Tag Archives: Photography/Art

Scioto Audubon Metro Park in Columbus

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My recent girls’ weekend to Columbus, Ohio included a short hike at the Scioto Audubon Metro Park.  We stopped there on Sunday before driving home.  The weather was glorious and the park surprised me with its proximity to downtown, one and one-half miles!
First, we had a buffet breakfast that was included with the room.  The hotel, “The Residence Inn by Marriott“, I found to be stylish, including the lobby and dining room.  The ceiling must have been 25 foot high..

We walked to the park, which boasts an outdoor climbing wall!

I’ve climbed one on a Mediterranean cruise and found it quite exhilarating!

The grounds were beautiful!  Autumn always fills me with an extra spark of energy!   Most likely it’s the cooler weather and dynamic colors!

We probably walked less than a mile, but the views were nice!

I hope you’re enjoying the outdoors this autumn!  That’s a wrap for the girls’ weekend.  We did and saw a lot in two days!!

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Walking Columbus

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Columbus, Ohio is a beautiful City!  I visited there this past weekend for my annual girls’ weekend and loved it!  We stayed in the downtown area and walked almost everywhere.

After spending a couple of hours at the Columbus Museum of Art, we walked down to the riverfront…and as you can see…it was gorgeous!

Cindy’s having fun in the fountain!  We love to take advantage of photo ops!

There was a festival with live music and booths filled with art…

This artist obviously makes art from mirrors…

I took about four photos of this sculpture.  While reviewing them later, it was interesting to see how moving a couple of feet or changing the direction from which I took the photo, could so greatly impact the color and visual feel of the photo.

My friend Cindy just bought an Olympus camera (I also use an Olympus) and isn’t familiar with some of the settings yet.  She took this photo and wasn’t sure what she pushed to get the effect, but I definitely like it!

If you have girlfriends…let them know how much they mean to you and if you don’t…get some!!

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The “Artsy” side of Columbus

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My annual girls’ weekend was in Columbus, Ohio this year and one of the places we wanted to visit was the Columbus Museum of Art.  We passed a number of beautiful churches walking from our hotel to the Museum.

The doors were simply stunning!

The weather was beautiful and sunny!

I loved the fence around the museum!

We were impressed with the museum itself!  The architecture was beautiful and their use of color and light was amazing!

This area for dining was so open, light and airy!

The “Chihuly” art was spectacular in the sunlight!  I first became aware of Chihuly sculpture while on a trip by myself to Las Vegas.

This sculpture was suspended…

This painting was a favorite of mine…

I’ve always enjoyed pieces that resemble sun bursts!

There was a design show being held at the Museum and the representatives were there to sell the pieces.  They had free drinks and food…so of course we had to partake!

Leaving the Museum, there was another photo-op!

Just loving the sky and the buildings on the walk to the hotel!

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Street Art and Wine in Columbus

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One of the advantages to staying in the City center when you travel is the ability to walk to most of the activities you choose to do.  While in Columbus this past weekend for my annual girls’ weekend, we decided to go to a winery that was almost two miles from our hotel.  Some other activities on our “to do” list were the Columbus Museum of Art, dinner at Martini Modern Italian Restaurant, listen to a live band at Park Street Tavern, and hiking at Scioto Audubon Metro Park.  I printed off directions to each location.

We set off walking on High Street, which is the main drag filled with restaurants and bars.  Here are some of the sights along the way…

Compared to Cincinnati, downtown Columbus seemed smaller and cleaner.  I really enjoy street art and there seemed to be quite a bit of it…

I’m always excited to find interesting architecture and when I saw this man leaning against this building, I knew the composition was nice…

This was one of my favorite paintings and the area was lovely…

My friends thought this one was a bit creepy…

When I looked up and saw this guy hunched over his laptop (or book), I knew it would be a cool shot…

Camelot Cellars, the winery we went to was very nice.  The wine was excellent and the interior had a loft feel with the brick walls and high ceilings.  The only drawback was the lady that waited on us.  Her vibe was definitely negative.

There were only two other couples there and one of them was sitting at the bar with us.  The woman had a huge camera and I thought she was just taking photos for fun, but then the girl across the room let out a gasp and began kissing her boyfriend.  We quickly caught on that he had just proposed to her and the photographer was there to capture the moment!  It was so cute!

