May Is The Coolest Month

I’ve not exactly been verbose in The Tim and Bob Show blog department in 2010. As a matter of fact, I went from reporting after every gig for the last few years to reporting after every month, and then I wrote only one blog entry after the end of January. Things have been relatively slow for us, and that’s a fact. Last year we played 65 gigs, and 2010 doesn’t look like it’s going to come anywhere near that mark – but that doesn’t mean that things aren’t still exciting for the band. For example, consider the fact that two of our greatest weekends ever occurred in May.

We opened the month with Woofstock 2010. We had been planning for this event for a long time. Everyone was involved in promoting it and, for a change, I was the member that turned out to be the busiest. Since I was selected to represent the band on the board of Pet Pals of Texas, the success of Woofstock had become my biggest focus. This all-day music event was held at John T. Floore Country Store in Helotes, one of the iconic music venues in the state, immortalized by Willie Nelson – who performed there many, many times over the years. As the native Texan in the band, playing at Floore’s was a very exciting prospect for me. Pet Pals scheduled eight musical acts to perform. In addition to The Tim and Bob Show, Floore’s indoor stage featured The Vinyl 45s, Clayton Gardner, and Los Dos Estebans Con Queso. The outdoor stage hosted The SA Blue Cats, The Lavens, The Do Gooders Band, and the irrepressible force of nature known as Sara Hickman.

Alternating between the two stages allowed us to provide NINE HOURS of continuous music. Mary Lou and I were there when the doors opened, and we helped the Pet Pals crew set up and get organized. I did a couple of interviews for local media, and made sure the various acts found their stages. Steve and Kathy represented the band in the church choir in the morning, but showed up in time to watch a few acts prior to our performance at 6 o’clock. All of us had an opportunity to enjoy Floore’s great food, but I stayed away from the beer until our gig was finished. Although all four of us were wiped out at the end of our set, we found ourselves shouting and waving arms and cheering Sara Hickman’s “star set.” What a great writer/guitarist/singer she is, and what a charming, witty, and warm person she is to meet. The state government did well when they named her Texas State Musician for 2010.

By the end of the evening, we were comforted by the fact that Vicki and the Pet Pals folks were happy, the folks who bought tickets were happy, and Floore’s staff and management were happy. A special thanks goes out to all the volunteers who made this happen – with a shout out for the young people from San Antonio’s Hard Rock Café. They showed a limitless capacity for hard work and good humor.

It’s hard to top an event like Woofstock 2010, but the weekend of May 22-23 will be equally memorable for the band. It all started last August, while The Tim and Bob Show were performing our Artist-in-Residence duties at the Southwest Unitarian Universalist Summer Institute in Oklahoma, Steve and Kathy became reacquainted with Lee and Joan Stringer, former members of the San Antonio church, who had moved to Huntsville, TX about five years ago. The Stringers found a small UU fellowship there, but it wasn’t long before they began to dream of worshipping in a new church that they and their friends could build and then enjoy. By August, 2009, they had only four walls, a roof, and a dirt floor. We told them that when they were ready, we’d be glad to come to Huntsville for a fundraiser and to attend services in their new church building. After several attempts to coordinate everyone’s calendars, a three-hour concert was scheduled for Saturday, May 22. The only people in Huntsville who had ever heard us were the Stringers, so my biggest concern was that we might get a Peggy Lee Reaction from the Huntsville audience – “Is That All There Is?”

As it turned out, we didn’t slip into town unknown. The Huntsville Item and The Houstonian [Sam Houston State's school paper] featured two full stories about us and the impending concert, and there was a third entry in their “Best Bet” entertainment column. The photograph that we suggested Lee and Joan use was featured in both articles. If we were surprised by this when we arrived at the Stringers, we were to be stunned by the enthusiasm of the audience at the event, not to mention the warmth of the welcome we received from the church community. Our concert consisted of 42 songs, and each of them was followed by prolonged applause. They sang along, tapped their feet, reacted with joy to the “fun stuff,” reacted thoughtfully to the quieter stuff, and hugged us all when we finished.

Once the music stopped, I was to discover that two of the attendees were Huntsville’s mayor and first lady. Other folks came from as far away as 40 miles, and – best of all – many were non-church members who might have found a new place to worship. By the time we got back to the Stringers and helped them dispose of some wine and snacks, we were all ready for a good night’s sleep. Four hours in a rental van followed by a three-hour concert will do that to you.

