PB#9 Raised on Miles of Sky

Since mid-July I’ve been in Indiana. I’m working, but being quite distracted with a physical therapy regimen for a slipped disc in my back and visits with friends and family. And next week is my 20-year high school reunion.















Cori picked me up from the airport at 1 a.m. and we headed to the Shi-kay for a beer before going home. The Shi-kay is the local dive bar by our high school, and these bowling pins and the Mary statue were in the rafters. A good omen, I think.















I love the farms outside of Indianapolis, especially at this time of year when the corn is high. This is on the road to Cori’s house. Especially at dusk, I’m reminded of Carrie Newcomer lyrics (from when she was with Stone Soup, I think) - When you’re raised on miles of sky / You just start to need that space around / And you stop questioning why.
















I cooked for the first time in 8 years: chicken and veggie stir-fry. It was disgusting. Mom said she liked it. She loves me.















Maybe this is why it was horrible.


















Matt got a new job, and it’s a really good one. I think he prayed for it and it worked.















The first week I was here, a sniper shot at a few cars on highways near Indianapolis, so the highway authorities posted “report suspicious activities” warnings until they caught the guy (a disgruntled teenager who took off from a hunting trip). I am lucky nobody thought that me taking a photo of that sign was a suspicious activity.















I’m staying with my sister and her family. A family that sits on the couch together, stays together.















My niece and nephew have summer reading, including Pride and Prejudice. I’m trying to convince Becca to just watch “Bridget Jones’s Diary” for that one. Tom’s reading a book by Solzhenitsyn and is not very excited about it. That smile on his face is a pose.



















I’m enjoying the feeling of being old(er), which is sinking in as I gear up for the 20-year reunion. To feed into that theme, I attended the wedding reception of a guy I used to babysit. Jesse’s not ready for kids yet.















Jesse’s sister Corrie, also a babysittee, is making her break into the local music scene so I went to hear her – she was fantastic and will someday be a folk superstar. You heard it here first.



















Check out how blissed out Corrie’s mom, Alice, is to hear her daughter play.















This a muti-generation babysitter reunion at Corrie's gig. Mary on the right was my babysitter, and that’s Corrie on the left.















This weekend I attended the 2^nd annual “Rooster Fest” featuring famous Indianapolis musicians. Actually, it’s just a group of friends and nobody’s famous, but it’s fun to pretend.















Anna was stylin’, as usual, and she brought an ice cream maker. Yum



















The bands got going. I put myself in charge of keeping the rooster in position.















I got a prize for coming from furthest away. We don’t get Reese’s in Thailand.















Kim and I wowed the crowd with our performance of “This Is Us.” Then I attempted my version of James Taylor’s “Country Road.” It was painful. Jack Daniels is not my friend. But check out that posture; I’m on that road to recovery.