I know this is a little weird, but I noticed a gnat in my friend’s glass of wine.  So, after I fished it out for her she put her glass on top of it.  I thought it would make a cool macro shot!

We wandered through some of the shops we passed during the walk home.  This one was so colorful…

Hope your weekend was great!

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Thurman’s Cafe in Columbus, Ohio

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My annual Girl’s Weekend was in Columbus, Ohio this year.  It’s only one and one-half  hours drive there from Cincinnati, but I had a great time…as usual!  For the past five years we’ve been going to Cities…Nashville, Indianapolis, Louisville, and Lexington!  Anyway, this Cafe was made famous on the travel channel show–“Man vs. Food“.  They’re known for their huge hamburgers!

Every square inch of the interior was filled with an interesting mix of signs, games, art, and photos!

The four of us split two burgers and they were deeelicious!

We stayed at “The Residence Inn by Marriott” in a two bedroom suite in the heart of downtown and loved it!

The decor was modern, stylish and functional…

Although we only used the kitchen to make coffee and to make sandwiches for lunch one day, it’s nice to have!

Let the games begin!!

 

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Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park

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Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park in Hamilton, Ohio is a beautiful place to visit.  Randy and I went there yesterday to get some exercise and for me to take photos.  He used to live in Hamilton and we affectionately call it “Hamiltucky” because many of the people from there have a Southern accent…similar to some “folks” from Kentucky!

The park is situated on 265 acres and they have golf carts to rent if you’re not able to or don’t want to walk to each of the 62 sculptures.  I’m guessing we walked about 2 or 3 miles and saw only half of the sculptures!

Citizen by Walter Driesbach

After picking my favorites to show, I have 12 of them for your viewing pleasure.  The sun would disappear behind the clouds occasionally and it was interesting to see how that affected the photo.  Sometimes it was better without sun/shadows.

Triumph by Michael Tearney

I found the names the artists picked out for each sculpture to be interesting and a reflection of their interpretation of the piece.  Roxanne has pretty hair…don’t you think?

Roxanne by George Sugarman

Still Life by Ed Benavente

Tory’s Comet by Harry Gordon

This is a historic stone house built by pioneers in the 1800’s.

The landscape was beautiful…

A girl’s gotta have fun.  At least I’m not lifting anyone this time!

Laocoon by Alexander Liberman

I used the pop art function on my camera for this shot.  It made the colors really pop!

Abracadabra by Alexander Liberman

J.S. Bach’s Fugue by Tony Rosenthal

This was one of my favorites, but it isn’t listed on their brochure…so I don’t know who the artist is.

The gardens were peaceful and lovely…

I love the way the sun’s rays are hitting these star crossed lovers!  And I can see my reflection.

Wherefore Art Thou by Sam McKinney

Adam’s First Breath by Sam McKinney

Melinda at the Beach by Bill Barrett

I was informed by a reliable source (Randy) that this is a manure spreader.

I’m gaining a greater appreciation of art as I age.  I wonder if that is normal.  Anyway, hope you enjoyed and if you’re able…check out some of the links listed below…especially the second one!

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Cincinnati Oktoberfest 2012 & Ft. Thomas Festival

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Hello everybody!  Hope you’re having a great weekend!  I’ve been sick all week…a cold.  I’m glad I decided to get out yesterday and go to the Cincinnati Oktoberfest and especially the Ft. Thomas, Kentucky Festival.  It was so crowded at the Oktoberfest, you were shoulder to shoulder with people most of the time.

I was in my usual mood of “lets enjoy every minute”!  Here are some of the photos from the afternoon…

We ate some yummy Goetta Balls…deep fried deliciousness!  Goetta is popular in Cincinnati because there is a rather large percentage of people with German heritage.  It is made from ground pork and beef mixed with oats and a few other ingredients.  Of course we had to have some Warsteiner beer!

My girlfriend Cindy came with Randy and I.  She’s a Grandmother and the oldest grandchild is 16 years old.  It’s hard to believe!  Here she is with a cowboy on stilts!

Randy’s looking quite manly beside this cool car at the Ft. Thomas festival…

I took some (what I thought were) “artsy” photos.  A guy laughed because I took this photo…

When we were walking to our car, I looked up and saw the light shining through the flag…

Fire escapes are an interesting photo opportunity because of their sharp angles and repetitive shapes!

