7th Adventure – #32 Go to a Gallery Hop

Ah, let’s go to the hop
Let’s go to the hop (oh baby)
Let’s go to the hop (oh baby)
Let’s go to the hop
Come on, let’s go to the hop
Let’s go!

Every first Saturday of the month, the shops and galleries of the Short North district in Columbus stay open for the Gallery Hop. It is a really popular event and can get crowded quickly. We decided to head down early, mainly I wanted to take pictures while the sun was still up. Also, we were hoping for good parking 🙂

We wandered up and down High St. Going into stores that that caught our fancy. We also popped into a few galleries. We found some great catnip toys for the kitties at Posh Pets (more about that later). The lights at Karavan, a Turkish Import store, were amazing! I would have loved to photographed them all!

The neon lights and signs were also fun to shoot. I love the color and brightness that comes with neon.

Being Gallery Hop night, all of the restaurants that we wanted to try were packed. We decided to drive to another part of downtown for a restaurant that I have been dying to try, the Grass Skirt Tiki Bar. A little bit of Hawaiian warms to chase away the February blues. We started out with crab dip and wonton chips. They were really yummy! I had a hard time choosing between the Hawaiian Burger (Burger with Swiss, pineapple, and teriyaki aioli), Crab Cakes with red pepper slaw, and the Grass Skirt Grilled Cheese (King’s Hawaiian Bread, Spam, Swiss, and pineapple). I ended up going with the burger in the hopes it would be as amazing as the burger we had on our Hawaiian Honeymoon. While this one was good, the one in Hawaii will remain the best burger I have ever eaten. The Hubby ordered the Red Curry Rice Noodles with Chicken. He said it had good flavor and it wasn’t too spicy. This is high praise from him. Next time we go, yes we would go back, we will order one of the amazing looking drinks. There is a Pineapple and Ginger Mojito or a Blue Hawaiian with my name on it! (Maybe when it gets a bit warmer and we can sit outside)

When we got home it was time to give the kitties their present. I was holding on to the catnip toys and Simon is walking around the room sniffing trying to find the his toy. As soon as we gave it to him, he started attacking it. He was rolling around, and trying to rabbit kick it. He was so funny! Sasha, the duchess, demurely licked it. No craziness for her. Simon wore himself out playing with his new toy. If you have a cat, Simon and Sasha highly recommend Yeowww! catnip toys. We like the fact that they are handmade in the US from organic catnip.

6th Adventure – #35 Take a Class

This class was for the dogs, really it was! I joined a Meet Up Group awhile ago called Central Ohio Photo Group. They offer photography classes and I have only taken advantage of it a few times. Tonight’s theme was How to Take Great Pet Pictures. Our doggie models are up for adoption at the Franklin County Dog Shelter.

I have to admit I was really intimidated when I looked over the pre-program slides, there was a lot of technical information. I was really nervous to go. The whole point is to learn and get better, right? After my Hubby and friends encouraged me, I took a deep breath and went. Bob, the leader, was really great about explaining the technical information. I felt better by the end of the evening. After the presentation we got to photograph the dogs. (It just sounds strange to say we shot the dogs). We had some adorable little models. I played around with two separate lenses. One was a telephoto. I was not happy with the sharpness of the image. The other was my new prime 40mm lens, which I love the sharpness, but I could not zoom in. Ugh. I was a bit frustrated. I guess if I want to keep taking photos of pets, then I need to put a new lens on my wish list. Or I have to learn how to use photo editing software. I also need to study my camera more. That is a resolution I make right now. That is why we go to classes; to learn.

All in all. I did end up with some photos I was happy with. I will admit there were far more that were blurry, as the dogs moved at the last second. Pet Photography is a lesson in quickness and patience. I did sign up to receive more information on being a volunteer photographer, so I am excited about that!

The last one, Hope, stole my heart. She is the one with the orange flower.  I wish I could have adopted her and snuck her into the house.

