Down by the Water

This weekend was a water filled adventure as I explored the lakes and rivers of greater Cleveland. I was able to cross off a lot of recommended places on my to do list and it was a beautiful weekend to do so!  The weather was a bit cloudy, but that didn't bother me because I get enough sun during the week. I finally ventured to Chagrin Falls, unfortunately it was a bit of a disappointment with the lack of rain therefore lack of a rushing waterfall.  I can only imagine just how beautiful it can be when there is a lot more water.  Regardless, I was still excited to see it.  Plus, the town is so quaint and cute, I want to go back sometime during the day to do some more exploring and to further fuel my shopping addictions.  Plus, Jeni's Ice Cream will be calling my name!

On Sunday,  I spent a large portion of my day soaking in the rays at Mentor-Headlands Beach on Lake Erie.  This has been my favorite place on the lake by far.  It was stunning.  I almost felt as if I were at the ocean with crashing waves and the various shades of blues in the water.  It was a wonderful day to enjoy the beach, and the water was so refreshing, too!

South Chagrin River Reservation

Mentor-Headlands Beach, Lake Erie

As recommended by a colleague, I also made a visit to the Grand River and Hogback Ridge Park. The Grand River is unique in that it has a lot of freshwater clams which produce a unique variety of pearls.  I saw lots of clams, but I didn't start cracking shells and digging for pearls, I felt like they were better suited to remain in the water!  While I was out in that direction, I also checked out a local vineyard.  There seemed to be quite a few vineyards and wineries in this area, so I am assuming the soils and climate are adequate for grape production.  I visited DeBonne Vineyards and did a little tasting session.  I tried the Ice Wine, Razzberry Riesling, and River Rouge.  The Ice Wine was by far my favorite, it was a flavor that I can't even describe, but like nothing I have ever tasted before.  It was very sweet, definitely a dessert wine to only be consumed in small portions.  I enjoyed the River Rouge, but I chose to purchase the Razzberry Riesling.  I generally tend towards Riesling varieties, and I must say the addition of raspberry is genius.  In fact, once I get back to Minnesota, this wine may be worthy of addition to my online shopping list!  I would love to share a bottle with my friends from home. 

Freshwater Clams

DeBonne Vineyard & Winery

As usual, the weekend ended too quickly and it was back to work.  Thankfully, today was mostly spent inside.  Which was fantastic since it was supposedly the hottest day of the summer, even though I feel as if we have already had a couple of those and are definitely in store for a few more!  Anyway, this morning, we had a staff meeting where we were able to see some of the new and exciting things coming in CBG's near future!  I don't want to spoil the surprises, but it was interesting to get a sneak peak!

We also had an intern meeting with Mark, his first official as the new Grounds Manager.  We mostly discussed our intern projects, upcoming field trips, and end dates.  I cannot believe that I am already nearing the ending half of this amazing summer.  Even as I consider the end, I am not too sad because I know that I still have a lot of great and exciting things ahead of me!  For instance, snow!  Yes, when its 10 degrees below zero and I have to walk to class, I will be complaining but right now I am looking forward to a cold Minnesota winter again. 

We also met with Ann, the curator of plant collections at Cleveland Botanical Gardens.  I really enjoy chatting with Ann, she always has such interesting stories and she is quite knowledgeable on all things plants.  She gave us a run down on her job and what exactly it means to be a curator of plant collections.  I learned a lot from her, I didn't quite realize how intense it is to keep track of everything in a garden.  But, when you really think about it, it's quite the job to record, label, and maintain databases on each and every plant throughout the whole grounds.  It gets even more complicated when you factor in plants that require special attention like some of the plants in the Costa Rica and Madagascar biomes which require extra conservation considerations. 

Acquiring a single plant is rather time consuming, as it must receive an accession number and be logged into the database.  I was taken back a bit to my previous summer working at Waite Library and many hours spent entering documents into AgEcon Search.  I was easily able to sympathize with Ann just how time consuming the process can be and how easily it is to get behind on work!  Once again, it was great to see another area of the garden that doesn't necessarily get recognized quite as much but is extremely important to keeping things organized and under control.

I am excited for my next post, because it will be recap of our field trip on Friday!  The horticulture staff is going to visit a couple of other gardens in the area.  I am looking forward to comparing and contrasting these gardens with CBG and how we operate.  It should be a fun trip!