It's Official: I'm Not Going to Watervale

A classic Watervale sunset over Lower Herring Lake.

I've been procrastinating officially making this announcement, but it simply can't wait any longer because I'm supposed to be headed to Watervale in less than 18 hours.

For a variety of reasons, I'm not going to Watervale this summer.

Yes, I know. I've spent at least part of every summer at Watervale for three-quarters of my life. That's right, I've been going to Watervale for 30 years. And I'm not going this year.

This summer has flown by and although I haven't been able to get away, I have had quite a bit of fun. An awesome Cubs game rooftop party on Memorial Day. A great dinner cruise on Lake Michigan on my birthday. Colbie Caillat and Gavin DeGraw concert at Ravinia. Kenny Loggins concert and fireworks in Lake Forest for the 4 of July. The Blues Brothers movie at Wrigley Field. An amazing evening at Place de la Musique where I even rode the carousel! James Taylor concert at Ravinia. Fabulous lunches, dinners, and movies with friends. This weekend I'm going to the Roy Lichtenstein exhibit at the Art Institute and next weekend I'm hoping to see Tony Bennett at Ravinia.

It's been a good summer. But it won't feel complete because it lacks Watervale. Watervale is my touchstone. It brings me back to me. I arrive stressed out and leave rejuvenated. I sleep. I read. I write. I swim. I hike. I play in the surf of Lake Michigan. I lay on the beach and let sand run through my fingers. I drink wine with friends. I watch sunsets. I kayak. I stay up late hoping to see the Northern Lights. I count the meteors I see each night during the Perseids Meteor Shower. I swing on the swings. I eat good food.

So why am I saying all of this tonight? Am I complaining? No. I'll take a vacation later this fall, but it won't be the same as going to Watervale in August.

I'm writing this tonight because I need your help.

How can you help? I'm glad you asked.

You can . . .

• hike Baldy
• watch the sunset
• swim to BooHoo
• kayak daily
• play in the surf
• see a movie at the Cherry Bowl Drive-In or at the Garden Theater
• savor the creme brûlée
• read, sleep, write
• drink wine
• lay on the beach
• stay up in hopes of seeing the Northern Lights or the Perseids Meteor Shower
• enjoy an extra piece of John Hultman's Honey Oatmeal Bread for me (preferably toasted with cherry jam and no butter)
• hug your Watervale friends and family for me
• tell ghost stories about the Watervale Woman
• visit Sleeping Bear Dunes

You can also do one more thing for me . . . send me some Watervale Mail.  That's right. Fill my snail mail box with Watervale postcards. Need my address? Ask my dad for it or send me a message on Facebook and I'll send it to you.

Above all else, savor your time at Watervale for all the poor souls (like me) who can't be there this year or who have never experienced it for themselves.

LMS Exclusive: Super-Secret James Taylor Playlist for Ravinia

It's a big weekend in my world. James Taylor is coming to Ravinia. I'm going on Saturday night and believe you me, it's took all my willpower not to buy tickets for both Friday and Saturday night, but that seemed a little, well, stalker-ish. So I'm going on Saturday night, but if anyone wanted to gift me with tickets for Friday night, I'd gratefully go and behave myself. Yes, I would behave and yes, I had to think about that.

I've never seen James Taylor live, but he's in my list of Top 5 Musicians I Must See Live, so I'm going on Saturday. You see how this works. It's not important who the other four are; this is about James Taylor, not them.

Fortunately, just like I did with Kenny Loggins a few weeks ago, I have once again snagged the super-secret James Taylor playlist for Saturday night. Well, okay, I only imagine that I've snagged the playlist. I hope James performs the songs below. Hearing them would make my night. No, that's not true. Hearing them all would make my summer. Trust me, my summer could use the boost.

You've Got a Friend

Carolina on My Mind


Something in the Way She Moves


You Are My Only One


Shower the People


Mexico


Copperline


Country Road


Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight


And as an encore . . . Fire and Rain

James, there's no need to thank me. Really. All I really need is for you to bring me up on stage while you serenade me all night long. That will be thanks enough.

