Cleveland Adventure, part two

After a delicious dinner at Batuqui, Maria, Charlie, and I went to Mitchell's, where the birthday party would be held. There were two guests of honor: Maria and Leland (age 21). We had use of a private area upstairs for our festivities. Mitchell's is an ice cream parlor in Cleveland. All of the ice cream is handmade on site. From the upstairs room, you could look down and see the ice cream being made. That was a good deal of fun for me because I've never seen anyone make ice cream and, therefore, thought that the process was magical (apparently not).

The room was decorated with a wide variety of paintings. This is a series of paintings on the wall. Interesting color scheme and very geometrical. 

From the window, you could watch all of the activity outside. People in northern climates really delight in summertime because it gives us a chance to spend quality time outside. 

The entertainment at the party included a balloon maker, who created all sorts of animals and humans and other things from balloons. Occasionally, the balloons popped with an abrupt noise. The balloon creations, however, were quite attractive, and I enjoyed seeing those, although, for sure, I could have done without the earsplitting popping sounds!!!

A face painter also came to add some glitter to our world. Here is one of the folks with a freshly painted face. 

The process of making the balloons up close.

The balloon makers shows off one of her creations.

The face painter is working on Lucy. Lucy said that she was thrilled to be at this birthday party. She told me about her friendship with Maria. "I haven't known Maria for too long, yet she has been a faithful, sincere friend to me. She is truly a blessing from God."

The face painter's materials.

This is a creative process for the artist, who uses human faces as her canvas.

Yum! Ice cream cake, made at Mitchell's.

Maria and Leland pose in front of the birthday cake.

Lucy's face painting is complete, and she has a new balloon friend. And now that the face painting is done, it is time to celebrate with delicious ice cream cake!

Yum! Twenty million calories (a moment on the lips, forever on the hips), but is sure tastes good. It is a combination of cake and ice cream in one delicious dessert.
Oh my. I managed to eat my way through Cleveland!

Here I am, with my own face painting. I had a grand time at the birthday party. I am so grateful to Maria and Charlie for inviting me. They are great friends. I met them in Guatemala in 1987!
My time in Cleveland was fun, but brief. Yesterday morning, I got on the bus and returned home. I will visit again in early autumn.

And here is Maria, basking in the idea that she and Leland both celebrated their 21st birthday.