June 06, 2008
Marathon in Training week two …
Once again I missed the group training session at Thomas Worthington High School. Fortunately, I did not miss the long run for the week. Instead of staying in Columbus for the weekend I had the opportunity to travel to southeast Ohio close to Logan in the Hocking Hills region. Outside of Logan is a year round retreat called Camp Akita. Camp Akita is a mission of the First Community Church, in Columbus, Ohio. The camp can accommodate a wide range of group sizes up to 200 people. Camp Akita has over 1,200 acres, 15 acres of hiking trails, and a 7 acre lake. The land was originally donated by John Galbreath, a local philanthropist, back in 1949.
The weekend was perfect! Great weather and good times had by all. A group of about 10 went down for the weekend to help prepare the camp before the summer sessions begin. We had projects of making a nature center, making flower boxes, and quite a bit of moving furniture from building to building.
I was lucky enough to be able to go for a 10mile run through the camp trails and along some of the winding roads surrounding the camp. The hills made more difficult than running in Columbus on the Olentangy multi-use trail, but it was a nice and welcome change. The only sounds were the sounds of nature and me.
Later in this summer I will be travelling with a group of 15 people through Camp Akita to Luperon in the Dominican Republic to build houses. This will be my third and the third overall mission trip with Akita International to the Dominican Republic. Both times in the past have been unbelievable experiences.
If you have the ability to travel to Camp Akita or travel to the Hocking Hills region of Ohio you will have a memorable experience. For further information check out http://www.campakita.org
Posted By:
Greg Giessler
Tagged With:
hocking hills,
Olentangy,
olentangy
and trail
June 06, 2008
Arena District Kickball - Fun Columbus Sports
What do you get when a cow and a chicken mate? Brown chicken brown cow!
(said with a little twang of bow chicka bow wow.) As well, you get the
team name of our Arena District Kickball team. Yesterday marked the
first game of our summer kickball season! The game was played in
McFerson Commons located near North Bank Park, The North Bank
Condominiums, and Burnham Square in downtown Columbus. The league is
sponsored by the Frog Bear and Wild Boar Bar.
Team Brown Chicken Brown Cow started the season with an unimpressive
performance. Somehow, team Saved by the Balls was able to score at will
against our inexperienced field play. When it was all said and done
team Saved by the Balls had scored eighteen points while team Brown
Chicken Brown Cow had a big zero. Some might call that that a goose egg
or for our purposes a chicken egg! Despite not scoring a single point
Brown Chicken Brown Cow managed to have a good time!
Though we have a lot of work to do on the field, I am sure Brown Chicken
Brown Cow will be able to make up for it in after game festivities win
or lose!
Our team is comprised of over twenty players that are somehow connected
through work at, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Camp Akita, or because
someone was able to persuade them to come out and play kickball. I
mean, who wouldn’t want to come out and play kickball, right? All in
all, it was a great time and provided a place to meet new people and
reconnect with some old friends!
Interested in learning more checkout the website http://www.arenaathletic.com
Posted By:
Greg Giessler
May 28, 2008
Columbus Area Weekend Trips - A Travel Report
Lake Erie, it's truly one of our Great Lakes! One of the nice amenities of living in Columbus, Ohio is the availability to travel within two hours and be accessible to so many entertaining places. This past Memorial Day weekend I had the opportunity to travel to Ruggles Beach which is located between two port towns of Huron and Vermilion. Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of the summer season on the lake. For many, it is the first weekend to set aside time to work on the boat and get it ready for the summer season. Many times it is the first weekend for friends to get together, enjoy the weather, grill out, and swap stories from the winter lull and share their excitement for being back on the water! 
It also enables those who enjoy fishing to talk shop about whether to fish for Walleye, Perch, and Small Mouth Bass and/or where the best place is to catch them. You can tell the die hard fisherman because by the time you are ready to go out on your boat they are already gearing up to cook their fish breakfast because they have caught their limit!
Fortunately for me it was the perfect weekend. I caught my largest Walleye ever of 26 inches much to my brother-in-law’s dismay. He is little more of a fanatic about fishing than me….just a wee bit. I think I might have ruffled his feathers a little by continually letting him know about the size of my fish. All in good cheer!
I am also currently running with a MIT (marathon in training) group on Saturday mornings. Unfortunately, since I was at Lake Erie I was unable to run on the first Saturday with the club. However, I was able to have an enjoyable an eleven mile run, in the crisp morning air, on the shores of Lake Erie. I would not have changed a thing! You always know you have an enjoyed a weekend when you are sad to leave and I definitely did not want to go home! Hopefully I will be able to go up to the lake sooner than later…
Two websites include http://discoververmilion.com and http://cityofhuron.org if you are interested in learning more. As well, many other attractions are within a stones throw of these two towns including Cedar Point, an amusement park and access to Put-N-Bay and Kelley’s Island.
Posted By:
Greg Giessler
Tagged With:
columbus,
lake erie,
ohio,
recreation,
travel,
trips
and weekend
May 22, 2008
Incredible houses on the market in Dublin, Ohio - near Muirfield Village Golf Club
Do you love golf? Dublin, Ohio is home to one of the best golf courses and PGA Tournaments in the world. Muirfield Village Golf Club is a Jack Nicklaus designed course. Sometimes called Jack's tournament, the 2008 Memorial Tournament will be played May 26-June 1 in Dublin, Ohio. The tournament features the most elite golfers.
