U.S. Open - 2013

I am sure one day I will consider $40 a fair price to pay to see one of the greatest female tennis players ever to play the sport. Unfortunately, today I am a little disappointed that rain denied me my chance to also see Roger Federer play at a Grand Slam event. Nevertheless, last night was a great experience and I am glad I was there for the opening ceremony of the 2013 U.S. Open in Flushing, NY. That sports bucket-list just keeps getting shorter and shorter!!

 Manhattan from high atop Arthur Ashe Stadium

 Billie Jean King and Mayor Bloomberg

 Lenny Kravitz

 Serena Williams

Coney Island

The question isn't "What are we going to do," the question is "What aren't we going to do?".

Before Laura and I head out west, we decided to go visit our friends the Lessmanns in Chicago. It was a great weekend as their apartment gave us a great setting for a BBQ and to watch the Chicago Air & Water Show. We also took in a show at the famed Second City in their Old Town neighborhood. With talk of the Cubs changing up or leaving Wrigley Field, I decided I wanted to go see it this summer and with their arch rivals the Cardinals in town, this was a no-brainer. I think you'll see from the pictures below, it was an amazing weekend!!

A little slice of Heaven

It's been that type of season for the Cubbies

Harry

Laura and Mandy with the cast of ABC's Betrayal

Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost

When Laura and I embarked on this journey that we are on, I mentioned to her, that it would be great to get a tattoo that represented each stop along the way. My previous piece, the Knotted Gun, represents our time in NYC and this new addition represents our first stop: Salem, Massachusetts. The ship is the Friendship of Salem represented in a traditional style tattoo. The compass was added to signify the journey we are on as well as finding our direction. I decided to go with this design because of the rich maritime history associated with Salem and it's place in the economic industry in our nation's early days. Most folks think of the witch trials of 1692 when they think of Salem. I wanted to have a piece that represented the more positive side of Salem's history. I am very happy with how it came out and love the traditional style my artist used. We are headed to Los Angeles for our next stop, and I am already starting to think about my next piece.