Summer Snapshots: DCI

It's official. I am an enormous nerd. 

In case my extensive monthly reading lists and little trips down Marching Band Memory Lane didn't tip you off, this will cement it for you. I watch competitive youth drum-and-bugle-corps for fun. 

Hal, one of my good friends from Notre Dame and now Minny, introduced me to the wonderful world of Drum Corps International, or DCI, the summer after I graduated college. Founded in 1972, the organization provides a competitive venue for drum and bugle corps composed of members under 21. Making it into a corps is a huge deal, and the schedule is grueling...think "an entire summer spent on a coach bus and sleeping on gym floors while practicing or performing for 10 hours a day." It's basically like every day is gameday for them...I know I couldn't do it, but I have so much respect for the amazing and talented kids who do. 

Hal, Steph, and I road-tripped down to Rochester, Minnesota early this summer to take in one of the first DCI competitions of the season, the River City Rhapsody. It featured seven out of the 22 World Class corps, and was a great, cheap way to get a marching band fix outside of football season. Hal takes DCI as seriously as a religion...that weekend alone, he had seen two other shows with plans to take in another the following day! I felt lucky to get to tag along and soak in some of his expertise. 

During the show, I took rough notes on both what Hal said about each corps and what I thought of their performances. I also discovered the "Panorama" feature on my iPhone camera, which was perfect for the wide use of an entire football field (and the gorgeous sunset-lightning storm combo we were treated to later!). The shows themselves are so intricate! There are costume changes, multiple sets of auxiliary flags and banners, and props ranging from small and portable to massive, moving set pieces. It was overwhelming in the best way imaginable. 

First up: The Pioneers. Their show's theme was "Joy," and my crib notes tell me their show was heavily Irish-driven. I remember they had a really cool section that fused Handel's "Messiah" with "When the Saints Go Marching In." And they closed with "Danny Boy," which made my Irish eyes smile. (Also, their lady-drum-major had a sick cape-skirt thing that she swirled around. A lot.) (Final place: 7th, with 56 points)

The Colts, per my notes, had a hot drum major that for some reason I didn't take a picture of. Their show was a cool post-apocalyptic take on "The Wizard of Oz," where the Scarecrow has taken over. The show was gorgeously sinister, but not a standout compared to later ones. (Final place: Sixth, with 65.2 points)

The Troopers' show spoke to my nerdy little heart so hard...it was called "To Build A Home," and featured Aaron Copland's music, particularly the Lincoln suite. Their sound was incredibly lush and beautiful, and every movement was choreographed to just be stunning. Plus their drum major WAS hot and I DID take pictures. One of the highlights: mid-show, their auxiliary unfurled banners that, held together, made the iconic Lincoln portrait...and the woman behind us asked "Who's that?" Her companion answered, "Ulysses S. Grant." And I died inside. HA. (Final place: Fifth, with 68.5 points)

This is when Steph and I made the mind-blowing discovery that there are laceless marching shoes. Revolutionary, folks. I also read in the program that the average DCI corps member eats around 4500 calories a day during the competition season, and found out about the gym floors. That's when my regret that I didn't get to be a DCI kid died. Well, then, and when I found out they don't take piccolos. 

The Cavaliers' show was called "Immortal," and struck me first and foremost for their insane athleticism. They're one of only two all-male corps, which made their show aggressively full of motion. Even their pit drums were mobile...there was a mind-blowing section where their marimbas formed a circle and they were jumping from drum to drum like demented, demonic monkeys. I was blown away. (Final place: FIRST! With 78 points)

The Madison Scouts, the other all-male corps, are the first corps to have used trombone, for their "Time Trip" show. The whole auxiliary started out dressed in black and white, and by the end of the show, were wearing this insane neon rainbow of colors. The show is a time travel look-back at the music of Stan Kenton and Duke Ellington. I liked, but didn't love this show, but did note that "their held notes were such rounded blasts of sound that they could stop your heart." (Final score: Third, with 74.5 points)

The Phantom Regiment! They did "Swan Lake!" And it was stunning. To quote Hal, "They're the storytellers, the orchestra of drum corps. They're just so elegant." And I agree entirely. Their low brass was so rich, and their all-female auxiliary was like watching a true line of ballerinas. Just so visually engaging and classic. (Final score: Second, with 77.6 points)

Finally, the Blue Stars, a local group out of Lacrosse, WI, closed the evening down with their show "Where the Heart Is," an homage to the concept and feeling of home. To my novice eyes, it seemed like they had a LOT going on with auxiliary and props, but their sound was really good for so early in the season. Their closer, an a'cappella sung riff of Phil Phillips' "Home," was near tear-inducing. (Final score: Fourth, with 72 points)

Aaaaand if you're still reading, please be still my nerdy beating heart, I love you so. Call me up and let's discuss marching bands for hours and hours, okay? 

