My wife, of nearly fifteen years, and I spent last week in central Indiana. We spent a majority of our time in the Bloomington area, specifically Indiana University and Lake Monroe.
You may be thinking, "A week in Indiana? Ugh." Well, we really love experiencing college towns and two of our other favorites are Des Moines and Madison. We find them to be a little more modern, flush with outdoor activities, and stacked with great food venues. So, we decided to give Bloomington a try this time around.
During the first half of our trip we stayed at Graduate. Graduate is chain, which is currently building college themed hotels in major college towns.
Indiana is known for its basketball, so much of the decor was based around the state's rich basketball history. Here's my favorite art piece within the hotel.
It's a chandelier made of chairs. Obviously, this is a tip of the cap to Bobby Knight. LOL
Indiana University's campus is gorgeous. It features brick walking paths, limestone buildings, creeks, shaded areas and it was immaculately maintained.
Above is picture of Laura at the Sample Gates.
Here's a snap shot of me with one of the pieces of art on campus.
Scouring the internet for unique places to consume food and/or beverages is something I really enjoy doing before a trip. The best place I found was Function Brewing.
I don't often order a flight of beer, but I figured it would be the best way for this light-weight to try as many of the math themed beers as possible.
My favorite was the Theorem Milk Stout. Good stuff!
Here's a completely different tasting flight.
We experienced Bruster's Ice Cream twice during our trip. Four smaller single scoops of ice cream in a waffle bowl for under five bucks. You can't beat that! Key Lime Pie is the top left, and then going around clock-wise we have Graham Central Station, Peach Melba and Black Raspberry Cheesecake.
Laura found a hamburger joint I still can't get out of my head. Hinkle's is all about service and it was the best cheeseburger I've had since I frequented Lulu's in Chicago before Laura and I were married.
Downtown Bloomington advertises that it is home to eighteen different ethnic restaurants. We tried our fair share, but we went to one place three times and I was re-introduced to bubble tea!
We went to the botanical garden on IU's campus for an hour or so. Above is a picture of their century plant which blooms once during its fifty or sixty years and then dies. This is the summer it will bloom!
We traveled around downtown Bloomington on rental scooters. That was super fun!
We made it to Indiana University's baseball complex. It's a very nice facility and all done up in artificial turf. Luckily, it was unlocked and we were able to walk right in.
We spent a day and traveled north to Indianapolis to see their museum and outdoor gardens at Newfield's. There was a legitimate beer garden on the premises, although we were there on a day when they weren't serving. Bummer.
We rented a condo on Lake Monroe during the second half of our trip and spent some quality time relaxing by reading, napping, and watching movies.
One morning we rented a fishing boat and went tooled around Lake Monroe for a couple of hours. Laura really enjoyed being at the controls.
Laura and I went on a couple of hikes, but many of the trails in the area were closed due to all of the rains they had experienced earlier in the month. Here's a snapshot of the 9.5 mile route we hiked one morning. Lots of hills on that bad boy! Whew!
On the way home we stopped by a fireworks store to pick up some goods for my father's retirement and 4th of July party combo.
It's always nice to get away with the one you love. Bloomington is a wonderful place to spend some time and explore, because the campus is beautiful and the food options can't be beat.
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you find some time to get away this summer!
I celebrated with friends and family at parents' house on Saturday, and I'm happy to report I set off a slew of fireworks and still have all my digits.
Yesterday I was in South Bend to see the the Cubs' Low-A affiliate play a game. Yes, there were fireworks after the game.
Today I'm following the South Bend Cubs to Fort Wayne as they start a new series with the Tin Caps. And yes, there will be more fireworks tonight! I hear Fort Wayne has a pretty nice ballpark and they offer a nice minor league experience. I'm pretty excited!
I'll leave you with one piece of USA themed cardboard from 2004. I picked this one up from Sportlots for less than two dollars shipped the other week. What a steal!
It's my first certified auto of my favorite current Cub and it fits in well with this post to boot!
