Alum Creek Dam

Greg and I went to Alum Creek Dam today. There was a lot of water flowing! We walked up the huge concrete staircase to the top of the dam then decided to go to the right toward the woods because we had never gone that direction. It was a beautiful day with sun and blue skies. The wind was a little chilly but I was ok with no more than a t-shirt and jeans on. There were a lot of people out jogging and walking their dogs. About half way to the woods I started hearing a high pitched noise. I asked Greg if he thought the sound was birds or if it was a loose belt on a car far away. He didn't hear the noise I was talking about so we kept listening. As we walked the noise got louder and louder until I knew it was coming from the woods and it was the sound of many many frogs! I was excited that there are frogs out, that means it really is getting warm out! Greg asked me if I wanted to go down to the grass area and I said "I want to go in the woods to find the frogs!". So we carefully walked down the big rocky hill and slipped into the woods. There were a lot of briers that will soon become berry bushes. There were hundreds of tiny plants sprouting underfoot. We walked a little farther then we saw a tiny swamp! As soon as we got near the swamp it became silent. We couldn't help but make a lot of noise getting there because there are still crisp dried leaves covering the forest floor. I sat there for a minute but the frogs didn't make a sound so we kept walking. I saw something bright blue at the very edge of the water so I looked closer and saw that it was an old aqua colored glass insulator. I picked it up then I realized it was broken so I put it back down. The date on it was 1893.

As we walked up a small hill Greg said "look, there's a snake!". I couldn't see it at first so we each took another step and the snake slithered away. I saw it that time. It looked like a queen snake. They look similar to garter snakes but they are more brown in color. We walked around a little more then decided we were done fighting briers and found a way out of the forest.

We climbed back up the rocky hill then down the other side which was covered in grass. Near the bottom of the hill I spotted a dandelion! The first one I have seen this year! Winter was so hard this year I am happy to see any kind of flower! We noticed that the sky had turned grey and it was getting colder. We walked in the wet mushy grass back to the truck and just after we got inside it started to rain. We were very glad to get back when we did!

Lancaster, Ohio

Yesterday Greg and I went to Lancaster, Ohio. We had a list of thrift stores that we wanted to go to. We were on a quest for a grounded electrical cord. The first place we went had shut down. Since it was downtown we decided to walk around. There are a lot of beautiful old buildings in downtown Lancaster and so much pretty wrought iron! My favorite building was this old church. The white paint was flaking off to show its age. It had beautiful windows and this wrought iron fence with one slightly damaged panel. I love things that are imperfect. It think this church has been converted into a house. I know I would love to live in such a beautiful house! The alley beside this church was brick with grass growing down the center, so cute! After walking around downtown we did go to all of the thrift stores but did not find the elusive grounded cord we were looking for. We gave up and went to Rising Park to climb up to the top of the big hill and look out over the cliffs. Rising Park is a beautiful place. The trail climbs up and up and when you reach to top there are sandstone rocks that you can sit on and look out over Lancaster. The town looks like a model train set from this view. The wind was strong up there! We went all of the way around the top and down a little trail on the opposite side. There weren't any people on the smaller trail, it was very steep. It was quiet except for the wind and the crows and the path ended at a very large tree. I sat near the tree while Greg walked around a little more. I love sitting near big old trees. I think they have something to tell me. Finally we walked back down the trail and headed home. We picked up some fruit and nuts for the ride. We went to a few more places before we got home and it turns out that the thrift store right by our house had several grounded cords. We were looking for adventure though and a trip to that store would not have been much of an adventure at all.

An afternoon at Grigg's Dam

Yesterday afternoon Greg and I went to Grigg's Dam along the Scioto River. The picture above is from a previous visit. When we went yesterday the water was rushing over the dam and creating big piles of foam along the rocks. The river had flooded and there were signs warning of high water. One picnic shelter was even under a few inches of water. There was a lot of driftwood along the road where the water had risen. After looking at the dam we walked into the woods. It is a great time of year to explore the woods because everything is dormant and there aren't any bugs. I was excited to see lots of wild onions or chives growing in the woods! That is a sure sign of spring. I also saw a weird type of mushroom growing. We found some big old pieces of steel out there and some large concrete pipes. When we decided to leave the wooded area it was extremely muddy. On the way back to the truck we watched the geese and ducks dig around the edge of the river for food. It was really nice to be outside again on such a perfect day. It is supposed to be rainy for a few days so it is nice that we can take advantage of the good weather when it comes along. 

Batelle Darby Creak Metro Park

Yesterday was a nice sunny day, still chilly but so sunny that Greg and I couldn't resist going outside. We got in the truck and headed toward Batelle Darby Creek Metro Park. Neither of us knew how to get there but I knew the general direction and somehow we actually found it. I was kind of surprised when I saw the sign. We parked and found a trail, I grabbed the bag of almonds out of the car and we started walking and snacking. It is fun to have no idea where you are going. The trail was grass so it was pretty wet and muddy. I never wear the right shoes, the ones I like to wear leak but I somehow managed to keep my feet dry. We found a steep little side trail  to follow, this is where we could get a good close look at the creek and listen to the rushing water. I love the sound of water. We also got to see some neat looking fungus. Everything else seems to be dormant. We went back up to the main trail and crossed a pretty wooden foot bridge. We started to get chilly shortly after that so we headed back to the truck. I am proud of myself for knowing the names of the forest: sycamore, oak, burdock but there is so much more to learn. There are supposed to be some buffalo somewhere in the park but I have no idea where they are. The picture is of me with some dried fungus. I was standing on top of a log. I really enjoy being outside, I can't wait until it gets warmer so we can be out all of the time.