Summer Snapshots: Lake Living

Happy Unofficial Start to Fall, campers! I had a great Labor Day, replete with two musicals, a trip to the Fair, and a few good books and great meals. Now that the last of the Summer Holiday Trifecta is behind us, though, I'm turning my attention (a bit prematurely, admittedly) to fall.

As I wind down summer, it would be remiss of me to NOT mention lakes on this blog. I proudly hail from the Land of 10,000, and I've grown up spending summers on them since I was little. We used to have a cabin 2 hours west of the Cities, and some of my fondest childhood memories are of weekends "at the lake." These days, we keep our boat at my parents' place and spend our weekends on lakes closer to home...

...where libations flow freely, little brother Jonathan and cousin Kari waterski like bosses, and the only way we mark hours passing is by how often we have to reapply sunscreen. One of the perks of living at home for the summer was my ability to take after-dinner cruises with my family on a spur-of-the-moment whim...some of the prettiest evenings we had this summer were out on the water for a quick jaunt!

I was also lucky enough to sneak away for not one, but two weekends up north! The first was our annual trip to Hay Lake for a weekend at Kelsie's cabin. 

You know that new thing people do where they make up special hashtags on Instagram for their pictures? We made one for Cabin Weekend 2014, "#hummerjuice," in honor of our signature weekend drink...Hummer Juice! Kels and I discovered this delish cocktail at The Chatterbox Pub in St. Paul...it's a mix of grapefruit juice and chardonnay. We experimented with proportions and found that half-and-half was solid gold...and tasted best when drunk off your biceps, a la Dustin Lynch's "bicep chug!" (Mostly because Dustin Lynch is super cute. No shame.)

We pontooned around forever, played some great games around the fire, played with duck phones and golf-peg board games, and all loved on precious puppy Grace like it was our job. After a stop in Nisswa for amazing pizza at Rafferty's, we amused ourselves the whole way home with the Spotify Boy Band Playlist...which makes an excellent road trip soundtrack!! Thanks for hosting us, Kels!

Our second getaway followed just two weekends after Cabin Weekend 2014, when my family headed up north to celebrate the wedding of my "fake uncle Steve," a friend of my dad's who is not related to my family at all but was around so much when I was a kid that I thought he was my uncle until I was 10. We stayed at a darling little resort on Woman Lake, Broadwater Lodge, and enjoyed a gorgeous day on the water on Friday before the wedding. 

One of the highlights? We spotted a mature bald eagle trying to teach its baby how to hunt...after a while, the mother perched in a tree right near where we were floating. After several minutes of quiet observation, we got the bright idea to pull out my iPhone and search Youtube for baby bald eagle sounds. Once we played them, it was freaky...the second the baby eagle in the video screeched, even with my low-sound-quality phone, the mother eagle's head absolutely whipped around in our direction, no matter how many times we played the video. It was insane to see just how honed their sense of hearing is. 

We also got to witness my first "beach" wedding, as Steve and Cheryl tied the knot on the beach of her aunt's home on Mule Lake! It was a lovely ceremony and the reception was full of personal touches...we loved celebrating with Steve!

It freaks my mind to know that in just a few months all this gorgeous water will be frozen solid and I'll be bitching about the subzero temps again...for now, I'm hoping for one or two more September boat trips before the weather officially gets autumnal on us! 

Summer Snapshots: Twins Game

Having completely enjoyed myself at my June adventure to a Saint Paul Saints game, I have to be honest--I wasn't sure when or if I'd make it to a Minnesota Twins game this summer. Throw in their abysmal record, the unpredictable weather we've had all summer, and ticket prices that can be prohibitive, and it wasn't looking likely. A few weeks ago, however, my family took a spur-of-the-moment trip to Target Field to watch the Twins "take on" the Kansas City Royals!

My little brother Jonathan's fraternity big brother, Ben, was in town for a visit, and we all woke up Sunday to a day that was too cloudy and windy to justify boating. What better way to introduce Ben, a native Ohio boy, to Minnesota than through baseball? 

We all piled in my dad's truck and headed downtown under ominously overcast skies...only to arrive, pay event parking, and find out the game's start had been delayed by 45 minutes. In our eyes, of course, this was just a great excuse to go have a beer...which we promptly did at O'Donovans, home of many an Irish gamewatch of years past!

My dad scalped tickets like a hero on a streetcorner, ending up with two amazing seats a few rows above the home dugout for the boys, and three seats in the Legends Club for him, my mom, and me. Also off the first baseline, the Legends Club includes standard open-air seats along with access to a glassed-in, air-conditioned clubhouse featuring great food and super extensive hard liquor bars. Um, count me in...way more enjoyable than my innumerable high-school and college trips to games with seats in the nosebleeds! 

