Cleveland in HDR – The 6th City Collection

Today’s photo is of a winter scene near Peninsula, Ohio in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Here is some info from the National Park Foundation’s website: “Though a short distance from the urban environments of Cleveland and Akron, Cuyahoga Valley National Park seems worlds away. The winding Cuyahoga—the “crooked river” as named by American Indians—gives way to deep forests, rolling hills, and open farmlands. The park is a refuge for flora and fauna, gives a sense of times past, and provides recreation and solitude for Ohio’s residents and visitors. The park has a rich cultural legacy as well. Remains of the Ohio & Erie Canal, which traveled through the valley in the 19th and early 20th centuries, offer a glimpse into the past”.

For more info: http://www.nationalparks.org/discover-parks/index.cfm?fa=viewPark&pid=CUVA

Today’s Quote:  “Every other artist begins with a blank canvas, a piece of paper the photographer begins with the finished product”. – Edward Steichen

Here is some info from the Cleveland Cultural Gardens website: “Dedicated in 1935, the Czech Garden was designed by landscape architects B. Ashburton Tripp and Maurice Cornell. At the center of a circular lawn, flanked by an Eagle Pylon and a Lion Pylon, is a sculptured frieze depicting the history of the migration of Czechs to the United States. Atop the frieze and facing the lawn are busts of Bedrich Smetana, a composer, Dr. Miroslav Tyrs, an educator and organizer of Sokol gymnastic societies, Jan E. Purkyne, a physiologist, and Bozena Nemcova, a novelist. The garden also contains busts celebrating Frantisek Palacky, a historian and statesman, Anton Dvorak, the composer of the well-known “New World Symphony,” the Reverend Jendrich Simon Baar, a priest and novelist, Karl Havlicek, a journalist imprisoned because of his political views, and Thomas Masaryk, the first president of Czechoslovakia. Most of these statues, as well as the frieze, were the work of Frank L. Jirouch, a Cleveland-born sculptor of Czech descent who sculpted many of the busts in the garden.

On April 1, 1939, the President of Czechoslovakia planted two linden trees from Bohemia in the garden. In 1949, the Czech delegation added the Tyrs, Nemcova, and Purkyne bust, and in June 1962, Masaryk’s statue was added. At the dedication ceremony, United States Senator Frank Lausche lauded the choice of Masaryk, giving the dedication political resonance in the broader context of the raging Cold War. Lausche stated, that The love of liberty lives strong in the hearts of the Czechoslovakian people in America. … Our government will not make any pact for the degradation of Czechoslovak liberty.”

For more information on the Czech Garden: http://culturalgardens.org/gardenDetail.aspx?gardenID=7

Today’s quote is one of my favorites and comes from the garden itself: This Garden is dedicated, to our beloved Czech parents who by their teachings and by precept and example have established for us a high ideal of American citizenship.

Want to spend a peaceful afternoon in the park? Wade Park and Lagoon is located in front of the Cleveland Museum of Art in University Circle. This beautiful piece of land was donated to the city by Jeptha Wade in 1882 with the intention of building an Art Museum. If you ever have an afternoon free and want somewhere to relax this place is perfect. Walk along the lagoon, eat lunch under a tree and then take a stroll through the art museum. It is a wonderful place that is rarely crowded and always free.

Today’s Quote: “It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it”. – Eleanor Roosevelt

Today’s photo was taken in the formal dining room of the famous Greenbrier Suite. Located inside the Terminal Tower, the Greenbrier Suite was the Van Sweringen brother’s private mansion. What impressed me about this room was the beautiful hand painted wall paper.

For more info: http://blog.cleveland.com/pdmultimedia/2011/08/take_a_tour_of_secret_terminal.html

Today’s Quote: “I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody”. – Bill Cosby

The picturesque village of Chagrin falls has grown around a natural waterfall on the Chagrin River. The town is known for its restaurants, historic architecture, shopping, and its arts community. For more information on Chagrin Falls:

http://www.chagrin-falls.org/

Today’s Quote: “A picture is a poem without words”. – Horace

Check out today’s photo of the Cuyahoga River. Cuyahoga means “crooked river” in the Iroquois language and it’s easy to see why.

Today’s Quote: ” I paint objects as I think them, not as I see them”. – Pablo Picasso

It’s been a mild winter and in the next month or so the weather will begin to get even warmer.  Why not grab your bike and go for a ride? Cleveland and Northeast Ohio are a great place to go biking. There are and endless trails and places to explore in the city, the Metroparks and the Cuyahoga Valley. Try a bike ride though downtown Cleveland or University Circle. If the biking in the city isn’t your cup of tea why not try the parks and valley? You can ride along the historic towpath or bike the trails and catch the rairoad back to your car. If you are really not sure where you would like to ride you should check out the Great Lakes Touring Co. for all kinds of great information. Here is the link: www.bikecle.com

Today’s Quote: “Go big or go home. Because it’s true. What do you have to lose?” -Eliza Dushku

Today’s photo was taken at Mapleside Farms last fall. If you have never been to this farm on a summer evening you really are missing something special. – www.mapleside.com/

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Today’s Quote: I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love. – Mother Teresa

Today’s photo is of a sunset behind the breakwall on Lake Erie. We are lucky to have such a beautiful lake to enjoy.

Today’s photo is of a cool looking birdhouse on a farm about 45 minutes East of downtown Cleveland.

Today’s Quote: “More than 15 percent of the jobs in Ohio are tied in some way to agriculture. A strong agriculture means a strong economy”. John Fisher