D. came across something by accident this afternoon. The following are his words.

“On my way home from Woodville Surplus, on a whim I took a right on Pickle Road. I noticed a small cemetery and pulled in through the gate. On the other side, I found myself in one of the most surreal places I’ve ever been, like something out of a post apocalyptic movie.

It is a very very strange place, and worth a visit if you’re ever on the East side of Toledo.”

Willow Cemetery | 1961 Pickle Road | Oregon | (419) 698-7014

This week, D. took a tour of the new StandArt Lofts. The rectangular shaped building, which you may have noticed when driving into Downtown from The Trail or I-75, was built in 1906 for Standart-Simmons Hardware Co.

More than a 100 years later, this building has been converted into fantastic apartments… with some serious ceiling height!

The windows and exposed brick look great.

I love D.’s shot of the staircase. No worries, the building has elevators… which is more than I can say for most of the buildings where I lived in NYC. That’s luxury!

Standart Lofts | 34 S. Erie Street | Downtown | (419) 249-9800

A couple lazy Sundays ago D. and I were in Perrysburg with time to kill, so we went looking for Fort Meigs. It had been decades since D.’s last visit as a child but we found the 1812 battlefield easily. Apparently it’s free to stroll the fort during the wintertime–the blockhouses are closed, however.

There was a very nice, 100 ft. tall obelisk built in the great year of 1908. We saw several people sledding down the river-side of the fort–regardless of the “no sledding” signs posted about the visitors/gift shop building. Inside the gift shop I picked up a soft-cover book of old Toledo Blade covers. So… I suggest a visit to one of the area’s oldest destinations, on a moderately cool winter day… and maybe bring a sled?

Fort Meigs | 29100 West River Road, Perrysburg | (419) 874-4121

This is Charlie aka “Cat-attack Charlie”. He was saved from a murderous cat by a kid in the neighborhood. He brought him over to me and I went straight into action by calling R. & M. for advice on where to bring him.

Nature’s Nursery in Whitehouse, Ohio was where I ended up. It was about a half-hour drive but pleasant, with lots of farmland.

The volunteers were very nice and helpful. It turns out Charlie is a baby robin. He had a leg injury but they didn’t think it was broken and assured me the little champ would be okay. So, what could have been a very sad incident was turned around by that great organization. Big thanks to Nature’s Nursery!

Nature’s Nursery | Whitehouse, Ohio | (419) 877-0060

Friday night, J. hosted a group of friends in her office’s suite at the new arena. This was more than my first time seeing the Walleye play–it was my first hockey game ever.

There were people dressed like furries, posing for photos.

And a fight… someone should break it up!

Snacks were yum, and the Lucas Co. Arena is very nice.

D. and R. had their minds set on walleye sandwiches. Supposedly, the condiment bar is epic. That’s a lot of mayo!

And at the end of the night, Toledo Walleye won the game! Great job!

…but stop all the fighting.

Toledo Walleye | at the Lucas Co. Arena | Downtown Toledo!