Home from Farley's, with the final weeks of summer upon us, we've been desperately busy to soak up every minute. Our fine city has obliged with a weekend full of fun events and about the best weather I've ever seen in August.
Friday: Euclid Beach Live
Our first time to this event happened to be on its last night of the season. Under the wire! It had also stormed quite dramatically about an hour before the festival was set to start, so that may have accounted for the light crowds and less-than-festive nature of the whole thing. Or perhaps its just that Euclid Beach is THE best-kept secret in Cleveland. It is quickly gaining "most favored beach" status among our family (and we know what we're talking about, with all the beaches we've been sampling recently).
I am so in love with these "script Cleveland" signs that are popping up all over town. Not only are they an attractive photo background, and handy jungle gyms, but I really think they help to bring people together and create community. While we were visiting this one, we had a great conversation with a man who grew up in the Collinwood neighborhood, marveling over the Cleveland Renaissance, then a happy interaction with a nice family who stopped to take our family photo-- even though they'd done their photos earlier. Strangers/neighbors taking time out of their lives to be kind and smile at one another, inspired by the beauty of this place to find the beauty in other people. Its enough to restore one's faith in humanity.
With the festival happening at the "top" of the park, we got to enjoy one of our very favorite things: A beach all to ourselves.
Just right for Frisbee.
By the time we wandered back to the stage area, the 80's-rock cover band had really gotten their groove on. Pulled by the music, we ambled along a quiet wooded path that smelled like rain and green and heaven, spotting a peaceful doe in a clearing. Jack held my hand the whole way and we just enjoyed time together, not really talking. By the time we got to the top of the hill, we found ourselves tapping along to the music and then suddenly there was our little family of four, grooving away right there on the path. We walked back through the crowd and along the top of the ridge, enjoying the sunset and belting out the refrains to such classics as "Don't Stop Believing" and "She's My Cherry Pie." We petted dogs and said hi to passers-by and I was just in love with everyone there.
A good night, indeed.
Saturday: County Fair!
Yeah, so we already went to the Summit County Fair. Is there some sort of rule that you can only go to ONE county fair a summer? I think not! That's why they're all different weeks, right?
We went bright and early to take advantage of $2 family tickets between 10 and 12, and were there as most of the fair was just getting set up. In fact, we got to meet one of the circus performers doing the trapeze act later in the day, as she walked her adorable little dog around near the grandstand. Wishing I'd talked to her more about what life is like as a traveling family of circus performers... I mean, who knew that was really REAL any more? But they were the real deal-- 11-year-old son doing the announcing, daughter and mother performing on the trapeze and high wire/tower. What fun.
The rest of the fair was as fun as ever. We only did a few rides but they were good ones-- the Music Express, which is a party on a ride (complete with DJ's jamming out and the most incredibly hokey- wonderful "Martin Luther King Peace" song set going for a while), the bumper cars, and this parachute ride that Ivy LOVED. And of course the Ferris wheel! Corn dogs and donuts to round out the morning, as well as quite a bit of time looking at bunnies. Oh, those bunnies! It is a miracle every year that we don't come home with 5 or 6 more of them...
And because one event a day just ISN'T enough-- we stopped at the Cleveland Flea on the way home. It turned out to much bigger and hotter and more overwhelming than we'd counted on, and we kind of wished we opted for the Dragonboat races at Whiskey Island-- but it was good to check it out. Nat and I decided we're going to go just the two of us sometime this fall, to really enjoy it. Turns out we were much less bothered by the size, heat, and sheer amount of stuff than our tired, hungry, overstimulated children....
Note to self: Don't take tired, hungry, overstimulated children to a giant hipster flea market in the heat of the afternoon. Trust me.
We got home and let the children veg and the day was still heavenly. I went out to pick tomatoes...
because we grow tomatoes now! Big, delicious ones! So excited to put in a larger, more intentional front garden next summer...
... and Cor and I walked (very slowly) all the way around the block because... just look at this neighborhood! I do love where I live!
Not content to call it a day, we also went out to Piccadilly for a treat. And then left Piccadilly with a boy in tears because they didn't have vanilla fro-yo. And then turned the car around, re-parked, walked back down to Piccadilly and tried again. Because the family that tries again together, eats yummy treats together and ends the day well. That's how the saying goes, right?
A solid start to a weekend that just didn't stop...stay tuned for Sunday (a day for grown-ups!) and Monday (Mansfield Adventure Day!) coming soon...
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