rajafacesbothways

Echoes Down Below

The Country Peddler (furniture, wallpaper) is now history, leaving the large space beneath my loft vacant and is For Sale by owner. (there is one other larger occupied loft next to mine--but obvioulsy neither of us will be buying it)
I don't anticipate having to leave, but one never knows. So the question is what will next fill that big empty space?
What I'd like: a store that offers sundries and/or a bakery.
What I wouldn't like: a pet store, a Mexican restaurant, a laundry or a bar.

Hmmm. The latter might provide a job opportunity as a pole dancer! I could slide right down the pole from my hallway and be at work. Okay. It's not a pretty thought, but it would provide this little village with some fresh gossip material.

One Final Comment

Male bonding--between Bob and Nick--the oldest and youngest family guys, who met for the first time at the reunion.
With luck, we will gather together again in the future. It's reassuring to know we all really like each other!

Cleveland Rocks!

A Cleveland highlight is the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The  outstanding architecture of this I.M. Pei building almost vibrates with the energy of music, dating back to the beginning of the blues in the south.

We moved to a Cajun restaurant then onto the Cleveland Indians-San Francisco baseball game; Jacobs Field was a huge improvement over the Municipal Stadium where I once saw many Indian and Cleveland Browns games.
The younger generation may know how to create a total lifestyle with their hand-held devises. HOWEVER,  I still know my way around recording a game with a stub pencil and a scorecard.   

Reunion--Days 5-6

Most spent a day at Cedar Point--the ultimate amusement park for thrilling roller coasters.
The final day included lots of what we do best--eating.
(a backyard brunch)       

Reunion Party

Day of Reunion. Sunny
Time of Party. Showers.
No sweat. Plan B moved everything inside and all had a fine time with lots of laughs and good food. When Mother Nature saw she was ignored, she tossed in a rainbow for show.

AND--who are these people?
Cousins from Ohio, N. Carolina, Florida,
Illinois and Mass.
(missing--two:
from FL and MN)

And this group?
Siblings from Texas, Ohio, KY and CA.
(missing--one: from Washington State)

Is it any wonder we get along so well? We live too far apart to annoy each other!

Family Audit

Only one sibling,Tom (WA),  2 cousins,Craig (MN) and Stephanie (FL) and 3 grandkids, Jesse, Abby and 6-week-old Blake from the original gene pool couldn't join us. I was delighted that Cory and Kayla (MN) came in from Chicago with Karen to meet everyone for the first time.
With 12 of us staying in the same house, it didn't take long to get acquainted.

Reunion--Days 1-2

Several had arrived by Friday to eat, drink and be merry at a nearby bar where Cousin Bob's  excellent Kid Cleveland band sent us dancing to their great beat. Bob, an architect by day, a keyboard player by night, was later told by other band members that his family was more fun than he is. I requested my favorite, Mustang Sally, and all promised that it would be played again at my eventual funeral.

On Saturday, preparations picked up. Splitting and stacking wood from a huge tree, decorating with lights and lanterns and  preparing an indoor building, since rain was due for the large picnic. "Shirttail relatives" would be joining us for that Sunday's gathering.

Knee Deep in the Gene Pool

Am back from our first family reunion.  (although our sign read 7th Annual Reunion to make people think they had missed the first six) It was a mixed bag of ages, interests, and attitudes glued together by shared streaks of creativity and humor, plus lottsa of good food, cold beer and fun activities.

Some people whom I had not seen for many years had since grown up; others came "disguised ", looking like their now-deceased parents. Four of the five siblings were there--from 4 states--while cousins, step-cousins, grandkids all met for the first time.

An event like that could go either way--fortunately it went the right way and everyone had a great time.

Family Ties

Am headed for a week to northern Ohio for a family reunion that should include a cookout, communal living, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cedar Point and an Indians game. Ours is a mixed gene pool, awash from coast to coast and border to border; it could be great fun or our first and last attempt of bonding with kin.

In Kentucky, bonding with kin is an everyday occurrence. Our attitude has been get out of town and see what happens.
(photo: bloom where you are planted--on my deck)

Cheap Entertainment

From my back porch, I have remarkable views of the sky. This was taken just after the chimney swifts completed their air show and dove into chimneys with the grace and speed of jet fighter pilots landing on a carrier.
Not in this photo are the pair of nighthawks circling high overhead emitting their unique cries. In  the past, only one night hawk ever appeared but birds will be birds and now they're both flying high.