My Neighborhood: German Village (Part 4 of 4)

I determined to take an east-west

route through German Village

during this trip....

-------------------------------

Below (with little interruption)

are a FEW of the places I saw...

--------------------

An antique shop...

A deli...

J.V., this is a free-trade

coffee shop. I found you

a great Christmas gift here.

Lovely home...


Quaint backyard...

Another wonderful home...

Great groundcover..

Massive home...

Tremendous tree...

(I think an ash?)

Ione, this is a contempory

art gallery. I discovered

a great birthday gift for

you here.

The shop owners greet their

patrons with water, tea, or

coffee on a tray at the door...

Although these photos of

Bob and Dillon are from

today's trip to the Village

rather than yesterday's,

I decided to intersperse

them anyway...

This is Schmidt's

Sausage Haus.

This is Dillon pretending

to be a German boy...

This is a chocolate shoppe.

Dillon is Bob's "god-dog."


This was the shrub that

gave German Village its

spring smell. I think

this must be what heaven

smells like...

Sally, can you identify

this plant?

One of several churches

in the area...

A wine shop, Daniel...

I am mermerized by

the all of the different

kinds of evergreen here...

Gingerbread house next

to evergreen above...

A weeping...fir?

Pretty...

This house is at the

intersection of

Frankfort and ____?

At this point in GV,
Frankfort is one-lane.


For all of you hard-headed
Southerners (like ME) who
think you know the best
route home after an
ice storm, take my advice:
use the recommended
roads. It's no fun
navigating a one-lane
iced street with cars
on both sides of it.

WOW!

I saw this shrub in

a flower book years

ago and have never seen

one up close. What

a great plant!

Another shot of Frankfort...

------------------

At the end of it

is my apartment complex.

This is Mohawk Street.

It's the only street with

light colored bricks

delineating the center line.

This is the original

Max & Erma's. I

know, my Southern

friends: that means

nothing to you,

but in these

here parts, it's

like the first

Cracker Barrell.

A little friend

stops and poses...

A work of art!

A wedding will

soon occur...

What every village must

have...a Starbucks!

But not without competition:

this is Cup O Joe...

Next to Cup O Joe is

the Book Loft.

--------------

It's not wide, but

it is LONG...a city

block!!!

There are 32 ROOMS of books

in a three- or four- story

home with half-floors

galore!

Another great evergreen...

Daniel, this is the place

I've decided you can put

your hair studio if you

move here. It's on

Mohawk Street, and it's

currently for lease!

I think the street address

is all the name for a

salon you need:

666 Mohawk:

"Where killer cuts

are to die for..."

A pretty home and garden...

Hmmm....

The main store I wanted

to visit closed at noon.

It's a glass shop.

Maybe the one in the

middle is more my style...

A view down City Park...

Love it!

Most tulips are gone,

but I thought these

looked great!

Stately homes...

A local bar...

An otherwise plain

house...

A tiny park...

One of the ritzy

restaurants...Lindley's.

A shop I'll have to visit

earlier than 5:30 on a

Saturday...

After five hours, I had

only covered about two-

thirds of GV...and

only the east-west

corridors.

----------------

Next time: the

north-south route!

My Neighborhood: Schiller (Part 3 of 4)

After crossing High, I set out

on my next leg of the afternoon

sojourn. My goal: Schiller Park...

-------------------

Below is an example of the

architecture in and around

German Village.

I've probably mentioned this

in earlier posts, but almost all

of German Village and the

Brewery District have brick

streets. I wonder how many

million bricks this little

area of the world boasts?

Imagine my joy when I discovered
my favorite ornamental tree in
abundance here. Most of the
dogwoods in TN and MS
blossomed in early March.
As you can see, the ones in OH
still are between bud and
bloom stages...



I thought I wouldn't forget the

name of this building, but...


Ah-ha! Schiller Park!
Below was my first view of
the lovely park. I was on its
southern border looking
toward Downtown.


---------------------

You can see the back of
the amphitheatre in the distance.


A fishing pond...being well utilized...



See the ducks?

Here is the park's namesake.

I suppose he was the first

German in the area...

A playground for the children...

My only regret of this set of shots

is that I didn't take enough

photos of the gorgeous,

well-maintained homes

surrounding the park.

----------------------

Other than a few rundown

abodes, all homes around

the park were incredibly

beautiful with unique

designs that made each

one fascinating to behold.

I hate that the "rain" wasn't

falling on this metal maiden...

This is the northern entrance

to the park. Looking north,

I can see the downtown

skyscrapers in the

distance...Steps from

the park but a century away...

My Neighborhood: The Scioto (Part 2 of 4)

Well, today was supposed

to be my first softball

practice with the church

team, but instead of arriving

five minutes early, I

arrived one hour and 55

minutes late!

The last two Saturdays

had practices scheduled

(and subsequently canceled

due to weather) at

noon. Today's practice was ten.

Bummed, I went home.

Rather than waste a gorgeous

day, I decided to take a

tour of my neighborhood.

I left at 1:00 and didn't return

until 6:00!

When I left my apartment, I

walked east to High Street.

Here's a shot at Frankfort

and High, looking north

toward downtown...

Across the street is

German Village Antiques.

Don't let the name fool you:

the store is technically

in the Brewery District.

