Tag Archives: trees

The Very Best Thing

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In telling the story of this last long weekend in Cincinnati, it seems prudent to start with the very best and favorite thing that we did. I hope you like it too because you most likely will hear about it more because there are so many pictures and stories to tell from just this place.

Our very favorite place was …… drumroll, please……. a cemetery.

Crickets.

I know. Hear me out.

It isn’t just a cemetery. It’s an arboretum too and the Grande Dame of all the amazing cemeteries at least in this part of the country.

Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum was established in 1845. This nonprofit has 750 acres of trees, 44 miles of paved roads and fifteen lakes. We never left the historic section so I have no idea what the new sections look like but the old areas are amazing.

We parked at the visitors’ center (yes, they have a visitors’ center) and went inside for maps and an overview from a nice man who helped to orient us. There’s a printed walking tour as well as lists of notable people buried here.

From the visitors’ center, you walk under an old stone railroad bridge into what feels like Heaven on Earth. I will be honest with you, we did most of the walking tour but not all. That’s because every stop on the map was surrounded on all directions by other things we wanted to see.

Spring Grove had been on my radar for some time but I had never made it there for one reason or another. I had seen pictures and heard stories but none of it, and I do mean none of it, prepared me for this place.

It is stunning.

When I told Adam about it, I just described it as a cool old cemetery, purposefully trying to surprise him. Little did I know how shockingly beautiful, amazing, and jaw droppingly awesome it would be for a couple of cemetery nerds.

I suppose I should explain that trees are unwelcome in our local cemeteries. Even gorgeous old trees that people love aren’t safe from being cut down if they are too near the boundaries of a cemetery. To find a place that not only has trees but celebrates them is wonderful.

The trees alone are incredible, providing comforting shade on the hot sunny days we visited. They also provide wonderful habitat for an abundance of birds that flitted about chirping and singing their little hearts out.

We were delighted by the turtles, swans and ducks that call the lakes home.

There are monuments of all sizes and mausoleums of varying architectural styles. One monument put up by the International Order of Oddfellows celebrates friendship, love and truth.

There’s a sense of one-upmanship in the historic areas as one wealthy family after another built grandiose mausoleums and erected artwork at their family plots. Columns, obelisks, statuary, granite reliefs, busts and orbs are common.

The true showstopper though is the Dexter, a mausoleum and chapel that robbed me of words for a full minute.

We saw people out walking and running. The cemetery actually puts out mile marker signs along a suggested route to help folks reach their fitness goals. We saw a woman painting and a man reading book. On Sunday, a group of volunteers had convened to plant flowers and I was jealous of them all. We agreed that we would be there all the time of we lived close enough and I’m sure I would volunteer to help out.

Come back tomorrow to read about the Dexter. It has a great backstory and one worthy of its own telling.

Want to visit Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum? Click here for their website. Here you’ll even find a list of upcoming events including tours and volunteer days.

Nature Therapy

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It’s no secret to me or anyone who has to put up with me that I’m mentally tired and probably need a day off – or a nap – or maybe a time out. Yesterday I ran for the door at the end of my work day for the first weeknight hike of the season. 

The evening daylight is long enough now that we were able to fit in almost four miles. 

Four glorious miles. Well, all were glorious except for the last very steep hill that left me so winded I was sure I had emphysema. Man, I have some goals for this hiking season! But I survived and without stopping so that’s something to celebrate. 

Another thing to celebrate is the incredible restorative effects of nature. To breathe fresh air is to start anew. To hear birdsong is to hear the earth sing. To feel a light breeze on your face is an embrace from the world. To feel dirt and fallen leaves beneath your feet is to connect with the earth in unexpected ways. To look up into the tree tops is to understand your place in this world.

In case there’s any doubt – you are small and so is your place here. 

I came home feeling so much more grounded and better equipped for all that’s bugging. At least for a while. 

I am fortunate to live in the country where my literal backyard is filled with trees and shrubs, flowers and weeds and where birds and frogs gift me with their beautiful songs every day. I’m also fortunate to live close to hiking trails so I can easily run away from home for natural therapy when time allows. 

If you’re having a hard day, if you need a mental health break, if you’re struggling or if you’re doing just fine and simply want the amazing things I described above, find your way outdoors. You will be happier and stronger for it.

I promise.

The View From Here Has Changed

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The view from here is drastically different.

Many longtime followers will recall that I frequently photograph the big elm tree in my front yard. Sadly, it had fallen ill in recent years and was slowly dying.

