Totally Enchanting Medina

Saturday 2 August 2025

It’s already early August, and in looking back over the last few months we’re realizing that we’ve become truly enchanted by this community that we’ve adopted as our home town. In late 2023 as we were making the decision to rent an apartment and make Medina (med-Dye-nah) our legal address and home base we expected to enjoy our stays here but we were completely unprepared for how this community would cast a spell over us. When we returned after a third Caribbean cruise this Spring we fully expected to get caught up with the blog but that hasn’t happened all Summer. We’ve been organizing our belongings and feathering our nest, sorting our papers and spending hours at the library scanning documents and photos, taking long walks in and around the neighborhood, participating in the local genealogy discussion groups, enjoying Medina Community Band Concerts in the square every Friday, and gatherings with friends on the little patio in front of our apartment building. One major delight has been savoring the delicious foods from  the Saturday Farmer’s Market such as local lettuce, berries, peaches, corn, eggs, and especially the variety of locally grown mushrooms available just a couple minutes walk away. Nearly everything we do locally is an easy walk from our downtown apartment. Immersing ourselves into day to day life overshadowed our desire to document and share our adventures in the Southern Caribbean aboard the Norwegian Jewel in March. We really wanted to tell you about the delights of Aruba, Curaçao, Barbados, Antigua, Tortola, and Puerto Plata but then we were soon on the road in April to Galveston and adventures in the Western Caribbean aboard our beloved Royal Caribbean Jewel of the Seas. We truly intended to share tales the tornado warning in Joplin, Missouri and the visit to the Shawnee Tribe Cultural Center in Miami (my-AM-ah), Oklahoma, the family visit in Texas, the pub visit in Galveston, dress shopping in Cozumel, mini adventures in Costa Maya and Roatan, the joy of staying on the ship in select ports, and the visit to the Waco Mammoth National Monument on the way back to Ohio. Somehow though the delights of Medina got in the way. There was the sharing Naughty Lobstah fare with family on Mother’s Day, participating in some moving ceremonies on Memorial Day, an outing to the Cleveland Natural History Museum on Father’s Day, savoring Great Plains Bison Burgers before the Fourth Of July fireworks, and celebrating a big birthday with a most decadent Strawberry Cheesecake from Jane’s Diner. All of this rather got in the way of finding time for blogging. Oh yes, there were a few fascinating history and travel documentaries we had to watch and future travel excursions we had to plan, not to mention an addicting computer game that consumed a few too many hours and more than one jigsaw puzzle. Nonetheless we’re blaming it all on the enchantment spell Medina cast upon us. In the moment we’re enjoying the second last ORMACO sponsored Saturday evening concert in the square. Tomorrow we hitch up Bell@, our 2021 T@B 400, and head out to Atwood Lake Campground about an hour and a half away for the üCamp25 Teardrop Rally and a week with friends. 

Related posts:

“Bayview” Hayes Home Skyline Hits the Spot Taft Grew Up Here