Immediately upon entering, we hydrated with "Cape Cods" (vodka-cranberry--has anyone else ever heard it called this, or is it some weird Target Field thing?) and bonded with Bradee...who was legitimately one of the cutest guys I've ever seen and was an utterly adorable bartender. I promise this is relevant. Our seats were fantastic, and we fortunately were under an overhang from the deck above us...which I promise is ALSO relevant. The boys, of course, had insanely awesome seats with a perfect view of the Twins players and manager completing the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge...too funny. 

Two innings in, the Royals had scored seven runs to the Twins' 1, and I had downed two vodka-crans. As if in protest of the score discrepancy, the sky opened up and it started absolutely pouring...for about two minutes. What is it with me and rainy sporting events? It was seriously raining so hard that even my tiny iPhone camera could capture it--check out the picture on the right, above. The mass exodus from the stadium was hilarious to observe from our sheltered, totally dry seats. Hilarity only increased when this happened no less than three more times before...

RAIN DELAY #2!!!!!!!!!! The boys, who we thought totally had the better seats, were absolutely drenched despite the $5 ponchos they'd purchased. My parents and I were suddenly so much more grateful for our covered seats and cush lounge. We took advantage of our bond with Bradee the bartender to keep the very vodka-heavy vodka crans flowing...at one point, we came inside the lounge, took a bathroom break, and he had three pre-mixed and waiting on the bar for us before we even made it over there. Talk about amazing service, am I right?

After 45 minutes of delay (and like 3 more vodka-cranberries), play finally resumed and we soldiered on until shortly after the 7th inning stretch, when the score was like 10-3 Royals and the boys were too wet and cold to take it anymore. We bailed to the 5-8 Club for Juicy Lucys (another Minnesota institution) and ultimately chalked the day up as a total success (even though the Twinnies lost 12-6...eek). Here's to checking one more item off my Summer Bucket Lizt! 

Summer Snapshots: Restaurant Week

Okay, let me preface this whole gushy rhapsody of foodie effusiveness by saying that yes, I am aware that Restaurant Week is not exclusive to either summer or Minneapolis. Let me negate that preface by saying OMG I so do not care, because Restaurant Week is just. that. awesome. 

Hannah, my former Big 4 senior Kyle (also known as K-Behr), and I have a longstanding tradition of enjoying fine food and dining together. K-Behr was actually the person who first introduced me to raw sushi...we worked on several out-of-town audits together and used and abused that meal allowance like it was our bitch. And Hannah--well, everyone knows she's my favorite brunch partner-in-crime...what better pair to try out awesome, crazy restaurants with? 

This summer, we hit the July Restaurant Week and visited Haute Dish in the North Loop. I'm ashamed to say I lived literally across the street from Haute Dish from last August til April, and had never been inside. Everyone I know who's been there has raved about their innovative plating and flavors, and their quirky riffs on traditional Minnesotan classics sounded too fun to miss. 

I'm not trying to turn this into a foodie blog or anything, but honestly, this meal was so remarkable and just plain interesting that I couldn't NOT be "that girl who takes a picture of every plate" (including Hannah's plates as well ha!)...

First course: 

Kyle and I had the "House Salad: South Dakota Steakhouse Style," a pretty little dish of slivered grilled iceberg lettuce, the thinnest rings of red onion, brioche croutons, a couple rolled and fluted cucumbers, charred cherry tomatoes, and dollops of French and Bleu Cheese dressing. Prettiest salad I've ever seen. 

Hannah stepped out of the box and ordered the charcuterie plate, which featured several different smoked sausages and meats, spicy mustard, gourmet pickles, and (I think) peanut butter...served on some kind of trencher of hollowed-out log. The presentation was fantastic. 

Second course: 

K-Behr and I had the "Mac'n'Cheese." Never has a casual name belied such a gourmet take on the Kraft classic. This one featured a taleggio-and-truffle oil sauce, liberally interspersed with rich crab and roe, topped with buttery panko and a dash of shaved celery. Yum.com.

Hannah had the "Cool Ranch Gnocchi," which were served over a to-die-for parmesan foam with a parmesan crisp, along with roasted tomatoes. The gnocchi themselves legitimately tasted like Cool Ranch Doritos and were the perfect combination of crispy on the outside, soft and buttery on the inside. 

Third course: 

Hannah and Kyle had the restaurant's signature Tater Tot Haute Dish...slow-cooked short ribs served with porcini mushrooms, potato croquettes, and green beans. I was introduced to tater tot hot dish very recently, and this was NOT your typical Northern-Minnesotan-Lutheran-Woman-in-a-Kitchen-with-a-Can-of-Campbell's Cream of Mushroom hot dish. 

