Huntington Park Columbus Ohio

Take me out to the ballgame, take me out with the crowd, buy some peanuts and cracker jacks....sing along. Here I am (oophs eyes closed), at our local ball field, Huntington Park a few weeks. What a deal this night of entertainment was. I bought a Groupon (50% off which meant I paid for 1 ticket and got 2), through Superpoints (see badge in sidebar), which meant I also got POINTS! We had a "ball". Huntington Park is an awesome ball park.
Entertainment for the whole family. After all baseball is America's Game. This is ride for the wee ones is like riding the horses outside grocery stores. We passed this on our way to our seats.
Some interesting large historical posters give a real feel for the long standing history of the game in Columbus Ohio.
Some cute kids in front of us. Good friends who really enjoyed the game. Surging the team on with their rally caps.
You pass the Liberty Bell, which has it's own separate history. Sadly I couldn't get a good picture of it without people, or get close enough to explore the history and have found nothing on line to fill in the gaps. Notice the picnic tables off to side? Lots of places to eat if you want to have your meal before you get settled, though there are cup holders on the backs of the very comfortable seats.
Food choices are in abundance with stands everywhere. And...some pretty cool art for the kids to interact with.
Highlights was in attendance the night we were there, handing out book bags with goodies for the kids...puzzles, stickers, and books to read.
We arrived early to pick up our tickets at will call, thus the stadium is still pretty empty while the teams begin their warm up.
And for the hotdog in all of us! A photo opt no one can pass up. Be the hotdog, see the hotdog. lol

Baseball began in Columbus during The Civil War being one of the earliest ball clubs. The first games were played at the Broad and Parson Field, where The Franklin County Insane Asylum was located. There have been multiple locations, and multiple owners for The Columbus franchise through out the years. At times the team was the AAA team for The Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees and even the St. Louis Cardinals. No matter where the team played, or whom the owners were the history of baseball in Columbus is long and deep.

Take your family out to the ballgame and enjoy America's favorite past-time.

If you'd like to have a good time, and save money in the process...I encourage you to join superpoints and be sure and check the local deals in your area. There are 3 easy steps to joining.

1. register
2. verify your email addy
3. take care of your profile

If you join, let me know. Happy to help if you have questions. To date, I've earned $100.00 in Amazon Gift Cards through superpoints. Though you have options how you'd like to convert your points, I've chosen all Amazon gift cards. These gift cards have gone towards the purchase of school text books for kids in need. If you join, you too can be a part of that. When you spin and win for yourself and your family (I do also). Talk about a win, win, win situation. You, Me and ultimately the kids who get the text books they need for school.

The Old Mohawk, Columbus Ohio

Around the bar on a Saturday afternoon, at The Old Mohawk in German Village. Hubby and I had attended the annual Haus and Garten tour in German Village. Hot and dusty and naturally thirsty we stopped in at an old favorite location. When we were younger we visited The Old Mohawk often for Beer and Burgers. Was always a fun location, small and a bit of a dive...but a good dive.

The Bar's been in operation since 1933, so it's quite historic. It's located at 819 Mohawk Street on the corner of Mohawk and Kossuth in the heart of German Village. Myles Elk opened the tavern in 1933 after the 18th amendment, Prohibition was abolished. Rumor have it, they were famous for the turtle soup, which was always made fresh. The turtles were raised in the basement. Now, I believe this was more then a rumor. My Mother actually visited upstairs in her youth. Her family knew the owner. She informed me years ago they had turtles in the basement. If Mom said it, I take it as fact, not rumor.
You can get a feel for the place with brick walls, the tin ceiling and the old original artifacts on the walls. Myles operated The Mohawk until his death in 1947. It was then managed by some of his family until 1975 when sadly it was sold to 2 brothers who cleaned it up and tried to make it hip. It was called Tiffany's then. We went once and twice and felt like they ruined it. We liked the Old Mohawk and it's being bit of a dive. Luckily that period of time in it's history was a short 2 years, when the current owner purchased it and once again made it The Old Mohawk.
You can see a time line of it's history on their menu. The menu...well typical bar food.

Sorry this photo is a bit dark, as I was looking towards the windows.