As always, this blog post is better if you can watch the videos. If you read LMS via email, click over to the blog and watch the videos. You'll thank me.

Friday Favorites: Favorite Concerts

I love music. I listen to music in the shower in the morning. I am addicted to Pandora and my iPod. I listen to music in the car. And I sing LOUDLY, when I'm alone. Music truly speaks to my soul.

One of my favorite things to do is hear live music, so for today's Friday Favorites, I'm sharing my favorite concerts.

1. Prince's "Musicology Tour" in the summer of 2004. I remember walking in with my friend, just as Prince took the stage, arriving at our seats, and turning to my friend saying "I dated the guy sitting next to us in college. I'm SURE that's him and his wife. I haven't seen him since college." She spent the whole night staring at them, while I tried not to look again. A few years later, I learned it wasn't him. But I digress. What made this concert such a memorable one was the 18 song acoustic guitar set that Prince did alone on stage, just him and his guitar. It started with Little Red Corvette and ended with Purple Rain. Wow.

2. Bon Jovi in 1987 and then again in 2008. In 1987, they played the Rosemont Horizon and we had 12th row. In 2008, I sat in the nosebleed seats at the United Center. Both amazing nights with no hint that Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora had aged at all during those 21 years.

3. Rick Springfield in the fall of 1984 at Poplar Creek. This was the first concert I attended without my parents and I remember singing and dancing to him all night. As I've said before, I learned about lust from Rick Springfield in 1984 and then gave me refresher courses in 2007 and 2008.

4. Brooks & Dunn's Neon Circus Tour in 2001 and 2002. If you want a Southern Rockin' good time, you must see Brooks and Dunn's Neon Circus Tour. Unfortunately, they just broke up, but I got lucky enough to see this tour twice. Both nights, I went home with a very sore throat from singing at the top of my lungs. Boot scootin' fun at its finest.

5. Jimmy Buffett. I've seen Jimmy Buffett so many times I've lost count. I started seeing him as a kid with my mom and kept seeing him well into adulthood on my own with friends. I've celebrated quite a few birthdays at Buffett concerts and consider myself a Parrothead through to my core.

6. Handel's Messiah in the National Cathedral in 1993 and 1994. The first two years I lived in Washington, D.C., I made it my business to get tickets to Handel's Messiah at the National Cathedral. You have not heard it done until you've heard it done there.

What are your favorite concerts?

National Memorial Day Concert

I arrived in Washington, DC over Memorial Day Weekend in 1993, just in time to walk over to the west lawn of the Capitol and watch the annual National Memorial Day Concert that is shown live on PBS. I have no idea which artists performed, but I remember standing the middle of 100,000 of my closest friends on the Capitol steps and having my breath taken away as I watched the sun set behind the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, and into the Potomac River.

There were (and still remain) no words to describe the emotions I felt and feel welling up inside me as I write about these memories now. I stood there thinking about the history that had taken place in this city, the slave hands that built the Capitol, the people who gave their lives all around the world so I could be standing there, and the visionaries who birthed our country. I was in love.

Over the course of that summer, I walked over to the Capitol and watched the sunset many nights. My temporary home was less than two blocks away and I would either grab my girlfriends Jessica and Jennifer for an after-dinner walk or I'd go alone. Either way, I walked around the Supreme Court Building, down to the Library of Congress, around the Capitol, and finally back to Thompson-Markward Hall. With sites like that, it's no wonder I get bored just walking around my neighborhood for exercise now!

For the next 7 years, I never missed a Memorial Day Concert from the Capitol. I usually grabbed a few friends and we picnicked on the lawn, but once or twice I went alone. Each year, Nana would watch from her living room in Crystal Beach, Florida, and then call and insist she saw me on TV. I always pretended to believe her.

