I cannot be the only person who is ready for fall. I’m so tired of Ohio’s humidity and heat, of ugly summer clothes and sad, half dead flowers.
I’m ready for fall and for bright blue skies, mums in every color and for the crunch of leaves beneath my boots. I’m ready for cute hats and scarves, for hot chocolate and pumpkin roll. I’m ready for crisp morning air that makes you reach for a jacket and for warm afternoons that cause you to shed a layer and turn your face toward the sun.
This heart shaped leaf was on the ground the other night. Although it’s only mid-August, it was a much needed reminder that summer will draw to a close and that the finest season of the year will be here soon.
Just outside of Yellow Springs, you’ll find a gorgeous red covered bridge that looks like it has always been part of the landscape.
Surprisingly, it’s a new bridge that was dedicated in 2014 in honor of former county engineer Richard Eastman. The five term engineer died in 2011 at the age of 91. He had such an affinity for covered bridges that it seemed a fitting tribute when it was decided to replace an old steel bridge with a covered one.
The bridge presides over the Little Miami Scenic Trail, a bike path that Eastman was influential in developing in the late eighties as part of the rails to trails movement.
It’s a picturesque 77 foot span complete with a cupola. The bright red paint is eye catching.
If you go, use caution on approach. It isn’t easy to see oncoming traffic from either way until you are right up on the bridge. Imagine my surprise when I came around a bend in the road to find this view.
I didn’t go looking for this bridge, instead, stumbling onto it by accident. However, if you’re in the area, it’s on Hyde Road between Yellow Springs and Clifton Mill. Use 39°47’07” N, 83°53’12” W in your gps or maps app.
Saturday took me to Urbana to look at sunflowers and to visit the Champaign Aviation Museum. While there, I looked up the Gloria Theater in downtown Urbana.
It’s well over a century old and still showing movies while a renovation project is underway. Had there been a good movie showing, I would have hung around for the matinee. It would be worth the price of admission just to see inside.
Sometimes life gets hard and you just want to run away but can’t go far. Yesterday, I found the perfect solution to this dilemma.
I walked through a field of sunflowers. What’s more cheerful than acres and acres of sunflowers in all shapes, sizes and colors?
First I drove backroads northwest to Urbana, Ohio where Lynd Fruit Farm has a twenty acre field of gorgeous varieties of sunflowers. They also have a number of large props for picture perfect memories including an old truck, a tractor and a large chair.
But the highlights are the sunflowers. Mind you, I’m not especially fond of sunflowers – they’re pretty, happy flowers but they aren’t my favorite. Still, I was in awe of how gorgeous they looked en masse. Not to mention, I had no idea there are so many varieties of sunflowers and how different they all are.
Have you ever seen a sunflower like this?
Or this?
The Urbana location seems to be just the sunflowers. If you go to their Pataskala location, it sounds like there’s fresh produce and other things to see and do on site. Although, if you’re just looking for sunflowers, this was an incredible experience because it wasn’t at all busy.
The cost is eight dollars per person or twenty per carload- whatever is cheapest for you. For that price, you get admission to the property and you get to cut a sunflower to take home.
Sunflower stems are sturdier than you might think and don’t break easily because they are holding up a giant, heavy flower. They do not provide pruners and I didn’t think to take something sharp so MacGyver here managed to saw off a stem with a house key. It would be easier to take some pruners.
Want to learn more? Visit their website or find them on Facebook by searching Lynd Fruit Farm. Here you’ll find hours, event info and updates on the flowers.
Next time, I will go to Pataskala to enjoy some of the additional activities and maybe go in the early evening when the light is warmer. I was there mid morning just as the light was starting to feel harsh. Of course, as you likely know, I had other things on my agenda and wanted to hit this place before it got busy.
Check back tomorrow to hear about something else I did while in Urbana. Also, be sure to follow Make the Journey Fun on Facebook. I’ll post some more sunflowers on that page!
Sometimes life gets hard and you just want to run away but can’t go far. Yesterday, I found the perfect solution to this dilemma.
I walked through a field of sunflowers. What’s more cheerful than acres and acres of sunflowers in all shapes, sizes and colors?
First I drove backroads northwest to Urbana, Ohio where Lynd Fruit Farm has a twenty acre field of gorgeous varieties of sunflowers. They also have a number of large props for picture perfect memories including an old truck, a tractor and a large chair.
But the highlights are the sunflowers. Mind you, I’m not especially fond of sunflowers – they’re pretty, happy flowers but they aren’t my favorite. Still, I was in awe of how gorgeous they looked en masse. Not to mention, I had no idea there are so many varieties of sunflowers and how different they all are.
Have you ever seen a sunflower like this?
Or this?
This one reminded me of myself- looking somewhat frazzled but still trying to be positive.
The Urbana location seems to be just the sunflowers. If you go to their Pataskala location, it sounds like there’s fresh produce and other things to see and do on site. Although, if you’re just looking for sunflowers, this was an incredible experience because it wasn’t at all busy.
The cost is eight dollars per person or twenty per carload- whatever is cheapest for you. For that price, you get admission to the property and you get to cut a sunflower to take home.
Sunflower stems are sturdier than you might think and don’t break easily because they are holding up a giant, heavy flower. They do not provide pruners and I didn’t think to take something sharp so MacGyver here managed to saw off a stem with a house key. It would be easier to take some pruners.
Want to learn more? Visit their website or find them on Facebook by searching Lynd Fruit Farm. Here you’ll find hours, event info and updates on the flowers.
Next time, I will go to Pataskala to enjoy some of the additional activities and maybe go in the early evening when the light is warmer. I was there mid morning just as the light was starting to feel harsh. Of course, as you likely know, I had other things on my agenda and wanted to hit this place before it got busy.
Check back tomorrow to hear about something else I did while in Urbana. Also, be sure to follow Make the Journey Fun on Facebook. I’ll post some more sunflowers on that page!
“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
J.R.R. Tolkien
Use yours wisely. Tomorrow is a gift, not presented to everyone.
Get out of your house. Do what makes you happy. Smile. Spend time with people who matter. Ignore the ones who don’t. Put down your phone. Look at clouds. Take deep breaths. Take a road trip. Relax in a hammock. Read the book. Eat the ice cream. Buy the dress. Do the thing. Whatever it is.
