Random Pictures from My Camera

 

Sunset over Hilton Head

 

My Dad was OBVIOUSLY surprised by something.

 

Lollipop Eyes at the Relay for Life

 

Isn't Linus a BIG sweetie!

Teddy Wasn't There!

But I still had a good time at the Governor's Mansion.

The event was actually for the First ever Bexley Home and Garden Tour. The Gay Frog is a landscaper and was one of the sponsors. We had cookies and toured the Governor's mansion. Rubbed elbows with Mrs. Strickland. Met Jackie the turtle who lives in the fountain out back. The Governor's Mansion has an interesting garden. There are landscapes from all of the different areas of Ohio, including a HUGE sand dune from Lake Erie with all sorts of marshy plants around it.

After touring the mansion and grounds, we had a few hours to view the other houses on the tour. They had trolley's running between all of the homes. Apparently The Shottenstein house was amazing....infinity pools, groves of Japanese Maples and a maze. I didn't see it though. It looked like rain, so the Gay Frog and I went and had a beer at a local bar and caught up.

After a few hours of touring, the event ended at the Bexley Gateway. It's a new structure that has shops, parking and luxury condos. The event was in the parking garage, but it was decorated so well, you would never have known. Hot pink paper lanterns everywhere, lime green or black and white print tablecloths, steel drums, HUGE potted trees and flowers and fountains. WOW! Many of the local restaurants were there offering appetizers and treats. Everything from pizza to shrimp cocktail, quesadillas to sesame crusted tuna and rice noodles. Everything was yummy.

A huge storm went through, but it didn't ruin the event. I had such a good time.

Oh...did I forget to mention....

That I'm going to a soiree at the Governors mansion tomorrow night? I've been invited to escort a gay frog to a benefit. So, if anyone has anything they'd like whispered in Teddy's ear, let me know. I'm sure I'll have the opportunity (wink wink, nudge nudge). I do hope I have the opportunity to go through the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. I love doing that. I'm such a snoop.

Adios!

Today my dad is tearing down the Taco Bell in Marion. Don't get too upset...they're building a new one in it's place. This store has been standing as far back as I can remember. It seemed old and outdated even when I was a kid. It's time for a fresh start. Here are some random memories in memorial to this particular Taco Bell:

1) As a kid, Mom would always buy me crunchy tacos (the only way they were served back then!) and dump the insides out so I would have a salad. I'm not sure if it's because I didn't like the shell, or they were hard to eat, or I was just obsessed with using The Spork. I LOVE the spork.

2) Lawgirl -- it was at this Taco Bell that the "My Dad almost choked to death on a tortilla chip" story originated. If you don't know that story, sorry. It's all about the voice and timing. Can't tell it on a blog....

3) Growing up, it was the only place open late. It tasted great after a night at Mickeli's.

4) The bathrooms were on the outside of the building. You had to get the key from the manager and run around back by the drive-thru if you needed to use the facilities.

5) It used to be next door to Duffy's -- the best vegetable stand ever. Duffy's is long gone and a car wash now stands in it's place.

6) Years ago, this Taco Bell had been closed down for health code violations. Yet, we still continued to eat there.

7) The last and my favorite story. Taco Bell wanted to hire people for the closing shift, so on their sign out front they put up "Closers Wanted." I don't know if someone did it on purpose, or if it was an act of God, but at some point, the "C" disappeared so that the sign read "losers wanted." Still makes me chuckle.

Adios Taco Bell!

What's up with the weird trees in South Carolina?

 
Actually, the trees in South Carolina are quite lovely. They are beautiful and practical. They arch over the road and make for a lovely, shady drive.

 

They grow wild and crazy, overrun with moss. Their limbs are all twisted like some huge maze. So maybe it's not the trees in South Carolina that are weird. Maybe it's the people who take care of them.

