Lifelong Tribe Fan

This is Nate. He is 93 years old, and I met him at Cleveland's Progressive Field, the afternoon before Game 6 of the 2016 World Series.

"I was at the 1948 World Series," said Nate, a lifelong Indians fan. The Indians last won the Series in '48. "I've been waiting a long time for this."

Sadly, the Indians lost the Series to the Chicago Cubs, whose championship drought was even longer than Cleveland's.

Buckeye Learning Farm 2015

Scenes from my visit today to the Buckeye Learning Farm on Woodland Avenue. A group of students were working on growing the crops -- tomatoes, several varieties of peppers, squash and corn, among others -- and enjoying one another's company. Top and bottom photos, my tour guide Elonte, a nice, soft-spoken young man. It is Elonte's second summer working at the farm.

Third Annual Holiday Party for Kids

These photos are from the annual holiday party for kids from Cleveland's Fairfax and Central neighborhoods, organized by the dedicated Tanya Holmes. The festivities included food, hot chocolate, candy, games, dancing, presents, and a visit from Santa. My partner and I volunteered to photograph the event and really enjoyed being with the kids and their families.

 

 

 

The children competed in a dance contest.

 

When Santa arrived, a sea of excited children surged toward him, looking for hugs. For little kids, Santa is the ultimate rock star. What a sight!

The children were invited to pick out new hats and gloves.

 The Rolls Royce club's Jazzy J led the children in song.

The kids, singing "Jingle Bells" and other carols.

Ms. Tanya Holmes (left), the tireless organizer who put together this lovely event.

Some of the girls, showing off the presents they got.

Right to Lifers

Right to Life protesters praying, as they regularly do, in front of the Preterm Clinic on Shaker Boulevard in Cleveland on a cloudy Tuesday, October 28, 2014. They're reciting prayers about the "murders" taking place inside the clinic, ending with The Lord's Prayer. I note that they target minorities in their anti-abortion posters and leaflets, a cynical nod to this largely African-American neighborhood.

Hands Up, Don't Shoot

 Young man reciting a poem he wrote about being incarcerated.

 This drummer was joined by other musicians, their music adding strong punctuation to the chants and speeches.

 
Rally in downtown Cleveland Tuesday, October 22 organized by two groups, Puncture the Silence and the Stop Mass Incarceration Network. Picketers marched on a cloudy day from the women's prison to Public Square, where they rallied in protest of police brutality and killings, mass incarceration, attacks on immigrants and other social justice issues. Posters with photographs of people killed by police were displayed throughout the quadrant.

Four Little Girls

While driving down East 79th Street last Sunday afternoon, we saw people setting up posters commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 16th Street Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama that took the lives of four young girls:  Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson and Denise McNair.  At the invitation of the event's organizer, a nice woman named Honey, we returned an hour later to listen to the rhythms of a drum circle, a brief talk, and the reading of a moving poem about the tragedy by a mother-and-daughter pair in matching white dresses (second from bottom photo).

The garden site is adjacent to the recently rehabbed Mary's House, a drug and alcohol recovery center.

Fairfax Learning Farm

This is Keith, the gracious high school student who led me on a tour yesterday of the Fairfax Learning Farm on E. 79th Street. The farm is resplendent in flowers, herbs and an abundance of ripe vegetables, which are sold every Wednesday afternoon at the farm market stand. It's part of the Cleveland Botanical Society's Green Corps program, which revitalizes vacant city land and provides valuable work and educational opportunities for students.

 

 

 Keith said they call this crop "Alien Eggplant," due to its otherworldly appearance.

The Fairfax, like the other Green Corps urban farms, is a natural oasis in a busy urban neighborhood.

The kids who work at the farm add their own personal touches: their names, painted posters, a pit barbecue and handmade furniture. Below, Keith shows off the shelving unit the students built to house their plant "starts."

 

Keith, who plans to become a music producer, says he's learned a lot from working on the urban farm, especially the value of "working hard." Many thanks to Keith for the tour!