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Lake Erie Fog

by Kaylah Stroup
lake erie, cleveland, fog, foggy

Earlier in the week I was sitting at my desk typing away when I happened to look out the window and notice that the steeple on the church behind my house was completely hidden by fog. I was already planning on getting out to take photos but seeing that got me moving a little bit quicker. I raced downtown only to realize that a. I really stink at finding free parking and b. that the skyline was basically invisible in the fog. I put a quarter in a parking meter to get fifteen measly minutes that I squandered looking for the perfect shot.

I got back in my car and headed to Edgewater Park, the place I always go when it’s foggy. The closer I got to the water, the foggier it got. I really don’t know what it is but fog makes everything seem so much more magical. I wandered around the park snapping photos for nearly an hour.

cleveland, pier, fog

I searched for “fog” here on the blog because I knew I had shared photos last time it was super foggy here and oddly enough the post from last year went live almost one year ago to the day… and the post basically starts the same too. Guess I can count on being out there photographing the fog again this time next year and probably typing the same thing yet again. Hehe!
xoxo

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geocaching

by Kaylah Stroup

For a really long time people have been commenting “Are you into geocaching?”, “You should try geocaching, it seems like something you’d really like.”, etc. I miiight have been avoiding it for one main reason – things that other people are super into are kind intimidating to me. I guess I don’t like feeling like a “noob” Does that make any sense?

For those of you not familiar, geocaching is a worldwide treasure hunt of sorts. Participants use GPS to navigate to containers that other users have hidden. A traditional geocache will be a waterproof container with a log book and trade items inside. Treasures inside aren’t usually worth much but are still fun to find. According to the official website there are 2,803,842 active geocaches and over 15 million geocachers worldwide!

Anyway, my brother and my nephew are super into geocaching. My brother has logged just under 700 of them which he’s found all over the world! We were all together a few weekends ago for a birthday party when one of them mentioned that a few new caches had popped up in the area. I tagged along, figuring it was a good excuse to get out of the house. After seeing my both of my brothers, my nephew and Jeff all running full speed down the road to try to find the cache first I was into it. They all turned into adorably competitive children. I had a blast. We got two caches that day and that was all it took for me to want in on it. I downloaded the app as soon as I got home.

The timing of finally getting into geocaching couldn’t be better because it coincides perfectly with Jeff and I getting Fitbits. It’s the best excuse to do both things. This last week we’ve been getting lots of steps and lots of caches. My favorite thing about it so far has been the places it’s
taking us, spots we normally wouldn’t go to. I’m kicking myself for not
getting into it earlier because I can only imagine that awesome caches
we missed on both of the big road trips out west. I’m very excited to use geocaching as a fun way to explore new places from here on out.

My brother has told me about all these amazing caches he’s found, like super duper creative ones. So far it’s just been lots of pill bottles and pencil cases for us, as well as two or three larger containers. There was one in a cemetery where navigation took us right to a tree with a hole in it, obviously it was going to be in there. I bent down to peek inside before sticking my hand in and spotted a little bunny looking right back at me! It was really funny because when he raced out he went through the back side of the tree which was actually where the cache was. We wouldn’t have been able to reach it otherwise. Basically this guardian of the cache showed us where it was which is pretty darn awesome!

We made it one of our goals to hide some more around Cleveland. Surprisingly there aren’t many downtown. Cleveland is definitely an up and coming city so any way to encourage more people to get out and walk around is a good one. Plus it’ll be a blast for us to hide them!
xoxo

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Friday Favorites #355

by Kaylah Stroup
Love love love these planters. I feel like they’d look perfect in my living room.
 (via: Fox & Ramona)
 (via: Again Press)
A leash with bicycles! There’s even a matching collar. I feel like this color would look so cute against Klaus’ brindle fur.
 (via: Silly Buddy)
I really like the shape of this lamp.
 (via: Furnish Modern)
How adorable is this little terrarium necklace?!
THIS MUG! There is also a thermos and tea towel in the same pattern.
(via: Modcloth)
These little cat stickers would be perfect for outgoing mail.
 (via: Beetle Ink Co)
I don’t really own too many rings anymore but I do love this ring dish, for obvious reasons. 
The pin I need for riding the train. 
This hanging planter is just gorgeous!

Link Love…
▴ This quilt pattern is ridiculously awesome.
▴ This nightgown? Yes, please!
▴ Some days I’d like someone to give me this ribbon for wearing my big girl pants.
▴ Mew-nicorn socks!
▴ No Bad Days.
▴ Since I’ve been sending mail out so regularly I’ve been on the hunt for awesome stickers to add to envelopes. These ones from Crumple + Toss are adorable!
▴ Home is where my plants are. 

