Nov. 26, 2006 - A Majority Who Live Here Must Be Right:

Puritas Longmead Is a Great Place to Live and Work

Cleveland's West Side is home to the Longmead Puritas Neighborhood, also known as Bellaire Puritas. It makes up almost a quarter of Cleveland's economic base. It has an exciting future ahead of it for several reasons: it's close proximity to NASA and Hopkins International Airport; it's already existing rail and commuter rail lines; and it's fabulous newly constructed and 'to be constructed' public schools. And the neighborhood's vibrant shopping areas enhance it's live ability even more.

First a Bit of History: The area started out as a 'railroad town' so to speak, but became a hub of industry. Most of the areas housing development occurred after World War Two, so unlike some of the other West Side neighborhoods, the general housing stock is a tad newer. Northeast Ohio is known for it's inventors and entrepreneurs: in 1898 John E. Gooding is credited with bringing the first horse drawn and then steam powered carousels to Ohio. They were featured in Puritas Springs Park which in 1898 was THE place to go! We aren't talking small here, this amusement park featured: a roller rink, fast rides like the Cyclone Roller Coaster, a dance hall and ball fields! It was on a trolley line so many Northeast Ohioans who had newly discovered the term leisure time (due to the Industrial Revolution) enjoyed their families at Puritas Springs Park.

Three aspects of this community make it a fantastic place to live. 1) Affordable housing; 2) Industry; 3) Schools

The housing stock runs the gamut in market value. You can get a classic home, maybe a Cleveland bungalow with a spacious front porch and old world features like leaded glass china cabinets in the dining room with a window seat between; there is an abundance of these beautiful homes. You can also get new construction. Puritas Park town homes is a fabulous development with multi-level living areas, vaulted ceilings, and a close proximity to the Airport; in fact I have sold to flight attendants who find them a great place to live and less than a fifteen minute commute to work! There is also an oasis of bungalows built in 2000 called Julia Court, with tax abatement exceeding 8 years left on the community. It is on an idyllic section of W. 145th street that dead ends and abuts a meadowland/marshland that is not only never to be built on, but has recently been found to be on a migratory bird path for some distinctive and apparently rare birds!

I had the delightful opportunity to talk with two creative and interesting members of the Bellaire Puritas Development Corporation (BPDC): Bryan  Gillooly, Executive Director, and Rachel Napolitano, Community Organizer. Their enthusiasm about the neighborhood was contagious, and I wanted to share some of our conversation with you. Bryan and Rachel are the ones who filled me in on the migratory bird information. (Look for more on that in future posts.)

BPDC does a lot of work to assist the neighborhood. They run a computer learning center for residents to improve job skills; they work with WIRENET to operate and fund a training program for future machinists (more on that later too).They help residents with loans in order to make home repairs. Not just keeping up but enhancing the neighborhood is their goal, and believe me they are enthusiastic about it.

What had them smiling and proud when I was talking with them revolves around neighborhood schools. Riverside Elementary School has already reopened and it is a fabulous structure. Now in the works? Three completely new elementary schools: Artemus Ward (I am featuring their latest 'school report card' published by the State of Ohio and made available to the public), R.G. Jones, and Garfield. I was excited to see the architectural renderings and believe me they are fabulous. I particularly loved Garfield's plans with an almost Jetson like design. The goal is to allow students from all grades up to High School to learn in one building, with separate entrances for different grade levels. We will be planning some public open houses to talk about these schools, if you have not already attended the School Boards meetings. You are going to be very impressed and probably wanting to get on the bandwagon and move to the neighborhood. John Marshall High School is also up for renovations. We know the grand old Art Deco building has an elegant beauty. By the time all of this is completed, four public schools in the neighborhood will be new or updated!

The BPDC has also built and rehabbed neighborhood homes. Their Longmead Townhomes (complete with their own day care center) are selling out fast, all have a 15 year tax abatement with very pretty and efficient floor plans and all the modern amenities.

Two more reasons to live here (if you need more after all this!): The Thriving Commercial Districts and The Parks.

