Love to see you smile! Seen in West Virginia as we traveled.
TG and I had three reasons for our recent trip to Cleveland, Ohio.
One: To attend a baseball game -- the Cleveland Guardians Indians versus our beloved Chicago Cubs.
(I will always call them the Indians. Especially since they were the team that the Cubs beat 8-7 in extra innings during the seventh game of the World Series, played at Wrigley Field on November 2, 2016.)
Two: To see our niece Joanna and her husband Jacob and their little sons, Freddy and Andrew. I shared in this post about Jacob, who is a concert pianist and professional musician; and
She adorns a corner of Riverside Cemetery
Three: To visit Lake View Cemetery, where Jacob and Joanna's second son, Noah, is laid to rest, and also to pay our respects at the grave of Ray Chapman.
Baby Noah, afflicted with Trisomy 13, lived for 42 days.
Ray Chapman is famous for being the only major league baseball player to die as a result of being hit by a pitch.
It happened during a game in New York in August of 1920. Ray Chapman, who played shortstop for the Cleveland Indians, was twenty-nine years old at the time of his passing.
Giving a new meaning to "keeping up with the Joneses"
If you're so inclined, you can read the whole story about the terrible accident that claimed Ray's life here.
And if the baseballs and other memorabilia left at his grave are any indication, he has not been forgotten.
As if what happened to Ray were not bad enough, what his wife Katie and little girl, Rae endured after his death is heartbreaking too.
Katie delivered her beloved husband Ray's daughter six months after he died, and named her Rae Marie. She later remarried and in 1926 had another child, a boy.
Me with Freddy, nearly 5, and Andrew, 17 months
But, still deeply depressed over losing Ray, she committed suicide in April of 1928. Almost exactly one year later, their daughter Rae Marie, age eight, succumbed to measles.
I learned of all this back in the spring and that's when plans were made to attend the Cubs game in Cleveland, and to visit Lake View Cemetery and to spend some time with Jacob and Joanna and the boys.
We left on a Sunday afternoon and drove to Beckley, West Virginia, where we spent the night.
The next morning we drove the rest of the way to Cleveland, where our first stop was Riverside Cemetery.
I got this book at the dollar store. It's good. Mike gave me the pen.
I didn't know anyone there, but we had a few hours to while away before checking into our hotel and then going to Jacob and Joanna's house for dinner, and the weather was splendid.
Riverside is a typically glorious older cemetery, with acres and acres of monuments. Beautiful place.
It's unfortunate that I was there at the wrong time of day, because to walk and photograph this cemetery during the golden hour (just before sunset, or just after sunrise) would be a real treat.
You need some Garnier Thiebaut towels
But it was seventy-three degrees with low humidity, and the cicadas were doing a continuous winding-ringing noise from their sticking places in thousands of mature trees, and although the light was not right, it was a near-idyllic experience.
I took lots of pictures in spite of sub-optimal conditions, but really only two appeal to me enough to show to you.
The first is an upshot of a female figure high on a pedestal, with one arm stretched heavenward and the other in an interesting position relative to the outstretched one, as if she had just released something.
Cleveland's best-kept secret
You can see in that picture how blue and cloudless the sky was.
The other is the boulder marking the grave of the Joneses. The ones who, in this case, you may or may not want to keep up with.
After checking in at the InterContinental Suites Hotel, we got reorganized and set out for our niece's home about five miles away.
The main gate of Lake View Cemetery
Cleveland is, among other things, all about the Cleveland Clinic, and buildings for that health care system are everywhere. They don't match; conceptualizing and constructing those edifices must have kept a great many architects and craftsmen busy for a good many years.
Once at Joanna's house in a cozy neighborhood where most if not all of the domiciles were built during World War II, we found Jacob grilling chicken out by the garage and the two little boys playing nearby.
Joanna, expecting again and due next February (25 in 2025! my sister crows, that being the number of grandchildren she will have when this child arrives), came out of the house smiling and reaching to hug us.
Cenotaph for the family of Eliot Ness
My niece, my sister's youngest child, is one of the most positive, happy, upbeat people you will ever meet, and she loves being a wife and mother and homemaker, and she is a gracious and thoughtful hostess.
I had not come empty handed; I had a gift for Joanna of two cobalt-blue bottles full of twinkling fairy lights, and a loaf of homemade banana-nut bread for the family, and dollar store transformer vehicles for each of the boys.
Joanna told us that she has to protect her gardens (she has more than one) with netting supported on tall sticks, or the deer that roam freely in Cleveland will eat everything!
On an August day in 1920, Ray Chapman became a statistic
But she served us delicious grilled zucchini along with the chicken, and a green salad, and for dessert there were skillet peaches (she got those from the farmer's market) with real whipped cream and chopped pecans.
We had the nicest visit, and when we left around nine, there were plans to meet the next day at Baby Noah's grave, and spend some more time together before TG and I were due at the ball game.
Our hotel was so comfortable and we settled in to look at our devices (we play word games to keep our minds sharp; not sure it's working in my case) while Forensic Files played nonstop on the TV.
In due time I took a refreshing shower. The towels! They were so thick, so fluffy, that I took pictures of the tags so that I can buy some of these for my own house.
Baby Noah is buried not far from the twisty oak
I had never had my consciousness raised to Garnier Thiebaut towels but they're on my radar now. There was a matching robe in the closet but I did not wear it!
The next morning we went to the Landmark Restaurant for breakfast. I am always looking for local non-chain diners and restaurants where I can get an omelet -- spinach and feta being my favorite -- and TG can get whatever looks good to him.
