Dinner with Keith / CA Ball Park #4

Thursday ended up being a much needed "change of pace".  After some jam-packed days of travel and sight-seeing, it was great to sleep in and just lounge around the hotel room.  Our batteries already feel charged up as we head toward our vacation "home stretch"...!

On our way to the Angels game, a good friend from our Valparaiso University days - Keith Ludwig - came up to have dinner with us in a nice Italian Family Restaurant we found close to the Stadium.  Last time we saw him was at our wedding, 20 years ago.  There is something very nice about re-connecting with people that knew you "way back when"...  In our case, we were friends with Keith WAY before Martha and I had ANY inkling we would ever get married to each other - and settle in Iowa - and have 4 kids...  Keith, Martha and I were a part of the same Valpo Foreign Study-Abroad Group - in Reutlingen, Germany - in the Spring Semester of '85.  (Man - that was a long time ago now -- the Berlin Wall was still up...!!)

I have some very great college memories of playing LOTS of guitar with Keith.  (There are some things we did in those days that I hardly remember at all. -- Oh, yeah...!!)  There was alway good conversation - with insights and opinions on EVERYTHING - and some fantastic times of jamming.  We played a lot of fun and tasty stuff - quite a bit of it just off-the-cuff improv.  We stayed up awfully late in those days!  Wish we could've had some extra time to dust off our chops...  Maybe next time...

Keith - it was very, very good to see you, old friend...!  (So, Berlin, maybe??)

Our FORTH Ball Game was later in the evening - at Angel Stadium - a.k.a. "The Big A".  Nice Park!!  We usually stay for the entire game - but the first two innings took over an hour.  We left after the 7th inning this time, since we still had a 40 mile drive back down to our hotel.  The Angels ended up winning in comeback fashion - and we got to see that action...!

A few pics to recall this day:

Much needed "Down Time" at the hotel...

A "Scene From An Italian Restaurant"...!

Re-connecting with a good college friend.

Q(uique) - Keith - Martha

CA Ball Park #4

A really BIG helmet!!

Seats again up at the top...

Right before the first pitch.

First Pitch - Ball One!

The "Big A" has a unique outfield.

Right Field...

Center Field...

Left Field...

The game was getting long...

I LOVE going to these Parks...!!

Good night...!