I Do Stuff…

Prince William Forest entrance

Prince William Forest (map) you can call my local hangout when it comes to the outdoors.  I can’t tell you how cool it is to have a National Forest less than thirty minutes from my house.  When ever I want to do something outside but not spend all day doing it, this is where I head.  And since for the last few years I have been getting a National Park Pass, my entrance to the park is free.

When I started going here it was for the fishing.  Me and some friends would head down to the forest for a great afternoon of fishing.  This time around I was going for a hike in the woods.  I have hiked many of the trials, but very few of the ones way in the back of the forest.

Farms to Forest Trail

This time around I did the full loop Farms to Forest Trail.  At one time a portion of the trail was a farm with cleared land that the forest has since reclaimed.  The full loop follows a creek and comes back around through the forest.

While walking along the creek I took several off trail adventures, crossing the creek on dead trees.  I always like to just walk in the forest.  Yes the trails are nice, but it’s good to get off the beaten path sometimes.  You never know what you will find if you just open your eyes and look around.

Nothing super spectacular on this hike.  But it was a beautiful afternoon and felt good to get outside into nature for an afternoon.

wild mushrooms

Summer is a great time of year for concerts.  All the large amphitheaters are open for the season and you can catch some really killer bands during summer tour.  And what would summer be without Jimmy Buffett, the best summer fun band!  Nancy and I have tried to get tickets in the past, but without any luck.  This year Buffett was doing two shows at Nissan Pavilion over the Labor Day weekend.  So we were even more excited then usually to get tickets.  We knew he would rock the house!  Fortunately we scored two lawn seats for the Saturday show.  We thought about pavilion seats, but at $150 all said and done we turned that idea down.  Besides, half the fun of a Buffett show is the lot.

A crazy group of people

A few of Nancy’s friends got tickets for the show so we meet up with them before hand to caravan into the lots.  We finally arrived at about 4pm and setup camp.  First thing was the tent, table, chairs and BEER!  The usual food was served and we all started drinking.  I had to drive home so I got my drink on early.  We bought 24 beers so I had a lot of work ahead of me.  Wasting little time I started getting to work.  Gil had a power converter for Toyota FJ so we hooked up a blender and had Margarita’s along with beer.  I have never been to a Buffett concert, but I have heard the stories.  Everyone gets drunk in the lots and then heads in for the show.

Buffett lot

Many hours were spent in the lots just hanging out and chilling.  I couldn’t get over all the people that were here.  We arrived pretty early, but in actuality it was rather late.  Lots opened at 3pm I believe and I am sure people formed a line right at 3 o’clock to get in.  I had not seen anything like it since my days of touring with Phish so many years ago.  All these people getting together in the lots long before the show to have a pre-show party.  It was great and brought back a lot of memories.

The show started at 8pm and from what I could gather the band starts promptly.  So at about 7:15 we started to pack up our camp site, hit the head one last time, down that last free beer, and started walking into the pavilion.  Nancy and I had lawn so it was important for us to get in before the show to get a good spot.  It was a perfect night, cool temperatures and no sign of rain, a good night to be on the lawn with all the people.  At one point during the show Buffett himself mentions it: “This is the first time in recent memory that it has not been over 100 degrees or poured down rain.”  I was very happy for that!  All the good spots in the middle front of the lawn were of course taken, but we found a good location in the right side down low to sit.  Even from this angle we could see the stage without any problems.

Actual tail gating

Those crazy fans

Just after 8pm the show started.  There was a small circus act to announce the start of the show and then the band came walking out on stage.  Come to find out there was two sets, the first one being about 1:30 hours, 15 minutes for a break, and then an hour for the second set.  Hell we got two encores out of him that night.  I must say I was completely blown away by the show.  The crowd absolutely loved him and was really getting into the show.  Conversely Buffett was feeding off the crowd and whole band was enjoying the show too.  About half the songs that were played I recognized, the rest were all new to me.  He even played Scarlet Begonias for the second set opener, a song I know from the Grateful Dead.