Now that I live in Chicago again, if I don't have plans for Sunday evening of Memorial Day Weekend, I'm always glued to my TV and PBS, watching the National Memorial Day Concert. Tonight is the 20th anniversary of the concert and it starts at 8pm ET (7pm CT). Click here for all the details. I'll be watching.

One Night Only!

While most people are prepping for the fireweorks, claiming dibs for the Arlington Heights parade route tomorrow, or delighting with anticipation over seeing the Little River Band, I will be at Arlington Park with Tim and Tony cheering Long John to victory in the Midwest Daschund Races.

It's going to be an exciting night, to say the least. Check out the press release from Morgan Terrace last week.

And, of course, you're all invited to join the excitment.

Long John Strives for Top Dog Status
Come out and cheer Team Long John to Victory!

West Loop, Chicago - June 28, 2008 - Weighing in at 10.5 pounds, and at 11 years old, classifying for a prime position in the Senior Sausage age category, Long John Dornacher will hit the speedway for top dog prize at next week's MidWest Dachshund Races. The races are on Thursday, July 3 at Arlington Park Race Track, beginning at 7 p.m.

"We really hope that he'll cut the mustard and more than ketchup with the crowd, but set the pace," said Team Long John manager, Anthony Dornacher.

Long John has been training, doing morning laps around the block in the West Loop.

"Now that Oprah is on summer hiatus, we don't have a gaggle of Oprah fans lining up to see the show. Their 'Ooing' and 'Ahhing' and 'Is that one of those wiener dogs?'-cooing just offered up a distraction," observed his coach, Timothy State.

Manager Anthony Dornacher is concerned about the fragility of Long John's aging spine. To counteract any discomfort, State has been icing the arch of his back, giving daily massages, and providing him fish oil capsules for lubrication.

"Everything's moving faster, and I suspect he's going to do well." said State. "I mean, this dog is all rib cage and abs, suspended under one supple spine, his bottle nose breaking the wind. I dare any Oprah fan to try to catch him. Sans their gold lamé heels."

Long John Overcomes Adversity

CUE: Jim McKay 'Wide World of Sports' Sympathy Music

Jim McKay: Having recently lost his lifetime companion, Sheleata Kanatuna, to a dreadful cancer known as feline fiber sarcoma, Long John succumbed to a downward spiral of doom -- depression. For weeks on end, he failed to get out of bed.

In March, he hit rock bottom, incessantly licking his paws while longing in the bed all day.

It was during this period that Manager Dornacher left town for for a business trip with his new job. For two weeks, he was in Macon, Georgia, with parachuting Elvi (the plural of Elvis) and Miss Georgia, where Dornacher grand opened an upscale shopping center. Irony aside, Long John was left at home to care for State.

When State forgot to eat, Long John was forced to take charge. With vivacious energy, Long John circled the block. He ran freely, ears flapping in the breeze. A liveliness not seen since before the days of Sheleata Kanatuna's sudden demise.

They say that the body heals through motion. They say that the body heals the mind. And so, through motion, he healed his mind, and his depression. Long John, he runs. He runs like the wind. To be free again.

But he had such a long way to go, to make it to the border of Mexico. So he runs like the wind.

And then injury.

While Manager Dornacher was schmoozing Georgian Beauty Queens, Long John's rear right foot was consumed by the building's entry door in a tragic morning walk accident. What was left was skin, flapping in the breeze. In a role reversal, State scooped up the hobbling wiener, whisking him away to the emergency vet where a team of medial experts patched his foot back together, ironically, by applying glue to his hoof.

CUE: Jim McKay 'Wide World of Sports' Rebound Music

Jim McKay: Long John worked through his inner depression through taking to the streets.

His hoof now healed, he's back, and he's stronger than ever. Next week, will he take the title in the Senior Sausage category? Will he achieve a dream only Sheleata could have hoped for?

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About MidWest Dachshund Races

Arlington Park Race Track - Thursday, July 3 - Races start at 7 p.m.

More Information.