It’s the end, the end of the summer days

Well, hello, you little maniacs!

Did you miss me?!

I’m alive and kicking, but decided to take the summer off. No apologies this time for not updating sooner, because I made the decision to take a break and I don’t feel even a little bit bad about it! (Okay, maybe 5% bad. But that is within the margin of error.)

It’s been a busy and fun summer, and I just decided to go with that and not feel obligated to write about everything. Plenty of updates on Facebook and Twitter (you can find me @Luvrte66), but I think all of us who are still writing blogs know that the readers just aren’t there like they used to be. I’m okay with that, although I did get quite a thrill when my hits went through the roof when Duran Duran posted a link to my review of my friend Andy’s book Beautiful Colors on their Facebook page! I do still enjoy writing, so I’ll ease back into it as we head into the winter and things settle down.

Man, we’ve had some fun. We went down to Indianapolis with Shane and Matt to see Presidents of the United States of America and then Smash Mouth; we went to a couple of RiffTrax movies; we went to several local events like Art Beat and seeing my friend Jim’s band High Gravity play; got to see a couple of Silver Hawks games; we got to party with some of my former coworkers when our friend Aubrey got married. We had our annual vegecation in New Smyrna Beach in July, and on the drive back, stopped in Atlanta to do a Walking Dead filming location tour, which was so awesome. Then we spent a couple of days in Nashville, where we visited the Johnny Cash Museum (it was wonderful), went to Printer’s Alley, and went honky-tonkin’ on Honky Tonk Row. It was an unusual weekend when we didn’t have something going on! As much fun as we had with all of these things, we appreciated those downtime weekends so we could recharge our batteries.

Our latest projects are getting ready to have our friend Mark come out from Omaha to spend a long weekend with us. We’ll be taking an overnight trip up to Detroit so that he can see his family, and we’ll be meeting up with some friends while there. I’ve also been busy planning a house party at Shane and Matt’s for later in September, where Bob Walkenhorst of the Rainmakers will play an acoustic show for a small group of us. I’ve loved Bob and the Rainmakers for going on three decades, so it is going to be wonderful to meet him and hear him play in such an intimate setting!

I’ve also been working on setting up a big vacation in October in Vegas, baby! A bunch of family and friends are converging on Sin City for a long weekend of partying friendship and fun. We’ve got people coming from the Detroit area, Texas, and California, and will be meeting up with several friends who live in Vegas. The long weekend will culminate with a meet-up for all of us at the Hofbräuhaus, an exact replica of the Munich Hofbräuhaus. We have some other fun things planned, and Ken and I will meet with Shane and Matt a few days before in Phoenix. Ken has a business thing he needs to go to, but we will definitely be hitting Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West while we’re there.

We’ve also had some very positive things happen on a personal level, and I’ll just say that I am very happy for Ken. Reconnections are great...never give up! There were positive things on a professional level for him, too, with a change of duties and director status at the company where he works. I’m very happy for him about that, too!

I always feel a little blue this time of year, because I love summer. It is definitely my favorite season. I love the warmth, I love sunbathing on the deck while reading and listening to music, and I especially love wearing as few clothes as possible. I don’t look forward to wearing all those clothes in the winter! I’m a big fan of not wearing pants. It’s not officially the end of summer yet, but doesn’t the end of August always feel like the end? It does for me. It seemed official this past weekend when I had my birthday, then celebrated with 80,000 of my closest friends on Saturday as the Notre Dame football season kicked off with a win against Rice. Go Irish!

As much as I hate to see the summer wind down, we have ND football, basketball, and hockey games to look forward to this fall and winter. In fact, we just got hockey season tickets! There are many fun things to look forward to, including a visit from our nieces and their family from San Diego over the holidays and some fun shows at the Morris for the Broadway Theater League.

But it still makes me sad when I fill the hummingbird feeders for the last time of the season, using extra-sweet nectar as they prepare to make their long flight south. I did that yesterday.

Farewell, summer. I’ll miss you. I’ll see you next year, though!

Please enjoy this song from Green Day. This is the aural equivalent of my feelings about the bittersweet end of summer.

Summer revels

First, thanks to everyone who expressed support here and on Facebook about my last entry. Knowing that you guys care and hate the BS as much as we do means more than you can imagine.

No worries about us. This is stuff that we’ve suspected for a long time, and having it confirmed is actually a bit of a relief. We know now that we weren’t imagining the manipulation; it really happened. We will keep on keepin’ on, just like we always do! Team Nutwood is strong!

Seeing all the supportive comments made me wonder (even more) about anyone who would consider my friends “minions.” I guess the concept of having true friends is beyond anyone who has to rely on unknown blog commenters as a source of support and friendship. Incidentally, “true friends” is the code phrase used between the blog author and “Stuart” so that he would know the blog author was writing about him. Awww, isn’t that cute? Maybe I should start up code phrases with some of you! [talking out of the side of my mouth] “Don’t eat the watermelon. Mr. Smith says it’s spoiled.” I will respond only if you give me the appropriate counter-phrase. Heh.

Anyway, that’s silly stuff, although still kind of funny. The truth is that this person no longer has any leverage over us. Perhaps that is what is fueling the anger, jealousy, and obsession—they know that they have no power any longer. Hell if I know. But the threats are idle and impotent. We’ll go about our business of having fun and living our lives, and if they continue to obsess over us, then it’s no skin off of my back!