Bonus Adventure-Columbus Restaurant Week

I am a little bit tardy on posting this, but better late than never right? I love Restaurant Week. It is a time for a variety of restaurants in Columbus to put together a tasty three course meal at discounted rate. The best part is getting to try a new place and then some of the proceeds go to the Mid-Ohio Food bank. It is a win-win! This is the second time we have participated in this culinary event. Last year we went to Matt the Miller’s Tavern. I am not a huge fan of grits, but I decided to try their Shrimp and Grits. It was amazing!

This year we ventured to Easton Towne Center and visited Cooper’s Hawk Winery. Thank goodness the Hubby made reservations. Even on a Thursday, it was crowded! As we waited for our table, we sampled the house wine. It was a nice dry red wine. I chose the Lobster Bisque, Gnocchi Carbonara, and the Chocolate Cake. The Hubby chose the Lobster Bisque, the Maple, Mustard, and Pretzel-Crusted Pork Chops, and the Chocolate Cake. The Lobster Bisque was amazing. It had huge chunks of Lobster in it. Last weekend during the binge watching of Master Chef, they made Gnocchi. I had been dying to try it ever since. The Gnocchi were like little pillows of potato heavenly goodness. I would have licked the plate clean if it would have been acceptable to do so. The Hubby’s pork chop was also amazing. It was served with roasted vegetables and potatoes. To drink, I ordered the peach wine and the Hubby ordered the passion fruit wine. The passion fruit wine is my new favorite wine. In fact, we purchased two bottles as we left. We had to take the chocolate cakes to go, as we were so full.

Our overall experience was really tasty! This might have to be our new special occasion place. I am sure we will be there quite often picking up a bottle of the passion fruit wine. I am already looking forward to next year’s Restaurant Week.

5th Adventure – #31 Explore a new Metro Park

“What, were you raised in a barn?” I can answer that question with a sound yes. I spent half of my childhood playing in my neighbor’s barn. The rest was spent in the woods. We play acted GI Joe, Annie, Star Trek the Next Generation, and Saber Rider (an anime cartoon before anime was cool). There were squabbles over who got to play the girl character, and we made up supporting girl characters for those who didn’t get to play the lead. We let our imagination run wild. We played with the barn cats and the dogs. My dog chased their chickens. We just had fun. There were lessons along the way, like how to care for garden tools, some cooking lessons (My favorite was how to make mashed potatoes), and how to resolve disputes with your friends. I would not trade my childhood for anything.

Today, I was feeling out of sorts and knew I needed to get out. I remembered reading about how one of the Columbus Metro Parks had a farm. It was calling to my inner child. Off we headed to Slate Run Metro Park and Historical Farm. The farm replicates what is was like to live in the 1880s. Yes, we even found the outhouse. But, I am getting a head of myself.

We somehow managed to dodge what Winter storm Jonas threw at the places south and east of us. The Farm ended up with a little bit. My soul started to relax with the snow, mixed with the fresh, crisp air, mixed with the familiar hominess.

 

The first person we met was one of the farm care takers. We spent a lot of time talking to him and learning about the farm. The gothic revival house was closed for repairs, so we were not able to go inside. He also mentioned that later in February they will tap some maple trees to make maple syrup. I am marking that in my calendar, as that sounds really interesting! Our next friend that we met was a barn cat. Yup, in true Susan fashion, there was a cat to make friends with. (Do you see the cat on the front porch?)

We then ventured on to the barn. The barn had some more new friends to meet. There was a gaggle of noisy geese, four huge plow horses, and five moo cows.

Out in the barnyard there were even more friends. We met more geese, some turkeys, and a few pigs. There were sheep and goats too, but they were in the pastures.

By the time we made it back to the barn, one of the care takers had let the horses out in the pasture. These horses are HUGE. Because of their size, I am guessing these are plow horses. They were so beautiful.

There were still a few friends left to make, the chickens. A few of the brave ones went out into the cold, but most of them were hunkered down in their coop. I don’t think they liked it much that our faithful friend, the cat, followed us down there.