While walking through the crowd, these guys asked me to take their photo…

Have you ever seen a “Redneck Humidor”?

The weather couldn’t have been any nicer…70 degrees and sunny!  The usual rides were there.  I think they look a little out-of-place in a City setting…

There were lots of booths at the Ft. Thomas festival.  Although the town is located right across the river from Ohio, this was my first time checking it out.  Some of the streets were paved with bricks and it was very quaint!

Randy bought me a “Shamballa” bracelet at the festival.  The beads are sewn together using the ancient macrame method.  Shamballa is actually a “place of peace, tranquility and happiness”!  Here are some of the displayed bracelets…

One of our favorite bands was playing at the festival–“The Danny Frazier Band“!  When Randy and I were dating 20 years ago, we used to dance to his music!  He’s the one in the center…

I hope you enjoyed coming along with me for a look at the Cincinnati Oktoberfest and as an added bonus…the Ft. Thomas, Kentucky Festival!

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End of Summer

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This weekend has been wonderful!  Saturday we started the day with our usual three-mile trail jog at the nature center.  There were beautiful wildflowers weeds everywhere, so I picked some to bring home.  Breakfast was a yummy smoothie with strawberries, banana, Greek yogurt, coconut milk, oatmeal flakes, honey, 1 cup of ice, and some Chia Seeds.  I discovered the Chia Seeds at Trader Joe’s and was impressed by the amount of fiber, Omega 3, and Protein in 1 tablespoon!

That afternoon we rode the Harley to the Milford Street Festival.  We stopped along the way because Randy wanted a photo with this tank…

We stayed at the festival for about an hour and stopped by the booth of one of Randy’s friends…Steve Black…who makes cool jewelry out of spoons and forks.  A lot of the pieces are Harley and breast cancer (ribbon) related.

There were a variety of booths including face painting…

This parrot was cool…

We stopped in a gun shop and I thought this would make an artsy photo…

And this wall looked cool.  The three different colors and textures really popped!

We rushed home, changed clothes and left for our next adventure…Bob’s Pig Roast.  It was in honor of his deceased wife who had died from cancer.  Everyone donated $10 to the American Cancer Society…so $2700 was collected!

This is Bob…

I took about 150 photos, but picked out just a few to post.  This is my friend Shari.  I took 7 photos of her with my flash on and she blinked every single time.  So I turned the flash off and…voila…

This was the beginning of the party…before most of the group arrived.  The port-o-lets were for the guys and the inside restrooms were for the ladies.

Randy, Frank and I were toasting with three different beverages in a wine glass.  Wine for me, beer for Randy and water for Frank!

It was a busy and FUN day!  I’m grateful we have so many nice friends!  We’ve had beautiful weather, but it is cooling off this week.  Hope your weekend was great and wishing you a wonderful week!!

xoxoxo

Country Roads Take Me Home

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Randy and I took a beautiful motorcycle ride last night.  He drives and I ride on the back…didn’t want to mislead you into thinking we have two!  Although it was hot during the day, because of the low humidity, the evening was chilly.

I told him I’d like to ride around and take some photos…so we rode for about two hours on country roads.  I wasn’t able to get him to stop for some of the photo ops…it was tricky on the roads…also having to turn around too much.

Something I find interesting is that when other people are driving, I get a little nervous and am quite the back seat driver, but when we’re on the motorcycle I feel really comfortable.  I feel a sense of freedom…and I tend to live more in the moment…experiencing the sights, sounds and sensations.

First we rode to a covered bridge that is shut down for repairs.  I would’ve taken a photo of the front, but there was a big ugly sign on it stating that…so here’s a photo of the inside…

This barn caught my attention…love the blue!

I like old barns…

This was a cute homestead…

It was starting to get dark…

I thought you might enjoy this photo I captured the other morning of an owl in the backyard…

Anyway, we ended up riding to a bar called “Plain Folks” that’s located in Pleasant Plain, Ohio, and met our neighbor there.  I didn’t take my camera in…but it’s a really cool place.  It used to be a school house and last night was “open mic night”.  Some really talented people sang and played guitars.  Everything from “On the Cover of the Rolling Stones” to “Take a Load Off Fanny”.  For being out in the middle of no-where, the clientele aren’t your typical “redneck” country folk.

