The remnants of Hurricane Ike were headed our way today. It wasn't that the day dawned dark and rainy — it was a partly cloudy morning. Nor was it terribly windy as we rolled out of bed — breezes were light. The weather systems had, however, conspired to make it a very muggy and uncomfortable time to be outdoors doing much of anything. We spent the morning lolling about the house –which is usually my favorite way to spend a Sunday morning anyway– and ventured out only in the afternoon. We simply could not stay "in" all day. She Who Must Be Obeyed discovered that today was the day for the Berea Art Fest so we headed out for a stroll around the grounds to see what creations were on display. There were some very nice things but we found ourselves drawn to the newly dedicated nature trail in the town's Coe Park. A slow-paced walk along the lake and through the woods was just the ticket. Leaving the park we visited a very old cemetery, studied headstones and ancient trees, and then headed to the downtown area. Berea is a small city, home to Baldwin-Wallace College. The old downtown area features a number of small businesses catering to students. We first sought out the Baskin-Robbins ice cream store but discovered it had been pushed out of existence, along with several other small businesses, by a neighboring Giant Grocery Store (unnamed because I dislike them so much). Circling back into the old business district we stopped at The Bean and Book coffee shop. They had a sign advertising Velvet Ice Cream which turned out to be quite wonderful and most refreshing –She was sagging due to the heat– I had "Peanut Butter Cup" from their "Supreme" product line, and She had "Cinnamon" from their "Natural" product line. We enjoyed our treats indoors watching the gathering clouds and blustering winds through the front windows. Other patrons enjoyed coffee and free Wi-Fi connections at their tables indoors. A most pleasant experience; we may stop back there for lunch some day. As we headed home the clouds thickened, winds increased, and the temperature began to drop. It may be a stormy night is on the way for us, but it was a very pleasant afternoon.
PhotonStopper 
That does sound like a pleasant day out – though I prefer to get out early and then loll about in the afternoon. Love the photo of the turtles – what's with the odd one out! LOL.
I guess our inverse order of things today had more to do with easing into the day than good sense concerning the weather! Sill it worked out just fine for us and it was a good day. "Old Lettuce Back" –the turtle– looks to have surfaced under some of the algae mat and carried it on his back. Or maybe it's an attempt at turtle camouflage. — JG
I especially liked the turtles as well. We got torrential rains at about 3:00 today. We went to a family get-together which was supposed to be at a pond but was in their home instead. Very nice day to be indoors I'd say! The ice cream sounds great. We had Hagen-Das on Thursday!
Ike passed through your area with wind and rain but the rain missed us entirely — we're dry! The wind, however, kicked up a few times and power was flickering off and on. I think the worst has already passed but I'll bet we reached the maximum gusts of 50 – 60 MPH as predicted. There are lots of leaves and dead wood from trees scattered about. Hope you enjoyed the get-together. — JG
Oh yeah! The other "odd one out." I think the little fellow sitting there by himself has fish breath or something. — JG