Prior to coming down, we had talked to Huntsville’s minister and volunteered our help for his Sunday service. We sent him our list of songs, included the words to our original titles, and told him that we often perform for Sunday services at San Antonio’s First UU Church. We expected to be asked to sing three songs and perhaps play some soft music during moments of reflection. As it turned out, The Tim and Bob Show pretty much WERE the service. By the time the chalice was extinguished and the floor was being cleared for the pot-luck lunch, we had performed another 11 songs.

Once again we were thrilled with the open friendliness and acceptance of the congregation. I know there must be some grouchy, rude people in Huntsville, but we didn’t meet anyone like that the entire weekend. By the time we left the newly minted Thoreau Woods UU Church, we not only had made several new friends, we’d all found our “church away from home.” On the four-plus hour drive back to San Antonio, we kept recalling great moments from the weekend’s performances. It really is good to be in a rock ‘n roll band.

Of Becker, Bluebonnets, and Brides to Be

Well, it’s been a while since this blog has been active, but spring is strongly with us here in South Texas, and with the renewal of our wildflowers [thanks, Lady Bird!] comes the rebirth of The Tim and Bob Show blog. Since we left you in late January, we have become accustomed to what seems to be our 2010 routine. The band basically lives in two iterations now – the rocking, four-part, full band augmented by percussion, bass, and smoking electric guitar, and the basic Don and Steve acoustic sets. Each has its merits, and Steve and I have been enjoying this monthly trip back to our roots, but there’s nothing like the fun we have when all four of us are working together.

The full band has played together only three times since our last blog entry at the end of January. A private gig in Austin was followed by our first regular monthly gig of the year at Beto’s Comida Latina. And this past Saturday we traveled 85 minutes into the Texas Hill Country to perform at Becker Vineyards in Stonewall. We’ve played there several times before, and always enjoy the reaction we get when our sounds mix with their wine. Since this Saturday featured the best weekend weather of the calendar year, we were hoping for a big crowd. We weren’t disappointed.

One feature of regional vineyards is that they are often the first choice of pre-wedding bridal celebrations. This was certainly the case on the day. Relatively early on in the set, we caught the ear of a group of about 12 ladies who were on Becker’s porch chattering, drinking, and singing along. They were among the most noticeable contributors to my favorite moment of the day. Steve and Kathy were singing John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” to the accompaniment of at least 30 folks singing along. The song ended in applause and cheers so strong and enthusiastic that Kathy was momentarily shaken by its strength. As Kathy and Steve went into their next duo, I wandered over to the bridal party and thanked them for their attention. They asked if we sang “Sweet Caroline” since it was the favorite song of the bride-to-be and I said that we did and that I’d be happy to have the band play it for them.

We were about 16 bars into the song, when an even larger bridal party showed up and “intercepted” the song. This group wasn’t interested in sitting down, though, and they hooted, hollered and danced about a foot from me and not much farther from the rest of the band for a good half hour. Now the porch at Becker’s Vineyards has a metal overhang, and the noise these celebrants made echoed so strongly that the band could hardly hear ourselves for several songs. Each bridal party seemed to be competing with the other to see who could drink the most wine and have the most fun. Well, since we only had a sip of wine ourselves, they won that contest, but at the end I think we enjoyed playing just as much as they enjoyed listening.

Now I'm not going to mention all the Tim and Bob Nationals who showed up, but it was good to see Hillary and Bethany and their friend Kirsten, along with Loyce, Linda, Vicki, and Summer. Debbie showed up to the venue where we first met, and Bob was there along with Tim and Cindy. Okay, I guess I AM going to mention all those names. We also made some new friends, most notable of whom were a couple who bought our CD to take home with them to Alaska. The Tim and Bob Show Meets the Last Frontier!

We were exhausted at the end of this two-hour set with no break, but as we were breaking down, I noticed that Steve had sat down with some Becker customers, unpacked his Taylor and had begun to sing. Kathy told me that there was a couple who said they had come all the way from Houston to Stonewall just to hear us and had missed the gig. So after Steve finished his song, I joined him for two others. And even this brief “unplugged” mini-set got us some warm applause.

At this point, with the gig firmly summed-up, I’d be ready to put this blog entry to bed, but there were a couple of post scripts to the weekend that bear talking about.

