A Tribute To Groundhogs

Here's some pictures I found on the internet to give you a better idea of how funny groundhogs are.

My New Favorite Animal

I love groundhogs! Why? Because they crack me up! Whenever it's warm outside (which hasn't been lately) they're all along the side of the highway standing on their hind legs watching the cars go by. Today I saw one eating leaves in a tree. I've been dying to take some pictures of the groundhogs but whenever I see them there isn't a place to pull over. Today was my lucky day! He's not as cute as when they're standing up but you can still see what they look like.

Natural Beauty

I've probably been in the MetroParks about 100 times already and yet everytime I go there I find someplace new. Today I stopped at a scenic overlook I've been wanting to check out. My mouth dropped when I reached it. Here is Berea Falls. The picture seriously doesn't do it justice. Just for kicks, here's another picture of Rocky River.

Spring Babies

There are baby geese all over the MetroParks! I had a great time today taking pictures of them with my zoom lens. Here are a few pics of the cute fuzz-balls.

Surfing in Ohio?

The other day I was at Huntington Beach (Ohio not CA) and I was just about to go to my car when I saw a guy run through the parking lot with a surfboard. I was so curious about how on Earth you surf in Lake Erie that I followed him like a stalker. All he did was swim around in the water on his board. There were a couple times when he attempted to catch the 1ft waves but he always bailed out at the last second. At least it was entertaining.

California Here I Come!

We have our plane tickets!!! Yeeehaaaw! We will be flying in to CA on June 6th in the early afternoon and flying back to OH on Monday afternoon. I can't wait to feel the heat, see my family and go to the beach!

Amish, Orienteering and More

Derrick and I drove down to Amish Country the other day. At first I was totally freaked out because Amish people seemed like an alien race to me. I didn't mean to be totally ignorant but I had no idea what to expect or how to interact. It was absolutely beautiful! It was totally crazy because there were more buggies on the road than cars. The first one we passed had some people in their 20s in it and they waved hello as they passed. I was so excited that after that I waved to every person we passed. I am no longer freaked out by the Amish.

Two weeks ago we went Orienteering. Totally fun! You go to the woods and they give you a map with targets on it. You have to use a compass to find your way to the targets and punch your card and then find your way back. It sounds kinda lame the way I typed it but it was a lot of fun. We were running all through the woods and sliding down hills covered in leaves. We even had to cross over a creek. Lucky for us, we didn't end up with Poison Ivy or ticks.

Two days ago we wanted Papa Johns for dinner but since we live in the middle of nowhere, they don't deliver here. We had to drive 30 mins to pick up our pizza and once you get a box of pizza, you don't want to drive 30 more minutes before you can eat it, so we went to the park. After we ate our pizza we were skipping rocks on the river and these geese came swimming up. We sat on some rocks and watched as they brought their two babies on shore and let them eat in the grass. About 15 mins later they went back into the water and swam upstream.

It's been a nice few days. Derrick starts work tomorrow and I'm going to try my luck at the DMV or as they call it here the BMV. But tonight, I'm making Turkey Mole and Frejoles!

Things I Took for Granted in CA

1. Toilet Seat Covers - As a SoCal resident you would expect these in every public restroom but sadly, they seem to be a California luxury. You know how you're shocked if you walk into a restroom that doesn't have seat covers and you think to yourself, "Man, now I have to hover." Well, that's an everyday occurance in Ohio. Be grateful for those thin pieces of paper!
2. Driving 80mph on the Freeway - The average speed limit here is 65 (sometimes 55). Unlike the CHP, Ohio's PD takes speed limits very seriously. You can do 5mph over AT MOST! I've been informed to not even try 5mph over if it's near the end of the month. You would think I've just been misled by Derrick but no, drive anywhere in Ohio and you'll see these people take their speed limits seriously.
3. Predictable Weather - You know how in CA you can look at the weather on Monday and say, "Hey, it's going to be 85 on Friday, I think I'll go to the beach." Well in Ohio the weather can be sunny, raining, snowing and then clear and sunny all within 8 hours. This makes planning outdoor activities slightly challenging.
4. Fast, Fast Food - When I lived in CA I could decide I wanted a burrito at 9pm and have at least 5 places to choose from all within a 15min round trip. In Ohio (at least where I'm currently living) if I want a burrito at 9pm my best bet is to get a microwavable one from the Super Walmart which is about a 30min round trip. This is probably a blessing in disguise but you have no idea how much I miss Del Taco and El Pollo Loco (both of which are not located in the entire state of Ohio).
5. WaMu - I love Washington Mutual and I miss it! It's weird to go into a bank where everyone is wearing suits and seem way too uptight. Luckily, the only place I've seen uptight people have been in the bank.

Thats all for now. Thank God for the MetroParks!

Warm Day in the Park

It reached 70 the other day which was totally exciting! I celebrated by taking pictures of Zoey in the park. I love simple pleasures.

It's A Beautiful Day!

Today was a gorgeous day in the park! Derrick and I did a 3 hour hike and saw tons of animals and insects out enjoying the sun. I was even able to wear a tank-top today :)
Derrick has turned out to be quite the woodsman. He leads me on these crazy hikes where we jump over streams and climb fallen trees. Today we went trudging through the woods trying to get closer to some deer so I could take some pictures. We're waiting to see if we ended up with poison ivy from it but so far so good. We were walking along the trail and Derrick was like, "I wonder where all the deer are hiding?" and then I said, "Wouldn't it be crazy if we turned a corner and there were deer walking across the trail?" Well, we turned the corner and there were deer crossing the trail. (Look closely at the middle of the picture above). So off we went, through the woods, stalking the deer so I could take pictures.

During our hike today we saw: deer, American Robins, a Great Blue Heron, woodpeckers, Daffodils, other wildflowers that I don't know the names of yet, these little birds that I also don't know the name of yet that move really really fast, fly fishermen (and the fish they caught!), waterfalls, black spiders, geese, ducks, a butterfly, seagulls (and one eating a fish), Turkey Vultures, hawks, people with their dogs (one looked like Turbo) and lots of budding plants.

The other day we were in the park and out of nowhere Derrick told me to put my camera away. I was confused and as I was putting it away I asked him why. Before he could answer it started raining. He said he could hear it coming. I seriously had no clue. We ended up walking through the woods during a thunderstorm. It was totally cool but I was glad we made it back to the car before it really started pouring because these little creeks come out of nowhere and flow into the river which moves fast!

Hope you enjoy the pictures!