Almost after every song Buffett would speak or tell a story.  For some songs there would be a montage on the jumbo screens from various tours or locations Buffett had been on.  And for one song there was a montage of pictures from the lot the day of the show.  He spoke about meeting the troops and doing a show for them.  His time in Hawaii and Fiji Island.  His personal vacations around the world.  It was a great concert.  I walked away from there with stars in my eyes.  The lot kicked ass, the show kicked ass, and the people kicked ass.  I only wish I had tickets for Mondays show on Labor Day, I guess I will just have to wait till next year when he comes around again to Nissan Pavilion for his annual summer tour.

After leaving the show we all meet up at the cars for a little after show party while the lots cleared out.  Nissan Pavilion is not known for getting out of shows quickly.   So we pulled out our lawn chairs, cracked open a few more beers and told stores from the concert.  It was a great time and I look forward to next year with the same group.  Hopefully we can get more people next time.  Because a Buffett show gets only better with the more friends you can bring along.

Set 1
01. Homemade Music
02. The Tiki Bar is Open
03. Fruitcakes
04. Pencil Thin Mustache
05. Manana *
06. It’s Five O’clock Somewhere (w/ Mac)
07. Change sin Latitudes, Changes In…
08. Gypsies in the Palace $
09. Jolly Mon Sing (The Beach Band) #
10. Come Monday (The Beach Band)
11. Cheeseburger in Paradise
12. Brown Eyed Girl
13. One Particular Harbor

Set 2
01. Scarlet Begonias
02. Why Don’t We Get Drunk
03. The Ass and the Hole
04. Son of a Son of a Sailor
05. Volcano
06. Last Mango in Paris
07. Makin’ Music for Money (Nadirah)
08. School Boy Heart
09. A Pirate Looks at Forty
10. Far Side of the World
11. Southern Cross
12. Margaritaville

Encore 1
13. Fins
14. Rainy Day Women #12 &35

Encore 2
15. Reggabilly Hill &

Notes:
Special guest Sonny Landreth for entire show.
* Manana was last played July 3rd 2003 in Columbia, MD
$ Gypsies in the Palace was last played December 22nd 2006 in Aspen, CO
# Jolly Mon Sing was last played November 3rd 2007 in Tampa, FL
& Reggabilly Hill was last played November 1st 2007 in Tampa, FL, first ever acoustic version

PS: On the drive home from the venue to Nancy’s house there was a police check point not 200 yards from her house.  The cop asked what I was doing, he could smell the alcohol in the car.  He must have signaled the other cops because all of a sudden my truck was surrounded with cops.  Having a bunch of empty beer bottles in the bed of my truck didn’t help things.  Because I knew I had to drive home I stopped drinking long before the show ended.  I blew a 0.03 and they let me on my way.  Just a quick reminder to please drink responsible.  It could not only save your life, but the lives of your friends and those you don’t even know.

Nancy and Julie

I know these last few post have been about old stuff I did.  But I didn’t get the web site running till recently and I wanted to get at least a few cool things I have done in the recent past posted.

Chris Isaak @ Wolf Trap

So before summer started Nancy found that Chris Isaak was doing a summer tour and stopping by Wolf Trap in late August.  Now I am not a fan of Chris Isaak, but I also don’t not like him.  To me he is that guy with that one song from you know, back in the day (last Wednesday).  So when she said she wanted to go I was a little hesitant.  But since it was at Wolf Trap and I absolutely love that venue it couldn’t be a bad.  Since you can bring your own food and drink into the venue we got a couple of lawn tickets.  My only concern was going to be the weather.  Late August in Virginia is usually very hot and very humid.  Plus you can get the random thunder storm that decides to roll through the area, like moe. when I saw them at Wolf Trap earlier in the summer.   But I digress.

Fortunately on the day of the show the weather was perfect.  It was in the upper 70′s that day and the evening was going to fall into the low 60′s with no chance of rain!  I couldn’t believe our luck on that.  We both got off work early and headed over to Wegmans for some supplies.  Think of it as a picnic under the stars.  So all the food we got didn’t need to be cooked.  We stocked up on cheese, crackers, hummus, vegetables, and fruits.  And what goes better with this stuff than wine, so we got a couple bottles of wine for the evening.  We kinda got lost just walking around Wegmans and got out of there a little late.  Fortunately traffic was in our favor and getting to Wolf Trap took no time at all.

