Thanks to Eric's post we found yet another great thing to do outside in Cleveland on a Monday. His #10 was Lakeview Cemetery and we hit it on such a beautiful day. I'm telling you, this city has the most lush landscapes, even for those eternally resting. What a beautiful and special
place and Oh! the old, old money displayed in the grandiose stones, mausoleums and monuments. The two most important residents are John D. Rockefeller, first in our country to make a billion, and James A. Garfield, our 20th president.
We visited Wade Chapel (one of only 4 rooms left in the U.S. decorated by Tiffany) and I am so appreciative of the woman working there. She spoke to Peanut respectfully and very clearly interpreted the enormous mosaic on the wall which was quite a challenge. Then we left and I got to answer 800 million more questions regarding heaven and hell. Remember after our Southwest trip when the kids played Native Americans endlessly? Well, I think this might end up being the "hell" trip. It's been nothing but hell "I want to know exactly what hell is like -- who can I ask?" and the devil "who's real name is Lucifer in case you didn't know" ever since our visit to this tiny chapel.
Garfield's monument would lead one to believe he was one of our more important presidents. You got me. He certainly was quite a distinguished man for his age -- preacher, teacher, lawyer, general -- and his grand finale is pretty interesting. He was the 2nd president assassinated.
Well, we only had 10 minutes until closing and we wanted to make it to the top balcony for the spectacular view of the city. And here's where we met our first cranky person in Cleveland! He was in charge of the monument and I asked him point blank if he was mad at us for some reason. "No", he calmly said through pursed lips and piercing eyes. I assured him we'd hustle.
We sprinted up 65 steps in no time. Gargoyles! Yay! I love gargoyles and now Peanut does, too. Wow, Lake Erie is enormous! There's the city! (Barely. I don't care what the locals say, this city has a smog problem.) Back down the 65 steps, a statue of Garfield, continuing down to the kids' new vocabulary word "crypt" and there he lay with a U.S. flag over his casket and his wife next to him in her own casket. Creepy. The kids already know I'm going to be cremated, and then they're to go with Tomcat to sprinkle my ashes somewhere I wanted to go but never managed. So, back up the stairs for a few postcards and out the door to watch chipmunks under the prolific Sour Cherry trees. A true delight!
Hey there. Checked in to see how your trip to the City Of My Birth (as it's also known) went, and it occurs to me that you did more in your time there than I did in 18 years! Glad to see Coventry - my old stomping grounds - is alive and kicking (although perhaps a bit more gentrified than in my day). P.S. If you hit the Olive Garden in Akron and tell them it's your birthday, they won't check your ID and you can get free cake.
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