A whirlwind of activities

Part III

I did try some new things and made new memories while visiting Ohio.

One of them was trying hibachi for the first time. Our Japanese chef cracked some eggs and then added rice and vegetables to the open grill before throwing out some type of alcoholic beverage and onions, and setting them on fire. My eyes lit up because I wasn’t sure if I should get the fire extinguisher or not, but I soon realized it was all part of the show.

Before adding the meat of our choice to the blend, he threw everyone a sample and I watched as my son-in-law nailed his both times, my daughter Sydney looked like a baby bird waiting on hers and then it was my turn. The chef was laughing pretty hard because I kept moving and bobbing my head around for the catch. He finally threw a portion of the vegetable from his cooking utensil and it landed on my chin. I tried a second time and it landed on my chest, so I told him I was done and would wait for the main course.

We drove to Cincinnati one day and while driving over the bridge into Kentucky, we were able to see the Bengals practicing football on the field, which was a nice treat. We also drove around the stadium but were unable to go inside.

I learned the one thing people eat there is Skyline Chili, which is from a chain of Cincinnati restaurants prepared with Mediterranean spices. I declined to eat it because it really wasn’t chili to me, it looked like something Will Ferrell would eat on the movie Elf.

The chili is served on top of spaghetti noodles and is flavored with cinnamon, cumin, cloves and chocolate and then they top it with the regulars, like onion and cheese. What’s even worse is, if you make fun of it or talk about how bad it is, they get offended. I’m sorry, but if you brought that stuff to Oklahoma or Texas we would tell you, “That is not chili.”

The finale was attending Winterfest at Kings Island amusement park for the Christmas tree lighting and activities. Sydney realized my knee was really bothering me by then and there was no way I could walk the entire park. So I wasn’t surprised when my son-in-law pulled a bright pink wheelchair from the vehicle. Sydney had borrowed the wheelchair from work and after some hesitation, I swallowed my pride and was ready to roll.

I honestly took great delight in having my ex-husband, daughter and sonin- law push me around the park in a pink wheelchair. Not that I would wish anyone to be handicapped but it was pretty nice being catered to. Each of them took turns pushing me around until they were out of breath, which brought me to my next concern, “Am I going to have to give up the wheelchair for one of them?” I wasn’t prepared to do that so I encouraged them to keep going.

Next week, I’ll tell you about the ride home.