Yesterday was my parents' Fireworks Extravaganza and it was a blast as usual. (See what I did there?) A nice collection of family and friends gathered to indulge in burgers and hot dogs from the grill, watermelon, deviled eggs, my sister's fantastic guacamole, pie and cookie cake! We played some frisbee golf, ladder golf, and we even had a nice bags tournament that involved nearly everyone. As dusk approached we started lighting off the fireworks and we drew quite a crowd from the neighborhood before it was all said and done. I'm happy to report that I have all my digits still attached!
Earlier in the day my mom handed me a newspaper clipping and a yellow padded envelope. Needless to say, I was pretty curious!
The clipping was the abridged version of an article I read on the LA Times' webpage in late June. The lead pictures were the same, but the Peoria Journal Star's article didn't print much of the original material on Kobe Kawano. Kobe worked for the Dodgers and I suppose the PJS didn't think it's readership would take much an interest in him.
The Kawano brothers, Yosh and Kobe, were both clubhouse managers in MLB for several decades. In fact, Yosh didn't retire until 2008, at the age of 88, after working fifty-five years in the position.
I remember seeing Yosh and his omnipresent floppy hat getting screen time during Cubs games on WGN when I was growing up. If I remember correctly, Harry Caray and Steve Stone would manage to work him into a telecast a couple of times a month. The LA Times confirmed what I had already surmised: Yosh was pretty popular with everyone in the Cubs family.
The article is a fun and quick read and I would suggest checking it out if you have the time this weekend. In the meantime, allow me to borrow an anecdote to tease you into clicking for more:
One time, Yosh followed a young sportswriter outside as the Cubs took
batting practice. A grounder bounced their way and the reporter scooped
it up, tossing it to a boy in the stands. “Yosh starts chewing him
out,” says Ned Colletti, a Dodgers senior advisor who formerly worked
in Chicago’s front office. “He was telling the guy, ‘That’s not your
baseball. That’s my baseball.’” The reporter handed over $5. Yosh crumpled the bill and flipped it into the stands, saying: “Now we’re even.”
Ahhh, good stuff! Little stories like these are part of the reason I love the game so much.
The card in the bubble mailer? It's a 1958 Topps Cubs Team Card!
Yep, it's Yosh Kawano! I have a card with Yosh! Score! This team card will go in my Cubs binder right next to Harry Caray, Steve Stone and Don Zimmer cards. Thanks, Mom!
Ten years ago was the last time my school district's spring break was scheduled for March. What does a baseball loving fan do on such rare occasions?
Posting the temperatures during the game always received a laugh from the crowd.
Yep, a four day stay in Arizona to catch some sun and see my Cubs!
My companions for the trip were my sister, Jane, and my baseball-loving friend, Jim.
Photo opportunity in front of the Cubs' marquee!
Jane in front of our seats.
We arrived late on Friday, March 21st, and were to excited to sleep. Saturday morning arrived too quickly, but that didn't stop us from heading to the game. Highlights included:
1. watching Javier Baez play his own game of Home Run Derby during batting practice
and
2. Jim bought a $30 mystery baseball for charity from the players' wives. It was autographed by Travis Wood and Jim got his picture taken with Mrs. Travis Wood.
3. Logan Watkins, a former Peoria Chief, smacked a triple. We cheered incessantly for him!
4. Billy Hamilton also hit a triple. Here's my understatement for the month: "Billy Hamilton is fast."
Low lights? Just one. The Cubs lost 8 to 3 to the Reds.
Below is shot of one of the many maps found around Cubs Park. If you look closely you can locate where I was standing when I took this picture.
Sunday morning I awoke early to get my long run in before the temperatures became too warm. I'm training for a half marathon at the end of April. Why do I commit to such things? No matter, here's a couple of shots of what I spotted on my run:
Just ten minutes into my 6.7 mile excursion I was surrounded by rolling hills and cactus. My turn around point was just a bit further than the sign board outside Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
Here's where I turned around! Seven o'clock in the morning and they were already preparing the field. Six hours later we tried to find refuge in the shade of the palm trees down the right field line.
