4 July 2008
A weekend of wake boarding becomes a weekend of creativity when the boat breaks over the holiday. Beached for the day obviously did not mean a day of boredom. Here are some photos documenting our day at the beach.
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Friday, July 4, 2008
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
That time I went to the derby Part 2
4 May 2008 (continued)
After the race, I had to get back to the car before the others so that I would not be left. I started back to the parking lot only having a vague idea of its location: across the train tracks, near a football stadium before the roller coaster.
The lot was pretty far away and everyone had different directions to it. Not having any time to walk to the bridge to cross the tracks and find the stadium where the car was parked, I quit asking how to get to the stadium and started asking where the train tracks were. I got a lot of, "What do you want to know where the tracks are for?" and "Don't you want to know where the bridge is to cross?" After this, they would go on with their directions to get around/over them. I was just looking for a finger point in the right direction. I'd figure it out from there.
Finally, I asked someone the best way to the train tracks and they pointed me in the right direction. When I got to the tracks there was a fence about 10 feet tall with barbs at the top. It turns out that these things may keep normal people from climbing the fence, but not Mike Donohoe. With a gash on my right hand, and cuts on my leg, wrist and ass I jumped down from a second fence and had finally reached my destination with about a half hour before any of the people in my group arrived. Apparently, they took the scenic route. I made friends with a few 40 year olds that happened to be from Columbus and lived in the neighborhood I was living in when they were my age. They also happened to be giving out free Long Islands.
Following the LIT's things get a bit hazy...It seems that my friends found me. They were amazed by the fact that I was able to get back on my own and were worried that they were going to have to get the police to find me. We went to a pizza joint and parked around back. Then, when we tried to get out of the parking lot, we came up against a locked gate about 8 feet tall. Being as I was a veteran fence climber, I hopped it no problem only to come to a second locked gate identical to the first. When I finally got over and jumped on to the main road, I looked up to see Jamie, Kyle, McNugg and and Jenna standing there waiting for me. They had gone around...
We rolled up into the restaurant and were seated. While they ate, I napped, not necessarily on purpose. When I awoke I saw that there was no more pizza left and more importantly there was karyoke going on. Sensing a second wind, I quickly hopped up to put our name in.
Jamie and McBaby, not wanting to sing, went to sit in the car. Kyle, Jenna and I went up when they called my name and grabbed the mic. They asked what we were singing and I told them not to worry about it; the words would be on screen soon enough. An Asian girl came up and asked if she could sing with us too, so I put my arm around her and we began to sing with the bouncing ball. She sang with us until we got to the first chorus "And I'm proud to be an American where at least I know I'm free/And I won't forget the men who died and gave that right to me..." That's when the Asian girl left and the rest of the bar got on it's feet. Arm in arm with the entire bar, we finished the song to high fives, whistles, cheers...my first standing ovation.
Without a word and without looking back, we dropped the microphones and walked out...
Read more!
After the race, I had to get back to the car before the others so that I would not be left. I started back to the parking lot only having a vague idea of its location: across the train tracks, near a football stadium before the roller coaster.
The lot was pretty far away and everyone had different directions to it. Not having any time to walk to the bridge to cross the tracks and find the stadium where the car was parked, I quit asking how to get to the stadium and started asking where the train tracks were. I got a lot of, "What do you want to know where the tracks are for?" and "Don't you want to know where the bridge is to cross?" After this, they would go on with their directions to get around/over them. I was just looking for a finger point in the right direction. I'd figure it out from there.
Finally, I asked someone the best way to the train tracks and they pointed me in the right direction. When I got to the tracks there was a fence about 10 feet tall with barbs at the top. It turns out that these things may keep normal people from climbing the fence, but not Mike Donohoe. With a gash on my right hand, and cuts on my leg, wrist and ass I jumped down from a second fence and had finally reached my destination with about a half hour before any of the people in my group arrived. Apparently, they took the scenic route. I made friends with a few 40 year olds that happened to be from Columbus and lived in the neighborhood I was living in when they were my age. They also happened to be giving out free Long Islands.
Following the LIT's things get a bit hazy...It seems that my friends found me. They were amazed by the fact that I was able to get back on my own and were worried that they were going to have to get the police to find me. We went to a pizza joint and parked around back. Then, when we tried to get out of the parking lot, we came up against a locked gate about 8 feet tall. Being as I was a veteran fence climber, I hopped it no problem only to come to a second locked gate identical to the first. When I finally got over and jumped on to the main road, I looked up to see Jamie, Kyle, McNugg and and Jenna standing there waiting for me. They had gone around...
