The Blazing Night

July 6, 2012

Abe, Michael & Tim





* photo by Wes Priest

* photo by Wes Priest

The Blazing Night

“How beautiful the blazing night,
that showed we were alive…” –Jay O’Toole

We love July 4^th, there is something magical about celebrating what it means to be American and the history, heritage and promise that this country enjoys. The freedoms that we as Americans enjoy can sometimes be lost in the dreariness of the latest tragedy, political fight or celebrity gossip that seem to fill our 24 hour news cycles, but we somehow put that all aside each July 4^th holiday.



* photo by Wes Priest



Family, Friends, Food, Fourth of July and Fireworks are the best F-words in the English language and we enjoyed the best of each of them during this holiday past. Sharing the holiday with our friends in the Old Dog Crew at our Golden Beach gathering was about a perfect scenario for a special holiday.





Kathy

Wes

We spent the majority of the day between the beautiful sandy Golden Beach, where the city provided free hotdogs, chips and sodas all day long, and the pool at the house where we could lounge about and enjoy the perfect weather as well. Food was plentiful and we had a great dinner once again and a number of delightful beverages including a wonderful Sangria created by our friend Abe.

Abe





When the sun began to set, the group headed back out to the beach to catch the fireworks display from nearby Hallandale Beach. The fireworks were great in Hallandale, but what really was spectacular and something of a surprise was the plethora of additional displays that we were able to see from our comfy location on the beach.



Melanie & Wes

The Miller family



From Miami to our South and up through Ft. Lauderdale to the North, almost every beach community hosted their own fireworks display and we were treated to a variety of fireworks up and down the beach for as far as the eyes could see. It was a very cool experience. There were even a couple of fireworks displays behind us towards the mainland. It was something of a crazy experience and the many kids really enjoyed it as well.

* photo by Wes Priest







After the fireworks, it was back to the house where a ice cream feast was prepared for us all, which made for a great cap to what was a wonderful day and amazing week with friends. Kathy & I were scheduled to take off early the next morning, but we couldn’t bring ourselves to leave right away and decided to stay through lunch at least.­­­





Annestasia & Eric

We all convened for lunch at a fantastic Ft. Lauderdale craft beer bar and restaurant called Tap 42. Tap 42 looks sort of non-descript from the outside, but inside the atmosphere was not bad at all, The inside/ outside bar was unique and the craft beer selection was outstanding. The food was pretty great as well. It was a happy occasion and a nice way to conclude the week.

Hunter







I am so thrilled to have such amazing friends and we had a wonderful week in Golden Beach. Thanks so much to our hosts Eli and Mary and to the entire Schloss famly for allowing us all the use of their beautiful home. Hopefully we will get together more frequently as possible.

Old Dog Crew

July 4, 2012

ODC, Golden Beach, 2012

ODC, Golden Beach, 1998





Kevin, Eli & Michael

Old Dog Crew

The Old Dog Crew originated in Indianapolis, most specifically in the Broad Ripple neighborhood where we grew up, in fact the majority of ODC members attended Broad Ripple High School, and while I did not, my association with the group and its members dates back almost thirty years to the beginning I guess. Over the years, we have managed to not just stay in touch, but remain close friends even though many of us spread out across the country and far from our roots in Indiana.

1998





Kathy & Michael

Our friendship has seen all sorts of wonderful times and lasted through numerous girlfriends, wives, children and now even loss as time has marched on and this gathering in Golden Beach is the first time in years that we have made a concerted, organized effort to get together for something other than special occasions like weddings.



The Chastain family



Abe

Golden Beach holds a special place in our hearts and history as many of us had had the chance over the years to spend time there with our ODC host Eli, whose family has owned the house there for generations. Most of us spent significant time here when Eli and his wife Mary were wed under the pavilion on the beach here back in 1998, and I have made numerous visits over the years.









Since my last visit, the old house has been demolished and a beautiful, much larger home has gone up on the same site in the beautiful gated private community. This place is even more spectacular than the previous home and easily was able to accommodate the twenty-eight ODC members and their families who stayed on-site. In fact, despite the numbers, it never really even seemed crowded over the week. It is a beautiful place in a beautiful location that lies directly on the intercoastal waterway, just a block from the beautiful private beach reserved for the small Golden Beach community.



Wes

Kathy





This was really the first real ODC gathering that families were not only invited too, but encouraged and members came from near and far bringing along spouses and kids, many of whom I had not previously met. There was a large contingent from the West Coast as the Cali ODC contingent was well represented, which was really cool because they are some who we actually see the least often due to the distance involved. It was so cool to have so many kids around; they were seemingly everywhere, enjoying immensely the pool and the beach and seemingly instantly bonding in a way that only children seem to be able to do easily when meeting new people.

Abe

Tim

Eric & Wes





The pace of life during the week was awesome, mostly resting and relaxing either poolside, at the beach or on the comfy couches in the living room, punctuated by much eating and drinking, fantastic food and drinks with the occasional game of Eucre thrown in. The food was spectacular with delightful grilled local yellowtail one evening and a spectacular Korean BBQ another and even a catered Cuban Paella feast yet another night.

Tracy, Eric, Michael & Kathy



Annestasia & Mary



The weather could not have been more spectacular, sunny and beautiful for the week, perfect weather for the incredibly beautiful soft sandy beach at Golden Beach. The water was perfect and comfortable and while we love the beach at Ft. Taylor in Key West, it is nowhere near as comfortable as the one in Golden Beach. We spent hours, just hanging out at the beach there and also at Hallandale Beach, which was just across from the hotel where Kathy & I stayed.

Kathy, Ted & Abe

Abe