wordless wednesday: dog days

tag tuesday

So where are you going? C U 8R!

random snaps

Below a medley of snaps I've taken in the last couple weeks that make me smile.

A random act of beauty at the main library....

...happy lemonade entrepreneurs

...just another beautiful day at the beach - oh, I mean sidewalk....

... I finally met Homer as he was on his way to lunch at the Lawther Senior Center. Homer is the indefatigable gentleman that can be seen biking all over town - Homer a real role model - at 83 he stays fit and active and embraces a sustainable mode of transportation!

....speaking of sustainable modes of transportation!

....the sign for platform 9 3/4 (to catch the Hogswart Express) made me smile; my delight increased when I noticed the chipmunk perched on the roof! I wonder if he's an animagus or perhaps he's just the resident wizard's animal companion (aka familiar)!

goodbye tree

Last week a mighty Pin Oak on Carabel Avenue was removed. It is sad to see such a large, majestic tree come down.

However, the process of bringing the tree down made for mighty good show - especially for grandmothers with grandchildren to entertain!

Below is a wee slide show (8 snaps) featuring a team from the City of Lakewood's forestry department who work diligently for two days on safely bringing down the mighty giant.

girlz just wanna have fun

I'm not biased but Lakewood does have the some of the BEST resale shops and boutiques in the greater Cleveland area! I popped in the other day to check out the latest shop on the scene - Just 4 Girlz - where I met Amanda, above, the friendly and helpful store manager.

The shop specializes in fun, colorful hand bags, jewelry and accessories - and a lot more stuff!

The shop opened early August and is celebrating it's grand opening with discounts on all merchandise until October 1st. Unlike some boutiques the prices at Just 4 Girlz are affordable even before the discount.



Just 4 Girlz is located at 15612 Detroit Avenue - phone: 216.767.5880.

By the way, Just 4 Girlz is on facebook where you can find out the latest news of arrivals and specials!

bow, wow, wow!!

Did you know today, August 26th, is National Dog Day?


To celebrate Dog Day, the Snap visits the Lakewood Dog Park - we are sooooo happy that earlier this year the city and the friends of Lakewood Dog Park won the stupid nuisance suit that some cranks in Rocky River waged against this wonderful community resource - dogs rule, cranks drool!


It is so sweet how when a new dog comes to the park, many of the dogs already in the park run over to do a meet and greet!

Then they are off to play!
After a minute or two of "hey how are you?" (e.g. butt sniffing) the dogs are running around as if they've been buddies forever!

Wouldn't it be wonderful if humans would learn this lesson!


Last week the Snap's snappers visited the Lakewood Dog Park after having a bite of lunch at the cafe at Sweetwater Marina.
Above is a pic I took of Gianni capturing some of the doggy action!

Below Gianni paparazzi'd the mouse (aka kimy aka minerva) getting in some doggy love.




For now it appears that the park is safe, but the local battles over dogs' rights are far from over - now we have to get the City of Lakewood to overturn its ridiculous and inhumane (or would that be in-canine) regulations against pits!

Hello people, it isn't the breed - it is the human!!!



For more information about the Lakewood Dog Park and to learn about how you can help support the park, go HERE.

silver linings

Every cloud and power outage has a silver lining.

No power this morning at casa mouse which means NO COFFEE and no access to my computer photo files - no worries thanks to The Root and my droid I have coffee and the Snap has this picture!

Lots of action at the Root this morning. The domino players are at their regular table and there are at least a half dozen portable offices set up.

The coffee's great and the rosemary-cheddar scones are wickedly good!

The post intended for today with snaps taken at Just 4 Girlz will be up on Saturday.

wordless wednesday:dog days

Tag Tuesday

"Man, you is UGH-ly!"

car kulture 2011

Saturday's Car Kulture gathering was great fun! A few participants mentioned that it was the biggest gathering yet - and one fellow said there were 400 cars and motorbikes registered! WoW!!

I didn't arrive until 4 and I saw lots of great vehicles - apparently I missed a lot too, I heard that some of the registered vehicles started leaving around 3.

