Cliff Rd

This is a beautiful shot I took overlooking the Ohio River last night on the cycle club’s Tomb ride.  I was in North Bend, OH, on Cliff Rd, looking NE over the Ohio River with Kentucky to the South.  Unbelievably, the ride starts at river level and you have to climb to this point.  Then it’s a test of the brakes on the way back down… at least it is for me, many of the other riders zoom past and probably snicker to themselves about what a chicken I am.  I have gotten up to 40 mph on the bike but that was on a straight downhill with assurances from other riders that there were no surprises at the bottom.  If the road is curvy, I take it slow! 

 

Noisy neighbor update, I was woken up at 1:30 this morning by The Doors’ song “Break on Through (to the other side)”.  I loved that song back when I was a teenager.  However, now that I’ve reached my 40s and am trying to work a respectable day job and actually sleep at night, I was quite upset at the uninvited flashback.  Worse yet, the sound was coming through the wall that I have already paid a contractor to sound proof.  I guess nothing will stop a blaring stereo that is located right on the other side of the wall.  I may have to move into the guest room that is on the other side of the condo.  Things are not looking good for settling down… at least not at my present address.    

Cute Cows

It’s only day 4 and already, I am out of things to write about.  Well, in my defense, I am working a Monday to Friday, 9 to 5, chained-to-a-desk type of job, so from time to time, I suspect I will have to reach back into the past to share a photo with you.

Well, here is a favorite picture of mine.  I just love the looks cows give you when you are approaching them.  I often wonder what is going through their brains.  I’m told not much, but I don’t believe that.  They have to be thinking something, even if it’s not what we would consider to be profound. 

These cows are Midwest cows, from a farm near Blanchester, OH.  I came across them while cycling on The 26^th Annual Chili Ride back in May of this year.  That’s an annual bike ride sponsored by the Cincinnati Cycle Club, so named in honor of Gold Star Chili, which is served at the finish line.  (People do cherish their chili up here and there is a bit of a battle between Gold Star and Skyline.  I don’t know what all the fuss is about but maybe that will have to be a topic for another mid-week, nothing new to write about post.)

Where the heck is the Midwest anyway?

Since I’ve decided to write a blog about my new surrounding here in the “Midwest”, I thought it may be a good idea to know which states where included in this geographic term.  Well, lo and behold… I’m not living in the Midwest!!! I’m still in the South. Oh well, I’ve been to all of the states included in the South (except Arkansas) and I’m not interested in exploring those areas again; at least not at this time in my life, maybe later.  Right now, I’m more interested in going to places I have not get visited. So, even though I currently live in Kentucky, I’ll venture further north and west of my present location and see what I can see. Hopefully I will be able to take some awesome pictures to share.  

Map retrieved from a wiki source, but since this is not a college forum, I’m going with it.Wiki link

Noisy Neighbor

Day two of my blog about the Midwest and I’m not going to write about the Midwest!  I’m going to vent about my noisy neighbor.  I’m starting to believe that the biggest mistake I’ve made since arriving in Northern KY is to buy a condo.  Why did I think I could tolerate being that close to other people?  Well, actually, I’ve lived in apartments over the years in the various towns I’ve been in and have never had this problem.  This time, I think I’m just unlucky enough to have a very loud person living next door to me.  Maybe he’s hard of hearing… no, he’s just loud.  You know the type… bold, arrogant, self-absorbed, just plan loud.  I paid a contractor to install soundproof dry wall on the wall between the two condos.  It was winter at that time and I was sick of listening to his stereo, TV, and telephone conversations (I know more than I should about this man because the conversations were quite clear and let me tell you, F bombs were dropping all over the place, he’s loud and easily angered).  Well, the soundproof barrier worked; no more hearing him through the wall! 

Unfortunately, the peace and quiet only lasted until the weather warmed up.  Now he is on the balcony, which is right outside my bedroom window, talking nonstop!  This guy is on the phone more than a teenager.  He has a new girlfriend too and she’s often out there with him… talking loudly as well, but I think this may be just so she can get a word into the conversation.  I picture him as a hand talker, waving him arms around as his voice bellows out for the entire neighborhood to hear.  The kind of person that is large and obnoxious in everything he does.

OK, so, have I vented long enough?  What’s the solution?  I’ve ordered a soundproof blanket from a company in CA that specializes in acoustics.  It is made specifically for windows.  The person I spoke with assures me that human voices are easy to block.  Dogs and trains are a different story, but I don’t have those problems, thank goodness.  Therefore, I have confidence that this blanket will stop the noise from coming through the window.  My fear is that I will still be able to hear him through the exterior wall of the building.  I may have to call the contractor back out to put up more soundproof dry wall.  I guess I’ll wait until the blanket arrives and see if I can still hear them.  If I can, I’m soundproofing the exterior wall as well.  If that doesn’t work… I’m moving!!!

Heck on it, I’ll put the condo on the market and be prepared to take a horrible loss on the place (it’s new construction and I only bought it last Dec, no way can I break even this soon).

Oh, I do have a little something about the Midwest… yellow watermelons!  I’ve never seen them before and I have no idea if they are actually exclusive to this region of the country, but they are delicious, crisp, and super juicy. I found them at the farmer's market, which runs seven days a week here in the summertime.  I bought some great peaches and tomatoes too.  I love fresh produce!