Bob's New Life in Columbus: May 30, 2009

-----

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.

-----

I determined that I would have to cross

Diley to get a better look!

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

-----

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.)

-----

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.

-----

As I grew closer to my destination,

there were some lovely country homes

nestled in the first hills below

Chesnut Ridge.

-----

Chestnut Ridge...

This ridge is the first hill in Southeastern

Ohio's Appalachian Range.

-----

-----
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.)
-----

-----
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.
-----

-----
This quotation is from a book called
Idle Weeds. (Read the subsequent
image's information for an explanation.)
-----

-----
These are the maples he was referencing.
I hope to see them again this autumn...
-----

-----
It's just a weed of some sort, but look
at the leaves on that thing!
-----

-----
Isn't this pastoral?
-----

-----
The city is reintroducing native wildflowers
to the landscape. Warnings of dire consequences
should someone pick these greet guests.
-----

-----
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.
-----