I put together a slide show of (most) of the cars and bikes that I saw . There's quite a few snaps (110 to be exact) - if you're a gearhead or just someone who just enjoys the graceful curves, color and design of vintage and custom cars, pour yourself a cuppa, sit back and enjoy the ride!

By the way, you can enlarge the slide show - once it starts, click on the icon (four arrows pointing outward) on the bottom right of the show.

skywatch friday

Today the Snap has a back to school special - two sky snaps for the price of one! Hey, they are free, so what's the big deal?

Attention all Rangers* and parents of Rangers - Lakewood city schools start back to class on Tuesday - August 23rd!!!

Summer vacation may be over - but summer weather isn't.

*The Ranger is the mascot for Lakewood schools. While we're on it the city school colors are purple and gold. Anyone have a clue as to why the mascot is a ranger? Inquiring minds would love to know !


To see more photos of the sky around the world, visit here.

the (food) trucks are coming!

....or should we say they're here!
On Saturday at the mini-art street walk on Madison, Johnny Schulze brought his Zydeco Bistro truck to the show. If you missed the action, no worries I understand Chef Schulze will be bringing his cajun inspired creations to Lakewood again this Saturday for the 9th Annual Car Kulture show!

Here's what I had Saturday - it was YUMMY and I can't wait to try another thing from the menu this Saturday.

Earlier last week the very popular Dim and Den Sum Truck came to Lakewood. Fortunately I heard the news ahead of time and was able to check out Dim and Den Sum's offerings. Fantastic fare - I choose some totally inspired sweet potato dumplings served on a bed of fancy greens seasoned served with just the right mix of saucy spicy sweetness to have me smiling all afternoon.

Yesterday I got a message that Chef Chris Hodgson (the creative and culinary talent behind Dim and Den Sum) will be bringing his second food truck, Hodge Podge to Lakewood today!

You may have heard about or even have saw the Hodge Podge truck recently -- Chris and his teammates are contestants on the second season of the Food Network's reality show The Great Food Truck Race. The show debuted this past Sunday night - if you missed the show, no worries, Chris and his team will be back at 10 pm this Sunday -- this week the teams will be travel to Las Vegas to try their luck on the second leg of the race!

Hodge Podge can be found at 15208 Madison Avenue today between 11:30-1:30....and rumor has it there will be complimentary mini cupcakes from LaBella Cupcakes!

If you are on facebook, you can find out the traveling schedule for all three trucks schedules simply by visiting their respective facebook pages.

wordless wednesday: dog days

tag tuesday

I don't know if this old Dodge will be on display this Saturday but if it is a pre-1972 ride the odds are good that you will see it at the 9th Annual Lakewood Car Kulture show.

Check out the Lakewood Car Kulture Show site to find out more about this day-long celebration of vintage and classic vehicles including information of how to participate should you have a qualified vehicle (there is an application form which you can download and fill out ahead of time). Registration begins at 9:30 - vehicles will be on display all day; awards will be given out at 5:30.

In addition to checking out the cool (and hot) wheels there will be music, food, and a variety of local vendors.

Be there or Be square!! Hope to see you around!

making the golden years shine!

Richard, Emery, and Robert are enjoying companionship, the summer sun, and the newest bistro in town at the Kathleen and Robert Lawther Senior Center (16024 Madison Avenue).

The Lakewood Division of Aging has a wide range of programs and activities for seniors including: transportation services; congregate meals at the city's two senior centers and home delivered meals for folks who are home-bound; health and fitness programs; recreational programs (e.g. cards, bingo and field trips); and services to help seniors maintain their independent living (such as yard maintence and snow removal). (click on link above for full list of programs)

skywatch friday

Pinch me!! This week the weather along the North Coast has been absolutely gorgeous -clear blue skies and much milder temperatures than the last couple (few?) weeks of July.

The 64,000 dollar question is how long will it last? I always thought August was the warmest month, however this site shows that historically July is warmer in Cleveland than August. The graph shows that for the rest of the year it is all down hill - at least with respect to the temperatures!

To see more photos of the sky around the world, visit here.

walk in art!

Each Thursday this summer from noon to 7 is Crafty Goodness home to Drop-In crafting for kids and adults alike. I am looking forward to checking it out - I have to fess up I've been feeling nostalgic lately for those halcyon days of summer craft camp!

