Our first road trip vacation
Dan and I took our first road trip vacation last week, and it was a blast!
We left early Saturday morning after dropping Kona off at Dan’s mom and dad’s house, and despite forces working against us (two freeway closures and bad weather), we got to Nashville late Saturday night and pretty much crashed right away from exhaustion.
We spent Sunday checking out downtown Nashville and visiting the Country Music Hall of Fame.
That night we went to a few different bars on Broadway and listened to some really fantastic local bluegrass and country bands.
Monday (my 30th birthday!) we ventured to Mammoth Cave and took an a amazing 2 hour tour of the caves. It was breathtaking, and very interesting (and cold!). I wish we could have spent a few days there taking more tours and walking the trails of the park! There was a plethora of putt putt golf courses in town, so we played at the cheesiest one we could find! That night we went to a local Italian restaurant and had a really great dinner and the best chocolate mousse I’ve ever tasted. We even spoke to the chef, a young kid who was originally from Michigan! The night ended with me finding a 6 inch long gray hair in the mirror and embracing my new age anyway.
Tuesday we drove to Columbus and spent the evening with our friends Jeff and Mandie. Mandie was a finalist in a season-long Euchre tournament with the final night that night and she and her partner won 1st place while we watched and drank on the patio of the bar. Add Euchre to the list of Mandie’s skills, along with all the games at the Lawn Sport Olympics!
Wednesday morning we packed up the car again for the drive to Cedar Point. It was ridiculously hot (over 90 degrees!), but we still managed to have a good time at the park. We went on some of our old favorite coasters - The Raptor, The Iron Dragon, and The Gemini and also rode the new roller coaster, The Maverick. In the end the heat won out, and we left for the trip back home.
Kona (our dog) was so happy to see us when we picked her up from Dan’s parents house, and it was nice to be home after a long trip!
There’s a ton of pics from our vacation on our Flickr page -check them out!
Robbie Badd Gets Married
There are only a handful of people that I’d drive 1200 miles in a weekend to be at their wedding. Robbie Badd is definitely on that short list. Beth and I left Pontiac early Friday morning, arriving in Houghton/Hancock late Friday evening, only to turn around and make the 11-hour drive home on Sunday morning. It was a busy weekend, without many opportunities for sightseeing on Beth’s first trip to the western U.P., but, in every single way, it was worth going.
Rob and Katie’s wedding ceremony was at her parents’ house on the shore of Lake Superior (which was way more beautiful than it sounds) with a short reception and drinks at the bar afterward. “Bridgefest” was in full swing back in Houghton, with fireworks and a cover band playing Jackyl (seriously) to cap off Saturday night.
It was great to see Rob (a good friend that I don’t see nearly enough of) and to be there for his big day. Congratulations!
The Breeders @ the Magic Stick
Beth and I went to see the Breeders earlier this week and, as promised, it was a great show. Even though they’ve been around for nearly 15 years (jeez, am I getting that old?), they still deliver. Their new songs, while not quite as good as the classics, are still better than most of the B.S. today’s kids are into. (Shit. I am getting old.)
In addition to the Divine Hammer video above, I also took videos of (my personal favorite) No Aloha, New Year and Cannonball (just by random chance, all off of Last Splash) and some photos of the evening.
The Nixon Summer Concert Series is just getting started!
A present for me!
My friend Lish told me a few days ago that she had bought me a present on Etsy and was awaiting its arrival. I’ve been curious since, and excited cause Lish has fantastic style and taste (seriously, her apartment is amazingly cool) and I knew whatever it was, I would love it.
She passed it along to Dan, who gave it to me in the parking lot of Chipotle last night. I opened it in my car - there was no way I could wait until I got home!
First off, look at this wrap job! So cute!
And the gift…
A super cool neoprene & velcro lunch bag (how green!)! Its handpainted, and made by Goshdarnknit. Not only is it really fun, it’ll be super functional for me whenever I’m on buying trips or selling at shows!
