Be Welcoming

Cleveland has another Timothy Schmalz statue:  "Be welcoming". see Hebrews xiii. 2.

Schmalz is a Canadian artist, who has partnered with the Vatican (in particular with Pope Francis) in making life size sculptures touching spiritual issues.  The original of this was cast in 2019, this one is inscribed 2021. Others have been placed on routes of  pilgrimage. One is to see this a one walks left to right, and sees a change in the figure. see: https://timothypaulschmalz.com/portfolio-items/be-welcoming/

And hospitality do not forget; for by this some, being not aware of it, have entertained angels. — DRC

"Pope Julius II had Michelangelo and Raphael. Pope Francis has Timothy Schmalz." —  Christopher White

Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. — KJV

Anonymous Donor>Community West Foundation> St. Augustine Cleveland

St. Augustine was chosen because of its ministries. They have fed people for decades. Local news outlets come by on Thanksgiving & Christmas to see and show. Food is given throughout the year. People eat every day. They have ministries to the deaf, blind, and mentally disturbed. The parish serves those in need.

Steubenville & Cadiz

Dimitrios Akis.  Ohio Valley Steelworker. 1989. Steubenville. 

It is a memorial, names of worker dead, and severely injured are listed. In 2015, it was moved here across from an early Carnegie Library, and overlooking the steel mill. the original spot was taken by road construction.

Market Street Bridge 1905-2023 crossed the Ohio River connecting Steubenville with West Virginia Route 2 in the village of Follansbee & Wheeling Pittsburgh Steel Coke Works. It is a suspension bridge of 1,794 feet. It is expected to be replaced. If i only was here at a moment of sunlight, in which the colors of the mountain are brightened. That would be something to see.

 

Bayou Boy 

Steubenville's Nutcracker Village began in 2015 with 37 figures. It has been over 200 figures on display now, some going off display. Most are outside on 4th Street, and some intersecting streets. Downtown Steubenville has had post-industrial decline, this was an idea to brighten things.  This yearly initiative has shown some increased activity in town, yet there are still vacant buildings, crumbling buildings, and vacant lots.

The placement changes from year to year. There are many around Fort Steuben, the courthouse, St. Paul's Episcopal. Some are of historical people, several local school mascots, some are representative of nationality groups, and so on.

Steubenville has numerous murals about town, which they use to bring in some viewing tourists. An old painted advertisement that had been covered up for years is not one of them. December 2013 the demolition of a furniture store brought to view an old tobacco advertisement. A few others were discovered in the same manner around the Middle West. Battle Ax Plug was American Tobacco Company's brand of plug, chopped and pressed tobacco in syrup meant to be cut, or bit off for a chew. It competed with shredded tobacco and cigarettes. J. B. Duke and his brother began to run their father's company  around 1880, and by 1900 had bought over 250 companies, it was the tobacco trust. During legal proceedings between 1907 & 1911 it was made into four companies. He also tried to monopolise the British market.

Tobacco companies advertised in newspapers & magazines. They also hired painters to paint giant signs. Between 1895 and '98 there was a plug war. Battle Ax was sold below cost, and took 90% of the market. Also at this time cigarette rolling machines reduced the price of smokes. 

One of five new nutcrackers is the Wicked Witch of the West. She joins Dorothy and companions, and the Good Witch on the Yellow Brick Road. Perhaps the Wizard and others will join them in years to come?

Jefferson County Courthouse is in Steubenville. Lady Justice sits on top. There is a number of Ohio courthouses with her statue.

a grotesque is on an arch above an entrance

decorative corbel

A memorial made from the wreckage of the USS Maine. Its explosion in Havana in 1898 began the Spanish American War. Several courthouses have war memorials.

In neighbouring Harrison County is the birthplace of perhaps the most famous Hollywood leading man. Cadiz is the county seat, and as many counties it is the largest village. A town has 5,000 people. Cadiz never had that many.

Beaver Marsh & CVNP

The last few days, and the next some days are expected to have cold and grey outcomes.  Monday December 1ˢᵗ, the day was tolerable. The temperature hovered near freezing, but windless, and without significant precipitation. The dogs wanted a road trip to exercise away cabin fever. So we went to Beaver Marsh of Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Not many people there, two vehicles in the parking area, one from Quebec. I thought there may be ducks. No ducks, but this heron was fine to see.

A small number of smaller birds. This red bellied woodpecker stopped twice to pose as he went from tree to tree.

muskrat

human

Beaver mural not at Beaver Marsh, but on a road support at CVNP's Visitor Center.

A few buildings were there to be semi-museums of earlier days.  There was a service garage with two gas, and one diesel pump outside, and two inside in storage.  At 26.9¢ per gallon, that was what it was when i was a boy. My nephew was surprised there was no dollar place.

malignant crackpots

Fascist Baptist church, Northfield O, Old Rte 8

That Liberty Valley sign is a fraud. There is no Liberty Valley, the sign (i did not touch) is some paper product. If one uses the internet, one finds that the organisation calls itself a 'Bible believing church', that is an alias for Baptist, and a directed insult to other churches; hey, that is pro-forma for Baptists.

 

Online it is mentioned that the leader has a radio programme where he is quite political. Take a look at the foto: half mast, upside down colonial flag, Gadsden/rattlesnake/teabagger flag, half mast US flag, POW/MIA flag (last known Viet Nam War POW was in 1979). Israeli flag. Then in the middle of this is a tribute to the dead fascist, Charlie Kirk. Who is implied as the co-equal of God.  This is christian nationalism, not Christianity. 

