Columbus, OH
It’s 8:15 AM. Bailey and Chaz, the dogs, are battling. They’ve been playing like it’s their last day ever since I’ve been here. Bailey, a chocolate lab, is Steve’s and Chaz, a boxer, is Shaun and Chris’. I woke up at about 7 this morning as they were getting Kendall around to go the sitters.
After hanging around during the morning yesterday, Steve and I went to meet a friend of his from his old job for lunch. Carol and her family were about 30 minutes away and we were about 30 minutes late. It took a while for us to get around. There were 6 of them and Steve and I. Three of them had just graduated form high school and were in their first apartment in Columbus. It was fun for me to quiz them on what they wanted to do and what they were doing. They were busy with school and working at Bob Evan’s. They had been in their apartment since May. It took me back to me being 18. What a crazy time it was.
From there it was off to the word’s largest free BBQ festival. I had been there yesterday night, but I didn’t realize it was the world’s largest. As I walked around yesterday, I was pleased to be part of it. I was at the worlds largest of something. How about that. I partook by drinking beers with Steve and Shaun and then by ordering the world’s largest BBQ beef and pork sandwich, the Desperado tent called it a Psycho. “Yes, I’ll take a Psycho please,” I said with the most crazed eye look I could give. They obliged with a huge mound of meat, a mound that overflowed the hot dog bun, and even draped off of the holder. I added some of their original BBQ sauce and made my way back to the crew. I had had a few beers and food would be good to settle it down. It did.
Kendall was not feeling up to snuff, so they left early. Steve and I had another beer as we melted into the chairs. It was a perfect day to be outside. We now had Shaun and Chris’ chairs and we positioned them in the shade under an old tree, on the top bank of the Olentangy River. A cool breeze blew in on the 78 degree day. The River was to our front, a band played on the stage to our left. The sun peeked through a few clouds. I leaned back, full and happy, “Life is good.”
We sat there for about an hour, not really talking much, just watching all of the people walk by. There was a family next to us that you could tell was pumped to be there. They seemed to know a lot of people, as they would stop by, give hugs, and then take pictures. At one point there was a big group and they were snapping with all sorts of camera. Being the tourist/photographer that I am, I know it’s always better to be in your picture. I offered to take the picture. They were glad to have me. They handed me the camera and I warned them it might come back to them with BBQ sauce. They laughed. I snapped and got back to my perch. The father of the group returned the picture favor later (see Gallery). He and Steve then proceeded to get into the Ohio State football talk. Ohio State is the thing here. Everywhere you looked yesterday was red and Ohio State. The chairs I sat on were Ohio State.
After we couldn’t stand sitting in the spot anymore, we decided to go see the campus or the city as I call it. Steve drove me all around the place. I saw all of the dorms. The colleges I went to were not small, but this place was far beyond my imagination. Dorm after dorm. The 23 story high rise dorms. The dorms on all sides the campus. And then the buildings. All in different architecture. I took a few pictures. One of Mirror Lake, which is in front of the 13 story library. The Oval was under construction, but I could picture the green grass hangout/walkway during September with coeds in tight shirts, Frisbee’s flying, and people hanging out on the grass. There is a vibe on a college campus. Because of the size, there is a different vibe here. A vibe that if I had been here when I was 17, I might have been back to for the next four, or maybe five, years.
After The Ohio State University, and that is what the signs say, it’s not just the guys from Monday Night Football, we headed back to Shaun and Chris’ place. The day was still beautiful, so we sat out on their porch and sipped on a cold one. I had taken about a ten minute nap on the way back to the house, so I was back. The sun set, some fireworks went off (we don’t know why at 9:30 on Sunday night there were two sets of fireworks, but there were), and then we ordered some pizza and sat inside. I crashed at about 11:15. Today was a good day. You can’t beat perfect weather, a chair under a shade tree, a river, BBQ and beer, live jazz, and people watching. My first weekend back on the road has been a great one. I made some new friends and may come back for a The Ohio State football game.
I’m back to campus today for an interview with a professor emeritus. Time to shower and pack up, after a few minutes of Sports Center.