Friends and Festivals

It's been another wonderful week here in Cleveland.  This September just won't stop with the incredible weather.  It's been a shame to be indoors at work all week.  I really think summer vacation needs to extend all the way to the end of summer, so we can soak up the perfection of this season...

This week's recap starts with Wednesday, when we made the middle of the week a lot more interesting by visiting a brand new baby.

Here is Ivy holding the newest member of our family-of-friends, two-day-old Sally Ruth.

Isn't she perfection??  So soft. So tiny.  Ivy was over the moon to be invited to the hospital to meet and hold her new friend.  She can't wait to babysit.

Rainbow Babies Hospital has a pretty rockin' playground, too, which is where the boys spent their time during our visit.  Jack said "Hi" to Sally in a very polite voice, but that was about where his interest ended.  Thank goodness big brothers Max and Sam were ready for a break from baby, too...

  The kiddos were off school on Friday.  Sadly I was not, so I missed taking part in the day pictured below.  Luckily I have the Art Museum and Gardens sealed in my heart and I can imagine the hours my family spent there, as if I were there with them.  Nat and I have been looking back at old photo books this week and we are struck by the way we are always going to the same places, at about the same time of year, year after year... but can you blame us when the places are like this?

We hosted the big brothers again on Friday for a few hours.  A nice playdate which resulted in front-yard swordfights...

 ... and enough leisure time for me to sneak out for a solo (plus dog) amble around our neighborhood.  It fairly glowed in the September evening light, this little block of ours; a reassuring reminder, in this season of life where it seems everyone is moving away, that I really do love where I live.

This weekend has been a welcome respite from what turned out to be a hectic week at work. Saturday dawned grey and rainy and so instead of trying to fit in the City Hop we stuck close to home, shopping and cleaning for the morning.  Jack got his soccer game in before the downpour, and then we headed to the Perry's for an (indoor) end of summer picnic.

 I am sad that we did not get our annual trolley trip around our vibrant downtown-- but spending time with these kiddos all together was a pretty good consolation prize.

Here's what an indoor picnic looks like, Hiram-alum style....

And here is what a Polish Bantam hen looks like when Ivy holds her.

Everyone loves random chicken pictures.  So here's another.  The girls do love the back porch.

Speaking of pets.  The bunny and dog continue to improve relations.  Here they are working on training side-by-side.  Both of them are eagerly performing for carrot-flavored yogurt treats.

Also the bunny seems to like snuggling in to my hair. 

Today-- now today was a DAY. We did it up right.

Mario Kart and pancakes to start the morning.

Then-- Lake time.

Flying a kite on a blustery beach...

 In this photo we are watching the waves break over the pier.  It was pretty awesome.

Front row seats for nature's show.

 After a stop in Lakewood to help Gram organize her garage, we took the highway out east to participate in one of my favorite events of the year, Woofstock.  So many dogs!  All so well-behaved!  Such a perfect day!  We wandered around and petted puppies and picked up swag with big grins plastered on our faces.  Corydon did the agility course and made many friends.

So did Ivy.

 Because one festival a day is never enough... we stopped at the Chalk Festival on the way home.

So did the rest of the city of Cleveland.  It was splendid there.  Colorful in every way.  Art covering the ground, brilliant blue above, and a magnificent cross-section of the population of our city wandering and drawing and running and splashing and generally reveling to the reggae music streaming from the terrace.

Yes.

 We spent time with three different sets of friends and neighbors, made plenty of new friends thanks to our dog, and recharged our love for this city all over again...

May this week bring joy and color to your lives, friends...