It was a hot day and a little miserable, but then the bats woke up. We witnessed Junior Lake, Luis Valbuena, and Mike Olt combined for six homers and defeated the Athletics.
Lake hit homers in his last three at-bats and Valbuena went back-to-back with him in two of those plate appearances. Olt's homer was probably the longest of the six. Lots to cheer about!
That evening we went out with Shane, the Double-A trainer, and his girlfriend for dinner. Jim has befriended Shane on his three trips to Cubs Fantasy Camp. I loved hearing stories about "baseball life" and Shane offered up plenty of insight and anecdotes.
Monday started out interesting, as we were locked inside a local baseball card store while the owner went next door to supervise his other business, a laundromat. It was a pretty nice store, which contained twenty 4,000-count dime boxes and vintage cards! (Hat tip to It's like having my own Card Shop for the card shop suggestion.)
Mmmmmm... vinatge.
I'm planning another post to show off the baseball cards from the trip. Be patient!
Jim, Jane, and I took in the Cubs' Triple-A game after lunch at the practice fields. Here's a shot from earlier in the trip of two of my favorite minor league players during a morning practice. ROCK SHOULDERS is the foreground and Dan Vogelbach is looking our way!
What a sweet deal the minor league game was! Free parking, no tickets to buy, and baseball players were mingling about everywhere! The I-Cubs beat Danny Salazar and the AAA-Indians by the score of 7 to 2. We even bumped into Theo Epstein! Holy Smokes! I shook hands and got my picture taken with my man crush!
Mad props out to my sister for taking this photo!
I apologize for the overuse of exclamation points. I was just a little* excited.
That night we attended the first ever night game at Cubs Park. The major league team lost again (7 to 1 to the Padres), but there was a nice fireworks show after the game. Oh, and here's a view from our seats:
I was hoping for a chance at some of those "objects", but we were never fortunate enough to have a ground ball scoot our way. I've never sat in the first row at an MLB game. For $24? I'd do it all over again!
Beautiful Cubs Park at night.
Tuesday was our last day in the Valley and we were set for one more day game.
We got to the park early for batting practice and my sister and I were each able to score batting practice homers! I've never done the "ball hawk" thing before. Fun, but a little dangerous: the ball just seems to drop out of the bright Arizona sky from no where!
As you can tell from the picture I didn't catch the ball. No shame in being the first one to track down a ball in a mad scramble!
The Cubs broke the Cactus League record for single game attendance during the game with 15,276 in attendance. The Cubs now hold the top eleven spots in the record book, plus they crushed the MLB home game spring season attendance record with 213,815. The previous record was 203,105. The Cubs averaged 14,254 fans per game, which dwarfed the old mark of 12,125 set by the club in 2005. I'm proud to help contribute to the records!
I must add that the park was packed with fans, but it was also MUCH easier to get about and exit than Wrigley Field. The front office and the architects did things right. A terrific fan experience!
Back to the last game: as you can tell from the picture the Cubs had a nice two run lead going into the ninth, but when you use your closer in the 5th and your set-up man in the 6th inning... well... yeah. It's spring training. What's a fan to do?
I think we saw three "Official MLB Reviews" take place on our trip. Rick Renteria, the new manager for the Cubs was responsible for instigating this challenge. We were sitting way down the left field line for this game, but I swore I heard Renteria say, "I'd like to challenge the entire top of the ninth."
After the game we hit Dave & Busters, had a nice dinner, and retired early so we could catch our plane early the next morning.
Overall, it was great to get away from the dreary and cold forecasts of Central Illinois, hang with two of my favorite people, and stuff in as much baseball as possible within a four day period.
So what if the Cubs only registered one win in four games, and we were denied the playing of "Go Cubs, Go" at home all three time games? The Triple-A team won a game, and I was just as excited to see them play, because that roster was stacked with talent, which we'll hopefully see before too long.
Besides, with the internet I can play "Go Cubs, Go" whenever I want.
Thanks for stopping by for my lengthy spring vacation recap!
