river

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Just what I needed

Posted by Photonstopper on June 16, 2011
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Photo: A fern grows from shallow soil in a rocky river bank. Photo by James Guilford.

A fern, illuminated from above, sprouts from shallow soil held by rocks along Chippewa Creek.

It continues to be a stressful and tiring time. Our mothers are facing health issues. Our cat, Tasha, has reached a health crisis of her own — hyperthyroidism. There’s too much to do, and too little rest. Still, it’s possible to find a respite in nature. Wednesday morning, before heading off to work, I took a brief, solo photo hike along a portion of Chippewa Creek. Calm now after the spring’s torrents of rain, the stream flows gently over age-smoothed stone in a gorge carved deep into bedrock. The stream is canopied by the branches and leaves of old trees. Mosses and ferns grow in tiny trays of moist soil formed in the rockface. Despite the location, near a busy street and business center of town, the scene is calm and soothing to the soul. Just what I needed.

Not a peaceful scene

Posted by Photonstopper on March 10, 2011
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Photo: Flood waters rush through a rocky ravine. Photo by James Guilford.

A full day of steady rain floods a normally-quiet stream as it rushes to join the roaring West Branch of the Rocky River. Photo by James Guilford.

I stopped in Olmsted Falls on my way to work this morning. Last week I had marveled at the scene I’d witnessed crossing a bridge there during historic flooding. I hadn’t stopped to photograph the view and regretted it ever since. I vowed not to repeat that mistake. Since yesterday, 24 hours of rain combined with snow melt and saturated ground made for new flooding. A tiny, rock-lined tributary in Olmsted Falls, Ohio, dangerously rushed with muddy water to join the roaring West Branch of the Rocky River. Most of the time one can (being careful not to slip on the moss) safely walk on the exposed stony stream bed. The River normally falls gently over exposed rock, shallow and quiet enough to have played host to a wading heron I photographed last year.  Not today. It was not a peaceful scene.

Photo: Rushing waters join a stream and river. Photo by James Guilford.

Turbulance abouds as flood waters rush over a rocky streambed and join the flowing chaos of the West Branch of the Rocky River in Olmsted Falls, Ohio. Photo by James Guilford.

Off to work I go

Posted by Photonstopper on November 2, 2010
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Photo: Sunrise illuminates trees along river valley. Photo by James Guilford.

The rising sun illuminates trees overlooking the West Branch Columbia River valley on a cold early November morning.

This day dawned bright and crisp making the commute to work more pleasant. Dropping into the valley, I looked around as I crossed the bridge over the West Branch of the Columbia River in Olmsted Township. The rising sun was kissing trees at the rim of the valley, trees that had so far held on to their colored leaves. I stopped for five minutes to snap some photos and enjoy the view and wished I could have explored the frosty fields I’d passed along the way. Hi-ho, it’s off to work I go!

Chair Factory Falls

Posted by Photonstopper on October 16, 2010
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Photo: Chair Factory Falls, Lake Metroparks. Photo by James Guilford.

Chair Factory Falls on a beautiful autumn day.

We saw a news item about the Thursday dedication of a new area within the Lake Metroparks: Chair Factory Falls. Today was a beautiful day for a trip there so, after quick shopping for the week’s groceries, we headed out. The Falls turned out to be probably the most beautiful natural water feature I’ve seen in the Northeastern Ohio area and were a short walk from a convenient parking lot. We encountered a couple of people who warned us that the hike back out of the gorge was tough but worth the effort. They underestimated our vigor for while the path out was steep, it was an easy climb for the two of us and more than worth the effort. Of course the cameras came with us and we shot many photos but I’ll show only two here. The parking lot was adjacent to the Metroparks’ Old Stone School landmark. Stone walls, fallen leaves, and an antique water pump made for a rustic scene.

Photo: Water pump near stone wall of an old school. Photo by James Guilford.

A hand-operated water pump stands at the south wall of the Old Stone School, a property of the Lake Metroparks.

Nothing done, again. Ha-ha!

Posted by Photonstopper on October 9, 2010
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Today She Who Must Be Obeyed and I went on a minor grocery shopping trip. She said that, when we returned home, she would get some work done around the place… like cleaning out her car. Exposure to the glorious fall day, however, changed Her mind. She suggested a hike in the Brandywine Falls park, near Peninsula, Ohio.

 

Photo: Visitors pause to view Brandywine Falls. Photo by James Guilford.

A winding wooden walkway leads down to a lovely view of Brandywine Falls.

 

Brandywine is a beautiful place where a natural waterfall flows over a stone bed, carving and smoothing the rock. A deep gorge extends downstream of the falls, shallow and safe for hiking, surrounded by woodland.

 

Photo: Brandywine falls on an autumn morning. Photo by James Guilford.

In the morning shadows, the falls move among autumn colors.

 

We spent a good long time in the woodland downstream of the falls, hiking the hilly earthen trails, and stopping frequently to take photos. There’s a lot to see if you slow down and look around.

 

Photo: Tight crop of colorful autumn leaf. Photo by James Guilford.

A portion of a colorful leaf cropped from a much larger image at 100 percent.

