Yearly Archives: 2009

Basilica of St. Louis, King of France

The Basilica of St. Louis, King of France, has the distinction of being the oldest continuously operating cathedral in the United States. The first church on the site was built in 1718. The third church, built in 1789, was raised to cathedral rank in 1793. It is in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. Located next to Jackson Square and facing the Mississippi River, the St. Louis Cathedral is at the heart of New Orleans and is one of its most recognizable landmarks.

Golden Autumn

The leaves are changing quickly here in Ohio. This was taken at Slate Run Farm and Park outside of Columbus.

Old farm windmill

Besides the ubiquitous red barn, nothing conjures up memories of a farm than the windmill. Used primarily to pump water for livestock, it was also a good indicator of approaching weather storms. These days, windmills are used to generate electricity. Harnessing the wind is cheap and green. The farmer of times gone by knew the importance of the wind to the survival of his farm. Maybe the world needs to step back in time and realize that our ancestors may have been smarter then we are today.

Wooly Isabella

Using wooly worms (Pyrrharctia isabella) to predict Winter is old American folklore that traces its history back to early Americana. Supposedly, Native Americans taught the pioneers to read wooly worms to predict Winter weather. Wooly worm is the common name for the larval stage of the Isabella Tiger Moth. They are also called wooly bears.

Wooly worm forecasters say that the size of the brown band of color will tell you what kind of Winter is coming. Legend says that the thinner the brownish red bands, the harsher the Winter will be. If the wooly worm is mostly brownish red in the middle, Winter will be mild.

Based on the wooly worm above, I am predicting a mild to normal snowfall this Winter. And no, I did not name my daughter after this wooly worm!

Santa Maria

The world was forever changed when, in 1492, Christopher Columbus set sail searching for a direct trade route to the Indies. Carrying him was the Santa Maria, a 98-foot wooden “nao”, or typical cargo ship.

More than 500 years later, you can tour the world’s most authentic, museum-quality replica of Christopher Columbus’ flagship in downtown Columbus, Ohio.

Objects in mirror are larger than they appear

These four kids were having fun playing on a miniature replica of St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, Austria. Playing King Kong for a day brings out the kid in you.

Bryn Du Polo

We drove over to Granville to the Bryn Du Mansion to watch the polo matches on the great lawn in front of the mansion. It was very chilly for August, a high of 64F. It was fun to watch the matches and Isabella enjoyed seeing the horses running around.

Isabella at 5 months

Our beautiful daughter enjoying a rare cool day in August. She is almost five months old now. Time has gone by so quickly these past months. When people tell you having a baby changes your life, they are not kidding. Now that I am a stay at home dad with her, I get to enjoy every minute of her life and I would not change that for anything in the world.

Young girl fishing on Caesar Creek Lake

Back in 2006, when Emilia and I were first dating, we put our relationship to the test by going camping at Caesar Creek State Park. Spending so many days together in close company with each other can either strengthen or derail a relationship. Fortunately, we found ourselves to be very compatible with each other. In a few days we will be celebrating our second wedding anniversary along with Isabella turning five months old. If it wasn’t for that long weekend back in 2006, we may never have reached this point in our lives.

This photo was taken with Emilia’s point and shoot Nikon she had with her. I can’t remember if she or I took the photo, but it was shot after I gave her some pointers and changed the settings on her camera. It is also one of the most popular photos on travbuddy.com.

Dawes Arboretum

We took Isabella over to Dawes Arboretum last Friday. It is located near Newark, Ohio and is a wonderful day trip to experience some nature. This Monarch Butterfly was enjoying the flowers.