Olentangy Living In & Around Central Ohio

We’re working on a rather major snow storm here today. I made sure the feeders were well stocked for the little feathered friends that visit outside my front window. In the winter, I mainly feed sunflower oilers because of the high-fat content.  

One of my favorite Realtor® photographers is Kristal Kraft, Denver. She takes fabulous photos. She recently put a photo on Facebook that she snapped of Denver western days. Her photo was of a slight woman holding back a team of Belgian horses attached to a wagon, much like the Budweiser Clydesdales.

The idea of this woman holding back thousands of pounds of horsepower, reminded me of this old family photo taken in 1908. The little girl on the right is my Mom when she was four. The adults are my grandparents. They lived and farmed in Knox County, north of Mt. Vernon, so the horses were used to work the fields. Kids actually were expected to WORK then.

Don’t you love their clothes! By today’s standards, my grandparents would be charged with child endangerment by allowing a 4-year old to hold the reins of such a large horse.

You can view Kristal’s Denver photo blog by clicking on the PhotoBlog list on the right side bar.

Imagine a summer evening. The warm sun is shining down toasting your toes. You have big, cold glasses of iced tea or lemonade sitting on the table to quench your thirst. The birds are chirping in the trees. Life is good!

OK, now back to reality to fix a cup of hot cocoa and wrap up in the Snuggie.

Last night we received yet more snow. I visited a listing late this afternoon and was intrigued by how artistic this luxury garden enclosure appeared. The enclosure is normally very attractive during the summer, but the 1″ of snow that coated the horizontal rails adds a whole new dimension to its design.

We’re having some pretty chilly weather right now, as is most of the country. Over the weekend, I did photography on a home. This is the cold view out one of the windows. Br-r-r-r-r. Fortunately these are high-quality, low-e windows. Is it almost time for Spring? I’ve enough of the cold already.

While waiting for a train, I snapped this photo along a road in Lewis Center. We were in the process of getting more new snow. Since we didn’t have a white Christmas, it was nice to capture some Christmas lights with snow on the ground.

Last week I moved to the Powell office of Real Living HER. It’s located at 379 Olentangy St in Powell, east of Sawmill Pkwy. Olentangy St is also called Powell Rd outside the city limits. Previously, I operated out of the Worthington office, but over time that office location was no longer convenient for me or clients. See this (Google Map) for the exact location.

This is a street in my neighborhood. Does Clark live here? I love it when people go all out to decorate. Wish I was that ambitious to climb on a ladder when it’s 20°.

Photo taken with my Blackberry.

Downtown Worthington resembles a large sized Christmas Town display. All the trees are decorated with lights and the lamp posts are trimmed in wreaths. I wanted to capture the stores just north of this intersection, but a nearby parking lot was full. Hopefully there will be another time when I can photograph those stores with my regular camera, rather than my Blackberry.

This morning we awoke to the first snow of the season. When I opened the blinds to let Murph out, he gave me “that look” as if to say “not this stuff again”! So he donned one of his keep-the-belly-warm-&-dry sweaters. (that blue & yellow spot is him).

Fall weeds along a walking path in Highbanks Park, Lewis Center, just south of Powell Rd. I drove through the park on a recent Sunday and noticed there were nearly as many walkers and people having picnics as there are during the warm summer days. Perhaps, it’s because we know that such days are limited for the next 3-4 months so we must enjoy them while we can.

The new and improved bridge at Home Rd, near Powell. It provides a connection between Riverside Dr and Dublin Rd, north of the Columbus Zoo. I took this photo from the parking lot of the boat marina on the Scioto River. This bridge replaced a very old, very narrow bridge a few years ago. I hated driving over the old bridge. It always felt as though my wheels were going to go through the steel braces. This new one is much nicer … and prettier, too!

Today the Buckeyes won the 2009 Big Ten Championship by beating ‘Meeshigun’ 21-10. As long as we beat that state up north, the season is complete. That’s how it is in Central Ohio.

In the ’70’s I made this Brutus. That’s how he looked back then. While mine is a small version, the real one was a huge ball that someone wore. The person inside the round shell could move the fuzzy eyebrows depending on the play or the score. The round nut was replaced with a horrible looking - and very short-lived head - that no one liked. Eventually the mascot suit evolved to what it is today. (read Brutus Buckeye history)

The one that I made above is a cherished possession because of the autographs. Archie signed an eyebrow and his brother, Ray, signed the other. Cornie Greene signed the mouth, Anne Hayes signed the nose, but since she used an ink pen, it’s no longer visible other than the impression from the pen.

We had Anne speak at our Union County Alumni Assoc and I was fortunate to have her seated next to me. What a treat that was, as she was so funny with her stories of Woody.

German Village, located just south of downtown Columbus, is an Old World style neighborhood. Originally built by German immigrants, the location was chosen to have access to the Scioto River for their breweries. The area has been renovated and is now a trendy, upscale community.

While there are many fine restaurants in German Village, my family and I recently visited Schmidt’s Sausage Haus. They are famous for their humongous cream puffs and Bahama Mama sausages. We happened to be there on a football Saturday, hence, some of the clothes and flags that you’ll see in the slides. Remember, it’s Columbus and this IS Buckeye territory.

Normally, I’ve posted individual photos in this photoblog. But I took so many photos of the unique homes, that I decided to provide them as a slideshow. I recommend clicking on the “Full” screen view for best resolution.

This is a little different perspective of some of the downtown Columbus buildings. It was a beautiful fall day, with a cloudless sky that we don’t often see here. This view is looking northwest from Main Street.

A pair of mallard ducks casually floating on the Hoover Reservoir, south of Galena.

This is a photo of my Real Living HER office in Worthington. It’s an older building in the bi-level style. The new offices around the Columbus metro area look much different. Of course, when building in Worthington, strict zoning codes rule so this style still fits. The office is located at 6902 N High St, just south of I-270.

The Ballantrae Golf & Country Club offers a unique design to traditional country clubs. Ballantrae is an upscale community between Dublin and Hilliard. The main entrance is off Avery Rd.

Worthington has many older neighborhoods that are in walking distance to Thomas Worthington HS or to the popular Village Green and quaint downtown. People select the homes because they have “character”, and aren’t cookie cutters as many other suburbs have. Worthington is unique with a very special personality, assuming cities can have a personality. The section that is known as Old Worthington, is appropriately bounded by North St, Morning St, South St, Evening St. Some very old, elegant homes are located in Old Worthington. The neighborhood above is just outside the Old Worthington area.