Friday nights with Jack.

One of the drawbacks of being a sportscaster's wife is that you are inevitably alone on Friday and Saturday nights. This generally isn't something that has concerned me in the past...ask Dave, he'll be the first to tell you I find something to do so that when he does have a random Friday or Saturday off...he's the one sitting at home alone because I already have plans.

Now, I have a Friday night date. For several Friday nights during the summer, Jack and I would walk downtown to listen to the live music in the town square. We've heard concert bands, orchestras, blues, jazz, something I would describe as folksy, and finally, New Orleans jazz. When Jack heard we were going to listen to a jazz band from the South Side of Minneapolis play jazz from New Orleans, this was the dubious stare I got. He was very skeptical, as was I.

Jack loves the music. Most of the time he listens intently and watches for a good 45 minutes. We spread a quilt, listen, play with a few toys, and enjoy the nice summer evenings that Minnesota is famous for.

The band wound up pleasantly surprising us both, and it was a good evening that tired us both out. Now, our Friday night fun in the square is over, so we'll have to be content with walks for ice cream downtown until it's too chilly for that too...