"Catching the Light in Lakewood"

Alex Belisle · Post by **Alex Belisle** » Tue Jun 02, 2015 9:34 pm

What a great place Lakewood is and I bet many here don't "see the light"

Just had a wonderful conversation with Vincente Chinor who is probably the premier couture designer in NE Ohio. It seems that we are on the same wavelength when it comes to ideas about fashion - design and photography.

He comes from Miami and I come from NYC = raising the social status of Lakewood. You just wait and see!

Don't you just love it when you meet so many like minded people!

That's what "catching the light" is all about.

Alex Belisle · Post by **Alex Belisle** » Thu Jun 04, 2015 8:31 am

My grandson, who is autistic, arrived last night to spend the summer with us.

When I asked him what he thought about Lakewood and our new house, he responded, "This is very nice!"

He's starting to "catch the light" early - must be his genes? ;-)

Marguerite Harkness · Post by **Marguerite Harkness** » Thu Jun 04, 2015 9:13 am

Alex,

You are a wonderful new addition to Lakewood!

Are there any more back in NYC that are like you? We should send you plus some of us as a "Come Home to Lakewood" delegation to NYC to bring back more retirees who want to live here, where their pensions will go farther, with modestly-priced homes and lots of recreation and intellectual activity all over the place.

BTW, City of Cleveland also has a Fashion Week, usually first week of May, that showcases fashion students from Kent State U and their designs, and finishes with a big fashion show downtown. (I don't remember hearing about it this year, though - did it still happen?)

Alex Belisle · Post by **Alex Belisle** » Thu Jun 04, 2015 9:58 am

Thank you for your kind words. You plus others have been for me a joy to befriend. There are many gracious, kind and wonderful people here in Lakewood!

Yes Marguerite, it did happen and I was promised a media pass that did not happen but be assured, Lakewood can have a better one! I will be working with Vincente Chinor, probably the premier couture designer in NE Ohio and other influential people to put Lakewood first and foremost on the map in Cuyahoga County!

Alex Belisle · Post by **Alex Belisle** » Sat Jun 06, 2015 2:16 pm

"MEET the TRUCKS"

Wow! Lakewood sure has a LOT of children! What a great event this is. I met Jim O'Bryan who asked me if they have anything like this in NYC and I responded that I don't think so mainly because there's always so much happening in NYC that all those large vehicles are probably needed 24/7?

Alex Belisle · Post by **Alex Belisle** » Sun Jun 07, 2015 3:44 pm

6/7/15

I caught LOTS of "light" at the "Taste of Lakewood" event - my 1st one.

http://lakewoodobserver.com/photoblogs/ ... f-lakewood

Alex Belisle · Post by **Alex Belisle** » Tue Jun 09, 2015 10:12 am

6/9/15

Great overhead drone shot of Taste of Lakewood by the guys @AirheadMedia who are in the process of making videos for the City of Lakewood to be released in Dec. We had a great talk about drone technology and its implications for social media.

Alex Belisle · Post by **Alex Belisle** » Wed Jun 10, 2015 8:53 am

6/10/15

WOW, wow, wow! The City of Cleveland is "All In!" That's the official logo that the city is using to promote the CAVS (Cleveland Cavaliers) basketball team who are playing in the NBA Finals and who last night played a swarming defensive game against the Golden State Warriors and are up 2 -1 games in a 7 game series.

With Lakewood being only around 7 miles away, there were times last night that I thought I heard the outside crowds yelling and screaming for their CAVS. As a former shooter(photographer) for NIKE Basketball, I miss shooting games like these up close and sometimes getting to talk with the players, coaches and refs.

For all those naysayers who wrote Cleveland off in this series, let me "throw some shade" on you. That's the opposite of "catching the light". LOL The CAVS are bringing "light" into the Cleveland area, the "light" that comes with winning and being a positive unifying force in the community.

I'm so glad I moved here in this midst of a renaissance and revival of all things that make for a vibrant community (not just sports).

Alex Belisle · Post by **Alex Belisle** » Thu Jun 11, 2015 6:06 pm

6/11/15

My 1st LEAF (Lakewood Earth And Food) event in front of the Lakewood Library. It's like a co-op share farmer's market. Some of the food looked so good, it looked too healthy! LOL
http://lakewoodobserver.com/photoblogs/ ... ers-market

Alex Belisle · Post by **Alex Belisle** » Sat Jun 13, 2015 8:43 am

6/13/15

Rain, rain and more rain! It seems as if yesterday and last night was a prequel for Noah's Flood. When I lived in NYC, I was close to the Hutchinson River, Long Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean - surely they contained more water than Lake Erie!

It seems that Lakewood sits right between conflicting warm and cold weather fronts? But what is very cool about thunderstorms in Lakewood is the cool light show one sees as the lightning strikes create huge light panoramas behind the clouds.

I thought about "catching this light" with my camera but it was raining too heavily at the time. Have you noticed this? I used to see these light shows while flying as the plane flew on top of the lightning strikes and one could see the sky light up.

Alex Belisle · Post by **Alex Belisle** » Sat Jun 13, 2015 7:34 pm

6/13/15
Went downtown to view "@Parade the Circle - Cleveland Museum of Art" which was much more spectacular than I expected. The crowds were enormous and the children were in 7th heaven!

On the way there, I had an adventure with the mass transit system when I arrived at the rapid (Red Line) to find that it wasn't working and I had to take a shuttle bus instead. Normally this is no big deal but when you're new to the area, it can be. Thanks for Google maps on my iPhone and other visitors who were going to the same place I was.

When I arrived, I was surprised by the crowds! It reminded me of a smaller version of Central Park in Manhattan but here in University Circle everything (landmarks/museums) was in walking distance of each other.

http://lakewoodobserver.com/photoblogs/ ... eum-of-art

Alex Belisle · Post by **Alex Belisle** » Sun Jun 14, 2015 10:49 am

Just saw the following on Facebook: "Your pics make me wonder if Ohio got more fun after I left, or if it was always like that and I missed it some how. ;-)

" = warm fuzzy feeling.

Alex Belisle · Post by **Alex Belisle** » Sun Jun 14, 2015 3:40 pm

6/14/15

I did a photo shoot of the "1st Annual Birdtown Church Walk" today and what happened to me when I did similar shoots in NYC happened again.

I was floored by the majestic interior designs, icons and architecture of churches which look mundane on the outside but are jewels in the inside.

http://lakewoodobserver.com/photoblogs/ ... hurch-walk

Alex Belisle · Post by **Alex Belisle** » Sun Jun 14, 2015 4:05 pm

Here's my favorite photo from the "1st Annual Birdtown Church Walk"

Alex Belisle · Post by **Alex Belisle** » Tue Jun 16, 2015 8:30 am

RAIN

Does it always rain this much in June here in Lakewood? viewtopic.php?f=7&t=13486

Back in NYC, I had the Hutchinson River on one side and the Long Island Sound/Atlantic Ocean on the other but never all these consecutive days of rain.

My theory is that since Lake Erie is the most shallow of the Great Lakes, it evaporates quickly and then when it meets any warm front, it condenses and voila! = RAIN

What I especially don't like about the on and off behavior of these rain patterns is that I hesitate to go for a long walk, jog or bike ride because it can be sunny one minute, then a downpour another.

Then there's the "melancholy" aspect of lots of rain. It lends itself for some people to be depressing and depression is no fun.

Oh well, we could be California. ;-)

"Catching the Light in Lakewood"

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