When we walked into the restaurant it was quickly apparent that we were the only white folks present. It is a large place in an old building, and other diners nodded pleasantly at us as we were seated.
I had one of the top three spinach and feta omelets I have ever been served, and the best bacon I have ever eaten, period, hands down. I even ordered a second round of that bacon.
No doubt the deer have eaten the flowers by now
When we had concluded our meal and TG had paid the bill and we were heading out for Lake View Cemetery to spend a few hours walking around before meeting Joanna and her family, TG told me that the owners of the restaurant are white.
He knew because the wife was serving as cashier and her husband was doing the cooking. All I know is, it was delicious and I would not hesitate to eat there again if I ever end up in Cleveland in the future.
At Lake View we saw the cenotaph* dedicated to Eliot Ness and his wife and son. Ness was a legendary lawman and author of The Untouchables, which was made into a 1987 Hollywood movie starring Kevin Costner as Eliot Ness.
*A cenotaph is a marker that memorializes more than one person, any or all of whom may or may not be buried there. In Ness's case, he died in 1957 and his wife and son lived until the 1970s, but the ashes of all three were scattered in a pond at Lake View Cemetery in 1997.
Little brother Andrew Sebastian
President James Garfield is also entombed at Lake View. I did not visit his impressive grave site but TG did and said it was fascinating.
After a while we drove back to the office, where I had arranged to meet with Joanna and family at two o'clock. I wanted to put flowers at Noah's grave and it was nice that there were pretty bouquets for sale in a cooler in that office.
Flowers purchased, we met our party and set out for Noah's resting place.
We had actually already found it earlier, since its coordinates are listed on Noah's Find a Grave page.
He ain't heavy; he's our brother
Joanna remarked when I placed the flowers on Noah's little headstone that the deer would only eat them. I kind of like the thought of a gentle-eyed deer bending over Noah's grave to munch on the flowers.
After a lovely time there with Noah's family, we were invited to join in their tradition of going for ice cream after a cemetery visit.
And not just any ice cream. Joanna told me that Mitchell's of Cleveland is the best. After enjoying a Taster's Duo consisting of one scoop of dark roast coffee ice cream and one scoop of lemon sorbet, I would have to concur.
It was exceptional ice cream.
Freddy's selection featured sprinkles
After our treat, we walked outside for a bit. The little boys played under a huge silver sculpture of a hand that looks as though it's trying to walk across the ground.
After a bit it was time for us to regroup and get back to the hotel and set out for the ball park.
We said our goodbyes. Jacob and Joanna and the boys went out into the sunny day and we made our way back to our room.
TG wanted us to ride the city bus to and from Progressive Field, and since we only had to walk across the street to get on, I was okay with that.
Once at the ball park, we got into a long queue but it moved very quickly and before we knew it, they had scanned our tickets on my phone and we were inside.
A hand for the land
Upon entry to the venue we were each handed a bright pink pouch which, when I focused on it, I realized was coffee. Yay coffee!
It was in honor of the Indians' special guest that night, a young man called Machine Gun Kelly, a performer of some sort who is from Cleveland and goes by the initials MGK.
And if the design on the coffee pouch is any indication, he is also known as "The Blonde Don" but do not ask me why.
If I have ever heard of MGK it was only in passing; I know nothing about him. And if you know the pirate at all, you know this is not my kind of scene anyway.
The line was long but extra-quick
But MGK was actually there that night and I heard that he threw out the first pitch but that was when I was in line for my pretzel and a refill of my nine-dollar souvenir cup of Diet Pepsi, so I missed it.
I think he led the crowd in singing Take Me Out to the Ball Game during the seventh inning stretch too.
TG does not drink coffee so the two pouches are all mine and when I open them I'll let you know how MGK Joe rates.
Our seats were in full sun but we were early, so I got a hot dog and we both got soft drinks, and we sat in some shaded seats and I ate the excellent hot dog and was still hungry. As I said, even before the game started I went back for a pretzel and then still later, seventh inning or so, some popcorn.
I cannot resist concessions.
The big sign encourages fans to stand for the land
The Cubs not only lost in the second game of their series as guests of the Cleveland Indians, but they had lost the first game too, and would lose the third game the next night.
It's the only time this season that they have been swept. Meaning, they lost all games in a series.
Oh well. Move forward. There's still a little bit of time to make the playoffs. It may take a miracle, but there is still time. Barely.
Which is what we did when the game was over. Move forward, that is. Apparently riding the bus back to our hotel was not an option, so we called an Uber.
We had to wait fifteen minutes but eventually our driver appeared and it wasn't long before we were again comfortably ensconced in our room.
It's coffee. That's all you need to know.
The next morning we had a ten-hour drive ahead of us and ideally we would have been on the road by nine o'clock at the latest.
But for no reason that I could ascertain, I woke up at three o'clock in the morning and was wide awake until seven. Yes I got up. Then I went back to bed. No it was not good.
So, we got on the road at eleven o'clock and bit the bullet. It was about nine that night when we got home.
It was altogether an interesting and enjoyable three-day excursion, with a lot of things packed into a short time.
Until next time, shine on, Cleveland
We took another trip this past weekend, from Friday to Sunday. I'll tell you about it in a few days.
And our next trip is coming up in a little over three weeks. This is a big one! Stay tuned.
What have you been up to? Tell me in the comments.
And that is all for now.
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Happy Tuesday
