Kung Fu Riesling at The Winds Cafe is a crisp taste of Paris in a small American village.


We didn't walk in a metro park today, but, we did find delight in our visit to Yellow Springs, Ohio where liberal is still a nice word, peace is still a possibility, a glass of fine wine is a hop, skip and a jump away from a walk in the woods, and you can strike up with conversations with folks younger and older than you that are meaningful and miles away from any sporting event.

Today we stood at a block intersection and talked with several octogenarians about the peace vigil they were holding and about their life experiences that brought them there. Then we sat at the winds, drank a glass of Kung Fu Girl Riesling and talked with a young woman who spends three hours biking from her home just to be somewhere that it is easy to strike up a conversation with someone.



Yellow Springs was one of our original places to escape from Columbus 15 years ago. It has gone through a lot of changes but still seems to be intact overall.

Yesterday I got a lesson in don't judge a book by its cover. We spoke to an older gentleman that could have very easily been confused for a homeless man. Turns out that he is the son of two of the original environmentalists that helped found some of our national parks. He was in WWII, holds a doctorate in zoology, taught at berkley and Antioch colleges and has self published many books. Truly a remarkable man with an incredible story.

Earlier in the day, I took my dad's truck down to Monroe and we met up with Cindy in Yellow Springs, we had some good conversation and a bite to eat at the tavern on the outdoor patio. Which by the way very very reminiscent of the outdoor cafes of Paris. Cindy and I later poked around town noting some of the changes in the shops, mourned a little for the loss of Epic Books and finished up the town tour at the Winds with some Kung Fu Girl wine and a bread salad.

We did take a small jaunt on a trail that was just off of the rails to trail bike path. I don't think it was an official trail (at least until we got down to the bottom) but it was well kept but still had that wild feel to it that some of the more urban trails in Columbus lack. It wasn't too busy and was pet friendly, both good attributes in my opinion.
~S