to Visit Anesti
in Bloomington
Last spring, Anesti moved to Bloomington, Indiana,
to do research at Indiana University.
When he got settled, he asked Big Owl and Bill
to come visit him at his new place.
Since Big Owl was registered as a student at IU
for a total of twelve years, all the way
from B.A. to M.A. to PhD,
he wanted to come.
So on Friday, July 1, 2005,
Big Owl and son Bill set out from Madison, Indiana,
where Bill lives, to visit Anesti in Bloomington.
This is the story of that day...
As soon as Big Owl and Bill got to Anesti's place,
Anesti served refreshments,
and he and Bill became involved
in a deep discussion about literary criticism,
popular culture, German Romantic philosophy,
and naked ladies.
Big Owl enthusiastically endorsed
the part about naked ladies.
Bill was anxious to try a new gourmet
restaurant he had read about
over on the other side of the square.
We decided to walk.
While looking for the restaurant,
Big Owl discovered the Fairview Methodist Church,
and remembered that he used to sing in the choir there,
during his student days.
Of course, that was a long time ago.
A long, long, time ago.
A really, really long time ago.
It turned out that the gourmet restaurant
was only open for dinner,
so Big Owl, Bill, and Anesti found a nice place
on the town square to have lunch.
We all had cranberry turkey sandwiches
on homemade bread.
They were really good.
Anesti paid for lunch.
He is a good guy.
In this picture, he is still thinking
about the naked ladies.
After lunch, we strolled over toward campus.
Big Owl remembered Nick's English Hut
from his own college days many years ago.
Many, many years ago.
It is still there.
The other place Big Owl remembered
was the "Café Pizzaria."
In Big Owl's day (many, many years ago),
it was just known as "The Pizzaria."
It was famous for having the best pizza in the world.
Big Owl once ran into some musicians in New York City,
and they had heard that the best pizza in the world
was at the Pizzaria in Bloomington, Indiana.
Big Owl told them it was true.
Of course, that was many, many years ago.
It may not be true any more.
As we walked onto the IU campus,
Big Owl showed Anesti where
Hoagy Carmichael wrote "Stardust"
many years ago (many, many years ago).
He also showed him this building,
and explained that it used to be the campus library.
Big Owl worked there his freshman year,
and did much research in the library stacks
for his PhD.
Of course, that was many years ago.
Many, many, many years ago.
A little farther on campus,
Big Owl poses with the famous IU stone bench.
Big Owl used to watch girls sit there and look pretty.
Of course, that was many years ago,
and they probably look just as bad now as Big Owl does.
That makes Big Owl feel a little better.
Big Owl showed Anesti the famous Wellhouse,
one of IU's oldest traditions.
A girl wasn't really a coed until she had been kissed
in the Wellhouse at midnight.
Since girl students weren't allowed out of the dorm
after ten p.m., it was sometimes a little tricky
to become a coed.
Anesti wanted to know if the girls were ever naked.
Big Owl thought not, but since it was many years ago,
Big Owl wasn't sure any more.
Back in Anesti's apartment, after the campus tour,
Anesti prepared a typical Albanian treat—
ice cream with fresh fruit and whipped cream.
It was good.
Anesti is a good guy.
After a suitable period of rest and recuperation from the heat,
Big Owl, Anesti, and Bill went back to the gourmet restaurant.
It was open this time.
We all had "Market Soup" as the first course.
It was good, almost as good as Anesti.
It had corn in it.
The trademark of the "Restaurant Tallent"
was the rose petals at each place setting.
Bill and Big Owl had a friendly quarrel
over who got to eat them.
After a while, we decided to share.
Bill is a good guy, too.
Big Owl used to be a good guy,
but that was many years ago.
Many, many years ago.
Anesti's gourmet dinner was some kind of fish,
covered with asparagus and stuff,
which rested on a bed of some other stuff.
We all tasted each other's dinners.
They were all good.
Bill ordered "Pork Duo" for his main course.
It was two different kinds of pork,
covered with sauce and resting on a bed
of brussel sprouts and stuff.
It was good, too, even the stuff.
Big Owl had sushi-grade yellow-fin tuna,
with new potatoes, olives, spinach,
all kinds of good stuff,
and "sauce vierge" on top.
That means "virgin sauce" in English.
Big Owl asked the hostess where the virgin sauce came from,
but he couldn't quite understand the answer,
and he was too embarrassed to ask for any more details.
The sauce was delicious, however.
Both Big Owl and Anesti were hoping that
it had something to do with naked ladies,
but we still don't know.
It sure was good.
It sure was better than the food Big Owl
used to eat during his student days.
Of course, that was many years ago.
Many, many years ago.
A really fun thing happened at the end of the meal.
We didn't realize it, but we were being followed all day
by a Jim Bennett impersonator.
He even came into the fancy restaurant after us,
and sat down at a table over in the corner.
He must have known that Big Owl and Jim were friends.
Big Owl pretended to take a picture of Bill,
but he really took a picture of the Jim Bennett impersonator.
He did a good job, don't you think
(the Jim Bennett impersonator, not Big Owl)?
Of course, he's probably been doing it for a long time
(many, many years, thinks Big Owl).
After a great meal and a perfect day,
Big Owl and Bill dropped Anesti off near campus,
and they headed back to Madison.
Anesti insisted on paying for the gourmet meal.
Big Owl had to wrestle him to the ground
and pin his arm behind him to even get him
to let Big Owl leave the tip.
Old Anesti really is a good guy.
And he has been for all the years Big Owl has known him.
Many, many, many, many years.
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