Two weeks from today.
Two more weeks of training.
The Chicago Triathlon.
My first ever!

So we’ve been seeing the huge white tents set up by the Chicago Tribune
Freedom Center for months. And finally got around to seeing the latest production
of “Peter Pan” tonight. It was a beautiful night in Chicago… and the show was a lot of fun.
The classic story by J.M Barrie has been brought to life on-stage in the round! With
Peter Pan leading the Lost Boys in their battle with Captain Hook and his crew. Not to
forget the Indian Princess Tiger Lily, the mermaids and the “ever-ticking” alligator!

With some enchanting puppetry and inventive sets, the primary focus of the production
is the stunning 360-degree projections all around the tent ceiling. Moving images that
surround the stage, and the audience, to create the scene… and make the actors truly look
like Peter, Tinkerbell, Wendy and the whole Darling clan fly through the sky!

Move over Tina Turner, you’ve just been replaced as my “Favorite Concert Ever.”

Last night was an evening with the one & only… Sir Paul McCartney!!!
Yes, the Living Legend himself played at Wrigley Field last night. For nearly 3 hours straight!!!
No breaks. No theatrics. No costume changes. Just incredible songs from his immense library.
And it was magical. So endearing. So enduring. My best evening at Wrigley Field ever!!!

So we got to Wrigley Field and the place was a buzz. The entire neighborhood was crowded
and quickly turning into a huge block party! Although it was still quite hot & humid, there was
a nice breeze blowing through our section of the stadium. For awhile…

And then the crowd went crazy as a wonderful collage of McCartney memorabilia began
to scroll down the enormous LED screens. Everyone thought that the show was about to start.
Little did we know that it was going to scroll for about 30 minutes!

And then the show began… and Paul McCartney was wonderful.
He came out with a sport coat on, but with the heat & humidity, that quickly came off.
He made light of it and rolled up his sleeves to get down to business. Sweating through his
shirt, he never stopped. No costume changes for this guy. Just great music!

Endless songs. One classic right after another. All of the McCartney classics.
Many from Wings… and more than I expected from The Beatles. Every one a classic!
Every time a new song began, I was giddy with excitement. Especially when my all-time
favorite Beatles song began… just a few noted in and I was screaming for “Obla-Di, Obla-Da.”
They just kept coming… I never stopped singing… with a silly childlike smirk on my face. The
evening was incredible. He sounded great, looked great and was so personable & endearing.
Great stories shared with the crowd. Great interaction. So incredible to hear the 40,000 people
all singing along with his classic songs. Imagine how that most feel like for him?!
And then the fireworks began… with “Live And Let Die.”

So, after three hours of performing, the 69-year old finally finished his show.
Sweating like the rest of us, and not a single break for a drink of water?! Plus two encores
of three songs each. I didn’t want the evening to end… and with his extensive collection
of songs, I’m sure he could have gone on forever. And I would have been thrilled.

Sir Paul is playing at Wrigley Field again tonight. If you have a chance to score a ticket,
by all means do!!! You will be so glad you went. A chance to see the Living Legend.
I’m even considering going back tonight to camp-out just outside of Wrigley Field for
a “free” concert… another night with Paul McCartney?!!! Could it get any better???

Amazing… simply amazing. And now… my favorite concert ever!!!

Exactly one month from today?… the Chicago Triathlon.
My first ever. It’s time to start getting nervous, right?!

Well, it’s the middle of July… and it feels like Summer is finally here!
My first Triathlon is just seven weeks from today! Yikes!!!
Yep, that’s it. I’ve said it. I’m doing my very first Triathlon. So there.
I’ve been watching it for years and every time I tell myself I should do it too!
Never worry about the fact that I don’t run or swim! But I’ve been biking
seriously for over twenty years… that will make up for it, right?
How hard can it be, right? If all of “those” people can do it..
And it’s just that very sense of ignorant confidence that’s going to kill me!