The Bellaire Puritas Neighborhood allows you to live where you shop, work and play! The area parks and walking trails are beautiful. Crossburn Park has been recently revamped with a cool playground area. There is also McGowan Park, Halloran Park (with it's ice rink) and Gunning Recreation Center (with a fabulous pool). And of course this neighborhood is extremely close to the Rocky River Metroparks which is breathtakingly beautiful in itself.

Most area residents shop for all their grocery, pharmacy and specialty needs right in the neighborhood. We even have neighborhood hardware store there, Torch Hardware, where you can find everything you need, including the knowledge of how to do something with what you buy! It is a treasured neighborhood resource. Complete with it's own live in cat! The entire Lorain Avenue Corridor is a unique shopping experience where you can find antiques, a diverse array of food markets and restaurants (everything from Middle Eastern, Latino, Vietnamese, German to fast food), a shoe repair shop (how many of them are around anymore) and everything in between.

You can purchase a home in this neighborhood for well under $100,000, or you can spend more. There are two zip codes representing Bellaire Puritas: 44111 and 44135. Using statistics provided to me through our Northern Ohio Multiple Listing Service (their Third Quarter of 2006 Report): the average sale price on both zipcodes together is about $94,000. I took a photo of a home on Julia Court (pretty bungalow pictured above). These homes are listed on the market in the $200,000 range. The styles and price point choices are yours. Either way, this is a great place to live, work and shop.

As a Realtor® I love to sell this neighborhood, because it represents the diversity, history and livability of what I think cities and neighborhoods are all about.

Nov. 26, 2006 - Support Your Local Shopping Districts, Wherever You Live!

If You Don't Shop Locally You Could Be Cutting Off Your Nose To Spite Your Face

Are we all guilty of not supporting our community stores? I know many of us who are active in the blogging world frequently comment on how we like the sense of community we all have here; it's important to us. Now most of us on Realtown Blogs  are involved in the Real Estate profession in one way or another (I am a Realtor®), so we also hear clients talk about their sense of community and we help them find communities in which to live. My take on it is that a Sense of Place, a Sense of Community is important to us, no matter what our jobs, be we Firemen, Lawyers, Teachers, or Shopkeepers! That last category is near and dear to my heart.

What got me going on this topic was my recent order of a blogging book. First instinct was to go to a famous on line bookstore and yes it's a fabulous site. And yes, I am out of books to read, and I get cranky when that happens, so I really don't want to wait too long to get this book - which I could have in several days if I get it from this famous on line bookstore. But then I thought about it again. Supporting my community (which I consider to be all of Northeast Ohio) is important, so why not buy it locally? I went to such a place, had a great conversation with the bookstore owner, who is ordering it for me and I should have it Wednesday or Thursday. Not too shabby. If I am really in book withdrawal between now and then I can go to the library!

Now maybe you are all rolling your eyes. Is she nuts? Well yes, but not about this. In order for our communities to thrive and keep making us feel like we belong somewhere, our shopkeepers need to stay in business! Let me throw out this theory: that without vibrant shopping areas communities die. Without vibrant shopping areas, no one wants to live there, the schools suffer, jobs suffer, the housing stock suffers. And yes I know, none of us has as much free time as we would like. I guess I'm not asking that we do ALL of our shopping in the neighborhoods, but I am saying, please think about it!

We have tons of cool places to shop here in Cleveland: The Lorain Station Historic District, is a long, long stretch of shops covering every kind of item imaginable. Ten Thousand Villages is run by volunteers and has several Cleveland locations. When you purchase gifts from them (and you Realtors® this is a fabulous place for closing gifts as well), you are supporting Fair Trade small business and craftspeople from all over the world. As well as your community!

As for that book I ordered, one of my favorite bookstores doesn't even have a website: Appletree Books in Cleveland Heights. But I have linked here some reviews that show you why people love it so much. Now if you DON'T live in Ohio, you might be tempted to not look at this link. I'm asking you to do it even if you live in New York or Idaho -- The sentiments expressed in these reviews, dollars to doughnuts, reflect how people in YOUR state feel about their independently owned bookstores too. I would venture to say that bookstores help me feel more lilke I have a wonderful Sense of Place than just about any other kind of store.

