Barberton, Wadsworth

This weekend past, Barberton Ohio held their annual mum fest.

There is always a floral arch.

In a tightly packed white stripe of flowers, an opportunistic plant snuck in.

Part of this year's theme was a salute to the armed forces. The sand sculptor had a less elaborate creation this year. Many people do not appreciate joking substitution 'farce' for 'force'.

In nearby Wadsworth, there is a fountain with plaques of wars that the United States participated in. During a festival,celebrated the past match making industry, a very tall match stands nearby.

In an alley, there are murals remembering the Apollo moon landings.

front and top of the VFW hall

tops of nearby buildings

ghost sign for pop

great global greyhound walk 2022 Cleveland

Part of the group grouping at Edgewater Beach House for a group foto. This is an international event first organised in England and Scotland in 2010, and since then spreading to other countries [click] Part of the reason is to publicly show how great it is to have a greyhound. In several of the English speaking countries there is an excess of homeless/discarded hounds from racetracks. The industry makes losing dogs redundant. In Spain, galgos (hounds) are hanged, or abandoned after hunting season.

The walk was continued to the Cleveland sign. Altogether, 23 hounds participated.

Karma was a tiny bit thirsty. She was lucky, there are very few functioning water fountains in this county, perhaps this country. Nestle, Coca-Cola, and others want everyone to buy their bottled water. The country obliges them in their pursuit of commerce, free water is considered something akin to communism.

photographs of abandoned places #38

Nelsonville Brick Park

Southeast Ohio has hills, and beneath the top soil there is clay, and coal. After the War for the Preservation of the Union, industry and building expanded. In Athens County which has county government, and the first college in the Old Northwest, the second town is Nelsonville. The region had several brick, and block making villages, and towns. This is inside a ruined kiln. [foto:jz]

Nelsonville Brick Company began in 1870s, this is an 1880 expansion. Nelsonville had a few different brickyards. Nelsonville Block got first prize at St. Louis World Fair in 1904. What made the bricks superior was a salt glaze applied during firing. Indianapolis Speedway is called the "Brickyard". In 1909 it was paved with Nelsonville pavers, it had opened earlier in the year as a mostly dirt track. . In the years that followed concrete sidewalks and streets, and asphalt paving overtook bricks. Bricks were no longer produced in Nelsonville after 1937. Some of the kilns were used to make charcoal, and that went bust in 1971.

In 1980, the three remaining kilns became the center of a park. Since then they have deteriorated. Water damage, and a falling tree intervened.

This gate is no longer attached.

There is a rectangular chimney, and a round one. At the bottom of the kilns an exhaust path lead up into the chimneys. [foto:jz]

from the bottom of the chimney looking up

southeast Ohio road trip

mosaic above front entrance St. John the Evangelist Logan Ohio

glazed brick fired in Logan, in front of St. John's (1897)

2007 Mural of Mingo leader Logan the Orator 1780†, on side of bank next to park on the chief intersection. Quotation is covered up. Only the words “not one” are visible. 

Logan's Lament delivered near Circleville

“I appeal to any white man to say, if ever he entered Logan's cabin hungry, and he gave him not meat; if ever he came cold and naked, and he clothed him not. During the course of the last long and bloody war, Logan remained idle in his cabin, an advocate for peace. Such was my love for the whites, that my countrymen pointed as they passed, and said, Logan is the friend of the white men. I have even thought to live with you but for the injuries of one man. Col. Cresap, the last spring, in cold blood, and unprovoked, murdered all the relations of Logan, not sparing even my women and children. There runs not a drop of my blood in the veins of any living creature. This has called on me for revenge. I have sought it: I have killed many: I have fully glutted my vengeance. For my country, I rejoice at the beams of peace. But do not harbor a thought that mine is the joy of fear. Logan never felt fear. He will not turn on his heel to save his life. Who is there to mourn for Logan? Not one.”

Southeast Ohio mined coal, and clay. The towns produced glass, ceramics, pipe, and brick. The coal mine owners were harsh, and greedy bastards. The formation of unions were necessary, and were put down by all means available. I remember reading, Nelsonville was Local #1 of the United Mine Workers (i do not have the citation here). Most of the coaling was done after the War for the Union (1861-5), and ended after World War II.