It's a comfortable, come as you are place with a reasonable variety of food selections, beer selections, wines and mixed drinks. Prices are good, service was a bit slow the day we were there. However, to be fair...I think they'd been beyond busy because of the tour. So, I don't hold that against them, and do plan to return. We had a snack....a HUGH order of nacho grande for $9.59 between the 2 of us and didn't eat it all. Excellent appetizer to share. I had a reasonably good margarita while hubby had a beer. We left refreshed and full.

Appropriate for couples, and small groups. It's not particularly family oriented which is fine to my way of thinking. It's small and not really room for kids to move about. Casual dress.

Recommend you give it a try. In case you're curious....there is no turtle soup on the menu, nor turtles in the basement.

Check back for when, where and how to travel any day of the week. And remember Monday is Menu Monday. Ahead for change, so posting this a day early

Car Travel and Summer Family Vacations

Pack the car and grab the kids and take your family vacation. Yes pack the car, not board the plane. Cars travel is much more suited to a family vacation then plane travel. Something families should consider before they book those expensive plane tickets and spend money that makes the vacation more expensive then it needs to be.

Why car travel over plane travel?

1. It's far more cost effective
2. You can do it on your time table (like traveling around kids nap times)
3. You can stop when you need to for bathroom breaks (not wait til the light goes on that it's ok, while your child moans that he or she has to go, not wait til it's smooth in the air, not wait til 300 ish other passengers make their way to the itty bitty bathroom)
4. You can see interesting things along the way
5. You can play family games and carry on conversations (often not possible on the plane because it's too loud with the motor noise and that off the other 300 ish passengers)
6. You can eat when you need to, not work around flight delays.
7. The kids can move a little, lay down and nap if need be.

Why do so many families opt for plane travel vs car travel?

1. They perceive it's easier and faster.
2. Depending on where you're going it might or might not be faster.
3. Based on what I've seen in my travels....there is NOTHING about it that's easier.

• Kids crying because they don't under security
• Kids crying because they don't understand not being able to eat or go potty when they want
• Kids crying because they don't understand delays
• Kids crying because they don't want to stay buckled
• Kids crying and wining because they don't understand or like that they have to turn off the movies, their games, or their music
• Kids crying because they're just plain worn out from getting up too early, running through the airport, not being able to carry or pull their luggage
• Parents irritable because they kids are wearing them out, and they are stressed
• parents irritable because they can't get all 4 seats together (or even 3, cause they didn't bother to check in ahead of time
• Kids general unhappy because they can't sit that long, and not self entertain

When you travel by car, you can the actual trip, not just the destination part of the vacation.

If you feel you must travel with the young kids by plane............next post. Making plane travel non stressful takes LOTS of work, and preplanning. Do stop back in.

The Rain in Spain

The Rain in Spain stays mainly on the plains....can't you hear Eliza singing that in My Fair Lady!

Packing for the weather can be difficult, particularly if you're travel to a new and unknown area. What's it like? Do I need flip flops for the beach, boots to stay warm, or an umbrella to ward off rain? The weather in Spain is even more confusing. Why? There's a large diversity in the weather due to inland conditions, beach front, as well as mountainous terrain. Making your first necessary stop, The Spanish Weather website.

The website is easy to navigate and provide a great deal of information. Weather temperatures are listed both in Fahrenheit and Celsius to aid travelers from all over the globe. If you're heading to Spain to golf, or do other outdoor activities you really need to plan ahead and pack accordingly.

You can perform searches for a specific city to help you plan, as well as obtain a 3, 5, 7, 10 or even 14 days weather forcast. But, there's more. There's beautiful pictures posted with each city's weather; as well as a wonderful overview of the history in the area. Additionally, information regarding the numerous city festivals so very popular throughout the country.

So while Eliza might be struggling to sing, The Rain in Spain stays Mainly on the Plain.....pay no attention or leave your trip to chance. Visit the website, Spanish Weather today.

Have fun in your travels.

Gifts that Travel

FREE
Did you notice that? Free is always such a fabulous word, made up of just 4 letters, 2 consonants and 1 vowel that repeats itself. You might think you don't need business cards, maybe you're not even in business; but everyone needs them. Say you're traveling, on vacation and meet someone you wish to exchange information with..........you need a business card. 250 FREE cards...what an offer, don't pass it up.