Happy Friday!!
xoxo

Ps. For more fun finds check out my Everyday Favorites! 

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beach glass for me, beach glass for you

by Kaylah Stroup
things neatly organized

It’s been a while since I rambled about how much I loved the beach, huh? I guess I kind of took the winter off, which is fairly unusual for me. Over the weekend Jeff and I stopped at a random little beach and it got me thinking how much I missed “my” beach… plus the beach sounded like an excellent way to rack up steps and that’s basically all I think about since I got a Fitbit. First thing Monday morning I headed to my secluded little spot which was full of driftwood, trash, and beautifully tumbled beach glass. If there was any one spot in Cleveland that felt like home to me, it would be this beach. It was good to be back.

I’ve slowed down my beach glass picking habits in the last year. Not because I don’t like it anymore, quite the contrary, but because I really don’t need to bring it all home. When I lived in Geneva I barely found any glass so every single piece, no matter how tiny, was a huge deal. I brought it all home but it never really seemed to accumulate. Now I’m a five minute bike ride away from a beach that is almost always ripe for the picking! If I brought home everything I picked up my apartment would probably have a whole room just full of glass. I spent more time arranging this little collection than I did finding it.

Lake Erie, beach, glass, sea glass

Something I’ve always liked to do is leave things behind that will make people smile, like beach forts made of driftwood. I wish I could leave my “found on the beach” arrangements as is after I photograph them but I debate back and forth in my head whether or not that defeats the whole purpose. Leaving pretty little arrangements of beach glass seems just fine so that’s exactly what I did. It’s a win/win because I get to pick up beach glass which I find incredibly relaxing, create something and then leave it for someone else to find. I hope it was found before it washed away.

I did end up taking home a few pieces from the day though. Blue and red are two of the harder colors to find so I almost never leave either of those behind. But the find of the day or month?! possibly year?!! has to be the piece below which basically just looks like a gummy bear made of glass. I’ve never found a multicolored piece like that. I just thought it was a regular old brown piece until I held it up to the sky. I must find more!!!

backpack and lapel pin from Moorea Seal. 
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the cult of Fitbit

by Kaylah Stroup

I’ve joined a cult. The Cult of Fitbit. Let’s back up though. You know how Facebook is super creepy and tells you all the stuff your friends comment on, even when the post they were commenting on wasn’t even written by a mutual friend? Yeah, so, a friend commented on someones status that was an article about how addicting Fitbits were. I clicked on it and was basically sold right away. It was just one of those things that I could totally see myself getting into. I didn’t really expect to buy one any time soon, I just took a mental note to look in to more in the future.

Later that day Jeff and I were in the car, heading to the grocery store, when I remembered what I had read about earlier. I told him all about it and he was basically like “Yeah, I know! I was thinking about getting one too.” That’s how twenty minutes later we were in Target “just looking”. Ten more minutes and we were back sitting in the car getting our Fitbit Charge HRs all set up.

If you’re not familiar, basically Fitbits are pumped up pedometers. Depending on the model you get, it logs your steps, how many floors you’ve climbed, how many calories you’ve burned, your heart rate, how many miles you’ve walked and your sleep. In the app you can log what you’ve been eating and how much water you’ve drank. It displays all this information neatly in the app so it’s easy to read and understand. You can set goals, join challenges with friends for some healthy (literally) competition, and so much more.

Fitbit being worn
The last pose is called “try to annoy your camera hog dog so he gets out of your shots” and it didn’t work.

I have an embarrassing secret, I hate walking. It’s not that I’m lazy, it’s just that I need the right motivation. I need to know that I have a destination, or a specific reason to walk. Basically, I need some sort of reward for walking. Yeah, I’m kind of lazy… Fitbit is somehow turning walking into something fun for me though. Since I’ve gotten this thing I have gotten SO much more exercise than normal simply because I love beating my own “high score”. I don’t expect it to perform any miracles or all of a sudden make me super ripped but I am, without a doubt, moving more than normal, and that rules!

It seems so funny for me to be writing this post because I’m totally not into “fitness”.  Sure, I love riding my bike but I’m usually riding it to go get ice cream, or pizza. I don’t regularly work out, and I’m more than happy to eat a donut for breakfast.  But, of course, I would love to feel healthier. I know I need more exercise, and this stupid little watch thing-a-majig was apparently exactly what I needed to get my butt in gear. Fitbit has made getting up and moving around fun. I love checking my stats and trying to get more steps than Jeff’s mom (who is an absolutely beast! Three cheers for her!!)

This is in no way a sponsored post but I am totally encouraging you to join a cult so… I apologize. It’s the kind of fun you can’t really understand until you try it. Even Jeff is hooked! Any other Fitbit users out there reading? Aren’t these things so much fun?! Why didn’t anyone tell me to get one earlier?!
xoxo 

PS. Don’t worry, I’m not going to start talking about my Fitbit all the time. I might casually mention it from time to time if I totally crush my goals but other than that my lips are sealed… maybe.