We had planned for the four of us to stop in Boerne on the way back from the gig and check out Mi Casa Tamales. Kathy hadn’t been able to contact their manager about securing any gigs for us. Unfortunately, ONE MEMBER of the band declared himself too tired to even consider stopping for dinner and a margarita and then going home to unload the gear. Okay, I confess; the tired old man was me. Steve and Kathy did have the energy to go, however, and in the process were able to secure us yet another outdoor full-strength gig for this coming Friday. Good work, partners!

Finally, Sunday evening, we met at Ken’s studio to hear the final recording of the three tracks we laid down a while back. These songs were designed to augment those available for our demo CD. Since the original songs we cut for this purpose featured only Steve and me, we didn’t have anything to show prospective clients what the whole band sounds like, and what variety we can provide. So, we listened to – and helped Ken polish up – our renditions of “Monday, Monday,” “Afternoon Delight,” and “Heartache Tonight.” They should also be available on our web site.

I think that qualifies as a notable weekend. I promise not to wait so long between blog entries, if you promise to enjoy this glorious spring, support live music, and TELL US WHAT YOU THINK!.

January -- We Start The Year Out Fine

Because we work so little -- by comparison -- in December, January, and February, I've decided to do one blog entry for the entire month of January 2010. But I'm going to cheat just a little bit.

There are several reasons why The Tim and Bob Show haven't done a New Years Eve gig. For one thing, we like to stay indoors and leave the highways to the drunks. For another, some of us find it hard to stay awake after 10 at night, never mind upright and coherent. Finally, nobody ever offered us one until this New Years Eve just past -- and since it was Vicki and Mara who offered us the gig, it was kind of hard to say no. It was a private party and we're not going into a lot of names, but we all had a good time, and had repaired back to Steve and Kathy's in plenty of time to bring the new year in with wine, snacks, and Singin' in the Rain.

The next morning we were off to perform at Patty Lou's restaurant for the fourth consecutive New Years Day brunch. It had been a good luck charm for us the last three years, and we were hoping for more. There was a change this year, as Patty has moved her wonderful restaurant to the historic Olmos Pharmacy [renamed "Bharmacy" since they offer adult beverages]. So we set up at Patty Lou's at the Bharmacy, and the joint was jumping. There were surprisingly few glitches from the evening before, and we even discovered that in coping with the interesting acoustics at the venue, we could enhance our sound. We decided to use only our monitors for amplification, and they worked very well. In addition to making quite a few new friends in Patty's new neighborhood, we were happy to see Tim and Bob Nationals Mary, Marcie, John, Sandy, Milton [and his mom], Rodney, Chris, Elizabeth, Emma, Florence, Chris, Lindsay, George, Alice, Mara, Linda, Vicki, John, Rich, and Steven O. Good music, good food, good company. Good karma? We hope so.

Our next performance was a full two weeks later. Once again it was the slimmed-down Tim and Bob Show that played Orderup at the Colonnade. They prefer fewer voices there, so Steve and I worked alone. It was fun, though, although we missed Mary Lou and Kathy tremendously. We debuted a couple of songs -- America's "Sister Golden Hair" and The Beatles "The Word." We also played a lot of our originals on the night. Tim and Bob Nationals Ellen, Meara, Lawrence, Margaret, Karen, Crystal, Casey, Jason, Meghan, Paul, Melissa, Phoenix, and Fiona showed up and brightened our night.

With Steve and Kathy busy with Fein Tuned and Kathy involved in her stage production, the band briefly reunited at First UU Church on January 24, and performed as part of their Sunday service. We opened proceedings with "Let's Work Together" -- the first time most of the church had seen Kathy play bass -- and finished the day with "Ob-la-di Ob-la-da" to a standing, clapping, swaying congregation. In between we performed our a cappella rendition of Johnny Mercer's classic "Dream." It was good to sing together and to do so before so many of our friends.

We finished up the month with an impromptu "house concert" for a friend of ours who is recovering from surgery. After a delicious dinner prepared by Tim and Bob National and all-around-good-gal Stanna, we played a 75 minute set filled with four-parters for several of our friends. The person we "aimed it at" enjoyed it immensely, and so did we. There's nothing like the four-part sound of The Tim and Bob Show if I do say so myself.

January was a long month, and we didn't get an opportunity to work together as a full band nearly often enough to please me. Our "outdoor season" begins in early March when we return to Beto's, and we'll have our usual contingent of gigs at venues who enjoy our full sound. Until then, watch for Steve and me at Orderup, and check out this website [link] to find out when Steve and Kathy are performing as Fein Tuned. And, if you stand on your tip-toes you'll see that February [or as we like to call it in South Texas -- Springtime] is almost here.

