A Mild Uproar of Fun

Barons 7, Smokies 8

In early June, the 15th Annual Rickwood Classic returned to Birmingham, Alabama, as baseball fans celebrated Rickwood Field’s 100th birthday. That’s right, you read that correctly. 100 years! The hometown team Birmingham Barons, who are a Double-A affiliate for the Chicago White Sox took on the Chicago Cubs affiliate, the Tennessee Smokies.

Perhaps you remember how my dad and I made this classic ballpark pilgrimage last year as the Barons took on the Mississippi Braves (and lost, I might add). When we attended, we were well aware of the ballpark’s historical significance, but we didn’t know that we were witnessing its 99th year in existence. So, after the final out was made, we made a pact to return the next year to take part in the ballpark’s centennial. Only this time, we brought some company:

As you can see from the above picture, my nephews Jackson and Andrew tagged along with us this time. The road trip took a bit longer than expected, so we didn’t arrive until a few innings into the game. When we arrived, we immediately fought our way through the crowd to the long lines at the concession stands. At first, we were in the wrong line, which cost us even more time and perhaps a good seat. However, once we got in the correct line, the wait was worth it since the hot dog (which is filled with sauerkraut) was mighty tasty. I was so hungry, I almost forgot to get a photo of it:

After we ate, we settled into our seats along the right field line and got ready for the bottom of the third inning. According to the nearly fully human operated scoreboard, the Barons were down by three runs as the Smokies scored five runs in the top of the 3rd. Still, it was early and anyone’s game.

Above, you get an idea of the vantage point from our seats. Sure, we were a bit far from the action, but we were also covered which meant we were shaded from the harsh sun all day. I should note that seating at Rickwood is General Admission, which means first come, first serve. Unfortunately, since we arrived late to the park, we didn’t get choice seats. Still, our seats weren’t bad (an amazing seat in the Majors), only a bit far to get great photos with my zoom lens. However, I did manage to get some nice photos of the outfield:

Here is a short video clip of the ballpark from our seats:

And video of the Barons nearly getting a single after the first baseman fumbles with the ball:

Later in the game, I ventured closer to the action to get some shots of the Barons at the plate. Here you can see the Barons sporting uniforms that mimic those worn back in 1910 when the ballpark opened:

And a Barons’ triple!

As for the game, the scoring would go back and forth. The Barons tied up the game in the 5th with three runs only to get behind again in the 7th when the Smokies posted up two more runs. The Barons would answer back with two runs themselves in the bottom of the 7th. The game would remind tied 7 - 7 throughout the nine innings, only to be broken by a home run in the 11th from the Smokies. The final innings were never dull, though, as the Barons threatened to score and win the game each inning. Perhaps, my dad and I are just bad luck for this Barons’ team?

After the 9th, a large section of the crowd left early, so we made our way to better seats behind home plate. Here was our vantage point from the 9th - 11th:

Below, the Barons are intentional walked:

Despite the loss, the Barons gave the crowd of 9,448 a great game. That official number might not seem large compared to the 40,000 that show up for a Sox/Cubs major league game, but given the space limitations of the ancient park, this was surely close to a sell out.

After the game, the fans were allowed on to the field. Jackson and Andrew took the opportunity to get autographs and run around the bases:

Below, Andrew slides into home and really does a number to his leg:

Above, Jackson holds his souvenir Barons baseball while Andrew sports the Barons cap and hold on to his mini baseball bat.

Baseball is a renewed love of mine. And while I know that my father doesn’t share the same passion as I do about America’s national past time, I’m touched that he makes the effort. Because like baseball, it’s more than a game. How glad I am that I got to spend the summer day with him and my nephews.

Running the bases at the Field of Dreams Movie Site

It was great seeing everyone during the holidays! Hope everyone has a fun, safe New Year’s Eve celebration. Seeing as it will be 13 degrees outside tonight, I feel like we’ll be hanging out in our cozy apartment. Goodbye, Decade!

