The most obvious change is the new paint. After six years, I have finally stopped waffling and have almost completely covered the cheap white paint the previous owners had slopped all over the place. The latest room to get the treatment was our downstairs bath. Petal pink is the official name of the color, but Adam cut to the heart of the matter when he judged it "not too pink."
I try not to destroy Adam with too much frou-frou, but sometimes a girl has to do what a girl has to do...
Once the room was finished there wasn't much to do but wait for Jon to make the trek down from Wisconsin. Like many before him he bemoaned the boring and long, flat stretch of Illinois. And like many before him he didn't find Indiana all that much better. At least the Wabash river helps us out a bit and we get some roll in the landscape.
The major challenge in the visit was to organize some activities. Jon's self-described "Zen" attitude (read: doesn't care) lets him deal with boredom, but I really didn't want him to have to tax the Buddha nature during his stay. And yet, I took full advantage during our trip to Indianapolis by subjecting the men to a bit of shopping.
First stop after lunch: an international grocery store. I loaded up on noodles and sushi supplies. Jon got adventurous and picked up some Asian sweets.
His choice was pretty tasty and marked one of many stops for coffee treats (Starbucks is everywhere!). We then went to a mall because I wanted to visit Crate and Barrel (ostensibly for a shower curtain liner and rings, but somehow a cupcake carrier appeared in my basket) and Restoration Hardware (Bath sale! New paint demands new towels, don't you know).
The guys handled the wait admirably, but I think they were happy to move downtown to walk a bit of the canal walk. Sadly, I forgot my camera. The canal walk is good fun. You can rent little paddle boats, take a gondola ride, or just hoof it. We opted to stay dry.
We worked up an appetite and hunted down Kona Jack's. I tried two new things. One was a bite of Jon's pan-fried wall-eye. It was good, but I don't think it will ever be my favorite fish. It seems a bit oily, but that could be because it is fried. I chose Ono (also known as Wahoo) for my entree. I have never had it before and didn't know what to expect. It was sesame crusted, pan-seared, and topped with an oyster sauce. I hate oysters, but I love oyster sauce. It must be the sweetness. The fish was "meaty" instead of delicate, more like a tuna or swordfish steak. It had a pleasant flavor though it was a bit dry. According to my tiny bit of research, it is related to mackerel (which is delicious sashimi). I would order it again. Adam got some rare tuna and seemed to enjoy it.
The evening concluded at home with some quality TV watching. If you get a chance to check out the "Jekyll" miniseries on BBC America, I highly recommend it. James Nesbitt is a current favorite of mine.
The highlights of the next day were a walk around a park in Battleground, Indiana and dinner at The Nine Irish Brothers (an excellent local Irish pub). I think that we earned our beer and food by searching for Prophet's Rock. Our trail began the way I most enjoy (with concrete steps and a handrail). It led down to a picnic area where two young boys helpfully volunteered to let us see their crawdads in cups (we politely declined) and up a small bridge. We went through a field, across a highway, and up into some hills and woods. It was quite pretty and I got to feel rugged without actually taxing myself all that much. None of us were particularly impressed with some of the informative signs, but I suppose that some might have been shocked to know that granite was once liquid (geology rocks). I think that the granite sign marked the exhaustion of ideas because after that the signs sort of disappeared.
It is a good thing that Jon and Adam were there because I am no pathfinder. They dubbed me Sacajawea for the "journey" but I did not live up to the legend. I was good at spotting spiderwebs, bugs, and woodpeckers, but I had a rough time with the big picture. Sadly for me, I punked out when it came to the rock itself. Jon basically ran down the precipitous hill and confirmed its presence. I declined the experience. Instead, I waited for Adam to drive me past it on the way home. Princess style!
Again, the evening concluded with some "Jekyll" watching, Mountain Dew consumption, and a bit of gabbing. Good times. Overall, I had a lot of fun. Jon was in a good enough mood that he actually indulged me by sitting still for a picture.
Before Jon left we went out for a late breakfast at a campus institution: The Triple XXX. The place was fairly packed, but we found three open stools at the counter. It isn't anything fancy, but the food is tasty. A good base of eggs, potatoes, toast and bacon isn't a bad way to start a long drive (especially when you are determined not to stop along the way as Jon was).
I count the visit a success. No noogies were given and he indicated that he would try not to hide from us when we go to Wisconsin again.
And our house is still in relatively decent shape. Will wonders never cease?
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