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.