Where’s Spring?

I think everyone here in Northeast Ohio is starting to wonder if spring is ever coming. For the first day of spring, we were greeted with a few inches of snow. It stuck to everything and looked beautiful and made for some nice shots. But, more snow is in the forecast for this weekend.

Enough already! Think spring…think spring…think spring…

A full shot of the oak tree in our back yard. This was a combination of 6 separate photos stitched together

We lost a huge branch like this one from the weight of the wet snow

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Cloud Photos: The View From a Jet

This past week, John had the opportunity to fly east on business. On the return trip, he took a few shots out the plane window that I thought came out really well. Here they are, we hope you enjoy them!

Both photos © John J. Zimmer

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March Comes in Like A Lion

After having a nasty ice/sleet storm earlier in the week, we got an added bonus of a very heavy snowstorm this weekend. The snow began in the morning on Friday March 7, and as the day progressed, the snow became heavier. After a short break late Friday evening, the snow cranked up again during the night and continued through most of the day Saturday. We ended up with about 20 inches of snow during that period.

It’s hard to photograph snow so you can see the depth, but here’s a few pictures that may help give you an idea.

Snowy path

Snowy street

Chickadee takes shelter under a branch

Before the winds came, snow piled up in strange shapes

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Northeast Ohio Icy March Storm

Over the last 24 hours, we had some very icy weather here. Last night was the worst, with a literal downpour of sleet. By morning, my car, which was parked outside in my driveway, was completely coated with thick ice. All but one of of my car doors were frozen shut.

The sun came out for a few minutes. It made the ice on the trees more visible. Here’s two shots of the ice on some pine branches.



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A Snowy Scene

We had a snowstorm that came through yesterday and today. It was a very wet snow, and it stuck to everything. Even though the snow came in starting early yesterday, the trees remain well coated even now, as if someone sprayed them with heavy foam. Once the sun came out later this morning, it made for a beautiful winter view.

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Mentor's Wheeler House Being Torn Down

The Wheeler House (8420 Mentor Avenue) is in the process of being torn down by developer Richard Osborne. According to the book “Mentor The First 200 Years,” the house was built circa 1855, of Italianate style, two stories, with a flat hip roof with bracketed cornice and porch roof.

The building had been a dentist office (I think since the early 1960s), and according to the Lake County Auditor’s web site, was purchased by Osborne on May 21, 2007, for $320,000.

The Lake County News Herald reported today that Osborne “does not have anything planned for the site yet” and said that Osborne indicated that the house wasn’t in good shape structurally. I had been in that house about one year ago, and it seemed fine to me, especially the large, airy addition that had been constructed for the dental office years before. (This addition is what you see as demolished in the photo.)

It is a shame that this building could not be saved or relocated. Mentor has not been kind to its old buildings over the years, and seems to allow some structures to be built, or remain, that have questionable aesthetic value.

What I don’t get is the web site for the Lawnfield Inn and Suites, directly next door to this building, bills itself as “located in the heart of Mentor's Historic District.” In fact, I thought within the last year or so, voters agreed to designate the area as historic so Mr. Osborne could proceed with development of the Center Street School (on the National Register of Historic Places), virtually a stone’s throw from the Wheeler House. Yet, according to the News Herald, Mentor Development Director Ronald Traub said there was nothing they could do to prevent it from being torn down. So is this a historic district or not – and does that designation really mean anything?


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Frosty Fractals

Do you enjoy fractals? If so, you probably are happy when cold temperatures bring interesting frost patterns on windows. Here’s a few pictures of frosty windows for your enjoyment!

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