Thanks Lish! I’m so on the hunt for you for something cool!!!
Green Street Fair
Thanks to all of the participants who came out the Michigan’s first Swap-O-Rama-Rama last weekend at the Green Street Fair in Plymouth! We had a fantastic time sewing with everyone and making so many great projects (Tote bags were the overall crowd favorite!).
Thanks to everyone who donated clothing and material for us to use, and a big thank you to Janome for loaning us sewing machines for the weekend!
Thanks also to all of the fantastic vendors at the Rethunk booth - you showed everyone so many ways to be a “green crafter”!
And last but not least, a humongous thank you to all of the Swap-O-Rama-Rama volunteers - we couldn’t have done it without you!
To read more about the weekend, visit Handmade Detroit! Pictures from the event are also on mine and Lish’s Flickr pages!
Die Bitch!
Hell yeah! I’ve been waiting for a couple weeks to post this. (One of these was a surprise for my buddy Fabrizio, and I had to keep it under wraps.)
Designer and all-around kick ass dude, Josh Weston, made me a pair of “Die Bitch!” skateboard decks. I’m not sure if the picture really gets across how totally awesome these decks turned out, but these are seriously the fucking coolest skateboards I’ve ever seen (and that’s coming from a guy that used to ride this!).
These will really help Team Die Bitch’s chances in the flatland competition at this year’s Lawn Sport Olympics. Thanks, man.
Congratulations!
Just wanted to send our best wishes to Josh and Lauren, who got engaged Friday night. Congrats, kids!
High Five
So, last year I redesigned my buddy Fabrizio’s website. He kept insisting on paying me something, but I always refused because, you know, we’re close friends. It’s been almost a year since I finished the site and I assumed that I had convinced him that no payment was necessary. Then, last night, he shows up at my house and drops this on me:
He commissioned an artist to paint a picture of me riding a 24-karat gold jet ski. Let me say that again. In payment for a website, HE COMMISSIONED AN ARTIST TO PAINT A PICTURE OF ME RIDING A FUCKING GOLD JETSKI!
I’m still totally speechless. It’s so awesome that I almost didn’t link to this. Thanks, buddy.
Things learned while sanding trim
One: Our kitchen was painted lavender, then pink, then mint green, then olive green, then beige, then white.
Two: I hate sanding trim.
Blowout Fun!
The Metrotimes Blowout was such a blast! Wednesday was the opening night in the Majestic Complex, and Baar Bazaar was there to sell and celebrate! The vendors were awesome, the crowd was phenomenal, and the bands were super entertaining! Fox 2 news covered the evening and Dan took lots of pictures while I was slinging drinks.
Thursday was Handmade Detroit at the K of C lounge in Hamtramck. I had a great time hanging out with the HD girls and watching the bands! I was especially impressed with Aran Ruth.
Thanks so much to Eve Doster and the Metrotimes for inviting Baar Bazaar and Handmade Detroit to be part of the Blowout!!!!
Holiday Baar Bazaar 2007
Thanks to everyone who shopped and sold at the Holiday Baar Bazaar on Tuesday night! It was a really great time!!!
I just loaded up pictures of the night and vendors (what I could take before my camera’s battery died) on Flickr - check them out here!
If anyone else has pictures from the evening, send them my way and I’ll add them!
The proof!
I’m quite sure that everyone who watched last week’s episode of “Bones” to catch a glimpse of our Hands Across America T shirt missed seeing the shirt. Dan and I had to rewatch the show before we noticed it in the background for a split second, but it was there! Here is a (blurry) screen shot of the T shirt on the show (yep, that’s it in the upper right corner on the TV screen!).
Thanks to everyone who watched!!!
Handmade Detroit Holiday Market 2007
Congratulations to all involved for another successful Handmade Detroit Holiday Market! Beth and I had a blast (and here’s the pictures to prove it).
