1-25-2012-just a darn pretty pic. 

     

       i believe it to be ohio agricultural research and development center(oardc) , osu. wooster, ohio. kind of a friendly looking place where you might find a smiling bear inviting you to walk through the woods.well this bear was donated to the local historical society and can be seen along st.rt. 800 in east sparta, ohio. we all think those darn bears are so cute and i feel that is why so many idiots when actually confronted by a real bear , stnd there in awe as the bear lunges and just plain eats them. no wonder they are smiling. us humans are just twinkies to them. 

        this bear is carved out of a recycled pine log. had to do some fancy trading to get these logs as they are huge, and actually stood in a neighbors front yard . i traded him a carved bear for the log and it was about 50 foot long and this piece was midway through the log. the log had been laying awhile , before i saw it and inquired as to getting it. i took the tractor and forks and picked up the logs and carried them back to the farm in about 10 foot chunks. it was all my large saw could do to cut through the log. i have carved some large carvings out of these logs and have a couple of pieces left. 

     in regards ot the oardc campus where the trees are , a severe tornado came through the area and caused major damage to the arboretum and campus buildings and greenhouses. this happened over a year ago and the damage  and the effects of  the trees lost were devastating. i dont think anyone was hurt there but damage to the buildings as i write this still has not been fixed. one old well kept barn completely lost its roof and doubt that it will be fixed as time and exposure to the elements will be its demise after a year. it could have been worse but im sure workers there could not imagine how. if you live in notheast ohio , this place is a must see in the springtime as it comes alive with blossoms. the latter 2 pictures are present storm damage after 1 year. 

     mom and i was in medina to the north of wooster when the storms started hitting and as we were driving to wooster it hit medina area and caused some damage . at that time we were heading home but took time to stop in the arboretum and drive through and look probably for the last time of any the trees. as soon as we left the storm hit the area and the tornado rolled through the arboretum devastating vast swaths of trees while leaving others alone. we revisited the area several times since then and both of us are still astonished of how it looked before and after.time will heal.  they are fortunate no one was hurt or killed in that touchdown. Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center - Home