But, the Tunstalls have not let this crippling cold get us down. Nay, instead we forge ahead and have our fun wherever we can get it! We've done a couple ski trips to our local hills (Boston Mills and Brandywine - beware: small kids EVERYWHERE!), and we even ventured on a winter hike in our beloved Cuyahoga Valley National Park. I was lucky enough to be shipped off to California for a few days in the beginning of February for work, and I got to stand outside in 75-degree weather (for five minutes while walking to the convention center. Worth it!). I had almost forgotten what it felt like to have warm sun on my skin.
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| Making snow angels with Louie at the Cuyahoga Valley National Park |
The highlight of our winter adventures thus far has to be our little impromptu hike in the C-Val. We took the pup and headed to our familiar Brandywine Falls, and trudged through a barely-visible trail, roughly covered in two feet of pack snow. There were ample opportunities for snowball fights; we built a mini-snowman and sat it on a rest bench, left to admire the ice-encrusted river below; we made snow angels, and we climbed off-trail, hoping not to fall into a hidden crevices. It was an adventure, and we had a lot of fun. Poor Louie dog had some frozen puppy paws by the end, but he was a good sport and we gave him an extra treat to compensate.
In all, we made the most of a rough winter so far, and we expect to continue for what is inevitably to be another month or two of cold and snow. I'm looking out my window at a slushy mess - a remnant of the blast we got last night that left us with an additional 13 inches of snow before noon today - and I'm not expecting spring to come early this year, despite what that liar Punxsutawney Phil predicted. I'm heading to Pittsburgh next weekend with one of my very best friends for a girls' weekend in the city, then I'll be back out in California for a San Diego-to-San Francisco road trip at the end of March (don't get too excited for me... it's for work), so I'll have plenty to keep me occupied until that elusive Ohio Sunshine decides to make it's triumphant return.
OH! I almost forgot. I have been to two concerts at the Cleveland House of Blues in the past couple weeks, and I must say, that is a great venue! I saw Jimmy Eat World with my husband, and Badfish (a Sublime tribute band) with a friend, and both concerts were so much fun. If you're not into the above-described freezing-your-ass-off-just-for-kicks thing, and you're looking for a loud, somewhat dirty, funky fun music night, catch a show at the HOB and you won't be disappointed. Tallboy beers, stale nachos, smelly hot dogs and overpriced merchandise... ahhh... the beauty that comes with rock 'n' roll. Can't really ask for anything more when show tickets average about $20 for a 4-hour party. Just do yourself a favor and bring some hand sanitizer. Make sure to grab dinner at one of the many fabulous restaurants right there on East 4th Street, adjacent to the HOB. So many good choices, you really can't go wrong.
