Indianola

Hail No!

I was hoping I would get to run in a hailstorm at least once on my Lakewood A to Z Challenge and today I got to check that item off my list. Actually getting caught in the storm on the jog back from Indianola was a little bit scary. The wind picked up, lightning flashed in the sky, and hail started pelting down while I was on Riverside. I passed another jogger taking shelter under a tree and he shouted, “you are braver than me” (and I was thinking you are smarter than me). I snapped a selfie when I got home, and you can still see the beads of water on my Lakewood A to Z logo.

Fortunately the rain was light when I was actually walking Indianola. The two houses on the corner of Riverside and Indianola were amazing. They were very different in style, but both had the look of large county estates. Most of the houses on the south side of the street had steep slopes pitched up towards their front porches. One had a cement staircase bordered by beautiful flowering bushes.

The street ended after two short blocks when it connected with Hilliard. At that intersection there was a garden with large decorative stones and a variety of flowers just starting to bloom. I found a sign indicating it was a “KEEP LAKEWOOD BEAUTIFUL” Adopt-A-Spot. I have noticed several of these around the city maintained by various individuals and organizations. What a great way to improve our green space. This one was tended by the Overinola Garden Club. I searched to see if that street existed in Lakewood and quickly realized it was a combination of Overbrook and Indianola (the two side streets in this neighborhood). I would like to thank this group, and all those that are trying to “KEEP LAKEWOOD BEAUTIFUL”.