Summer Wine Fest

After having a wonderful time with Brett and Karen, Doug and I followed it up with a fantastic day with Cal and Maggie.  We arrived in Chicago at 11 a.m. this morning and spent the entire day in Lincoln Park enjoying all that the area had to offer.  We started by walking to one of Cal and Maggie's favorite places for German beer.  The beer was good, but the best item on the menu was their soft pretzel.  It was not only delicious but enough for four people to enjoy.  While walking back to our car we even got to visit the movie theater where Dillinger was gunned down.  It felt a little morbid at first until I realized that it was a stop on the Chicago True Crime bus tour.  I guess if others were checking it out, it was ok if we did too. Either way, it made for a great photo opportunity next to the giant mural on the alley wall.

Cal picked Tuco and Blondie's for our next stop.  We had been there before, and Doug was more than ready to go back.  The restaurant was named after two of the characters from one of his favorite Clint Eastwood movies - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.  The margaritas were great, and we enjoyed the atmosphere very much.

The rest of the afternoon was spent at Cal and Maggie's apartment watching France and England play in the third-place play-off World Cup soccer match.  It was a high scoring game with England wining 4-6.  None of us could still believe that France wasn't in the final.  They had looked like the best team throughout the tournament and now were officially 4th.  While we were watching, Maggie was making dinner for everyone.  We loved the meatballs and charcuterie board that she made.  

Cal had bought all of us tickets for the Summer Wine Fest at the Lincoln Park Zoo tonight.  We were worried that it would be cancelled due to the air quality issues from the Canadian wildfires.  Thankfully, the levels remained ok today and most of the tables were moved indoors, so we did not have any problems with the smoke.  The wine night was a lot of fun.  There were thirty different wineries represented and we tried wines from quite a few of them. Many of the animals were still out and about, so we could walk through the zoo, drinking wine and see many of our favorites. Although the baby zebra was adorable, nothing compared to the baby rhino that was running all over its area.  It was the cutest animal that I had ever seen.  Overall, the wine night was a huge success and the perfect way to end a wonderful day in Chicago.

Celebrating Anniversary #1 in Columbus

After I left Paula's last night, I picked up Doug at the Indy airport.  I was happy that his flight got in early and thought that maybe I would be able to get to bed close to midnight.  Once we pulled into the parking lot, however, I heard a loud beeping coming from an apartment or a garage near Brett's apartment. I hoped that it would go away, but unfortunately it didn't and I accepted the fact that I would be staying up much later than I had planned.  I couldn't hear it inside of Brett's apartment, but as soon as I opened his door the loud four beeps were going strong.  I asked Google Gemini and looked it up online for verification and they both agreed.  It was a carbon monoxide detector and needed immediate attention from the fire department.  

I debated for a little while about what I should do next but finally realized that I wouldn't sleep if I didn't call 911 and report it.  Once I said four beeps, they instantly sent a truck.  It was after 2 a.m. when they arrived and I worried that I was wasting their time, but within ten minutes they had confirmed that it was carbon monoxide and even found the garage that it was coming from with their handheld detectors.  After walking through Brett's apartment with their gauges and assuring me that we were carbon monoxide free, the firemen showed me the problem in the garage.  A golf cart had been charging overnight.  With the heat and the corroded batteries, it had filled the garage with the poisonous gas.  Thankfully, they were able to clear it out fairly quickly and soon I was waking Brett and Doug up to let them know what they missed.

Although I didn't get a lot of sleep last night, I still had a lot of fun today with Brett and Karen celebrating their first anniversary as a married couple.  They spent the day giving Doug and I a tour of Columbus stopping at some of their favorite spots and trying out some new ones. While we were out, we went to three different bookstores, ate lunch at a local pub, checked out the hot sauce store, visited Brett's place of work, went to Bear Wallow Distillery and waited out a thunderstorm at Range 46 Winery.  We ended our tour at the pizza place that Karen and Brett went on their first date which was perfect for their one-year anniversary dinner from Doug and I.  It was so much fun hanging out with the two of them and seeing the place that they now call home.  We may not have been visiting on their actual anniversary date, but it was awesome to see how much they had grown in the past year together and to celebrate with them both.  

A Much Needed Visit

I enjoyed a very laid-back morning and afternoon today.  I hung out at Brett and Karen's reading and working on my computer in the morning.  In the afternoon I went to Kohl's and found four shirts that I absolutely loved.  Afterward I chatted with Karen for a while when she wasn't on a work call and was extremely thankful for a day of rest.

Tonight, I met Paula in McCordsville for dinner and a fun evening at her home.  She took me to a restaurant near her that was right on the lake.  The food was great and I loved the atmosphere.  The best part was talking to Paula.  It was so nice to share things with a friend that understood me so well. She not only listened but helped me to feel better about all that was going on in my life right now.  She knew exactly what to say and I left dinner feeling so much better than I had a couple of days ago.

After dinner, Paula and I went back to her house for the rest of the evening.  I was happy to see Gabrielle was home from work when we got there.  She told us all about her day in the research lab and her thoughts about being an anthropology major.  I loved her stories as I had taken anthropology classes at IU and found them to be extremely fascinating as well.  It was also nice to see how happy she was.  Before I left, Paula showed me her new backyard project complete with a pool, new landscaping and the perfect patio.  I cannot wait to see the finished project when I return in September.  