Public Square of Nelsonville Ohio has this two-sided marker concerning the Hocking Valley Coal Strike of 1884-5. There has been periods of time, in which the recounting of such history was not approved. We still have powerful forces that want such recollections not to be public knowledge.

Karma did a circuit around this fountain, and was miffed there was no opening. She enjoys a dip in such pools. It was in the mid-80s at the time.

On a hill above, Betty's Cross [click] stands above town, and yes Nelsonville is a town again (5,000).

Piggly Wiggly is the best name in the grocery business. Always thought, they were a southern chain. Ohio has five stores, and the most northerly one is in The Plains. The store had been a Big Bear, and then a Foodland. Inside The Plain's store is the banner infra.

Athens High is in The Plains. The football stadium is now named after Joe Burrow, Class of 2015. In 2019, he was awarded the Heisman Trophy for being the best college football player. The vote was a rout, he had won by the greatest margin in its history. More importantly, is what he said,

“Coming from southeast Ohio, it’s a very, very impoverished area. The poverty rate is almost two times the national average. There are so many people there that don’t have a lot, and I’m up here for all those kids in Athens and Athens County that go home to not a lot of food on the table, hungry after school. You guys can be up here, too.”

In a few days, a few hundred thousands of dollars came to charities in Athens County, including the county food bank. The county school board voted to name the stadium after him.

This sundial is on the spot of the first building of Ohio University Athens. It sees very little sun, so it is largely inoperative. Many thousands of people have walked by it, and did not notice.

The Ohio Coal Miner. Alan Cottrill. 2012. Byesville.

Cassius is posing in front of the statue. The miner has the tools of his trade with him. Historical details alluding to the history are on the statue:  half of a fore finger is missing, in a jacket pocket there is a medallion numbered 382, for the number of miners dying while working in Guernsey County. There is a coal miners' museum to the left, and a train exhibit to the right.

signs on a garage, Byesville

Logan Oak

In Old Logan Cemetery, there is one of the biggest, and oldest white oak trees in Ohio. The town estimated the tree to be 600 years old. Glancing through computer search engine, doubts that, it has 450 as a limit, and i did not find this tree listed. That little spot of  pink, towards the lower left center, is a shirt on a six foot man. The black stripe next to him, is a greyhound. The tree is on a hill which drops off  precipitously, at left, and aft. [foto:jz]

View about 90° from supra, and yes, some boughs touch the ground.

gnarly and broad

It is a marvelous tree, and boughs go in many directions.

  Fotos here are all taken roughly perpendicular to the ground.[foto:jz]

Trees can be climbed, or hugged. [foto:jz]

Lorain Impoundment mudflat

There have been landscape changes, aplenty, at the impoundment. Some were surprising, such as the removal of many trees. The best one (by far) for attracting birds is the mudflat that has come this year. It is easy to get to, is small, and various migrants visit.  A willet has been there for a while, i greeted the bird enthusiasm. This willet , and a few other shorebirds were the first of their species i have seen--called lifers by bird watchers. I missed the visits of a golden plover, a dunlin, and a ruddy turnstone.

 

Same Willet, is the other bird a Sanderling? if so, i saw these two together, and had not seen either before.

Warblers are great, but herons are easier to photograph; they pose sometimes.

two avocets

3 species: avocets, kildare, dowitcher

Pectoral Sandpiper

female mallard, semi-palmated sandpiper

2022 Miscellany #12

The end of summer monarch butterfly migration from Canada, sometimes includes an overnight rest stop at Cleveland's Whiskey Island/Wendy Park. When it is a very cool, and maybe wet evening, they clump into clusters. When the new day warms up, they get active again, and flutter away south.

Not an Hallowe'en decoration, but a part of below porch outer space theme.

Der Name Beethoven ist heilig in der Kunst

I saw this a few years ago [click], and yesterday i was in the neighbourhood. I wanted to see if it still was in good shape. Sometimes in the past, i would have waited for his birthday to post, or have a count down like Schroeder. To-day, enjoy a fifth of Beethoven.

Sometimes while visiting a colorful site, other people are having their pictures taken by professionals. This was in the Rockefeller Greenhouse, Cleveland...

..and this was in front of Cleveland Art Museum.

look right

as seen from Red Green Walkway Cleveland