But Vistaprint has far more to offer then business cards. You can costume order hats, t-shirts, tote bags, magnets, and calendars and more. Vistaprint offers items to aid anyone in their business, as well as items needed in day to day personal lives. Are the kids on a sports team? Are you involved in an organization through your church or school? Design brochures, gift certificates, notecards, signs and banners.

Think of special Christmas gifts you can design, make them personal. How bout a special calendar for the members in your family from pictures of special moments together? Planning a wedding, a family or class reunion....Vistaprint is a must stop for you with a huge variety of offerings. Purchasing is easy and convenient. You can use a variety of charge cards, as well as pay with paypal.

You'll notice the banner in my side bar, click on the picture above or in my sidebar to make your purchase today.

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Restaurant Season

While this picture is a Lemon Drop Martini I made at home, it makes me think of summer and "Restaurant Season". Why? People are out and about more in summer, people travel, go on vacation and therefore tend to eat out more. Recently one of the martini glasses I packed in my suitcase got broken. That got me thinking about peachsuite.com. This restaurant supply website has hundreds of items for sale. Shop right from the comfort of your computer chair. Open a free account, add items to your shopping cart and away you go. One of the items I noticed right off the bat, was a Polycarbonate Martini Glass!

Hosting a wedding, a conference or large family reunion? Hospitality supplies and Hotel Cleaning Supplies are also available. You might not be concerned with cleaning like a hotel does, but the supplies you need to put on an event are pretty much the same. Maybe you need linens, tables, chairs and other related items to pull it all together. Maybe, you're having a special class reunion and need to spruce up a large empty room. You're just one click away from finding everything you need to make your event a success.

You need a large blender, large ice-machine, snow cone machine, or other catering supplies, and quality restaurant equipment to take on the task at hand? Look no further, let your mouse lead the way by adding items to your shopping cart. AND, look for special free shipping available on large orders.

Speaking of Restaurants, don't forget to check in on Monday's. Menu Monday will be gearing up again with a host of restaurant reviews to aid you in your travels.

Olympics, Park City Utah View

This sign post lists locations of winter Olympics and their distance both in miles and kilometers and is located just off historic Main Street in Park City, Utah.

The sign reads:
Grenoble, 5,342 miles. The Olympics were there in France in 1968, Winter Olympics that is. And from this spot.........one knows the distance to the various spots other Winter Olympics have been held. The Olympics were held in that spot in 1968.

Lillehammer 4,801 miles away in Norway was the site of 199 Winter Games. I well remember this one, loved seeing people scoot about town on those funny little sleds. This perhaps was the one of most interest to me. Love the stories behind the scene. Not sure, in truth I had ever heard of Lillehammer before the Olympics.

Nagano is some 5,485 miles away in Japan and was the site of the 1998 Olympics, which I don't remember at all. Perhaps I didn't watch that year, but confess I had to look up the name Nagano; though thought it to be Japan........really had no memory of it.

1980 presents us with Squaw Valley. I remember that with a smile. The place seemed romantic; and from Park City, Utah is only 488 miles away.

Sapparo, another Japanese location is 5,099 miles from this spot in Park City, Utah. No double we all remember the 1972 Olympics............I got that married that year, I'm sure that's why you all remember it. lol Sapporo, however had been selected to host the Olympics way back in 1940, but due to World War II, was cancelled. After all, they were our enemy. They had bombed us. Who could ever forget the attack on men, women, and children............civilians as well as military on that dark December day. Though the games were cancelled prior to the scheduled openings of "The Games".

Austria..........one always thinks of The Sound of Music. 5,438 miles from this spot was the home for the 1976 Innsbruck Winter Games.

Albertville, France was the site of the Olympics (Winter as in all above) in 1992 which is 5,316 miles from this spot in Park City, Utah. No real memories of this particular games; even though it wasn't that long ago. I assume I didn't watch as much, or it was un-impressive?

