Our church recently hired a new youth pastor, and he started work about a month ago. He is very friendly, and he and his wife seem like fun people, so Mer and I decided to invite them up our way to help them get to know us and a little more of Ohio better.

We took Tom and Kelsey up to Hudson, so they could see what a cute town it is, and we took them to Aladdin’s, so they could eat at a local restaurant chain (it specializes in Mediterranean food). Of course, we managed to see half a dozen CVCA-related folks at the restaurant, since the CVCA fall play was that evening and the CVCA folks were grabbing dinner before going to the show. That probably made me and Mer seem much more happening than we really are. We had an excellent meal and got to hear a little more about Tom’s and Kelsey’s backgrounds and how they were finding Northeast Ohio.

For the entertainment of the evening, we drove the short distance over to Happy Days Visitor Center at the edge of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. We were there to see our friends’ band, Bethesda, but it also introduced the park to Tom and Kelsey, who said they enjoy parks. That was great.

It was wonderful to finally hear Bethesda in a non-bar venue. The audience was older than that at most Bethesda shows, and they were very respectful. Since Bethesda was playing a two-hour set, its members were able to take their time and tell some of the stories behind some of their songs; many of the stories were new to me, and I have been going to Bethesda concerts for over three years. Whoever was running sound did a great job – the group sounded excellent, with the exception of the really high notes on the lead guitar – those were occasionally piercing.

Tom and Kelsey said they really enjoyed the show, and we had a good time getting to know them better. When things warm up and dry out in the spring, Mer and I will have to introduce them to some more of the excellent parks in the area.