why i need to carry a camera at all times

Tonight was just another beautiful Milwaukee mid-summer eve.

After a YNPN Book Club meeting, for which I hadn't gotten around to reading the book, at Trocadero, I decided it was too nice to go home and biked toward the Lakefront.

En route down Brady Street, I was rocking to the new Girl Talk album, but managed to hear someone cackle and yell "looooser." It was Jane and Ralf cruising down Brady. I'd seen them earlier in the evening, as they dropped off my Stevie Wonder tix when I was leaving for Troc. Proving that bikes are waaaay better than cars, I managed to beat them down Brady thanks to the traffic parade this evening. Of course this mission did make me forget to swing by Walgreen's and pick up my prescription, but eh well, I have until Sunday.

Biked down through Veteran's Park (I forgot that I wanted to go up and check out the new Bradford Beach, I'll have to try this weekend), and was amongst several Milwaukeeans enjoying our fair city this evening. As I rode closer to the lake, despite my iPod, began hearing a very loud bag pipe. Finally, turning the path past the kite shop, I spotted where the noise's origin. A bagpipe and drum circle comprised of about 15-20 musicians, some in kilts, some in jeans, some children, even a pregnant lady! All rockin' the pipes at sunset on the lakefront.

Yeah, really wish I had the camera. My cell phone doesn't do it justice. Plus I can't get picture mail until October, so there's no point anyway.

After watching the pipers for a few minutes--they appeared to be wrapping up practice--I hopped back on my bike and headed down by the art museum toward the lovely Lakeshore State Park. It looked like I'd just missed a jazz trio by the MAM, and my album ran out, so I switched over to the Hold Steady's new tracks. The park, which was barren last year, was overrun with prairie grasses and wildflowers, which were lovely lit by the setting sun. Again, no camera. The smells were also quite fantastic. My sensory overload was interrupted by my mom calling to check on my back (which has been ailing of late). I assured her I was fine, proof being that I was on a bike ride (it's sucked to be relatively immobile for the past couple of days).

After the park, I looped back around the Summerfest grounds watching them set everything up for the next couple of weeks. I rode through the industrial end of the Third Ward, and by the Italian Community Center. Approaching the ICC I heard more music overpowering my iPod, and hitting pause realized that it wasn't Italian. Instead, I spotted through the fence of the outdoor patio a Don Ho doppleganger singing in Hawaiian to a packed crowd.

Realizing that a camera wasn't going to sprout magically, I rode home in despair, realizing I'd merely have to blog about this and hope that my five readers believe me without photographic evidence.