Madison Adventures

In previous posts I have mentioned that I am in the middle of a commitment to walk 13,000 steps per day (approximately six miles). It had rained this afternoon just prior to the time that I usually walk so I decided to go ahead and come home and get my walk in later. After dinner, I recalled that Microwave Dave and the Nukes, an excellent local blues band, were playing in the gazebo in downtown Madison, just about a mile from the apartment. I took it as a sign and headed out walking.

The grass was still damp and there were muddy spots everywhere but it was nice and cool. As I walked into downtown Madison, a train went through blowing its whistle loudly. There were young adults out hunting Pokemons with their cell phones. The train finally cleared the tracks so that I could get over to the side of the commons where the band was playing.

There was a shaved ice truck and forty or fifty folks sitting in lawn chairs. There were kids climbing on the bleachers and running around chasing each other. The band finished playing a number and I clapped loudly. The rest of the audience responded weakly. They kept playing. I realized that they weren’t through with that number after all. They came to a couple of more false finishes before the end of the number and we dutifully applauded each of them.

I was walking back and forth along the back of the audience getting my steps in. There were folks sitting on the tailgate of their truck. There was one gentleman talking on his cell phone with a little dog sitting in his lap. On stage, the band finished another number. I clapped and startled the little dog. He barked at me and his owner was forced to pause his phone call to try to calm the dog.

The Pokemon hunters came wandering through the audience. The band was just getting good and warmed up. I felt a few sprinkles of rain on my arms. I was standing under a tree. All of a sudden everyone got up and started running for their cars. Dave said, “Was it something I said?” I was already drenched with sweat so the rain didn’t bother me much. It wasn’t raining particularly hard in any case.

I made my way over to the Old Black Bear Taproom without getting too much wetter. I sat at the bar and ordered a beer. The guy next to me asked if I had been playing across the street. I do bear a slight resemblance to Dave Gallaher if you don’t know either of us very well. We are both stout men with gray hair and beard and we were both wearing black hats. Mine was a Panama Jack hat, Dave’s was a newsboy cap. I could have had a free beer if I hadn’t been so honest. I laughed and told a story of being mistaken for Dave on another occasion.

I finished my beer and walked home. I was still twelve hundred steps shy of my goal but I finished them up walking in place in front of the television set. It was an eventful evening in Madison, at least for me. I would have enjoyed listening to more music but it was just not to be.