Top 10 Concerts of 2009

10. Ingrid Filter at Millennium Park (open rehearsal)
9. Nomo at Millennium Park
8. Josh Ritter at The Metro
7. The Feelies at Millennium Park
6. Junior Boys at Wicker Park Festival
5. The Dirty Projectors at Millennium Park
4. Lou Reed at Lollapalooza
3. Various Artists at Pitchfork Music Festival
2. SHELebration (with Bobby Bare Sr., Bonnie Prince Billy, Bobby Bare Jr.) at Millennium Park
1. Leonard Cohen at Chicago Theatre

As you can see, we really like to take advantage of the free concerts in Millennium Park. And if you remember, I merely caught the Lou Reed set at Lolla from outside the gates, and we won two free tickets for the Ritter one. In fact, the only shows that we actually paid for in 2009 were Pitchfork and Leonard Cohen. Worth every penny!

Top 10 Favorite Songs of 2009

10. The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - The Tenure Itch
9. Akron/Family - River
8. Bill Callahan - Too Many Birds
7. The Dirty Projectors - Two Doves
6. Great Lake Swimmers - Pulling On A Line
5. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Home
4. Cass McCombs - Harmonia
3. Junior Boys - Dull To Pause
2. Elvis Perkins In Dearland - Doomsday
1. Animal Collective - Taste

My Top 5 Favorite Risk Taking Records of 2009

5. Sufjan Stevens - The BQE
4. Oneida - Rated 0
3. Julianna Barwick - Florine
2. Yonlu - A Society In Which No Tear Is Shed is Inconceivably Mediocre
1. Jim O’ Rourke - The Visitor

UPDATE - How could I forget Charles Spearin’s The Happiness Project?

While I was working in Shreveport, I listened almost excusively to jazz records. Below is a list of albums I listened the most (without listing multiple albums from one artist):

Top 10 Jazz Albums

10. Dave Douglas - Keystone
9. Keith Jarrett - The Koln Concert
8. Herbie Hancock - Fat Albert Rotunda
7. Phineas Newborn Jr. - Harlem Blues
6. Craig Taborn - Junk Magic
5. Thelonious Monk - Straight, No Chaser
4. Bill Evans - Everybody Digs Bill Evans
3. Sun Ra - Sound of Joy
2. Charles Mingus - Right Now: Live at the Jazz Workshop
1. Miles Davis - In a Silent Way

Top 5 Places Visited (work and non work related) in 2009

5. Cleveland, OH (Because of work I can now say that I have been… twice.)
4. Arlington, TX (The last baseball game I saw of the `09 season, Ranges vs. Mariners.)
3. Birmingham AL (Rickwood Classic!)
2. Salt Lake City, UT (Breathtaking…)
1. Fountain City, WI/Wabasha, MN (3rd Anniversary!)
Honorable Mention: Shreveport, LA (After spending two months working there, I have a bit of a soft spot for it.)

Top 10 Tourists Stops of 2009 (in no particular order)

Modern Wing at the Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago History Museum
John Hancock Observatory
The National Eagle Center
Shreveport Municipal Memorial Auditorium
Great River Bluffs State Park in MN
Rock in the House
Garvin Heights in Winona, WI
Rickwood Classic
Harry Potter Exhibition at the Museum of Science and Industry

Top 5 Favorite Food Photos of 2009

5. Our anniversary main dish was okay. But this mushroom soup starter was amazing!

4. Giordano’s - What would a food list be without Deep Dish pizza?

3. The Cell - This is what baseball tastes like!

2. Bar B Que Shop - The best BBQ in the world!

1. Toast - When I die, I hope these pumpkin pancakes are waiting for me.

Top 5 Most Memorable Jobs 2009

5. Public Enemies junket at Union Station
4. Food Dude at Lou Malnati’s
3. Oprah interviews Charlie Nash
2. Bulls vs. Celtics Playoffs
1. The movie in Shreveport, LA and Salt Lake City

Most Memorable Moment of 2009
Easy. Grandma Jackson visits Chicago.

Top 5 Favorite Personal Photos of 2009 (in no order)

For our third anniversary, we returned to Minnesota. We’re betting we’ll have a lot more of these trips, so we decided to slow down our pace of moving south along the Mississippi River. This time we wandered back and forth between southeastern Minnesota and midwestern Wisconsin. Our cabin was one of the lovely Hawks View Cottages in Fountain City, Wisconsin. We could even see the Mississippi through the trees outside our windows.

