Hello, My Name is Leif

Hello, blogging world, my name is Leif Ecklert. My friend, Tim Clark has invited me to contribute to his blog.

Several years ago I met Tim in Louisville, KY. He was in town with his family for a basketball game, they are big Cardinal fans, #GoCards, Tim. I was in town with my family to fly underground at the Mega Caverns Underground zip line course. Which was amazing, by the way.

We were staying in the same motel, the Embassy Suites. We met waiting in a long line for drinks, Natasha, my wife, and I were standing in line Nancy, Tim's wife and Tim. The line was long, but the drinks were free so it all worked out. 

Tim's wife started a conversation with us, and since we were all stuck together it just kind of grew.

We sat down and talked, turns out we were both Grateful Dead fans. He was more Live Europe 72 and I was more In the Dark. But the Dead is the Dead, right? We both loved the underground zip lines, and we both enjoyed bourbon on the rocks.  Here is the weird part, though, we are both "born to write." It was like we were brothers, without the animosity of being related.

After a few drinks, the lines were long, so we drank slowly, we said good night, and went our separate ways. But, the next morning we ended up in the omelet line together. We sat and drank coffee, and ate too much breakfast. And had a good time.

We stayed in touch a little. Life is a busy place, and drift happens, and we didn't really know each other that well anyway. But, we managed a few messages, a quick email, random, occasional contact.

Here is where it gets weird, though.  We both ended up writing for the same magazine The Wild Word.  Here is my latest post. After he saw that he felt it almost a necessity that I join his blog, Life Explained, Sandusky, you know.

So many things, so much in common, so many coincidences. Tim thought it might signal the end of days. So we decided to try the omelets and free drinks at several Embassy Suites around the country. What better way to face the apocalypse? He said the one outside Omaha is fantastic, and I told him we could stop at the Embassy in downtown Peoria on the way there, I thought it was first rate.

We may try to find an old VW bus, and tour the country trying Embassy Suites, listening to the Dead, and writing tales of daring escape and fantastic discovery. Ken Kesey and Hunter S. Thompson taking a walk on the mild side, ibuprofen instead of acid, and bottled water instead of pot. It will be end up a collection of our greatest hits.

 Of course, if he's wrong our wives are going to be furious.

Louisville, Last Weekend. It was great.

In the end, when all of the cards have been played and the "old man with the telescope cuts the final strand" last Friday is going to be counted among my best.   Traveling is not something I relish, but a three and a half hour drive is not really traveling, more of a commute., even I can handle commuting.

There is something special about taking a quick trip, a miniature vacation, a short jaunt, that doesn't require all of the preparations.  Packing is minimal, preparations are simple, just throw a couple of bags in the car, a case of bottled water, some Diet Coke (my wife has a Dr. Jekyll \ Mr. Wife thing that happens when she doesn't get her Diet Coke) and maybe a couple of beers for the motel.  Snacks, drinks, and personal hygiene items, and you are on the road.  No fuss, no bother, and no drama.  Louisville here we come.

Our drive was uneventful, and even had some magical moments.  There is a deep, wide valley that runs east and west just north of Cincinnati, I am not sure what river carved this beautiful feature, but the view is genuinely striking.  On Friday, rain storms had filled the valley with a dense, smoky fog that added a surreal, almost supernatural appearance. It was fun to imagine what monsters lay hidden, but you don't want to go to far down that path.

Three and a half hours later we are in the KFC Yum Center. It was a fantastic place to to build an arena, a stroke of convenience genius, access made in action.  It is adjacent to to three freeways, in and out quickly.  We drove straight down Interstate 71 took the exit, 10 minutes later we were parked, and walking to the game.  

Whoever designed the Yum Center deserves some sort of award.  It was built around basketball.  True, it is a multi-purpose facility, but, it is a basketball shrine.  Walking the halls of this wonderful building you can sense the pride, feel the history, and steep in the glory of Cardinal basketball.  In Kentucky basketball is King.  

We have been to quite a few sporting events. hockey games, men's and women's basketball, and the atmosphere at a Louisville basketball game is different.  It is more like a really big party, with people you don't really know, but who are happy to be there.  Cardinal fandom seems to be a brotherhood, or sisterhood, and everybody is enjoying the atmosphere.  Even the vendors are fans, and "Go Cards" rings constantly.

Our tickets this year were phenomenal. three rows up, (my wife still amazes me sometimes, these were the best seats I have ever had at a sporting event) right across the entrance from the band, so close you could see how tall the basketball players really are.  From that close the game takes on a new significance, you can see just how physical college basketball really is, how much they fight, and struggle for position.  You can hear the rim rattle on dunks.

Louisville is a fun team to watch play.  They are relentless, and keep pressuring, and trapping and harassing, and pressing, it is a 40 minute defensive fight, and that is how I think basketball should be played.  It is a game of movement, and motion, and sweat.

It was a great trip, capped by a big win, and followed by a great, free breakfast, I love the Embassy Suites, and their cooked to order omelettes.  It will be hard to match last weekend.  

The Trials of Friendship

Five days from today we will be having breakfast here.  Not just any breakfast, either, free, made to order breakfast.  Omelettes so tasty and delicious they are worth the price of the motel, and  they are free.  Normally I have the jalapeno, sausage (sometimes bacon, sometimes both), cheddar, and spinach, (spinach is so healthy).   They are all good though, and I will document my choices and share theme with you, you can hardly wait I am sure.

Five days from right now minus fourteen hours we will be having drinks right here.  Not just any drinks either, free drinks, Kentucky bourbon on the rocks is my choice, "if it isn't from Kentucky it's just whiskey."  Sometimes I will have a beer, frosty cold, refreshing and delightful.  Don't worry, I will photograph my choices and share them with you, I hope the anticipation does not kill you.

Free breakfast and free bourbon in Louisville, the Asgard of college basketball.  I need to apologize to Tim Miles, Tony Bennett and +christy barongan here, all of whom have a different opinion regarding the college basketball heavens.  And, I respect that. 

After our little pilgrimage to the Yum Center, where the Louisville Cardinals play their home games, we are off to the mountains of Tennessee, specifically Gatlinburg.  We have rented a cabin outside of town, and are planning a relaxing, fun filled trip.

What makes this trip so unique is the inclusion of our blind friend, who is right now being picked up in a small town in Nebraska by my sister (who is now my favorite sister, thank you, Candy) and whisked to Eppley Airfield in Omaha, to hop on a plane, and fly to Saint Louis, where he will hop off of that plane, set around in the airport until he can hop on another plane and fly here.  I have never flown often, and hate to fly so I avoid it like a spider covered canoe, (I hate being on boats, and spiders too) but, it seems unless you are going to Las Vegas you can never fly anywhere without flying somewhere else, first.  It is a nice way to see the inside of airports, and buy an expensive beer and sandwich though.

We are hoping Southwest Airlines takes good care of him, but, don't worry I will let you know tomorrow if he makes it unscathed.  You might want to do a little good luck dance, and throw some salt over your shoulder, and wish upon a star, and touch the horseshoe over the door, and whatever good luck ritual you can muster.