First order of business, some old pictures:
drunk in rapid city, South Dakota (1)
A town outside Mt. Rushmore (1) (2) (3)
Another driving shot (1)
The Black Hills (1) (2) (3)
Mt. Rushmore (1) (2) (3)
Buffalo herd (1) (2) (3) (4)
Evan’s plunge
Nebraska: the good life (no, not the saddle creek band)
The sky in Nebraska
I awoke this morning in Louisville shortly after Joe and Brooke had left. I got maybe 45 minutes or an hour of sleep. There was a short note under my cell phone from Brooke. It was an apology and a “thank you for being awesome” note. Aw, shucks. I guess I am quite awesome.
Hopped in the car at 9am and started the drive to Port Clinton, Ohio. My head was pounding until I stopped for something to eat, and then I felt better for a few hours. My first opportunity to stray from the highway came near Florence, Kentucky. I went to Barnes and Noble to pick up a gift for Steve and Lisa Marie’s son, Ethan. I was looking for The Very Hungry Caterpillar, but they were all out of it. I settled for Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What do You See? which is probably the exact same as Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do You See? My knowledge of children’s books, albeit obscure, is scary good.
By the time the clock struck 1pm I was still driving through southern Ohio. I went to Burger King for lunch. The greasy double cheeseburger slayed what was left of my hangover and granted me a much needed second wind. Of course, within an hour I was nodding off again and needed to pull over and find something with lots of caffeine to drink. I arrived in Port Clinton at about 3:30.
I expected the town to be decrepit and worn, based on what I’d heard Steve say about it for all the years he lived in New Jersey. Surprisingly, it’s a typical suburban town located on the shores of Lake Erie. The population is maybe 6,000. It’s small, but driving through the residential neighborhood where Steve and Lisa Marie live I was greeted nicely by most of the people I passed. I was greeted at the house by Steve’s mom and his sister Deb. They were watching Ethan while Steve and Lisa Marie were painting the interior of a house around the block.
I first met Ethan when he was maybe one month old. Steve and Lisa Marie drove here from Ohio for a night or two and brought him along. Ten or so months makes a big different. For example, Ethan actually moves now. He doesn’t just sleep all the time. He’s something like 29 inches tall and 22 pounds now. I’ll take some photos tomorrow.
I hung out and spoke for a few minutes with Steve’s mom and Deb before we strolled around the block to find Steve and Lisa Marie. I stayed for about 3 hours watching them paint a ceiling and we talked at length about the trip. I told some of my better stories and we joked around and spoke a bit about Steve’s burgeoning business, Honos.
When the job was finished we packed up his truck and drove home. He showered, and while Lisa Marie was showering we took Ethan for a ride so Steve could give me the grand tour of Port Clinton. By now it was almost 7:00 and I could feel myself starting to nod off, but I managed to stay awake through the tour of the area schools, the house where Steve grew up, the town’s municipal center, hospital, police station… We drove downtown and then along the water. He pointed out where the rich area was, and talked about a job he did over there. We spoke a lot about matters concerning Port Clinton’s economic status and how the town council there doesn’t seem to want to adapt and change the way they’re used to running things.
The four of us had dinner at The Garden, where I tried perch for the first time. Supposedly it’s the area’s specialty since they’re right on the lake. It was good. Pretty much like any other deep-fried white fish. After dinner we went back to their house and hung out for a while until everyone went to bed.
This whole thing ends tomorrow, I don’t know how to feel.
Evan.
