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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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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Contining to swing back toward
the living area from the coat
closet, we have this built-in
desk area with cabinets above.
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I'll stop my essay now and let the
photos speak for themselves.
If you have questions, let me know.
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Okay...so Maria's not new, but she

loves her new home...and her daddy.

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November 15, 2008 - Lounging

Maria turned 5 (36 in human

years*) on November 4.

Don't let this lazy photo fool you:

she still would give a bat flying out

of Hades a run for his money!

I wish I could Photoshop her eyes to their

beautiful green color or even Willow-black,

but, alas, I don't have the capabilities.

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* According to several websites, a cat's corresponding human age

changes with time. The first year of a cat's life is equal to 15 human

years. The second year is 9, and all following years add 4 per year.

In a year and a half, Maria and I will be the same age!)

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October 26, 2008 - Trunk or Treat

Jason, one of Spencer's

daddies, took this shot

of Spencer and me

at church today just

prior to our annual

Trunk or Treat celebration.

* * *

We dragons stick together!

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October 18, 2008 - Pumpkins & a Cave

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Bob Dudics and I decided we would

attend the Circleville Pumpkin Festival.

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Commissioned for the 100th anniversary

of the Pumpkin Festival, this painting

on the side of an old building is amazing!

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I've seen pictures of the one in

Bucyrus (byou-SIE-rus), OH,

but I had never witnessed one

in person. The 3-D quality cannot

be fully appreciated in a two-

dimensional medium.

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Most of the arts and crafts were as

one would expect--chessy and a bit

mundane. This exhibit, however,

took my breath away!

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The artist grew up in Circleville. After

high school, he attended Columbus

College of Art and Design, where he

learned the art of glass-blowing.

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After moving to Seattle, WA, he

decided to put his past and present

lives together in these fantastic

one-of-a kind creations.

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I didn't meet Gus, but I certainly

appreciate his art as well.

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It's hard to capture just how big

this pumpkin is or the fact that

it's REAL! Notice the detail of

the carving as well as the painting.

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I asked permission of a lady to
take this shot of her dog.
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Ah, pumpkins!
So this is why they call it the
Pumpkin Festival!
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Hundreds and hundreds
of varieties!
I thought this warty one
was cool for Halloween.
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And the winner of this year's
heavy-weight division, coming
in at a whopping 1375 1/2 pounds!
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Sights around town...
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Okay, so I decided I had to

sample some kind of food!

What would be your choice?

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Bob tried the pumpkin coffee

and liked it very much.

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And my choice...pumpkin

cream elephant ear!

Scrumptious!

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Bob and I had some extra time

on our hands after the festival

and decided to go to Hocking

Hills for a hike. Little did we know

that the entire state's population

had come up with the same idea!

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Usually, my outdoor photos turn

out well, but I deleted half of these.

Perhaps I was trying to take the

shots too quickly to avoid the crowds.

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Although the roots are almost

completely out of the ground,

the tree is still remarkably alive!

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Our destination...Old Man's Cave!

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