Friday Driveby

I was downtown Cleveland on business this morning.  I decided to take some photos. that are literally Friday Drivebys. 

There I was driving through the streets, holding up traffic and weaving through the bustling midday crowds, all the while snapping away at the hazy, misty winter scenes of Cleveland.

     

This weekend I will be escaping this dreary landscape for yet another fun-filled, action-packed girls’ weekend at a Cheerleading/Dance Competition.  My daughter will be performing her solo for the first time this weekend.  I don’t know who is more nervous, her or me.

I look forward to a weekend of fun, merriment, laughter and friendship.

These cold, gray Ohio days are really bringing me down man.

Peace out, Girl Scout.

Friday Driveby

I may have shown you this home before.  This is the home I grew up in.  My parents still live there.  They've been there since 1970.  Having a family home to come back to is wonderful.  All of my siblings and I have wonderful memories growing up in this house.  Whenever I walk through the door, it still feels like home. 

The photo above was taken this past summer.

Yesterday when I visited my parents, this is what I saw as I drove up:

Our beloved Evergreen tree had fallen down the night before in the wild windstorms that hit the Midwest. 

I wish I could put my hand on a current photo of the this tree, but let's just say it was quite tall.  Taller than the 150 year old home that stands next to it.  Here's the best I could do to show you the tree and house together:

Big deal right? It's just a tree, right?

Oh no, it's just so much more. If you will indulge me just a few moments I'd like to walk down Memory Lane for the sake of my my family and I.

This tree was as much a part of our home as the house itself. We played under this tree. We climbed this tree. This tree was a backdrop for many photos taken over the past 40 years. The evergreen stood ever present next to our home. The two of them standing strong, side-by-side, the house and the tree.

Here are my brother and I playing under the tree in 1973.

My husband and I posing for our Prom photo in front of the tree back in 1987:

My son playing in my parent's yard in 1999. 

The tree really was a backdrop of our life. We never really took photos of the tree itself, but it was always there. Ever present.  It's so sad that the tree is the star of the photos now that it has met its demise.

I can't wait for the coming days when hopefully everyone will pull out their photos and share with each other.

Here is the neighbor's house.  Yikes!  There's not too much damage, but thank goodness for insurance!

Here is Mom checking things out:

See those trees back there?  They make me nervous.  Anyone of those trees would take out the garage, and quite possibly part of the house. 

With old homes come old trees, I suppose....

...and then they came to take it away...

....and grind it up.

The Evergreen will be missed.  The home will look forlorn without it, but the memories will always be there.

The Tree

The calm quiet strength of a tree

Anchored deep in the earth

Reaching high in the sky

The calm quiet strength of a tree

The calm quiet strength of a tree

Full of life from its roots

To the tiniest branch

The calm quiet strength of a tree

And oh, how it comforts me

How it teaches me

Without a sound

Then I realize at once

That this tree and I are one

in eternity

The calm quiet strength of a tree

From the weight of its trunk

To its delicate leaves

The calm quiet strength of a tree

The calm quiet strength of a tree

Showing anyone near

All the secrets of time

The calm quiet strength of a tree

Copyright 1994 Tom Splitt

Friday Driveby

As I leave my home to head to the nearest happy place retail area, I have to cross over this bridge on Water Street.

If you cross this bridge and make a left you will end up on this street below.  (Which has a really cool, old cemetery way at the end.  See it down there?  I thought you'd want to know in case you are into really cool, old cemeteries like I am!)

See that guardrail on the left side of the photo above?  As I pass that guardrail, I always see this out my window:

I have always wondered about the house on the side of the hill and who would want to live in "a house down by the river".  So earlier this week, I decided to pull over and take a peek at this red-roofed house.

I parked and walked to the edge of the hill and found this:

This intriuged me and I wanted to see more.  So I walked to the edge of the driveway and took a peek down the hill:

Nope, this still wasn't good enough for me.  You can't see this home while driving on the bridge and there is nowhere else to park around there, so I turned around and drove back over the bridge and left my vehicle at the park on the other side.  I decided to walk the bridge and take a peek down the river.

Just exactly how do they get the equipment down there to build homes like this one?  I have often wondered that.  This river winds round and down and all along are homes built on the sides of the enbankments.  Architectural  and Engineering mysteries, if you ask me.

I can imagine in the height of the summer this would be such a beautiful sight.  The trees in bloom, the sun shining, the river flowing high with rainwater.  I am going to have to come back next year and take a peek.  Here is what I saw when I crossed to the other side of the bridge:

See the people down there?  They parked where I did.  So naturally I wanted to be down there too.  I went back and headed down the path and stone steps, and found myself on the "waterfalls". 

I remember playing on these rocks and falls as a child.  Of course, the home down the river wasn't there when I was a kid.  I did some digging and found out it was built in 2004 and is 4,780 sq.ft. with 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, and a 100' wraparound deck.

Here is the view from the falls. 

How peaceful it must be to live in nature like this.  To be tucked down amongst the hillside, the river, and the wildlife.  To wake up each morning and have all of this just outside your windows.  How great to sit on your deck after a heavy spring rain and watch the river rise and rush past you in whirling torrents.  I have seen this river in the Spring, and it definitely flows high and fast.

