Bob's New Life in Columbus

Monday, April 11, 2011

May 30, 2009 - Part 1: Pickerington Ponds

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GOSH! Who knew it would be

20 months from my last post until

this one--and almost two years

since I made these photos?!?

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I suppose it's time to give

Pickerington Ponds Metro Park

a fair shake.

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If you know me very well,

you know I'm am not a fan

of sitting water. Ponds,

lakes, dams, mud puddles...BORING!

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Having said that, this

trip had a few nice

surprises and one

wretched surprise!

The white butterfies (moths?)

at the beginning of my hike

were one of the highlights.

In my memory

there were hundreds;

in reality, there

were likely dozens. :)

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I did capture some shots

of barns, like the one above.

I'm not a huge barn fan,

but my buddy Rufus is.

This hike is dedicated to you, my friend.

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I do like all of the little

features that make each

of our metro parks unique.

Even though this water

appears not to be running

(see my first comments above),

the bridge is cool.

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This white-flowered wild bush

was stunning. I'm not sure

what it actually is.

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I looked above me as I was

walking and saw what I thought

might be a beehive.

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It was a buzzard!

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Can you find the dragonfly

in the shot below?

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These blue herons are nesting in the dead

trees in the midst of the ponds.

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I think this grass was my

happiest moment all day.

The photo doesn't capture

the graceful shimmer and

flow of the seed heads

in the wind. It was so beautiful...

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Here lies...I dunno.

Obviously, this is an old

family grave plot.

A fence protects

its borders.

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See the swan?

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This cardinal darted playfully.

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It's at this point in the trip

that I have my worst moments.

I was attacked incessantly

by deer flies. These pests

are larger versions of house

flies but bite like horse flies!

This trip taught me to pack

AND USE insect repellent

when I hike this late in the year.

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Did you notice the blimp

in the shot above?

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Running water saves the

trip from the deer-fly

situation!

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I wish I had been smart enough

to provide a frame of reference

for this "dandelion" blossom.

It was literally

the size of a baseball!

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Wild orchids!

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A WHITE heron seems to own

this spot in the pond.

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These murals were created

by local school children.

They decorate the exterior

of the public restrooms.

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These kids are now adults, of course.

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Sunday, August 23, 2009

May 30, 2009 - Part 2: Chestnut Ridge

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As I was driving from Pickerington Ponds

to Chestnut Ridge Metro Park,

I discovered this house and yard at the

corner of Wright Road/West Columbus

Street and Diley Road in Pickerington.

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I determined that I would have to cross

Diley to get a better look!

(All of these photos were taken from my car.)

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It was as I had suspected:

there were THOUSANDS of dianthus flowers!

My grandmother used to grow these,

and each spring around Memorial Day,

we would take Ball jars and make tiny

bouquets of dianthus for the

gravestones of members of her

family who had passed away.

(We purchased sprays for her mother,

father and step-mother, but we couldn't

afford to supply bought flowers for

everyone that she wanted to

pay respects so we made

dianthus bouquets for them.)

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The traffic was quite heavy so I knew

why the city was having to improve the

streets with widening, but I was

saddened that whoever lives here

must have sacrificed hundreds of

plants to Pickerington's right-of-way.

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As I grew closer to my destination,

there were some lovely country homes

nestled in the first hills below

Chesnut Ridge.

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Chestnut Ridge...

This ridge is the first hill in Southeastern

Ohio's Appalachian Range.

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I was already high on the ridge when
I heard a rat-a-tat-tatting just to my right.
This tree, the roots of which are much
lower down the hill, had a visitor
trying to give himself a headache.
Can you find the woodpecker?
(You may have to click on the image
for a larger view of the photo.)
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I was disappointed that it wasn't a clear day;
nonetheless, there is the city of Columbus
in the distance. If I'm not mistaken,
the skyscaper on the extreme left of the
skyline is within a half-mile of where I live.
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This quotation is from a book called
Idle Weeds. (Read the subsequent
image's information for an explanation.)
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These are the maples he was referencing.
I hope to see them again this autumn...
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It's just a weed of some sort, but look
at the leaves on that thing!
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Isn't this pastoral?
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The city is reintroducing native wildflowers
to the landscape. Warnings of dire consequences
should someone pick these greet guests.
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The shot above shows a small stand of the
wildflowers. Below is a single bloom up close.
(Well, there is a second bloom in the background.)
The next photo after this one shows the
wildflowers in their natural setting.
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