We all love our Internet (and thank you Al Gore for inventing it), our blogging, our websites. And yes, it is possible to develop, through a blogging community, a Sense of Community that we all would never want to live without. I'm just asking that you pause and think about how valuable your community is to you. And whenever possible, please support the shopkeepers within that community wherever you live, so your own hometown shopping districts can continue to thrive and prosper.

My name is Carole Cohen and I approve this message :-)

Nov. 5, 2006 - Tremont Art Walk: Another Reason to Believe In Cleveland

Tremont Artwalk: Nov. 10th 5 to 8 PM

The painting on the left (gorgeous colors, yes?) was done by Aaron Koonce whose works are exhibted at the Brandt Gallery in Tremont....just one of the 'stops' on the Tremont Art Walk. Are you familiar with the Art Walk? It's a great way to spend an evening, and it happens every second Friday of the month. The next one is this Friday. I wanted to take some time to familiarize you with it if you haven't taken advantage of this cool event.  There is a regular list of Tremont 'places' featuring art. And they are not just galleries. For example, Lucky's Cafe is on the Walk. Lucky's has to have some of the best pastries ever made (thanks to Heather who makes them!).  There is Southside Gallery on W. 11th, Brandt Gallery on Kenilworth &  Doubting Thomas on Jefferson, just to name a few who also have websites to browse beforehand.

They haven't updated their site yet for the November Walk but you can go to the official Art Walk site and get a map for the participating 'stops' on the Walk.  Well, that is, all but the latest additon!  Bergen Village is the new Town Home community at Tremont Ridge (W. 5th and Literary) and we have become a part of the community already (I say 'we' because I am one of the listing agents involved with Bergen Village). This week will be our first chance to participate in the Walk. Our featured artist has a fabulous sense of color: Bernadette Glorioso. Many of you may be familiar with her work already, but please put Bergen Village on your map (even if the official one isn't updated yet lol).  Bernadette's work will be there from 5 to 8 PM Friday along with Pete Mandrake from our office, and I will be there on Saturday from 1 to 4 PM - in case you can't make it on Friday. 

Tremont is truly a great destination at any time, but in the Fall, when all the leaves are naturally painted and glorious, it's an extra special time to take advantage of Tremont's Art Walk.  Galleries, Food, Libations, Scenic Walks, what more could you ask for?  It is truly another reason why so many of us Believe In Cleveland. Hope to see you there! 

Oct. 30, 2006 - Shoud We Raise The Minimum Wage? (Issue 2)

Will Increasing the Minimum Wage Help or Hurt Our Local Economy? 

Yes I am still on Election Issues. Issue 2 would raise the minimum wage in Ohio to $6.85 an hour. Like everything else involving economics, there are conflicting opinions and even conflicting statistical information. The bottom line question for me is, what can we do to get over 1/3 of our population out of the poverty level, and the over 6% unemployed, jobs. I have a feeling we are all in agreement so far. To start, let me give you the link to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections posting of Issue 2.  The question becomes one of trying to figure out how to vote on this Issue!

Some history on this. Only recently did Ohio raise the minimum wage to meet National standards: $5.15 an hour. Prior to that it was $4.25 an hour. An increase (at that wage) from $8,840 a year to $10,712 a year. Second point we can all agree on? It would be extremely hard to live on $10,712 a year.  I'm going to give you a bit more Census 2000 info: 

 Families with at least 3.3 people (!) make up 58.7% of Cleveland's population

 Cleveland's Median age is 33 years old

Average Family Wage in Cleveland is $30,970  (National Average is just over $60,000)

 Average Family Wage in Cuyahoga County is $46,785 (still under the National Average)

1/3 of Clevelanders and 50% of Cleveland's children were found to be earning below the Federal poverty level of $19,971 per year.   When I do my math (please correct me if I am wrong), if the minimum wage is raised to $6.85 an hour, that would bring the annual wage earned to $14,248. Do you notice this is still below Fed. Poverty Level? What does this mean? 

There are those who argue that raising the minimum wage hurts our economy, lays off more people and slows new job  growth.  Here is a link to Jonathan Adler's article on the National Review website on the potential negative impact of Issue 2.  He states that there is a lot of data to show that increases in minimum wage show a cut back in jobs most importantly in  retail and small business.    The argument in general usually surrounds the idea that if an employer has to pay you more money, they will have to cut back on staff. What do you think?