This mighty elm that I grew up with, that provided shelter and shade to me and countless critters here on the ridge, was felled last month while I was in my blogging hiatus.

He was in bad shape and I had been in denial for some time. Still, he put up a good fight as he harbored a secret- a long ago forgotten piece of metal, embedded deep inside his trunk. That metal bit back at the logger’s saw.

I was proud of him right up until the end.

And so, my favorite tree is now a log and a pile of limbs in my front yard. Soon, I will begin working on a replacement that will give my view new perspective and will someday carry on the tradition of providing shelter to all who gather beneath its branches.

Perhaps it’s silly to mourn a tree in this way. If that’s the case, I don’t really care. That tree was a good friend, an object of beauty and an important part of my ecosystem. I have missed it every day and wonder if I’ll ever get used to the new view.

It is said that one who plants trees knowing they will never sit in their shade has begun to understand the meaning of life. Here’s hoping I live long enough to sit in the shade of whatever I plant here. Still, I like knowing that it will outlive me and will grow tall and beautiful for future generations of critters to enjoy.

Ode To An Old Friend Destroyed By Storm

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Friday night’s storm took out a tree along my parents’ driveway. It fell across the road, splintering an electric pole and downing the nearby power lines and transformer.

My dad sat in the truck in their driveway Friday night, shining headlights on the tree until the county came to put up road closed signs. People drive too fast on our country road and he feared someone would hit it in the darkness.

There are now road closed signs but people are just driving past the signs only to slam on the brakes when they get to the tree. A kid on a dirt bike keeps riding up to it, seemingly to gather enough courage to drive through. He hasn’t done it yet but I wouldn’t doubt that someone will try before this is all over.

The power company says to stay back fifty feet but they have not been out to even look at the situation yet. At one point, they had over 15,000 customers without power so the small amount of darkened houses out my way probably aren’t a priority.

And so we wait.

I tell you that to say this.

That tree isn’t just a tree. It feels like we have lost a member of the family. Seeing it splayed out across the road for strangers to gawk at feels so undignified. He once stood so tall but his bare branches and exposed roots seem to shrivel in shame with each passing hour.

This mighty oak was like a kindly grandfather who provided habitat for any number of little creatures. Deer crossing the road would hesitate here, taking shelter and sniffing the air before bounding off on their way. Squirrels scurried about, teasing the dog and giving chase to each other up and down that large trunk. This grandfather tree gave shade on a hot summer day and beautified the landscape every day he lived.

We don’t know his age but he was tall and big around. My dad recalls seeing this tree in very old pictures. The rings will no doubt tell a story.

He was pulled out by the roots, leaving a large hole in the earth and a gaping hole in the landscape. This tree was a symbol of home and a friend to many. He will be missed by all who knew him.

I have made numerous photos of this tree over the years but I really like this one from last February. On this day, like many others, he presided over a world blanketed in snow and shining like diamonds. Look at the long shadow he cast.

It’s hard to believe that this view is no more.

Tree Doors

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Doors capture my attention everywhere I go. Fancy or plain, it makes no difference. While I notice and photograph doors often, these are the most unusual ones I’ve had the pleasure to see in person.

You’ll find them on the entrances at Aullwood Arboretum near Dayton. I wrote about it this fall when I visited the forest giants (or trolls) that were created by artist Thomas Dambo. You can read that story here.

It’s a beautiful trail system with a nice nature center that I imagine is lovely to visit all year. It was especially pretty in the fall and I’m scheming to see it in snow this winter.

Meanwhile, if you visit, pay attention to the doors when you enter. They’re pretty fabulous.

Favorite Trees And Fading Sunset

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We have enjoyed a long run of gorgeous fall days. That all ends today when it turns rainy and cooler. Tomorrow will be rainy and cold, ushering in what appears to be a long patch of cooler days and cold nights.

The rain isn’t so thrilling but it’s hard to get excited about the impending holidays when it’s 68 degrees and sunny. So I’m kind of excited to see the mercury drop and maybe stop being such a grinch. All the same, I took advantage of yesterday’s sunshine with a short walk after work at Kinnikinnick Fen near Chillicothe. I have favorite trees everywhere I go and the picture above shows one of them at the Fen.

When I came home last night, the western sky was aglow with the remnants of sunset. You can see in the silhouette that the trees have lost their leaves. These are some of my favorite trees here at home – with or without their foliage.

It was a remarkable end to the day and to this streak of fine fall days. Better pack your umbrella and put on those galoshes if you’re out and about today. You will need them!