Yearly Archives: 2006
Lady Liberty
First visit to the Statue of Liberty. Impressed. 500mm lens, up close and personal. Amazing. Wasn’t allowed to take any photos of the bomb sniffing dog. There was a report of a suspicious package left at the base. The statue was closed for 30 minutes while the dog ran around. Tourists: Please throw away your garbage! It will cause disruptions! Next time will call ahead and get the limited tickets to actually go inside the base of the statue, would love to see the framework that supports her.
Ohio Caverns
Another beautiful weekend here in Ohio. So, of course, that means heading underground! Visited the Ohio Caverns near West Liberty, Ohio with my girlfriend, Emilia. These caverns are some of the most colorful in the world. The 45 minute tour takes you through scenes that are indescribable, very surreal. The cavern stays a constant 54 degrees farenheit year round. The grounds above the caverns are equally beautiful, as evidenced by the wedding that was taking place. Visit their website at <a href=”http://www.ohiocaverns.com/”>Ohio Caverns</a>.
Fonthill
Henry Mercer, an archeologist, explorer and collector, was born in Bucks County, PA in 1856 and resided in Doylestown, PA until his death in 1930. Fonthill, a concrete mansion he began building in 1908 and completed two years later. Modeled to look like a castle, the mansion is now open for tours and provides a peek into his amazing life. The mansion has been designated a National Historic Landmark. They were celebrating his 150th birthday, chosed not to pay to go inside, instead roamed the grounds and admired this fabulous home.
Washington crossing the Delaware
While visiting Pennsylvania in June for my nephew’s high school graduation party, took a side trip to Washington’s Crossing. Very nice area to see where history happened. This is a statue that, ironically, is not part of the park, but is at a hotel/restaurant nearby. Lighting was interesting this day and the results turned out fairly well. The fact that the main light is not on Washington, but the 2 soldiers behind him adds some detail to the statue.
Def Leppard in concert
Along with Journey, gave the crowd an excellent show at Germain Amphitheaters in Columbus, OH on September 10th, 2006. The original members ran around the stage rocking the night. Played all of their hits and a few of the new cover songs from their new album “Yeah!”
Journey in concert
Journey in concert, September 10th, 2006 at Germain Amphitheater in Columbus, OH. Excellent concert, along with Def Leppard. Energy was high and the sound was perfect. Great to see these bands out touring and showing they still can put on a great show. On the big screen behind the band is the lead singer, Jeff Scott Solo, who replaced Steve Augeri who was the replacement for the original singer, Steve Perry. He was wearing the Ohio State University Buckeyes quarterback’s jersey (#10 Troy Smith). OSU beat University of Texas the night before to remain #1 in the nation. Guitarist Neil Schon was unbelievable on lead guitar.
No climbing on cow
Now, what could have possibly happened that necessitated the placement of this sign? Taken outside an ice cream shop in Lebanon, OH over Labor Day weekend. Interestingly, there is also a large ice cream cone trash bin nearby, no sign on that though.
Birthday hat sadness
A guest at my great-nephew’s birthday party. How can you have a sad look on your face while wearing a party hat? Actually, she was only sad when the camera was pointing in her direction. Possible future Academy Award winner here!
Grabbing some air
With speeds reaching around 75mph, the hydros hit the waves just right to appear that they float on air on the course. During one heat, one of the boats went completly in the air, much to the joy of the crowd, although the driver was not as thrilled!
Vintage hydro boat
During a break in the racing heats, the vintage boats took to the lake and showed the crowd how the races used to look about 30 years ago. Notice the open cockpit, modern drivers have the advantage of closed windowed cockpits to keep the spray from hitting them. Of course, the speeds have increased dramatically too.