I noticed on the way in there was a sign the said there was a covered bridge. So we drove over to the trail head to hike the path to the bridge. It was a nice loop through a thicket to the bridge. There were a ton of song birds flittering about. It was quiet. Just being out there and taking pictures was so relaxing.

At the trail head, we saw a huge, and I mean huge, gaggle of geese of the Canadian variety do a fly by. So we decided to take another trail to the lake. Most of the lake had frozen over, but there was one place where some could still swim.

We had such a fun and relaxing day. I can’t wait to come back in the spring/summer/fall where there are costumed farmers and new baby animals!

 

4th Adventure – #5 Go see a local band

On Friday, my brain shut down. It had been a long week and I wanted to have, what my mom calls, a zero weekend. Dreams of hanging out in my jam jams fought with my want to do SOMETHING. It is a long weekend, so it makes it hard to justify being a bum. But when you have two cats curled up in little balls of fur purring, it is hard to want to go out in the elements. Even the look on their faces said don’t leave us. Binge watching Psych and Master Chef also made it hard to leave.

We somehow managed to pull it together and leave the house. We finally saw Star Wars on Saturday. I love Marcus Theaters. Two words Dream Loungers. These reclining leather seats are like a little bit of heaven. I am so spoiled. Also, if you go to an early showing it is hardly ever crowded. I really enjoyed the movie! I am glad they are making more of the Star Wars Saga. The characters, the world, and the story are so great. I loved the nods to the original movies. It takes me back to when I was little and my dad took us to see Return of the Jedi in the theater. On the way home he pretended that our Chevrolet Chevette was a speeder bike. I should point out here, if that car went over 55 mph, it shook like crazy. A speeder bike it was not. Ahhh such a good memory.

Then with the Macy’s gift card still burning a hole in my pocket, we hit the mall. Success this time. Both the Hubby and I found something. Whew, we made it out with no melt downs, only hungry tummies. With our handy Entertainment book in hand we headed to an old favorite, Giammarco’s. The hubby had the Lasagna and I had the Cavatelli. My only complaint was there was not enough garlic. I love garlic. You can never have enough garlic.

For dessert we headed to our favorite Gelato spot, Coppa Gelato. I have to admit, I almost like gelato better than I do ice cream. I could not decide between the Salted Caramel, Buckeye, or the Cookie Dough, so I ordered a scoop of each. The Hubby ordered three scoops of Amarena Cherry. Next time we go, I need to try the sorbetto. We took it to go, so we could continue our binge watching of Psych and Master Chef. Yes, Sad. But, very true.

Sunday morning I was trying to come to grips that an adventure would not happen this weekend, as we had plans in the afternoon. We continued to binge watch Psych and Master Chef, and cuddling with the cats most of the day. I really wanted to see the Old Time Jam at the Rambling House, which was going on during the time of our plans. Since those plans fell through, we decided to check it out. We donned our apparel from Macy’s and got all gussied up. Then first things first, dinner. Grass Skirt Tiki Room was on the list, but it is closed on Sunday (thank goodness I checked!)  We ended up going to one of our regular hangouts, the Hoffbrau Haus. The hubby needed to renew his Steinmaster locker, so it was a win!  We listened to live polka music, caught the end of the Broncos vs. the Steelers, and had some Spaetzle for dinner. For the double win, we had enough points built up on our loyality card, that it paid for dinner!!

Afterwards, we headed down to the Rambling House. I was transported to Ireland. The Rambling House felt like an Irish Pub. I expected Rick Steves to drop in any moment filming  a segment on Ireland. They make their own soda, so of course we had to taste test some. We tried the Ginger Beer (yum!), the Lemon Lime (yum again!) and the Sarsaparilla (our favorite). The soda was really refreshing, none of that heavy syrup that you taste with the mass produced stuff. They also have food, but we were too full to try any. Next time we will.

