Dining

After the show, we checked into our rooms at the Mariotte's Courtyard Columbus Downtown.


After a brief rest, we drove to our restaurant which was Lindey's, located in the German Village section of Columbus.



The German Village is located just south of downtown, this charming 233-acre neighborhood is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and rightly so, as it's filled with beautifully restored Italianate homes. Adjacent to German Village and to the west is the Brewery District. In the late 1830s through the Prohibition era, the area was known for its collection of family-owned breweries established by German immigrants who resided in the German Village.

This Appalachian tourist is enjoying a refreshing coke with a small amount of spirits added.


We order some really yummy food. Dan ordered the pan seared scallops with sweet corn-edamame succotash, spinach and lobster-tarragon beurre blanc. Pix had the asparagus ravioli which was served with grilled asparagus, wild mushrooms, grape tomatoes, lemon-chive butter and goat cheese


Judy ordered the lobster and shrimp risotta that was lobster, shrimp, asparagus, thyme and parmesan reggiano. I ordered the chef's special which was blackened mahi mahi.

We noticed the tables were decorated with an unusual blossom. We asked our server, Trey, if he could discover the name of the plant. He came back with the answer - twas a Leucadendron, a genus endemic to South Africa.

Dan and Pix love books. When Dan is in Columbus, he always is compelled to stop by The Book Loft which is also located in the German Village. One of the nation's largest independent book stores, The Book Loft stocks more than 100,000 titles in a labyrinth of 32 rooms. After Dan's visit to The Book Loft, we retreated to our hotel. Was a grand day!


Tomorrow - The Segaway Tour

The show

After lunch and a walk around the capitol, we headed to the theater. The venue of the Jersey Boys was the Ohio Theater. The theater was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1977. The Ohio Theater is a wonderful old theater that was saved from the wrecking ball in 1969.


When Scottish-born architect, Thomas W. Lamb, designed the Ohio Theatre, he envisioned “a palace for the average man.” The Ohio Theatre opened in 1928—a Loew's movie house that was a 2,779-seat Spanish-Baroque masterpiece—complete with its own orchestra and theatre organ. In addition to the movies, live stage shows touring on the Loews circuit found a home on the Ohio stage. During the heyday of vaudeville, many top performers crossed the Ohio's stage, including Milton Berle, Ray Bolger, Cab Calloway, Buddy Ebsen, Martha Raye, Jean Harlow, Ginger Rogers, Kate Smith, and a young M.C. with a violin named Jack Benny.

This lobby below is downstairs where the bathrooms are located.To decorate and furnish the Ohio, Loew's chose Anne Dornan, one of the first women to graduate from the Columbia School of Architecture. Dornan traveled around the world to select art and furnishings, even going on a safari to find appropriate decorations for the "Africa Corner" in the lower lounge of the Ohio. Approximately $1,000,000 was spent on art and furnishings -- more than the cost of the building itself!

During Saturday's matinee we did not see the famous organ since it is stored on a moving platform and was below the stage. The Ohio Theatre's pipe organ was built by The Robert Morton Organ Company of Van Nuys, California. It was installed in 1928 in time for the theater's opening on March 17, 1928, though tonal finishing continued after opening day. The cost of the original instrument was $21,000. It is one of four identical four manual, twenty rank pipe organs built by Robert Morton for Loew's theaters with the others located in Kansas City, MO, Pittsburgh, PA and Hartford, CT. However it is the only one of the four to still be in its original home, and only one of a handful of theater organs around the world to also bestow the claim of being it the venue for which it was built.

Jersey Boys is a great show. It is a documentary-style musical, based on the lives of one of the most successful 1960s rock'n roll groups, the Four Seasons.

Joseph Leo Bwarie makes the audience swoon when he skillfully channels Frankie Valli’s signature falsetto during songs such as ‘Sherry,’ ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’ and ‘Walk Like A Man.’


This show was so fun, amazingly fast, and energetic.

Our Columbus Voyage

On Saturday we traveled with Dan and Pix to Columbus. We had tickets to see the Jersey Boys at the Ohio Theater. The team arrived around noon and parked by the theater. We searched for a quick place to eat and ended up at a Tim Horton's restaurant.