We rolled up into the restaurant and were seated. While they ate, I napped, not necessarily on purpose. When I awoke I saw that there was no more pizza left and more importantly there was karyoke going on. Sensing a second wind, I quickly hopped up to put our name in.
Jamie and McBaby, not wanting to sing, went to sit in the car. Kyle, Jenna and I went up when they called my name and grabbed the mic. They asked what we were singing and I told them not to worry about it; the words would be on screen soon enough. An Asian girl came up and asked if she could sing with us too, so I put my arm around her and we began to sing with the bouncing ball. She sang with us until we got to the first chorus "And I'm proud to be an American where at least I know I'm free/And I won't forget the men who died and gave that right to me..." That's when the Asian girl left and the rest of the bar got on it's feet. Arm in arm with the entire bar, we finished the song to high fives, whistles, cheers...my first standing ovation.
Without a word and without looking back, we dropped the microphones and walked out...
Read more!
That time I went to the derby Part 1
4 May 2008
Its kind of amazing how you can feel such relief for one month being over and a new one starting. April was a rough month and for the most part an adventure drought. All I can say is "Thank God for May"
This past weekend, Kyle and I were heading down the the Derby, so we made a pit stop in Oxford Friday night. We pretty much set the town on fire, I am not going to regale you with the story because I don't want to ruin your image of me as a sweet dude. The next morning we woke up on Paige's floor. After much groaning and some wide mouth Aquafina's we were on the road to Louisville and the 134th Kentucky Derby.
2 hours later, and probably 3 hours after we said we'd be there, we pull up to J-mo's house, put in a hug and a hello to with parents and jump into his mom's van. Within 10 minutes we have reached our tailgating destination.
Almost before putting the van in park, it's time for Mint Juleps with homemade mint syrup from hand picked mint. Them southerners can throw one hell of a parking lot party. More bourbon flows throughout the day as well as many games of Thunderstruck with random passersby. As we begin to run low on beer Jamie and McHugh prepare for our day in the infield by filling ziplock bags with Bourbon and duct taping them where they won't be patted by security. In years prior, Jamie has done the same, but with a female accomplice and an over-sized bra. This year the one girl brave enough to come along didn't have a whole lot of room to spare up there so flies and thighs it was.
Just as we began to wonder how we were going to get from the lot to the Derb, a guy in a 15 passenger van pulls up to our party and tells us that for $30 and a joint he can get us to the track. I never saw the joint nor were we offered a hit so that part of the deal may have fallen through.
As soon as Jmo and McHugh sat down, their ziplock flasks sprouted leaks, but did not explode. I took it upon myself to make sure the no more bourbon was wasted and soon the others pitched in to help.
At some point between the parking lot and scalping a ticket, my phone died. "It's cool," I figure, "we'll just stay together..." Jamie and I go in through the gate and while we are in line ready to post, it's time for me to pee, again. So I let him know not to move until I get back.
When I returned to the line, Jmo was no where to be found. All alone, and in the middle of 100,000 people and there I am without a cell phone. Instead of worrying about it and trying to find my buddies in this sloppy mob, I figured I would watch the races now and find them later.
Somehow, the pass that I scalped was an All-Access pass, meaning that I was able to go hang out in Sodom; I mean the In-Field, but I could also go back to the stables and watch the races from that side. I ended up going through the stables admiring the giant horses and trying to pump them up with songs from the Rock Soundtrack, "Eye of the Tiger," "Gonna Fly Now." After a minute or so one of the trainers told me to go the hell away. I guess that the Rocky movies do not have the same motivating effect on horses as they do on me.
For the rest of the afternoon until race time, I found myself in the middle of a Fiesta. Mexican music and dancing, grilled chicken and beef for fajitas, all the churros I could eat and muchos cervezas. As race time drew nearer, I began inching closer and closer to the track until I got to a ramp. I finagled my way up to the top and could see the amazing site of the Grandstand, packed to capacity across the way. Finally, at the top of the viewing deck, someone handed me a beer and we had a conversation about the Derby and the horses and who we bet on. When I turned around and began paying attention to where I was standing I almost fell over. Its a good thing I didn't because I would have fallen right onto the track. Everyone told me that if you are going to the Kentucky Derby, don't plan on seeing any horses. That may be true for most people, but I went to the Kentucky Derby and ended up with a front row seat.
