A Week-Long Vacation
We returned home Thursday, April 27th, from a 7-night vacation in Ohio. The Airbnb “Wildlife and Serenity in Hudson, Ohio” was our home base. This was our second stay at this Airbnb. We spent a week there in June of 2021.
We checked in Airbnb “Wildlife and Serenity in Hudson, Ohio” by 2:30 pm on Thursday, April 20th. Our hosts allowed for an earlier than 4:00 pm check in. We unpacked the car, settled into the Airbnb and relaxed.
Airbnb “Wildlife and Serenity in Hudson, Ohio” is an ideal location for what we enjoy doing, while on vacation. The Airbnb is a few minutes drive from the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The park is home to several waterfalls, a covered bridge, many miles of hiking trails, the Ohio & Erie Towpath, and a variety of wildlife that can be found in their natural habitats. You can also ride a train through the park via the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. The Airbnb is also near a hike and bike trail, a grocery store and several restaurants. In addition the Airbnb is “situated on a protected lake that is home to a bonded pair of bald eagles as well as many other types of waterfowl … There are aviaries in the backyard that house large parrots …”.
When we vacation we try to spend about equal time enjoying our accommodation and exploring the area around us. With the exception of two or three days, the weather during our vacation was rainy and/or quite chilly. We ended up spending much of our vacation time at our Airbnb. As you will see, we enjoyed watching the wildlife at Airbnb “Wildlife and Serenity in Hudson, Ohio”.
The following paragraphs are journal entries.
Friday, April 21st – Bob went for a walk this morning in the neighborhood across the street from our Airbnb. He walked about 2 miles. While Bob was walking, I watched the sun rise. I didn’t really see the sun, only pretty colors across the sky. After sun rise I straightened up our bedroom and took a shower. When Bob came back from his walk, he made breakfast (eggs and bacon). Orange juice accompanied our breakfast, along with a bowl of oatmeal for me. I saw a pair of eagles this morning. The eagles were perched in a tree a short distance from their nest. We hope to see baby eagles in the nest sometime during our stay here.
This afternoon I walked down to the lake and spent about 10 minutes talking with four parrots that were perched in the aviary. One parrot in particular seemed to like me. Webster would say hello, bob its head up and down, and make what sounded like a laugh, when I imitated him.
Saturday, April 22nd – It started raining last night around 7:00 pm. At 6:45 am this morning it is still raining. There is quite a difference in temperature, too, from earlier in the week…85 degrees on Thursday to 46 degrees now. In between raindrops I managed to take a few photographs of wildlife at the lake.
Monday, April 24th – At 8:53 am this morning the temperature was 38 degrees. According to Wunderground, “Snow possible around 9:45 am. Rain may mix in.” A FREEZE WATCH was issued at 6:54 am this morning. The freeze watch is in effect from late tonight through Tuesday morning.
We decided to stay in today, owing to the inclement weather. We had much to occupy us. There were many birds (e.g. blue birds, a robin, sparrows, nuthatches, a cardinal, a chickadee), a Pied-billed Grebe way out on the pond, several Canada Geese, a squirrel, and a mink to watch. The sky and pond provided interest as well. At times the sky was nondescript but would then darken and look threatening. The pond would go from light colored to inky black. For a short time it brightened and looked almost sunny outside. I dressed in four layers and carried my tripod and camera with a focal equivalent lens of 1200mm toward the edge of the pond, where I intended to try to take a picture of baby eagles. There are two babies in the nest! Well, there were Canada Geese, who looked menacing, right in the path that I would take to the pond. Plus the sky was getting darker by the minute. I decided to try again later. Soon after I had returned into our Airbnb, it began to sleet outside!
Tuesday, April 25th – At 6:30 am this morning the temperature was 30 degrees. I walked down to the pond this morning. I have seen two baby eagles in the nest. Only one baby decided to show itself this morning and only for a short time. I think it laid down for a nap.
The photographs displayed in the following slideshow highlight the above journal entries.
Over the next few days I will share details and photographs of places we visited while in Hudson, Ohio.
The Beauty Around Us 
4 Responses to “A Week-Long Vacation”
A week is a nice long vacation! You certainly saw some of nature’s beauty. I look forward to reading more about your trip.
We would be leaving on another 5-night vacation next week but cancelled, when it looked like Wickett wouldn’t be with us much longer.
I am sorry about Wickett.
It sounds as if you had perfect accommodations for a vacation during which the weather was somewhat uncooperative.