The Tim and Bob Show End of Year Review

This is NOT to be confused with a family history that's included in a Christmas Card, because it's not -- REALLY.

2009 was another successful year for The Tim and Bob Show. It featured some hails and some farewells, some memorable venues, some awards, much recognition, and even a Guinness World Record.

1. 2009, THE NUMBERS
The Tim and Bob Show played 64 gigs during the year -- 55 of which were paid. The was the 4th consecutive year we topped our previous year. We also performed at 24 different venues, six more than in 2008.

2. 2009, FIRSTS AND LASTS
We played at three South Texas music venues for the first time: Mi Casa Tamales, Ciao2, and Sam's Burger Joint. We also bid farewell to the venue where we played our first ever gig: Fralo's Art of Pizza. Our "World Tour of South Texas" expanded out of state for the first time when we traveled to Western Hills Guest Ranch, in Ft. Gibson, OK. We got a thrill out of playing at two nationally famous San Antonio hostelries -- the St. Anthony and the Menger -- for the first [and hopefully not the last] time. On the same day we played at The Menger, we performed at what may be the final Houston Street Fair, a sad occurrence for San Antonio's foremost free music event.

3. 2009, THE HIGHLIGHTS
For the third year in a row, we started the year at Patty Lou's Restaurant the afternoon of January 1. This good luck talisman would continue to pay dividends for us throughout the year. Later that month, we played at an open house for OASIS @ Warm Springs Hospital. We were treated wonderfully and had a great reception from the attendees.

In February, we created a special Valentine's Day program of music and poetry as a benefit for First UU Church of San Antonio. The money we raised that evening helped to make the church more mobility friendly.

In March, we did a gig at Freidrich Wilderness Park to salute the volunteers there that do so much to introduce Texas children [and their parents] to the diversity and beauty of Texas nature.

June saw us back at First UU Church for a benefit concert to support Pet Pals of Texas, our favorite charity. It was a wonderful night for us, raising money for the group and getting a chance to play good, raucous music for our loyal church fans. We never get tired of Pet Pals, nor their leader [and one of our biggest fans], Vicki.

July 4 provided our most challenging performance yet. Working at HEB Central Market is usually fun and easy: it's indoors, it's early in the evening, it's perfect. On Independence Day, however, they wanted us to play in their parking lot for four hours -- IN THE AFTERNOON. Mary Lou couldn't make it since she was recovering from surgery, but the three of us pushed on through four solid hours of triple-digit temperatures standing on asphalt, thanks in part to Rodney and his family who brought popsicles to keep us refreshed.

In August, we were off to Oklahoma to take up our position as 2009 Artist in Residence at SWUUSI -- The Southwest UU Summer Institute. This week-long event featured two full concerts, one special concert for children, and Steve and I conducting a workshop on songwriting. It was exhausting but tremendous fun. Later that month, we joined about 1800 other guitar pickers to support Voices of a Grateful Nation, an organization that uses music to help rehabilitate soldiers injured in battle. We took our guitars and arrayed ourselves in a ditch at legendary Luckenbach, Texas to play and sing and -- while we were there -- to establish a Guinness World Record for the number of pickers playing one song. As Casey Stengel used to say, "You can look it up." Well, as soon as the book is published, that is.

September found us performing three gigs in less than 24 hours. We began at Orderup's Stone Ridge location on Friday, the 25th, continued with a lunchtime gig at the St. Anthony Hotel, and then -- a few hours later, performing at the Houston Street Fair. We must be insane to do this!

As was the case in 2008, October was our busiest time, with NINE performances during the month, two of them fundraisers. In addition to our usual load of restaurant gigs, we played a National Night Out gig for the Adams Hill Neighborhood Association, a convention gig at the Menger Hotel, and did fundraisers in support of the Texas Music Coalition and the Susan G. Komen breast cancer foundation. We also made our radio debut on KSYM in support of the Texas Music Coalition fundraiser. We ended the month by dedicating our 30th and 31st gigs to our friends at Pet Pals of Texas, selling their merchandise, giving them proceeds from the sale of our stuff, as well as splitting our tips with them.