If you're not free on a Thursday, perhaps you can relive summer craft camp this Saturday - August 13th!

Crafty Goodness, Rockflower Studio and Goddess Blessed will be hosting an Art Walk on Saturday, August 13th from noon to 6 pm. In addition to being able to check out (and purchase)the great local art found on the Western end of Madison Avenue attendees have the opportunity to make art themselves! Working art and craft tables will be set up at both Crafty Goodness and Rockflower Studio. Outside attendees are encouraged to decorate our sidewalk areas between stores with chalk provided at each location.

All three shops feature acrylic & oil paintings, mixed media pieces, photography and so much more from many talented artisans who live right here in the Cleveland area. Let's bring Madison Avenue alive with art! There are many events planned throughout the day for all ages!

Individual Shop specials:

Crafty Goodness(15621 Madison)
10% off local art
10% off all classes registered for during the event
Craft Projects all day long
www.craftygoodnesscle.com
www.facebook.com/craftygoodnesscleveland


Rockflower Studio(15707 Madison)
20% off all classes registered for during the event
Watercolor/Acrylic Painting Projects
Snacks
www.rockflowerstudio.com


Goddess Blessed(15729 Madison)
10% off local art
Pastries by a fabulous local baker
www.goddessclessedinc.com
www.facebook.com/pages/goddess-blessed-inc/126176568214

Zydeco Bistro will also be in attendance serving a Creole/Cajun themed menu with locally grown vegetables. YUM - great food and great art!

wordless wednesday: dog days

tag tuesday

The truck that John Palmer drives says it all, even if it is missing the "i" - John owns and operates Planetcare Landscape Services.

According to the portal* an arborist is: a professional in the practice of arboriculture, which is the cultivation, management, and study of individual trees, shrubs, vines, and other perennial woody plants. Arborists generally focus on the health and safety of individual plants and trees....

I've seen some of the kind of TLC that Planetcare provides and its lovely; for folks who are overwhelmed or discouraged by what their trees, shrubs, vines, wood plants or yard is like, perhaps calling a professional is what is needed!

Not only is John a very affable and friend fellow, the company has a admirable motto:

Care is the centerpiece of everything we do! Thinking globally, acting locally, making habitable spaces, conserving resources, one job at a time.

Planetcare is a Lakewood based business and can be reached at 440.227.8158. For more info on Planetcare click on link above!

* portal - my term of affection for this resource.

random snap

When the mercury is up there it is most fortuitous to encounter a couple enterprising kids!

Thumbs up to the lemonade - and excellent signage! Sorry I couldn't sample the cookies, since I left home without my wallet, I was lucky scrape together twenty-five cents for the refreshing drink!

skywatch friday

Balloons flying over Lakewood on a clear, cloudless summer afternoon.

Do you wonder what happens after balloons float away? Several things may happen, much depends on what type of material the balloon is made of -- sometimes they quickly pop and fall to earth but sometimes they will drift for hours (or days) then come down far from where they went up.

The bottom line is what goes up must come down - eventually all renegade balloons end up as trash. Fortunately most balloons are latex (rubber) and are biodegradable; unfortunately mylar balloons (foil balloons) are not biodegradable!

To see more photos of the sky around the world, visit here.

busytown

Although I didn't notice any work taking place yesterday, it does appear that the project to demolish the old Lakewood Lutheran Church and School is finally underway - many windows have been removed and signs of caution are up warning passersby of asbestos - so scavengers and trespassers you are duly warned!

This stretch of Detroit Avenue will be the site of a fairly large renovation and development project. According to this article this site is the future home the CVS drugstore which is currently located one block east.

wordless wednesday: dog days

Tag Tuesday

Who's got ideas about this one?

visiting superheroes

Hey, what do you know Thor (and some other superheroes) are visiting Superman over at the Pop Shop Gallery & (art)ificial Gallery this summer!

If you want to check out the show Avenging Cleveland, you best hurry, it's scheduled to leave August 6th.

The Pop Shop is located at 17020 Madison Avenue, click on link above for hours and other information.