A Hawks View Cottage Nestled in the Trees

Zoomed-In View of the Mississippi River from a Window of Our Hawks View Cottage

One of our favorite parts of the trip was visiting the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, Minnesota. The center has educational exhibits about eagles and local history. The staff also care for 4 bald eagles and 1 golden eagle who have been too injured to remain in the wild. Each of the eagles had a different personality, like the calm and friendly Donald, the stately Harriet, and the sassy Columbia. We also saw two wild eagles in trees across the river from Slippery’s, the restaurant that inspired one of the hangouts in the Grumpy Old Men movies.

Hayden and Apryl Posing as Eagles at the National Eagle Center

The most beautiful site we visited was King’s Bluff in Great River Bluffs State Park, outside Winona, Minnesota. Fortunately, we had no run-ins with rattlesnakes, despite the signs warning us of possible encounters.

Hayden, Happy to Be at the Top of King’s Bluff

In Winona, we encountered the mystery of Sugar Loaf. Before we went on our trip, we read over and over about the limestone pinnacle called Sugar Loaf. (I wonder just how many places throughout the world share that name.) We stopped at the Sugar Loaf Antiques and Crafts to ask how to get closer to the top. Hayden was given only vague directions and ominously warned not to go there because people who climbed it had fallen off and DIED. Naturally, we tried to follow the directions anyway because we wanted to only take photos, not climb.

After driving around in circles for a while, we went to the Winona County Historical Society for better directions. Some lovely women explained that Sugar Loaf was never much of a tourist destination and that the police now won’t allow it to be listed in official city guides because of all the DEATHS that have occurred there. Instead, the women gave us extremely clear directions to the overlook Garvin Heights. While at the overlook, we heard a screaming child down one of the paths, but he turned out to be only cranky and whining.

Garvin Heights Looking Toward Lake Winona and the City of Winona, with the Mississippi River and Fountain City in the Distance

Despite all the dire warnings about Sugar Loaf, I think that I would have felt safer there than at the creepy attraction Rock in the House in Fountain City. In 1995, a 55-ton boulder fell over 400 feet from the bluff above into one of the house’s bedrooms. The owners moved out, and the house is open for tourists. The giant boulder, which was clearly not going anywhere, was not what disturbed me. The house itself was a bit too reminiscent of an abandoned house in a horror movie—albeit, a much-cleaner-than-normal abandoned house. On top of that, music was playing, no one else could be seen, and parts of the house were shut off. Hayden was busy snapping photos. I was looking around nervously with car keys in hand, expecting someone to jump out with a deranged look on his face and a giant knife in his hand. Perhaps Hayden has asked me to sit through one too many horror movies.

The Rock in the House

Kitchen at the Rock in the House (What lurks behind the tidy facade?)

Fortunately, we survived the trip. It’s taken months to post about it because Hayden has been busy trying to survive a long, exhausting work project and because even though I’ve had free time, I’m not much of a blogger. When Hayden’s current job is over and Halloween draws nearer, I’m sure there will be more frequent posts. In the meantime, you can entertain yourself with more photos from our trip.

Hayden had to get out of Memphis a second time, for a day trip to a baseball game in Birmingham. A few days later, on our way back to Chicago, we all stayed the night in Nashville with Hayden’s sister Paige and her family.

Birmingham

On Wednesday, Hayden and his dad got to cheer on Hayden’s favorite baseball team, a mere 650 miles away from U.S. Cellular Field. The fates must truly support Hayden’s love of the White Sox. Somehow the stars aligned so that my mom’s surgery was scheduled the day after Memorial Day, putting Hayden in prime position to get to Birmingham the following day for the Rickwood Classic. Only once per season, the White Sox’s AA affiliate, the Birmingham Barons, play at Rickwood Field, “America’s oldest ballpark.” Even being hoarse from his sore throat, Hayden couldn’t help feeling in heaven.

Exterior of Rickwood Field, the oldest operating baseball park in the United States

Hayden up to bat at Rickwood Field

I won’t relate all the details of the stadium and the game, only because Hayden promises to write a full recap later. More photos and video are here.

Nashville

On Sunday, we headed to Nashville—followed closely by Ashley, Sydney, and Clayton—to see Paige, her husband Mike, and their kids, Jackson, Andrew, Reid, and McKenzie Hayden. I don’t know what could have made their dog, Greer, think of making a brief escape. Hayden and I also went out that evening, not for escape, but to see our friend Brad. Fortunately, Eva had plenty of distractions to keep her from wanting to leave Paige’s house.

