C TOWN BEAUTIES! Cleveland Revisited

I love living right smack in the middle between three great cities: Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland! I would say that Cleveland is my favorite, though. She has a special place in my heart and I enjoy visiting her on a regular basis. I was taken a bit by surprised, the other day, when I read a post in virtual land regarding Cleveland as a dirty trash pit and the Cuyahoga River fire was specifically mentioned. It is true, Cleveland has had its problems (as well as many other cities) and the lake as well. However, we have come a long long way since that disaster and are continuing to beautify and take care of our beautiful Cleveland and abundant lake!

In fairness, a little history needs to be brought to the fore front. The year was 1969 when the Cuyahoga River, which is a main tributary river flowing through Cleveland, Ohio had caught fire. Industrial pollution that had been dumped into the stream had become so thick that the flame retardant quality of water was overcome. The entire country seemed to turn its noses up at us with jokes about planting grass on the lake to make it a golf course and one-liners about using the mercury saturated fish as thermometers. What was once the most productive fresh water fishing grounds bountiful with sturgeon know was a desolate waste land.

During the 70's groups of environmentalists,government municipalities,industries, and many many caring volunteers began to help Lake Erie and Cleveland come back to life. Those results are evident today with the numerous amount of sport fishing that takes place nearly year round on the lake and rivers. I implore you to come take a look for yourself. The Lake has beautifully clean beaches open to swimming, tasty, clean, fresh fish caught from her waters and served to you from the beautiful city of Cleveland. I love my Cleveland and hope you will come visit her and fall in love with her, too!

This is my Etsy Tribute to my fellow Cleveland Artists who love Cleveland as much as I do! They see the beauty of Cleveland and continue to make efforts to keep her a clean and beautiful place to live.

Erie's Brig Niagara, "DON'T GIVE UP THE SHIP!"

I was so saddened to see the headliner of The Erie Times News last Wednesday, March 25th that read, "Plans for U.S. Brig Niagara's sailing season could be sunk." The large vessel that Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry once sailed during the war of 1812 has been sailing the Erie Bay and visiting ports all over Lake Erie and the Eastern Sea Board for a decade now. That battle turned the tide for the American Naval fleet who ended up winning the war. It's beauty and inspiration as you see it glide by the beaches in full sail is like no other. It takes your breath away. State government cuts threaten the brig's ability to sail and its future.

Many who live in Erie probably remember the brig when it was dry docked and viewable on land. It fell into disrepair and was almost completely lost. The restoration of the brig created excitement and hope. The brig IS a symbol of Erie and the Lake itself. In economically hard times, we need a symbol such as the brig and letting her go would be like giving up.

The brig needs 1 million dollars of funding for upkeep, maintenance, and sailing. It is currently docked at the Erie Maritime Museum, located on Erie's bayfront at 150 E. Front St. When docked, the ship is available for museum visitors to explore. What a wonderful opportunity to see the inside of the ship and to get an idea of what the men under Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry and Perry himself would have experienced while sailing the flagship.

One million dollars seems like a lot of money, I would agree. But, when I saw the very next day's headliner in the paper it didn't seem like such a large amount and I became angry. The headline reads, "Sinnott presents $170M wish list." The mayors wish list from the estimated $170 million stimulus funding does not include the Brig's mere 1 million. Instead the list includes renovations of Tullio Arena, Perry Square, Griswold Park, and a NEW EMTA garage among others. You mean to tell me that in this plan there isn't any room for 1 million to go toward the symbol of Erie?

It is my hope that as many citizens who love the brig as much as I do will become aware and get involved with saving our ship. There is a facebook page dedicated to the cause. Help us save the Brig Niagara. Let your thoughts and feelings be heard. Visit the cause site and remember, "DON'T GIVE UP THE SHIP!"

Lake Erie Brings Us More Than Just Beach Glass!

Combing the Southern Shore of Great Lake Erie is like treasure hunting! Although we collect mostly sea beach glass that has washed ashore we do enjoy finding other objects as well. Occasionally we are surprised by a specific find of interest. My son Jason found this piece of drift wood off the coast of Lake Erie in North East, Pa. Upon further examination of the piece it definitely looks to be part of an old ship wreck. How awesome of a find is that! I will be doing quite a bit of research trying to figure this one out but if any of you maritime historians out there want to lend us a clue, we would be greatly thankful!

This piece is heavy and measures about 8 inches in length about 5 inches wide and about 1 1/2 inches thick. It was evidently mounted with wooden dowel rods as one of them are still stuck inside the piece. I have been studying Lake Erie shipwrecks on the South Shore Quadrangle for some time now and can't help but wonder if this came from one of the 1800 Wooden Schooner vessels that met their fate in an infamous Lake Erie Storm! Maybe its time to take a trip back to the Erie Maritime Museum with our piece!