Oh YES, IOWA

Roadtripz. 50's, Isaac, Waff and I pile into a car and take on the 5 hour journey to Iowa Fuckin' City (IFC) with vigor. We're headed down to catch The Hold Steady at the Picador, see some old friends and allow the swelling spring fever we're all catching to explode. This trip marks only the second time that Jeff and I have been out of the Twin Cities together since Finn was born.

 

Charley Biggs is "Kickin' it Up." He looks really cool.

 

 

Springtime self-portrait.

 

Before the show we kick it at the Deadwood, another top notch IFC institution. We drink increasingly less expensive beer specials under the watchful eye of a golden dolphin.

 

 

Isaac's hair has gotten to new levels of awesome. He's kind of like Jesus.

 

At the show we meet up with Bill Adams (aka Dolla Dolla Billz), bearded, right. He is snappin' some picz too.

 

Crowd shots. PBR cans for $1.

 

photo Bill Adams

It is truly great to see The Hold Steady in a small venue packed with drunk and passionate Midwesterners. This is the setting they were always meant to be experienced in.

This guys decides that we're cool cause we know the lyrics to the songs just like he does. He starts buying us beers and forcing us to mouths the words to the songs a little too frequently. He gets style points for his passion.

Post show after-blows. We hook up with Zach (aka Fresh) for more hangings.

 

Bearded Ken Doll and Skeletor Face.

 

Nothing says Iowa style like a lime green sports car. The only natural way to contort your body when around a car like this is to do what Fresh and Waff are here -- sassy and with an urban attitude.

 

photo Bill Adams

Street urchins.

photo Bill Adams

 

photo Bill Adams

 

photo Bill Adams

Isaac, in a ray of golden-red light.

photo Bill Adams

After a long night, we wake up the next morning at Fresh's to walk to the Hamburg Inn #2, the greatest IFC food experience imaginable.

 

The krew, minus me. I'm taking the picture, dummy.

 

Biscs and graves.

 

Getting serious.

 

Pie or cake shakes. A whole piece of pie or cake is thrown into a blender with ice cream and turned into these delcious treatz. This specific shake is a red velvet pie shake.

 

For a split second I fell asleep during breakfast.

 

Midwesterns should not eat food on camera.

 

The trip is capped off perfectly by a ride around town in the back of Liz's (aka Lando) pickup truck. This is legal in Iowa, and awesome.

 

OMG, Isaac looks crazy. I think he has a secret star trek life that we don't know about.

 

Giving the thumbs up.

 

Fast forward a few days to LJ's birthday. Here is JC, wearing a pubic hair moustache of sorts.

 

Dance parties and drunken sing-alongs. Looking to the heavens for inspiration.

 

Camerons don't fuck around. For serious partiers only.

 

Gonna finish it off with your Finn Fix. He's 9 months now, has two teeth, crawls and kind of talks a little bit but only knows two indiscriminate words "mamamamama" and "dadadadadada." He is also a fantastic genius.

 

He won't let Jeff play the guitar anymore cause he wants to play it himself.

 

50's is our Thursdays babysitter. Here is a picture he took of Finn and him strapping on the Baby Bjorn to take a walk around the neighborhood. Yes, this actually happened. Jeff and I don't even use that thing cause its so weird, but Matt attacked it with aplomb. For more on their Thursday adventures check out Fives blog: younghunger.com

 

Total dude party chapped cheaks and all.