All businesses want the

German Village

designation because it

holds more clout.

There are four major historic
districts in town: German Village,
the Brewery District, Victorian
Village, and Italian Village.

There are also a myriad of

other smaller districts.

For example, Merion Village

is just south of the

Brewery District on High.

Still within the Brewery

District, this is a shot of

Plank's Bier Garten.

Our church team will

play the men and

women who frequent

this bar during

softball season.

Hoo boy...

At Whittier, I headed back

west toward the railroad

tracks and the river.

At Front Street, I headed

south again toward

Greenlawn Avenue.

From Front, I can see

the Scioto River across

the railroad tracks.

If you could see through

the trees at the middle

right of this shot, you might

see Brewers Yard, my

apartment complex...

The Scioto (SI-oto) River
is the town's largest
waterway.

I love this manmade

structure that gives the

river a waterfall.

(I'm snapping this shot

from the top of the

Greenlawn Avenue bridge.)

At the base of the bridge,

I took this shot looking west

toward Interstate 71.

On the left you can

see Berliner Park,

a sports park with over

20 baseball diamonds.

This is where I will play

softball all summer long.

(My first game is Monday

night at 6:15.)

Now on the other

side of the river, I can

get a better shot of

the waterfall.

I don't dare walk on

the concrete sides, which

are made at a 45-degree

angle downward.

Some people are fishing

at the base of the one on

the opposite side of the river.

Click on the photo,

and you'll notice a man

in the river fishing.

This is heavily frowned

upon due to the surge

of the river and the depth.

I walked down a bike trail to

get this shot. A few men

were on the banks fishing...

As I make my way back east

across the river,

I notice a coal train making

its way northward...

My Neighborhood: Strep (Part 1 of 4)

I decided to break this blog entry into

four separate entries. I took a few photos

at the first of the week and LOTS of

photos today. (If I get tired, I'll postpone

later posts until tomorrow.)

As most of you know, Daddy was diagnosed

with Stage 3B of lung cancer on April 9th.

(If you want more of that story, email me:

I'll be glad to provide the details.)

Anyway, after spending ten days in

Mississippi, I began my

journey home a week ago today.

The day didn't begin so well...

Because of the stormy weather

in Memphis the night of Friday

the 13th, my plane to Charlotte

was delayed three hours, which

also meant I would miss

my connecting flight.

US Airways re-routed me to

Philadelphia at 9:30 a.m. on

Northwest; then I had a five-hour

layover in Philly before I

could catch the plane

back to Columbus.

The ride from Philadelphia to Columbus

was so bumpy, I thought I was riding

a roller coaster. UGH!

I knew I felt bad when I landed:

what I didn't know was that I

was beginning to catch strep.

On Sunday I tried to go to a

Minor Med (called Urgent Care)

in Columbus. I didn't realize

that they don't start at 8:00

on Sundays like they do in

Memphis so I grabbed NyQuil

at Walgreens and headed

home to try to get some rest.

It's amazing how sassy cats can

become so very loving when

their daddies are sick. Maria

kept vigil beside me (or in my

lap) for the three days I was ill.

I read a plaque today that said everyone

needs a cat AND a dog to lead a

balanced life: a dog to adore you

and a cat to ignore you. HA!

The wind was blowing so hard on Sunday

and Monday that I hardly could stand when

I was outside. The wind chill on Monday

was still a crisp 36 degrees!

I finally made it to the doctor on Monday

to discover that I indeed tested positive

for strep. I was told not to return to work

until Wednesday. I wonder if my co-workers

will recall what I look like?

On Monday I noticed that the cover

had been removed from the pool.

The waves from the wind looked

like tidal waves. (A bit of hyperbole...)

On Tuesday morning, I heard voices

outside my apartment. The

maintenance guys had pulled the

plug in the pool, and were getting

it cleaned for the coming season.

By late Tuesday afternoon, the pool
was empty and the patio
furniture was out!



This shot was taken this morning of
water being added to the pool
with a tiny water hose.

Hopefully, we'll have enough
water in there by Memorial Day
for a nice swim...

Spring in CHM before winter returns...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkHIl9o-wGI

Proverbs 18:24

So which interpretation is right? Can all of them be right?

A man of many companions may come to ruin,

but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

A man who has friends must himself be friendly,

but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

He that maketh many friends doeth it to his own destruction;

But there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

There are “friends” who destroy each other,
but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.

The man of many friends [a friend of all the world] will prove himself a bad friend, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Day 8: THEY'RE Ah-LIVE!!!!

Okay...I know the tray

looks a lot like it did last

Sunday when I started it,

but let's examine it a little closer...

Below is a shot of my

first pepper plant sprout!

YEA!!!

The spouts below have yet

to unfold toward the sky, but

tomorrow there should be

about four little babies stretching

their arms upward and outward

just from this one six-pack!

The next photo is not a pepper sprout.

She's my baby feeling very at home

in her new surroundings.

(See, Maria, Daddy promised

we wouldn't make moving a habit...)

By the way, it's 77 degrees here

at 5:30 in the afternoon. Lovely!

Pamela and I pitched the softball

a little while this afternoon...

mostly to prove to myself that I

can still catch the ball 27 years

after Little League ended...