Katherine Boyd

Browsing Archive: August, 2011

August 29: Prize in the Garden

Posted by Katherine Boyd on Tuesday, August 30, 2011, In : Cleveland Weather 


This is the prize in my garden.  I know it's small.  I know the leaves surrounding it look sickly.  But I am just so proud and excited about this darn pumpkin.

I've never grown a pumpkin before.  Never had the land.  Or a place where rabbits wouldn't get to it first.

So now I wait and watch and hope that my pumpkin will flourish and survive.  And make the prettiest little jack o latern on my stoop come Halloween.   

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August 28: Goldfish Grab

Posted by Katherine Boyd on Tuesday, August 30, 2011, In : Cleveland Weather 


Tonight was the last night of the 2011 summer pool season in Westlake.  But instead of the kids meeting it with complaints and cries, they welcomed it with smiles and joy.

Why?  Because it was time for the annual goldfish grab.  

At 7 p.m. the staff filled the kiddie pool with 100 goldfish, then let the children go.  The kids jumped in the water with nets and plastic pails, frantically trying to catch the little fish.  Any fish they caught, they got to take home.

A great way to unofficially mark...
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August 27: When Life Gives You Tomatoes

Posted by Katherine Boyd on Saturday, August 27, 2011, In : Cleveland Weather 


This is what I love about gardening.  Not the weeding.  Not the watering.  Not the bug bites.  It's the homemade marinara sauce.

Every summer I can't wait to make this stuff.  And you just can't do it right until you have the perfect mix of tomatoes from the garden.  Red. Yellow. Purple.  Picked at the peek of ripeness.  

Toss in two handfuls of fresh basil from the garden, a hot pepper and some parsley.  Simmer 20 minutes.  Puree. And eat!

Best pasta sauce in the world.  And well worth all the ...
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August 26: Cleveland Critical Mass August Ride

Posted by Katherine Boyd on Saturday, August 27, 2011, In : Cleveland Weather 


Last Friday of the month means Cleveland Critical Mass.  It's a bike ride through downtown Cleveland.

More than 300 bikers met at The Mall in downtown for the 7pm ride.  From there we headed up Ontario to the Cuyahoga County Courthouse. (That's where I snapped this photo.)

This ride eventually led us onto St. Clair, which we rode all the way to University Circle.  Then we rode back downtown on Euclid Avenue, through Public Square, and then across the Detroit Bridge over to Whiskey Island.

We end...
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August 25: First Day of School

Posted by Katherine Boyd on Thursday, August 25, 2011, In : Cleveland Weather 


Yes, for most parents it truly is the "Most Wonderful Day of the Year."  The day the kids head back to school.

While I slept like a rock last night, the kids didn't sleep a wink.  Too nervous and excited about what this brand spanking new school year has in store for them.

And as you can see, they really dressed up for this very special occasion. Ah, tweenagers.  

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August 24: Avengers Take Public Square

Posted by Katherine Boyd on Wednesday, August 24, 2011, In : Cleveland Weather 


They rolled out the red carpet at Public Square today.  It wasn't for a movie premier, but it was for a movie shoot. 

Crews from the movie Avengers have completed their transformation of Cleveland's Public Square into a bier garden in Stuttgart, Germany. 

Filming takes place in the evenings well after I've left my office in Terminal Tower, so I haven't seen any real action here. But it's still exciting to see Public Square covered in German flags, red carpets and wrecked cars. 

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August 23: Tomatoes on the Sill

Posted by Katherine Boyd on Tuesday, August 23, 2011, In : Cleveland Weather 


This is what late summer looks like in my kitchen.  The windowsill is covered in ripening tomatoes.

Some are hulk green. Some yellow. And some 'let me eat that' red.

This year, I even have a few purple tomatoes peppered about.  They look ugly as hell, but they taste as sweet as heaven.  

Once again providing proof you can't judge a book by its cover. 

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August 22: Redd Skies at Night

Posted by Katherine Boyd on Tuesday, August 23, 2011, In : Cleveland Weather 


This is Reddstone.  We go here a lot to grab a drink and hang with friends.

It has a splendid outdoor patio covered in twisted, leaning old trees and bumpy bricks.  Wear heels here at your ultimate peril.

But it's got a great vibe, and the food's good, and the beers are decent. But mostly, it's about the patio on a chill night like tonight.  It just feels like city.  It just feels like summer. It just feels good. 

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August 21: Put the Pedal to the Metal

Posted by Katherine Boyd on Tuesday, August 23, 2011, In : Cleveland Weather 


Best thing about summer when you're a kid is that you can play outside all day.  From the crack of dawn till the edge of dark, you can just play, play, play.  

You have no school.  The days are soooo long.  And it's warm out.

And then finally, when you do go to bed, you're so exhausted you fall asleep hard.  

Until the next day break, when the fun starts all over again.  

