It will be such a privilege to speak to nearly 500 children's and youth workers and pastors from all over Germany. I'll be speaking on the theme, "EDGES: Smoothing the Sharp Corners of Ministry" from October 29-31.
Part of the deal is a tour of the property and (of course) a sales presentation. But there is no obligation to buy anything. And, seriously, Orlando, Myrtle Beach, Gatlinburg, Williamsburg, Park City, Las Vegas or Branson. Call. Go. Enjoy. Thank me later.
So as of today (or yesterday, I forget), Ohio drivers can no longer text while driving. But on the way home from taking my granddaughter Calleigh to the doctor today, I spied something worse: note the warning just above the bumper.
We parked by the Butler County Soldiers, Sailors and Pioneer Memorial...
....walked past the 1804 log cabin that was moved to this site (the site of Fort Hamilton) in 1964....
...and gathered with the other walk participants at Fitton Center for the Creative Arts. 
It was a beautiful day for a walk--and for the Miami University (I'm guessing) crew teams (men's and women's, apparently). We finished the walk around 11:30, and headed for home, glad to contribute to a worthy cause, and to support the lovely Robin, who was the coordinator for the event at her workplace.
Saint Peter in Chains is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati. It is a Greek revival structure located at 8th and Plum Streets. Construction began with the laying of its cornerstone on 20 May 1841, under the direction of then-bishop—later archbishop—John Baptist Purcell, and formally dedicated on 2 November 1845. Its striking single spire, which soars to two-hundred and twenty feet above street level, was the tallest man-made structure in the city for many decades, and is constructed of pure white limestone.
The interior is striking and unique among Roman Catholic cathedrals in America, with its Greek-themed mosaics depicting the Stations of the Cross, its ornate Corinthian columns and its massive bronze doors.
I noticed as we left--and I hope it's intentional--that the glass in the front doors reflects the Plum Street Temple across the street. To me it seemed reflective (pun intended) of Christianity's roots in Judaism. 
After leaving the cathedral, we went right next door to Cincinnati's City Hall, yet another registered historic building in Cincinnati, Ohio, listed in the National Register on December 11, 1972. The main building comprises four and a half stories with a nine story clock tower. 
Marble stairways and wainscoting originated in Italy and Tennessee, and impressive beautiful stained-glass windows proliferate throughout. 
After City Hall, we high-tailed it back to the car, passing the Emery Theater building on Central Parkway (where as a child I once attended Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra concerts for schoolchildren) and began the drive home, swinging by historic Music Hall on Elm Street.
Music Hall, completed in 1878, is the home of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Opera, May Festival Chorus, and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. In January, 1975, it was recognized as a National Historic Landmark.
The Taft Museum is officially (and exhaustively) the Baum-Longworth-Sinton-Taft House, a National Historic Landmark built about 1820 for Martin Baum. It is the oldest domestic wooden structure still standing in the area and is considered one of the finest examples of Federal architecture in the Palladian style in the country. Other residents of this striking home included prominent politician and Speaker of the House, Nicholas Longworth, who by marrying Alice Roosevelt became son-in-law to President Theodore Roosevelt. After Longworth's residency, the home was purchased by David Sinton, father of museum co-founder, Anna Sinton Taft. Anna Taft lived in the mansion with her husband Charles Phelps Taft from 1873 until their respective deaths in 1931 and 1929. In 1908, Charles Phelps Taft's half-brother, William Howard Taft accepted the nomination for U. S. president underneath the house's portico. The Tafts bequeathed their historic home and private collection of 690 works of art to the people of Cincinnati in 1927, and it opened as the Taft Museum in 1932.
After viewing the art deco majesty of Union Terminal, Carew Tower, and Dixie Terminal, it was fitting to be greeted by the baseball-themed art deco relief at the entrance to the ballpark's plaza.
Built on land overlapping the site of Riverfront Stadium, the ballpark officially opened for the 2003 season, making 2010 its eighth big-league season. We happened to be there the morning after the Reds clinched the NL Central Division Championship. 
Passing the long-awaited construction on the massive mixed use construction project called The Banks, we walked by the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, which opened in 2004, and is well worth a visit....though we didn't stop on this trip, the lovely Robin and I had visited previously. 
On our way back past the Carew Tower, we ducked into the resplendent Hilton Netherland Plaza (formerly Omni Netherland, formerly Netherland Hilton) Hotel. This National Historic Landmark opened in 1931 and is another breathtaking example of art deco design. Rare Brazilian rosewood paneling, indirect German silver-nickel light fixture, soaring ceiling murals, and exquisite details make this a place worth visiting, which we did briefly. 
A short walk from the Netherland took us to the Plum Street Temple. Constructed in 1866 in the Byzantine-Moorish style, Plum Street Temple is one of only two temples of this style in America and is the fountainhead of Reform Judaism in America (in the founding of which Cincinnati played a central role). It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1975.
We bought some Skyline Chili and cheese coneys and found a table right next to the Tyler Davidson Fountain, which was dedicated in 1871. It was a beautiful, mild day, and Fountain Square was filled (but not too crowded) with people. 
We crossed the street and entered the Carew Tower, which until recently was Cincinnati's tallest building at 49 stories (it is now surpassed by the Great American Insurance building). 
Named for Joseph T. Carew, of the Mabley & Carew department store, which once occupied the site, the building is a National Historic Landmark and is considered one of the world's finest examples of French Art Deco architecture.
We rode the elegant elevator to the forty-fifth floor, then a tiny elevator (the three of us just fit) to the forty-eighth floor, and finally a flight of stairs to the observation deck on the forty-ninth floor...paid our two bucks apiece and went out onto the deck to enjoy the view. What a view it was (by the way, the Great American Tower, now the tallest building in Cincinnati at--counting the "tiara" at the top--54 stories and 665 feet tall--is the building at the far right of the photo above). As we arrived, a pair of window cleaners were just climbing onto the deck, finishing their work...having hung over the side of the building to clean windows on the east side of the building...from a little seat not much bigger than a child's swing. Not me, man. 
We proceeded next down Fourth Street, where we stopped at Dixie Terminal....another art deco masterpiece. I never realized how many fine art deco buildings there are in Cincinnati (and we hadn't even seen the last of them here!). 
Dixie Terminal is actually two buildings side by side, north and south. They were completed in 1921 and served as streetcar terminal, stock exchange, bus terminal, and office building over the years. The terminal was used for bus service after streetcar service stopped in the 1950s; buses arriving from northern Kentucky crossed the Roebling Suspension Bridge and took ramps from the bridge into the terminal. I seem to remember arriving there on a bus at least once in my childhood...but I can't imagine why. The bus service stopped using the terminal in 1998 (though the guard at the terminal said 1996). 
It's a beautiful building, and well worth visiting. 
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The Red Letter Life: 17 Words from Jesus to Inspire Simple, Practical, Purposeful Living
