Indianapolis

August 5, 2007

Cathedral High




I awoke in Indianapolis still thrilled about the amazing show in Louisville, it was really magical. I decided to check out the Indianapolis Zoo and White River Gardens in the morning before the heat really started to build. The zoo has grown and added a nice upgraded oceans exhibit. The Gardens are beautiful as well and it made for a relaxing morning stroll.







For lunch I headed to one of my favorite Indy spots, The Northside News Café at 54th & College. My buddy Tim makes a wicked good sandwich and I always run into friends there. After lunch, I made a quick stop at Brugge in Broad Ripple for one of Ted’s award winning Belgium microbrews. The folks at Brugge are keeping busy, preparing to open a new Brewery in Terre Haute which will allow them to bottle and sell the delicious beer throughout Indiana. Hopefully next time I’m there, I’ll be able to bring some home.

My next stop was the swimming club of my youth, The Riviera Club, where I spent the afternoon poolside relaxing and reading prior to the main reason I was in the city, my 25th High School reunion. I hadn’t even been out to Cathedral High School in a few years and it was amazing how many changes had taken place. They happened to be having an inter-squad scrimmage for the defending State Champion football team, which opens their season next week.

Julie & Randy Knox

Darcy & Carrie

The reunion itself was great, way better than I would have ever guessed. It was well attended and Diane Ranft and the team that organized it deserve a ton of credit. Most of the people there, I probably had not seen since graduation 25 years ago and many (myself included) are basically unrecognizable from what they looked like then. Others look almost unchanged, which is remarkable if somewhat scary. A few teachers and coaches were there including Judie Ney, Doc Wellman, football coach Mike McGinley and basketball coach Tom O’Brien.

Doc Wellman

Ken Barlow & Michael

Diane, Dave & Sharon

It was so great reconnecting and to see how people’s lives had turned out. Living so far away, I don’t get much of a chance to see any of the class of 82 and I have been pretty bad about keeping in touch. Seeing the members of our final 4 basketball team back together was pretty cool and talking to my former classmates and learning a little about their current lives was much more interesting than I had expected. The reunion went from something I wasn’t sure I even wanted to attend to something that I found myself wishing would have lasted longer.

Brad, Ken, Coach O'Brien, Jeff & Randy

http://www.bruggebrasserie.com/

http://www.rivi.org/

http://www.cathedral-irish.org/

Louisville

August 4, 2007

Louisville

So my Midwestern adventure almost got off to a terrible start when my connecting flight from Miami to Louisville was canceled suddenly, thankfully American Airlines was able to route me through Atlanta and I was only a few hours late. I did get to see an old friend and her family on the KW-Miami flight which was fun. Hi Deb. It was blazing hot in Louisville, the outside temperature gauge in my rental read a balmy 113 degrees… and people think Key West is hot. My late arrival made it impossible to explore downtown Louisville as I’d hoped- instead I went straight to Slugger Field home of the minor league Louisville Bats for the concert.

Collective Soul

Live

Counting Crows has been touring ballparks this summer along with fellow 90s bands Collective Soul and Live as part of their Rock n Roll Triple Play tour and I was here to see the Louisville and Indianapolis (Victory Field) gigs. For the Louisville show, I arrived early, (thanks Jules for my early entry passes) and made my way front and center of the pit in front of the stage. I met my friends and fellow fans Asher and Melissa and we staked out a spot. I had never seen Collective Soul and was fairly impressed. They sounded great and played a decent set that lasted about 45 minutes. Live played longer, about an hour, playing all their hits and a great cover of Johnny Cash’s, “Walk the Line”.

Highestlife, Melissa & Asher

The highlight of course was the Counting Crows and as always, they delivered. They seemed to be in especially good spirits, chatty and energetic as they played a 15 song – 90 minute set that included 3 songs (Washington Square, Cowboys and Insignificant) from their upcoming release, “Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings”. It was the first time they ever played Insignificant, which was cool. They also added a rarely played cover of “Meet on the Ledge” by Fairport Convention. They also played a number of their classic songs including a couple of my favorites, “Perfect Blue Buildings” and “Have You Seen Me Lately”

It was an amazing show, with a great enthusiastic crowd and a beautiful, if warm night. After somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 shows since 1994, the Counting Crows never fail to deliver. In fact- the current slimmed-down, happy and enthusiastic tour is well worth checking out. The new material sounds great and they seem to be on top of their game. After the show in Louisville, I did not hang around – heading to Indianapolis to see friends, attend my 25^th High School reunion and see another show.

Counting Crows Supports the following local charities, check em out:

http://www.houseofruth.net/

http://www.thecenteronline.org/

http://www.kibi.org/

http://www.juliancenter.org/

Madison

August 4, 2007

Madison

Scheduling conflicts and this crazy thing called work had Kathy traveling to the beautiful city of Madison, Wisconsin to visit our good friend Janine, while I remained in Key West. Janine recently moved to Madison, where she has settled quickly, completing all the tests necessary to become a full-fledged architect, getting a spiffy new job and buying a new house ( as well as getting a new cat). The fact that she has family in the area has only made the transition easier, and while we miss her here in Key West, it seems clear that Madison is agreeing with her.

Janine at her new house

Wisconsin State Capital

At the Farmer's Market

Madison is the home of the University of Wisconsin and is a thriving youthful metropolis with the downtown sitting in a beautiful setting between lakes Mendota and Monona. The state capital of Wisconsin sits on a hill at the center of town and is surrounded by shady trees, lawns and park benches. Kathy arrived while Janine was still at work and had the chance to ride around town on Janine’s bike while waiting for her. It gave her a chance to get out and see the town.

Once Janine arrived, they were able to spend a weekend doing what they do best- having fun. Whether visiting the famous Farmer’s Market which is held on the Capital Square each Saturday from May to October or going to see the beautiful Olbrich Botanical Gardens or simply going out for a few drinks, Kathy & Janine know how to have a good time. The Thai Garden at Olbrich is especially impressive; the only one like it in the US, the pavilion was a gift from the Thai people. Surrounded by plants native to Thailand and tranquil water, the pavilion is covered in beautiful gold leaf and is a highlight of the gardens.

Kathy had a great time in Madison, and though I missed it this time, I plan to tag along on the next visit. Not that I lack for travel opportunities, this week I am headed on a whirlwind tour of the Midwest myself. I plan to fly to Louisville, see a Counting Crows show there then drive to Indianapolis for another show as well as a high school reunion and then drive to Michigan for an Indy Car race.

Janine's family cookout

http://www.olbrich.org/