ISU Tailgate

Today, Illinois State University played the University of South Dakota. This is an interesting match up, as I can claim both as my Alma Maters. We didn't go inside to watch the game, but we did do some tailgating. Below are a few shots I took from the Redbird Tent Zone, just North of Hancock Stadium:

The ISU marching band, led by Reggie Redbird, stopped by and gave us what felt like a private concert:

Alex, Nick and friends after consuming massive amounts of Famous Dave's Barbeque:

Summer Vacation - Old Main

We were in the area, so it made sense to stop by our Alma Mater and get a picture of Old Main. This incredibly beautiful building was vacant when we attended the University of South Dakota back in the late 80's. Walking on campus brought back a flood of memories from some simpler times.

 

Flashback 1993

Michele and I sharing a smile on the day I graduated from USD in Vermillion.

 

A Flight Over Vermillion

Life was so much simpler then. What better way to start the day than with a cold dew, a smoke, and a drive to the airport to fly in a private plane over the USD campus in Vermillion, SD. Of course that was 1988, and things are much, much, different now.

That's Sebastian looking back from the group, he was an exchange student from France.

That's Arnold (Schaef) Schaeffer looking over the tail of the plane.

Cranking up the engine.

That's our pilot, Dan Marnach.

That's Nils Paulsen giving a thumbs up, he was an exchange student from Norway.

Dan gives us our final re-assurance, that everything will be OK.

A glance back at the runway.

If you look to the left side of this photo, you'll notice that one of the buildings has Vermillion written on the roof. Just below and to the left is Taco John's, and to the left of that is Dairy Queen.


This shot includes the entire campus. Our dorm is on the right hand side.

You can see the Dakota Dome off to the right in the distance.

That's the back side of Old Main in the center.

The large complex is our dormitory.

This is a birds eye view of the Missouri River.


Later that day, the heat drove many students to the courtyard. Some participated in volleyball, others in... girl watching, and others... in both.



That's me in the sunglasses and funny looking blue shorts.