David and I have been friends for a few decades.  He never put much attention to his diet - lots of stuff like ice cream, deli meats, and of course salt. 

So when his ankles started to blow up a few weeks ago, I was supportive, but critical too.

He had a series of close calls at the hospital,  ICU and all that.

Now he's in re-hab. 

I asked him about the 1/2 gallon shots of ice cream. 

His answer?

Keep your perspective.  

There are lots of other places besides NEO.

Image (Cleo Buster) Bundestag (Parliament) April, 2002 during Berlin's construction boom.

What is is in certain people's make-up  that when they get up in the morning they want to go out and try to change the WORLD?

Are they a little bit crazy? How can they think they will make a difference on a street corner in a big city? (image in downtown Boston, Massachusetts)

___________________________________

There are very few days which go by in Cleveland when I don't feel Ed is Kicking Ass.

Cleveland Port Authority has passed Mr. Wasserman down the line, E55 St Port move is history, Eaton isn't stealing the lakefront on the East side of the Cuyahoga, and the Coast Guard Station might actually be getting a roof!

So a number of  the directions Ed was striving towards are becoming closer....

With very little wind,  you had to be in the water for any personal temperature relief along Lake Erie.  The air here was hotter than air in the Metropark Woods.  

Lots of children were having a blast - very excited to be at the beach.

I had a more difficult time suspending disbelief - Westerly Sewerage plant is just a few hundred yards away. 

One of the best places to hide corruption is beneath incompetence mixed liberally with confusion.

The argument is that the right to bear arms came with the constitution - and the 14th amendment.  As weapons become smaller, lighter,  more potent  (this image isn't of a flintlock) are we getting ahead of what the constitutional framers had in mind?

Are there still artists in Cleveland who have the creative prowess that Schreckengost had in 1949?

Does civic corruption act like a herbicide on creativity?

I would think so.  

BTW, how much is this worth in bronze at the junkie?

The City of New York Parks and Recreation Department and The American Society of Landscape Architects have officially endorsed a competition - named ONE PRIZE - for creating productive green space in Cities.   The Competition SemiFinalists have been chosen and their portfolios PDFs are online.   Take a look at the link to view the clever ideas for rejecting mowing for urban growing.

When we are young we are thrilled by animals. 

When we are older we are thrilled by BBQ

What gives?

I just sent the comment below to the White House.gov site.   The White House.gov site is not as up to speed as it could be however.  For example, there is no listing of the BP Gusher in the list of topics for the public to click and comment on.   That is an oversight - but the fact that our Federal Government has such a site at all is to be applauded. 

___________________________________

Here is my first choice for County Executive - Ed Hauser.  

(I don't know who took this image, but I have it on a thumb drive - anyone know?)

This triangular shaped Marathon Gas Station in Cleveland, Ohio is one of the most iconic gas stations in America - soon to be demolished in the ODOT inner belt bridge scheme. 

The pumps are pulled, it is getting ready for the ball. Who will measure it up and record it for history?
 

Is this graffiti? Or are you a Cav's fan so it's ok? Dan must think it's pretty funny, all the way to the Bank! Socialize the costs, privatize the profits.  Go Cavs!

Hot off the CCD!   Very windy on the lake shore this evening...knock out sunset.  Ed Hauser knew Whiskey Island was the place to go.

Using 48" pallets and 8" concrete block this image demonstrates a quick, tool-free method of constructing waist high tables for propagating and selling nursery seedlings.   The edge of the pallet can be finisihed with a rough sawn 8" board to make the set up look a little classier, and to provide a raised edge to keep the plant trays from sliding off the pallet. 

I learned about gum cake flowers last Saturday when I had dinner at a friend's house. 

Instead of a "barn raising", we had a cake raising - including making "roses" like the sample in the image.   Lots of fun.

I will get the info about the gum and post it here soon. 

This is my friend Dave listening for bearing noise on the front end of a Jeep Grand Cherokee - going about 30MPH on the lift with the wheels off the ground !

This is also a visual of why Chrysler (and GM) went down the tubes - 1944 era drive train on an 2008 era "luxury vehicle".