Word of the Day - Gallimaufry

A "gallimaufry" is a hodgepodge, a jumble, a mixture with no unifying theme. That describes this post. See if it fits the word of the day!
























If you really need captions, try these on for size. They are a melange - in no particular order.
*** Michaela with Knights of the Templar accoutrements. She would love to add that to her costume collection.
*** What did Jim DO to those children?
*** Kick off to Summer 2011 - Memorial Day weekend at Mon Ami.
*** Mothers'Day 2011
*** Bathing Beauties
*** Part of the "Good" section - Liberty Cemetery near Bascom, OH.
*** Sami's feeling better after coming home from the hospital.
*** Nathan's on the move - in more ways than one!
*** Celebrate the Summer Solstice in those?
*** Farmer's Market rock stars - raising money for their mission - every other Saturday in Fotown.

Our next post will have a definite theme - Sami's 1st birthday!

Kites, Dandelions, and ...Surfing!

Spring is slowly emerging in NE Ohio, but we were able to experience it two weeks earlier when we made a quick trip to DC to visit Jeff, Lexi, Michaela and Nathan. As usual, we had a memorable visit and a great time.

It started out on a rocky note when Michaela, Lexi and Barb had to make a quick trip to the ER after Michaela slipped off her chair and cut the corner of her mouth. The good news is: there is an excellent pediatric ER just minutes from the apartment, Michaela needed only 3 stitches, Lexi handled the situation beautifully, and Jim got quality time with Nathan while the girls spent about four hours at the ER. And the best news is that Michaela bounced right back and is doing great after her first (and hopefully last!) bout with stitches.

So the next day we had to go into the district and enjoy the beautiful spring weather. Barb had brought some of her kites with us, and where's the best place to fly kites in DC? The field by the Washington Monument, of course!

Michaela and Barb got the kite up immediately, and before we knew it, Michaela was off and running.

Nathan got some tips from Lexi...and Barb...and Granddad - check out his results!












Nathan really loved the dandelions, and he excelled at picking them.




For some reason, we got on a Surfing "kick" - and practiced our moves everywhere - including on the bed.







Back in Cleveland Jim attended a special pre-opening event at the VA Medical Center in University Circle. The VA is building a new facility there to house over 100 homeless veterans and Volunteers of America will manage the facility. Here's a look at the building's exterior as construction is almost finished. The official opening will take place on May 16.

To wrap up the month, we had to hit Progressive Field for a couple of ball games and be a part of the franchise record-setting of the most victories in the month of April for the Tribe. Patti and John came into town for the Friday night game, and Patti scored great seats behind home plate. We witnessed the walk off grand slam by Carlos Santana in a victory over Detroit - AWESOME! John, the Tiger fan that he is, did not quite share our enthusiasm. Too bad the Tribe ended up sweeping the series!

Sami's Ohio Debut

Melanie and Sami visited us this past week for Sami's first visit to Ohio.

Sami, who will be eight months old later this month, delighted us all with his warm-hearted demeanor, curiosity and energy. He is now an accomplished crawler and we could see the beginnings of his ability to walk (encouraged by GB).

Among the household items which caught Sami's interest in particular were our kitchen cupboard doors and some candles in our living room fireplace.

On April 9, family gathered to meet Sami for the first time.

We were sad to see Melanie and Sami return to Florida. We thoroughly enjoyed their visit. We look forward to many more such visits!

Melanie's friend, Maggie, and son Collin, dropped by to visit.

Sami stopped by the offices of Coast to Coast Equipment to check out the latest model.

Opening Day in Cleveland!

It must be Spring because the Indians are playing baseball again. We attended the home opener. The "we" was a contingent from Coast to Coast Equipment, including Carly and Tiffany. Although a bit on the chilly side, our seats were in the warm sun for most of the game--right off first base thanks to Carly's outstanding seat selection skills. It was a home run type of day for us Tribe fans even though the Indians lost. They delivered an impressive offensive display late in the game to almost beat the White Sox.

Here are a few scenes from the opening ceremony which honored the late great pitcher Bob Feller, number 19. The Tribe players will be wearing a commemorative patch in his honor all season long.

March Madness

Everyone needs a "March Madness" blog entry, and we are no exception.

We started the month with a gala birthday dinner for Carly at Lola's - Michael Symon's signature restaurant in Cleveland. Tiffany made all the arrangements and we celebrated Carly's 27th in style!



Jim and Barb saw "Shrek the Musical" and decided they wanted ogre ears for their next visit to see grandchildren. I mean, who wouldn't want to play ogre? Since Scout was visiting for a few days, we ALL played ogre!




Another highlight of the month was our visit to the Q (Quicken Loans Arena) to watch session 2 of the NCAA tournament. We were so excited to be a part of the real March Madness - until another couple showed up and said we were in their seats. To make a long story short, we became victims of ticket fraud, our tickets were confiscated, and we were escorted from the arena. There is a happy ending. Due to Jim's efforts and perseverance, we were refunded 125% of what the tickets had cost us.

These last pictures were taken at 7:30 in the evening on March 30 - yet another spring wonderland. We will get even more snow in April?

Grandkids and Snow Days

Hangin' out at the mall in Tyson's Corners, VA with Nathan and Michaela.







Hangin' out in Coral Springs, Florida with Sami, Mel and Mo.






Hangin' out in the woods, using the snowshoes that Santa brought Jimmy and Barbie. They must have been VERY good this past year!


Surfin' on an ice wave on Lake Erie.