We’re trying to get out and enjoy the weather before the rain starts Saturday!

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Taste of Blue Ash and 38 Special

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Yesterday was another busy day.  We started with a 3 mile hike at Long Branch Farm & Trails.  I love to trail jog and hike there because it’s only 5 minutes from my house and it’s lovely!  First we hook Jake up in the back of the truck where he proceeds to whine and howl the entire way because he’s so excited…

Next we enter our enchanted forest…

We follow along the trail feasting our eyes on all of the nature…

Cross over some creeks or in Jake’s case — wade through them…

Emerge into a clearing….

Take a peek inside the corn fields…

Do a hand stand because I can…

After a quick shower…it was time to hop on the Harley and take the back roads to the beautiful suburb of Cincinnati called Blue Ash.  Every year they have an event called the Taste of Blue Ash that lasts the entire weekend with well-known musicians, lots of food and plenty of people watching!  And it’s free!

Of course, I went off of my Paleo Plan again and had a pulled pork bbq sandwich and some fried pickles…

 

The bandstand…

People watching…

My girlfriends April and Anne and Chris…

This balloon was way way way up in the sky…

The band “38 Special” sounded great and they had all different colored lights…but the blue were my favorite…

My friend Frank…

We had a great time!  Hope you’re getting out and enjoying life (especially free events)!!

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The Germania Society – Cincinnati’s Original Oktoberfest

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Yesterday was a fun packed day!  We started by going boating on the Ohio River.  Our boat is old — but it’s fast and fun!  Kinda like us!  I prefer to boat and slalom-ski on the river rather than one of the area lakes because it’s less crowded and the scenery is better.  We’ve been boating on the river for 20 years.  This is in the New Richmond area.

Some of the towns along the river are quaint and picturesque…

We didn’t stay out long because we had plans to go to the Germania Society’s Oktoberfest on the West side of town and meet friends there.  Cincinnati has a large percentage of German heritage residents.  I’ve been to the Oktoberfest that’s held in Downtown Cincinnati quite a few times, but never to this one.  I actually enjoyed it more than the Downtown event.  We hopped on our Harley motorcycle (thank goodness because there were so many people there, you had to park a mile away if you arrived by car) and enjoyed a beautiful ride there.  Randy’s holding my Warsteiner beer (he’s not a lush)…we only drank one…they’re so big!  I’m usually not a beer drinker (I prefer wine) but I really enjoyed this beer and when in Rome!

Prost!

Here’s our friend Richard on the left – he’s 6’9″ tall (just like my son) – and doesn’t he look so German and handsome!  The other people are strangers that I requested a photo from…

I went off of my Paleo Plan and had a bratwurst, a few potato pancakes and a funnel cake (that I didn’t get a photo of because I was too intent on eating it)!

Some of the traditional games were there…including “The Rat Game”….nothing like betting on rat races!

There were rides…

Alpine Horn Blowing…

I liked the look of these flags under the large tent…

I love the atmosphere once it’s dark…all of the lights are twinkling and anything is possible!

I’m glad we were able to go to a festival type event this summer!  Hope you enjoyed coming along!!

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My Old Kentucky Home

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Had a great weekend!  Went 4-wheeling/gun shootin/fishin and of course photographing in Kentucky at my husband’s cousin’s cabin.  My son and his girlfriend joined us and we brought our dog “Jake” for the first time on a car trip longer than 30 minutes.  It was a 3 hour trip and he panted the entire way there.  Next time I think we need some doggie downers!  He had such a good time exploring the property and tracking all of the smells…the ride was worth it!

Here’s some of the land surrounding the cabin…

After unpacking the vehicles…I made sandwiches for them and had a huge salad for myself.  They snacked on organic cheeries/grapes/strawberries/blackberries and celery/carrots/apple with hummus.  I tried a trick with the apple that I found on Pinterest…cut the apple and put a rubber band around it so it won’t brown.

Then…it was time for the 4-wheelin fun!  We used to own 4-wheelers but sold them about 10 years ago…so it was a treat to get to ride again.  Here’s my son and his girlfriend looking like “The Terminator”…

After taking a quick ride, my husband and I went for a hike.  We walked in the glorious sunshine and stopped occasionally for me to take some photos…

We came up through the woods to find our way back to the cabin…

Then it was time for more photo fun…

I like it when people aren’t afraid of looking silly!