Cleveland.com has an article with information from supporters of the increase. That is worth reading as well. It's always mind boggling to me that both sides of economic issues can proclaim the same benefits. That is what makes it so hard to figure out how to vote, in my humble opinion (IMHO) :-) 

And lest you think that this is an issue that divides along party lines, think again. Current candidates who support Issue 2 include people like Ted Strickland (Democrat) and Mike DeWine (Repulican).  Thankfully we can think for ourselves on this issue and not have to clutter up the arena thinking lilke a party person!

This is the one ballot issue of which I am still undecided! I  welcome any input, other suggested articles, etc, to help me and maybe all of us formulate an opinion here. I know when I had the opportunity, I did sign a petition to get it on the ballot. 

On the one hand, an additonal $1,228 in someone's pocket each year is better than nothing. On the other hand, it still keeps those same people below the poverty level. And does it really hurt the overall economic growth of Northeast Ohio?  I am going to keep researching this issue and will update my post here if and when I get more interesting data or opinions to share.  Please submit your comments or ideas too!  

Oct. 27, 2006 - Issue 3: Where Do You Stand?

Get Ready to Vote on November 7th

How will you vote on Issue 3? The Facts of the Issue as provided by Learn and Earn.org  can be seen by clicking here.  We all got burned when Ohio Lottery money was supposed to be earmarked for educational purposes and then the politicians decided otherwise. Has it made you leery of supporting other types of ballot issues? This current configuration is to put slot machines at every race track in Ohio (there are 7) with two Cleveland locations to be determined (that brings the total to 9, and one of the locations is in the Flats). A 'check and balance' on the system is to be The Ohio Board of Regent's control over the percentage of money from each dollar earned through the slots....NOT the politicians. Students will apply for inclusion into this 'trust' of monies. As long as they are accepted into the program and then accepted into an Ohio school of higher learning, they can utilize this money. 

How do you feel about the argument that creating locations for slot machines will add several thousand jobs to Ohio?  I personally am going to vote for Issue 3; I say we need more jobs and we need to stop the drain of monies from Ohio to other state's gambling arenas. Yes I know some people are addicted to gambling. But they will gamble their monies on our Lottery or go to other states regardless of whether we have slot machines in Ohio. That is how addiction works...I would prefer our money stay here, and I am willing to bet that the Board of Regents portion of the monies earned is in safer hands than they were with our Governor.  Is the system perfect? I doubt it, but it doesn't sound evil or ill-planned. Yes the casino owners who back Learn and Earn will make money. I'd like to think that there are more positives than negatives to Issue 3 so that is why I am supporting it.

Maureen McCabe's Columbus Ohio Blog has a poll on casinos in Columbus which began a few days ago. Please  check out her blog post, the poll itself; you can even vote! Comments about Issue 3  came up even though the blog is about casinos in Columbus, because Issue 3 would have to pass before that was a realistic consideration. You can also get some thoughtful opposing commentary on Issue 3 on her blog.

And as I have posted before regarding election issues, this post is not only about Issue 3, but hopefully it will help encourage you  to vote on November 7th, no matter how you feel about Issue 3.

Oct. 24, 2006 - Why People Sing Cleveland's Praises

Cleveland: Still 'Most Liveable'

When I was a Cleveland School District kid, we had periodic field trips to Severance Hall for Young People's Concerts. (Pictured at left are student's who are following that same tradition today).  It expanded my world. I got lost in the music. The Cleveland Orchestra is still a world class orchestra. My friends and I try to attend concerts whenever we can. Have you been there since the rennovation of a few years back? IT IS MAGICAL. And the acoustics? Sit in the last row at the top and hear a pin drop on stage. What a gem we have in Severance Hall.

Although we may be rivals on the football field (!!!), Cleveland and Pittsburgh share the honor of being voted one of the World's Most Liveable Cities. The Economist Magazine does this research and in 2005 they looked at almost 130 cities WORLDWIDE. Cleveland and Pittsburgh were voted THE most liveable!  This was based on things like education, culture, healthcare and stability.

