Loveland Christmas Festival

Check out this picture...a male cardinal, and I got so close you can actually see his tongue...

...and the gleam in his eye.


Now, I am all for vanity plates (I have been trying to come up with something clever) but this just goes too far:I mean, that is just gross. Does this guy really want to advertise that he has a mucus affliction?



I am embarrassed to say that we have lived in Loveland for 6 years, and this is the first time we went to the Christmas Festival.

They do it up right, with lights everywhere, a brass band performing traditional holiday songs, a live nativity, carriage rides, kettle corn, crafts...it's nice.

Our illustrious city hall, in lovely downtown Loveland.

We met Santa on the bike trail. Little bit of history of the bike trail: It was once a railroad, and was turned into a trail that is over 70 miles long. It's a nice ride, since there are only gentle grades (since it was a railroad track, it sticks to the low land). And this dog was very eager to meet Santa.

"Dude! Dude! I want a Nylabone, and a squeaky toy shaped like a cat, and a new bed...."

Dinner was consumed at The Works, which is an excellent pizza place. The pizza is baked in a big open fire oven, and the crust is not-too-thick, not-too-thin, and crispy on the bottom and soft in the middle. Yum. The building that now houses the restaurant was once the water works, and the clock bells sing a song every hour. All the tables feature art from local artists, and we love it. Loveland is good at recycling, isn't it? We are also a Tree City with the Arbor Day Foundation. I love Loveland.

Lorelei was not impressed.

She fell asleep in the middle of dinner, sitting up.

Loveland straddles the Little Miami River. Good birding, and good canoeing, too. The Loveland Canoe Rental place has this cute little canoe outside their place.

The outing had the desired effect. I am feeling rather Christmasy.