I'm kind of obsessed with Cleveland. I grew up there but moved away almost 40 years ago. The novel I'm working on is set in Cleveland and last summer I went back for the first time to do some research. Ever since then Cleveland has popped up in the most unusual places. When Richard and I traveled to Alaska, we met a couple from Cleveland who told me the story of Balto, the mush dog who led the diptheria vaccine into Nome in the 1920's. Balto lived at the Cleveland Zoo after his fame dwindled. Stuffed, he's still in a museum there.
I met a woman at a writing conference who after 30 years was still sad her husband's job moved them to Florida and she had to leave her beloved Chagrin Falls behind. The Chagrin Falls are lovely, a very miniature version of Niagara Falls in book. The sound of rushing water never ceases to calm me.
And when Anthony Bourdain had a show on about Cleveland, I clutched the TV remote so no one could change the channel on me. I never met a Clevelander who raved about Skyline Chili until I watched this show. Skyline Chili is a Cincinnati thing. He went to places I'd never heard of before except for the Free Stamp. The Free Stamp is a giant rubber stamp that sits in a park downtown. Why, I don't really know but it's Cleveland all the way.
My sister lives in Cleveland and brought me an article from the Plain Dealer listing the best books of the year. I read alot of books but there was only one on the list I'd even heard of. The one I knew was Rules of Civility. A good book but not what I'd call a best book. So now I'm even more fascinated about what goes on in Cleveland. Their taste in reading appears to be much different than what I like even though I spent a good portion of my life there. Now I've got 20 more books to add to my reading list. So much to read. So little time.
I met a woman at a writing conference who after 30 years was still sad her husband's job moved them to Florida and she had to leave her beloved Chagrin Falls behind. The Chagrin Falls are lovely, a very miniature version of Niagara Falls in book. The sound of rushing water never ceases to calm me.
And when Anthony Bourdain had a show on about Cleveland, I clutched the TV remote so no one could change the channel on me. I never met a Clevelander who raved about Skyline Chili until I watched this show. Skyline Chili is a Cincinnati thing. He went to places I'd never heard of before except for the Free Stamp. The Free Stamp is a giant rubber stamp that sits in a park downtown. Why, I don't really know but it's Cleveland all the way.
My sister lives in Cleveland and brought me an article from the Plain Dealer listing the best books of the year. I read alot of books but there was only one on the list I'd even heard of. The one I knew was Rules of Civility. A good book but not what I'd call a best book. So now I'm even more fascinated about what goes on in Cleveland. Their taste in reading appears to be much different than what I like even though I spent a good portion of my life there. Now I've got 20 more books to add to my reading list. So much to read. So little time.
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