It's Fall again!

I don't know why, but every Fall I feel like I need to go around and take a million pictures of the leaves. This year is no different, though I will say I have different scenery than normal since we've moved. The Fall colors at our old house were always amazing, but it's been nice going around Kent and seeing some more, particularly in the parks. I'm hoping if we have some sun tomorrow I can get some pictures at Sand Run Metro Park in Akron. I've driven past it on the way from my after-school job to rehearsal and the colors and scenery I can see from the road are just amazing!! Sand Run is in northern Akron right on the edge of the Cuyahoga Valley, so it really doesn't feel like Ohio or even Akron at all! Unfortunately, I am already running late when I am normally driving past it, so no time to stop. Tomorrow, however, I don't have rehearsal so I hope the weather cooperates. For now, though, I have gotten quite a few pictures around Kent. I've always enjoyed Fall, not only the colors but the weather too. I didn't really appreciate the color and season here until I lived out west in Arizona, New Mexico, and Idaho for the better part of 5 years and really missed it all. There was some color in Ruidoso and in Idaho, but nothing even remotely close to what we have just here in Kent, not to mention around the area. Just the short drive from Kent to Akron along I-76 is full of color. I uploaded all of these and more on Facebook, so if you've already seen them, sorry! If you haven't, check out my Facebook album "Fall 2009" if you're on Facebook.

This is looking down in my current neighborhood. Yeah, I guess it's now "my" neighborhood, but I still don't feel like it's "mine" ya know?

These are both from a tree in front of Central School on North Mantua Street...pretty cool huh?!?

Earl Avenue in Kent...I just kind of saw it while walking and was like...WOW!

This is my favorite park in Kent, the Franklin Mills Riveredge Park downtown. This is where I got the picture of myself that's at the top of the page.

I took most of the pictures Sunday, October 25, but went back Monday to get more when the sun was at a better angle. This one above was taken on the 26th, looking south from the Main Street Bridge downtown Kent.

Looking north along the Cuyahoga from the Main Street Bridge

I am hoping to go back and get another shot of this when there is more sunlight, though I am still happy how it came out. Looking at the old 1875 train depot from under the Main Street Bridge.

Another view from under the bridge on the 26th...you can see I took these earlier in the afternoon and with way more sunlight than the ones on the 25th.

Looking up from Heritage Park, which is right below the Main Street Bridge adjacent to Riveredge Park.

Looking north from the Haymaker Parkway (SR 59) bridge. I had to fit the camera between a very small opening in the chain-link fence that lines the bridge. It's a much tighter fence than a typical chain-link fence.

These two are from the same tree in Tannery Park, which connects to Riveredge Park on the south end. I came in the park and couldn't miss this tree which is seemingly on fire! Tannery Park is on the site of an old tannery that was initially run by Zenas Kent and famous abolitionist John Brown in the late 1830s when Brown lived in Kent (which was then called Franklin Mills).

This is also at Tannery Park. I took a picture the first day I was there but it was overexposed, so I went back the next day and got this from a different angle...I loved how the leaves are pink! The small shelter there was made out of wood from the tannery when it was torn down in 1976.

My grandpa Derby got a picture of this tree at the corner of Crain and Elmwood last year and it was even more red. I found out red leaves are a sign of acid in the soil! Thanks Kirsten!

These are the stairs leading up to the Auditorium Building (now Cartwright Hall) in the Front Campus section of Kent State. In the winter, this is part of a wonderful sledding area! :)

So in case you haven't noticed, I LOVE Kent, especially in the Fall. There aren't many places that can top Ohio in the Fall or the East/Midwest in general for that matter in my humble opinion. :)

Fall colors

It seems most of my posts latetly have been pretty depressing to read. While I don't want to depress people, just remember, if it's depressing to read, try living it! That said, on to some of life's pleasures. =)

One of my favorite things about living in northeast Ohio is the colors that come out in Fall, especially at my house. I wish all the trees changed and peaked in color at the same time, but they don't. At least they're pretty close. I've always enjoyed how our yard looks in the Fall, the back yard more than the front. The two main trees in our front yard are pin oaks, so their leaves turn brown. One of them keeps those brown leaves until Spring. The only tree with in any color in the front yard is our smaller dogwood at the very front (which also has pretty amazing blooms in the late Spring), a tree I planted around 10 years ago. The back yard has a lot more trees and a lot more color. By the time it peaks, it looks like a blazing yellow fire behind the house since the trees are so tall and all turn yellow. Some of our neighbors' trees get great shades of yellow and orange making for quite a scene. The tree right behind our house, one I planted back in 1993 when it was just a foot tall, gets pretty colorful. The only problem is that it is one of the first to change and lose its leaves, so I got some pictures of it the other day before all the leaves fell off. As I've been driving to Southeast Middle School I've been treated to some pretty spectacular colors along all the roads I take, I-76 in particular. All sorts of reds, yellows, and oranges along the roads; just incredible! I may try to get some pictures, but I've found taking pictures while driving is not only not very smart, but the pictures are blurry or the dirty windshield gets in the way. As I was coming home from school I saw a tree that was the most brilliant shade of orange along Tallmade Road just east of Southeast Middle School. I hope it's still there when I go back on Tuesday. It was stunning!

The Fall colors were definitely something I missed while I was on my mission in Arizona and New Mexico as well as going to school in Idaho. While Idaho had more color in the Fall than Arizona or New Mexico, it wasn't much compared to what we get here in Ohio, so it was nice to enjoy a Fall again last year here for the first time since 2001. Arizona and New Mexico's problem was simply not having hardly any trees and the trees they did have were mostly evergreens. Idaho had a similar problem, though it was mostly lack of trees period as was the case in Utah. Idaho and Utah had more deciduous trees than Arizona and New Mexico, though. The only Fall colors I saw on my mission were a select few aspen trees (which turn yellow) in Ruidoso, New Mexico for Fall 2003. I don't remember seeing much of any color in Sierra Vista, which is where I was in Fall 2002.

I just want to point out I wrote this blog while waiting for my car at Montrose Chevrolet in Kent. What a fun day this has turned into! Who would've thought a simple little belt breaking in the car could cause so many vital systems to not work??

Notes on pictures: 1. View up the tree right behind our house before it lost its leaves a few days ago; 2. That same tree with the back of the house and other trees visible behind it; 3. Looking towards the back yard from the front porch; 4. A view down our street...the big color change will happen in a few weeks, but some color is already there.