My personal preference would be a home with tons of green grass and a huge yard, but this ain't too shabby either.

Hope you enjoyed this week's Friday Driveby. 

Have a great weekend!

Friday Driveby

In September I shared with you a Friday Driveby of three homes from the neighborhood where I grew up, the neighborhood where my parents still live in their modest little colonial.

One of those homes is the Grand Dame of the neighborhood.

 

Do you recall this beauty?

 

Turns out....she's For Sale. Be still my heart.

While perusing the real estae listings in Northeast Ohio, I came across the home. I was surprised because there is no "for sale" sign out in the front yard.  Most likely they do not want to encourage the curiousity seekers. If a potential buyer is looking in this price range in this town? Trust me, a realtor will point them in the right direction.

 

In my previous post I shared with you the story of the creepy Halloweens that I experienced at this home. Remember the grand foyer and staircase with all of the witches rambling about? Here it is today. This is the first time I have seen it since I was a little child in my Batgirl costume. Doesn't seem so scary now. Well...maybe the wallpaper does.

The asking price for this home is $679,000, which is a lot for this area. The home boasts 13 rooms, 4 fireplaces, a library, and measures in at a whopping 5,692 sq.ft.

Here is a view of the Living Room, looking in from the dining room.

And here is the large eat-in kitchen with the gorgeous large center island and the old fashioned appliances.

The home sits on 1.47 acres and has an "outbuilding", which to me is just a beautiul, old, red barn.

What I wouldn't do to this home if I could just get my hands on it.  So many childhood memories, so much decorating potential.  Now I just need an extra $600K+ to plop down for it.  Sure.  No problem.

*sigh*  A girl can dream can't she?

Friday Driveby & An Update on the Statues

This week's driveby is celebrating the majesty of Autumn.  The crisp Autumn breeze has the tapestry of rich colors dancing in the wind.

Come with me down a country lane.  This particular country lane is the one that my cousin and his family live on in Ohio.  Right across the street from their farmhouse the horses run free in a large bountiful pasture.

Do they see us?

Here they come.

They are more interested in the apples that we tossed to them.

Enjoy the last hurrah of Autumn.  The snow will fly before we know it!

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Now for the update on the statue project.  We had guesses of a cemetery, a halloween project, a fence, and a garden, and drumroll please...........it appears to be transforming into a....Garden.

If you recall in this post I mentioned that my parents had seen these exact statues for sale at the Cleveland Botanical Garden.  It seems as if the homeowner was inspired to create their own botanical garden.

The plants are in place.  The statues are on concrete pads, and it appears as if a gravel path has been started.  Off to the right is what looks like a stack of stone pavers, maybe to finish off the path?

If you are wondering why this photo is a different angle it is because my daughter convinced me to drive up the driveway to get a better view.  The driveway is quite long so I really didn't get too near the house.  Luckily no irate homeowner came out demanding to know why I was taking photos from the window of my car.  However, I did get a strange look from a neighbor that was doing a bit of gardening in her own yard.  I'll keep you posted on the transformation.  It will be interesting to see how this "botanical garden" takes shape.

Wishing everyone a safe and happy Halloween.

Go eat some candy!!

Friday Driveby

This week's driveby is a home not too far from me.  I pass this home on my way to some of my favorite stores like World Market, Home Depot, and Homegoods.  I always try to get a peek through the trees.  I love the shape of the home, the multi-level roofs, and the old stone chimney standing straight and tall.

Looks like the tree in front lost a branch in a storm and it landed on the fence below.  How great is that fence?

This home is for sale right now, which has me dreaming of garden parties on the lawn and nights on the porches and a warm, cozy fireplace on these crisp autumn nights.  I love the stone chimney reaching high into the sky.  It was difficult to photograph (lest I traipse across their lawn), but if you peek between the trees in these photos you can catch a glimpse of it.

I took a peek at the real estate listing and learned that this home was built in 1853.  It is 4,099 sq.ft. and has 6 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.  This impressive lot is 2.67 acres.  The front lawn stretches on forever and is surrounded by this gorgeous black, wrought-iron fence.  How amazing are the original stone gate posts out front?   The rear of the property has a gently sloping back yard which leads down into the inviting woods below.

Here you can get a better look at the old chimney in this MLS photo I found online.  To. Die. For.

This next photo is the entrance to the driveway.  They had me at "Hello. Drive on in."   OK, dont' mind if I do.  I did actually drive just beyond these stone posts to snap a couple of photos.  Hey, they won't mind, right?  Their home is on the market after all. 

Can you just picture a one-time gate across this entrance?  The gate being opened by a gentleman in a long wool coat, greeting the carriages arriving for a Christmas ball.  (Ok, clearly I have watched Little Women one too many times).

Speaking of Little Women, here is the most romantic thing about this old home.  It was once owned by the nephew of Loiusa May Alcott.   How dreamy is that???

Hope you enjoyed this week's Driveby! 

Tell me about your neighborhood.  Do you have any particular homes that have caught your attention?  Do you pass any old homes and imagine a bygone era?  Or am I the only crazy lady on the roads, holding up traffic, rubbernecking at my dream homes?