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the end of an era

by Kaylah Stroup

If you asked me what my favorite camera was I wouldn’t even have to think about it. It’s my Polaroid land camera. I bought my first one back in 2011. I was in love almost instantly. I even wrote a post about it which you can read here. It became something I lugged around with me everywhere.

Then in 2013 Fujifilm announced they would no longer be producing FP-3000b, the black and white film that worked with this camera. After Polaroid announced they’d quit making 600 film I guess I thought it meant it would be a little bit harder to find but you can get anything on the internet, right? Well, not necessarily. I wasn’t going to risk that again. I immediately stocked up. I mean I bought A TON of that black and white film…like a couple hundred dollars worth. The price soared shortly after my investment and it continues to rise to this day. It’s still available for purchase through Amazon and other photo websites but the price is just under five times what was when I started purchasing it. (AKA I have a gold mine in my refrigerator!)

pacific coast highway

When that happened I decided I’d save that film that I stocked up on, only using it when I felt it absolutely necessary. I’m just looking out for future Kaylah who might desperately need black and white film for her land camera someday. I started using FP-100C, the color film, on a more regular basis. It was only around eight to ten dollars a pack so I’d buy it when I needed it instead of stock piling like I do with my other films.

Last week Fujifilm announced the heartbreaking news that they would be ceasing production of FP-100C as well. My eyes instantly welled up. I might have shed a few tears, and I definitely let out a string of colorful words. I know it’s not really something you’d understand unless you shoot this film but this is devastating news for me. It’s weird how you can become to attached to something like this.

I felt like the best way to grieve was to sit down with my albums and pore over the photos. I realized I hadn’t shared any from 2015’s big road trip. These are some of my favorite photos I took on the trip. Some from the middle of the desert, and other from the Pacific Coast Highway, all very special to me.

Wigwam Village, film, fujifilm
Bixby Bridge, film, california coast

It’s scary how film is becoming harder and harder to get your hands on. I have a handful of patches and pins that say things like “film is not dead” and as much I want to believe that I have to admit, film is dying… or at least becoming really really unobtainable. It’s such a bummer to watch prices soar!

I love digital and I’d basically be lost without my DSLR but using film is something that just can’t be replicated. Shooting with instant film is such a great feeling, and peel-a-part film like FP-3000b, and FP-100C is just the bees knees! It’s so satisfying. While it’s still available buy alllll the film that you can!
xoxo

 patch by Asilda Store
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It’s the little things…

by Kaylah Stroup

like catching these two in bed together!!!

I adopted Klaus as a tiny, tiny puppy just around three years ago. I had hoped that a puppy would be the best bet in terms of everyone getting along. I thought that the cats would be able to just give this tiny dog a few little “I’m the boss here” hisses and everything would be golden. Buuuut I was wrong…

After a full year there was barely any progress at all. Klaus was more than interested in being friends but neither of the cats wanted anything to do with him. He was admittedly a little aggressive, not in a bad way but he’s three times their size and an absolute ball energy. Klaus and the cats were rarely ever in the same room together. If Squid was in the hallway, I was in the bedroom and Klaus was on the other side of the house he wouldn’t come to me because he was so afraid of this little black cat who was so clearly head of the house.

Eventually things started to progress. I remember one specific incident where Jeff and I were laying in bed with Klaus and Professor hopped up to get cozy with us. We lost our minds. It was so exciting for them to be that close together. (Everyone in this house is obsessed with cuddling with Jeff… Whatever, he smells nice.) This started happening fairly regularly and when Squid got involved too it was selfie worthy. I have so many grainy photos of the five of us together that I excitedly took.

More progress came when I moved to the apartment I’m living in now. It was like something clicked and all three of the animals were nicer to each other. Eventually the five of us laying in bed together became something completely normal. Klaus and the cats were co-existing successfully! He had backed off trying to give them all the love and they had started to realize this big goon was here to stay no matter how mean they were to him.

Last week I walked into my bedroom to grab something from my vanity. I spotted Klaus in bed and heard Professor in his little tiny collar jingling after me. He hopped up in bed and to my surprise curled up right beside Klaus. This is a first!!!! A super duper exciting first, clearly!

So technically, they aren’t cuddling since they’re not touching but the fact that they’re sharing the bed without me or Jeff in there to play mediator is AMAZING, especially since Professor was the last one in bed. Klaus will often try to hang out with the cats only for them to immediately get up and leave. He tries to bring them his toys sometimes. It’s so sweet. My heart breaks for this big goofy dog who can’t understand why these two cats don’t like him.