I promised my sister-in-law and her husband Steve that once they moved into a new house I would visit for a week and help them fix up their residence. On Saturday, June 22nd, I headed west from Peoria, IL, with my tool bucket in tow.
What a great setting to take in a ball game!
The Vintage Game emcee.
Johan!
At the onset of my trip I caught my Kane County Cougars in the Quad Cities playing the River Bandits right along the Mississippi. My sister joined me for the first leg of my travels and we both picked up a Johan Santana bobble head and we were fortunate enough to take in a "vintage" baseball game. We're talking about rules from the 1850's! No gloves, underhand pitching, and everyone wore high socks. It was great! If you caught a batted ball on one bounce the batter was out. Crazy!
Dan Vogelbach, Albert Almora, and Rock Shoulders
The modern day game was pretty good, too. The Cougars had a 5 to 4 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth, they promptly gave up a run, and then lost the game in the 11th inning on a Carlos Correa walk-off single. If you're counting (and I know none of you are), the Cougars are now 0-for-5 in games in which I am in attendance. Sigh.
Silver lining? Well, the Astros' #1 pick from the 2012 draft may have had the game winning RBI, but I snagged the autograph of the Cubs #1pick from the same draft! Albert Almora! Sweet!
The next day was a total travel day: 13 hours in the car. Bleck. A big thank you to SiriusXM for getting me through the western half of Nebraska. I think SVP and Russillo may be the best sports talk radio out there.
My in-laws' house is really nice, but it definitely needed a few things. For example, here's the remnants of the door jam to the garage. Yeah, no problem. I cleaned that up, made it look sharp, and it now locks!
Here's a list of the other projects I took on:
laying plastic sheeting in the crawl space to serve as a vapor barrier
exchanging out the dining room chandelier for a more modern one
installing a ceiling fan in the master bedroom
laying down insulation in the attic
tearing down and building a new fence
New fence for the yard!
There were many other little tasks that I helped out with, but those were the biggies.
My favorite activities during the week were spent enjoying an adult beverage and watching my Cubs at a local watering hole with my brother-in-law, and participating in the blessing of their six-week-old baby girl, Lil. I'm officially an uncle for the first time! Hooray!
I split up the drive on the way home and stopped for a game in Omaha. For the second consecutive year I managed to somehow miss the College World Series by a matter of days. Bummer.
Koyie Hill (#5) is still getting after it in the minors!
But, it was "$1 Hot Dog" and "Bring Your Dog to the Park" night at Werner Park.
And for the first time this year I found myself at a game where I didn't have a vested interest in either team... well, until I learned that the New Orleans Zephyrs' catcher was Koyie Hill. Koyie is a former Cub and one of my favorite role players during his tenure in Chicago. Naturally, the team I decided to then cheer for lost the game, 2 to 1 in twelve innings. Go figure. I think I'm cursed.
I hit a card shop on the way home in the Quad Cities and arrived at my humble abode on July 2nd. Nearly 2,000 miles of travel, two baseball games, five total card shops, a half-dozen house projects, and a blessing crammed in to an eleven day span. Yikes! I feel like I've been hit by a truck.
I found this license plate in the parking lot of my last card shop!
Speaking of baseball cards, look what I found at the last shop! Two packages of Kerry Wood cards! I haven't even had time to open them up yet as things are just now starting to slow down.
Thirty Kerry Wood cards for $2? That's less than 7 cents apiece! Score!
I also found these two beauties in a "5 for $2" bin. A dinged up '73 Johnny Bench and Ken Griffey, Jr. card showing the "The Kid" being a kid. Nice! Oh yes, and lots of trade bait to fill yellow bubble mailers with in the future!
Look who was waiting to pounce on me when I arrived home. Gus!
I celebrated America's birthday as I joined my wife and her parents at a local firework show on the 3rd. A day early, but it was still a blast! (Pun intended.)
Not the best picture, but not too bad for my camera phone.
I hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday! I'm looking forward to the last few weeks to recharge my battery before another school years comes calling.
