My family lives in the Cleveland area. Being an only kid, my cousins were my surrogate siblings as we spent every summer together. It had been a long time since I visited and now that I had time to spend a bit more time with everyone, I hit the road! First stop, Ann Arbor!
I was connecting with blogger Vicki of I Need Orange. We'd never met, so over tea and scones at Zingermann's we connected for the first time. And like all blogger meetings, it was delightful! (And delicious, too!)
Then on to Cleveland. First stop, cousin Patty. Patty is a terrific painter -- the one person in my immediate family with a gift -- self taught and quite amazing. After years of not painting or drawing, which she did a lot as a child, she started painting again.
Her birds and animals are my favorites -- I can't wait to see how this one turns out! 
Then it was on to Chagrin Falls and cousin Mutty and her family. There were lots of good talks, good dining and lots of pet fun.
We also mostly observed as Mark prepared a Sweetest Day gift for his Katie, whom I would meet later.
I'll do a separate post on this one -- it's a good, fun treat and easy to make. Reviews of the finished project were excellent!
There was time for shopping (which I'll cover in a separate post) and enough time to have a really good visit with my friend Jane who moved back to Cleveland several years ago to be nearer her aging parents. In a great irony of life, her parents live across from Cousin David! We ate at Luna in Cleveland Heights and I give it high marks!
Then it was over to Beachwood, another east side Cleveland suburb. David's birthday was a big part of the reason I went to Cleveland now. We had a jolly family celebration -- presents and a great dinner with David's famous and award-winning chili and cake. 
(The candles are a combination of numbers to get the right age!)
Even Herbie the dog was having fun!
I had the chance to meet see the "next generation" of young men and their women -- here is Joe and Angie...
...and Mark and Katie.
Of course there were shopping trips (another post on my favorite shop soon!).
...a look a holiday decorations...
and what was, for me, a delightful spotting of deer in David's yard!
He tells me that when you have a garden, these aren't nearly the welcome, pastoral guests I might think...
But that's OK with me. I don't see deer often and they were a welcome sight! 
We saw one whole flock one evening (when my camera wasn't handy) and two friendly does the next morning.
It was autumn and lovely. Even though most days were rainy or cloudy, I still got a bit of color.
And I loved it!
23 comments:
i'm so happy you have the time now to do exactly what you want to do !!!
xo
Good morning, Jeanie. What a delightful few moments I've had enjoying your pictures and story. I agree - love the deer despite their garden raiding. They are too rare a scene for me to not enjoy. I thought the red leaf picture with the red berry contrasting against the leaf was pretty cool. Loved to see the pop (literally) of red on red.
Love the deer pics! That first one looks huge! I am glad you were able to take this road trip and catch up with multiples friends/members of your family! Also, that coffee shop you went to in Ann Arbor looks adorable! I love places like that - looks like it has a lot of character (and delicious sweets and treats!).
It's so nice to see that you made some time to meet Vicki in person. I love to hear that bloggers are meeting up. Thanks also for commenting on my blog - I'm glad it makes you smile. My volunteer work with girls in India makes me smile too.
You really managed to see a lot of people on that trip! And you have quite a knack for finding wonderful shops and cafes and such. Always fun to read and to see your photos.
It sounds like you had more fun than is allowed on one trip....so many goodies just making my mouth water. I look forward to all those future posts you mentioned and so glad you had a good time....
Sounds like a wonderful trip! I love all the animals among the people. :-)
I have a friend from school who lives in Cleveland Heights. I visited her when she lived in Berea, but that was a long time ago. (I used to live in Ohio.)
Road trips, having the time, and special connections are all the very best things to do. Loved your first stop at Zingermann's, as it reminded me of the time not too long ago when I was sitting there - though I missed seeing you.
And I loved reading about your wonderful, picturesque, totally delightful trip, Jeanie!
How nice that you have the time to travel and enjoy your family and friends. I have to admit, I think the deer visit is cool; but, I'm not a Gardner.
Jeanie, thanks for sharing these lovely family photos in Cleveland. How I wish I could have gone too, because I have a cousin who lives in Kent,OH. Five years ago I made that trip to visit her in cold Feb., and I got to get a glimpse of what Cleveland was like. If you're interested, here's my Ohio Journal post.
What a great time! I love Cincinnati chili! :)
V
I have travled through Ohio so many times and never was it as perfect as these photos!
It's been 6 years since I have been to the North now, so beautiful up there...
I love the background on your blog, brown and aqua blue... beautiful!
Much love,
Tammy
What a nice trip. It's always good to see family and old friends, and your group of people look as if they are all nice company in their different ways. Those deer are amazing!
It's always fun to visit with family.
A singleton and still blessed with lots of close family, you don’t know how lucky you are.
Seeing everybody, being welcome everywhere, eating, talking, laughing together, these pleasures make life rich and enjoyable.
Jeanie - Newly retired and already you're hitting the road! This looks like a fun trip - a chance to reconnect with both family and friends. Wishing you many more good times!
We too find deer beautiful...
glad you are enjoying retirement and how extra nice to get to visit family and enjoy so much along the way!
oxo
I'm dying to know - how did Chagrin Falls get its name? It sounds like there's a story behind that one! As for "Cincinnati Chili" - that sounds like an oxymoron! (Actually, we ate chili a lot up in Iowa, too, but it wasn't at all the same as chili down here in Texas. It's like bargeque. There are plenty of regional variations.)
I'm so glad you had a good time, but not surprised. And I echo the thought that you're lucky to have such an extended family. It's a real blessing.
A wonderful trip to visit your cousins Jeanie - I can see you all had so much fun!
Non stop chatter I imagine!
There's going to be lots of times like this for you now - enjoy!!
Hugs
Shane xox
Looks like a fantastic trip! And glad you and Vicki of I Need Orange got to meet!
I'm so glad you have time to do things like going to meet family now that you are retired. This looks like it was a great trip. You also have a very nice looking family. Cousins are the best.
I am so sorry that I missed seeing you on this trip. The cruise was lovely but the cooking can't compare to David's chili!
Come visit again soon!
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