We kick off the second half of 2023 with three pictures of Danny performing with the Troopers drum corp from last August at Lucas Oil Stadium in beautiful Indianapolis.
Tag / Lucas Oil Stadium
2022: The Year In Travel
After two years of limited travel due to COVID, things opened up once again in 2022 and I actually found myself on an airplane or two throughout the year. I thought it would be nice to look back at the trips I took this year. Things started in late January, when I went to Hawaii for two weeks. Things were still pretty locked down on the islands at the time, so I didn’t do a lot of activities, but a week relaxation at the beach and the pool followed by a second week of working remotely followed by afternoons at the beach did the body (and the mind) good.
The next trip came at the end of May, as the family headed to Boston for Angelina’s graduation. The boys and I arrived late Friday night, where we basically went straight from the airport to the hotel to sleep. On Saturday, we did some sight-seeing. Sunday was graduation, followed by a celebratory dinner. We all headed home on Monday, save Angelina.
At the end of July, I headed out to Denver for a quick trip to add a new stadium to my collection. I arrived on Tuesday and high-tailed it out to Coors Field for that evening’s game, which the White Sox won against the hometown Rockies. The follow-up the next afternoon was not as pleasant, after which I headed back to the airport for the flight home.
August brought a road trip to Indianapolis, to see Danny perform with the Troopers drum corps at the DCI World Championships at Lucas Oil Stadium. What was supposed to be a two-night stay turned into three, when the Troopers unexpectedly made it to the finals. Continue reading →
Travelling The 50 States – Indiana
Over my 47 years, I’ve done my fair share of travelling across these United States. I thought it would be an interesting experiment go look back at those trips to each of the 31 states I have visited (62% isn’t bad, is it?) and see if, and when, I may be returning. Working in alphabetical order, we start today with the 19th state to be added to the Union: Indiana.
State: Indiana
Joined the Union: 1816
Visits: 1100+
From the fall of 1992 through the spring of 1997, I matriculated at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Accounting for breaks, weekends home, and other holidays, I estimate I would have spent over 1100 days in the Hoosier State.
While it is possible that I visited the state of Indiana at some time during my youth, given its proximity to the Chicagoland area, the first confirmed visit would have been in the early 90s, when I made my campus visit to Purdue. I can’t say that i have any particular memories from this trip, but I’m fairly sure it happened. Starting in August of 1992, West Lafayette became my home away from home for the next five years. In December of 1993, I made my first visit to Indianapolis for a double header of Purdue women’s and men’s basketball at Market Square Arena.
As I was stopped at a gas station before getting on I-65 on my way home after graduation, I said that I would never return to the state of Indiana again. That pledge lasted a little more than two years, as I returned to campus in September of 1999 to see Purdue defeat Notre Dame at Ross-Ade Stadium. I would return again in December of 2000 for the final game of the season, seeing Purdue defeat IU and earn their first trip to the Rose Bowl since 1967.
My next trip to Indiana came in March of 2001, when I saw the Monkees at the Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville. In November of 2004, I returned once again to my old stomping grounds to see Purdue once again defeat Indiana at Ross-Ade Stadium. I made two football trips the following year, watching Purdue fall to Notre Dame in October and defeating Illinois in November. In 2006, I made my first visit to South Bend with friends from work to see Notre Dame once again defeat the Boilermakers at Notre Dame Stadium.
My next trip to Indiana came in November of 2008, when Purdue managed to defeat Michigan at Ross-Ade Stadium. The following September, it was another loss against Notre Dame. In October of 2011, there was another family clash as Purdue defeated Illinois by a touchdown. Two months later, I spent New Year’s Eve of 2011 at Mackey Arena, watching Purdue defeat the Fighting Illini in my first basketball game back on campus since graduating in 1997. I returned a little more than a year later on the second day of 2013 for another successful tilt against the Illini at Mackey Arena.