Little did we know the show was going to be so popular.  We arrived over an hour before the show and the lawn was packed with people, I am sure such beautiful weather didn’t hurt.  With limited seating we took a spot near the top of the lawn and setup camp.  In no time we were munching on food and sipping some wine.

The opening act, who I can’t remember at the moment, was a band from England.  They played the same style of music as Chris.  That rock-n-roll, sometimes slow, sometimes fast, mixed with the twangy electric guitar, you know what I mean.  Not a bad opening act.

Finally about 9pm Chris hits the stage.  I was very impressed with the show.  Not only the music but the entertainment factor.  Chris played several of his hits, stuff even I knew like Wicked Game, and some stuff from his as yet unreleased album.  When he was introducing one of his new songs he even talked about bootlegging.  Said he knows people do it and how much it upsets his tour manager.  He even walked through the entire crowd for one song, didn’t make it all the way to the top of the lawn.  By the time of the encore break it was getting pretty late and people started to leave in droves.  I know it was a school night, but you never leave early!  Nancy was ready to leave at this point but I told her no, not till the house lights come on.  For the encore he played several more songs, almost like he didn’t want to leave the stage.

Shortly after 11pm the show was finished.  The house lights illuminated the venue.  I stood there for a minute in amazement, it was a good show and I was thoroughly entertained.  Being so late on a school night we packed quickly and drove back to my house.  By midnight we were home, exhausted…..but not quite ready for bed.

So last month Ben’s Chili Bowl had its 50th anniversary.  The restaurant is located on U Street NW in Washington DC, a historically black neighborhood. (MAP)  Being around for so many years they have seen the neighborhood grow and develop.  From the darkest hour of the DC riots in the late ’60s (which it was till open for business during) to the current revitalization of the whole neighborhood.

Ben's Chili Bowl in Washington DC

This restaurant is definitely a small whole in the wall place.  But there are few other places where you can sit at the counter and meet a member of congress on your right and a homeless guy on your left.  But that is one of the charms of this place.  Everyone needs to eat.  And when people find a place that serves good home cooked food for a reasonable price people flock to it.

I had heard about the celebrations, which encompassed the whole weekend, from a concert the 9:30 Club was hosting on Sunday afternoon.  The concert was free with about a dozen bands playing.  Since the show was free and I had heard about Ben’s from many different people I thought this was a perfect time to make the trip to DC for some chili.

Getting there was easy.  I hoped on Metro in Springfield and got off at the U Street exit on the green line.  From there you just had to stumble across the street, you couldn’t miss it.  I was starving when I arrived so I decided to get some food before hitting the 9:30 Club for some live music.  To my surprise there was a line out the door to get some chili.  I guess I was not the only one that knew about the anniversary or saw the CBS Sunday Morning report.

After about 20 minutes I was able to get inside, where I promptly found another line to stand in.  But there was plenty of staff on hand to handle the crowd.  About a dozen people were taking orders, cooking food or the all important taking of the money.  When it was my turn I got a chili dog and some chili cheese fries…..to go.  There was no place to sit in the restaurant and since it was a beautiful day I decided to eat outside.  I found a spot near the African American Civil War Memorial (museum) and ate my grub.  I must say, that was some damn good food, and you couldn’t beat the price.  Next time I am at the 9:30 Club for a show I will be stopping by Ben’s for some after show munchie food.

Having satisfied my craving for chili I decided to walk around the neighborhood and see what it was like.  I was plesently surprised by what I saw.  Lots of new shops, restaurants and apartment/condos with more of everything being built.  It definitely looks like a good place to live for the twenty something crowd that wants to live in the city.  Unfortunately I never made it to the concert, but that was ok.  I needed to get home for dinner.  It was Karen’s birthday on Sunday so I invited her and her husband, Jeremy, over for dinner that night.  But first a quick stop in Old Town Alexandria at Le Pain Quotidien for some bread, yum!

One of my favorite bands, Soulive, was coming to the area.  These guys are one of the best soul/funk bands around and I have been seeing them since December 2001.  Not only were they playing a Saturday show, but it was at Rams Head Live! which is one of the best places around to see live music.  The venue itself is very spacious with many bars.  If you want to just chill and not be bothers you can, want a seat, they are available, you can get a good view from the balcony, or get down to it on the floors right in front.