Cleveland is providing others with a sense of place. But don't take my word for it, listen to what non-native Clevelanders are saying! I checked out the Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) Undergrad Admissions Blog and  was delighted to see why some people who transplant themselves here Believe In Cleveland. One  post from Trish Schreiber talked in more depth about why Cleveland is so liveable.  I posted a comment on another blogger's post, John Gest, who works in the CWRU Undergrad Admission's Department. He sent me a thoughtful email and has allowed me to post it here for you. Some insights from a New Englander who now calls Cleveland home:

"I am not a native of Cleveland. I grew up in New England and came to Ohio
for school (Bowling Green State Univ.). I moved to Chicago for several years
and then decided to move here to be around my friends from college.

I have now been here just over two years and find so many things enjoyable.
I find Cleveland to be very affordable, have a city that is much easier to
get your head around than Chicago and easy to access.


I live in Lakewood which is also good place to be if you are twenty
something and single."

Many of us talk about how to entice people to stay in Cleveland after they finish their undergraduate studies here. How nice that we have someone at CWRU who did just that, works in Admissions, and feels passionately about the value in Northeast Ohio. You can check out Trish's Blog and John's Blog by clicking on their names above. Cheers John for letting me tell your story!

Oct. 18, 2006 - Book Signing At Something Different - Casey Daniels

Oct. 10, 2006 - It's A Buyer's Market

Oct. 5, 2006 - Have You Wondered About Owning A Home Instead Of Renting?

Maybe you love the architectural style of Lakewood homes, you love the 'liveability' of Lakewood with her parks and sidewalks and active business district. And of course the pubs! But maybe you are just not sure you can own a home right now. Maybe you have a steady job but are concerned that a downpayment on a home might leave you strapped for cash? There are a lot of reasons why we hesitate. After all, buying a home is a big investment.

I want to make you aware of the City of Lakewood's First Time Home Buying Program. The housing stock is gorgeous and plentiful and Lakewood encourages you to purchase there when you decide it's time to buy your first home. How? With a fantastic program set up to teach you things you need to know about purchasing a home, and also providing you with downpayment assistance.

For example, did you know, if you purchase a single family home in Lakewood as a First Time Home Buyer, you can receive $10,000 towards your downpayment and closing costs? Yes, I said $10,000.  I am going to include a synopsis page regarding this program, but for complete details, go to this link:  http://www.ci.lakewood.oh.us/dept_planning_cdbg_6.html

There are homes in all price ranges and styles for sale in Lakewood....it's worth reading about this program to see how Lakewood's First Time Home Buyer's Program might be able to help make home ownership a reality for you!

______________________________________________________________________

 Lakewood City Division of Community Development

Sep. 28, 2006 - Local Blog for Political and Cleveland Rants!

Have you been looking for a place on line, where you can rant about your favorite (or least)favorite) politician, economic plan, the weather et al?  I found a no holds barred blog today: http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/blue%20turtle/1355  The BlueTurtle sports blog somehow got onto tangents about why Cleveland is in such tough shape; who is to blame, and lordy lordy the comments got posted!

Blue Turtle's Blog claims our fair City has lost the title of 'Poorest City In the Nation' and I'm not sure that is true; 'Turtle' says we have dropped to 12th place. He has his own idea about who began all of the City's woes ( I disagree here too but I digress). It just might be a sports blog with a kick to it!  Check it out, and it's easy to make comments as well.  Oh, and in case you are interested, they do show a spot to order tickets. It's a blog affiliated with The Sporting News magazine.

 We had a nice discussion today in our office about the Shoreway redevelopment plans. Remember people (us members of the public) were invited to comment on the five or so complex plans that were being considered?  Don't forget to keep checking with http://www.innerbelt.org to see how plans are developing. Our office discussion centered around a main theme; was the restructuring of the Shoreway area going to be more of a boom for the suburbs like Lakewood and further isolate the downtown area? Or is it good for everyone? This is a key redevelopment plan for us, and worth our discussion time. I'm thinking City Council meets on Mondays at 7pm and if you check out the http://www.innerbelt.org site and have more questions about the plans than you have answers, a visit to our Council might be in order!  Remember, we can still Believe In Cleveland while not giving up our right to comment on plans made that affect all of us -in Cleveland and  Northeast Ohio  in general.

