On Saturday morning, the McCarthy family went to explore the Westside Market in Cleveland for the first time. This quote from the Westside Market page at About.com sums it up perfectly: "The West Side Market, at the edge of Ohio City in Cleveland, is a cultural and culinary gem. Opened in 1912, the market combines graceful Neo-Classical/Byzantine architecture with a vibrant produce and meat, poultry, and dairy market. Not only is the West Side Market an interesting and fun place to visit, it's a great place to find quality groceries at affordable prices."
It truly does cater for every culinary taste, as some of the food was very "interesting". We saw ox tongue (which brings back memories of Christmas in South Africa), lamb tongue, lamb livers, lamb hearts, and pig's feet! There was also the entire body of a slaughtered pig in one of the butcher's display fridges. I wanted to take a photo, but I thought to myself, if they could proudly display what they did to that pig, then they probably could do something similar to a curious photographer with an accent! But fear not, for I have scoured the internet and found a photo of someone who was brave enough to take a photo at the Westside market!
The market also had dozens of bakeries, boasting baked treats, delicious breads and exquisite cakes. There were stores selling different varieties of cheeses, Chinese specialties, nuts and spices! In another building, as far as the eye could see, vendors were selling fresh produce, and offering free samples of their goods. Some vendors displayed their fruit and veggies artistically, while other vendors shouted out their specials as you walked past. This venue was packed with people purchasing produce, even at 9am when we arrived there. It's doors officially open at 7am, so that could explain why it was bustling 2 hours later! We did not buy anything exotic, but Nathan got a doughnut, and Liesel and I treated ourselves to giant crepe each, covered in sugar and lemon juice! It was about the size of a large pizza, but it was delicious, with everyone in the family, including Nathan and Josh, getting a taste of the mega-pancake!
As I mentioned earlier the weather was fantastic, and when we got home, we changed into short sleeved tees, and I started up the mower to pick up the leaves that were covering the grass. While I mowed, Liesel, Josh, and Nathan came outside and kicked a soccer ball around and just loved being outdoors! After I got done with the mowing, Nathan and I played with his radio control helicopter on the driveway. Mental Note: Don't play with a radio control helicopter on a driveway, because if it falls and hits the concrete, little, yet important (ie. tail rotor), pieces will break off!
That evening we headed to the shops to do some grocery shopping, and get some items needed for Josh's party next week. Then we returned home, had dinner, bathed Josh and cut his hair, put Josh in bed and then sat down to watch Disney's Earth movie for Family Fun Night. This is more of a documentary about animals on the earth, and about the circle of life. Needless to say, it wasn't Nathan's favorite, and when I took him to bed afterwards, his words to me were: "That wasn't very fun!". Documentaries have that reputation......
On Sunday, Josh had a runny nose as a result of his teething, so Liesel stayed at home with him, and Nathan and I went to Church. While at church, Liesel and Josh went for a brisk walk around the neighborhood. We enjoyed our time at the church, and when we came home, Liesel had prepared a delicious pork roast for us for lunch, and her famous hot, chocolate pudding!! Later that day, Liesel and Nathan headed off to the library, and left me at home with a sleeping Josh. This was the perfect opportunity for me to practice on my guitar piece for church next week! When Liesel and Nathan returned an hour later, I played with the boys in the basement, before dinner time. Then it was soon time to eat, bath and into bed :)
Josh sporting his new haircut, and Nathan posing behind his "Lego City"
... and now for one of my favorite photo's: Josh fully engrossed in a volleyball match on the TV! He stood there for about 10 minutes watching :) That's my boy!
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