Columbus' Architectural Details

Coming from a relatively small town, I was very interested in the many details added to some of the buildings in downtown Columbus, Ohio. Here is a sampling.

This was a side entrance to city hall.

The entrance to the police station.

B noticed the vine on the wall---last year's skeleton as well as this year's green growth.

This is the post office.

Here is a detail of the eagles and lions on the corners. Gotham City?

This was a business.

There are a number of old theaters that have been restored and are in operation for both live and film shows.

Check out the ticket office.

We were not able to identify the building on the corner across from the capitol building, but it may have been a performance hall also. It was very ornate.

Here is the capitol.

We were surprised by the rotunda's lack of a dome.

I suggested that the topic was in the legislature and they couldn't make a decision and the session ran out and the taxpayers said, "No, thank you," to paying them overtime to come to consensus. And so to this day, there is no dome. At least, that's my take on it.

We liked the flowerbeds planted as flags.

Back to the architecture...

I just loved the ironwork around this mini-brewery/restaurant.

In this restaurant/brewery where we ate twice because it was good and just around the corner from our hotel, there were very large panels of stained glass. This one was behind the billiard tables. The building is on the Historic Registry.

Wedding pictures were in progress as we walked past this incredible arch.

There was certainly a lot to see on the streets of downtown Columbus.

Columbus is Big On Columbus

Last week, B and I enjoyed a business trip to Columbus, Ohio for a few days. Neither of us had ever been to this city and so it was an adventure to be savored.

We went with few expectations and were pleasantly surprised by all we found there.

As B and I wandered around the downtown area surrounding our hotel, we came upon this statue of Christopher Columbus in front of city hall, erected in 1992 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of his voyage to the  New World.

The size of this ginormous bronze statue in front of city hall is hard to determine in this photograph. This might help a bit.

But this should do the trick: B's hand on the shoe.

As part of that same celebration, the city purchased a Santa Maria that is still docked in the Scioto River, just a couple of blocks away.

Here she is---fore and aft.

Here are a few details that caught my eye.

The oars in this boat were so small on the paddle ends. They looked like they would not be very effective.

This replica of the Santa Maria has been criticized for its lack of accuracy, but we were interested in seeing it anyway. However, we don't think the bronze Columbus was ever on this Santa Maria!

Mama's Rolls

Shown here is my grandmother's rolling pin, which became my mother's, which my mother listed that she wanted to become mine. Mama died last Christmas and we used the rolling  pin in her memorial display as she used it to make thousands of rolls and biscuits. She once won a prize for her rolls; and her poem that she wrote about her mother's rolling pin was one of her favorites and has been published.

Here she is at 88-- but she made our Christmas rolls at the age of 93 1/2, a day or so before her stroke. This picture was taken before she got her handy-dandy KitchenAid mixer.

Thanks to her tutelage, I can make yeast rolls with my eyes shut. In fact, with her macular degeneration, she sort of did, too. For this, and much more, I am so thankful.

I took the first photo above when I was home to see my dad and brother just over a week ago. When I go home, I try to always make them a bunch of rolls that I freeze so that they can enjoy rolls (kind of) like Mama used to make for them. She made yeast rolls a few times a week.  I have not yet reached the point where I can do this in her kitchen with her rolling pin --that is probably more than 120 years old---and Calumet baking powder can for a cutter without shedding a few tears.

Yesterday was her birthday. She would have been 94. I baked her lemon pound cake in her honor.

A Thorn in My Side---Rather, My Backside!

When school let out for the summer, I went south to see my dad and brother. We went for a ride through their citrus groves. Each tire collected thorns as we went. All of the tan material you see on this tire is thorns.

I also managed to get one stuck on the back of my pants ---and then sat on it in the truck.  I sure didn't sit for long! These are not the sandspurs I grew up with. I am not sure what they are,  but I know they pack a powerful, poky punch.

Zinnias by the Zillions

The zinnias have continued to flourish---and flower-ish!

We grew lots of zinnias last year and gave away lots of bouquets. When seeds from last year started coming up all over the place in the garden, I knew we were going to have even more this year. So, I decided to count them and keep a record of how many I picked.

To date, since May 4th when I cut the first ones, I have picked 1,200!! I cut them with  long stems, so I sacrifice a few buds in the process. But zinnias thrive on being cut.

The marigolds are going great guns, too.

This large pitcher contains fifty zinnias and uncounted marigolds.

This year I am selling zinnias to friends and making a little gas money for our upcoming trip.

Here are just a few of the ones that really caught my eye.

Mailbox Monday: Shedding Some Light On It

What-a-mater!

These slices came from a tomato that was not  "pretty" on the outside, but it was huge and delicious! It grew in our garden and may have been four that grew together.

Each slice filled the sandwich bread.

At this point, we are rather overwhelmed with tomatoes. 

What a wonderful problem!

--And, yes, we have made salsa and frozen it, as well as freezing some whole tomatoes.  We have given some away and we have sold some. 

Last year's crop was so minimal that we may just have over-planted this year.