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August 20: Hot Pants Bike Ride

Posted by Katherine Boyd on Tuesday, August 23, 2011, In : Cleveland Weather 


Another gorgeous night for a bike ride through downtown Cleveland. Tonight was the Hot Pants Bike Ride.  

Hipster girls and boys clad it too short shorts riding bicycles all about town.

We started on West 25th at the ABC Tavern, made our way to Cropicana to see the sun set (above), then peddled on downtown for a stop at the Nauti Mermaid on West 6th.  

From there it was across the Carnegie Bridge to Tremont and Duck Island for a totally inappropriate dance party.

I have photos of that, but I woul...
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August 19: Hazy, Hot and Humid

Posted by Katherine Boyd on Saturday, August 20, 2011, In : Cleveland Weather 


This is what August in Cleveland normally feels like.  Hazy, hot and humid.

This August has been really strange weather-wise.  We've had a ton of rain.  But it hasn't been as hot and humid as in years past. 

I'm not complaining.  I like this less humid, clear weather.  I'm just sayin'.

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August 18: Avengers Invade Public Square

Posted by Katherine Boyd on Friday, August 19, 2011, In : Cleveland Weather 


Yesterday when I left work Public Square was in Cleveland, Ohio. Today when I left work Public Square was in Stuttgart, Germany.

Film crews for the movie The Avengers are to blame.  As you can see from the photo, they've transformed the former Higbee's Department Store into Schlobplazt. Not sure what that is, but then again I don't speak German.

I read today that film crews plan to shoot a scene here tomorrow, and there may be a pyrotechnic explosion involved. Could prove to be quite a lively d...
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August 17: Red, White and Blue Skies

Posted by Katherine Boyd on Thursday, August 18, 2011, In : Cleveland Weather 


This is the Soldiers and Sailors Monument.  It towers over Public Square in downtown Cleveland.

The monument was built more than 115 year ago to commemorate the civil war.  I love to look up at its 125 foot column, especially when the sky behind it is this brilliant beautiful blue.

You can go inside the monument.  They recently restored the interior back to its original colors.

Even though this is just yards from where I work, I've never gone inside.  But it's on my list of things to do in Cleve...
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August 16: It's Just So Cool

Posted by Katherine Boyd on Wednesday, August 17, 2011, In : Cleveland Weather 


It's just so cool. Not the weather. (Though it has cooled down the past few days into the rather comfy upper 70s.) No, I'm talking about the filming of the movie The Avengers in downtown Cleveland.

Today on my lunch hour I hoofed it down to East 9th Street, where they're shooting the flick. To be honest you can't see much because they have the filming area barricaded from the public.  

But you could see the smoke from the explosions.  And that thick black billowing smoke looked amazing in contr...
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August 15: The Heart of the City

Posted by Katherine Boyd on Wednesday, August 17, 2011, In : Cleveland Weather 


This is where I work.  This is also where I got married.  

No, it's not a cathedral.  It's Terminal Tower.

It's a 52 story skyscraper built by the Van Sweringen brothers back in the 1920s.  It sits smack dab on Public Square at the heart of downtown Cleveland.  When it was built, it was the second-largest excavation project in the world next to the Panama Canal.  
 
Every day I work in this gracious old throwback, I don't care whether it's raining, or snowing or sunny outside.  I'm just happy to ...
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August 14: Rain, Rain Go Away. Seriously.

Posted by Katherine Boyd on Monday, August 15, 2011, In : Cleveland Weather 


This is what it looked like outside my window all day.  All long, wet, gray, wet, stupid, wet day.

Um yeah, rain, go away. 

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August 13: Grinning From Ear To Ear

Posted by Katherine Boyd on Sunday, August 14, 2011, In : Cleveland Weather 


North Ridgeville in Northeast Ohio is famous for its annual Corn Festival.  Folks come from as far as Florida to enjoy the sweet corn grown here.

They serve it boiled, grilled, popped even puddinged! 

In addition to the picked at peak corn,  the other main attraction is the corn eating contest.  It's divided into four age groups: under 5, 6-12, 13-17, and 18+.  

I snapped this photo of the youngest ones chowing down. Linus, the 5-year-old winner, gobbled 2.5 corn cobs in just three minutes.  Had...
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August 12: Garden Fairy

Posted by Katherine Boyd on Sunday, August 14, 2011, In : Cleveland Weather 


Legend has it there are mythical creatures called garden fairies.   

I know the legend is true because I spied this little fairy in the garden this evening. 

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August 11: You Say Cicada, I Say Locust

Posted by Katherine Boyd on Saturday, August 13, 2011, In : Cleveland Weather 


I call them locusts.  My hubby calls them cicadas. Whatever you call them, they're everywhere.

Their sound is the sound of late August in Northeast Ohio. From the crack of dawn till late into the night, you can hear their shrill peculiar songs. 

This week I've found their sloughed-off casings all over the place.  In the crook of the back step. On the corner of the garage. Even clinging to the back porch swing.  

