Oct 1st: Euclid Lake front follow-up and Burlington with the Scott family

 

I added some information to the last blog after I posted it, so here it is again in case you missed it. There were a couple signs explaining some of the restoration work that was completed at the Euclid waterfront. It was great to see the efforts made to keep contaminants out of Lake Erie.

Here is a link that talks about the project. Euclid Erosion project  Also, the video describes the project in depth. The picture of the shoreline includes the end of Julie and Jim's street. (About in the middle of the picture.)  Lake project video

Panoramic view of the main floor

I arrived at my sister Terri's and brother-in-law Scott's house Friday evening. I had not seen it since they finished construction a few months ago. I really liked the house and the setting. Here are a few pictures. Some are panoramic views.

Panoramic view of the backyard
 from the second story deck

The weather forecast for Sunday through Friday was for a lot of rain, but Saturday looked good. So we took full advantage. My niece Stephanie selected a hike for us. She and Scott always picks winners. This was no exception. I took so many good pictures it was ridiculous. I just had to include a lot!

We all thought this sign was quite creative and effective!

Notice how tall the trees are in this picture. It was like we were walking in a canyon.

Some of the leaves were starting to change colors along the edge of this meadow.

We followed the hike with a wonderful lunch at Ideltyme Brewery. The food was excellent. I had one of the best Rueben Sandwiches ever. This is clearly a favorite of the Scott's. Scott was lamenting that he forgot to wear his Ideltyme T-shirt. And I neglected to take a picture! But here's one I got off of the internet. 

Idletyme Brewing Co.

After the hike I had a chance to get together with Chris, Theresa, Annika and Owen. We watched Owen play in a basketball. game. He has grown quite a bit and improved a lot since last year. The seating arrangements did not allow me to get a good picture, but I thought I'd have other opportunities. Turned out I was wrong. We got a call that Annika came down with a cold and would be staying home from school Monday. That meant no soccer game to watch. Then Tuesday, we got word that Owen was also sick. So no more athletic events while I was in town.

We were watching the Monday weather forecast closely. It looked like Terri and I could squeeze in a kayak ride at Stephanie's house, which is on Lake Arrowhead. It looked a little iffy, but it was going to be rainy the whole week I was here. So away we went. The kayaking was excellent. Stephanie's place is a natural wonderland. The pictures say it all. The pictures of her place are from last year when it was sunny, but the kayaking pictures are current.

This is a picture of Lake Arrowhead, taken from Stephanie's deck. The tower had an osprey nest last year and an eagles' nest this year.

We walk downhill on Stephanie's long driveway to get to the water and the kayaks.

This picture is taken from the back of her property toward the storage barn on the right and the house further back on the left. Stephanie, with some help from Scott and Terri, planted that entire field with wild flowers.

Snapping turtles make the long trek up to this backyard area to lay their eggs. Once in a great while Stephanie can spot a newly hatched turtle heading to the water. It is a long treacherous journey given the eagles, osprey, and other predators. She spotted this little guy the day before we arrived and she gave it a free ride to the safety of the water. The turtle is about 2 - 3 inches long, quite tiny!

Newly hatched snapping turtle.

The picture below was taken from my kayak across the lake looking toward Stephanie's house. There is a large marsh in the middle which is fun to paddle around and through. You can see the osprey/eagle tower also in the picture in front of her house.

We enjoyed the kayaking despite the cloudy and sometimes rainy conditions. We turned around to head back three times when it started raining, but then stopped and turned back around. We were able to finish our chosen route without getting completely soaked. 

Great Blue heron

We saw wood ducks from a distance, a kingfisher, an egret, several great blue herons, as well as a few other birds. The picture of this blue heron is an indication of the weather, it's all hunched down and it let me get close enough to get this picture.

Purple loosestrife 

There were very few flowers still blooming but these very pretty purple/pink flowers seemed to be growing all over. Terri identified them as Purple Loosetrife. Unfortunately, it is an invasive species that have a negative impact on wetlands. Purple Loosestrife impact

The lake is very nice for kayaking because there are large open areas but also many little channels, like the one below, which kept us out of the wind.

There is quite a variety of natural beauty. Here are just a couple samples.

Typical marsh water path

Monarch butterfly chrysalis

When we got back to Stephanie's house she had returned from her run. She showed us a Monarch butterfly chrysalis she had been watching. A couple days later it disappeared so hopefully the butterfly is on its way to Mexico!

Joint birthday celebration - 2019

September 20th is Linda's birthday. In the past, because we were often travelling, we had a joint birthday party for Linda (9/20th), Wendy (8/8th) and Rebecca (7/23rd). 

Terri was on top of it and suggested we celebrate Linda's birthday with some desserts from Mirabelles bakery. We of course all agreed. We rationalized that we were going to try to beat the rain once again by hiking on the causeway on Lake Champlain. Then we'd go to the bakery.