I had the Flavor Country Burger, which came with EVERYTHING, and I mean everything. Normally I'm a plain-Jane burger girl, but the wasabi Mayo, jalapeno pickles, truffle oiled, grilled bun, and candied bacon combined in a weird, synergistic way to create pretty much burger perfection. The highlight, though, was the fries, which were dusted with "ketchup powder" in lieu of the traditional sauce. They provided the perfect crispy, sweet-and-spicy sidekick to the overwhelming burger. 

Dessert: 

We all shared two offerings. The first selection, the chocolate creme brulee cake, came off more as a really good custardy brownie than creme brulee...until we scooped up some of the espresso fudge and crumbled candied/caramelized crispies off the plate. Then it was like this awesome deconstructed delicious thing that I loved...

...but not more than the Buttermilk Tart, which was served on a bourbon graham cracker crust, topped with a pecan praline cookie thing, and liberally drizzled with bourbon caramel glaze. Every bite was a delectable revelation. I'd go back just for that and a Minnesota Mule. 

Now that I've bored you all with a recap of a meal you didn't get to eat, change that...get thyself to Haute Dish asap and enjoy a meal that I guarantee will be playful and palate-pleasing. Bonus: They also serve brunch...which means you haven't heard the last of this place in my books!

Summer Snapshots: Saints Baseball

Every time mid-August rolls around, I get a weird, panicky feeling right in the pit of my stomach. I don't know if it's the prospect of winter looming "right around the corner" (I spend a ridiculous amount of time thinking about the weather. God, I'm a Minnesotan.), or fear that I haven't maximized the three months of the year when everyone is deliriously excited about just plain living life to the fullest, or pre-emptive nostalgia for "the good old days of summer." 

At any rate, I'm starting to feel that pinchy panic for summer 2014. I mean, my teacher friends are setting up classrooms and talking about back-to-school. Target's had school supplies out for literally a month, and J.Crew's pushing merino wool again. I'm seeing and hearing Minnesota State Fair ads on the TV and radio. Don't get me wrong...I adore fall...but I'm JUST NOT READY TO SAY GOODBYE TO SUMMER YET. 

So in that vein, I'm going to obnoxiously share all the cool, fun, exciting things I've done all summer but failed to write about because I've been having too much fun. Get excited for "Summer Snapshots:" because it wouldn't be a blog by me if it weren't cheesier than the Mouth Trap Cheese Curds booth at the Fair. 

In the spirit of checking off as many items on my Summer Bucket Lizt as possible, Kels and I went to a minor-league baseball game back in June! The St. Paul Saints are our hometown heroes of choice today, and oh my gosh, I genuinely haven't had that much fun at a baseball game in a really, really long time. And now, without further ado, your recap, as told (partially) through Snapchat screenshots (we're classy and Millennial like that):

One of my favorite Twin Cities things is the Peanuts statues all over the city, a remnant from the "Peanuts on Parade" Charles Schulz tribute. I have the fondest memories of going to see the statues with my family as a kid--to this day, running into Snoopy around town makes me smile. Also of note: we found out Heaven IS for real (see signpost). 

Immediately upon arriving at the stadium, verrrry early, we picked up our tickets, for $14, and PBRs, for $3. You just TELL me where else you can get beer at a sporting event for those prices!! Minor leagues for the win!

Kels and I took advantage of our early arrival to watch the players warm up (yum, cute booties in baseball pants) and pick our future husbands out of the lineup. I think our theory is gold: these kids are all rookies who have the potential to be the next Joe Mauer hometown sweetheart. What better than to snag them while they're young, vulnerable and uncorrupted by major league fame? Are we right, or are we right? 

Once we settled in, we enjoyed the game, but also the antics of cute children on the field doing cute, funny, or...in some cases, downright weird...things between innings. Case in point: this Snapchat was of kids dressed up as Kinky vodka bottles, running along the third baseline. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thiiiiink this maybe sends mixed (drink) messages. 

Also of hilarious note, we were equal parts baffled, charmed and amused by the antics of Sister Rosalind Gefre, the famous Saint Paul Saints "massaging nun." Check out her story here...such a bizarre but kind of charming story. I know I didn't believe what I was seeing when the line of people waiting for massages stretched out of the bleachers...or when she hugged and individually blessed each massage recipient after! Cute, in its own weird way!

While we watched the game, joked about our future husbands, and downed a couple cheap beers and Von Hanson's brats (I had the "Kevin Bacon," Kels tried out the "Kim Lardashian," haha!)...the skies continued to darken and grow more ominous. We waited for the inevitable downpour and, just as a train passed the station on the adjacent tracks, blowing its whistle, the skies opened up. Thank heaven for $5 ponchos--stylish and practical!

Eventually, the rain blew through and we went back to our old-school antics...the people-watching was EPIC. The Saints emerged victorious and we enjoyed celebrating their win with fireworks, of course :) 

All said and done, the game was a fantastic, cheap, easy way to enjoy a midsummer baseball game without paying major-league prices. Can't wait to make this an ongoing tradition!