So I signed up for the Chicago Triathlon way back in January…
just under the deadline & cost-saving for early registration. People tried to
convince me to do the “Sprint Distance’ Triathlon for my first one ever. It’s about
half the distance for each activity. But if you’ve ever met me, you know that I’m
kind of an all-or-nothing kind of guy. I may think about something for a long time,
consider, reconsider and over-think a few times… but once I decide – I’m in!
And if you’re not going to do the FULL Triathlon… why bother?!

As luck would have it…
without changing any part of my workout routine, I got a case of “self-diagnosed”
plantar fasciitis in my left foot. So there I was… all excited to get started & invigorate
my workout with my new goal in sight… and then I can’t even walk normally?!
What!!!… are you kidding me? Really???

After two months of keeping off my foot, letting it heal & rest, the plantar fasciitis
finally left and I slowly got back to working out. And although it’s still not “perfect,”
I’m trying to push myself towards my Triathlon goal. Excited, but cautious.
So now I’m back biking… and back to Step classes… and getting back into shape.

And then I started jogging. I bought new running shoes – my first ever!
And went for my first run and did an easy 2.5 miles. And I thought… pretty good
for never running before, huh? Again… ignorant confidence.

I’ve done the same route a couple times and e-mailed an old friend who is a marathon
runner and also training for her triathlon. I jokingly told her I just need to run that
same 2.5-mile route four times in a row to get to my Triathlon 10-mile distance!
She wrote back and told me the Triathlon is 10 kilometers, not 10 miles!!!
So that’s just around 6.5 miles… not bad if I can do 2.5 on my first time out!
Ignorant confidence.

I’ve run a few more times… in fact, just the other night I went for my longest run yet…
7.2 miles! I felt pretty good. Just bored. You know that “runner’s high” they all talk
about?… we’ll, I haven’t gotten to that yet. But if I can run 7.2 miles with seven weeks
to go… why worry?! I’ve got ignorant confidence!

So my plan has been to add jogging for the month of June, and then add swimming
during the month of July… and put them all together during August. The Chicago
Triathlon is not until the last Sunday of August… so I’m pretty sure I’m right on track.
I’ve just got to be able to survive a 1-mile swim, a 25-mile bike and a 6.5 mile run.
All back to back… non-stop… how hard can that be, right?!… ignorant confidence!

Today… after I played all day at Step Class, and then biking along the lakefront…
I went out and bought my first wetsuit so I have no excuse but to get started on
the swimming portion. Maybe tomorrow morning?

So that’s where I’m at… ignorantly confident.
And looking forward to my first Triathlon.
Hopefully, one more thing checked off the Bucket List… if I survive!

I’ve made it to a thousand posts!!!
And to think that I thought I would never like blogging?! Look at me now…

One of the highlights at the Art Detour this Fall… besides the fantastic artwork,
incredible fall colors & friendly artists who toot their own horns…
there will also be the gourmet s’mores!

Yes, it’s true. While we would all like to think that our artwork is enough of a draw
to get people to stop by… it’s never a bad idea to “sweeten” the deal and offer up
some marshmallow gooey-ness on the side! So yes, there will be a campfire going
all weekend and all the supplies you’ll need to make your own gourmet s’mores!

In preparation for Art Detour… I’ve decided to do some “product testing” and some
“quality control” to make sure we have some good marshmallows. I know, it’s a tough
job but someone has to do it. So I found these wonderfully HUGE marshmallows
that have a lot more gooey goodness inside. And I tasted them… one after another… until…

That was the last one.
Maybe I need to find another bag?… and do another taste test?… and toast them first?

Looking for beautiful Fall get-away weekend?!
Hoping for perfect Fall colors, crisp cool weather and beautiful art?
And if that’s not enough… can we tempt you with some gourmet s’mores?!

Art Detour is a three-day event in the Northwoods of Wisconsin!
October 7th, 8th & 9th from 10:00am-5:00pm each day.
Hosted at Pigeon Road Pottery in Lake Tomahawk on… you guessed it, Pigeon Road!

It’s a big weekend up in the Northwoods area with lots of tourist activities,
beautiful scenery and a lot of original artwork! So I am currently making new work
and getting excited about my trip up north. Not only to add another show to my schedule
but also to play with these other great artists! I think you should come play with us too!

