Rock Hall

Rock Hall, originally uploaded by Edge of Dementia.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, in Cleveland, Ohio.

William G. Mather

William G. Mather, originally uploaded by Edge of Dementia.

William G. Mather steamship located in Cleveland, Ohio.

Cleveland Ferret Shelter

Ferret Toys, originally uploaded by Edge of Dementia.

Ferrets Unlimited Ferret Shelter in Cleveland, Ohio is selling these cute little Japanese Ferret Charms as part of a building fundraiser.

Shelter director, Jean Caputo-Lee has been operating the only ferret shelter in our area, out of her home since 1993. With the help of some generous individuals, they are in the process of securing a public building for the shelter.

Unfortunately, health code restrictions require the replacement of all the current ferret cages, so they are having a building fund drive in order to raise the money to purchase 75 new cages and 12 playpens for the ferrets.

Snowy Beach

Snowy Beach
Originally uploaded by Edge of Dementia.

We had our first snow of the season yesterday, so I ran out back with the camera, to capture the snow at the beach. This looks so unspoiled, like an old picture from when I was a child.

Halloween Fun in Cleveland

Summer is over and winter is knocking upon our doors, but there is a whole season left to get out and enjoy ourselves before we break out the shovels and flannel coats. Cleveland is lucky enough to be located in a place where each season brings a change of events and weather. With this season, comes one of the most fun holidays of the year - Halloween. Cleveland is also lucky enough to be located near two major theme parks, and both of them are getting into the spirit of Halloween. As always, you can count on Halloweekends at Cedar Point Resort and Theme Park, the undisputed king of roller coasters. Geauga Lake also offers Halloween Haunt. Both of these excellent parks are within one hour's drive from downtown Cleveland, so there is no excuse for not attending at least one!

Click here for our list of Halloween fun in Cleveland links.

Filed in: cleveland halloween

Porcupine Tree

Porcupine Tree hit the stage at the Cleveland House of Blues last night and rocked the house.

Our evening started with a wonderful dinner at the House of Blues restaurant. The employees were so friendly, and treated us like special guests. I highly recommend taking advantage of the pass the line option when attending shows at the House of Blues. Dinner guests are escorted directly to the auditorium, without having to wait in line with everyone else.

We brought along our daughter, who is a huge fan of Porcupine Tree, and was attending her first concert. Because this was a non-smoking event, at the request of the band, it was a good environment for her first show. It was such a wonderful experience to look over and see our little girl rocking out at the show.

The opening act was Robert Fripp from King Crimson. His show was disappointing to much of the audience, many of whom were very vocal about their displeasure. His show could best be described as a senior citizen with a guitar and a slide show. There were some funny moments with people yelling Fripp and headbanging \m/ \m/. Some of us got the giggles and had to go get some air.

Porcupine Tree was as amazing as ever. They played a heavier setlist than the last time they were here. They played several tracks from their latest CD, Deadwing, a few favorites from In-Absentia, and thrilled the crowd by playing songs from their soon to be re-released CD, Stupid Dream.

Cleveland Setlist:
Open Car
Blackest Eyes
Lazarus
Deadwing
Don't Hate Me
Mother and Child Divided
Gravity Eyelids
So Called Friend
Arriving Somehere But Not Here
Heart Attack in a Lay-Bye
The Start of Something Beautiful
Halo

Encore:
Radioactive Toy
Trains

John Wesley added so much to the show with his beautiful vocals and guitar work. Front man, Steven Wilson commented on the numerous Dream Theater shirts in the crowd and stated that Meshuggah was better. He also noted the smattering of John Wesley shirts in the audience, as well.

The volume at the House of Blues was quite a bit higher than it was last time. For my older ears, it was comfortably loud, but it was a bit much for my daughter, who was struggling with earplugs in her tiny ears. The merchandise table had a lot of goodies, including limited edition CDs and three new T-Shirts.

Our little one went to school this morning, a bit tired, but anxious to show off her new T-Shirt. She now owns three Porcupine Tree shirts, and she tries to wear them every week. I wonder what she will do when winter hits? Layer them over sweaters, perhaps?

If you missed this show, Steven announced that will be back in the Spring to promote their first ever DVD, which they will be recording in Chicago on this tour.

Visit Porcupine Tree @ Squidoo

Filed in: cleveland concerts porcupine-tree

Cleveland Memory Project

This is a fantastic Web site. I could get lost for hours browsing our history in photographs. The Cleveland Memory Project is a searchable database that includes thousands of historical photographs and articles covering greater Cleveland and the Western Reserve region of northeastern Ohio.

One of the featured exhibits is Messing About in Boats, The Amazing Adventure of Bob Manry. I grew up in Willowick, and I clearly recall the stories of Mr. Manry and his little boat, Tinkerbelle. My sister was friends with his children, Robin and Doug, so I was always fascinated with this story. This year is the 40th anniversary of his voyage.

I also discovered a tribute to Mr Jingaling, and photos of Captain Penny! I saw Captain Penny at Federal's department store when I was probably around 5 years old. He was giving away signed photos, and meeting the children. I cherished my Captain Penny photo and hoped to marry him when I grew up.

You can fool some of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you can't fool Mom., Captain Penny

Filed in: cleveland history

Back to School

It's that time once again, one that kids fear and parents rejoice, those three dreaded words: back to school! Although it tends to mean the end of summer for some people, including teachers and students, it also means another year has passed and it's time to get on with some higher learning.

The beginning of the new school year is actually exciting for many, because it means meeting up with friends, new experiences and another step towards graduation or whatever goal may have been set. Either way, it's a good time to know where you can find all sorts of online resources, from back to school tips, to museums, libraries and even services to help out with homework!

Visit our Back to School Guide

Filed in: cleveland school

Cleveland Link Directory

We are in the process of rebuilding our Cleveland Link Directory.

We have literally hundreds of old links to sort through, but we welcome link submissions. If you have a favorite Cleveland link, or you are a Webmaster of a site related to Northeastern Ohio, please feel free to send them to us. Make sure that you mention that this is for the Cleveland Cafe.

I'd also love any links related to the Cleveland music scene. If you have concert reviews, photos, etc. We'd love to hear about it.

It's Time for a Change

The Cleveland Cafe is finally getting a much needed total re-design. We will be updating all the old link pages, and adding a lot of new stuff. Please be patient during the process and feel free to make any comments or suggestions below.