Emilia and I went over to Beulah Park to watch the Grove City fireworks. The rain stopped a few hours earlier and the sky was mostly clear. Very little wind kept the smoke from blowing away and after a few minutes, it was hard to see them anymore. This was the best shot of the evening.
Girls playing with sparklers near where we were watching the Grove City fireworks on the 4th.
Three generations visiting the Statue of Liberty in 2006. No matter how you came to be in America, whether immigrated or born here, being a part of this country is one of the greatest privileges in the world. Happy Birthday, America!
It was June 8, 1912, a day the New York Times called “second only to the inauguration of a President” because of the parade that included 15,000 troops, 2,000 motor cars, 50,000 Knights of Columbus, around 150,000 spectators, a 21 gun salute, and elaborate horse-drawn floats depicting noteworthy incidents in Columbus’ life.
At the unveiling ceremony, President Taft said, “It is most difficult for us by any effort of the imagination to take in the problem which Columbus solved.” Yet today Columbus is hardly thought of as a national hero to anyone beyond the third grade. Maybe the Columbus statue has simply been gradually overlooked as Washington, D.C. has continued to add more and more monuments.
The rear of the monument features a medallion in honor of Spanish financiers King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella and three flagpoles representing the three ships of Columbus’ envoy. Along with the inscription reading: “To the memory of Christopher Columbus, whose high faith and indomitable courage gave to mankind a new world.”
As you emerge from Union Station, the first thing you see is the rear of the Columbus fountain. Its marbled plaza is an alluring first sight, fitting as it is with the classicism of Union Station itself, and it’s open enough to provide a breath of fresh air and space after a cramped train ride.
Happy 4th of July, and thanks Christopher for discovering America, or re-discovering it!
At the top of Derby Hill, two racers prepare to coast to victory.
We attended the Soap Box Derby races near our house on Saturday morning. There were 32 cars in the race at Derby Hill in Big Run Park. This particular driver appears to be showing his confidence as his father gives him some last minute advice before going down the hill. The first All-American race was held in Dayton, Ohio on August 19, 1934. World Championship finals are held each July at Derby Downs in Akron, Ohio. Cars competing in this and related events are unpowered, relying completely upon gravity to move.
Accidentally introduced into Quebec, Canada around 1860, this European species rapidly spread throughout North America. Its spread through Ohio is well documented. It was first reported in the vicinity of Cleveland in 1873, where it was considered common by 1875. This butterfly reached western Ohio and the vicinity of Cincinnati by at least 1875. By 1878 it was regarded as very abundant in Southwestern Ohio. By 1882 this butterfly was already considered a serious economic pest.
While at the Lincoln Park Zoo, these ducks (ok, may not be ducks) were with the flamingos. Can you identify the name and species? First correct commenter gets all the glory that goes with being first, and correct.
The Chicago Harbor Lighthouse is the only surviving lighthouse in Chicago and one of only two remaining examples in Illinois. Built in 1893, the Lighthouse symbolically marks the Chicago Harbor. During the 1917 renovation of the breakwater, the lighthouse was moved to its present location, and its attached fog-signal room and boathouse were constructed. It is a familiar sight along Chicago’s shoreline just east of Navy Pier, where the Lighthouse continues to mark the harbor entrance.
Girls enjoying themselves at the fountain in Columbus Park of Roses. It was the perfect place to be, considering the temperatures in the high 80’s and bright sunshine.