The Place: Brecksville, Ohio (home)
The Basics
Area: Brecksville is south of Cleveland, a 20-minute drive and 30-minutes north of Akron. Getting to either location is an easy commute on I-77 or a more fun commute by bike on the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail. In the center of town are few convenience and specialty stores, several banks, a town square, a fabulous grocery store (more about this in The Food) and a handful of casual dining and bar options.
Accommodations: Our House
My husband Jim, our cat Bubba, and I live in a Frank Lloyd Wright-esque home nestled between the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and the Cleveland MetroParks Brecksville Reservation. Our backyard is a ravine with a stream trickling through it. The house a sturdy brick ranch. Our updating dreams are grand…today it is comfortable. My favorite part of the house is the nearly floor to ceiling windows that frame the artwork of oaks, maples, elms and pines of our backyard.
My Favorite Attraction: The parks
Dotted throughout Greater Cleveland is the vision of William Stinchcomb who conceived and led the charge to build 18 Metroparks. The Metropark’s Brecksville Reservation runs into the 33,000 acre Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Both parks consume land that has been carved out by glaciers leaving behind, cliffs, streams, and waterfalls. Within one mile of our front door we have miles of biking and hiking trails that take us through forests, towns, and farms.
The Day: Saturday May 13, 2017
Morning
- Research Slovenia trip (the thing prompting this blog.
- Community yoga and meditation in nearby Cuyahoga Heights
- Trip to the West Side Market in downtown Cleveland – hoping to find a deal on vanilla beans
- A few more groceries from Heinen’s
Mid-Day
- Quick lunch at home – salad with local greenhouse greens and organic cucumber
- Pedicure at Nailtique by Holly
- Walk and practice taking photos in the Brecksville Reservation
Evening
- Make vanilla malted ice cream
- Cook Blue Apron dinner with hubby (Jim) – hang out and talk about our trip
The Food
Most often, at home my food highlight is Heinen’s, a local grocery chain. Heinen’s has the offering of a full-scale grocery store wrapped around the luxury of gourmet shops (wine, beer, cheese, bakery, prepared food, health food, local produce and dairy market, and chocolates). It’s a foodie paradise. Rarely is there an ingredient I can’t find and always top quality brands. Today I found some terrific new locally made pickles. Although we are sold on the convenience of Blue Apron, for entertaining, special dinners, and weeks when we strive for extra healthy eating Heinen’s is essential.
Today since I took a trip to the West Side market I did not by much from Heinen's but went in to get Hartzler’s whole milk. It is the secret to my newest sweet-making obsession, superior small batch ice cream. Today’s flavor malted vanilla. In its thick glass jugs Hartzler’s milk is so fresh you must shake it to churn in the cream that has set-up on top. Yum.
Side food note: Our area is flush with great ice cream options. Eating it for years has inspired me to try making my own. But here are a few local favorites I will still go out for:
· Mitchell’s Ice Cream: Mint Chocolate Chunk on a traditional cake cone. Made with locally grown mint and shards of dark chocolate that somehow melt in your mouth right along with the ice cream, amazing!
· Honey Hut: Hot Fudge Sundae with Honey Pecan Ice Cream. The pecans are toasted and salted to perfection, the hot fudge is house made, the ice cream is just sweet enough, together the perfect sweet and salty combination. Jim goes for the Turtle Sundae with Honey Pecan Ice Cream, taking the sweet/salty experience to the next level.
· Rosati’s Frozen Custard: Their flavors change daily. When I see Higbee's Chocolate Malted on the marquee it is hard not to stop for a scoop atop a sugar cone.
The Moment
Rain, shine, sleet, or snow I get into our park system. I explore the wooded and paved paths. I tread on foot or by bike. Today, a perfect 70-degree blue sky day.
Often on a Saturday I come across a wedding party on a photo shoot. These are lucky days. I feel like I can reach out and scoop up a bit of the newlywed’s joy and then toss it into the air like confetti as I shout out my congratulations to the happy couple.
Today I spotted a brave bride. I observed from a distance as she gathered her long white dress into her hands to dance on a rock in the river. Her new husband watched-on, gripping her red rose crystal studded bouquet as if it was her hand he was holding steady. When his bride returned to him, he did not give back the bouquet he took her hand and they walked off the river bank.
On the way back to their waiting wedding party, the couple passed by a blonde curly headed girl in knee-high wellies tossing rocks into the stream. The girl cocked her head and gave the bride a sideways look and then asked, why are you wearing a dress. The bride responded, because I got married today and then with sweet excitement announced, this is my husband.
As they cross the rivers of life, I wish this couple always finds the comfort and excitement in each other that I witnessed today.