In 2013, I made the mistake of returning to Ross-Ade stadium in September with a work friend, as her husband’s alma mater, Northern Illinois, throttled Purdue. In March of 2015, a trip to Mackey Arena saw the basketball team beat the Illini, but the football tilt that November went the other way. Continue reading →
FB8 – Week 29
A busy weekend helps rescue the week somewhat, pushing me back over 30,000 steps. Things got off to a bad start on Sunday, as I finished 16 steps away from 2900. Monday was even worse, dropping down to 2500. Tuesday started a rising trend, jumping up to 3300. Wednesday jumped up again, going up to 4200 steps. A road trip to Indy to see Danny at the DCI Championships on Thursday came 24 steps shy of 5700. A return to Lucas Oil Stadium on Friday for semis rose again, going up to 6800 steps. An unexpected appearance in the Finals on Saturday led to another night in Indiana and 7300 steps.
Total steps: 32,835
Daily average: 4690.7
Ready For Some Madness
After a year stuck at home thanks to corona virus, my first sporting event of 2021 was a trip to Indianapolis to see Purdue play in the NCAA tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. This month’s picture is from that trip, with Danny posing in front of the inflatable March Madness sign, before we were both disappointed by the outcome of that evening’s contest.
Wake Me Up When September Ends
School is back in session and, as we head into fall, we visit our neighbors to the east in Indiana, with photos from three different trips, two Purdue football games and Danny’s marching band performance in Indianapolis in 2019. Clockwise from the top left corner, we have Danny and Michael posing with the Neil Armstrong statue outside the Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering, Danny kneeling in costume of the field at Lucas Oil Stadium, an Indiana state sign to indicate location, Danny and Michael in the stands at Ross-Ade Stadium, a younger Danny posing solo with the Neil Armstrong statue, Michael cheering Danny on, and, finally, me with Angelina, Danny, and Michael at the Engineering Fountain.
Things To Be Thankful For
We are entering the home stretch on 2020, and, to prepare for Danny’s upcoming birthday, we have 3 shots of him from his performances with the Lincoln-Way Marching Band. The first two are from last October’s Bands of America performance at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The third is from Disneyland, when he performed as part of the trip out west for the Rose Parade.
15 Down
Today, we celebrate the 15th anniversary of Michael’s birth with a picture of him cheering on Danny and the Lincoln-Way Marching Band last October at Lucas Oil Stadium.
2019: The Year In Travel
Once again, I thought it would be nice to look back at the many trips I took this year. As you may recall from last year‘s wrap-up, the year began in California.
New Year’s Day was spent in Pasadena for the Rose Parade, where Danny and the Lincoln-Way Marching Band were performing. Lucky for them, they were slotted right after the float that caught on fire and eventually mucked up the entire end of the parade. However, they were able to march around the disabled float and keep things moving for the time being. The next day we went to the California ScienCenter, where we were able to see artifacts from King Tut’s tomb and the space shuttle Endeavor, and the beach before heading home.
And home is where I stayed for a whole month before heading out to Hawaii in February. I arrived that first Saturday in February, checking out my surroundings around the resort and down Waikiki Beach after the long flight. Monday, I took a tour of the island of Oahu, with stops at Hanauma Bay, Nu’uanu Pali lookout, Valley of the Temples Memorial Park, Sunset Beach, Waimea Falls, and the Dole Plantation. Tuesday, I took in a whale watching cruise, where we were able to see multiple whales surfacing during the excursion. Thursday, I traveled over to Pearl Harbor and all of the associated attractions and museums. Come the following Saturday, it was time to head home on an overnight flight that got me in town very early Sunday morning.
Come June, the whole family headed east to celebrate Michael’s graduation. We flew into Baltimore, where Dennis, the boys, and I went to breakfast before heading to Camden Yards to see the Orioles take on the Giants. On the way to the stadium, we stopped at the grave site of Edgar Allen Poe and the Babe Ruth Birthplace & Museum. After the game, we walked to the local bus depot, where we caught a bus to Washington DC for the remainder of the trip.
