Bob's New Life in Columbus

Monday, March 23, 2009

First Saturday of Spring 2009

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My friend Tim Denis of Mansfield

and I decided to go hiking at

Mohican State Park on March 21, 2009.

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The photo below shows the Clear

Fork of the Mohican River on its

sojourn through the village of

Bellville. We would follow this

stream throughout our day trip.

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Flowing east to the Mohican

River then on to the Walhonding

and Muskinghum rivers, this little

stream will eventually wind up

in the Gulf of Mexico by way

of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.

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Our first stop was this little chapel

called the Memorial Shrine.

It is a place for remembering

the war dead

(http://www.ohiodnr.com/oct01/1025shrine/tabid/12642/Default.aspx).

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Our next stop was inside the
park. Unlike driving next to
the stream in Bellville, the
Clear Fork was in the beautifully
eroded valley below us here.
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I love the Eastern Hemlock that

line the upper portions of the

hills in this area of the state.

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Ten to twelve buzzards soared

majestically overhead as we

surveyed the scenery.

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We decided to head toward

the covered bridge next.

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The island above was a

pastoral masterpiece.

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Below, I wanted to think that

the stones in the river were

put there by God, but Tim

thinks they were placed there

by man to help guide canoes

into the deeper part of the stream.

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Tim was able to capture the

U-shaped stone diversion, the

covered bridge and my ugly mug

all in a single shot.

(It was overcast, but it doesn't

take much to get these blue

eyes to squint!)

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I know...I take weird photos.

Why this swampy looking bit

of ground with some weeds, huh?

.....It was the only sign of spring.

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Trust me: it was much too cool

for someone to be wearing

flip-flops at the park!

Tim thinks it's a murder clue.

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Do you see the archer/fisherman

in the photo below?

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We were heading toward Big and

Little Lyons waterfalls.

I joked when we saw this tiny

tumble of water that this must

be Little Lyons Falls.

Truth is that this is the same

water that created BIG

Lyons Falls! Go figure!

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I realize now I should have had

people in the photo to give

some perspective of Big Lyons

Falls in the shot below.

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From the top of the waterfall

to the base is 40 feet!

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And, yes, you will notice as you

peruse these photos my greatest

fascination -- ice!

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I suppose the water comes off the

ledge in such a small quantity

but at such a great height that

the mist created by the splashing

causes the cold rocks to become

ice-encased. Fantastic!

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Oh, it was chilly the day we

hiked...but it was in the 40s--

not nearly cold enough for

frozen ground!

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I loved this huge piece of ice

in the shot below. I can just

imagine what it must have sounded

like when the winter thaw

released it from its ledge-

clutching height and allowed

it to plunge to the cave floor!

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We climbed to the top of the hill

so we could see what was making

all the fuss below.

It was this tiny channel of water,

barely one- to two-feet wide.

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Here the water makes its

suicidal plunge!

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Finally! A photo that gives

some perspective!

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And another that shows

NO perspective at all!

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I try to find things in nature

that others might miss.

I really found this black mass

on the birch tree (one of several)

to be cool. While I was sure

once I got close enough

that the growth was some

form of fungus, it wasn't until

I got home and saw this photo

that I realized the sparkling

quality of the parasite.

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After a heavy wind storm last

year, an uprooted tree isn't that

uncommon. What I found

fascinating was the rocks that

made up a portion of its root

mass. It must have been like

trying to wrench the tree

from concrete when Mother
Nature let loose!

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Ah...Little Lyons Falls...

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This one is much less accessible

than its older sister.

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Strangely, I found this

waterfall much more

mesmerizing than the

bigger one. I think it had

to do with the difficulty

I had getting to its base.

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We were blowing cold smoke

with every breath in this portion

of the hike.

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Again, an enormous ice chuck

on a slow thaw from the winter

freeze. Notice the Northern

red oak leaves--about six inches

long--embedded in the ice.

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I wish I had a better shot of this

icicle. It was probably twenty feet

long. Actually, it was a root

sticking out from the side of the hill

that had slowly grown an ice

coat from the trickle of water

that ran down its long leg.

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Here is the small water source

that created the lovely falls.

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I'm not sure how the log fell

into this position.

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The water is little more than

handwidth before it tumbles

over the ledge.

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From this side, we had a better

view...both of the waterfall and

the sign saying that getting

close to the waterfall was

prohibited. Whoops!

