St. Patricks day weekend we headed to Erie Pa for a gig with one of my favorite bands -The Tradesman, at 9th and State Beer.  What a fun bar/beer store.  We really enjoyed ourselves and I may have partaken a green beer or two and a slice of reuben pizza.  After the show we stopped down the road to see another friend at Scotty’s Martini Lounge then thought we would head home.
Although the week before had been a bit mild we certainly didn’t luck out on temps this particular evening.  We weren’t on the road very long and decided we needed to find a place to sleep-we tucked into a truck stop and crawled under the blankets……man was it cold!  We both woke up early and decided we would make a few stops on the way first -breakfast.  We stopped in at Mary’s Diner in Geneva Ohio and filled our bellies with a hot breakfast and coffee.  It was just what we needed to start the day.
From there we headed back to the same areas I had photographed just three weeks before.  I was curious to see how much our ice dunes had melted.  Wow what a drastic change as you can see in the images.  The railing I photographed this time was completely buried under the ice dunes before.  There was also a lot of visible water on the lake, a sure sign that spring was right around the corner. 
The day was warming up and the sun was bright.  Next and final stop was the Lakeview Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio near University Circle.  The Lakeview Cemetery is known for it’s beautiful stone sculptures, President Garfield’s monument, Alan Freed’s headstone, Elliot Ness’ burial spot and The Haserot Angel.  While it was all very beautiful, I was mesmerized by the Haserot Angel, it was if her eyes followed me wherever I went.  considered to be the angel of death, she holds in her hand a torch turned upside down to represent the extinguishment of life.  The cemetery itself has beautiful grounds.  I look forward to going back on a warmer day once the foliage starts to come out a bit more and explore more of the stone work and visit the Angel again.

A few weeks ago Mr. Trent and I took time to head up to Lake Erie so I could photograph the ice dunes.  We had a pretty severe wind storm in northeast Ohio and the result was an ice tsunami on February 25th 2019.  The very strong, some hurricane strength winds pushed the ice waves-some over 30 feet against the shores.  Knowing this was not an everyday occurrence I wanted to get images of these. 
Far too often lately I have been putting off my little photo adventures to deal with the day to day.  I made the decision that March 2 would be the day.  It was going to be cold, March came in like a lion if you are basing it on temperatures.   So, I packed up all my gear and warm clothes-we hopped in the van and headed toward the northern shores! 
As I checked out some places to have breakfast on the way I realized we were at the beginning of the maple syrup season.  The sap is flowing.  What better than stopping on the way to the shores then to have a delicious Belgian waffle with Geuga county maple syrup in front of a big open fireplace-romantic and delicious.  We went to the Sno-Chalet at Punderson State Park.  We each had a Belgian sugar waffle and an order of hash browns which were also cooked on the waffle maker with a delightful cheese and bacon mix.  What a way to start the day.  As we sat in front of the fire we planned our route to the shore via the Maple Madness Tour.
The Maple Madness Tour takes one around to a lot of the sugar houses in the area.  You can take part in many activities and see how maple syrup is made.  This part of our little adventure was pretty sweet.  The tour spots can be a bit busy and crazy, but it is a must see in Ohio.
After visiting a couple of stops we headed on up to Fairport Harbor to see the lighthouse.  I am sure you all are aware of my obsession for lighthouses so any trip to any shore includes at least one.  The ice in Fairport Harbor was not what I expected but that did not keep me from snapping a couple hundred images.  There were some very big logs washed ashore there.  From there we headed up the coast toward the east and stopped in Geneva, Ohio.
In Geneva the ice was more impressive, so I busily snapped away in the cold winds.  My Nikon tolerated it like a trooper!  My hands and face might have been numb, but I did not care!  The brisk air felt good after being indoors with the crust crud the week before.  Something about cold fresh air after a bodies been sick is good for the soul.  Mr. Trent suggested our next stop to be in Geneva.
 
We stopped at the township park in Geneva-on-the-lake-this was by far my favorite spot.  The ice dunes here were massive-my images do not do justice to the size!  We carefully walked around watching for fissures-mind you the lake in this area was still very frozen at this time.  Safety first (well most of the time).  I was running out of daylight and pretty tired, enough adventure for one day. we decided to get dinner and head home with one final stop at Walnut Beach Park in Ashtabula. The ice dunes were impressive here also.  The sun was setting it was a nice end to a beautiful day.