Sarajevo, Yugolslavia 1984..........war torn but hosted the Olympics and is 5,834 miles away. Who could ever forget this Olympics. It was sad, and glorious at the same time. Sad, because the country was in horrible shape, ruins..........many pictures showed such devastation from bombing it was hard to understand the government expenditure at hosting The Olympics. Again a place many of us had little knowledge of before hand. Perhaps it's a story of a country and people wanting to come back? I don't know. I do remember thinking if I were a citizen AND I were helping to pay for this extravagance (and yes to me that's what it seemed like....extra, un-necessary = extravagance), not sure I would have been very supportive if my children had to walk through bombed rubble on their way to a partial falling down school each day....pretty sure I would think the government and it's people should be paying to have the rubble removed and the school building rebuilt for my children first. Glorious though...because it showed the human spirit.

Lake Placid......perhaps one of the most well known of the Winter Olympic Locations is only 1,916 miles away, the site of the 1932 and the 1980 Olympics. It's also been a contender to hold other Olympics. Lake Placid...makes me smile.

A small sign post, I wonder how many pass by without stopping to read, wonder and remember.

There's much to see and do in Park City, despite it's rather small town size.

Pizza House Columbus, Ohio

Hopefully you can read the motto posted on the menu at The Pizza House. The Pizza house a family owned business for 50 years serves pizza, sandwiches, as well as veal and spaghetti. The menu is varied and priced well for both lunch and dinner 7 days a week.

A neighborhood establishment located at 747 Lincoln Avenue, across the street from it's original location on Sinclair Avenue is a marvel. Against big powerful chain operations it has done more then maintained. It's grown and improved and delights the older original customers as much as the newer, 2nd or 3rd generation customer.

They offer dine in or carry out and something on the menu for anyone adult or child. The restaurant has always been family oriented, though back in day, was an awesome place for a date, or pizza after the local high school football game.

Good food, good service, and good pricing. They also offer Gluten Free specials, so much in need in this day and age.

Bill Colasante has been part of The Pizza House for 50 years. He purchased the business 30 years ago from Bob Tiberi and Richard Dorn. But, he didn't purchase an unknown; he worked there...was in fact their first hire. And this many years later is still at it with long time help like Jeff Tiberi (36 years) and Doug Wilford (39 years). It's no wonder they are a success, still serving family recipes after 50 years.

Recommend for families, couples, dine in, or pick up. A good time!

How to Safely Pack Wine and More

When we travel, here there and everywhere......Domestically or Internationally. We always pack kitchen essentials to aid us. This small Bread Dipping Seasoning pack is just the thing. We have larger ones at home, and have been (until this new find), packing those. We like to cook in a good number of our meals. This seasoning pack has 4 different blends, all good for seasoning your olive oil for dipping bread, or adding to pasta (always a favorite meal for us). I also think you could use this to flavor meat for the grill (beef, pork and chicken). The Flavors in this blend are: Sicilian Blen, Tuscany Blend, Parmesan Blend, Rosa Maria. 4 Flavors, 4 separate shaker areas, and the whole thing only weights .60 oz....perfect even when flying vs traveling by car.
Wine carriers a MUST in our travels. These come packaged 3 in a container, we recently purchased 2 packs. We've used these in the past with wonderful success.

1. They are easy to use, slid the bottle in and Zip it shut
2. Since it seals well, should there be a breakage the wine would be contained
3. They are well padded inside, but better then bubble wrap it's a super absorbent cushy fabric....which not only protects the bottle against breakage; but offers back up protection to minimize liquid.
4. They mold nicely and can easily be worked into your luggage.

One bottle of wine typically weights somewhere between 3-4 pounds, depending on how thick the glass bottle is. It's a good idea to weight what you're taking, as they all won't be the same. There are different limits of what you can take Internationally, depending on where you're going. A while back hubby and I traveled to Mexico and each person was then permitted to carry 3 bottles in their luggage.
Both above items were purchased through Amazon.com. SuperPoints (click on above badge to join). I belong to SuperPoints and earn points, I convert my points to Amazon gift cards and shop........when you're order is $25.00 you don't even pay shipping. SuperPoints is both a way to make and save money. You can clip coupons to save money, buy daily deals to save money on items you would probably purchase anyway...but this way you earn points to do so. You can watch video's and or play games.........again you earn points. You can spin the lucky wheel daily to win additional points. Joining if free, and easy. 3 Simple Steps:

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3. Fill out your profile...........that's it, you're now ready to earn points.

