blow off some steam along Ohio and Erie Canal

Man, it was a rough week at work last week.

I needed to do something sporadic; something to get my mind off my place of work. Noting the recurring trend of layoffs and overhauls in the office, it needed to be something cheap. We kicked around the idea of driving up to Kelleys Island and camping overnight, hitting up a winery, the beach and a mini-golf course. Melissa wasn't really up for it.

Instead, I strapped on a backpack, hopped on my mountain bike and headed for the towpath along the Ohio and Erie Canalway that runs through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. I rode about 15 miles to the town of Boston Mills and reserved a campsite behind the Stanford Hostel, just a short trek from the towpath.

Funny aside: I own only a six-person, family-size tent, and it wasn't fitting in my backpack. I thought about hitting up WalMart for a cheap two-person setup, but instead I decided to suck up my pride and put up Trevor's fish/monster play tent. Don't regret it one bit. It was a bit cramped, but it kept me dry and out of the elements.


From around 6 p.m. to around midnight I sat on a picnic table, drank gin from a flask and read an entire book cover to cover (Peep Show by Joshua Braff. I give it 4 1/2 stars; thanks, Carlo). Didn't think about work once. Trip=success.

Sunday morning I packed up and rode over to the Boston Mills train depot along the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad and was able to hop aboard the northbound train for $2. (The train operators offer bikers a one-way ticket for $2 as part of the Bike Aboard! program.)

Was home in time to make lunch for Melissa and Trevor, let them know how much I missed them and refrain from taking my work stress out on the family.

Word is in a few years the towpath will be extended north all the way to the Flats. Then I could potentially bike to work. I won't. But the fact that I could get downtown in less than an hour without using a drop of gas is pretty cool.

Point is: If you're looking for a cheap getaway, don't forget Cleveland has a treasured landmark in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park right in our own backyard. Whether you hike, bike, fish, hunt, jog, antique, bird watch, enjoy trains or just need to blow off some steam, you can't beat the price of an afternoon along the towpath.

Trevor turns three

Rounding out one of the busiest weeks ever, Trevor's third birthday party was a success yesterday. We rented the Elton Beard Cabin behind Kids' Town in Boardman Park and had, at one point, about 50 people. Thankfully, the cabin was air conditioned because it was a scorcher outside.

Beyond the obvious Thomas the Tank Engine theme, I stole from Happy Dog on Detroit Ave. the idea for a hot dog bar. I chopped up 26 toppings, including the standard stadium mustard, relish and caramelized onion and included some randoms for the kids, like peanut butter, sprinkles and fruit loops.

Trevor got an insane amount of gifts and hasn't stopped playing with toys since yesterday. Thanks to everyone who came, and a big thanks to everyone who helped out. We're lucky to have such a close family and group of friends.

Here are a few pics from the event:




A bunch more pics can be viewed here: http://tqfreed.shutterfly.com/362

Of course I was able to get a little creative with the hot dog bar. Here are some graphics I put together to illustrate the theme:


Again, more pics from the party can be seen here: http://tqfreed.shutterfly.com/362

LeBron deserves the backlash

LeBron James is lucky the only things burning after “The Decision” were a few jerseys.

Cavaliers fans and Cleveland residents deserve to be fuming over the terms in which James left this city high and dry.

Yes, LeBron put Cleveland back on the map. He played his heart out, left it all on the court, for seven long years. But isn’t that what he was paid to do? His “blood, sweat and tears” were rewarded rather handsomely with devotion, dollars, billboards, parties, sold-out seasons and any perk imaginable. He was handed the keys to this city immediately after being drafted by the Cavaliers in 2003. His high school friends were given roles within the team and the front office surrounded him with everything he wanted, including high-dollar players who placed ownership in the luxury-tax bracket.

Speaking of, let’s remember that LeBron James never chose to resurrect Cleveland; the Cavaliers chose him. He was signed by the Cavs in 2003 and was a restricted free agent in 2007. He couldn’t leave Cleveland in 2007, but what he could do is sign a deal for the minimum amount of years (three), which he did, knowing he’d want to explore his options as soon as possible.

Moreover, are we really sure James “went hard for seven years,” as Dwight Howard defended on Twitter? He certainly went soft in numerous playoff games, most notably Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals against the Boston Celtics, after which the entire country was questioning his motivation. After all the talk about winning, after every move the Cavaliers organization made to put the winning pieces in place, he shot a free throw left-handed with a playoff game on the line.

But the bitterness and anger boiling over in the city of Cleveland today isn’t so much about what LeBron James did on the court. It’s about a homegrown player who has become more concerned with his celebrity status than his fans and the game of basketball. It’s about this game of charades James played over the past two months leading up to The Decision.

James didn’t need to parade celebrities downtown Cleveland for weeks while adoring fans held signs begging him to stay. He knew he was ultimately going to break their hearts. He could have easily announced his decision to play in Miami on his new Twitter account when all the other free agents were making verbal commitments. Instead he chose to make his announcement the most narcissistic way possible, keeping every team and every fan hostage in a made-for-ratings reality TV show, building drama until he became the last noteworthy free agent to commit.

He intentionally took casual fans—everyday Cleveland residents who otherwise could care less where another uneducated-yet-overpaid athlete calls home—and got them deeply involved, only to break their hearts on national TV.

All the lights were shining on James Thursday night during his one-hour special on national TV. After his decision to join friends over family, the spotlight on Cleveland faded a little bit. For that, we deserve to be bitter. If it takes a few burning jerseys to restore that light, then so be it.

Bulls bring All-Star lineup

The Chicago Bulls entourage just arrived at Hopkins Airport; I just saw the fleet exit 480 and head North on 77 toward downtown Cleveland and a meeting with LeBron James.

A number of dark-windowed cars made up the cavalry, and rumors are the Bulls brought three celebrities with them for today's pitch to LeBron. The presentation will go as follows:

• Breakout session 1: "How to break 1 million hearts," moderated by Justin Beiber

• Breakout session 2: "How to get your valuables out of your house before it burns down," moderated by Andre Rison
  

• Breakout session 3: "How to escape Cleveland in the middle of the night," moderated by Art Modell

Trevor's Day Out with Thomas

A collage of photos, video and audio clips from Trevor's Day Out with Thomas on May 29. Pretty entertaining stuff.

The Quarry

Trevor and I stopped by The Quarry (aka the CSX loading dock near Steelyard Commons) today to take an up-close look at the freight cars.

I took some random shots with my cell phone. This is the best of the bunch.


Here are a few more.

More from the satellite office

My job has its perks--I'm not gonna lie. Here's a shot I took on the final day of the Choice Hotels conference last week. To prove that I actually do work, here's my coverage from the event.