Cleveland Turkeys not for Thanksgiving

 Well, it is almost Turkey Time!  Now you may not be able to tell how big this fellow is; but...he was big.  I was watching him out the kitchen window from my friend Jane's house this past weekend.  In my blog post on Sandy's Space, I mentioned heading to Cleveland because a friend had a very large tree fall on the house....this is the friend, and from these pictures you might get a feel for landscape and the number of really large trees......thus the wild life.

 This one you can see a bit more color.  Shooting through the window isn't the best way to get a photo, but didn't want to try and get outside and scare them, or them scare me for that matter.  Yes I did say them....they were all over the place.  AND, since the tree fell on her house and smash the screen porch (among other things), you really couldn't go out the door.

 Travel, exploring can truly be in your own back yard.  While Cleveland may not be the first place you would think to travel..........But, travel is what you make of it.  I go no where without my camera, even to my friends house that's been damaged.  That turned an ordinary day into something special.

 Hunting is permitted in this area, in her yard in fact; but no...you can shoot your Thanksgiving Dinner.  It's a bird preserve so you need to just enjoy these big fellows.  You can however hunt Deer there, which is a good idea.  There are in abundance and are dangerous when they get on the road.

Gobble Gobble.  Cleveland does have things to offer though if you want to travel there.  There's football, baseball, basketball for the sports enthusiast.  In winter not to far away is a ski area called Boston Mills.  They have a wonderful symphony, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and a fun entertaining area called the flats on the river.

No idea why I can't get rid of the under line here, sorry folks.  We drove around through the very large Cleveland Meto Parks area.  It's fabulous.  Many places to picnic, walk, run, ride a bike, ride a motorcycle.  People were out everywhere enjoying some unusually warm weather after their storm associated with Hurricane Sandy.  So, if you happen to be traveling to or through Cleveland............enjoy!

Still trying to work with this new template and am not yet there, so please excuse the mess during construction.

**Did you know Ben Franklin wanted the Turkey not the Eagle to be the symbol for The United States of America?  So did one of my ancestors who has a Turkey on his gravestone!**

Traveling on Foot

Traveling on foot can be adventure. This 4 legged creature travels everywhere on foot. AND if you're traveling on foot, through the woods...be careful you don't startle wild life. Startled wild life can be dangerous.
Actually, this creature and I weren't in each other's space at all. I was pouring a cup of coffee looking out the kitchen window at a friends house Christmas morning in Cleveland Ohio. Gates Mills to be exact. She has acreage and so seeing wild life is common place. I took the picture right through the window and so did a bit of computer work to diminish the flash that hit the window and....reduce the blur a bit caused by the distance and using the digital zoom.

Safety though is important when traveling. Particularly in winter. Cars provide protection and heat, and often people forget to pack with safety in mind. Do you have a pair of boots in the car when you travel in the winter? If not, you should. The weather may be beautiful when you start out, then turn cold, wet, snowy icy and cold. Should you have car trouble, or an accident you need to be safely and warmly able to get out of the car in conditions that may not be the safety and warmth of someone's garage. Do you have mittens, a heavy coat and hat? If not, you should for the same reason.

Enjoy your holiday travels and be take a little precaution...........pack for an emergency.