We had a wonderful 90th birthday weekend in Cleveland. I didn’t get a chance to blog over the weekend, so here’s a belated, not-so-quick recap…
Jim (aka ‘The Sage’), Bob (aka ‘The Reverend’) & I all arrived late Thursday night. We picked up a rental car, dropped Jim at friends’ in Lyndhurst (where he stayed for the weekend), then Bob & I headed to my parents’ in Willoughby. We arrived a little after midnight. Mom & Dad were still up – anxious to see us – and so we had a couple beers and caught up, not getting to bed til nearly 2am. I sure hope I can do that when I’m 90!
Friday was a great day. The five of us piled into the rental car and went for a drive down Memory Lane. We drove around Euclid and Cleveland, past many storied places in our family history. There were too many stops to list them all. Here are a few highlights, in driving order, with photos (both old and new) to help tell the story…
First stop was at the house on Briardale Ave. in Euclid where the family (Mom, Dad, Jimmy, Bobby, Kenny and Margie) lived until 1964.
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| 2 adults and 4 kids - Yikes! |
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| Jimmie (r) and Bobbie (l) at Briardale house - nice hats |
Later, past Holy Cross Church (now Our Lady of the Lake) where my dad attended elementary school and where my parents were married in 1949.
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We have a photo of my grandfather at the ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of this portion of the church
('borrowed' picture from their website) |
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| Handsome couple (on the steps of the original church) |
Then on to the house at 51 East 202nd St. that my mother's father (Grandpa Camplejohn) built around 1914 (I think), initially as a summer home, where my mother grew up; and the beach club/park at the end of her street that was the source of many of her childhood memories.
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| Looks pretty good for 100 years old |
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| My grandparents, Mom (middle) and Aunt Betty on the front porch in 1930 |
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| Arcadia Beach Club (Lake Erie) on a windy, overcast day - surf was up |
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| Aunt Betty and Mom with their dog on Arcadia Beach |
Next, on to the house on Harland Avenue where my dad grew up and where my grandparents lived until the 1980s, and East Shore Beach Club where Dad played baseball, learned to swim, and enjoyed many neighborhood gatherings.
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| Just like I remember it |
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| I'm guessing this was around 1930. Looks like Dad in the rumble seat. |
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| My grandparents, Uncle Jack, Aunt Mary and my dad in the front yard (~1930) |
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A celebratory toast in the front yard on V-E day (May 8, 1945). That's my mom kneeling down and
Grandpa Lange pouring her a drink (I suspect that was the first time he served her an alcoholic
beverage... and I know it wasn't the last!). Dad was somewhere in the South Pacific. |
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East Shore Park/Club - the makeshift baseball field was beyond the clubhouse.
An overthrow to 1st base meant the 1st baseman (usually my dad - the lefty) got to chase the ball into the lake! |
Then on to the recently restored Tudor Arms Hotel where my parents had their wedding reception in 1949. What a beautiful hotel. The ballrooms were spectacular. Mom and Dad were pretty certain they hadn’t been back since their wedding.
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| Beautiful windows |
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| A toast to the newlyweds! |
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| Ballroom |
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| Look familiar? |
Final stop was a drive past League Park on East 66th in Cleveland - one of the most storied parks in baseball until its demise in the 1940's: Cy Young threw the first pitch of the first game ever played there (May 1st, 1891); the Indians won their first ever World Series (1920); Babe Ruth hit his 500th home run; and Joe Dimaggio capped his 56-game hitting streak - all at League Park. The park looks horrible now (sorry - no pictures), but it's being restored. It was still a treat to see.
We really had a great time driving past all these spots. I loved hearing Mom and Dad's (and Jim & Bob's) stories.
Saturday afternoon we hosted a party for Dad at the community room in their condo building at Breckenridge Village. It was a small-ish gathering – just family - which worked out well, as it gave us a chance to talk, tell stories and reminisce (the Manhattans helped get the stories flowing!). We set out several photo albums and everyone enjoyed flipping through old photos, telling stories.
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| Cousins Linda & Rich Holzheimer joined us |
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| Mom with cousin Caroline (Lange) Szocs |
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| The Sage with cousin Paul Lange |
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| Dad, my brother Ken, and his wife Diane looking through photo albums |
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| I hope I look this good... |
Sunday all the kids rallied to attend 8am mass with Mom and Dad, before going out to breakfast together. Later in the afternoon we gathered at my sister Marge’s house for dinner – leftovers from the party. We set up Dad’s old 8mm film project and showed a handful of reels from the 1960’s (notice a theme here??).
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There were probably 8 or 10 cameras floating around all weekend. But we didn't think
to take a family picture until Sunday night. Too many Manhattans, I suppose. |
Jim, Bob & I all had flights out on Monday afternoon. After breakfast with Mom & Dad, we headed for the airport.
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| Mom & Dad in front of their building, saying goodbyes to their out-of-town boys (queue Mom's tears) |
A great weekend - start to finish! I think the birthday boy had a wonderful time. I know I did.
Happy Birthday, Dad!
