It has been a while…
I am writing from a snow covered Northeast Ohio, a couple of days before Christmas, and a couple of days after Fall semester ended.
Fall semester was the main reason why I was not able to write more; I was too busy keeping up with teaching and studying. However, despite having been so busy, I managed everything pretty well, except for blog writing, obviously. I did, however, post some updates on Facebook, and spammed Instagram with pictures of my sweet kitten Gini.
Anyway, here is a summary of everything that was going on:
End of September
J. and I went star gazing one night at Observatory Park in Montville, because we are so hopelessly romantic - and interested in stars.
Observatory Park is located in a clearing in the least light-polluted area in Northeast Ohio. There is a science center, and the clearing includes landmarks with corner stones replicating the dimensions the Great Pyramid of Giza, along with information boards primarily aimed toward children.
However, crucial is what you see when you stand in the clearing at night. If it is clear, you can see the vast universe surrounding us, which is amazing and scary at the same time. We are a tiny ball in a huge system.
October
Fall was gorgeous, and we had nice, warm weather to enjoy the fall foliage on walks.
I went riding a lot, and Rio and I made a lot of progress. We specifically practiced not to fall in on the inside shoulder when riding turns.
One of my longtime dreams came true in October; I saw Coheed and Cambria live at the Agora in Cleveland, with my J. who enjoyed it as much as I did. It was also my first time at the Agora Theatre and Ballroom, which was opened as an opera house in 1913, and hosted different ventures such as vaudeville and burlesque shows. The concert venue was held in the old opera room with its private balconies, and it definitely had an old but elegant vibe, full of nostalgia. It is also said to be haunted, although we had no such experience (there were a lot of people, after all).
Here is the opening song, enjoy!
Produce stands selling pumpkins line the roads in this rural part of Ohio.
One beautiful sunny Sunday, we went to the Farmpark in Kirtland. This is a farm center, where children can learn about farming and agriculture. While I was mostly interested in seeing the different horse breeds, we also went for a walk in the corn maze, ate pumpkin soup and painted pumpkins with the little one.
J. and I had our annual art museum date at The Cleveland Museum of Art, possibly my most favorite place in Cleveland. You already know it is a good place to be when entering the lobby and gaze upon the impressive former museum facade, now enclosed in the modern glass structure. We visited old favorite pieces, and discovered new ones.
We later went downtown to stroll around the Public Square, listened to a live rendition of Frank Sinatra songs, and visited the Terminal Tower City Center. I like Cleveland for its relaxed, non-hectic atmosphere (partially due to not being as crowded as other bigger cities).
November
November was exceptionally warm and sunny. This called for lots of walks, like the one we took at Berlin Lake. Although we couldn’t walk as far as we initially intended to, as we ran out of daylight; the setting sun provided nice light for some pictures.
Northeast Ohio is home to many Amish families, so schools usually have buggy parking for them. I took a picture of one parking in front of Grand Valley Elementary on one Sunday in November. The family was there for a school carnival.
The end of November, J. and I accompanied J.’s dad on a little road trip to Florida. We drove through West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, before we reached southern Florida and Del Ray Beach. We got to spend a couple of hours on the beach, before we flew back to Ohio from Fort Lauderdale, where I lost my phone (I have a new number, in case I haven’t replied to you since the end of November!).
December
December brought us the first snow, and temperatures at around -20°C. The advantage of living in an area that usually gets snow is that plow and salt trucks are well coordinated so that the main roads are usually clear.
Minnie probably enjoyed the snow the most:
Wrapping up the semester was a bit stressful (because procrastination, mostly), but it all fell into place in finals week, and I had a successful first semester in graduate school.
As soon as school was done, I was able to focus on Christmas stuff. We decided to bake Swiss Christmas cookies (Brunsli, Spitzbuebe, Mailänderli, Zimtsterne), and they turned out very well!
...at least they were gone pretty quickly.
December brought us sunny snow days, but also lots of grey days. The temperatures have climbed to around 0°C (it feels warm!) and the snow is melting, just in time for a green Christmas…
Yet, sometimes the sun breaks through the clouds at sunset and gifts us with magical sunsets.
I hope you get to spend Christmas with your family (I miss mine!).
Happy Holidays, and a very happy New Year
from your Swiss in Ohio,
Jen.
<3PS: I do post more regularly on Facebook and Instagram (@swiss.in.ohio), follow me there!