The purpose of the Old Time Jam is for local musicians to come together and enjoy making music. On the stage was a circle of chairs and over 20 really talented musicians playing. There were violins, guitars (even a 12 string one), banjos, mandolins, an accordion, a bass, a marimba, a dulcimer, and a bodhran (double points if you know what that is). As musicians left, others came in and joined the circle. It was really cool to sit a spell. I am really glad we ventured out.

 

3rd Adventure #14 Explore a New Festival

When I read about Loudonville’s Winterfest, I had visions of frozen snowflakes gently falling from the sky, cool ice sculptures, people walking around with rosy cheeks, and warm drinks to fend off the cold. For those of you who know me and my obsession with snow, this was going to be the perfect festival! Well, Mother Nature played a trick on me. It was over 50 degrees today! What a mean joke.

We drove to Newark to pick up Aunt M. Then we ventured up to Loudonville. What a cute little town. I love small towns in Ohio. It is so easy to imagine how life would have been like 100 years ago.

We at lunch at the Hanover Diner. The food was tasty, the desserts looked amazing. After lunch, we walked through the town. It was hopping with people. We walked through an old log cabin that had furnishing from the late 1800s. I was floored when the docent said there was an upstairs! I would have never guessed by looking at it. He said that is where the kids slept. The chimney went through the middle of the cabin, thus sending heat to the second floor.

We then watched a gentleman carve some ice sculptures. It was amazing. He did it all free form. He was also really great with the kiddos that were observing him. He was really talented. There was a swan with a heart, a fish, a penguin, a kangaroo, and a snowman

There were also ice sculptures outside the businesses in town to go with the theme of the store. They were really cool. Well, they were cool before they started melting because it was over 50 degrees!!! No, I am not salty about that or anything.

Once we finished walking through the town we headed to Mohican State Park. I love this park. It is so pretty. It would have been fun to go hiking, so we will have to return. We visited the Gorge Overlook first. I can’t believe all the pops of green. Oh wait, it is because it is still over 50 degrees outside…Well to be fair, there were a ton of pine trees.

We passed the fire tower and the Hubby said that he would climb to the top. I handed him my camera and he climbed the 7 flights of stairs to the top. He was able to snag some great photos.

The next stop on our tour of the park was the Covered Bridge. I love this type of bridge, there is just something about it. There was a bit of fog coming off the water. The water also had some ice on it. I think Mother Nature is a bit drunk.

Our last stop in the park was the Memorial Shrine. I expected something religious, but in fact it is the State of Ohio’s official memorial to Ohioans who were killed in all conflicts from WWII to the present. We found the names of my great uncle, Buddy, and the Hubby’s great uncle, Richard. That made the day. Those two gentleman’slives, like all those on the list, were cut too short. They may be gone, but they are not forgotten.

We headed back to Newark on a Scenic Byway called Wally Road. There were a ton of camping places, canoe liveries, and places to tube. (Note to self for when it is warmer.) It was so pretty to drive along the river. The funniest part was when a flock of geese crossed our path.

I just listened to the forecast, we might get an inch of snow tomorrow evening. It is a day late for our winter festival adventure 🙂

 

 

 

2nd Adventure #19 COSI After Dark

We adventured out on a school night. That is an adventure in itself! Normally I am in my jam jams by at least 7pm. We ventured downtown to COSI, Center of Science and Industry, for their After Dark Series. Tonight’s topic was Fire and Ice.

We bought tickets online ahead of time for $14 each and saved $2 a ticket. Parking was $5. Doors opened at 5:30 and the event went until 10 (We stayed until 8:30). We had full run of the museum. This event is a great date night! I would recommend having dinner before going. They had food, but it was more snacks than dinner. We had jalapeno poppers, spinich dip and a pulled pork slider.

To drink we had an adult festive beverage called Fire and Ice. (Pomegranate/Cranberry Juice, Lemon Juice, and Vodka) Very tasty and very pretty!

 After grabbing some snacks we went through the exhibits. They also had several stations set up in the hallways. One gentleman was playing with dry ice.

