Lego Art at Brookgreen Gardens

I just wish my grandchildren could have been there. The lovely Robin and I visited Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet, SC, last Monday with my brother and his wife, and were surprised to discover a visiting exhibit titled Nature Connects: Art with Lego Bricks (especially since just a few months earlier we had taken all our grandchildren to The Art of the Brick at Cincinnati Museum Center).

 The bonsai tree at top was in a display case near the gift shop. The rest of the Lego sculptures were scattered through the Native Wildlife Zoo at Brookgreen.

 The sculptor, Sean Kenney, has been creating Lego sculptures for more than a decade, and has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the BBC, and Good Morning America. 

The buck (above) stands 76 inches high and is made from 48,000 Legos, and the Grandfather Gardening With Child is 65 inches tall (about life-size, since he's bending over).

The total exhibit uses a half-million Lego bricks, which is roughly the same number as I have stepped on in my lifetime.

The Nature Connects: Art with Lego Bricks exhibit runs from March 5 through September 5, 2016, at Brookgreen Gardens.

Newsies! At the Aronoff

It was a joy to share the stage musical, Newsies, with Aubrey and Kevin and the lovely Robin last evening at the Aronoff Center in downtown Cincinnati. While some of the dancing and singing could have been sharper--and some changes to the story seemed a tad problematic for us--it was nonetheless a fun evening of music and drama. Kudos to Aubrey for mostly resisting the urge to sing along with the cast.

The Booksellers On Fountain Square

Last evening, while in downtown Cincinnati with the lovely Robin and our daughter and son-in-law, I spied The Booksellers On Fountain Square, which I'd never visited. Didn't even know about it. So of course I had to see the place. I could no more resist the urge than I can the Krispy Kreme "Hot Now" sign.

It is a beautiful bookstore, much larger than I expected. In addition to a well-equipped coffee bar (below), it actually stocks books!

I didn't have as much time as I would have liked to peruse the excellent selection of books and magazines, but I did the best I could.

The Booksellers On Fountain Square is actually across the street from Fountain Square, at 505 Vine St (between Fifth and Sixth Street). I hope to return soon and often.

Nicholson's Tavern and Pub, Cincinnati

I enjoyed eating out with my wife, the lovely Robin, and my daughter and son-in-law (Aubrey and Kevin) last evening at Nicholson's in downtown Cincinnati.

We arrived around 5 p.m., before the swarm.

I enjoyed my fish 'n' chips meal (breaded fish filets with "duck fat fries," cole slaw, and Nicholson's house ketchup).

Nicholson's is located at 625 Walnut Street in downtown Cincinnati's theater district.

SA Councils in Champaign, IL

I was so honored and blessed this week to speak to a gathering of Salvation Army officers (ministers) from parts of Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana at the Hilton Garden Inn in Champaign, Illinois.

The accommodations were first-rate, but the company was even better! I shared rich fellowship and (I hope) a teeny bit of wisdom and perspective with the fine men and women of two Salvation Army divisions (Heartland and Indiana).

I couldn't have felt more welcomed and better treated. They even gave me some parting gifts, including a couple coffee mugs. How did they know? (Oh, maybe it had something to do with the ferocity with which I hogged the coffee pitcher at the breakfast table every morning. Yeah, that was probably it).

Asheville Christian Writers Conference 2016

What a joy it was once again last weekend to gather with fellow writers at the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove, in Asheville, North Carolina, for the Asheville Christian Writers Conference. Located in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, this is my kind of place. 

The setting is absolutely spectacular. 

The speakers (with maybe one exception) are inspirational. 

The meals are of the highest quality.  

The discussions and consultations with other writers are stimulating and energizing. 

And, as if that wasn't enough, conference director Cindy Sproles (above) asked the gathering of 100+ faculty and conferees to support my efforts on behalf of my grandchildren, Calleigh and Ryder, to raise funds for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, to find a cure for cystic fibrosis (more here). The photo above, taken at the end of the conference, turned out to be premature; my friends there gave $900 toward a healthy future for Calleigh and Ryder! How wonderful is that? 

Thank you, Cindy Sproles, Eddie Jones, and all the great minds behind Christian Devotions!

Book World, Chillicothe, OH

The lovely Robin and I made a whirlwind trip to her childhood hometown of Chillicothe, Ohio, last weekend with her parents. For part of the quick family outing, I slipped away to spend some time on the phone with my son and then duck into the locally owned Book World, at 16 W. Water Street in Chillicothe.

Book World is small unique shop in the historical district of downtown Chillicothe. It has an old fashioned flavor and thousands of used and new books to choose from.

While I could have wished for a little more organization, Book World is the kind of spot I love (if I lived nearby, I'd apply for a job there): Local. Independent. Books in every nook and cranny. They didn't have enough of my books (I only stumbled upon one), but otherwise it is a place I could spend the day--especially since there is a candy shop just two doors down.