Now...onward to fun stuff! The weekend is only half over, but it’s already shaping up to be a dandy. The weather is wonderful, and while Ken ran some errands he needed to take care of this afternoon, I got my workout in and then got some good outdoor deck time. We plan on grilling both nights. Tonight was hamburgers, corn on the cob, zucchini and onions, all on the grill. Tomorrow will be steak, salads, and potatoes. It seems like the summer is starting to wind down...I’m already noticing that the angle of light on the deck is starting to change. We’re happy to have a weekend at home to just enjoy Nutwood and the great weather. We’re heading up to Chicago next weekend, and soon Notre Dame football will be starting. These summer weekends are dwindling quickly, and I’m trying to soak up as much fun as possible while I can!

During my workouts lately, I’ve been listening to some vintage Green Day. Vintage, like 20 years ago...hard to believe! Yesterday was “Insomniac,” and today was “Nimrod.” It’s been quite a few years since I listened to these, and other than the hits, I didn’t remember many of the songs. Today I was blown away by a song on “Nimrod”: “Last Ride In.”

Anyone who has been reading me for a while knows how much I love surf music. Whether it’s the pure stuff from the ‘60s or the modern stuff from the ‘90s and beyond, I love the whammy and the twangy guitar. Dick Dale or Los Straitjackets, it’s all good stuff. (Oddly enough, I’m not a huge fan of the Beach Boys...but I consider them more of a pop group than a surf band. Some might disagree.) I had completely forgotten about “Last Ride In,” which is absolutely a surf music song, with all the wistfulness and happiness that these songs bring to me. I was pleased to find the video and see that it has a bit of that “summer feel” to it, with some skateboarding and driving around in a super cool car. This song is the soundtrack for my weekend.

I hope your weather is as beautiful as ours is this weekend. If you play this song, turn it up and think sunny thoughts!

Not quite summer

But it sure feels like it!

Summer...it turns me upside down
Summer, summer, summer
It's like a merry-go-round
I see you under the midnight
All shackles and bows
High shoes with the cleats a-clickin'
A temperamental glow
But then you let me go
Oh, got a hold on you, got a hold on you, I got a hold on you, tonight
Oh, I got a hold on you, got a hold on you, got a hold on you, that's right
Oh oh it's magic
When I'm with you (Oh-o, it's magic)
Oh oh it's magic, just a little magic (gotta be magic)
You know it's true
I got a hold on you
So twisted...under sideways down
I know you're getting twisted
And you can't calm down
I see you under the midnight
Love darts in your eyes
How far can you take it
Till you realize
There's magic in your eyes
I got a hold on you, got a hold on you, got a hold on you, tonight

“I see you under the midnight, love darts in your eyes.” I love those lines.

It was warm and humid today, and I love this kind of weather! It was just on the verge of being TOO hot and humid, but not quite there yet. Errands this morning (I was all smiles...did you smile at someone today?), and then a lovely afternoon at Nutwood. After an hour in the sun (with a couple of breaks to come in and cool off under the fan), I headed under the umbrella and read for a while.

I hope your day was as pleasant, and never forget...there’s magic in your eyes.

Peace!

Happy Fun Pool Time™

I’m sure that no one will fault me for sporadic posting as I enjoy what is left of the summer. In fact, I hope you are enjoying it, too! Things have been fairly busy as we try to cram in all those things you only get to do in the summer, whether it’s a minor league game (South Bend Silverhawks, coming up this Friday), an outdoor concert (The Whistle Pigs at the Studebaker Museum), or just catching a few rays and reading on the deck.

One of this summer’s standouts has been spending some time over at Shane and Matt’s house, which has a super-fantastic in-ground pool! (My strange expression in that picture is because I realized that as I was hunkering down to get in the picture with Shane, I was sticking my ass out all the way to Memphis. I made adjustments. Note my Route 66 huggy!) Hmm, as I try to recall the timeline, I think they moved in late last summer, so they didn’t try to get the pool up and running last year. Once they got it in tip-top shape this summer, they’ve been incredibly hospitable and generous in allowing me to come over and enjoy the pool on these warm and sunny days. (Some of them have been very, very hot, and the pool felt especially good on those days!)

To show that Cousin Shane and I are more alike than not, neither of ever learned how to swim. Oddly enough, I’ve always enjoyed being in the water, whether boating or just bopping around in the ocean or a pool. I just like to be able to touch bottom with my toes, and I don’t like having my head underwater. I’ve tried to be a little more adventurous, and got dunked by the ocean waves a few times in Florida. I also took a spill this past weekend, and got a snootful of water (man, I hate that). But Shane and I kind of encourage each other, and we get on our floaty noodles and head out to the deep end. Matt and Ken are also very encouraging, and Matt told me, “You’re probably swimming more than you realize.” That gave me the rather silly and unrealistic notion that I was hanging out in the pool like a boss. Fuck, yeah.

Pool Time! VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Anyway, it’s really been a lot of fun, and this past weekend, they even had a pool party! They cooked burgers and brats, and I took baked beans and some munchies, and others brought snacks and desserts. Everything was really good, despite some afternoon rain. Later in the day, it cleared up enough that some of us were able to hop in the pool for a little while. They had enough food left over that they decided on Round Two the following day, and it ended up being just the four of us and Sherri, a friend from Shane’s work--she was really cool and nice and funny!

We’ve got a few more good days before they close up the pool around Labor Day, and I hope to get over there once or twice more. It’s been some very pleasant days with great company, great talk, relaxation, and listening to some great music. Thanks, Shane and Matt! You guys are peaches! We hope to return the favor later in September, with a little cookout and perhaps a bonfire. We should be getting into some good bonfire weather around that time!

I hope your summer has been as pleasant. Those of us who live in a northern climate know how the winding down of summer feels, and it is very much a bittersweet feeling. It seems like they go by faster and faster, too. I love the advent of football, but I hate to say goodbye to summer. ::sigh::

Summer fun VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL