Sunday, October 12, 2008

Surprise Visit - September 26-30, 2008

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I decided to make a trip home at the
end of September. There was some
cleaning that needed to be done before
Christmas, and this seemed like as
good a time as any other.
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After working really hard on Saturday,
the girls and I determined a trip to the
Memphis Zoo on Sunday would be a
great way to have some quality time.
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We like to sing when we travel. I throw
in a Broadway CD, and the girls and I
sing full throttle until we get to our
destination. While driving, I snapped this
shot of Beth settling into her comfort zone.
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Does anyone know at what age a kid
stops making silly faces when the
camera comes out?
Oh wait, what am I thinking?!?
Caryn's mother at age 36 is STILL
making faces.
There's no hope...
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We decided to ask Emily to join
us since she lives in Memphis and
since the girls think she's sweeter
than homemade ice cream.
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The remainder of the shots below
are animals and flowers. Enjoy...
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Just have to say that this is my
"girlfriend." Caryn dubbed the
ostrich my special someone when
she was much smaller, and even
on this trip, we seem to still be
"in love."
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Sunday, September 21, 2008

Metro Park 3: Blendon Woods (09/20/08)

Today Bob Dudics and I
conquered Blendon Woods!
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Blendon Woods is just north of Gahanna:
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The tree above and below is
the stately shagbark hickory.
Notice the closeup of its
shaggy bark.
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The hurricane force winds last
Sunday did heavy damage to
this metro park. I'm sure the others
were affected, too.
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I liked the way that this old tree
below put out new growth at
different points in its lifespan.
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The huge tree below was destroyed,
the top being completely wrenched
out. A large portion of the park was
closed because of damage that had
not yet been cleaned up from the storm.
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Weeds...but aren't they pretty!
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More weeds...but I'm
happy I took the time
to see them...
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Stagnant water, but the best
water source in the park,
sad to say...
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More wind damage...
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Nice 'shrooms...
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This promised to be the best
portion of the park. It was okay.
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Looks like snow or
coral reef, but it's just fungi...
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Surely, we'll find water down there!
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The creekbed's dry.
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My favorite shot of the day...
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Time to head home...
One last shot in the parking lot...
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Monday, September 8, 2008

Morning Glory (09/06/08)

I was on my way to the bank
this past Saturday when I stumbled
upon a marvelous sight.
This juniper at 757 Wall Street
in the Brewery District was
being completely engulfed by
a blue morning glory.
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The photos really can't capture the
overwhelming brightness of
each individual flower.
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God's flowers, which humankind label
with such monikers as weeds,
explode with beauty compared to
our attempts to landscape
through form and order.
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What a fantastic way to say,
"Good morning!"
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Always stop to smell...
to take photos of the flowers...
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Metro Park 2: Blacklick Woods (09/06/08)

On to my next destination in the trek
to see all of our areas metro parks...
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I have to admit that I was rather
disappointed that the creek that
forms the eastern boundary of the
park was hardly accessible to the
general public. Perhaps golfers
at the course had more access,
but it was not as easy to spend
time near water here as it was
earlier in the week at Battelle-Darby.
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Blacklick Woods Metro Park
turns 60 years old this month.
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What does everyone want to do
on a hot summer day?
Walk through a swamp with
millions of mosquitos?
Fortunately, this swamp--
which I would probably label
as a slough (pronounced "sloo")
in the South--was pretty dry.
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The caterpillar below almost got
stepped on. His coloring hides him
well, but it's probably not such
a grand idea to be on a human
walkway using his camouflage.
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The next four shots show the
diversity of color at this park.
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The plant below was similar to an
impatien. Same branching, similar
flowering, but unusual color...
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Not sure what kind of berries
these are, but the red is nice.
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This hyacinth-like flower was almost
unnoticeable as I strolled past.
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This magnificent tree must
my decades old!
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I was impressed with how low the
lower branches were to the ground.
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I had never seen anything like these pods.
Anyone have any idea what they are?
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I'm always fascinated by this "locust"
tree that has the barbs
growing from its trunk.
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Could it be the creekbed
coming up?!?
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We found it!
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My friend Bob Dudics removed his
shoes to get a little better feel
for the coolness of the water.
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This is my favorite shot of the day--
the little creek creating some
rapids on its way south.
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More rapids at the bend...
(although they're hard to see...)
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I LOVE running water!
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Why didn't Bob tell me I looked
six months pregnant!?!
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This was my last shot before I got
my crew cut Saturday afternoon.
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Ah! The pod plant again!
And this time it has some
visitors!!!
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Okay, this was not as great
as Battelle-Darby, but it was
nice spending some time with
Bob and finding a few new
treasures here in Central Ohio.
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