The Ohio theater is located across from the Ohio Statehouse Capitol Building.

The Statehouse features a central recessed porch with a colonnade of a forthright and primitive Greek Doric model, built of Columbus limestone that was quarried on the west banks of the Scioto River. A broad and low central pediment supports the windowed astylar drum, referred to as a Cupola, which contains an occulus that lights the interior rotunda.

The cupola shows direct influence by the Tholos of Delphi, a circular temple built about 360 BC. The Parthenon of Athens is also an influence. No ancient Greek building would have contained windows, but they were a major part of Greek Revival for a more practical reason: before electric light, sunlight was the major source of illumination.


The grounds of the capitol is certainly a pleasant area.

I found these young ladies posing on the Great Seal of Ohio.

Many monuments and statues are located in Capitol Square. On the grounds of the building a large statuary group by Hermon MacNeal is dedicated as a monument to Ohio Governor and U.S. President William McKinley.

Christopher Columbus is a popular guy in this area.


We arrived at the Ohio theater on time and were eager to see the show.

Time Up!

Yep, Sunday we had to clean the cabin and start thinking about heading toward Gilmer County. Before leaving, Jeff and the boys had a fun session with.....

maple seeds. Maple seeds are superb auto-rotating helicopters. They begin rotating almost from the moment they are released from the tree. Even seeds that are poorly shaped or have badly damaged blades (wings) rotate with "ease."


Camp Dodson was packed up.

It had been another wonderful weekend in Seebert. I had to say goodbye to the old oak tree in the backyard.

This tree has a gnome and fairy habitat located at its base. That is another story. Thanks for checking in this week our Greenbrier adventure blog.

A New Skill

Sammy had been swinging on this fine maple tree and wondered how one climbs a tree. Grandpa could be little help in this category. Climbing a tree is a great childhood pastime. It doesn't always come naturally, especially for those of us with a fear of heights or uncertainty as to the tree's stability. (Not to mention arthritis, great body mass, no flexibility, etc.)

On Sunday, Jeff gave Sammy instructions on the art of tree climbing.

The first step is to find a study tree. This maple looks like a great climbing tree.

Dad Jeff was saying that when starting your ascent, look for a sturdy place for your foot or a secure spot for your hand. Trees have gnarls, knots, bark holes, smaller branches etc., that you can use as footholds.

I like this advice. Think of the actions of climbing animals. Think about how a monkey or a koala might climb the tree. It will give you a mental image of agility to keep your mind focused on climbing. Be very steady and firm in your climbing at first, as you get used to the climbing, you will be able to clamber up more quickly.



Last lesson was in descending the tree. To go down make sure you move slowly and take your time. Most of the time it helps to climb down facing the tree rather than trying to climb outwards.
Sammy arrived safely on the ground with a new sense of accomplishment. Grandpa's book on the art of tree climbing will be available soon on Amazon.com.

Tomorrow - home.

Bedtime at the Camp

Reading to the kids is always a fun time. The boys had just had their bath after the river hike and supper. They were ready to settle down for a Grandma story.

Did I say settle down? Grandma got into the toe action by reciting... "This little piggy went to market. This little piggy ...." I do not think this was a "settle down" activity!


Tomorrow- Sam learns a new skill.

The River Adventure

Kids and streams make a wonderful and exciting time. I am always amazed when we see families picnicking by a stream and the parents say, "Do not get in the water!" That is a crazy thing to say to kids. The kids know that is not possible and they are usually wet by the time the parents are still yelling.


The Greenbrier was so beautiful and so inviting for a watery hike. There were two teenage guys who rented a kayak from Jack Horner's Corner. I chuckled as they walked the boat downstream. Yep, water was low.

Sarah recently purchased a Nikon camera and is really enjoying the art of photography. Who would not enjoy taking photos of your kids?

The boys were ready to start the water hike through the waters of the Greenbrier.

Sammy had no fears of walking the rocks.


Nate on the other hand did not want his pinkies wet.



It is such a joy seeing the folks excited about what may be found under the next rock.

This blue crayfish has expired, but it was still a joy to find this specimen.

It was a magical time on the river.


Tomorrow - more from Seebert.