Ooh-la-la

On the left is Ooh-la-la
Most places in Lakeside are closed this week, so thank God for Patti Savona and her little coffee shop/deli that just opened on "main" street this season. That would be 220 West Second Street for you newbies. It is also an art gallery, with some wonderful fine art and souvenir pieces. She's open from 7:30 a.m. to about 1:30 p.m. when she needs to leave to pick up the kids, but that's enough time to get your morning cup of coffee and your lunch needs. The deli case has some lovely munchies, desserts, wraps, fruit bowls and salads. She plans to be open in September, with October special week-ends a possibility. Stop by and give a newcomer some business!

Lakeside, Ohio

They get me started at 6 a.m.

with a hot Cup o' Joe.

This week I'll have to leave the grounds (pun intended) because the coffee shop will be closed Monday-Wednesday.

A new Lakesider?

Saturday at the coffee shop I met a woman from a Cleveland suburb who was so enthusiastic about Lakeside, she thought she might want to buy a cottage! She was a native of Cleveland, but had lived about 10 years in Chicago (my favorite city), which she didn't like. Her laundry was spinning down the street so we had a bit of time to chat. I told her what I knew about the tax laws on second homes, association fees, real estate taxes, maintenance costs on old cottages and how desolate it is here in the winter. In short, I don't see Lakeside ownership as a financial investment, but rather an investment in tradition, entertainment, family times, and nostalgia.

Today the clerk in the coffee shop told me the woman had stopped in yesterday looking for me (we were in Columbus)--she's found a cottage.

Here's some listings by Smith.

Blogging At the coffee shop

I haven't been able to get a connection, so today I'm actually blogging at the coffeeshop. I really don't like to shlep this thing around--too heavy, so I've left all the mechanicals at the cottage. The battery says 3 hours, but it lies!

Dads do it

Yesterday morning at the coffee shop here in Lakeside I saw a very tall 40-something dad with his even taller teen-ager, maybe 15 or 16. Only the dad wore an earring. I remember back in the early 80s if your son wore an earring, he was clearly a rebellious kook and the parents feared he was gay. Now it's just dad being a hasbeen or having a mid-life crisis.

Coffee Annan

This poster and others, like "Flat Fatima" (who appeared in several bombing photos for Reuters, CNN and BBC) can be found at The People's Cube.

Meeting British tourists

At breakfast in Madison, IN, on July 30 I met a family from England. They travel each summer to a different area of the United States with their two young daughters who appeared to be pre-schoolers. They have been to New England, California, North Carolina, the Smokeys, and were going on to Cincinnati and Mammoth Caves after leaving southern Indiana. I told them I was on an architectural tour and they recommended Bath, England. Very handsome and well-behaved children who were told they couldn't take more food until they had finished what they selected from the buffet.