Sep. 25, 2006 - Are You An Economic Development Wonk?

OK I Admit I Am!  I was googling ThunderBay Ontario (I have a friend from Canada, thought of her, remembered my training month in Canada and then Thunderbay). When I googled it, I came across this amazingly wonderful blog written by a Northeast Ohioan named Don Iannone. He is an economic development consultant and his website http://www.don-iannone.com includes profile information that covers his work with everything from a Cherokee Indian project to work with local governments and publishing journals.  The blog is wonderful enough when it gives you all sorts of issues on economic development, but it also has a side project lol.  He has a poetry section!  I'm going to try to feature other bloggers whenever I can, so we can benefit from their creativity and knowledge.....check out his poetry and accompanying photography! Go to:  http://www.don-iannone.com/edfutures/index.html.   He has a Zen section too which is fun.

I have a favorite Zen quote of my own from my Zen calendar.  It is the post from September 19 2006: 

When elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.

Kikuyu Proverb.

Sep. 21, 2006 - Great Fellow Blogger's Site to Satisfy Our Need for Bargains

Who among us doesn't like to save money or ferret out a good bargain! I happened upon a fellow Cleveland blogger's site who has an ongoing compilation for those of us (ok, me) who don't do it on our own.   It might behoove you (I love that word) to check it out before Friday to take advantage of a Friday only yahoo! offering. And yes, I will add Jim's link to my favorites list so you can return here anytime and get to it.

http://cleveland.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=cleveland&zu=http%3A%2F%2Ffreeandcheap.blogspot.com%2F

Sep. 18, 2006 - Live On The Edge in Tremont!!!!!

Grand Opening In Tremont

Friday, September 22nd from 5pm until 8pm will be our first unveiling of the newest place to live in Tremont .There is a new street called Cityview, and townhouses situated there, in the new Bergen Village. It is  located at Tremont Ridge, which is at the corner of  W. 5th and Literary. There is a fabulous view there, it's all within walking distance of local 'haunts'  and galleries and shops. I am one of the listing Realtors on this project, and am excited to be able to invite you all to come join us for the Grand Opening. Chris Allen, a Tremont resident/member of the band the Roosevelts will be singing;  The Lincoln Pub will be providing the libations. And OPA will cook up  the food.   This is truly one of the best locations in Tremont. Stop by anytime between 5pm and 8pm.  What a great way to start the weekend!  

Sep. 14, 2006 - Enticing New Business To Ohio

Sometimes it seems as if the public is not made aware of efforts by our State and Local governments to bring more businesses to our area.  I was pleasantly surprised yesterday when browsing cleveland.com to see a glimpse of what is planned.  At least as for as promotional material is concerned. http://www.ohiomeansbusiness.com is a site business people will be directed to when they see these flashy new promotional pieces (one is scheduled to run soon in the Wall Street Journal). Check out the site, let me know what you think!

Sep. 12, 2006 - Mortgage Rates are Still Good!

Thanks to fellow Realtor Lenn Harley in Maryland for the historical mortgage rate information; you might find it a real eye opener. Interest rates may not be what they were a year ago, but they are certainly better than they were in the 1980s!  If you check this link you will see what I am talking about: http://www.homefinders.com/historical-interest-rates/ I will also keep the link available on my blog (see left hand column).

Sep. 6, 2006 - Show You Care: Vote in November

Some people call it 'that silly season,' when politicians are out and about telling us why we should vote for them. As for me, I take it seriously. It gives me a chance  to look a candidate in the eye and ask the question that has been burning in my brain. It gives me a chance to see which ones really do believe in Cleveland.  Are we upset that Cleveland was voted the Poorest City in the Nation? Does it make you want to scream when companies relocate to other cities and leave our Lake Erie shores? Voting is one of the most important things we can do in our lives.  My burning question for all of you today is: are you registered to vote?  You have until October 10th at 9pm to register, and it can be done easily.  For example, motor vehicle locations and public libraries. Or you can go to the Board of Elections on Euclid Avenue, Downtown. To get more information on registering check out the Board's cool website at: http://boe.cuyahogacounty.us/. They also offer updated information on ballot issues to help keep us all informed.  Or, you can call The Board of Elections at 216-443-3200 for other details. 