Mike Campbell - From The Heartbreakers to The Dirty Knobs

Last week I finished Mike Campbell's aptly titled autobiography, The Heartbreakers.  He was not only the band's lead guitarist, but also Tom Petty's best friend.  Doug had read it last year and was sure that I would like it. I am happy to say that he was 100% correct.  I enjoyed learning about Mike Campbell as well as the history of The Heartbreakers.  I loved that the book spent quite a few chapters on his life in Gainesville, a city that Doug and I now knew well.  Mike Campbell's detailed memories of his days at the University of Florida to the last concert he played with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers in 2017 were all amazing to read about.  He had hundreds of stories about other musicians that he had played with or met throughout his career including Boby Dylan, George Harrison and Don Henley.  He also wrote extensively about the songs, the music and the recording sessions with the Heartbreakers.  The best part for me was his stories about his life with Tom Petty.  They were absolutely fantastic and I learned more about my favorite singer in this book than I ever could have imagined.  I don't remember ever reading a biography faster than I did The Heartbreakers as I just couldn't put it down.

The last few chapters of Mike Campbell's book focused on his life after Tom Petty's death and the break- up of the Heartbreakers.  He played with Fleetwood Mac for several years and eventually formed his own band called "The Dirty Knobs" with a few of his long-time musical friends including Steve Ferrone, drummer of The Heartbreakers.  Last week, I was looking at concerts on Seat Geek when I decided to check to see if The Dirty Knobs were touring.  I couldn't believe what I found.  Not only were they touring, but they were playing in Nashville, Indiana tonight. I decided that I had to go and was thrilled that as soon as I asked Brett if he wanted to go with me he instantly said, "Yes!" 

Tonight's concert was so much fun.  I had been listening to The Dirty Kobs playlist on Spotify all week to get ready for it and knew almost all of the songs that they played.  I loved the five Tom Petty songs that Mike Campbell covered including one of my favorites, "You Wreck Me" which was also featured in the book.  The music wasn't Brett's taste, but he did really enjoy the opening act, Sarah Lee Guthrie.  She sang folk songs that she had wrote and covered several of her grandfather, Woody Guthrie's songs as well.  She also told stories about growing up with her father Arlo and playing music with him as well.  She was very entertaining which made for a wonderful night for both Brett and I.

Getting the Gang All Back Together

Last month, Cherie emailed the group of teachers from Milford Middle School that had all hung out together when I was teaching to see if we wanted to have a weekend get-together at her home sometime this summer.  She threw out this past weekend as a date that she had open.  After several people answered that they couldn't do a weekend, but a dinner out would work, I decided to respond.  I gave everyone the dates that I would be in Northern Indiana this summer and said that if any of those worked, I would be able to make dinner. Right away everyone answered that last night was the perfect evening to meet and I put it on my calendar.

I hadn't gone out to dinner with this group in well over a year and hadn't seen some of the women for several more.  None of that seemed to matter because as soon as we met, it was like the past eight years since I quit teaching melted away.  We caught up on each other's families, work situation, and life since Milford Middle School was disbanded three years ago.  There had been a lot of changes, but the most important part stayed the same - our friendship.  Overall, it was a wonderful night filled with shared memories, a lot of laughs and the familiar support that I always felt with this group.  I couldn't ask anything more.  

Another Trip to the Hospital

Last week, my dad called in the early evening. I was worried as it was rare that I heard from him at dinner time but thought that maybe he had something he wanted to share with Doug and I. He definitely had something to share, but unfortunately, it wasn’t good news. My mom had fallen out of the back door of the garage again and broke her left hip. He was on the way to the hospital when he called and was very worried to say the least.

My mom ended up with the exact same break and the exact same surgery that she had in December, but this time it was on her left hip. She spent two days in the hospital before they sent her to the Waters nursing home near my dad‘s house. I was really bummed to hear it as I was coming up to see them this week, and my mom and I had plans to get haircuts and go to The Depot.  More importantly, I was worried about how my mom would recover this time.

I arrived in Syracuse last night early enough to go over to the nursing home and visit with my mom. She looked very sad and in a lot of pain. I tried to be positive but wasn’t sure what today would bring. Thankfully, she was doing a lot better today. The nurses were able to get her dressed and sitting in a chair to eat breakfast. While I was there, I also got to go to physical therapy with her.  Although her hip hurt, she was able to move her left leg and do some of the exercises. I know that it will take several months for my mom to recover, but I was glad to see that she was already making a little bit of progress.

A Great Weekend in Ohio

Doug and I were up early this morning so that he could catch his flight in Cleveland. The drive was extremely easy as the airport was right off of the tollway.  Since it was smaller than Indianapolis, Doug had no problem getting through security and to his gate in plenty of time for take off.  While he read several chapters of The Count of Monte Cristo, I headed back to Toledo.  

Cameron was ready for lunch when I arrived. He picked a place in Perrysburg that we saw on our last trip to Toledo. It was a cute little diner and both of us chose a delicious albeit greasy meal to try.  Although downtown Perrysburg was still under construction, we could see the charm in the Toledo suburb complete with restaurants, coffee houses and antique stores. We both felt that it would be a lot nicer place to live than in the heart of the Glass City.

After lunch, we looked for a miniature golf place and were pleased to see one within 10 minutes of the restaurant. On our way, Cameron had me drive-through several parks near the Maumee river. They were absolutely beautiful.

We played mini-golf in a rural area of Perrysburg with corn fields surrounding us. It reminded me a lot of Northern Indiana. The course was perfect for the two of us and had Ohio trivia question on each hole. Cameron ended up beating me by two in mini-golf, but I took him in trivia. It was so much fun.

Once we finished, Cameron and I drove to several other local spots so he could show me what he had been doing these last few months. We talked a lot about Toledo, Owens Corning, and starting his senior year. It was so nice to spend a laid-back afternoon hanging out with him. I was sad to drop him back off at his apartment tonight, but incredibly thankful for the wonderful weekend in Ohio.