McKenzie Hayden gnaws on a toy by the pool

Ashley, Hayden, and Paige by the pool

Andrew, Greer, and Sydney after Greer’s escape and capture

Eva on a maize, aka “get it” rug

On Monday, we packed up the car and had a smooth drive back to Chicago—except for half an hour of bad thunderstorms in Indiana.

A thunderstorm on I-64 in Indiana

More photos and video are here.

Starting Memorial Day weekend, we spent nearly two weeks in the South, visiting family and friends.

Greer’s Ferry

Eva and I stayed put most of the trip, she at Hayden’s dad’s place in Collierville, and I at my parents’ house in Memphis. However, Hayden left town the day after we got to Memphis. He went to his dad’s place in Greer’s Ferry, Arkansas, to fish and, of course, look for Bigfoot with his dad, sister Ashley, niece Sydney, and nephew Clayton.

Hayden’s Dad and Sydney fish in Greer’s Ferry Lake

Sadly, both Hayden and our old Canon ELPH digital camera got sick. Fortunately, Hayden’s sore throat and coughing subsided after about a week. Unfortunately, the little digital camera didn’t make it. Don’t worry though; there are still plenty of photos from the rest of the trip. Somehow Hayden was able to get over his loss and pick out a new camera, with his friend Daniel’s help, the very next day. More photos and video are here.

Memphis

I started my trip, without a camera, by hanging out with my sisters Lisa and Stephanie and seeing Summer and Elaina and their adorable kids Silas and Eva (not named after our cat). On Sunday morning, we brunched with our friends Brett and Vanessa. Later, Hayden saw his friends Daniel and Melanie, in town from LA, while I had a girls’ night with some friends from high school and college. Because two of the girls are moving away this summer, one to northern Georgia and the other only 2.5 hours south of Chicago (yay!), I commandeered the new camera.

Amber, Charlotte, Jennifer F, Caroline, Apryl, and Jennifer B R celebrate the last girls’ night for a long while

After sleeping most of Sunday and Monday, Hayden woke up long enough to go to a Memorial Day cookout with my mom, dad, sisters, and brother-in-law Adam. On Tuesday, I got up around 6:00 a.m. to go with the rest of my family to an outpatient surgery center for my mom’s gallbladder surgery. That woman has a higher pain tolerance than anyone else I know; she took only four pain pills and was back at work on Friday. Because she was so lucid Tuesday night and Wednesday, we were able to spend lots of time relaxing and chatting.

While my mom and I were lazing around, Hayden was with his mom cleaning out things in his old bedroom—including lots of old baseball cards—on Tuesday and with his dad at a baseball game in Birmingham on Wednesday (see more in Part 2).

Hayden’s tin of baseball cards

On Thursday, Hayden had lunch with his friend Greg, and I with my friend Becky. Then Hayden did a show on WEVL. After a nice chat with Judy, we went to dinner with my sisters and brother-in-law and stopped by Lisa’s house so Hayden could see how big her crazy cat J.P. Hubert has gotten.

On Friday, we introduced Stephanie to the Bar-B-Q Shop (she and Adam went back a week later) and enjoyed watching the Redbirds play in old Memphis Chicks uniforms (thanks for the tickets, Adam!). We ended the night by staying out much later than we had intended, until 2:00 a.m. Our friend Caroline was having a going away party, and every time we turned around, more friends of ours showed up.

Stephanie and Apryl at a Memphis Redbirds’ game

We dragged ourselves out of bed on Saturday to have lunch with our friends John and Julie and dinner with Brian, Michelle, and their sweet-tempered, smart, and funny son, Joe.

Hayden, Apryl, Julie, and John after a delicious lunch

Joe going down the slide, aka escalator

More photos and video are here.