I honestly can’t believe it’s taken nearly three years for this to happen. I’ve got hope that maybe some day I’ll walk in and spot them curled up together. It might take another three years but I think it’s gonna happen!
xoxo

Edited to add this photo I snapped yesterday, a few days after the original post was written. ALL THREE IN BED TOGETHER! Yessss!

 

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Mound View Cemetery

by Kaylah Stroup

I love cemeteries, y’all know that. They’re peaceful and no matter where they’re located they’re almost always devoid of all people. Last week after visiting the Knox County Poorhouse I headed to Mound View Cemetery. It didn’t seem like it would be that big of a cemetery. My main reason for going was to search for a headstone I had seen a photo of online that read “Little Men”. I really really love headstones that say things that are a little bit out of the ordinary. Upon a little bit further research I found that these “little men” were actually the Wild Men of Borneo. I didn’t really know too much about them but I felt like I had heard that name before so I was definitely interested in finding the headstone.

Hiram and Barney were two mentally disabled brothers from Knox County. They were apparently sold to Doctor Warner in 1852 by their desperate mother after the passing of their father. Hiram and Barney were given new names, Waino and Plutanor, and a sensational back story about being from the island of Borneo, where they had been captured after an intense struggle. They were each around 40 inches tall and weighed about 45 pounds but could perform feats of great strength such as lifting heavy weights, and wrestling with audience members on stage. It is said that they could each lift around 300lbs on their own. They eventually became involved with P.T. Barnum and his traveling show. During their 25 years with him the pair made over $200,000 which in that time was an incredible sum of money.

I’m very interested in sideshow history and any headstone I can find information on is pretty cool my book, so this was definitely an awesome find. I’m actually surprised it took me this long to hear about it. I’m curious who chose to put “little men” on their headstone though. “Wild Men of Borneo” seems like a better fit if that’s what they went by…

The Wildmen of Borneo, Waino and Plutanor, Mound View CemeteryMound View Cemetery, headstonelife extinguished, headstone symbolism

Anyway, before even being able to find their headstone I was already more than impressed with this cemetery. It was easily in my top ten, mostly because it was absolutely teeming with symbolism! Lots and lots of older headstones have symbols on them. It’s nothing new for me. Over time I’ve become familiar with many of them. Some are so common I don’t think anything of them when I see them but everywhere I looked in Mound View there were symbols! It ended up being the majority of what I photographed.

I’m going to list a few of my favorites, see if you can find them in the photos…
anchor – hope or eternal life
arch – the passage to heaven
dove – peace, messenger of God
hand pointing up – hope for heaven
lamb – innocence, often found on the gravestones of children
upside down torch – the end of life, or a life extinguished
willow tree – perpetual sadness or mourning
wreath – victory in death

We have some really incredible cemeteries in Ohio, like this one. The one thing we don’t have going for us is that we aren’t very old, at least not compared to some other parts of the US that are a little further east. Symbols on graves aren’t all that popular anymore and haven’t been for a while so there are tons of them I’ve never actually seen in person. That’s not to say they aren’t in my state, I may have just not found them yet. I even have a list of symbols I’d love to find. Ranking high near the top is a skull and crossbones, just because it seems so stereotypical and like something that would a Halloween decoration instead of a real headstone, I guess. Thinking about finally finding one gets me all excited. Heading east this year is a must!
xoxo

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what I wore : stripes + polka dots

by Kaylah Stroup
Cleveland Fashion Blog, polka dot skirt, kaylah doolan
pins, lapel pin
Cleveland Fashion Blog, purple hair, kaylah doolan
Cleveland Fashion Blog, polka dot skirt, kaylah doolan, purple hair

 

details
shirt – TJ Maxx
sunglasses – Carine c/o Moorea Seal
camera bag – Jo Totes
shoes – Blowfish Shoes

This is just one of those outfits that makes you feel like a million bucks… even if the wind is working against you. Blowing your hair every which way (bangs + wind = the worst) and giving you silly outtakes like the one seen below. Awkwardly grabbing my own boob in public, or in the process of pulling my sweater back in place? That’s for you to decide.

Sorry, I had to include that. I wasn’t expecting it so when I was scrolling through my photos I nearly had water come out my nose. I always think to myself that I’d like to share outtakes from time to time, but they get buried, and I eventually forget about them. Sometimes I feel like such a dork sharing all these posed photos of myself. I try to be “natural” but of course, in front of the camera, I try to stand a little straighter, make sure my hair is in place, and my clothes are sitting perfectly. I’m a little bit more disheveled than that. We all are. So in the future? More outtakes! I’ll save them up and even put them in a post of their own.

Hope you’re having a lovely Wednesday!
xoxo

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