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At the end of the rugged

trail, it seemed the fork

started from a great

underground spring beneath

this tall hill.

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Actually, the Army Corp of

Engineers created this manmade

dam in the early 1900s.

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This is Pleasant Hill Lake, formed from the

stream, on the other side of the dam.

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And, strangely, this is the dam.

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This stone structure above allows

the water to flow underneath the

dam and release the water on

the other side of the road.

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The "octogonal" looking contraption

below is a flood control device.

It has never been used!

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This is another shot of the flood

control device. Should a deluge

of catastophic proportions ever

occur, the water would run into

this drain to keep the land around

the lake from going under water.

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This is a shot of the dam

from above. The water flows into

the base of the dam like a

gigantic kitchen drain.

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This guy is fishing at the spillway.

(What I want to know is how he

got there!)

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The rerouted Clear Fork of the

Mochican River!

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Thanks, Tim, for spending

the day with me!

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Sunday, March 22, 2009

My Funny Valentine (February 2009)

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I've discovered the trick to taking good

photos of Maria is indirect lighting with

no flash. See what you think...

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In these shots, the little rounder decided

to hit the hay while I was in the bathroom

getting ready for bed!

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Another favorite spot...
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I hope I never tire of this precious girl...
Happy Valentine's, Little Furball...
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Sunday, February 15, 2009

Brown Wanted Blonde, Got Auburn...

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Oh, well...I was trying for blonde

again, but I'm now a light redhead!

HA!

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I thought, rather than go to a salon

and have a cosmetologist turn me

pumpkin orange in their attempt

to make me blonde, I'd pay a

quarter the money and try to

lighten my hair myself.

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Wednesday, January 14, 2009

SNOW! (January 14, 2009)

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The snow fell gracefully and

abundantly today for about

12 hours straight.

These shots were taken just

before sunset--about 5 hours

before the snow took a break.

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The shot above is through my

patio door looking onto the

courtyard. We wound up with

about 5 inches of the white stuff.

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The shot above it looking straight
out my patio door due south.
I love the way the conifers look
when they're snowladen.
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This final shot is from my bedroom
window looking out southeast
toward the covered swimming pool.
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It took my co-worker 90 minutes to
drive his 6 miles home this afternoon...
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Saturday, January 3, 2009

January 3, 2009 - New Digs...

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After 22 months at my first Columbus home,

I moved into a two-bedroom/two-bath with

my friend Bob Dudics. The good part for me

was that I stayed at the same complex--only

moving down one floor and around the corner.

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The snow began to fall on the day of

move, December 5, 2008. As I've already

stated, this wasn't an issue because the

move took place inside the complex.

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Our patio and my bedroom window can

barely be seen (because of the darkness)

in the shot above. If the light of the street

lamp were the center of a map, the patio

is due southeast on the first floor.

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The first two photos above were taken

from the balcony of Apartment 226, my

original apartment. From the shot of the

snow-covered pool above, Apartment 158 is

in the bottom right-hand corner of the shot.

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POOF! Now we're standing on the patio
of our new apartment looking back east
toward the pool and my old apartment.
(The windows of my old apartment all
faced west; all but my bedroom window
of the new apartment face south.
My bedroom window faces east.)
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In the snapshot above, my old apartment
can be seen. It's on the second floor
on the extreme left of the photo.
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The stepping stones from our new patio to
the pool can't be seen because of the snow.
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And now I present
(fast forward a month)
our new apartment...
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As an aside, I became
violently ill with the stomach
flu on the weekend of my move.
Were it not for some great friends--
Bob Dudics, Wesley Williams,
Jason Krauss, Max Moore,
Jim Keller and Sandi Smith--
I would have had to pay double
rent until I felt well enough to
complete the move.
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The following shot is what you can
see as you open the door and look
into the apartment. My bedroom door
is ahead, and the door to the patio
is on the left of the photo.
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To the extreme left as you enter,
there is a coat closet on the left
and the door to Bob Dudics's
bathroom and bedroom.

(See photo below.)
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(I did not make photos of Bob's
areas in the pad. If you'd like to see
how his bedroom off the living area
makes a complete loop--going
through his bathroom--and ends
with this door, check out my
March 5, 2007, blog.
That side of the apartment is
exactly like my old bedroom/
bathroom in Apartment 226.)
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