February 28 Dog Parks, Frozen Beaches & Mosh Pits

Some days you'll remember for the smile they brought to your face while you were living it, not the smile it causes remembering it. This was one of those days. I met Cindy (my little sister that isn't actually related to me) at the dog park in Wicker Park. She brought her dog, Simon. I had both of my dogs, Fluffy & Oslo. We let them run around with all the other dogs in there. I swear Oslo was smiling as he chased the other dogs around. He actually ran over to me several times and it seemed like he was thanking me for bringing him to the dog park. I've seen him wound up and excited before, but today he seemed as happy as caninely possible. Then we went to Mount Baldy, a giant sand dune on Lake Michigan. We hiked through the woods to the top of the dune. The wind was whipping off the lake. We ran down to the beach. We walked along the shore for about 30 minutes. It was extremely cold but beautiful. The ice along the shore, the built up ice shelf over the lake out to the open water with small ice floes swaying back and forth in the surf. I love the beach in the winter. The solitude, the fantastic sound of nothing, I love being surrounded by no sounds at all, then the silence is broken with a wave breaking, ice cracking or the sound of wind blowing sand over a dune. It's the natural sounds, not the man made sounds that make freezing my ass off worth it on days like this. We hiked back through the woods, it felt good to get out of the wind. We stopped for southern BBQ at Smokeys on Route 20. Definitely worth stooping for the pulled pork sandwiches and homemade pies. When we got back to Cindy's car at the dog park there was a black Great Dane in there. Oslo started crying, the fanook. So I took them in to play with the dogs again. I was laughing watching Oslo & the 140lb Great Dane chase a Rhodesian Ridgeback all over the yard. The tall, lanky Great Dane was all asses & elbows as it ran. Oslo was a streamlined white rocket with his ears pinned back by the wind as he ran. I just laughed thinking about how he was going to pass out as soon as we got home. Which he did. But I had to shower and get to the Congress Theater for the Dropkick Murphys concert. They are one of my favorite bands, an Irish punk band from Boston. As soon as I found a spot in the crowd, I was treated to a cute red headed Irish girl showing off her new tattoos by lifting up her shirt. On my left were two guys in kilts bragging about wearing them in the traditional style(no underwear) despite the bitterly cold wind outside. How could I not be ready for a great night after that beginning? I met up with some friends after the opening band, H2O. The Dropkicks did not disappoint. They had the crowd in a frenzy from the first song. I was in & out of the mosh pit all night. I'm getting too old to hang for the whole show. When the encores began, I joined the pit again. The mayhem in front of the stage was out of control. Then the band kicked into punk version Bruce Springsteen's "Badlands". I couldn't believe it. I was moshing to a Springsteen song. The subway train was full of Dropkick fans reliving their favorite moments. No one mentioned the Springsteen song except me. Still everyone had a great time and that's what it is all about. Great ending to a day of simple pleasures.