Ten minutes to write. Less time to read.

Earl and I arrived in Bloomington, IN, a couple hours ago. We’re here to attend the Drum Corps International (DCI) competition where the drum corps that Earl marched with in high school sixty years ago is now in contention for first place. The finals are an annual August ritual. They also always coincide with his birthday.

So here’s to The Cavaliers, Earl’s drum corps; and here’s to Earl. We know the latter will be a year older regardless of the outcome of the DCI competition. But it would be a wonderful birthday gift if the group won first place. Semi-finals are tonight, with finals tomorrow night.

We’ll be sitting in the IU football stadium watching the results for both. Earl will have his binoculars handy, while I’ll probably have a crochet project in tow. Regardless of our degree of interest, we both want The Cavaliers to do well.

And we’d wish this even if it weren’t Earl’s birthday.