distance of Burlingame and only minutes from the airport.  This has been a favorite 'bridge' because of that location and because of price.  I don't know the star rating of this place (probably 2 or 3) but it does have its own quaintness.

One side of the hotel has a random area of this paneling with a single bird house attached.  Has nothing to do with anything, but it's become somewhat of a welcome sign.  Another great feature is there is a 24/7 restaurant literally 10 feet away.  Zero feet away if you go through the lobby.  In other words, it's connected to the lobby but not the hotel.  It is Leann's Cafe and I fully recommend it.  You can order anything off the menu regardless of the time of day and even get a beer.  From breakfast to stir fry to noodles to burgers.  Pretty handy and pretty good for the price! 

One thing cool about Bridge Life (and airpower) is you can see lots of bridges all over the country.  Some are very nice.  Below are shots of the Dossier in Portland.  Very cool, very nice, and right down town.  I imagine it's pricey, but if you want a cool place to stay downtown, I'd try it.

One nice thing about being downtown is I could walk to a restaurant that was open.  Just a couple blocks away was the Red Star Tavern.  As it was late, I couldn't order from the full menu which was perfect to help with portion control.  I'm not a huge Caesar salad guy (because you never know how much dressing it'll have), but theirs was fantastic!  Great presentation, perfect amount of dressing and delicious.

This is just a side note.  As a first officer, it's kind of cool to see your position actually painted on the outside of the jet.  This is on the left of the jet...the captain and first officer are flipped on the right side.  The big metal oval is to keep paint and what not out of the static ports.

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Bridge Life - Burlingame

I've been staying in a pretty good location (and paying for it) in San Francisco - just outside Burlingame, California.  It is a very cool town with some of the most impeccable houses I've seen.  It's a little bit like a movie / storybook.  And, I will admit, I do love the weather/temps here.

Downtown Burlingame.

Just one example of the "perfect" houses of Burglingame.

On one of my walk-arounds, I visited the Peninsula Museum of Art.  I had no big expectations but it was relatively nearby so I took a look.  I was actually pretty cool.  Entry fee was donation only and it also houses individual artists' studios.  I'd never seen that before and they encouraged you to treat them as part of the exhibits.  If the artist was there and/or the door open, you could visit and browse around.  Pretty cool.

The first exhibit was work of a "wirest", Diane Komater.  Pretty interesting medium, I have to say.  And with impressive detail.  "I create 3D drawings using various gauges of annealed steel wire.  I draw in the air!" says the artist.  One side effect (intended or not) are the unusual reflections.

I failed to get the title of the left picture.  "Helen" is in the center and "Hymn" on the right.

I'm not necessarily a big fan of cityscapes but, like music, a good song is a good song.  This is "Singing the Blues", and is just one of several acrylics with stunning detail.  You can see the effect that level of detail creates.  And, I would say the artist, Lynette Cook, is a master of shadows.  As I often struggle with being bold enough with my contrasts - these paintings remind me going bold pays dividends.

This last painting was one of many landscapes by artist, Carolyn Shaw.  I thought they were great and she was actually in her studio the day I walked through.  That was a nice touch.

This is the museum entrance and courtyard.  I love this architecture and concrete is awesome.  Aside from the art, I'm glad I visited because the building is scheduled to be torn down to create space for condos.  It's a nice space for music, studios, a gallery and art instruction.  Tough to exchange for condos.

To wrap up the excursion, I got a bite at Maverick Jack's which is in a former train station.  It was nice because the trains still pass by as you eat.  And trains are cool.

Cool building and awesome beer glasses.

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