Darn things are creepy, but at the same time their songs give me comfort. And bring ...
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August 10: Window Shopping

Posted by Katherine Boyd on Friday, August 12, 2011, In : Cleveland Weather 


Back in its hay day, Higbee's Department Store in downtown Cleveland was known for its incredible window displays.

Encased behind these two story window fronts, passerbys could see the latest fashions, baubles, and at Christmas time, the most enchanting holiday themes.
 
Now that Higbee's is morphing into a casino, they're removing the old window panes, and boarding up the empty holes. Not sure what's going to appear on the other side once the plywood's removed. 

I can only hope it's as beautiful...
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August 9: The Secret Garden

Posted by Katherine Boyd on Wednesday, August 10, 2011, In : Cleveland Weather 


I call this The Secret Garden.  I doubt most Clevelanders even know it exists even though it's right in the heart of downtown.

It's part of the Midland Building and sits of the Ontario side.  Thousands walk by every day, yet most don't notice the garden because it's obscured by a huge old black iron fence.  I was able to take this clear shot by wedging my iPhone between the bars.

As far as I can tell there is no way to get into this garden. The iron fence keeps folks on the street out, and I've...
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August 8: The Avengers

Posted by Katherine Boyd on Tuesday, August 9, 2011, In : Cleveland Weather 


The Avengers are in town.  Well, actually the crews that are setting up for shooting the movie The Avengers are in town.

Today was the first official day of shooting the movie in downtown Cleveland.  Crews blocked off a section of East Ninth Street at Euclid Avenue.  They're going to transform it into a New York City street for the shoot.

Today's weather turned out to be a real peach.  Bright & sunny & hot.  The shoot is expected to last a month, so I'm sure Mother Nature will have a few surpri...
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August 7: I Wanna Play Outside

Posted by Katherine Boyd on Monday, August 8, 2011, In : Cleveland Weather 


She's a speed demon.  On the outside, she may look like a cream puff, but on the inside, she's all spitfire.

The summer evenings have been glorious. The humidity's still high but as the sun goes down the temps fall into the upper 70s, perfect weather for a scooter ride. 

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August 6: Garden Goodies

Posted by Katherine Boyd on Sunday, August 7, 2011, In : Cleveland Weather 


Picked two cucumbers and a white pepper today out of the garden.  So far this summer it's been slim pickings.  

Normally by now I'd have a slew of tomatoes, zucchini and squash.  But there's been so much rain and record heat this summer it's killing my crops.  Officially pulled the last withering vine of my squash plant yesterday. Didn't get a single squash.  

Hoping things turn around soon, otherwise the Summer of 2011 will go down in the record books as one lousy time for Ohio gardeners.
...
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August 5: Nothing But A Hole

Posted by Katherine Boyd on Saturday, August 6, 2011, In : Cleveland Weather 


I've never seen so much change so quickly in downtown Cleveland.  

Only three weeks ago, this was the site of the Columbia Building, a 100+ year old building on Prospect Avenue in the heart of downtown.  But, they tore it down to make way for a parking garage and walkway for the new casino being built in the old Higbee's Building.  

To tell you the truth, it makes me sad.  But I hold out hope that maybe through its demise, the new casino will prove to be the phoenix downtown Cleveland needs to ...
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August 4: Running Barefoot In The Grass

Posted by Katherine Boyd on Friday, August 5, 2011, In : Cleveland Weather 


Another true joy of summer: running barefoot in the grass.  It feels so soft and smooth and organic.

We've had so much rain lately, the grass is lush and green.  A perfect springy mat for my little imp to dart about on.  

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August 3: Hot July Makes History

Posted by Katherine Boyd on Wednesday, August 3, 2011, In : Cleveland Weather 


Just read in the Plain Dealer that last month was the second-hottest July in about 140 years in Cleveland.

The National Weather Service says it was also the fourth-hottest month overall since 1871.  The average temperature last month was 77.6 degrees.  Hot in Cleveland for sure.

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August 2: Hot, Hazy & Lazy

Posted by Katherine Boyd on Wednesday, August 3, 2011, In : Cleveland Weather 

 
Felt like I was looking at the Mississippi River deep in the heart of dixie today.  Instead, it's the lazy Cuyahoga River on a hot and hazy summer Cleveland day.  
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August 1: Another One Bites The Dust

Posted by Katherine Boyd on Wednesday, August 3, 2011, In : Cleveland Weather 

 
When I came into work this morning, there was a building on this corner.  Tonight when I left work, that building was gone.

This is the corner of Prospect and Ontario. The building they tore down this week was on the south-west corner. I understand they tore it down to make way for an overhead walkway to the new casino being built in the old Higbee's Building. 

All the dust from the demolition mixing with the hot humid August air made for a rather stifling walk to and from work today.
...
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July 31: Slip Sliding Away

Posted by Katherine Boyd on Monday, August 1, 2011, In : Cleveland Weather 

 
It was 90 again today!  The sun refused to blink. 

The only way to keep cool was to stay wet.  And a good old fashioned Slip 'n Slide is a great way to do that.

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