Amy Higgason : Pigeon Road Pottery
Amy makes incredible pots with a lot of texture (my favorite) and imagery. She’s
currently making two different pottery lines. One with a lot of carving, sprigging &
textures. The other is more brown & black sgraffito imagery. Amy is the host of
Art Detour – so we will all be setting up our tents on her front yard next to her studio.
And not too far from the campfire & s’mores!
For more of Amy’s work, click on Pigeon Road Pottery.

Sarah Chapman : Sarah C. Chapman Jewelry
Sarah’s work is primarily sterling silver that has been oxidized to give it that wonderful
patina. She has an uncanny ability to mix her metalsmithing with semi-precious stones,
seashells, buttons & other objects. Her designs & textures are incredible, frequently
two-sided… and I already have quite a collection of Sarah’s wonderful pieces!!!
There’s a good chance I’ll need to add another piece of Chapman-wear during Art Detour?!
For more of Sarah’s work, click on Sarah C. Chapman Jewelry.

Kathy Furda : Northern Light Glass
Kathy does her own glass flamework & beadmaking. She then combines the pieces into these
incredible collections of colors & textures. Her aesthetic choices & combinations make these
wonderful “treasures” you can wear everyday! She also makes wonderful stained glass
creations with beautiful imagery, colorful combinations with a few unexpected additions.
For more of Kathy’s work… click on Northern Light Glass.

Wendy Powalisz : Back 40 Arts
Wendy captures the spirit of the Northwoods in her visual artwork. Her watercolor
paintings reflect the imagery, textures and colors of her surroundings. Her color palette
is vibrant and unexpected. Wendy also makes colorful beaded jewelry that will put
a smile on your face every time you wear it!

So there’s five of us displaying our work during the Art Detour… Gary Jackson (me),
Amy Higgason, Sarah Chapman, Kathy Furda & Wendy Powalisz.

“Coincidentally”, there will also be a of of “other artists” in the Northwoods area
also showing their work that weekend. “Alledgedly”, there “may” be another art event
going on that weekend?! “Maybe.” There is a very good “chance” you “might” find
some other artist studios to visit while you’re up North for Art Detour. I can’t promise
anything “specifically”… but I’m just saying that we’ll be “just off the beaten map.”

And we’ll have gourmet s’mores.. and THEY won’t!!!

For more information, follow Art Detour on Facebook for regular updates & photos!
www.facebook.com/artdetourwisconsin

Or at least a night under the fast moving, dark grey clouds… with one star!
As it was another fun night at Ravinia Music Festival, this time with k.d. lang
who I still maintain has one of the best voices ever!!! There are times where her voice
is so full, so clear, so resonant that it sends chills through your body. Incredible.

So give her a listen…and a watch with some great video clips of my favorite songs!
Constant Craving – Miss Chatelaine – Barefoot – If I Were You – Constant Craving
again, really??? yep, it’s a favorite!!! Plus, an oldie but a goodie… Big Boned Gal

And a couple great duets…
What  A Wonderful World – with Tony Bennett and subtitled in Spanish?!
Crying – with Roy Orbison

Ahhh… those college days. It seems like just yesterday… almost.
And then you go to a concert at Ravinia and they “force” you to come to grips
with the fact that it may have been a few more years than you’d like to admit to.
The Eighties weren’t all THAT long ago, right???

The show opened with “The B-52’s”… and I flashed right back to the basement of the
fraternity dancing the night away to “Rock Lobster.” Sad that I still know all the words!
And even with me singing along, they still sounded incredible – like it was yesterday!

Need a quick B-52’s reminder… of a Friday Flashback of your own?…
Click here for the videos – “Love Shack” – “Roam” – “Rock Lobster.”

After grooving to The B-52’s… it was time for the main act “The Go-Go’s.”
Sadly, since I’m already dating myself… I must admit that I saw “The Go-Go’s” in concert
when they were hot the first time during college. But that time, the opening act was
“A Flock Of Seagulls” during that one week that they were popular!

And for another musical interlude…
Click here for the videos – “Vacation” – “We Got The Beat” – “Our Lips Are Sealed.”