Another lady had a chicken and was talking about how chickens have various layers of feathers to keep them warm in cold weather. You could pet it, but it liked to peck at anyone who pet it. I decided against petting it. It was a very pretty bird though.

Outside in the courtyard there was a gentleman carving ice. I think this was my favorite part of the night. It was so beautiful!

All in all it was a fun night out. I would attend another COSI After Dark event! Next time, I will splurge on the Planetarium and the Adventure exhibit.

After we were done, drove around downtown. We don’t venture downtown very often. It really is a beautiful city. I was so impressed with all the improvements being made.  I can’t wait for more adventures downtown!

 

The Mall and Rude Dog Bar and Grill ETB Coupon

Today we headed to the Mall. Oh yes, the dreaded Mall. I had a Macy’s Giftcard burning a hole in my pocket, and the Hubby had visions of shopping dancing in his head. We were both hungry, so before starting our quick adventure, we consulted the Entertainment Book (ETB) to find a place for lunch. We picked the Rude Dog Bar and Grill.

We walked into NFL Sunday heaven. There were a ton of TVs and at least three different games being broadcast. I settled in near the TV showing the Browns vs. the Steelers and started to peruse the menu.  It was a hard choice between the Philly Cheese Steak and the Portabella Sub. But the horseradish mayo was the deciding factor for the Philly Cheese Steak. I had a hankering for Onion Rings, so that was my side dish. The Hubby was disappointed there was only one hot dog dish, and it was not what he was wanting. He had expected more hot dog options with the name of the place being Rude Dog. He finally settled on the Philly Cheese Steak too (but with fries). We often order the same thing. It is funny really, as it is not on purpose. The sandwich was quite good! I should have asked for extra horseradish mayo though, it needed more tang for me. I know, I know, I am strange for loving horseradish as much as I do. We left as the Steelers were winning (yay!). I did feel bad for the gentleman who was a Jets fan sitting behind me, as they were losing. He was so LOUD, and someone from across the room started rooting for the Bills. It was kind of funny. I think this would be a fun place to go with friends to watch a game in the future. Plus, I really want to try of their apps.

We then braved the Mall. Oh, the dreaded Mall. We never made it past Macy’s. There were so many people, the music was loud and terrible, and everything was so picked over. We couldn’t get out of there fast enough. I still have a Macy’s gift card burning a hole in my pocket…perhaps I will find something online.

1st Adventure #23 Find a New Winery to Try

The first weekend of the new year equals a perfect time to cross an item off the Adventure List. But, there are too many choices! 52 to be exact 😉 On the way home from my Aunt M’s house yesterday we discussed what should be the first one. It had been raining so hiking is out. Then it hit us. Let’s find a winery! We decided to head out to Raven’s Glenn Winery. There are also several other wineries to try out in that neck of the woods. We called Aunt M to see if she wanted to go with us, and it was a yes!

With the dreams of good food and great wine, we set out towards West Lafayette, Ohio. The rolling hills of eastern Ohio are a great backdrop for our first adventure. We arrived at Raven’s Glenn to find an empty parking lot! Rookie mistake. I failed to check their website to see their hours. We were all disappointed. Thank goodness we had my Aunt M with us and she suggested we go across the street to Unusual Junction. Otherwise, we would have driven back towards Columbus and never stumbled on this gem.

The Price is Right Sign at Unusual Junction

I am so glad we did. It was a cool, funky, retro cafe. They have the original Price is Right sign with Bob Barker’s signature. I grew up watching the Price is Right, so I was really excited to see that. The walls are lined with all kinds of album covers. The tables take you back to the 50’s. Aunt M had the Little Fish Sandwich, the Hubby had the Grilled Cheese, and I had the Junction, which was a Ham and Cheese Panini. After lunch we nosed around the shop there. They were doing some remodeling, so it will be cool to go back and see the finished product.