November and December were most notable for the marriage of Steve and Kathy's daughter Bethany, as well as a chance for our partners to perform with the Merrie Court Singers. November's main highlight would have to be the announcement of the Rammy Awards. We repeated as San Antonio's Best Cover Band, and our CD Take It Outside was selected Album of the Year. Once again, we're grateful to our fans and all the readers of The San Antonio Current for the awards.

The end of the year also featured something that is common in television, but perhaps not so much in music. The Tim and Bob Show has a spin-off group. Very early in the new year, Steve and Kathy will be performing around San Antonio as a two-person band called Fein Tuned. Don't worry, y'all; the band isn't breaking up. It's just that our partners aren't kept busy enough by their daytime careers and the two musical outfits they already grace with their presence. Mary Lou and I look forward to watching them perform

As for the Tim and Bob Show? Well, we're starting the year at Patty Lou's, and we already have restaurant and winery gigs booked through July, so Tim and Bob Nation will have plenty of opportunities to slake their thirst for good music.

Happy New Year from Kathy, Steve, Mary Lou, and Don

Rich with Autumn's Gold

The Tim and Bob Show's one busy weekend in November was the 20th and 21st of the month, where we welcomed in the Christmas season and bid a brief adieu to outdoor performing.

We began at our traditional "Third Friday" gig at Orderup at the Colonnade. In the past, this venue has seemed almost like Party Central for us, and Friday was "one of those nights." There were Tim and Bob Nationals new and old on display, and we were almost embarrassed by our riches. Matt, Debbie, and the ever-charming Seth were there, as were Casey and Pam. A huge crowd featuring Kathie, Marguerite, and Peter were there. Dylan was also in attendance with a friend. With them were Christina, Ryan, & Aaron, and Rob & Kimberly. It was also a distinct pleasure to see Paul and his daughter Fiona [Bug]. Fiona overcame her innate shyness to perform on percussion with the band and to pronounce her belief that "Steve is cute."

This performance was notable for a couple of reasons. We resuscitated our Christmas repertoire just in time for Friday, and Kathy's rendition of "Santa Baby" and Mary Lou's take on "The Man With the Bag," were big hits, as was the girls' work on jingle bells for "Jingle Bell Rock." We also saluted the 100th anniversary of Johnny Mercer's birth by performing our a'capella version of "Dream." Casey said that even the servers stopped talking while we sang this beautiful song. Finally, at the explicit request of Seth -- who wanted to hear something with kazoos -- we did "Ob-la-di Ob-la-da." It was a great night, and we thank everyone for coming out.

On Saturday, we motored our way up IH10 to Boerne to perform for the second time at Mi Casa Tamales. Once again we enjoyed the ambience of this location -- we love playing under the sheltering oaks -- and the incredible food. I hear that the margaritas are "cherce," but as long as they have Shiner Bock on draft, I may never find this out for certain. As was the case in October, the chill air and the full college football slate kept attendance down, but we do appreciate having Hillary & Brian, Larry, Jean, and Jason & Megan, who joined us for the first time. We had plenty more music in us when the customers started to drift away, but we're looking forward to getting back there in the Spring. Good food and great people deserve good music -- and we got plenty of that.

That's it for us for November. We'll see you for a somewhat abbreviated December schedule. Until then, check out our website for our "End of Year Sale" bargains, and TELL US WHAT YOU THINK!.

"The Days Dwindle Down ..."

It's fitting to begin a blog with a line from "September Song," since September weather in post parts of the United States is just about what we experience here in South Texas in mid-November. And so it was that on Friday, November 13, we played our last Beto's Comida Latina gig of the year -- outdoors ... on their patio ... and [for the first set and a half] in tee-shirts!

We had a good-sized crowd in attendance for our regular "second Friday" performance, and it was filled with friends old and new. Veteran Tim and Bob Nationals Bethany, Matt, Hillary, Brian, Dick, Dave, Martha, and Marcie were there, and we made several new converts. Marcie's new/old friend Sandy was pleased to hear us. Hillary's co-workers Rene, Willy, and Diana attended. Josie and Amelia [and their parents] loved our music and requested "Sweet Caroline" and even Dan and Tara [from Phoenix] stopped by to fortify themselves with Mexican food and beer prior to their participation in San Antonio's Rock 'n Roll Marathon the next day. I guess this is why Beto's keeps asking us back. We bring in the business for them.