Aug. 21, 2006 - LOCAL MYSTERY WRITER PENS NEW BOOK

You know a book is good when you smile, laugh, are intrigued and can't wait to turn the page.  That is how I felt when I read Casey Daniel's latest book, Don of the Dead. And what makes it even better is that she is a local writer featuring Cleveland in the book, with a huge focus on Little Italy.  This is the first in a series of books she will write called The Pepper Martin series.  I'm going to include an excerpt from her own website to give you a clue (did you like the pun?) into her enthusiasm about this series, her background and what is coming up next.  Write fast, Casey!

CASEY DANIELS

• Home
• Don of the Dead
• About the Author
• What is next?
• E-Mail Casey
• Message Board
• Tips

 

A couple years ago I applied for a part-time job as a tour guide at a historic cemetery not far from where I live. Why? Well, aside from the fact that the job would force me to step away from my computer and remind me that there was a life beyond writing (even in a place where just about everybody was dead), I love cemeteries.

---

No, really. I mean it. I really love cemeteries.

Think about it. A cemetery--I mean a really good old cemetery, not these new “memorial parks” where every headstone is flat to the ground and every one of them looks the same--is really a museum without walls. Take a peek into any cemetery that’s more than sixty or so years old and you’re bound to see interesting architecture, sculpture and art. There are stories, too, everywhere you look. One memorial can give you a glimpse into generations of a family’s history. Another might suggest tragedy. Still others speak of undying love and precious memories.

Is it any wonder that a writer’s imagination is bound to take flight in a cemetery?
That’s exactly what happened to me. I didn’t get the job, by the way, but as I drove home from the interview, I did get the idea for Pepper Martin, a cemetery tour guide whose enthusiasm for cemeteries does not rival my own. After all, what could be more perfect that an amateur sleuth surrounded by dead people? And if she just so happened to be able and see and talk to some of them, all the better!

I learned to love mysteries early thanks to my dad, a Cleveland Police detective who enjoyed the Sherlock Holmes stories and spent his days off searching for stolen cars. Often on those trips, I was in the back seat and to this day, I have Dad to thank for my knowledge of some less-than-savory parts of the city. Later, I read my way through every mystery story I could get my hands on. Agatha Christie and Conan Doyle are still among my favorites.

I have a degree in English, experience as a journalist and writing teacher, and lots of ideas for more Pepper Martin mysteries. When I’m not writing, I’m usually with my family and our two dogs, Ernie, an adorable Airedale pup, and Oscar, a rescued Jack Russell who spends far too much time watching TV. I enjoy knitting, gardening and of course, stomping through cemeteries in search of history, stories and inspiration.

For More information, or to send Casey a message, check out her website at: http://www.caseydaniels.com

 

Aug. 15, 2006 - Thinking Outside The Box

Thinking Outside the Box is the name of a Panel Discussion to be held at the City Club of Cleveland next week.  This is the last panel in a four part series on revitalizing Cleveland's housing strategy for it's neighborhoods.  What a timely topic!  One thing we could use is on-going, creative synergy on revitalizing the neighborhoods in our hometown! Have opinions on what you'd like to see happen? More greenspace? More affordable housing? More housing near public transportation?  Or would you just like to hear what others are thinking?

The City Club is one of Cleveland's treasures; a bastion of free speech and lunch meetings all year long that are sure to pique your interest. For more information, or to sign up to attend the lunch, go to the City Club website at http://www.cityclub.org 

Jul. 31, 2006 -

The City Of Cleveland Needs Your Input!

This is my first blog, and I welcome you all to my blog site! First up, is the recently held City of Cleveland Public Meeting regarding plans for the Shoreway Redevelopment.  You may have attended the meeting but just in case you didn't, I wanted to provide a useful update. 

Go to http://www.innerbelt.org.  The presentation provided at the public meeting is there; and they are looking for input from residents, business owners, etc. It's important for all of us to study the various proposals and give our input as to which one we feel is best...and why.  There is a questionnaire provided and a place to mail it.  They request our input by August 18th.

Thanks and I look forward to hearing from you!  Carole