Road Trip: Back Home for a Day

In deference to Jim's comment, I'll add two more pictures, from the Columbus phase of our trip

The State Capitol was built in the Greek revival style. Construction started in 1839, but wasn't completed until 1861. There was an eight-year lapse in construction, and the completed basement and foundations were filled in with soil, and Capitol Square was used as a pasture!

The Peace Statue was intended to honor those who served in the Civil War.

We spent Mother's Day in Kalamazoo. We attended church as usual, except that the meetings weren't at all typical. The previous Sunday, we'd had a special meeting at which the boundaries were changed, and our three Kalamazoo wards (congregations) became two. Our bishopric was unchanged, but many other positions were left vacant, as members moved to the other ward. So this Sunday, with positions still in flux, we only had Sacrament meeting.

This was also the day of the first Kalamazoo Marathon. I took advantage of the shorter church schedule, and as soon as Sacrament meeting ended, I slipped away to try and watch some of the runners. Thanks to Kevin's help, I was able to get to the Winchell neighborhood in time to see Jess. There were 1199 marathon finishers; Jess & Rachel (pictures below) were two of them!

Jess, in the Winchell neighborhood

Jess & her fan club

Other friends of ours ran the marathon as a family; you can read about them at their Facebook page, Mills Family Marathon. Rachel ran the entire marathon; the kids took turns running with her; and Abe choreographed it all.

Rachel and her fan club!

After the Marathon, we put flowers on our mothers' graves (Jim is very good about this), and then relaxed with our friends. Day 4 of our vacation: Excellent! On to Chicago...!

Road Trip: Columbus

More on our recent vacation...

Leaving Morgantown behind, we headed north on I-79, and then west on I-80, to Columbus. There were some impressive downgrades as we left WV and entered Ohio. There were also some impressive rainstorms - so I was glad that Jim was driving! Of course, his driving gave me added knitting time, and I was able to finish an elephant that evening.

The next morning, we headed to Karen & Vic's home, in Hilliard (on the west side of Columbus). Their neighborhood has pear trees, which were in full flower. Jim & Vic opined that pear trees are "messy," but I thought they were lovely.

We visited a bit, checked out the progress of Vic's landscaping in the back, fussed over Deuce (their Springer Spaniel), and then Vic & Karen took us on a driving tour of the area. And, of course, we had to eat, so we went to FirstWatch Breakfast Cafe, which Jim & I really enjoyed. I guess the restaurant is a chain, but it didn't have that feel at all. The menu was extensive, and the food delicious and satisfying (ask Jim about his 5-cheese grilled sandwich...).

After lunch, we went downtown, to the State Capitol Square. The Capitol Square is lovely, very green, and boasts many interesting sculptures and memorials. Jim took lots of pictures, but I'll only share a few here.

This is a beautiful building, located across from the square. We couldn't figure out what it's original purpose was (it appears to house offices today), but someone told Jim that it was originally the U.S. Post Office and Courthouse. It was built in 1887, and was also called the Old, Old Post Office, which delights me - I'd love to know the story behind that name!

Lest We Forget

The Daughters of the Union, an auxiliary of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), dedicated the GAR sundial entitled Lest We Forget at their 75th reunion in 1941. The sundial commemorated those who served past war efforts during a period when Americans were considering how involved they should become in World War II.

These notes were taken from the Ohio Statehouse website.

The McKinley memorial is a grouping of statues honoring President McKinley, an Ohio native. It includes these statues, representing Peace and Prosperity. Each is depicted as an adult figure guiding and instructing a youth, representing the next generation. The adult female figure of Peace, a palm of peace grasped in her hand, draws a little girl close to herself to confide that the greatness of the nation is in her peaceful pursuits, while the adult male figure of Prosperity instructs a young boy in the use of the tools of industry, the basis of so much of the nation's prosperity.

These notes were also taken from the Ohio Statehouse website.

These Are My Jewels

A series of life size portrait sculptures arranged around a drum shaped base gives recognition to the military and political leaders from the state of Ohio who contributed greatly to the Union cause during the Civil War. The figures include: Generals Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman, James A. Garfield and Phillip Sheridan as well as Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, and McKinley's commanding officer, Rutherford B. Hayes.

Guess where these notes come from ... yep, the Ohio Statehouse website.

"With God, all things are possible" is the state motto

Not only did Jim get to take pictures of buildings, but we also enjoyed visiting with a group of Civil War reenactors. Karen & Vic & I watched them practice firing the cannon. They had a Civil War-era handbook that they followed, and the process was detailed and precise, and ended with a resounding boom (powder only - no cannon balls flying around Columbus!).

Jim knows so much about Civil War history - a wonderful companion when considering that period.

And here are some folks who were NOT reenactors!

Vic

Robin & Karen

Jim & Robin

We left Capitol Square as it was starting to rain (and then pour), and drove through Columbus and to the Franklin Park Conservatory. We decided not to stop there, and I am sorry for that - it looked like a lovely facility, the kind of place you could happily spend a long while visiting (similar to Frederik Meijer Gardens, I suppose). Hopefully we'll have better weather for our next visit.

Buckeyes for Christ

Vic drove us through the Ohio State campus as well, and this storefront church made me smile.

By late afternoon, we thought we'd better head home. That trip was uneventful (although Thelma, our GPS, took some "interesting" side trips), and we were happy to sleep in our own beds that night!