We arrived in Cincinnati for the 4th of July weekend and I'm happy to say we didn't have any rain! Turns out our friends Chris and Becki and their son Richard from Colorado Springs were visiting family in Cincinnati at the same time we were there...and Chris's sister has a pool so everyone was VERY happy to go swimming! Who'd a thunk we'd have to gather in Cincinnati to catch-up with friends from back home, but what a terrific visit both at the pool and at a couple very special churches in Covington Kentucky (right across the river from Cincy). The Basilica in Covington has beautiful stain-glassed windows originally crafted in Germany and tower about 40 feet in height. The Mary Mother of God Church dates from the early 1800's and has 2 distinct bell towers that are visible for miles around...not to mention its own array of stained glass that depicts related stories from the Old and New Testaments together on the same window! The wonderful beauty of such churches clearly points to the beauty in God's creation.
On the practical side, we also made time for some overdue haircuts. I'm the barber for the boys and Lori has been cutting my hair since we've been traveling...our clippers have paid for themselves MANY times over now! Michael was inspired by a story he heard to create his own "owl cut" hairstyle....he got a buzz up the sides and back of his head with a single buzz-stripe right down the center of his head! Michael was clearly pleased with his own unique cut. William was inspired to get into the hair cutting business and practiced his scissors and comb skills....on Carlos's head! Carlos ended up with a few bald spots, but they disappeared when I went over his head with the clippers!
Our friends Jeff and Jackie came to visit us at our campsite and share some dinner and a walk around the lake in camp. We missed their boys (who are about the same ages as our older kids) since they were still at the lake on vacation with their cousins. Renewing our friendship from when we all lived in Dayton year ago was a special treat and a wonderful way for us to wrap up our time in Cincinnati! Thank you for the visit Jeff and Jackie...it's always fun for us to share our trailer.