I might suggest you use a separate email account in order to keep things separate from your personal and or business email account.

The above items are only a few of the thousands of things you can purchase through your amazon gift cards. You can always convert your points to Pizza Hut, Best Buy, and Starbucks gift cards.......and more. Additionally, you can turn your points into PayPal Money.

Join today and start earning, and keep checking in for helpful travel information. Travel Safe

Drayton Hall, Charleston South Carolina

Drayton Hall
The front of the historic sign indicates this plantation house is the only one along the Ashley River that has survived. That's it architecture is that of Georgian Palladian. The nature of that architecture is that the house inside and outside is balanced. What is to the right of door for example visually appears to be the same as that on left. If a bookcase or fireplace is a room with a shelf or window or one side, you'll find the same feature on the other.

Side 2 of the sign talks about how grand, the Drayton families were. That William Henry (1742-1779) was a Revolutionary War Patriot, and Chief Justice in South Carolina, and a member of The Continental Congress. A person who fought for his rights, a person who fought to be free of someone else's control. It goes on to tell us Dr. Charles Drayton (1743-1822) was Lt. Governor, and John Drayton (1767-1822) was Governor of the State of South Carolina. Well yes, on the surface this would seem to be quite a family. It does not tell us about the huge number of slaves they owned. I personally found it ironic that a family who fought for their own freedoms, from the control of others would ignore the rights of others, and not only control them...as England tried to control the colonies; but buy and sell them and hold them in bondage.
This is the front view of the large plantation house. Notice the number of windows on each side of the door, the stairs lending up both sides. The balance of the design.

A side view gives you a feel for the depth and size of this house. This was indeed a grand house that would have been surrounding with out buildings, slave quarters, crops and the like.
And speaking of out buildings.

Notice again the balance with a doorway on each side of the fire place. The family crest above the fireplace. There were examples in the house where a door might not have been a door, but appeared to be by the way it way painted and the molding etc....this might have been one.

A magnificent tree. It was quite large with moss hanging down. Here it looks rather eery due to very bad smoke the day we were there; due to forest fires in the area.

Beautiful details even on the ceiling.

Excavation has taken place and plenty more scheduled. This plantation, is a preservation project , not a restoration project. There are 2 distinct schools of thought on learning history from historic areas/houses etc. Preservationists believe things should not be rebuilt, as rebuilding focuses on one time in history. They believe letting something stay in it's natural state is more of a living history. Personally, I disagree. I would rather have seen this place restored, to see it in all it's grandeur. The grandeur is what demanded the use of slaves, and as that was it's peak time, it's place in history such a vital part of our country; I'm not sure what happened to the house afterwards is of much interest. So, one family changed a color in a room, or added shelves or took out a wall...that seems insignificant to me. But, to see this house as it was, with period furnishes would have been a marvel to me

A small gift shop/museum is on the grounds.

Looking up to the 2nd story. Again...balance, details in the stairs and the walls.

Difficult o see, but if you click to enlarge and look where the Guides finger is pointing, you'll see a growth chart. Every year the family's children would measure up.

Another view of the staircase. Can't you see someone in a fine gown decending...making their appearance as the quest looked up?

Though the older generations don't appear to be buried on property there is a small circular grave area. Only 2 burials appear to be here, that of Mary Jervey Drayton (July 13, 1920 through March 22, 2006), and John Garrnett Nelson (March 11, 1939 through Dec 8th, 1999). Obviously these are very recent burials. The hope is that these later generations will have a place at The Drayton Home. The center stone reads Haciter Ad Astra, which was the family motto, meaning; "this way to the stars".
A model showing 2 additional buildings exists. One of these building footprint is marked from the excavations.

The plantation became part of a National Trust in 1974.

It was very interesting, and I do recommend the tours for adults; definitely not for small children. There's lots of talking and no one is permitted to touch anything, or sit down. Standing still and listening would be very difficult for children. There's also a rather heavy push for contributions to the cause at the end of the tour. I'm all for honoring and remembering history, and giving people the opportunity to participate via contributions. But, you see the sign about that as you drive in; it's on your ticket, and your pamphlet, signs in the gift shop...and so the push at the end of the tour seemed a bit over bearing to my way of thinking.