Hadn't passed this in a while.  For years there was a dinosaur, and a caveman couple.  That sign was falling apart; so, now a Colleen Rafferty (SatNitLiv) sign.  The message board to the right has been blank for a time, it used to have insane political cartoons.  There is not so much truth as fiction there.

noto bene: both fotos taken December 1st.

Welcome

Stina Aleah. Welcome (left portion). 2025.

This is why when something is new, go see it quick.  There is a paint vandal in Ohio City, especially around Lorain and West 50s, who has been active for years.  Stina Aleah has just finished two walls of a building there.  He has already attacked it at least three times.  This side has not been attacked yet, i saw the damage to the other side November 23rd.

Lorain & Avon Lake visit

On November 24th, the rose garden at Lake View Park Lorain had many roses still in bloom.

The beach is ready for winter.

A new memorial recognising Purple Heart recipients. Purple Heart medals are awarded to the wounded, and those killed in military service. The beginning of the motto, "All gave some, some give all"  is noted.  Howard William Osterkamp was Chapter Commander of Chapter 3620, Military Order of the Purple Heart, from 2003 to 2005.  But it is to be noted, while some gave all, some faked bone spurs.

Photographer in phragamites at the Lorain Impoundment, perhaps perusing the sky for the parasitic jaeger, that was seen yesterday.

Lake Road Substation from a distance, the mound is left from the demolition of the power house in Avon Lake. The smoke tower remains, it may be a part of a future park. Land grading is currently being done.

This may have been the last good day (Nov. 24) to take outdoor pictures for a while.  This was snapped, a few minutes after the previous foto.  The clouds had increased.

Mexican Mutual

Reinaldo Contreras III. Aztec Calendar. 2025. Lorain.

Mexican Mutual Society at the end of National Hispanic Month (mid October) celebrated with a new mural on their building.  The mural is interrupted.  It depicts elements of pre-Colombian Mejico:  an Aztec warrior, pyramid, sun (sun god Huitzilopochtli) worship...

...and the prophecy which led to the founding of Mexico City:  settle where you see an eagle on a cactus capturing a snake.

Further along the wall is an older mural with the Virgin.

The next property over had a two story, and a one story buildings.  They are gone.  Next to that is an abandoned building, which had a restaurant on the first floor.   I remember seeing many of this style of signs,  perhaps they peaked in the 1950s.  Michelin began a guide  in 1900 to show motorists where good mechanics, and restaurants were.  In 1936 one star restaurants were listed, in 1933 two and three star restaurants were listed.  One is very good, two is excellent, and three "exceptional cuisine that is worth a special journey".  The 1925 guide has 156 three star restaurants, 14 are in the United States, and naturellement, France has more than double that number.

Across the street is this building, and its entrance.  It is the office building of the Lorain steelworks.  The  Johnson Steel Company began work in 1895.  Tom Johnson would later become the best mayor in America (Cleveland).  He made steel rails for streetcars.  His factory was in Johnstown Pennsylvania, the flood of 1889 took it away. Eventually he decided on Lorain.  This steel works had reorganisations, name changes, and sales. In 1903 it became the National Tube Company, part of US Steel.  In 2022 it closed as Republic Steel. There has been talk of re-opening.

They needed labor, and they gathered immigrants to much of it.  These buildings above all are on East 28th.  Very nearby, there were churches built by European immigrants of several Catholic, and Orthodox nations.  Some of the Catholic parishes were eliminated by Richard Lennon in 2009-10.

National Tube recruited over 1,300 hundred Mexicans from Mexico, and Texas in 1923.  Five years later, Mexican Mutual was formed.  They bought their current building in 1941.  

 

On the corner next to building, at the intersection with Pearl is this banner, and behind it some of the steel mill.

2025 Miscellany #21

drake mallard with color, Coe Lake Berea

color contrast Coe Lake Berea

 

water bowl outside a shop in Chagrin Falls

Cleveland Metroparks "teamed up" with Cleveland's basketball team, sand sculpture Edgewater Beach.

Off Euclid's Lakeshore Blvd., there is a street lined with red maples on the tree lawns. In mid November, it is in peak color.

Only spot on East 210th that has complimentary plantings.

 street view

Perun the pup sits on a light bed of fallen leaves. 

Chagrin Falls

Chagrin Falls

Along the bank are a few cement slides to carry water down. At the moment there was excavating work done up top.

Chagrin River just before it reaches the falls [5 November 2025].

William McVey.  Gree-Deep.  1972.  

This is in Riverside Park close to the children's playground. The head reminded me of the primary hull of the Star Trek Enterprise.

Partly [but they were doing this before] due to the first coronavirus 19 season, the 'pioneering' methods of the porch hoppers have changed.  Still they get few prospects.  The building by where they sat was a Masonic building 1891.

Looking up from North Main is the bottom of Grove Hill.  Further up this hill, after midnight on a late October day the annual Pumpkin Roll commences.  The sophomore class of Chagrin Falls High in 1967 began an enduring prank.  Pumpkins are smashed, and kids slide down over pumpkin innards.  On years when the night had snow, or rain, the ride down is slippy indeed.  Of course, the powers that be were not amused. Eventually they co-opted the event.  Police cite one individual for the 'crime', and the money raised for the fine, which pays for the clean up and other costs.  This was one of the events the local television news programmes regularly covered.

It is the month of November.