So, we’re back home. And it was a great holiday break (short sleeves, really?) But as always, even though it seemed like we were always visiting, we still didn’t manage to see everyone. Hopefully, we will see all those we missed on our next trip back South. Of course, I took photos, which I will load on Flickr today or tomorrow. Until then, I thought it would be appropriate to end the year with a few End of the Year lists. So, here we go:

Top 10 Favorite Songs of 2008
10. Dent May - Meet Me In The Garden
9. TV on the Radio - Family Tree
8. Silver Jews - Strange Victory Strange Defeat
7. The Avett Brothers - Murder in the City
6. Bon Iver - Re:Stacks
5. Arthur Russell - Love Is Overtaking Me
4. Breathe Owl Breathe - Playing Dead
3. Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal
2. Destroyer - Foam Hands
1. Vic Chesnutt - You Are Never Alone

Top 10 Concerts of 2008
10. (tie) Harlan T. Bobo - Schubas/Caleixco - Millennium Park
9. Dolly Parton - Chicago Theatre
8. Ornette Coleman - Chicago Jazz Festival
7. Radiohead - Lollapalooza
6. Jarvis Cocker - Pitchfork Music Festival
5. Magnetic Fields - Old Town School of Folk Music
4. Girl Talk - Lollapalooza
3. Animal Collective - Pitchfork Music Festival
2. Bill Callahan - Millennium Park
1. Andrew Bird - Millennium Park
Honorable Mention: Vanilla Ice - Cans

Top 5 Cities Visited (work related) in 2008
5. New York
4.New Orleans
3. Charleston
2. Boston
1. Reno/Lake Tahoe

Top 5 Places Visited (non work related) in 2008
5. Mount Horeb
4. Memphis
3. Nashville
2. Greers Ferry
1. McGregor/Prairie du Chien

Top 5 Celebrities met in 2008
5. Bill Rancic
4. Mark Wahlberg
3. Garrison Keillor
2. Cookie Monster
1. Svengoolie

Top 10 Tourist Stops of 2008 (in no particular order)

• Mustard Museum in Mount Horeb
• Sears Tower Skydeck
• Architecture Boat Tour, Chicago
• Hopper/Homer Exhibit at the Art Institute
• Fenelon Place Elevator Cable Car in Dubuque, IA
• College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, IN
• Cafe du Monde in New Orleans
• Mississippi River Museum in Dubuque, IA
• Cheers Bar in Boston
• Weird Chicago Tour

Top 5 Most Memorable Moments in 2008 (other than Obama)
5. Sox win the AL Central.
4. Apryl graduates from IIT.
3. Eva gets cancer. And is okay.
2. The Tigers play in the NCAA Finals.
1. McKenzie Hayden Madden is born.

Top 5 Favorite Personal Photos of 2008 (in no order)

Perhaps more lists to come later. Perhaps not. Either way, here is a selection of other photos from the past year. Goodbye 2008!

I had a good shoot in Reno last week. The best part, though, was when we went out to Lake Tahoe for an amazing dinner at the Gar Woods Grill and Pier Restaurant. Absolutely, the best shrimp and lobster bisque I have ever had! And what a view!

More Reno/Lake Tahoe photos here.

When I got back home, I had a shoot the next day with Stephen Baldwin. Yes, that Baldwin.

Last week, Apryl and I celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary by visiting the Upper Mississippi River in the small town (pop. 871) of McGregor, Iowa. McGregor and the even smaller town of Marquette are located right across the Mississippi River from Wisconsin’s second oldest city, Prairie du Chien. Throughout the weekend, we split our time among these border towns.

Unlike the drive for our last anniversary trip, which took over ten hours, this one took just over four hours. On the way, we stopped over in the Troll Capital of the World, Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, because we saw a billboard with a name of a restaurant—the Grumpy Troll—that mimicked the name of our cabin in Iowa—Grumpsters Log Cabins. We took the similarity in name as a sign and took the exit. While our lunch was merely okay (afterwards, we heard the locals talking about the real place to go), it was still worth the trip to visit the Mount Horeb Mustard Museum. Sure, there were a few troll statues around town, but it was the real oddity of a mustard homage that sparked our interest. Below are a few photos from the museum:

(The world’s only mustard vending machine!)

After leaving Mount Horeb, we got back on the road and made our way to the Wisconsin/Iowa border.

(to be continued…)

Crescent City Connection Bridge

Jackson Square

Jazz group performing at The Market Cafe.

Cafe du Monde at night.

Outside service at Cafe du Monde.

An order of three beignets and iced cafe’ au lait. Worth the trip alone!

You will see many strange things in New Orleans. This is one of them.