My spot was a deck right after the second turn. Seconds after the familiar bugle tune, a brown blur sped by and it was to the screens for the finish. In almost no time at all the horses were back around the second turn slowing down to a stop. Except one. One horse came bounding around and with a harsh face-plant threw its jockey. Trucks and vans came onto the track and finally a curtain was place around the tent.
I am not sure the In-Field knew what was happening, but my side of the track sat in silence as they put Eight Bells down.
Read more!
Its kind of amazing how you can feel such relief for one month being over and a new one starting. April was a rough month and for the most part an adventure drought. All I can say is "Thank God for May"
This past weekend, Kyle and I were heading down the the Derby, so we made a pit stop in Oxford Friday night. We pretty much set the town on fire, I am not going to regale you with the story because I don't want to ruin your image of me as a sweet dude. The next morning we woke up on Paige's floor. After much groaning and some wide mouth Aquafina's we were on the road to Louisville and the 134th Kentucky Derby.
2 hours later, and probably 3 hours after we said we'd be there, we pull up to J-mo's house, put in a hug and a hello to with parents and jump into his mom's van. Within 10 minutes we have reached our tailgating destination.
Almost before putting the van in park, it's time for Mint Juleps with homemade mint syrup from hand picked mint. Them southerners can throw one hell of a parking lot party. More bourbon flows throughout the day as well as many games of Thunderstruck with random passersby. As we begin to run low on beer Jamie and McHugh prepare for our day in the infield by filling ziplock bags with Bourbon and duct taping them where they won't be patted by security. In years prior, Jamie has done the same, but with a female accomplice and an over-sized bra. This year the one girl brave enough to come along didn't have a whole lot of room to spare up there so flies and thighs it was.
Just as we began to wonder how we were going to get from the lot to the Derb, a guy in a 15 passenger van pulls up to our party and tells us that for $30 and a joint he can get us to the track. I never saw the joint nor were we offered a hit so that part of the deal may have fallen through.
As soon as Jmo and McHugh sat down, their ziplock flasks sprouted leaks, but did not explode. I took it upon myself to make sure the no more bourbon was wasted and soon the others pitched in to help.
At some point between the parking lot and scalping a ticket, my phone died. "It's cool," I figure, "we'll just stay together..." Jamie and I go in through the gate and while we are in line ready to post, it's time for me to pee, again. So I let him know not to move until I get back.
When I returned to the line, Jmo was no where to be found. All alone, and in the middle of 100,000 people and there I am without a cell phone. Instead of worrying about it and trying to find my buddies in this sloppy mob, I figured I would watch the races now and find them later.
Somehow, the pass that I scalped was an All-Access pass, meaning that I was able to go hang out in Sodom; I mean the In-Field, but I could also go back to the stables and watch the races from that side. I ended up going through the stables admiring the giant horses and trying to pump them up with songs from the Rock Soundtrack, "Eye of the Tiger," "Gonna Fly Now." After a minute or so one of the trainers told me to go the hell away. I guess that the Rocky movies do not have the same motivating effect on horses as they do on me.
For the rest of the afternoon until race time, I found myself in the middle of a Fiesta. Mexican music and dancing, grilled chicken and beef for fajitas, all the churros I could eat and muchos cervezas. As race time drew nearer, I began inching closer and closer to the track until I got to a ramp. I finagled my way up to the top and could see the amazing site of the Grandstand, packed to capacity across the way. Finally, at the top of the viewing deck, someone handed me a beer and we had a conversation about the Derby and the horses and who we bet on. When I turned around and began paying attention to where I was standing I almost fell over. Its a good thing I didn't because I would have fallen right onto the track. Everyone told me that if you are going to the Kentucky Derby, don't plan on seeing any horses. That may be true for most people, but I went to the Kentucky Derby and ended up with a front row seat.
My spot was a deck right after the second turn. Seconds after the familiar bugle tune, a brown blur sped by and it was to the screens for the finish. In almost no time at all the horses were back around the second turn slowing down to a stop. Except one. One horse came bounding around and with a harsh face-plant threw its jockey. Trucks and vans came onto the track and finally a curtain was place around the tent.
I am not sure the In-Field knew what was happening, but my side of the track sat in silence as they put Eight Bells down.
Read more!
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