How was the music? It was sensational, and thank you for asking. We debuted the Hollies classic, "He Ain't Heavy; He's My Brother" which features Steve on lead vocals and Kathy on bass. Steve got a chance to tear off a bunch of searing guitar solos, and we got all sorts of compliments over our rendition of "Mustang Sally."

Before we knew it, we were breaking down our equipment. Beto's doesn't have music on the patio In December, January, or February, but we're pretty sure we'll be back in the Spring. We hope to see you when we get there.

Of Friends & Families, Beautiful Brides, and Go-to Girls!

Things have been really crazy for Steve and Kathy recently. Now we're not talking actually insane [although there are times ...], we're talking about frantic, frenetic, exhausting times. All of that has been coming on top of all of life's usual craziness: jobs, unexpected remodeling, the aches and pains of ... uh ... the decade they share, and the "robust economy" we're all navigating. And, all of that is on top of all the busy-ness associated with The Tim and Bob Show -- the gigs, the fundraising for our favorite causes, the accumulation of new repertoire, the strange family they're partnered with in that particular enterprise. It's enough to drive a normal couple LEGITIMATELY insane. Well, there's two things to be thankful for: (1) They AREN'T a normal couple, and (2) The crazy times are gradually returning to a more manageable level of insanity.

For the last several months, a central part of Steve and Kathy's life has been getting ready for the marriage of their daughter Bethany and her guy, Matt. Now, Mary Lou and I don't have children, but for some reason, both Bethany and her twin sister Hillary love us and we love them right back. We'd do anything for these beautiful, willful, talented, compassionate, passionate young women. And so it was that the first week of November would culminate in the wedding of Bethany and Matt. And that wedding would help restore a bit of normality to Steve and Kathy's every day life. That's assuming that being in a rock 'n roll band can be described as "normal."

Weddings mean family gatherings, and this was going to be the case for this wedding. Kathy's parents -- Irv and Muriel -- flew in from Florida to attend. Steve's parents -- Herb and Bertha -- arrived from New Jersey. We know them all, and enjoy their company. It was especially nice to see Herb and Bertha, because it meant that "Bert" was healthy enough to fly. And so, we gathered at Steve and Kathy's house on Thursday afternoon for an impromptu "house concert." Irv and Muriel had heard us play before -- Muriel on multiple occasions -- but Steve's parents had only heard our recorded voices. Almost all of the equipment was being stored at our house for the duration of the wedding week, but there was enough for everyone to hear Kathy's new bass chops, Steve's new guitar, and some solid four-part harmony. Everyone enjoyed it, and that included Mary Lou and myself. As it turns out, when you love people, not only do you love their children, you also wind up loving their parents.

More family was on the way, of course, in the form of Steve's sister Faye , her husband Arnold and daughter Ilana, Steve's brother Jeff, Jeff's wife Monica and daughter Madeline and son Robbie. They missed the concert, but they were there for the main event.

And what a main event it was. My father always told me that there was no woman so beautiful as a bride on her wedding day, and -- face it -- Bethany had a HUGE head start. Mary Lou got to the church around 4:30, which was a good thing since she had custody of the wedding dress. I arrived about a half-hour before the ceremony was to begin. The womenfolk were all hidden away, of course, so I had a chance to talk to Matt and his dad, Steve, as well as long-time Tim and Bob National Marcelo who was in the wedding party. Everyone looked great, especially OUR Steve, who was wearing a tux for only the second time since I met him. There was a bit of nervousness around, so I decided to walk into the sanctuary to get a seat. Bethany's choice of music consisted of about six songs, two of which were Tim and Bob Show songs. I couldn't have been prouder.

Finally, it was time for the wedding. The grandparents and parents entered, followed by the bridal party. Bethany's twin Hillary was beaming as she strolled down. Finally, Bethany entered on the arm of her father. It was an amazing moment for everyone, and I was overcome with emotion seeing my partner so incredibly happy. Reverend Bret took over then and vows were exchanged and readings were made. At one point in his discussion of Bethany and Matt's voyage to the alter, Bret referred to Matt as Bethany's "go to girl." The male attendants were, somehow, able to keep things together. And then, suddenly, we were introduced to Matt and Bethany as husband and wife.

Mary Lou and I led Muriel and Irv down to Southtown for the reception at the Blue Star Art Gallery. We chatted with dozens of people, and exchanged stories. We did a lot of hugging there, especially with Steve, Kathy, and Hillary. Long before the party began to get rowdy, I exercised my "old age option" and Mary Lou and I drove home. It was a memorable night.