Once again the forecast was iffy but the sky didn't look too bad. We had a short hike through the woods to get to the causeway and then walked along the lake. After hiking a mile or so along the lake we heard thunder. Hmmm! Seemed like it was pretty far away so we kept walking. We saw some darker clouds coming toward us and decided it was time to turn around. Scott had earlier decided he was not going as far as Terri and I. Terri walks a very fast pace, which happily I was able to keep up with. Of course the rain caught us before we got to the protection of the woods about 10 minutes away. We walked very fast and got to the car just before the downpour started. My wonderful brother-in-law had gotten to the car ahead of us so he picked us up at the opening of the trail. Scott, Terri and I all got a little wet but not soaked. We were happy with our decision to go for it.

So now it was on to the well deserved bakery. We bought a chocolate raspberry mousse cake, but then I saw the chocolate eclairs, one of Linda's favorites. So I added that to the purchase. Then I noticed an unfamiliar item. It was a glazed, Mexican, chocolate, little pull apart cake. Had to try that also! (I was told the Mexican cake was not spicy so I thought I'd try it. It was just okay. The cake and the chocolate eclair were top notch!) We had a toast to Linda and enjoyed our treats. There was enough cake left to share with Chris, Theresa, Owen and Annika at a seafood dinner we planned for Friday.

Then Scott started getting a cold. It seemed like he was getting worse by the hour, because he was! There was a lot of sneezing and coughing. Terri and I tried to stay away, but we had all been together in the house and car for several days. We had a major kayaking event planned Wednesday at Green Reservoir. Chris and Stephanie were joining Terri and I. Scott is not into kayaking so we left him home sneezing and coughing! 

Launching the kayaks

It was cloudy but there was no rain forecast. The reservoir is very protected, no houses nor cottages nor motor boats. We carried the kayaks to the water and embarked. As you can see from Terri's outfit, it was neither hot nor sunny. But it was warm enough.

 A few trees had started to change colors.
 

Chris brought fishing poles for us which was fun. We each caught some bass and pickerel. They all were released.

 We were paddling along when we heard some loons calling. Then a little while later we heard them calling loudly and excitedly. Stephanie spotted a bald eagle in a tree that the loons did not like. I was able to record the loons. (You can't see them in the video. Turn your volume on to hear them.) It's always fun to hear loons calling. 

We saw several loons while kayaking. We're not supposed to get too close so the picture is a little fuzzy but I got a good look at these as they were swimming toward me. They are both juveniles so the coloration is different than the typical very distinctive black and white. 

We kayaked for several hours. It was very enjoyable. I was hoping the sun would come out to enhance the colors but that didn't happen. It was just that kind of weather week! At least it didn't rain!

Beaver lodge

We were somewhat separated when Chris went around a corner and we heard a big splash. We were looking around to see what it could be. Then we spotted a very large beaver lodge. The splash was obviously the beaver smacking the water with its tail. I figured it went into its lodge but then we saw it just floating near shore

I figured it went into its lodge but then we saw it just floating near shore

It was not very skittish. It just watched us for a while and then crawled up a bank into some bushes. 

Beaver tail

His tail was hanging out into the water. (In the picture, what looks like a double tail, is actually a reflection in the water.) The beaver was huge. The largest any of us had ever seen. It was the hit of the day.

Here are some interesting and fun facts about beavers.

The American Beaver

Also, here are a lot of pictures of the reservoir. Green Reservoir, VT

Christopher and I enjoy sea food a lot. Therefore we planned a seafood dinner Friday night. The kids were back in school and Scott was feeling pretty good. We picked up swordfish for an appetizer, and lobster for the main course. That afternoon Chris called and said now Theresa was getting the cold. Well at least Theresa doesn't like seafood so she wasn't going to mind missing that. Stephanie, also not a sea food fan, decided she was staying away from all the germs! The rest of us got together for a great dinner.

I had an early morning flight from Burlington because it was by far the best flight. Terri was good enough to drive me to the airport at 5:00 AM. I was connecting at O'Hare in Chicago, always scary. But all went well. Having in theory, gained 3 hours, I arrived home at 12:45 California time. Having gotten up at 4:15 AM it didn't feel like I gained 3 hours!

Sept 19th: One last project and on to Cleveland

 

Matt and Wendy decided to install the same drinking water filtration that Rebecca and I installed at her place. We had the water tested for both locations and found a number of contaminants in the tap water. Although the amounts were very small, over time, the body continues to absorb toxic elements that can lead to a host of health issues. (A search on the web of toxic elements in drinking water can provide a lot of research info if you are interested.)

Installation instructions

The system arrived earlier than expected so I had a day to contribute to the installation. Having worked on Rebecca's system made the installation of Matt and Wendy's go smoothly. Wendy directed per the instructions, which are somewhat challenging.

