For 92 years, the Toledo Museum of Art has exhibited a juried show of work from area artists. The openings I’ve attended have been a big to-do and this year was no different. D. and I first enjoyed a couple drinks while watching the “Falling Spikes”, a local Velvet Underground coverband, complete with a female drummer ala Maureen Tucker. It was great!

We then attended the awards ceremony for the best of the best of Toledo. Congrats to all of our friends who received much-deserved recognition.

And we finished the evening by touring all of the art… including a couple of pieces by D.–I’m very proud of him.

The 92nd Annual Toledo Area Artists Exhibition is up through August 22nd… so go view it!

Toledo Museum of Art | 2445 Monroe Street | (419) 255-8000

We were on our way to The Docks for some riverfront dining when our car started making a strange sound. We pulled into the drive for the Crowne Plaza Hotel and D. rang up AAA. We were told it would be a bit of a wait, so we let the hotel valet know of our predicament, inquired about the hotel restaurant, and enjoyed our first visit to Del Sol. We found a table on the patio and ordered a few drinks… because we weren’t driving home!

The view was great considering we hadn’t eaten a nice dinner on the river facing in this direction before (opposite of The Docks). But the food was the best surprise. My pumpkin (or was it butternut squash?) ravioli with a beurre blanc and sage was wonderful and D.’s fish on latin-style spicy black beans gave him a smile. So much so that we forgot all about our car mishap. Thanks to AAA for coming to get the car and giving us the time to discover something new in Toledo. Also, thanks to Black & White cab for the prompt pick-up.

See? Even a car breakdown in Toledo can be turned into a pleasant evening!

Del Sol at The Crowne Plaza | 444 N. Summit St. | (419) 241-1411

Things are looking pretty lively. We have been eating various peppers, lettuces, and herbs. Tomatoes are looking pretty great so I’m excited about that. Grilled a couple yellow squash last week…

How is your garden doing?

Our friends S. & A. invited us to the Toledo Club’s 4th of July party on the Willis B. Boyer, which was retired in 1980 and opened as a museum in ’97.

There was food and a bar, but the most fun came from being able to tour the ship on our own. The river hosted “boatloads” of people waiting for the fireworks.

The sunset was beautiful from the prime spot we carved out for ourselves.

We were on the tippity top of the Boyer facing downtown and only meters from where the fireworks would happen. While waiting, maybe not so patiently, we took photos of the (what I am assuming were) non-legal fireworks happening within the inner-city.

And then… BOOM!

D. took video of the fireworks and then sped the 20-something minute footage up to fit into 3 minutes. It’s disorienting. But great.

Baseball. It’s the most all American of ALL American sports.

When I asked if there was to be a “half-time” and “dancing girls” I *really* should have been deported right there and then. Luckily there was a darling little girl singing (see above) and my transgression was either forgotten or dismissed as simply being in the moment. SO! MUCH! AMERICA!

YEAH!!!

Toledo Mudhens | Fifth Third Field | 406 Washington Street | (419) 725-4367