Beechwood Place

Well............as Ohio has blessed us with a lot of rain this spring, last weekend it was too wet to go on an actual walk, so we got our exercise at Beechwood Place, a rather posh mall in Cleveland.

The mall itself was very nice, except that it was so nice we could not afford anything there. They had valet parking in front of a Saks 5th Avenue, among other things. However, with posh stores comes a very comfortable setting, so we pretended we were Sir Kurt and Lady Hanna and let the adventure continue from there.

I can review this in two ways: as a mall, and as a walking experience.

As a mall, although it was a very enjoyable atmosphere, despite all the elite stores there was little variety. We didn't see a single bookstore, among other things. Also, retailers catering to the wealthy tend to get a little sycophantic at times. And finally, the heat was on in some stores, which in the case of Pottery Barn, created a sauna feeling.

One point I did like was that they had a Chipotle-like eatery called Currito, but one of the "meats" they offered for their burritos was tofu. The tofu was soaked in a paprika mix, so it was fantastic tasting. Kurt even liked it more than his chicken.

Also, Currito had a Nutella milkshake. It was evilly delicious, and we are Nutella fiends.

As a walking experience, I still think Polaris Mall in Columbus has the best configuration for an optimum walk, but we still got our exercise in, which is what counts.


I made Kurt try on this hat.

After the walk. Yea, we're cute.


I told Kurt to convey the fact that we didn't spend any money, in photo form. This is what he came up with.












I also tried to express "We didn't spend money!" and went a little crazy with the camera. Also, I am gesturing to my windblown hair - we were under a wind advisory for two days (the night before we were under a tornado warning and had to go in our laundry room for an hour) so I was blown to our car in the parking lot.

Tomorrow is supposed to be mostly sunny, so we are going to trek once again in the great outdoors.

On a side note, this blog may not be updated as frequently as I would like, as I will be having surgery on my jaw. However, I will be posted updates on my everyday blog, Hanna's Commonplace Book, so you can check updates on there. Ciao!

MS Greater Akron Walk

Ack! I am so behind! We have been crazy busy around here. We have done two walks since my last post, having missed a weekend due to a bout of bronchitis on my part.

On April 24th, we went to a benefit walk for Multiple Sclerosis. Our friend from work, Marybeth, has been doing it for years and every year her team gets bigger. Several of us from work went along.

The really cool thing about the walk was that the route took us right through the Blossom Music Center, so we actually walked our dogs through the rows. As it was a dog friendly event, we only brought Leo and Cordy, as Esme would have gone simply ballistic.

Here's the photos from the event. They are mostly of dogs that were on our team. Unfortunately, the pictures are not of a great quality, but it's all I have.



Kurt walking Leo, who of course hid behind the tree right when the picture took.



Marybeth and Matt and their huskies, Watson and Tasha.



I love this picture. This is Jackee's Yorkie, Remington.



And finally, this is Jackee's daughter's dog, Max. He's a dachshund mix and absolutely ADORABLE.

Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of Cordy, who was in my coat shivering most of the time. Other than that, it was a good time for a good cause.

Peninsula

Kurt and I headed up to Peninsula today for our weekend walk. It sprinkled a bit on the way up, but Kurt kept insisting it was just the gods having a spitting contest, and that the weather would be nice when we got there. He was right.

We've done Peninsula several times before but never with all three dogs. Needless to say, it was an adventure. I had Cordy and Esme on separate leashes, which although it was much more comfortable for Cordy, it was a little uncomfortable to try and manage the two without tangling. Then, Kurt decided to use the restroom at the beginning of the trip, which meant I would be holding all three dogs by myself. Also, Leo HATES when Kurt leaves him, so he started barking in panic, which made Esme bark in panic. A gentleman asked if he could pet them, and headed toward Esme, so I said, "NO! NOT THAT ONE!" and startled him. I offered up the other two but he declined.

Once Kurt was done with his bathroom duties, we headed on towards the trail. Unfortunately, so did every biker in Northeast Ohio. We spent most of the walk going a few yards, and then "pulling over" to let someone pass. Cordy gave up ten minutes in and refused to walk anymore, so I put her in a purse-carrier I bought when she was a puppy. Esme was not the least bit phased by the bicycles, yet two golden retrievers walking by was THE WORST THING EVER in her mind. She has it out for golden retrievers. We finally turned back because we were stopping more than we were walking. Still, it's a beautiful area, and I would love to do it on a bicycle if the chance came up.


Proof we were there


More proof


The river


Kurt and Leo looking for their van DOWN BY THE RIVERRRR

Holmesbrook Park

After searching fruitlessly for the backpacks, we realized we are going to have to special order them. All we are finding are "front loader" ones, which are like a baby carrier worn on the front. We tried one of these with Cordy when we first got her and neither of us liked it.

This is probably closer to what we need. The problem is finding one that Cordy is comfortable in, since she is so small. Esme is closer to 7 pounds and stocky, so she will fit fine. This is another option for Cordy. The only other option on the market is a pet stroller, which neither of us want because we want to walk till the chihuahuas get tired, and then throw them in a backpack, not push them or a stroller all the time.

So, with the lack of a good backpack, and impending rain, we decided to check out one of the local parks rather than going up to Peninsula.



Holmesbrook Park is on the edge of Wadsworth near the hospital. Its best feature is its privacy from the outside roads, as it dips down into a mini valley. I couldn't hear cars at all even though I knew the road was just over the ridge. On the downside, the solitude combined with the wind advisory and the dark clouds, along with the creaking of an old tree that had fallen, gave the walk a Blair Witch feel. There is a roundabout around a small pond, as well as benches along the paths and built into the bridge. Here are some photos from the walk:


Near one of the brooks


Esme loves it


Kurt and Leo


Who is having the most fun?

Easter Weekend

It's in the high 70s today and beautiful out. We're going to look for backpacks today at the various pet supply stores in the area. If we find some, we're going to head over to Peninsula. We've been walking there a few times and it really is a cool place. When "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" was released, they did a Harry Potter theme throughout the whole town, which Kurt, his mom and I all attended. I looked online and there are some good backpacks we are interested in, but we'd rather buy them from a store so we can try them on, etc. I'll keep you updated.

The Mission Statement

My husband Kurt and I have decided that we are going to make 2010 our WALKING YEAR. Starting April 1, we are going to walk every day, weather and schedule permitting. Our other goal is to walk all the Cleveland Metro Parks.



The main reasons for this are as follows:

1) To exercise ourselves, and, when able, the dogs. Exercise also helps with behavioral problems in dogs, so we're hoping this will help our "troubled" dog, Esme.
2) To experience new places
3) To have fun!

Of course, there are going to be some challenges. Motivation, of course, is going to be one. There are going to be days we just don't want to get up and go, but I'm hoping this blog will give us a little incentive. Another challenge is the dogs. While we want to be able to get them as much exercise as possible, there are two different levels of athleticness here. Leo, although he likes to fake it, can go a lot longer than Cordy or Esme.

If this endeavor proves successful, we have a few items on our "Wish List." The first being backpacks to carry the chihuahuas in, since they will tire easy on the longer walks. The others are new tennis shoes for both Kurt and me.

And now on to walking!