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 twicw 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. 

two murals

 Stina Aleah.  John Lewis.  2025.  Cleveland.

Saturday morning i was on a part of Lorain that has been "tagged" by paint vandal(s) continuously over the years.  The building was very recently painted yellow.  The side wall facing Lorain has two spots that have been whited over the paint piss.  The wall on W. 56th has several more such spots.

Kate Lynn Lewis.  2022.  Cleveland. 

East 47th & Carnegie 

Día de Muertos 2025

Hola La Catrina

Día de Muertos on Detroit Road, and Gordon Square

Painting a face to be a holiday skull.

Xoloitzcuintli (Xolo), Mexican hairless dog has been in the Americas for thousands of years. Only dogs who carry the recessive gene are hairless, so some litter mates have fur, and some do not. In mythology they were created by Xolotl, the god of lightning and death. They had spiritual power in life and death, and were guardians of people. They were guides in the underworld, Mictlan.

esqueleto del conquistador, el gran destructor

Cleveland Public Theater anchored the celebration to the old Romanian Orthodox church, which is on their campus. Previously, the celebration was at different locations in the city, and in some years not at all. 

I enjoy this event, and am sorry i have not been able to catch more of it. This is generally the last outdoor event of the year i go to.

let your creatively flow

I enjoy seeing something new, interesting, and unexpected; stuff i want to stop and photograph. This on Lorain, West Park Cleveland was one such.

sloth, West Park Cleveland

lantern fly, West Park Cleveland

Coe Lake Berea

Could be, should be, anywhere and everywhere in America. West Park Cleveland

One day let it be true. John Muir School Parma O.

Hallowe'en allows people to be creative. Brooklyn O.