Chair Factory Falls, Lake Metroparks

Chair Factory Falls in Concord Township, Ohio is a new section of the Lake Metroparks system, and the trail officially opened only a few weeks ago. The falls got its name from a chair factory in the area that used the water, via a waterwheel, to power the lathes at the factory. The factory is long gone, having burned down over 100 years ago.

The area, containing the waterway, waterfalls, and many trees, was acquired by Lake Metroparks earlier this year. The 4.5 acre parcel was donated by Laura MacMillan Crago, Johanna Bates, and Julia MacMillan in memory of George V. Bates, III and Susan Bates MacMillan. The path to the waterfall is off the main Greenway Corridor trail, and the falls trail winds through the trees literally within a few hundred feet of busy I-90. The trail is a short .3 miles long, but the hill to the falls may be considered too steep for some, and the noise from I-90 may annoy others. But it is worth the short walk down. My husband and I decided to visit over the weekend for some photos. While it’s been a little dry here lately, the falls still looked lovely. We hear that after heavy rains, the roar of the water will drown out the freeway.

Here are a few photos from our visit. (Click on any photo for a larger view.)

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Chapin Forest Scenic View

The fall colors are starting to show themselves. With wonderfully warm and clear weather for the weekend, it made for a perfect time to get some photos from the nearby Chapin Forest, part of the Lake Metroparks system. Chapin Forest is a 390 acre tract of woods, trails, ledges, and rock formations. In 1949, the land was donated by Frederic H. Chapin to the State of Ohio to protect it from logging. The area also includes what remains of a quarry where sandstone was taken for building construction, including for the nearby Kirtland Temple (built in 1836).

One trail features one of the best views of both Lake and Cuyahoga counties, and Lake Erie and the city of Cleveland Ohio can be easily spotted when the sky is clear. We had great weather that day, with just a very slight haze, so I was able to get some nice photos of the skyline and surrounding fall foliage. Enjoy! (Click on any image for a large view.)













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Fall at Squire’s Castle

I try to get out to Squire’s Castle every fall because the location makes for such nice fall photos, and it's also very close to home. This year the fall colors are a little slow to arrive, and the colors we do have are dull. There was also an obstacle preventing me from getting photos from some of the usual vantage points - there was a furniture photo shoot going on inside the castle. They kept most of the front of the building clear but their golf cart, their people, lighting equipment and generator got in the way at times. They had the fireplace going, something I’d never seen before, and I assume they did it to make the interior look more livable. The castle is really just a stone shell of what was supposed to be a gatehouse to an estate and is completely empty and hardly habitable.

Here are a few photos – with the people and equipment wiped where needed! (click on any image for a larger view)








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A White Breasted Nuthatch in the Classic Pose

We have quite a few white breasted nuthatches that visit our yard and our feeder, but they usually don’t stay still long enough for me to photograph them. I got lucky the other day, though, when I walked outside with my camera and realized I had forgotten to fill the bird feeder that morning. Immediately after filling the feeder, I stepped back a few feet and a nuthatch descended from the upper branches of the tree and stopped not far from where I was standing, and held its classic downward pose long enough for me to get this shot. I am sure it was just waiting for me to leave.




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A Great Blue Heron, Beautiful Scenery, Pleasant Weather!

It was a beautiful day – blue skies, comfortable temperatures – so I decided to head out to one of our local parks to catch some of the beautiful scenery and enjoy the weather. The light was just right and made for some interesting, abstract-looking photos of the lily pads on one of the ponds.

There was also a Great Blue Heron that dropped in to do some fishing, and despite the fact that a large group of kids from the nearby school descended on the area, the heron seemed indifferent to all the noise. In fact, it let me get close enough for some nice photos. (While the heron looks large an imposing when viewed from the side, it looks rather spindly and delicate when viewed face on.)















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Another Cooper’s Hawk Visits

Last week, we had two immature Cooper’s Hawks visit our back yard. Today, we had an adult Cooper's Hawk stop by, and I think he was snacking on another bird. Here’s a photo!


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A Cooper’s Hawk Visits

We had a pair of immature Cooper’s Hawks stop by in our back yard yesterday. One of the pair flew off before I could get outside with the camera, but the other hung around and posed for a few photos – with a watchful eye.



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