After a couple of very cold days at the end of January we had quite a warm up on February 3rd -all the way up to a balmy 55 with some beautiful sunshine.  I decided Mr. Trent and I should get out of the house and enjoy this a little bit, knowing full well there would be plenty of cold days ahead before Spring. 
We jumped in the van and started driving.  There was snow and ice melt and still an abundance of frozen areas that were glistening in the sun.  I didn’t specifically tell him where we were going, I would just chime in with a “turn right here” “turn left at the next street” and when I saw something that I wanted to capture, a very excited “stop here, stop here!”
We wound up at the Canton Garden Center.  This wasn’t a big adventure today, but we haven’t had much time for adventures so I can take what I can get.  We were not disappointed -strolling through the snow-covered gardens with the smell of the warming earth, and the sound of the small water falls along the paths.  I carefully navigated the icy patches to get the shots I wanted.  My mind rushed ahead to warmer temperatures and blooming gardens -I stopped it in its tracks.  No point in pushing time by so quickly.
We continued down the park drive through Stadium Park.  Stopping by the area where there is skating when the ice is more set.  From this area of the park we had a great view of the McKinley Monument.  I didn’t feel like navigating that today, but we will definitely be visiting it here and there when the weather is consistently warmer. 
At this point in our little adventure the afternoon, winter sunlight was dwindling quickly and I knew I had many things to do at home so we headed back to reality and responsibility.

Oh these crazy seasons of Ohio.  I know I write about these a lot but living here the seasons seem to become a focus for me at times, I am constantly amazed by Mother Nature’s creativity.  The leafs were spectacular in our little neck of the woods this year.  Mr. Trent and I managed to venture out to the Gorge Metro Park in Cuyahoga Falls Ohio.  I had a feeling that this would be the place to catch an eyeful of color.  Boy was I right.
The day was cool and crisp, bouncing between cloudy and glimmers of sunlight.  I grabbed my camera, and of course Mr. Trent- off we headed down the path.  Now if you haven’t been to the Summit County metro parks they are very much a hidden gem.  As much as I hate the winters here I do love all the different things there are to see and do in our state.  And by hate the winters, I mean I definitely do not embrace them.   Winter and I tolerate each other, occasionally this will come to a head as winter fills my driveway with snow and I shake my fist and curse at her only to get the insult of a bitter icy wind in my face.  Often we just maintain silence with an occasional nod.  I do have to admit she can create some beautiful things with her icy grasp but  Enough of that though let’s get back to this beautiful fall day.  The winds were whipping through the trees swirling the colors around us as we walked.  We could hear the roar of the water coming from the manmade dam.  The fact that we can hear the roar means excellent images ahead!  I am anxious to get  as many as I can because there is a strong rumor that this dam, that is no longer used to harness the natural energy, is going to be removed  and taken back to the waterfall that was underneath years ago.  The rains have been abundant and the water is flowing at an unbelievable magnitude.  I quickly leave Mr. Trent behind as I forge ahead with my camera aimed and ready.  The water droplets are dancing aggressively through the air.  Nothing can be heard over the barrage in front of my eyes, but I don’t care about words at the time with this power in front of me. It is mesmerizing;.  Well before I knew it more people had come around and I forced myself to tear my eyes away and look again at the rich blend of yellows, oranges and reds that surrounded me, oh and of course Mr. Trent, I was so immersed I almost forgot he was there too…..poor guy!
We turned and headed on down the slightly muddy trail, carefully stepping over rocks and roots, staying away from steep drop offs.  As the roar faded behind us the wind blew gently carrying with it the sting of cold rain.  Disappointment rushed over me.  These were the last peak days for the color and I wanted to capture as much as I could- in my mind with some beautiful sunlight glimmering through.  Oh well I sighed and moved on, at least we were out of the house and I would gather the best images I could to try and remember what a vivid fall this was.  As we huffed and puffed up and down the hills my disappointment resolved and I let the beauty encompass me.  Almost as soon as I had fully given in to the fact that there would be no sun out it popped with its rays beaming warm on my face.  We continued our hike adventuring all over the place.  We finally came to the area where the caves were.  It was clearly visible one of the caves apparently had some collapse and the trail there was not very passable, I tried to get Mr. Trent to climb over some very slippery rocks to shortcut to the other side but he wisely said a firm “No”, which made me stop and think and realize he was clearly right.  We continued back down the trail to Mary Campbell Cave and explored some there.  So much history tucked in amongst the mass of stone around us.  We took it all in. By this time both of us were quite hungry and the last half mile was filled with the discussion of lunch options.  We finished the afternoon with an incredible feast at Louie’s Bar & Grill in Akron, it wasn’t far from the Gorge and did not disappoint.  We warmed up, filled our bellies and enjoyed the ambiance.  Perfect way to end our little adventure.

