Catching Up On Our Lives

It's been quite a while since I've written here, but we have had a lot going on. The funeral for Andrew's mother was quite sad. He seems to be OK, but that, of course, is a wound that will never heal. Though the prospects of him ever living with her were slim to none, I think what really died was his hope. Fortunately, he has a lot of really interesting things to which he can look forward.

Roland and Alex are at Springhill Camp near Seymour. It's a really beautiful place. This is Roland's first sleep-away camp experience, so he was REALLY excited. It was like Christmas. He got up early and kept asking when we would leave, but check-in wasn't till 3 p.m. The camp itself was gorgeous and huge. There was a lot of really cool -- but dangerous -- stuff like the zipline and rock climbing wall. The really cool thing was the boys were taken to their housing, which looked like a Mongolian yurt, in an antique fire truck. Heck, Jeff said we should have let the kids go home and stay ourselves!

Instead, I took Jeff out for Father's Day to the new Brazilian Grill restaurant. It definitely was no Fogo de Chao or Rei do Gado. My caiparinha, a traditional rum-based drink, was the best I've ever had, but it was down hill from there. The salad bar was far too small and the price far too high for this city and what was offered. The cheese bread should have been more like a popover but was too heavy, more like a biscuit. I think I'm spoiled. Every churrascaria restaurant -- at least five -- I've been to has been great till now. This restaurant will do for now, but when one of the other chains makes it here, the Brazilian Grill will be blown out of the water.

Mother's Day

My son Roland and Kevin O'Keefe, president and CEO of the Riley Children's Foundation (top left); Roland, nephews Andrew and Alex with Super Bowl-winning Colts tight end Ben Utecht (top right); Andrew and Roland with the 2007 pace car (bottom left); Andrew, Alex and Roland.

I had a great Mother's Day. A couple of weeks ago, my son Roland received an invitation from the Riley Children's Foundation to attend Riley Family Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Roland was born with some problems that required him to stay for three weeks at Riley. He since has served as a poster boy for various print and broadcast campaigns, including a public service announcement shot with NASCAR star Jeff Gordon.

The day was great. We arrived at the Speedway where we were given a prime parking spot. When we entered the huge Pavilions A and B, I was given a carnation corsage. We each received holders for our tickets. The boys were given posters and limited edition Speedway pins, one of this year's pace car and another showing a winner drinking milk, a tradition following the race.
We ate a hearty lunch that included the awesome chicken and Indiana favorite, fried biscuits and apple butter.

We sat in the stands and watched as several drivers qualified. Being on the pit side, we had great views of the crews preparing the cars for their runs. my brother-in-law Andrew the Elder and I were able to tour the garage area, where we saw disassembled cars tightened and tweaked for their moments on the tracks.

Thanks Roland!

The Riley Children's Foundation ensures that any child in Indiana who needs the unique services provided by Riley Hospital is able to receive them regardless of the family's ability to pay. So if you feel a need to give a charitable contribution, please, keep the foundation in your thoughts.