Cleveland Cats and Dogs!

Some of the coolest cats (and dogs) I know live in Cleveland!

Meet Woody.

Woody is a player in every sense of the word!

May I recommend the soda carton as a wonderful plaything? Woody would dive in and slide!

Here's Bo.

Bo started out as the worst cat in the world, decimating a leather sofa during his first few days with his new owners.

Who could tell? He's charming and handsome!

(He loves Woody's box, too, because it keeps Woody away from him!)

Mama K readers may have met Pepper before.

She's moving a little slowly these days, but still is terribly sweet!

She may be slow, but she loves a party and greets everyone!

And here's Bing. I love Bing -- a natural blonde.

Bing loves the thrill of the hunt!

I don't have pix of Milo, Missy, Brandon and Patch -- but they're all part of the family!

And speaking of cool cats, my family is the best!

Cleveland - Land of the Indians

It's America's game -- and I swear, in Cleveland if you aren't an Indians fan, you'd best run for cover!

So, off we went to Jacob's Field, home of the Indians, for an early summer's evening game.

Now, in Lansing, we have the Lugnuts. I don't think anyone but the diehards watch the Lugnut games -- they watch Big Lug and drink excessive quantities of beer on Thirsty Thursdays or enjoy things like the hot dog cannon.

But at an Indians game, people actually watch the game! (When not taking photos of everything going on around it!)

(Maybe that's part of the difference of living in a city that enjoys sports and a city that loves it!)

It was bobblehead night, and everyone received a bobblehead of Shin Soo Choo, who scored the first run of the night!

Everyone yells "Chooooo." (It sounds like "boo" if you're watching on TV!)

It was flashback night and the team wore uniforms of the 1920s.

I loved the graphics on the screen -- all in period.

The music was '20s and even the t-shirt tossers were dressed in '20s garb!

And some of the concessions buskers fell in line, too!

We saw a Mickey cartoon during the seventh inning stretch.

And there were, of course, lots of smiles.


And why not -- it was a win!

Cleveland -- The Market and the Fair

I love Cleveland -- and not just because the family and a good friend live there (although I probably wouldn't have discovered it without visiting them!). Here are Jane's hydrangeas -- so beautiful!

Only four hours from Lansing, it's an easy ride, and when it's long weekend time, you can't beat it! (As I mentioned before, I really need a vacation -- even if it's just a couple of extra days!)

Well, apart from great fun with family, catching up and all that, I wanted to take you with me to Shaker Market, which is located in Shaker Heights -- and Chagrin Falls.

Here are a few scenes from the market.

Tons of flowers -- I was very fond of the lilies.

'tis the time for planting!

And business was booming!

And of course wonderful fruits and veggies. I don't think I've ever had sweeter strawberries.

And the veggies were inviting, too!

I love watching the cooks, like the crepe maker.

Jane and I got a breakfast burrito, pastries and enjoyed the feast!



Then it was off to Chagrin Falls to see my friend Wally Parshall, who was exhibiting.

The fair was on the Chagrin River and it was lovely!

In the distance you can see its popcorn shop -- a celebrated spot!

And they have ice cream, too!

It's a lovely town -- both Shaker Market and Chagrin Falls are well worth a visit if you're in the area!

(Note: There is a new review on Chopsticks and String of "The Necklace," by Cheryl Jarvis. I loved it!)

A Tourist!

Last weekend I participated in a local event called "Be a Tourist In Your Own Town." Lots of places are open for free or at unusual hours to welcome community members who want to sample what they have to offer.

Usually WKAR is a participant, but since we may have an open house in the fall, we took the year off, so I volunteered at the MSU Museum.

And of course I took the camera!

Here are a few of the collections at the museum. In the future, I'll have more specific posts about these, but these were a few of my favorites from each category.

In the quilt section, a lovely display of African American quilts. I'll show you more of these soon, but this might have been my favorite -- it was certainly one of them!

In another gallery, "Dear Mr. Mandela, Dear Mrs. Parks," a look at letters written to these two great leaders, beautifully displayed, along with information about the various causes they represented.

I can't resist a general store. We'll come back here, too!

Every museum worth its salt has natural history -- here is the one of the dioramas with deer.

And of course, I adored the puppets from Asia -- they were from Burma, India, China, Sri Lanka and other countries.

But the number one favorite of the children coming to visit? The one they said they wanted to see before they were even in the door?

Nothing like a giant dinosaur to attract the kids! (And the oldies were pretty impressed by it, too!)