On Saturday, Anne and I drove up to West Lafayette to see our alma mater, Michigan State, play Purdue and to also see our son, Dave, who is a graduate student there. I had dithered about going on this trip, so to let him know that we were really coming, I texted Dave, “Boiler Up!” He answered with, “Hammer Down!” I’m guessing that that is the Purdue equivalent call and response to the MSU, “Go Green!” This is then answered with, “Go White!” This was our first Michigan State football game since college.
On the drive up, we saw an American Bald Eagle, the symbol of our country and also a carrion eater. It was on the shoulder of the road, munching on some road kill and only flew off when we slowed to watch him. Sorry, but no photo was possible. It happened too quickly. At the beginning of the game, MSU marched out to a commanding 21 point lead, but Purdue didn’t give up and with three minutes to go were still only down by one touchdown, plus they had the ball and four downs. An interception that was run back for a TD finally dashed their hopes.
We kind of crashed Dave’s football weekend, because he was also entertaining two of his Rochester alums, Abby and Mike. When we finally caught up with the three of them for dinner, they were all still recovering from the after effects of Dave having introduced them to Purdue’s “Breakfast Club”, voted best Big Ten tradition. Basically, on home game days the bars all open at 8 AM. It being October, Dave’s trio costumed themselves in Harry Potter garb. Any guesses which character Dave portrayed?
We treated them to dinner, at DT Kirby’s, a sports bar that revels in its own special earthiness. For example, both restroom entrances were fashioned from port-a-potties. Many an uninitiated patron would refuse to use one, fearing the worst and not knowing that flush plumbing and porcelain awaited them behind that plastic door. As if we didn’t get enough to eat the night before, we all went out for breakfast this morning. We went to the Triple XXX Family Restaurant, “On the hill, but also on the level”, enough said. Tomorrow is Dave’s birthday it is also Native American day, the day the white man was discovered, formerly known as Columbus Day. Thank you, Seattle!