If you are planning on attending the tournament or happen to be visiting Columbus, stop by and see some incredible houses we have on the market.
At 5238 Schuette Dr. in Dublin, you will find this like new, custom built home on 3/4 acre lot. The kitchen features a hearth room along with hardwood floors. The lower level is finished with a wet bar, full bath, study area, media area and game table area.
What a great value at 6541 Ballantrae Pl. in Dublin! This house backs to greenspace in the Ballantrae subdivision. The upstairs features 4 bedrooms along with a bonus room. The lower level is finished with a wet bar and full bath.
Please contact Cam Taylor Realtors at 800.848.6996 to schedule a visit!
Posted By:
Dawn Tolan
Tagged With:
dublin,
muirfield village golf club,
ohio
and real estate
May 18, 2008
Pioneer Day in Worthington, Ohio
What fun it was to drive by the Orange Johnson home in Worthington and see the third graders playing games (typical pioneer games) dressed in costume. The Orange Johnson House is Worthington’s finest example of early architecture. Orange Johnson was born in 1790 and came to Worthington in 1814 as a comb maker.
Today, the Orange Johnson home is a museum open to the public and enjoyed by many students in Worthington and neighboring schools. The Worthington Historical tried to acquire the site but the expense was too great. In 1963 the property was bought by Toll Gate Square upon which Toll Gate Condos were built. They were one of the first condos built in Worthington. They are very popular as you can walk downtown and enjoy our wonderful village.
Posted By:
Penny Call and 
Ellen Hudson
Tagged With:
ellen,
penny,
pioneer
and worthington
May 13, 2008
Westerville, Ohio Arts Festival
Westerville, Ohio will be hosting their annual Arts Festival this year Sat. July 12 and Sun. July 13 in Heritage Park, Westerville. This will be the 35th year for the event where you can hear live music and see the arts. You can find out more about this event by visiting www.westervillechamber.com. Westerville has wonderful housing for all needs including: single family detached residences, condominiums and patio homes ranging in price from under $100,000.00 to $750,000.00.
Posted By:
Phil Giessler
Tagged With:
art,
culture,
ohio
and westerville
May 01, 2008
Columbus Culture
For the culturally minded, we have Broadway Theater shows, art museums, Ohio’s Center of Science and Industry, the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium with our Director Emeritus, Jack Hanna. We have a world renown conservatory and botanical garden, Franklin Park COnservatory. We’re in the top 10 of hotspots for nanotechnology. We have “destination malls” for the most discriminating of shoppers and our restaurants are second to none.March 31, 2008
Galleries and Performing Arts
Columbus has an energetic arts community that is always creating, displaying, and entertaining. The Columbus Museum of Art located downtown on East Broad Street houses European and American art up through the modern period, while the Ohio State University’s Wexner Center for the Arts mainly showcases contemporary works. The King Arts Complex is a pioneer arts organization that celebrates the city’s diversity with many cultural exhibits and events. Columbus is home to a large number of performing arts groups, including the Columbus Jazz Orchestra, Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Opera Columbus, BalletMet, and the Contemporary American Theatre Company. The city’s downtown area has three major historical theaters—the Southern, the Ohio, and the Palace. Aside from these theaters, Columbus also boasts large music concert venues, such as the Nationwide Arena, Value City Arena, and Germain Amphitheater.
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March 31, 2008
Columbus Ohio Sports
Although Columbus’ pride and joy is the NCAA Big Ten Ohio State Buckeyes, the city hosts a variety of other sports such as Major League Soccer’s the Columbus Crew, NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets, and the Arena Football League’s the Columbus Destroyers. Golf lovers will find inspiration in Columbus, as it is home to PGA Champion Jack Nicklaus. The course he designed, located in nearby Dublin, is the Muirfield Village Golf Club, which hosts the PGA Memorial Tournament.
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March 31, 2008
Columbus Ohio Attractions
When it comes to recreation, Columbus has something for everyone. History buffs, fashionistas, and avid sports fans alike will enjoy Columbus for its wide variety of world-class attractions.
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March 31, 2008
Historical Columbus, OH Attractions
Columbus has numerous historical sites that are dedicated to preserving and commemorating the city’s past. One such site is the Ohio Statehouse, a beautiful Greek Revival building constructed between 1839 and 1861, stands today as the seat of state government and is open for tours by costumed guides who elaborate on the building’s history and significance in the early years of Ohio. Another landmark that illuminates this time period is the Kelton House. The Kelton House is the historical Victorian home of Sophia and Fernando Kelton, who risked their livelihood in order to protect fugitive slaves making their way to freedom. Guests of the house can learn from “Sophia” what it was like to live in a Victorian home that was part of the Underground Railroad. Another attraction that brings history to life in Columbus is the exact scale replica of Christopher Columbus’ ship the Santa Maria, which is docked on the Scioto Riverfront. The non-sailing ship was constructed in 1992 to commemorate the city’s namesake.
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