​After a bit of a lull in travels and photography, Mr. Trent and I got back on the road again.  What started out to be a normal gig turned into a road trip with no work and some nice down time.  Since we were headed to the Milwaukee area anyway, we decided to just keep going and take a little extra time sightseeing-this will be the first of several sets of images and tales. 
The trip started off normal-getting on the road after a work shift with a loaded van.  When we left I thought we had arrangements to stay in a campground in Wisconsin but little did I know in a few hours things would change.  When we got the news that everything was canceled we bedded down in a WalMart parking lot to sort things out.  We made a decision to continue on.  After we started driving I thought to myself “I bet Chess Records will be open when we get to Chicago” And sure enough it was.  We found parking and jumped into a tour that had just started.  We had a wonderful guide who had quite the music history herself which made it even more interesting.  After we climbed the same flight of stairs that many greats had climbed before us we knew it was going to get even better.  The studio was incredible; our guide went through the ins and outs of the structure and how and why it was designed to get the best sound possible.  She played tracks that had been recorded there.  The sound was clearly specific to this particular place and as I closed my eyes I could imagine being in that room watching these incredible musicians while the person at the mixer board pushed and pulled everything in line to make a very clear cut one of a kind sound.  I was swept away in the moment,  as the music stopped I was jolted back into 2018.  I knew our tour was about to end.  I highly recommend visiting Chess Records if you are in Chicago especially if you find yourself there when they are open for tours.
The tour was over and we headed back to to the van, the aromas of chicken and steak swirling around us, we both realized just how hungry we were.  We walked past several eateries that smelled delicious but it wasn’t quite the scent that seemed to lead us.  As we arrived back at our van the smell seemed stronger and there wasn’t much directly around where we were.  Mr. Trent looked at me and asked if I would mind if we headed over to Reggie’s Rock Club.  We headed over and waited a moment for our eyes to adjust to the darkness of the bar.  We found out they were serving lunch and headed up several flights of stairs to a roof top deck.  Much to my surprise as we walked out onto the rooftop the delicious smells embraced us.  We quickly got a table in the corner so we could watch the trains come and go.  The food did not disappoint.   
We decided to head on out of Chicago before rush hour.  We headed north to find somewhere to stay and begin the next day of our adventure.

We found ourselves last evening enjoying one of Mother Natures’ April  Fools pranks.  Just twelve days after the vernal equinox was a beautiful Sunday that was both Easter and April Fools combined, also a scheduled night shift for me.  When I left the house it was a cool-fifty degrees-A very nice day.  Once I got into the office, put my things on the truck and did some office work, I then went to make my bed, so several hours had passed and one of my coworkers let me know it was snowing.  Ahhhh Mother Nature.  It wasn’t just any snow-this was a spring snow, my favorite kind of snow.  During the night we had a call left the station and everything was covered in a blanket of white …big clumpy snowflakes falling from the sky were sticking to everything.  I thought to myself “we will see how long this lasts, but if it does it sure will be pretty in the morning”  Well it did last and it was beautiful.
I got home, had some coffee and set out to run some errands, I decided to take my camera. That was the best decision of the day.  I stepped out of the car and headed toward the hiking trail.  Everything had big, fluffy cotton ball looking clumps of snow on it.  The sun was fully out and the big clumps were starting to melt creating a slight percussion sound as they fell through the trees landing on various surfaces.  This combined with the spring songs of many birds created quite the symphony.  The only other sounds were the squishy noises my boots were making in the muddy areas and the continuous clicking of my shutter.  I turned to the left toward a creek –choosing this way specifically –there was no bridge down this way so people rarely walk down here.  I stopped- breathing in the smell of the wet earth as it slowly warmed.  I shaded my eyes and looked up, delighted to see two turkey buzzards just chillin up in a tree.  I stood there watching them, as they watched me, and hoped for some action.  Well next thing I know one stretched out it’s giant wing and started cleaning it.  Then looked at me again and took off in majestic flight as if to say “check out these beautiful wings, I am quite the specimen”.  After they got board of me they moved on and so did I.  Back the way I came and headed toward the cat tails. I heard the chatter of some other walkers coming up behind me so I grabbed a few shots of the empty trail.
I wondered around a bit longer, but the snow was quickly melting and I was ready for a bit more caffeine so back off to home I headed.  This more than likely won’t be the last of the delightful spring snows!