Unusual Junction

Our next stop on our Adventure was Roscoe Village. The village is a restored town on the Ohio and Erie Canal that shows how life was in the 1830s. We strolled through the town and enjoyed the shops that were open. The pottery store, Liberty Pottery, and the leather shop, River Ridge Leather Company, were two of our favorites. I might have to go back out to do some Christmas shopping next year. I love artisan gifts and Roscoe Village has a ton of choices!

Liberty Pottery at Roscoe Village

Roscoe Village

 

While at lunch we discussed another lady’s blog (sorry, I can’t remember the name of the lady nor the blog) and how one of her goals was to visit all 88 counties in Ohio. We thought that it would be fun to try that as well. One of the rules was we at least had to take a picture of the court house. The first county to check of that list is Coshocton County. Without further ado, here is the proof we were there 🙂

Coshocton County Courthouse

We decided then to go to Dresden, Ohio. The home of the Longaberger Basket Company. The famous baskets used to have their headquarters in the town, but the family decided to open the Homestead. There are still some shops in the town that sell the sought after baskets. It seems like that move really hurt the town. Then again, it is winter so it was pretty quiet. In one of the shops, we were speaking with the lady who owned it and she told us about a winery on our way back to Columbus. Oh yes, we had gotten side tracked from our purpose to our Adventure! So we pulled out Siri and asked her to get us to Stone Crest Vineyards.

Wine Tasting at Stone Crest Vineyards

Back along a twisty turney country road we found the Stone Crest Vineyards. There were many wines to taste, and they were tasty! The winemaker told us how he grew two types of grapes to turn into wine. It was eight different varieties, but the winters have been bad the past few years. The owner was really great and we had fun talking with him! We really enjoyed tasting the wine. Our favorites were the Blue Stone, a blueberry and grape mix, the Water Fall, a sweet white, and Gem Stone, a rose. They were out of the Red Stone, Peach, and Cherry, all which sounded really good. Another trip will have to be in our future to enjoy those! Also it looks like there are several events that go on in the summer time. I can’t wait to relax with a nice glass of wine from one of the bottles that we purchased from Stone Crest Vineyards!

Wine at Stone Crest Vineyards

Our purchases from Stone Crest Vineyards

While we were disappointed that an old favorite was not open, we still pushed on and discovered some really cool places (plus a new favorite winery)! We have several reasons to return to all of the places mentioned!! Discovery is what the whole Adventure List is all about.

 

German Village w/Schmidt’s – ETB Coupon

We received an Entertainment Book (ETB) for Christmas, and I am vowing to use even more coupons than before. We tend to discover a place and go there over and over again. Since the theme of 2016 is to be more adventurous, the ETB fits right in.

I know that it is not technically 2016 yet, but we used our first coupon on our adventure to the German Village in Columbus, yesterday. Schmidt’s Sausage Haus is a Columbus Establishment. We were craving some yummy German food, so we decided to go to Schmidt’s. It was a little after noon on a Wednesday and they were so crowded! 25 minute wait for a table.  Instead, we decided to eat at the bar, which is something we never do. It was fun! We both ordered the Knockwurst. It came with sauerkraut, applesauce, and German potato salad. The cream puffs and cream pies in the dessert case looked really good. (From past experience, they are really good.) We had our eye on another dessert place, though.

After Schmidt’s we went to the Book Loft. 32 room of books! Our first date was to this literary wonderland. It was fun to go back to where it all started.

After the Book Loft we grabbed dessert at Juergen’s German Bakery and Restaurant. As we walked in, all the desserts in the bakery case were screaming our name. We both decided on the Schwartzwälder Kirsch Torte. (Ok it is just fun to say it in German) In English it is better knowns as the Blackforest Cake. I could have eaten my weight in this delicious dessert. Top it off with some Kaffee and we were both in heaven. There was a couple next to us speaking in German. It was so cool. We picked out some cookies to go from the lady who owns the bakery. She also imports some food items from Germany. We ended up buying some mustard and current jelly too.

Then we headed to Easten to pick up a few things at Trader Joes for our New Year’s Eve snacking.

It was a fun day! Not only did we get out of the house and walk around, but we enjoyed some time together.