 

Yes, She was seduced as I had been a day earlier. Her noble and ambitious plans were put aside for enjoyment of the day. Nothing done, again. Ha-ha!

Then again, as a philosopher* once said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

*Ferris Bueller, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, 1986.

Nothing got done.

Posted by Photonstopper on October 8, 2010
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Photo: The Sun rises over a field of ripening soy. Photo by James Guilford

The Sun rises over a field of ripening soy on a beautiful autumn day in Northeastern Ohio.

 

I’ll blame She Who Must Be Obeyed. I innocently remarked that it was an absolutely beautiful morning. She replied, “Yes, a perfect morning to go to Hinckley Lake.” I had the day off (having worked last Sunday) but I had other activities in mind for the day. I headed to Hinckley anyway. Along the way I noticed how the low sun was setting the ripening soy fields aglow.

 

Photo: Grass seed ripening. Photo by James Guilford.

Grass seeds also ripen in the fall.

 

All of the seed-producing plants are finishing their job for the season. That includes the wild grasses that grow along the roads and streams. I found one grass seed head beautifully isolated against the plain background of a stream.

 

 

Photo: Panorama of Hinckley Lake, Ohio. Photo by James Guilford.

Panorama of the sky, trees, and waters of Hinckley Lake on a beautiful fall day.

 

Hinckley Lake was a wonderland of light and color. Many trees wore yellows and reds. Many a leaf has already fallen to the ground. No large birds (other than buzzards) were to be seen. The greatest wildlife activity was from numerous chipmunks and squirrels scampering about the forest floor, apparently gathering seeds as food.

Too many sights. Too many photographs. Too brief was the magical light present.

Of course I got nothing done I had planned for the day.

Crazy beautiful

Posted by Photonstopper on September 26, 2010
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Photo: A fern grows from cracks in a river's rock wall. Photo by James Guilford.

A lonely fern grows from cracks in the rock wall of Chippewa Creek.

She Who Must Be Obeyed sent me out on this cloudy and cool Sunday afternoon to buy crackers. We’ve been looking for our favorite brand –Wheatsworth– for some time now and we last found them at our favorite store: Heinen’s, Brecksville. No dice. The Teenagers were running the service desk today so I don’t know if the store no longer stocks them. I purchased a few other items and took a little walk. The shopping center is improbably perched on a piece of land that leads down into an amazing natural space: Chippewa Creek’s valley, carved from solid rock. I’d brought my little G11 camera “just in case” and was glad I did. I spent way more time photographing the rocks, mosses, ferns, and foliage than I’d spent shopping for crackers. I felt way better after having done so. Looking at one picture in particular was an experience: the rock face and its colors, striations, water stains, lichens, slime, plants, roots, and tumbled appearance… it’s crazy and beautiful.

Photo: Rock wall along Chippewa Creek. Photo by James Guilford.

A tumbled mess of rock, colors, plants, stains, and colors makes this rock face along Chippewa Creek crazy beautiful.

River respite

Posted by Photonstopper on August 20, 2010
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River Respite_0446a
River Respite_0446a

I spotted this scene in the last half of my commute to work this morning. I hadn't much time but actually turned the car around, parked, and took a few moments to enjoy and photograph the view from a roadway bridge. A river respite.

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{Sigh!}

Posted by Photonstopper on May 29, 2010
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Thursday was a really, really lousy day at work! Started out in the wee hours with a power failure in the server rack, then a yahoo co-worker moved a couple of networked printers before their time putting them out of use, then the HR manager's PC died, and on and on and on. By the end of the day I was stressed out, my body hurt from head to toe, I was angry, frustrated, and I was physically exhausted having stayed up late with observatory programming the night before and scrambling to work an hour early when I discovered there was a crisis in progress. This morning was a time to unwind a bit on my way to the place of Thursday's torments.

Olmsted Irises #4778
Olmsted Irises #4778

One of my favorite local places is a city park in Olmsted Falls. There, amongst hand-carved rocky walls, grow mosses, flowers, and trees. Nearby a river slowly wears down its rocky bed creating the falls for which the town is named. The light and the atmosphere are peaceful there. It's on my way to work.

Olmsted Irises #4781
Olmsted Irises #4781

Several varieties of iris grow there, surely planted by forgotten hands. They glow softly in the early morning light amongst the rock walls.

Olmsted Tadpoles #4793
Olmsted Tadpoles #4793


An unkempt and smelly lily pond is adjacent to the park's tiny parking lot. I was looking for frogs or turtles, and even heard but did not see a bullfrog. Then I noticed the tiny black dots floating amidst the tangles of pond weed… tadpoles! Hundreds, maybe thousands of tadpoles were swimming everywhere. Most were of a very small, deep brown or black variety dotted with yellow. What I thought were bubbles of gas burbling occasionally to the surface turned out to be much larger bullfrog tadpoles! They darted to the surface, gulped air, then dove back to the relative safety of the pond floor!

Olmsted House #4796
Olmsted House #4796


Before leaving, I strolled to the bridge carrying a street over the river valley and crossed to the north side. There, perched just on the river bank, is a house of enviable location. Still, I got my respite and a bit of stress relief through a much less permanent visit to a tiny city park. One of my favorite places for, now, several decades, David Fortier River Park.

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