I put the pieces together and Matt did the hard part of crawling under the sink. 

System installed under the sink

All went well and the system is up and running. No more buying distilled water for drinking water

The day before I left for Cleveland I finally got a couple videos of my hummingbird! Click on full screen to see it.

Julie and Jim's street

My flights to Ohio went very smoothly. I enjoyed returning to My sister Julie and brother-in-law's home in Euclid. Their house is on a nice quiet street that ends at Lake Erie. Their house is the white one behind the tree.
 

Jim and I went down to the end of the street to enjoy the lake view. It was a beautiful day. 

It was close to sunset and a nice view looking West.

One of my goals this trip was to sort through the stuff Linda and I left at Julie and Jim's as well as at the farm. Most of the items were no longer useful and just taking up space. A major item was the industrial sewing machine Linda and I purchased in 2006 to make boat cushions and a plastic enclosure for the bimini top. Linda spent many hours in our basement sewing.

She was skeptical that I could set up the bimini top in the basement and that she would be able to make the plastic windows fit properly. It wasn't perfect but she ended up successfully enclosing the flybridge, which was very useful in inclement weather. She grudgingly admitted that she was very happy I pushed the idea. Of course she did the hard part!

Linda used the sewing machine again in Julie's basement about 6 years ago to make a new canvas top. We realized it was time when she found she needed an umbrella when driving under the top when it rained heavily! 

 

Very old Singer sewing machine

Because I am selling Yesterday's Dream, I won't use the sewing machine anymore. It is so old and outdated that I just called a local "Junk" dealer to see if they could come and haul it away. It is very heavy and it takes two strong people to get it out of the basement. A friend and I struggled getting it into Julie's basement when we moved out of our house in 2009. And I was smart enough to let someone else get it out! I was pleased that they said a person in their organization would probably find someone who wanted it. It served us very well.

Some of the stored items I shipped to my California home. The clean out was very successful. I now have nothing stored at the Loudonville, Drouhard farm, and very minimal items at Julie and Jim's.

Euclid Lake Erie walk way

Julie and Jim sing at funerals in their church choir. They were going to a funeral one morning so I took the opportunity to walk to the end of their street and go down to the recently developed walkway along the lake. The city did a marvelous job putting the lakeside to good use.

In the distance , you can see the fishing pier that was included in the project. Here is a view from the end of the pier looking toward shore.

As I approached the fishing pier, I was fortunate to spot a bald eagle in a tree along the walkway.

There were a couple signs explaining some of the restoration work that was completed. It was great to see the efforts made to keep contaminants out of Lake Erie.

There is a video that describes the project in depth. The picture of the shoreline includes the end of Julie and Jim's street. (About in the middle of the picture.)  Euclid Lake Project Lake project video

There is a beautiful, large park which has been a part of Euclid for many years. It is well maintained and heavily used. A portion of the property was originally owned by a family that lived in the mansion pictured here.

There is a beautiful, large park which has been a part of Euclid for many years. It is well maintained and heavily used. A portion of the property was originally owned by a family that lived in the mansion pictured here.

Additional pictures and a history of the family can be seen at this link. Henn Mansion History

Many people don't expect to find a beautiful park like this in such a highly populated area. It's a nice retreat from the busy city activity. 

When I went to Loudonville, Linda's family, friends and I gathered for dinner at Donna Spreng's house. She is a most gracious host. Everyone except me, (because I was travelling) brought more food than we needed. I am sorry to say I neglected to take pictures, but everyone was looking good! Bob and Sue Brightbill joined us and I stayed at their house that night. When we returned to their house at 9:30 PM we all said we were ready for bed. We started talking and the next thing I knew it was midnight! I guess we had a lot of catching up to do.

Sue and Bob Brightbill
 and Elaine Burgett

The next morning, Bob and Sue, Elaine Burgett and I, (all schoolmates of Linda's), got together at Elaine's house for a fabulous breakfast! Elaine made a sausage, egg and cheese casserole plus cinnamon rolls. Sue brought some fresh fruit that sort of made it a healthy breakfast?

I returned to Julie's house for a couple more nights. It was great to have a lot of relaxed time together. I always enjoy their hospitality and their laid back sense of humor. Not to mention Julie's fabulous cooking! I get many of my childhood favorites as well as some newer dishes whenever I visit.

Dave Puffer, Laura Purnell
and Sue Puffer

One last gathering in Cleveland was with my very good friends, Sue and Dave Puffer and Laura Purnell. We all worked together for many years and remain good friends. We do a Zoom meeting once a month, including the Bambics who have moved to Durham, NC. But it was great to finally get together in person. Laura prepared an orange chicken with mushroom dish that I found unique and excellent.

The following morning I flew to Burlington to spend a week with the Scott family. They are always a lot of fun.