36 Hours In Cleveland

With My Sister Linda And Brother In Law Rich

Lake Erie

7:30

It's like deja vu all over again as we spent the night at my sister's house in Euclid, a suburb of Cleveland.  It's 6:45, pitch black out and all I can hear is the sound of Lake Erie pounding against the shore.  It's back to winter, too, with the temperature in the '20s but no snow.

Yesterday we were up early, getting organized for our drive to the Cleveland Clinic for an appointment with Evie's surgeon's PA.  It's just about a three-hour drive and we arrived just before noon for our 1:10 appointment.  We were early because we were not sure of traffic or the weather.  So we had lunch in the CC's food court at Alladin's, getting their fattoush salad and lentil soup.  The seating area was packed so we were lucky to find two seats.  We went up to the Spinal Clinic's offices and were told we did have an appointment.  Evie's blood pressure immediately went sky high.  Fortunately, they sorted it out (their error) and we were able to see the PA but not till 1:45.  Evie had a good chat with the PA and she was happy with Evie's progress, better than many.  That was a relief for both of us and we never felt rushed and were able to ask many questions,  All in all, it was a good appointment even though it started out poorly.

At Cleveland's West Side Market

We then decided to drive to Cleveland's famous West Side Market, our old stomping ground back in the day.  I used to take my English class there on a Cleveland day.  Fortunately, it was open on Monday but very quiet, most likely because we got there at 3:00 and it closed at 4:00.  Still, it was fun to walk around, talk with people, take in the sights.  We ended up at the Greek grocery/deli buying some cheese and talking with the owner who kept wanting us to taste this and that.  We ended up buying another cheese at his suggestion called "ewephoria" and we had it with appetizers later in the afternoon at my sister's house.  We also picked up a loaf of ciabatta bread, thinking it would be great for dinner and it looked freshly made.  When we ask the guy where it was made, he said Pittsburgh.  So much for fresh bread right out of the oven.

We got to Euclid around 4:15 and one of their grandchildren was there to say hi, a recent graduate of Keuka College and a great kid. Linda and Rich's house is always busy with children and grandchildren since three of their four kids live nearby, as do nine of their grandkids.  They are so lucky to have them near.  Their son Richie also stopped over briefly, as did their son in law Kevin and his daughter Emily, all to say hi.  It was a nice way to enjoy a glass of wine and appetizers, catching up with all the kids and grandchildren.  For dinner, the maestro, Rich, had made us one of Evie's favorites, an eggplant parmesan and it was great.  We loved it, breaded and fried slices of eggplants with a tomato sauce and topped with mozzarella cheese.  With Linda's salad and a good bread, we had a feast.  We ended dinner with a lemon pound cake, a perfect palate refresher after our Italian dinner.  We stayed up talking until about 10:30 when we all decided we were tired and went up to bed.  What a good day, good news from the doctor, a trip to the West Side Market, visit with family, eggplant parmesan, and a lemon cake to finish off the day.