THE ENTRANCE RAMP FROM MAIN STREET TO 76

 

My friend, Tom, asked me if I'd like to pick up trash with him today, and I said YES!!!

I met Tom last summer when he saw me picking up trash on Main Street.  He stopped his car and got out to introduce himself.  He's been picking up trash in Akron for many years.  We have become such good friends.

The entrance ramp to 76 from Main Street is HORRIBLE!  It's going to take both of us working together several days to clean it all up.

Looking back at the area we worked on today, it looks amazing!  So much of the trash in the grassy area has been there a very long time.  Lots of glass bottles, plastic shipping material, fast food containers.  Lots of Styrofoam.  These things won't ever go away.

Now it looks how an entrance ramp should look.

So many cars use this entrance ramp each day.  Everybody hates the garbage on exit and entrance ramps.  I wonder how many people notice how nice it looks when it's clean.

Tom said he rarely gets horn blowing to thank him for what he's been doing in Akron.  I always get a lot of "thumbs up" and horn blowing.  It could be from the wonderful news stories on Channel 5.  People yell out their windows, "Go Debbie!  Thank you!"

I can't tell you how good it feels to know people driving by appreciate what we are trying to do.

We pick up trash because it won't pick itself up!  Glass and plastic won't biodegrade.  It has to be picked up.  

But beyond that, we want people to see us and join in.  We do a lot, but we can't do it all.

We filled up five HUGE bags of trash and big pieces of stuff from this entrance ramp, and I'll ask Keep Akron Beautiful to come pick them up.  I can dispose of one or two bags, but I can't fit all this in my car.  Besides, there were so many ants!  Ick!  I don't want bugs in my car.

I couldn't wait to get home and get cleaned up.  I know ants prefer strawberry soda . . . but still, I hate bugs crawling on me!

I drove south on Main to Firestone, and I noticed all the spring flowers in my neighborhood!  Firestone Park is pretty all year round, but it's especially pretty in the spring.

After I showered and put on clean clothes, I took Henry & Stella out into the neighborhood for a quick photo shoot.  Spring flowers don't last very long.

Henry looks so majestic in front of these beautiful purple Phlox!  They are at the end of my street. 

He "leaned" into them, but he didn't hurt them. I think he likes flowers too!

I took pictures with the dogs in front of four flower gardens, but this one is my favorite!  

The people who live here really went all out this year!  I don't think they had flowers like this last year.

Henry & Stella are both smiling with me!  They love having their picture taken.  And I think they love the spring flowers too!

What a difference picking up trash in Firestone Park has made.  No more broken glass and garbage lining the streets and sidewalks.  I still pick up some here and there, but the people who live in Firestone Park are joining in!

When I went to Columbus to find out why Columbus stays clean, I discovered that the people in Columbus take pride in their city.  They keep it clean.  Now we are doing that too!  

Yay team!