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.

in & about Summit County

Cuyahoga Falls Gorge Dam still flowing. Preparations are current to remove the dam. The trail with descending wooden steps is closed, and the final portion of the steps to reach the viewing platform have been removed. The best view is now  reached by a rough rocky path.

Barberton Mum Fest's theme this year was bees.

The mechanism to make this a floral clock is not there again but the display is good.

Zs are there for the buzz.

Sign facing Lake Anna, Barberton.

St. Thomas Hospital (Akron) operated from 1928 to 2023, was demolished in 2024.  Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine founded the hospital. In 1935, it was the first hospital that recognised alcoholism as a medical condition. Three outdoor statues from there are now in front of St. Vincent & Mary High School Akron. They are now so white, that they do not photograph well with my camera; the outline yes, details no.

 

Derek Brennan. Pantone of the Cuyahoga River. 2025. Cuyahoga Falls

Perun in kayak 

Cascade Valley Summit Metropark

Cuyahoga River Overlook Summit Metropark

ruderal plants

Broad-leaved Sweet Pea

Friday, the crew is now back to four members, and we walked part of the Red Line Greenway Cleveland. The local metroparks cleaned up along the electric light passenger train line, and some industrial buildings, and a railroad line, a few years ago. It is meant as a bicycle route.  

The vegetation consists of ruderal plants. Several were in bloom, and it looked garden like. The Latin word for rubble is rudera. These plants some call invasive species, and weeds. I heard a biology professor call them opportunistic plants. They colonise disturbed and marginal ground. Sometimes that means after a landslide, an avalanche, a fire. Sometimes among industrial rubble, construction or other land turning activity, and of course abandoned industrial areas. They also grow in sodden ground, and next to train tracks. Sometimes after a few years, they may be replaced by native plants.

 

Some of these plants attract pollinators. And now monarch butterflies are migrating south. They have an ecological purpose.

Butterfly Milkweed

False Sunflower, Heliopsis helianthoides, Smooth Oxeye 

Japanese knotweed

Phragmites australis, the Common Reed

 Yellow toadflax, Butter & Eggs

2025 Miscellany #11 — half year gone

Solstice Steps Lakewood O, June 20 at 10:42 p.m. June 17:  that stripe at bottom is a line that projects out where the sun sets on the summer solstice.

Rain forest dome behind construction fence, Cleveland Zoo

new mural by Kelle Schwab under bridge at Settlers' Landing Cleveland

detail

part of entrance gate for annual Asian [Chinese] Lantern promotion

For the first time Parade the Circle had to be rescheduled [rain]. The format changed to the lawn and lagoon of the original entrance to the art museum. One of the musicians practicing in the sun.

an owl creation

bird with binoculars, for a change

lily on Wade Oval 

“noxious weeds”

 

Cleveland Scene [Mark Oprea] had an article about a woman growing a beautiful garden in an old neighbourhood in Cleveland. The kind of garden that other towns would give an award to. Cleveland has repeatedly fined her for “noxious weeds”. I snapped these two fotos yesterday morning before noon in strong sunlight.

I can think of two causes for the citation. One is an overzealous prick using his office to inflict punishment. The other is someone of connections who does not want the flowers there, or does not like the gardeners. Either way, it is an injustice.

Returned this morning, with an older camera, and underneath a cloudy sky.

Inspector Greyhound approved of the conditions of the flora.

Really, is this not a small joy to walk past?

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postscriptum 9 September 2025: drove by there recently, property is for sale. 

2025 Miscellany #9 — mid-spring

Cardinal Playground Cleveland Heights O

Box 5 of beheaded owls for Parade the Circle

Butcher retired.

Being surveilled.

Third update on  Dayz Whun's mural in Cleveland. 17 May

Braiding daisy crowns.

Quaker ladies, azure bluets, houstonia caerulea; these were growing on a cliff.

roses bloom

Yesterday, 27 May, we were at Columbus Park of Roses. It had to be near this year's peak bloom. An approaching rain was threatening in the sky. The sky was a very pale grey, and no clear sky whatsoever. The bloom is weather dependent. May has been mostly rainy and cool, with a couple of days in the 80s. Still it was a great day to see the myriad of blooms, and yet few people were touring.

There were some that were waiting to bloom, and some with significant fall of petals; but overall, the buds were in bloom, mostly full bloom.

The camera did not capture the bright palette of colors here.

The rose park is within Whetstone Park, and is maintained by the city. The rose park opened in 1953. It has become an official Arboretum, and contains many plants outside the roses.

The walking paths were welcoming, and that included hounds of all kind.

Quinton is a three year old beagle, and currently, very shy and overly timid. Very recently, he was subject to experimentation at Ohio State U.

Rosa Alba is the flower of Bonnie Prince Charlie (Stuart). He was to be King of Scotland & England, until the Battle of Culloden Moor 1746.

Moonlight in Paris

Lady of Shallot

High Voltage

Gertrude Jekyll

Enfant de France

peony like Sunmaid

Varieties can be named anything, the wildest i saw was Screaming Neon Red.