Here are the last of my autumn photos and the photos I took at Lake View Cemetery this past Monday. We enjoyed a spectacular day - one that was perfect for roaming the country side and enjoying Mother Nature's artwork.
We also enjoyed the artwork of Louis Comfort Tiffany's Wade Chapel at Lake View. I was so excited to see the window again - this time on a sunny day. The glass looked self illuminated, and it was gorgeous.
This is the pond near the chapel. Lake View Cemetery started out as an arboretum and has many different tree specimens on it's 200+ acres. We walked 3 hours worth.
This is one of the many beautifully detailed mausoleums we looked at. The cemetery's statuary is really wonderful.
This is John D Rockefeller's final resting place. His monument is the largest piece of marble cut from a quarry in Vermont and rises 65 feet into the air.
This is one of the reliefs that surround the top of James A Garfield's monument and final resting place.
This is the west side of Garfield's memorial. Below is the north side and front entrance.
Here's the Cleveland skyline and Lake Erie from the balcony area, outside at the base of the dome. The dome is not open to the public. Beneath that is the view looking down into the cemetery's west side.
After our cemetery walk, we headed back towards home and stopped at one of our favorite Lake Metroparks, North Chagrin Reservation. Here are some of the photos I took there.
RT 615, Kirtland, OH
It would have been irresponsible to skip ice cream on one of the last warm, autumn days! This delicious hot fudge brownie sundae was compliments of Malley's Chocolates in Mentor, OH.
Yes - I'm a happy camper! It's autumn and all is right in my world. It looks like I've been doing nothing but goofing off and enjoying autumn, but there has been LOTS of art created in between. I'll get to that tomorrow, but first....
Photo by: Keith Thompson
The Hazmat Team has some serious Halloween business to attend to! There are airborne pathogens to search for.
It's been an extraordinary week for me. Mike and Nadia arrived safely from California last Saturday, so the entire family has been together for the whole week. Yes - I'm happy beyond words! There have been family cookouts and way too much food (but I've enjoyed every calorie!), quiet strolls along the beach, visits to parks, and hours just sitting around reminiscing and laughing. I really hate to see it come to an end as Mike and Nadia head back to CA tomorrow.
Heather has been making mouth watering desserts for us all week. My personal favorite - Biscoff Truffles. Biscoff spread. Cream cheese. Chocolate. Speechless goodness. Heather is amazing with the baked goods and has a wonderful blog: Bake, Run, Live. If you want to see some great baked goods and sweets and collect some wonderful recipes, this is your ticket! And the most importantl part - they're "made with love, not calories". I've been telling myself that all week.
Other family members got in on the sweet action, too. Mike and Nadia sent Keith this unbelievable box of chocolate covered strawberries from Sheri's Berries for his birthday. They're deliciously sweet and crazy big! Sis also contributed awesome chocolate peanut butter brownies to the dessert table.
And let us not forget Nadia's creamy, luscious homemade flan. Definitely no calories in this! (Ha!)
Of course, we had to offset all the food (a trip to Melt, breakfast at the 50's Diner, cabbage rolls, chicken curry, etc., etc.....) with some activitiy, and I also had to sneak in some journaling via camera. Here are some snippets of our trip to the Cleveland Metroparks / North Chagrin Reservation in Willoughby Hills.
Squire's Castle front
Squire's Castle rear right
Looking up through the tower
Crab apple tree blossoms
Red Bud tree
Spring Beauty flowers
Yesterday was all about "the guys" as they washed, polished and "prettied up" the Mustangs. Four-wheeled Mustangs, that is. Mike, (videographer extraordinaire), attached his camera to the back window of my car and took video footage of the trip to and from the beach. I can't wait to see the finished product and I'll be sure to share the link with you. Here are a couple pictures from yesterday's photo shoot.
Mustang photos: Keith Thompson
Nick's 99 Saleen, Keith's 69 Coupe and 96 GT Coupe
I have to admit to just a little journaling activity. Remember the 29 Faces Challenge? Mike helped me iron out my tech kinks and make a short video of the project. Here's the finished video. For the best viewing, watch on YouTube in full screen.
As this week winds down, I hope you are finding ways to not only create, but to celebrate and love this amazing journey we call life. I hope you're surrounded by loving family and friends, and all the wonderful things that bring you pleasure.
Heather, Nick, Keith, Nadia, Mike
As for me, life just doesn't get any better than this. I'm an extremely blessed and happy woman.
