Dayton, OH

Two weeks ago Catherine joined my mom and me on her first girl’s trip!  We flew to Atlanta and then took a flight to Dayton, OH, to visit my Aunt Margot and Uncle Michael.

I have to admit; it was kind of weird walking through Hartsfield with a baby (my own baby) and my second born at that.  I lived in Atlanta for 3 years after graduating from Auburn and that really does seem like a lifetime ago.  

Catherine was soooo good on all four flights and all four flights were on time.  Pretty sure this will never happen again!

Dayton is a darling town.  It is relatively small (compared to Houston, TX) but very quaint and simple.  My aunt and uncle live in the Oregon historic district, which has great restaurants and shops within walking distance. (And we were so lucky to go to the grand opening of two!)  I treated myself to not one but TWO hats from BRIM because they were just that cute!  

Logan still thinks that this hat is his.

Prior to this trip, it had been over a decade since I had visited Dayton.  I have always found it interesting how you can travel to the same place at different points in your life and see the exact same things so differently.  We used to stop in Dayton to visit my cousins and it was a midway point on our journey to Bethesda, MD, where we would visit my mother’s parents. This trip was different in that I saw Dayton in a new light.  I really was impressed with the little details the city offers. Of course, it helps that my Aunt Margot is a fabulous tour guide and host! 

We visited the bicycle shop where the Wright Brothers basically invented the airplane, and the accompanying museum, which depicts both the Wright Bros. and the life and poetry of fellow Dayton native Paul Lawrence Dunbar.  We also went to the museum at Carillon Park, where Dayton's technological achievements were playfully depicted on a carousel.   The carousel pieces were incredible and included a cash register, a bag of Iams dog food, the yellow pages and a model of the Wright’s Bros. plane.  (just to name a few!) Cat and I choose to ride Scipio, Orville Wright’s Saint Bernard.

Cat adored her baby bed.  Every time she got in it she thought it was happy hour.

Me, Cat, Aunt Margot & Mom on a beautiful fall day

There is no way to explain just how obsessed my daughter is with stop signs.  

Cat, Me, & Scipio