What's up, readers?

I'm back.

Actually, I never went anywhere. Just took a six-week hiatus from the blog while wrapping up production of Living Here magazine. Please look for this 168-page guide to life in the Charlotte region in your Observer on Sunday, Sept. 28.

When I wasn't working on the magazine I was hanging out with my husband and toddler daughter. We found lots of free or cheap stuff to do around here. Thought I'd share.

In July, we went to two free kiddie rock concerts at ImaginOn, the big children's library in First Ward uptown. The annual summer series is called the Tricycle Music Fest. We had a blast watching Lucy and the other kids get their groove on. We're just sorry we were out of town for the first of the three acts -- They Might Be Giants (who I saw as a college freshman but apparently do just kid stuff now). For more info on ImaginOn and its programs go to www.imaginon.org.

Earlier this month, we went to the McDowell Nature Center and Preserve in southwestern Mecklenburg County. The center was just wrapping up a nature talk but a nice park ranger gave us an impromptu lesson on their resident snakes and turtles. Lucy touched a turtle and within a few days "turtle" was one of her new words. The center charges $3 a car for Mecklenburg residents and $5 a car for non-residents. For more info on this and other nature preserves, go to www.parkandrec.com and click on Nature Preserves.

Finally, last Friday the three of us went to the Lazy 5 Ranch, the privately-owned exotic animal drive thru park in Mooresville. Along the 3.5 mile drive, the ranch promises you will see more than 750 animals from six continents. Wild bison, lemurs, zebras, llamas, ostriches, camels, giraffes, wild pigs. You can feed many of them, but the zebras are one exception. (If you want to feed the animals, you have to purchase a bucket of feed -- $3, I think -- at the front gate.)

You can take a horse-drawn wagon tour or drive your own car. We opted to go in our own car because we were worried about being able to contain our 20-month old on an open-air wagon. Smart move. I'm not sure Lucy would have done well on the wagon with animals nosing their way into her personal space. She was a bit suspect when the large animals approached the car. She got wide-eyed and waved and said "bye bye" to them. That's kid talk for "Back away from the car you crazy llama." Admission is $8.50 for adults and $5.50 for kids ages two to 11. Add $3 for the wagon. Children under two are free. For more info or to make wagon reservations: www.lazyfiveranch.com.

So what fun things have you been doing in and around Charlotte?

Best Places to Live in the U.S.

Money magazine has published its 10 best U.S. cities to live. Spoiler: Charlotte did not make the cut.

At the very top: Plymouth, Minn. (population 70,100). Click here to read about Plymouth and the nine other best cities.

Have you ever lived in one of Money's best cities? Did it deserve such honors?

While you're at it, tell me what you like best and least about Charlotte. And, please, be nice. You can make your point without obscenities or turning this into a mean-spiritied (and off topic) North-South debate. Thank you very much.

Mecklenburgers first in independence?

Local history goes that Mecklenburgers have long had an independent streak and a history of being trend setters. Case in point: The area's rebellious Presbyterians settlers declared their independence from Britain more than an year ahead of the nation -- on May 10, 1775.

Of course, not everyone believes the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence really happened or that Thomas Jefferson borrowed from it in writing the version we as a country celebrate tomorrow.

But George Will lends credence to MecDec in a column in today's The Washington Post and The Charlotte Observer. Click here to read it. I like how Will starts off:

"The impatient patriots here had splendidly short fuses in 1775. Those who tilled the startlingly red clay or who lived in the town named for George III's wife, Charlotte, might have been bemused had they foreseen the annual hoopla that commemorates July 4, 1776."

So do you believe in MecDec or is it a bunch of hooey?

Where do you go to chill?

The A/C at my house decided to break down Saturday night. Sunday afternoon as the temp pushed 90 degrees, I had to get out of the house. I grabbed the kiddo and we headed to SouthPark mall.

Now I am not a shopper. I don't buy things for fun or therapy. Months -- I'm talking as many as six or seven -- go by between trips to the mall. I head there when I need something specific, get it and leave. I don't linger. I don't windowshop.

Yesterday was a different story. I pushed my daughter's stroller down every wing. I browsed. I got my kid some shoes to replace a pair that disappeared at daycare (We think she threw them in the trash. She's very into throwing things in the trash.)

Then when I ran out of things things to look at and with a shopping list that was incredibly short due to impending A/C bills -- I headed for Cheesecake Factory for a little midday snack. And here's the ironic part, when the waitress asked if we'd like to sit outside, I said, "yes."

Where do you like to chill when you need a break from the heat? Or if your A/C broke down, where would you go?

What's your favorite pizza place of all time?

Story on Yahoo! names best pizza place in the country. Guess what? It's not in New York. It's in Phoenix. Click here for the story.

My favorite pizza isn't in NY either. It's a local chain in my native Dayton, Ohio area. Marion's Piazza. Marion's makes thin-crust pie cut into little squares. Closest comparison -- though not nearly as good -- is Donato's. For one thing, it's not just carry out either. I love the location in my hometown, Beavercreek, for its throw-back yellow, orange and green 70s decor and game room for passing the time while you wait on your order.

This is how much I love Marion's:

When returning from a college internship in France -- home to some pretty tasty bread and cheese -- I made my Dad stop at Marion's on the way home from the airport.

When traveling to a wedding in Columbus in 2006 I worked in a side trip to Dayton just for Marion's. I wanted my husband -- a Chicago pizza guy -- to try it and I was pregnant and having a fierce craving.

So what's your favorite pizza of all time?

Getting a Taste of Charlotte?

Just back from Taste of Charlotte, the annual food fest uptown that runs through Sunday. For more info, including prices, festival map and list of vendors, click here. Or to read restaurant writer Helen Schwab's story, click here.

Anyhow, it was fun -- and very hot -- walking around the booths running along Tryon from Martin Luther King to Sixth Street. I sampled three different Indian restaurants. My favorite taste: UDIPI's made-on-the-spot dosa.

Tasted reminded me of food fairs I used to stumble on in New York. If you go, pack sunscreen, hat and water (overpriced like at most festivals). It's supposed to be in the 90s all weekend. Oh, and save some room for a cool treat at the end. There are a few ice cream and smoothie stands.

What would you put in a Charlotte time capsule?

In yesterday's column, I answered a reader's question about a time capsule buried in 1959 at Charlottetown Mall. And I posed this question: What would you put in a time capsule buried today in Charlotte? I'm curious what you have to say.