Preface: Every summer for the past decade or so, we have traveled to Ohio to visit family, mostly my family. The objective is to connect and maintain family ties. I believe this is especially important for my son. Usually we spend a week or so, including driving. Here is an overview of this year's trip. As usual, I am accompanied by my son, Richard, and his mom, Lynn (my former spouse).
Sunday July 28, 2013
Spent munch of day driving from CT to OH. It is 550 miles door to door. One gets a healthy sense of how long Pennsylvania is. We take I-84 into Wilkes-Barre/Scranton; Heading south on I-81, we stop for gas and get lunch next door at Arby's. Pick up I-80 and head west and head west and head west....Finally reaching Ohio. Get on Ohio Turnpike and head north to Clevo.
Monday July 29, 2013 (Cemetery Day)
Why is everything closed on Mondays in Clevo? All the museums that I want to see are closed on Monday. Why are Mondays sacred? And the weather is lousy: Fallishly low gray clouds with very cool temperatures in 70s. Why didn't I bring my jacket? (Answer: Because it was in the 90s in CT last week).
The next stop was Holy Cross Cemetery. In addition to my Dad's grave, my maternal grandparents are also buried there (along with several other relatives-but we are not sure of those locations). We go through the same ritual of cleaning the grave stone, laying some flowers, and saying a prayer.
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| Pond at the entrance to Holy Cross Cemetery. |
Then it was on to fun stuff: Memphis Kiddie Park. Why? I have memories of this from when I was a toddler and my uncle and aunt lived up the street. It turned out to be little like my memories. However, it did have a nice 18-hole mini-golf which we played and got a nice ride on the train that circles the park. Richard turned down the chance to ride the oldest steel kiddie roller coaster in the North America.
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| Richard with Grandma Meg on the train. |
Later, back at home, my brother, David, stopped by to say hello. And we played washers in the backyard. Grandma Meg, David, Carol, and Richard.
Finished up the day watching the Tribe on TV. They won (3-2) in the bottom of the 9th with a pinch hit home run by Jason Giambi.
Tuesday July 30, 2013
The weather was much better today: sunny and just warm enough to be comfortable.
We (Mom, Lynn, Richard, and me) did our annual visit to my sister Mary Lynn's "farm." We had a wonderful visit. Such hospitality. Really enjoyed the pulled pork sandwiches, salad, etc. Richard, Lynn, & I had a nice walk in the back to look at the abandoned cottages. I don't recall ever visiting this area in all the years. I enjoyed standing in the middle of a green field and listening to the quiet: the breeze, the bugs, birds - and watching the clouds swirling above lazily. Initially, it was just Mary and her daughter Angela; later, Emma arrived as did Mary's husband, Jeff.
On our way home, I impulsively stopped in Canton because I spotted a large dome from the highway. It turned out to be the (President) McKinley Memorial. Wow. Another place that I missed over all these years. We just had to get out to climb the steps. Next time I want to visit when it is open.
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| This is the view from where we parked. (I found this picture on the Web). |
When we got home, we watched the Indians game on TV. It turned out to be another come from behind victory against the White Sox (7-4).
Wednesday July 31, 2013
Today was sort of a lazy day after all the driving we did yesterday. Lynn, Richard, and I browsed around-going to the Tribe Team Shop at the Strongsville Mall; then popped into the Salvation Army Thrift store.
Since we could not work out a way to get to Columbus this time, my sister Tina generously drove up after work and went with us to the Indians game. Tonight's game was Dollar Dog Night, Fireworks, and free cap night. One of the highlights was arriving early enough to see part of batting practice (Richard's idea).
However, we were stunned at the cost of tickets. Supposedly the Bleachers were sold out (even though they were not filled). The next cheapest seats were $25 each. Last year these cost $18. That is nearly a 40% increase. And the caps were pathetic: red mesh with "Indians" embroidered in red on a white front. Not even worth keeping. Fortunately the Tribe won 6-5 in the 10th inning on a home run after blowing the lead in the 9th inning. The fireworks show was again outstanding. By the time we returned home it was midnight.
Thursday August 1, 2013
Didn't have much time to sleep in this morning as the Indians game started at 12:05 p.m. Parking was more expensive today so we ended up farther away at a lot near CSU. But it was a nice sunny day and a walk was good. Today we had to wait in a long line to get tickets. Price was a little better this afternoon than last night but still significantly higher than last year. Richard and I sat in the upper deck behind home plate-great view (Lynn is more comfortable in the lower deck and is able to find a seat she likes). This time the Tribe won handily 6-1.