Since the show was on a Saturday August 16th I decided to make a day of it in Baltimore.  I got there early in the afternoon to eat some food, do some shopping, reading and walking around.  When I arrived I got a parking spot in a garage near little Italy.  I was hungry so I got some food at Sabatino’s.  It came recommend by two Italian customers and if anyone will know good Italian food it would be these two guys.  I must say I was impressed with the place.  It is definitely a small family run place.  The food was simple stick to your gut goodness.  One thing I quickly noticed was the waitresses.  It was very professional and attentive, but none of them were lookers.  Everyone working there could have been my mother, but it added to the charm.

Baltimore's Italian Festival

When I was finished my waitress asked if I want dessert and coffee.  I told her no, which seemed to break her heart, but she then suggested something.  She suggest I check out the Italian festival happening a couple blocks a way and then come back for some tiramisu, they even closed at 3am.  That last part I took note of, 3am is pretty darn late.

After paying the bill I walked and found the Italian festival like she said.  It took over several city blocks and was a great little festival.  There was music, food, beer(!), and even some bocce ball.  One thing I did notice was all the gambinos around, never had I seen so many in one place before.  Lots of tight shirts and slick back hair.

The Players

Once I couldn’t stand the smell of pasta I walked to the inner harbor.  This is what Baltimore is best known for.  There is so much to do there that every weekend it is packed with visitors.  I decided to take a seat on a bench and watch the world go buy.  After that got boring I finished the book I was reading, Dangerous Days of Daniel X.  After watching the sun set it was time to start making my way to the concert venue.  On the way over I found a free concert from The Players, a local Baltimore ska band and decided to stick around for them.  Glad I did as they rocked the house!  Come to find out every weekend there was another band playing in the common area between the two shopping centers in the inner harbor.  It was great to see such a diverse crowd gather to watch.

Finally I got to the venue and was getting ready for the show.  I ditched my back pack and was lean and mean for a long night of rockin.  Soulive is always a funky band that loves to play, they would play all night if the venue let them so I was getting ready for a long night.  The only disappointing thing about the show was the number of people attending.  There were so few tickets sold the second level was closed and only the main bar was open.  Despite all this the crowd showed much love to Soulive that night.  About the time the band should have come on was the exact moment Michal Phelps was going for his eight and final gold medal in the Olympics.  Fortunately the venue showed it on the tvs around the venue.  I am pretty sure that the band was watching as well, 30 seconds after he won the medal the band comes walking out on stage.

The band did not disappoint with the set list.  This was a classic show from back in the day.  Filled with a groove and a funk that was infectious in the crowd.  For just over two hours I was dancing and grooving to the tunes.  I was so happy I didn’t miss this show.  The last few times I have seen the band they were changing up the sound.  They added vocals with Reggie Watts (of Maktub) and Tosan (spelling?) after that.  It was….ok, not the stuff I liked best.  Soulive was still there, they were just muted, under the surface in my opinion.  But not this night, they rocked the house and I couldn’t get enough, disappointing when the show was over….but not the night.

takes the stage about 11:18pm

Set 1:
Elron
Stepin’
1 in 7
Bobby Bird
Flurries
Reverb
Tuesday Night Squad
Lenny
Dig

encore:
Tighten Up
Do It Again

show ends about 1:12am

After the show I headed over to Sabatino’s for some tiramisu and some much needed coffee.  You see during the show I had a few beers and I was still a little drunk.  To drunk to start driving home.  Since the restaurant didn’t close till 3am on Saturday I knew I had a place to go and sober up a little.  The tiramisu they have was delicious and the capacino I had went perfectly.  After about 30 minutes I could feel the life coming back to me, with the help of the coffee of course, and hit the road.  Just to make sure I could get home I took a capacino for the road, it would go well with the cigar I had for the drive home.

After getting to my truck I started the 1:30 hour drive home.  I had some good music playing, a nice cigar and the excellent capacino from Sabatino’s to nurse me home.  It was just after three o’clock in the morning when I got home and I promptly crashed hard.  The next morning I was headed to Fredericksburg to visit my mom for lunch and I was not looking forward to getting up.

All in all that was one of the best days I had had in a long time.  Most of it was un-planned and it turned out pretty darn well.