Beat It!

Yesterday was South Bend’s annual Art Beat festival. We enjoyed it so much last year that we made sure to put it on our calendar for this year! We were joined by Shane and Matt, and despite the somewhat rainy day, we had a great time.

We enjoyed brews from South Bend Brew Werks, a quick snack from Hard Rock at Four Winds Casino, another snack and more brews at Café Navarre, and lots of great art from local artists.

One of my favorites was The Camper, an RV outfitted by artist Jack O’Hearn. I’ve become a big fan of installation and interactive art, and this was so much fun. There were board games and an old radio playing ‘70s music, lots of photos on the walls, and the whole thing reminded me of taking trips with my folks. They had a few campers and tricked-out vans over the years, and there is just something about a camper that reminds me of my childhood. Hitting the road, sitting at the table and reading or talking or having a snack or playing cards, watching the scenery zoom by out the window. Those are good memories, and O’Hearn brought them to life with his latest work!

I was tempted by so many things this year (as I was last year) but tried to keep the output of bucks fairly low. We also have yet to hang the works we got at Art Beat last year, so we decided we should do that before we got anything else!

But there were a couple of things that were irresistible. Like the super cool skull wind chimes that is currently hanging in our front window, and will stay inside all year.

I also loved these spun paint 45s. The colors are beautiful, and I love the energy and brightness of them. And the music connection, of course! They even had LPs that were painted like this. Matt and I were laughing about how we see this stuff and say, “What a cool idea and it would be so easy to do!” But yet we never do it. My head is full of ideas, though! I love seeing the creativity and fun and beauty from all of these artists. Support local art, as well as local musicians!

After Art Beat, Ken and I had tickets for a South Bend Cubs game, but it was still quite rainy and we decided to bail and join Shane and Matt at LaSalle Kitchen and Tavern for drinks and dinner. We heard later that they didn’t start the game until well after its start time of 7 PM, so we were okay with our decision. I love our Cubs, but I didn’t want to sit out in the rain for the game! We had yummy food and some great drinks, including the Liquid Hot Magma and Shag-A-Licious shots. It was tasty, too!

I got wonderful presents from Shane and Matt for kitty care and for my birthday—yes, it was my birthday!—and all kinds of wonderful wishes from family and friends. I got some great cards, and a cute gift from my sweetheart of a friend, Lisa. To top it all off, when we got home, I had a message from a doctor about some great medical results and it was a huge weight off of my mind. I was optimistic, but to hear it was wonderful. And wow, how many doctors call their patients on both Saturday and Sunday to give them results and to check on them AND to wish them a happy birthday? Dr. Engel, you are a prince, and your kindness is appreciated more than you know. (I believe I’ll be sending a note soon, though!)

I’m a fortunate and happy person, and I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday. Here’s to another year of fun and friendship! *clink*