As usual the weather of northeast Ohio has not disappointed once again.  Just when I think I can’t stand another day of the bitter cold Mother Nature gives us a bit of a reprieve and teases us with a sixty degree day.  With a turn of her head we are tossed right back into winter again, but at least we now can see spring teasing us in the future.  I have tried to take a Norwegian view on winter –embracing it, and it’s short days-using the time to my advantage.  Unfortunately I have found myself undisciplined and tired putting my feet up while binge watching ridiculous crime shows.  I have been taking the dog on walks when possible; there have been many days that are just too cold for her older paws.  There have also been days, while temperate enough; there is just too much ice and snow to navigate safely.  We headed out on one of these particular days, got about a third of a mile from the house and turned around.  Every time we would scale over ice and snow piles on the sidewalk she would stop, turn, look at me with a look that said it all “Are you out of your mind?  We are both going to break something”.  Needless to say the walks this winter have been a bit limited.
Well January has now come to an end and February has graced us.  My grandson and I quickly watched the groundhog report, fully knowing what he was going to say-six more weeks of winter.  There had been multiple weather discussions over the last several weeks about what the groundhog’s predictions would be.  He patiently listened to my nerdy obsession with the weather –thank goodness he still tolerates grandma’s quirks.  We came to the conclusion that the groundhog would most definitely see his shadow.  We were right.  In the grand scheme of things six weeks really doesn’t seem that long.  I had better get moving on all these winter projects. 
With that thought in my head and snow falling this morning.  I thought I hardly have any snow pictures this year.  It was snowing pretty hard and the creeks were partially frozen.   So I ventured out-this was a feat in itself- heading out alone with just my camera and pepper spray.  Now if you remember earlier I mentioned the binge watching of crime shows this winter well as I took my first steps down the desolate snow covered path I had the narrator’s voice in my head “on a cold day in Ohio a woman went for a walk in a local park” I was able to quickly push this voice out of my head as the beauty of the morning pulled me in.   I took an hour to enjoy just how quiet it is in the parks when there aren’t many others around.  Before I knew it I realized it was time to grab a hot cup of coffee and upload my images.  I felt regenerated and ready to tackle the rest of this winter with gusto!

​Once again summer has come to an end and with it the beautiful greens, flowers, fresh veggies, and those lovely long days.  Fortunately for us here in Ohio the transition is softened by the beautiful hues of Fall.  This year was not to disappoint.   I think the colors have been more vivid than usual and there has been an absolutely stunning range from yellow to deep red, even the Oak leaves, which are usually drab and brown have had a bit of an orange tint. 
Summer had been a mixture of sadness and anger over the loss of a friend.  I dumped all that emotion into work, and work was busy.  I had very little time to sleep, let alone get out and work on a silly hobby.  After his death each time I have grabbed my camera since, I think of the trip to his property and taking images of old structures there.  It was a great weekend filled with good friends, atvs, and maybe a little alcohol.  Since that time we had talked often of going back down to get pictures in the winter.  Along with all that Mr. Trent had quite a few shows scheduled on the weekends.  Well the busy work schedule has slowed down a bit, and things are getting back on track. 
 I have tried to scoot out here and there to get some images of this beautiful color, breathing in the fresh air while doing a lot of thinking.  Silly me I haven’t been taking my camera along on every little trip to the grocery store or over to get my Grandson on the bus, so it seemed as though some of the most beautiful sights I was kicking myself for not having it along.  Despite this before the weather went from summer to winter temperatures, yes we had no in-between this year- we managed a bit of gallivanting.  Even a dreary rainy day is touched by the color popping up everywhere, as if someone touched up a black and white photo a bit. 
I really wasn’t ready for summer to end this year, but there is not stopping time and I decided it is time to again embrace the change of seasons and make the most of them.