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| Richard and Lynn with that Feller-Bob. |
After the game we drove East to the Art Museum. This year the Atrium was finished. The use of video screens was impressive. We spent about an hour browsing through the new wing, the atrium, and the lower level of the 1916 Building. As much as I would've liked more time, it was plenty for Richard. Since the museum closed at 5 p.m., we walked around the park outside and peeked at the Cleveland Botanical Garden (maybe another time).
We ended up having our annual dinner with Mom at the Winking Lizard in Peninsula. It was something of a disaster-next time we will try someplace else (quieter). We popped into the Mother of Sorrows church around the corner. Mom annually has a mass said here for the memory of my Dad. On the way home, we drove over the Rt. 82 bridge that some idiots plotted to blow up.
Then we stopped in BVille at McDs for a cheap ice cream cone. We stopped at Hilton Elementary School-my mom worked there as a "lunch lady" for years. We also drove around the "new" BVille High School. I had never been back there since it was built. We agreed that it looks like a prison.
We ended the evening with a few rounds of Rummikub. Carol arrived and joined in. I think everyone a won round but me (I was tired).
Friday August 2, 2013
Richard wanted to be driving home today or at Cedar Point. Instead, we went to Western Reserve Historical Society to see the Crawford Auto Aviation Collection. It turned out to be very interesting but VERY cold (the AC was turned up very low). We were disappointed to learn that the extensive auto collection housed in the basement was not open due to a flood. On the other hand, we were completely surprised to find the old Chief Wahoo neon sign from the old Municipal Stadium.
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| Chief Wahoo of the Cleveland Indians. |
Having some time to kill, we drove around the University Circle area and stumbled onto Lake View Cemetery. We stopped in at the James A. Garfield Monument (Garfield was the 20th President of the USA) just a few minutes before it closed. We had just enough time to catch a glimpse. Another place to return to explore further.
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| Where's Richard? |
After driving around the cemetery, we headed over to Ohio City to see where my brother, David, recently moved (from Columbus). We had a nice chat with his neighbors while waiting for David to bike home.
Back at home, we got takeout pizza from Pizzeria Cerino to eat while we watched the Tribe on TV. We quickly lost interest as the Indians got blown away in Miami 10-0. Despite the rainy weather, Richard and I enjoyed playing a bean bag toss game on the driveway along with Tim's kids. Even got to see Tim when he picked them up.
Saturday August 3, 2013
Time to return home. Goodbyes to Mom and take pictures.
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| Richard, me, and Mom. |
On our way, we stop in Beaver to visit my sister Susan and her family. Thanks for a nice lunch. Also enjoyed Gina showing us pictures of her Focus trip to Rome, Italy.
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| (L-R): Missy w/Rawly, Susan, Rick, Richard, Lynn, Gina. Missing: Susan's husband, Mark, and son, Nick. |
On the drive home, we lucked out and were able to listen to the Indians game on the radio the entire way. The Tribe squeaked out a 4-3 win against Miami. It was a nice way to end the trip. Good to get home.
Conclusion
As you can see from the above, we did quite a bit and got to experience a lot of different places. It was a grueling week with a lot of driving and try to throw together an itinerary based on the weather and availability. I'd like to whine about the frustrations and disappointments but no one is reading this as it is.
We got to spend time with my Mom and several of my siblings and their families. I should be thankful that my Mom put up with us for a week, and my sisters Mary and Susan welcomed us without too much advance planning. Tina driving from Columbus to see us was impressive and humbling. And we got to see a bit of Carol (and her little black dog, Joy) and Carol's boyfriend Tim and several of his kids; also seeing David was nice. And we made it there and back alive to tell the tale.
Links:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=31292318
http://www.memphiskiddiepark.com/
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2013_07_29_chamlb_clemlb_1&mode=box&c_id=cle
http://www.mckinleymuseum.org/mckinley_memorial
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2013_07_30_chamlb_clemlb_1&mode=box&c_id=cle
http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/2012/08/ohio-trip-highlights.html
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2013_07_31_chamlb_clemlb_1&mode=wrap#gid=2013_07_31_chamlb_clemlb_1&mode=box
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2013_08_01_chamlb_clemlb_1&mode=wrap&c_id=cle
http://www.clevelandart.org/
http://www.cbgarden.org/
http://www.winkinglizard.com/
http://www.motherofsorrowspeninsula.org/
http://www.rummikub.com/
http://www.wrhs.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_Wahoo
http://www.lakeviewcemetery.com
http://www.pizzeriacerino.com/
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2013_08_03_clemlb_miamlb_1&mode=wrap&c_id=cle#gid=2013_08_03_clemlb_miamlb_1&mode=box