Walking Spirit

This past Saturday my sister and I went to the Rathskeller to hear my cousin Brian's band, The Elect, perform in the Beer Garden. It was the day after Sarah's birthday and I really wanted her to enjoy a night out. The entertainment and the setting didn't let us down!

The idea to go to the Rathskeller came up a couple of months ago at our family reunion. When Brian's mother told me that The Elect would be playing the day after Sarah's birthday I immediately looked at her and told her we would go. About a week before her birthday Sarah called me with concerns about whether I'd be able to get inside to hear the band.

The Rathskeller is on the bottom floor of the Atheneum building downtown, and it would probably be a difficult place for me to get into. I called a few days before and learned that there is an outside entrance to the Beer Garden. The only real concern was that most of the Beer Garden is covered with gravel, which could make walking a little tricky. Of course, I wasn't gonna let a little gravel stand in the way of taking my sister out for her birthday! (I was still a little nervous though.)

Parking was a bit tricky, due to an event at the Murat, but we were able to find a place nearby and we just had a short walk from the car to the Beer Garden. As we entered I was immediately greeted with hugs from my cousin Brian and Allison and Jimmy Tucker, who are ex co-workers from my Marriott days. Brian plays the keyboard for The Elect and Jimmy Tucker is their percussionist.

Before The Elect began to play we were entertained by Brian's Uncle Tom and his jazz quartet. I had never heard my cousin's band before but I had heard good things. When they began to play we were immediately impressed. Sarah enjoyed it so much that she went to the merchandise table before the band finished their first set. To my surprise she returned with all three of their CD's and a DVD of a concert that had been recorded right there at the Rathskeller! I think they have a new fan for life. (She may even become a groupie!)

I didn't have any issues walking in the Beer Garden. When we first got out of the car I realized that my left leg felt a little loose, so I added a sock before we went in. I was afraid that my leg would continue to shrink while we sat and listened to the band but, while the socket had loosened a little, it didn't cause any problems when we left. Walking on the gravel was difficult, but I just had to use only one knee while I was walking so that I always had a stable leg. My legs did get very uncomfortable after sitting on a picnic table bench for a couple of hours, but that just goes with the territory.

The majority of the pain that I was feeling a few weeks ago is gone. I still have issues with the bruising from the surgery but I'm not letting that keep me from walking. I had some more programming done on the left knee last week that has helped me regain some more control. The range of motion in my hip also continues to improve. I have Physical Therapy tomorrow morning and I'm really excited to find out what the measurement is!