​For our anniversary trip at the end of September 2016 we decided to do something special.  This was our 10 year anniversary. We did all the quirky touristy things on our honeymoon, so we decided to go for the same theme.  After analyzing the logistics we decided on Mammoth Cave.  We headed down to Cave City, Kentucky.  We stopped once along the way to spend the night in some truck stop parking lot-our usual type of lodging-we then headed further southwest toward the area.  We picked a traditional old campground that has been in business since 1928 or 1929- Rock Cabin Camping.  We had convenient access to many of the caves and great access to Mammoth Cave National Park.  We loved the history behind this campground and enjoyed the nights we stayed there.  After we were registered at the campground we popped up to the National Park to plan our adventure for the next day.
As we snuggled up in the van we muddled over our trip to Mammoth Cave–the usual, which tour should we take, what was the best bargain?  Still not completely decided, we arrived at Mammoth Cave National Park bright and early.   Full of coffee, and feeling our oats definitely factored into the reason we made the decision we did.  We were studying the board and listened to what a few of the park Rangers had to say about the different tours and settled on the The Grand Avenue Tour-Very Strenous  (hmmm no problem we thought) , 700 stairs (really how bad could this be stretched out over 4 miles), and 4 hours long (how bad could this be if we pack snacks and water).  The big advantage to this tour was it combined all the tours we wanted to go on for a very reasonable price.  History and geography here we come!
Well I have to say we made the right decision.  It was very strenuous and we lost one couple after the first mile-a mile in they have elevators for emergencies.  The first mile was cake, the tour grew in intensity as we got further and further in.  I had no time to think about claustrophobia, I was too busy trying to keep up.  The 700 stairs were no joke, we went down stairs and then back up and back down.  My legs were like jello and the grade was steep-but the caves were beautiful and the Rangers were very informative.  When we finally made that last track up to the light of day –we had been underground for four and a half hours at this point-we saw one bus.  We all looked like survivors-even the most athletic people on our little jaunt looked disheveled and sweaty.  There were only about 18 of us on this bus and someone turned around and asked “Where is everyone else?”  Those of us left just muttered “other bus” we were all weak and thirsty.  We got off the bus and headed into the dining area and ate like we had been starved.  Now you think this would have been enough for one day……nope…..I had the brilliant idea of seeing just one more cave, but that my friends is a story for another day.  

Back in the beginning of October 2016 we stopped by a place I wanted to photograph on what I thought was going to be a quiet Sunday morning.  At about 11 am we rolled into an area of south/central Ohio once known as Moonville.  Now if you are interested in history or fascinated by things that go bump in the night I am sure you have heard of the Moonville Tunnel.  I was excited as we arrived in the area and hoping to grab some quick images and be on our way –that is not what happened.
I was sad to see as we pulled up quite a few people milling about- not exactly my expectations for this photography jaunt.  We were here and I was bound and determined to still get my images so we casually walked up to see what was going on, much to our surprise it was a dedication of the Neal Shaw Memorial Bridge.  The ceremony was a very nice one and it was great to see people so passionate about the Moonville Rail Trail.  Apparently Mr. Shaw had worked diligently to see this project come to fruition only to pass away before the bridge was completed.
There is quite a bit of folklore that surrounds this tunnel, who the ghosts are, why they died –lots of rumors and stories.  Some stories state the ghost is Frank Lawhead an engineer that was killed in a head on train vs. train collision in 1880.  We did not see a ghostly figure carrying a lantern-just a few orbs and some unexplained glare and focusing problems.  There were also a few odd unexplained noises in the tunnel itself, otherwise the trip was uneventful.  The only thing left of the town we could see were some old telegraph poles.  I look forward to heading back to Moonville to really explore this area, maybe find some old foundations and the cemetery.  It is hard to believe that nestled in the middle of nowhere was a bustling little coal town.  Maybe I can convince Mr. Trent to head back down in early Spring.