Dr. M & I had a really nice day yesterday roaming around the Ohio countryside. The day was beautiful – if just a bit chilly (in the 50s & windy). We had to make a “quick” trip to Cincinnati in the morning & made it to Dr. M’s school at the end of the 4th quarter of the homecoming game. His team won! Always nice to win your game on homecoming. After standing by the field for about 5 minutes I was quite grateful for that unexpected trip to Cincinnati in our warm car – not sure I would have survived sitting on those cold exposed stands for the whole game! I was ill-prepared for the chill – even though I thought I was. Next game I’m taking my version of the Snuggie! There will be a whole post dedicated to this garment in the near future. After the gam
e was over we headed to West Liberty, Ohio to visit the Piatt Castles for their Halloween program: Ghosts & Goblins, Literature to Scare & Delight. We had a great time. It’s a program really designed for children – there were games & scary stories from 19th century poems – but Dr. M & I enjoyed the old house and the staff dressed in their ghostly costumes. They put on a play about a ghost wedding, and there was a tour of the spooky basement. Then we all stood around warming our knickers by a bonfire. We each made a wish & threw parsley into the fire. I’m not telling you what my wish was! I did make sure that this was not some sort of fertility ritual. Heh.
e was over we headed to West Liberty, Ohio to visit the Piatt Castles for their Halloween program: Ghosts & Goblins, Literature to Scare & Delight. We had a great time. It’s a program really designed for children – there were games & scary stories from 19th century poems – but Dr. M & I enjoyed the old house and the staff dressed in their ghostly costumes. They put on a play about a ghost wedding, and there was a tour of the spooky basement. Then we all stood around warming our knickers by a bonfire. We each made a wish & threw parsley into the fire. I’m not telling you what my wish was! I did make sure that this was not some sort of fertility ritual. Heh.
The program was held at Mac-A-Chee castle. The other castle, Mac-A-Cheek, is about a mile away. The names are derived from a Shawnee village called Mackachack. Construction on the homes began in the 1860s. They’re not actual castles – they are chateaux built in a gothic design. Perfect for Halloween! Note - this tiny history
lesson is courtesy of Wikipedia and the Piatt Castles website. Please visit those sites for more information. They’re having the same program next Saturday beginning at 4:30 – if you’re in
the area check it out! *There is an admission fee. 
Hey, I have a post all ready to go for later this week about the Piatt castles, too! Oh, well, it is the perfect time of year for a ghostly pair of houses, right?
ReplyDeleteThe castle in your first picture looks very impressive.
ReplyDeleteI've got a cousin in Cincinnati, never saw her in my life, I've discovered her through the internet. Weather is a constant topic in our emails. I'm complaining about the hot weather she's complaining about the cold weather, so we never get to discuss castles and other beauties in the area.
Sounds a good way to spend a few hours Bug. A play about a ghost wedding eh? Unusual to say the least; the bridegroom had presumably met the ghoul of his dreams mayhap.
ReplyDeleteVery good photos too. I like to see a snapshot or two - especially when a trip is involved.
Never heard of Piatt castels before, must now check them out - after I've recovered from PhilipH's deadful pun hahahaha!
ReplyDeleteWillow - that's funny! Dr. M shares an office with the Piatt who runs the Castles now, so we went because she asked. We had a great time.
ReplyDeleteDuta - how interesting about your cousin! Ask her how she likes Cincinnati chili (one of my favorite things about moving to Ohio)...
Philip - oh groan! The play was portraying an annual reenactment of the wedding day - everyone gets stabbed during the ceremony - nice & gruesome!
Argent - thanks for stopping by. Hope you enjoyed your look-see at the castles!
That castle looks wonderful. And thank you for the little tour of Ohio. Believe it or not, I have always wanted to see Ohio.
ReplyDeleteAnd I love, love, love (!!!) the cartoon you sent me. It's wonderful...! I laughed. I'm going to try to post in on my blog. Thank you!
Sounds very cool! My friends and I have been talking at length about the good ol' Snuggie.Bring it on!xx♥
ReplyDeleteMy kids want a snuggie so badly for Christmas...so funny!! I wish I lived near things like this, but thanks to bloggers like you I get to experience it second hand. Sounds like a wonderful weekend.
ReplyDeleteAmy
Sounds like a fun day all around. Out here in the desert, everything is a hundred miles away and there is nothing of much interest to visit anyway.
ReplyDeleteOh what fun, although I'm with you, I've no great love of freezing in the name of football. Score one for Cincinnati!! Goooooo bun saving side trips!
ReplyDeleteIt's always best to make sure you aren't performing fertility rites, or accepting fertility idols either. It's just sound policy.