 

Like this beauty. Possibly struck by lightening or suffering from some fungus, someone went to a lot of trouble to build a brick wall inside of this tree.
I don't know. It seems like a lot of work. Wouldn't it have been easier to remove the tree altogether? It wasn't attached to anything. There was no placard stating the significance of the tree. I wonder why someone thought this was the best way to keep the tree from falling over. Oh...and that's Doc Loveshack demonstrating how hard those bricks really are. Ouch!

 

Or lets take a look at this lovely little guy. Beautiful palmetto -- the State tree of South Carolina. But don't you think someone some day is going to need to use that parking spot? Can you imagine someone pulling in late and thinking there's an open spot, only to find a tree beat them to it? Again, who thought this would be a better solution? I know how a parking lot goes in...and it's a lot easier to remove/move the tree than to pave around it and deal with the maintenance.

Those silly South Carolina Gardeners and their trees. They make me laugh.

Old Sheldon Church

While in South Carolina, Doc Loveshack and I came across the Old Sheldon Church...or more formally known as the Church of Prince Williams Parish.

We found it quite by accident. See...we were on our way to find the South Carolina Cherry Company. You would think between mapquest, a GPS, and 8+ years of post-graduate education between the two of us, we could find the place easy. Ha ha. I thought so too. But the back roads of the lowlands don't resemble anything that looks like what the map says. So we got on this road that ran through the middle of a forest. Palmettos and pines as far as you could see...and I told Doc Loveshack that this is exactly how EVERY horror movie starts out. All we needed was for the car to break down and for some creepy guy in an old rusty pick-up to come offer us a ride to the nearest town where we would have to run for our lives....EEEK!

I was on the verge of a full blown panic attack when we passed a "No Parking" sign. Hmmm...that's kinda odd -- who would want to park out here? Then, as we were coming around the bend, we just about hit a whole slew of parked cars. Huh? What are they doing out here. From the road you couldn't see anything, but a sign that read "Historical Site of Old Sheldon Church." So we stopped and decided to explore. Boy am I glad we did! What a beautiful old relic.

The Old Sheldon Church was built during the Mid-Eighteenth Century. During the Revolution, it was used to store gun-powder. It was burned down during the Revolution by the British. The Church was rebuilt, only to be burned down yet again during Sherman's march to the sea. Now, all that remains are the arches and columns that merely suggest was a stunning building it once was. It turned out to be a peaceful place to get out and stretch our legs. I'm mighty pleased we got lost.

 

 

 

 

Oh, by the way, the South Carolina Cherry Company ended up being around the corner from the Old Sheldon Church. And it was worth the trip! Cherry Cider, Peach Cider, Pickled Garlic and Sweet Potato Butter just to name a few of the fine things that were sampled or purchased that day.

Relay for Life

So last week-end was the Relay for Life up in Marion. The company sponsored a team again this year. Over $60,000.00 was raised by the Marion relay for cancer research.

Here's our team during the initial team lap:
 

One major way to raise money is to sell luminaries in honor of people who are currently fighting cancer or in memorial for those who have lost their battle with cancer. You can say that Grandma J. lost her brief battle with cancer last fall...but I don't think it's fair to say she lost. She graciously surrendered so that she could finally go home....
 

A light for everyone that cancer has touched...
 

The relay is almost a 24 hour event. Not only does it raise money, but it also provides awareness, new friendships and hope. Here, we watched the sun rise on a new day...
 

To find a Relay for Life event in your area, check out this page.

Relay for Life

I know I've been bad about blogging lately...and I do have some funny stories to tell you about my vacation, but there is something more important going on this week-end.
Our little business is sponsoring a team for the Relay for Life event in Marion. It's from 6PM tonight until 3 PM tomorrow. We'd like to have walkers on the track at all times (despite the 90+ degree heat!). The good news is, we're selling popcorn and Sno-Cones!! I can't wait for one myself. Apparently our site is also by the water hose, so I've also brought a plastic swimming pool. You can wade around and cool your tootsies after you've done your walk.
The event is being held at the new River Valley High School. You can read all about it here.
Come out and walk a lap or two for us, won't ya?