Birthday Bliss

First of all, my faithful readers, thank you for your support as I abandoned this corner of the world to spend the day with my sisters. And thank you, Mr. Ginley, for filling in for me.

I did, indeed, have a fabulous time celebrating my birthday with Denise, Diane and my sister-in-law, Kay.

During our birding extravaganza in April, Diane had planted the idea that Yellow Springs might be a place I would enjoy. After reading up, I agreed, and Diane set the itinerary for our merry band of revelers.

I drove to Columbus and rode the rest of the way with my two sisters. We rendezvoused with Kay at Young's Dairy Farm. There, we played putt putt, and somehow, I managed to win with three (yes, you read it right) three holes-in-one. Then came lunch, an unexpected behemoth of a meal, which included my first experience with fried cheese curds, a specialty at the restaurant. I chose to order the all-day breakfast. My sisters thought a half sandwich and salad would be lighter fare, but the salad turned out to be the size of Montana. Also, it was de rigueur for each table to receive applesauce bread, a bowl of applesauce and cole slaw.

On the one hand, it was a lot of food. On the other, it prepared us for the longer-than-expected hike we were about to take.

Steps

Donning appropriate foot gear (cool, I got to use my hiking boots again), we went for a walk along the trails of Glen Helen Nature Preserve. We descended down into the park via many, many stairs, which fortunately were not slippery when wet. There is always the sinking feeling that what goes down must also go up, but I was game for adventure, so I put this thought aside. There was much loveliness, from the primitive feel of the deep woods and small caves to the waterfalls, large and small, that we came across. Quite heavenly, really. Until the downpour.

It happened when we got to the raptors. These birds, once wounded, were housed in oversized cages because they could not survive reentry into the wild. Owls, hawks, a falcon, an eagle, turkey vultures, all stared back at us, some preening, as we admired their plumage. At this point, the heavens opened up and torrential rain poured forth.

Up went the umbrellas. We stood by the raptor learning center (not open that day). There was just enough of an overhang to shelter us. We hooted at the owls and waited for the rain to cease.

"I think five more minutes will do it," declared Diane.

Eventually, we gave up and decided to venture forth. But which direction? There were no trail markers or signs anywhere.

After hoofing it for awhile, we pulled out our cells and asked the little angel in the phone to help us navigate. Heading back in the general direction of where we had just come, we got back onto the trails and found the way to our point of origin. (And yes, the end of the walk involved going up all those steps.)

Harry, if you are reading this, you will appreciate that I may have achieved some sort of record for shvitzing. Diane kept handing me napkins to mop the river of water that was pouring off my face and soaking my hair. I looked like the proverbial drowned rat, even though my umbrella protected me from the rain.

Our adventure had taken two hours rather than one, but all-in-all, it was a fun romp.

After sharing a well-earned cold drink at the Underdog Cafe, we did a little shopping, then settled in for dinner at a local hot spot. The food was good, but the company was much better.

The finale, of course, involved ice cream. Back to Young's Dairy Farm for a yummy hot fudge sundae.

Thanks to my sisters (I'm including Kay here) for making my birthday memorable. Can't wait to see what Diane has cooked up for her birthday!