Blue Heron Homecoming

On Saturday the Akron’s Water Reclamation Facility(which I believe used to be called a "wastewater treatment plant"(everything has a brand these days)) was open to the public for a festival. The parks, zoo, Canalway, schools and more had interesting and educational booths set up. There was free lunch and shuttles to the Heron rookery. ReWorks was there and set up to make it a zero waste event. The highlight, though, was the tour of the facility itself. I was impressed at the large turnout - basically so many people interested in what happens when you flush.

Jane's Walk Four

On Sunday afternoon I took part in my last Jane's Walk of the weekend - this time it was Portage Lakes led by Kaley Foster. The tour was shorter on walking than many - which demonstrated one of the challenges of the area - that it is not particularly pedestrian(or bike) friendly. The walk was long on information and discussion though - and finished with a trolley ride through the beautiful Lakes on a perfect day.

Jane's Walk Three

The third Jan'e walk I participated in took place on Saturday evening - it followed in the footsteps of the ArtWalk and was led by Suzie Graham. The ArtWalk takes place the first Saturday of each month. We started at the Summit ArtSpace, walked down Market to the Historic Cultural District, and then to Northside.

Jane's Walk Two

On Saturday afternoon I went on my second Jane's Walk - this time Kenmore - led by Greg Burke and Nolan James. Greg is a lifelong Kenmore resident and we joked that he made it the, "Kenmore Dad Joke Comedy Tour". Great leaders and neighborhood champions - not to mention the other longtime residents who showed up and could answer any question about Kenmore history you had. This "walk" was a little different as we took a trolley around the area and then would get off and stroll. This was a Jane's Walk that truly changed my perception of an area of the city. Yes, Kenmore has its challenges, but it is not that place that many believe it is. I really thought that parts of Summit Lake were a no go zone - they turned out to be one of the most beautiful parts of Akron.

Jane's Walk One

On Friday at Noon I went on the first of 15 Jane's Walks happening in Akron this weekend. This walk was about the city's infrastructure and engineering - led by Renee Whittenberger and Christine Jonke. We learned about some of the things people rarely think about - the underground utilities and drainage, bridges, and the history of it all. As with every neighbor walking tour(Jane's walk and Akron2Akron) I've come away with some interesting facts I never knew about Akron and met a few interesting people I wouldn't have otherwise.

Barberton Ride

My friend, Wes, and I met at the dog park on Memorial, rode the Towpath south, and then detoured into Barberton on Wednesday evening. We left around 5:45PM and it was absolutely gorgeous out. Riding along Summit Lake was a highlight. We were riding pretty hard but I still managed to get my camera out and snap a few photos - it was the kind of light where just about any photo looked good - even from a moving bike.

On a Field of Blue

From Wikipedia:

"Mertensia virginica (common names Virginia bluebell, Virginia cowslip, lungwort oysterleaf, Roanoke bells) is a spring ephemeral plant with bell-shaped sky-blue flowers, native to eastern North America.....The word ephemeral means transitory or quickly fading. In regard to plants, it refers to several distinct growth strategies. The first, spring ephemeral, refers to perennial plants that emerge quickly in the spring and die back to their underground parts after a short growth and reproduction phase."

...and they sure are beautiful growing all along Furnace Run in the Cuyahoga Valley.

Akron2Akron: Middlebury

Yesterday afternoon I went on the latest Akron2Akron neighborhood walking tour - this time - Middlebury. We started at the Open Assembly of God Church and the non-religious organization LINKS. There were long time residents of the area helping out with the tour. It was interesting to hear about the way the neighborhood had changed over time, its challenges and the wonderful effort that the church and LINKS are putting in to make it a better place.

Mustill Store

Yesterday there was an event called "Block to Lock" - a group biked from Highland Square down to the Mustill Store, where there was food, music, volunteer canal clean-up, a fire and more. Unfortunately I was busy in the morning and couldn't make the whole event - but decided to bike down later in the day. I caught part of 'Acid Cats' set and explored the cool little museum about Akron's Canal days and the building's life as a grocery store. Cascade Locks Park has long been one of my favorite spots - even before the Towpath ran through and all the displays were added.

Walk A Mile

Last evening I went to Lock 3 for the "10th Annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes" event that raises awareness of sexual violence. It is hosted by the Rape Crisis Center. I wanted to grab some photos of my TorchBearer friends in their heels - but I also ran into a bunch of other friends who turned out and raised money for this great cause. It was a fun event about a serious issue.

Down South

On Friday morning I had a photo shoot down in Canton. After the shoot I decided to hang around town for a bit and take some photos. I find Canton to be visually pretty interesting because so many of their old building in the commercial district remain - especially compared to Akron and Cleveland for its relative size. Also, and as I've written here before, I'm impressed with how much seems to be going on in Downtown Canton. Like many Rust Belt cities Canton has the problem of being a shrinking community and there is plenty of vacant buildings - but it seems Downtown had already bottomed out and is on the rebound. I would venture to guess that their are more good restaurants there than in Akron - and with the Arts in Stark Grants there are a bunch of galleries in the Art's District. I know your supposed to kick it on the next city down the line(Cleveland>Akron) but right now I'm a fan. I hope things continue in a positive direction.

New Beer, New Spot

Last night I rode my bike to the Cashmere Cricket in downtown Cuyahoga Falls to try out Homestead Beer Company's offerings. Homestead just moved into the market(they are located in Heath, OH) and one of the owners and the distributor were at the bar drinking and talking beer. I had never been to the Cashmere Cricket, which turned out to be a cool spot. Two bars and two patios - my kind of place - and I knew the bartender from his days at Hoppin Frog(great guy).

Gorge-ous

This morning I noticed some fog blowing over the top of the High Level Bridge. I went back in the studio, grabbed my camera, and walked to the bridge. The Gorge was filled with fog - it was pretty amazing. I took a few shots from each side before heading back to work. The above shot is looking East.

Weekend

Here is a small collection of mostly unrelated photos from my weekend. I was loving the nice weather. The shot above is from a hike I took near Peninsula.

Babb Run Walk

I had't been to Babb Run Bird Sanctuary for a few years - part of the reason being it has been closed to traffic since the big flood last May. Yesterday I decided to walk down into there. Babb Run is across the Cuyahoga River from Cascade Valley Metro Park. As you can see from the above and below photos the park is closed for a good reason. This is the second time in the park's history flooding has closed it - there was a major rebuild in 1982 to reopen it. My online research hasn't turned up any info on whether Cuyahoga Falls plans to reopen the park this time.

Cleveland Day

On Friday I was supposed to pick my parents up from Cleveland Hopkins Airport so I decided to make a day out of the trip to Cleveland. I started the afternoon out at The Cleveland Museum of Art - I wanted to see their latest photo exhibition, "Constructed Identities". There were a few Henri Cartier-Bresson prints of RFK and Warhol Polaroids of Mick Jagger that I though were pretty cool - most of the rest of the stuff wasn't necessarily my cup of tea. No worries - I always have a good time wandering through all the other cool stuff up there.

New Flury's

Flury's Cafe, one of my favorite lunch/breakfast spots, moved on April First from Sackett Ave. to the corner of Front Street and Portage Trail in Downtown Cuyahoga Falls. Yesterday morning I checked out the new spot. The place is really nice - lots of natural light - and managed to keep the old Flury's vibe but in a better space. Same hours, same menu. I hope this turns out to be a successful move - get over there and grab a bite.

Signal Tree Studies #1-4

"Signal Tree Study #2"