The porch had a lovely view of the fishing pond and was a great place to kick back!

This was calling my name….”take my picture—please”!

We did lots of target shooting!

A different perspective.

I brought along the ingredients for Se-mores…but I was good and only had a chocolate bar!  The next morning the lighting was different so I took this photo of the cabin…

We went fishing and I caught one.  This photo is of my son taken from the cabin with my zoom lens…

Jake wanted to ride in my lap for a few minutes on the drive home…

It was a wonderful weekend and we’re blessed to have our family and such a wonderful place to visit!  I hope you had  a great one too!

Down on the Farm

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Last night we went to the neighbor’s house to visit and swim a bit in their pool.  They have award-winning sheep, goats, chickens, a llama, dogs and cats!

This is Ranger.  He keeps watch over the sheep!  He’s got a quirky personality…very fun!

The chickens like to “surf” as James (the neighbor) calls it!

This guy wanted a close-up shot!

He/she wanted to pose for me…

They’re wondering what all the fuss is about!

James warned me about his aggressive roosters…so I stayed behind a log while photographing!

 

I liked the lighting in this shot…the light green grass against the dark green leaves.

Here’s one of the cats after having some cat nip…

If you ever get tired of looking at real sheep…how about a “decoy”!

Heading home…here are our views down the gravel road 1/8th of a mile…

Lovin’ life in the country!

Loveland Farmers Market

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I went to the Loveland Farmers Market yesterday.  Don’t you just love the name of that town…”Loveland”!  Anyway, I bought some of my most favorite bread ever–the “Bad Boy”.  Really…that’s what it’s named.  Needless to say, it’s fun ordering…”May I have a Bad Boy please?”  It’s kind of like an everything bagel, but crusty on the outside and soft on the inside.  Made locally by Blue Oven Bakery in Williamsburg, Ohio, in a wood fired oven –it’s heavenly!

I also made an easy new “healthy” recipe last night.  It’s 1/2 cup of cooked chicken (I put a little olive oil in a pan, cut the chicken tenderloin into 1/2 inch pieces, and cooked it on the stove for about 10 minutes), 3 tablespoons of a sweet apple cut into small pieces, 2 tablespoons of red grapes cut into small pieces, and 1 tablespoon of honey on a large Romaine lettuce leaf.  You just eat it like a taco.  Surprisingly, my husband even liked it.  The honey gave a sweetness so you didn’t feel like you needed dessert.  I served a piece of the bread (buttered) along with it…so yummy!

I couldn’t resist bringing home a bouquet of flowers (including sunflowers) from the market and some lovely homemade soap (made with 6 oils)…

I jogged almost 3 miles yesterday morning and after dinner, my husband and I hiked 3 miles.  I took a shower and used my new soap before bed…it made my skin feel so soft…loved it!  Slept like a baby!  Hello Morning!  It feels good taking care of yourself!!

Random Photos from Africa

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Here are some random photos that I thought you’d enjoy from my recent trip to Africa.  The first two are from an experiment that Neil (the husband half of the couple that I Couchsurfed with in Cape Town) performed.  I mentioned to him that I thought everything was connected in the world.  Much more than we realized and he agreed.  He took two pieces of clear glass and placed a dab of toothpaste on one of them, then he pushed them together and pulled apart.  This is what the results were.  The first one is with flash and the second without.  As you can see, every pathway is connected to another!  I thought it was pretty cool!

These ostrich eggs were quite bright and artistic!!

This photo is from Namibia.  It is a social weaver birds’ nest.  They were flying in and out as we stood watching the gigantic nest!

Also from Namibia…a herd of Ostrich!

This was potato placed into a shape to dry.  Not really sure how you eat it!  From Malawi!

As you can see….a lizard or gecko!

These little boys were at a stop in Namibia.  I gave them a beach ball and got back on the overland truck.  When I looked out at them, the one on the right rubbed his tummy to indicate he was hungry so I threw a banana and an apple out to them.

This lady was at the same stop as the boys above.  Her colorful quilted jacket was quite decorative!  Lots of living on her face!

Hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July and I’m grateful I live in the U.S. (but can travel to visit other places)!!

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