Saturday I flew out of the brand spankin' new Indianapolis airport terminal (very Charles de Gaully) to Washington DC for several days' shooting for a History Channel program to air next spring. The Los Angeles production company and the Washington DC based camera and sound guys have been terrific and helped to make an ambitious schedule around the city go quite smoothly. But, GAD! After 25 years of shooting film and video, I've become the very creature I hated most: on-camera talent...
I'll post more on the details of the program as we get closer to air date. It was great to come strolling in to the House of the Temple and the George Washington Masonic National Memorial and surprise W:.B:. Brent Morris and W:.B:. Mark Tabbert (not just that I was in town for the interviews, but that between shots I was falling back into my old life schlepping camera and lighting gear).
My gig is now officially over, but I'm in town until Thursday morning, and I'll get to meet up with Robert Hieronimus and Steven Bullock tomorrow. Then I'm off to the Lodge of the Nine Muses tomorrow evening with Mark.
Drove back into town tonight just to have my traditional comfort dinner at Old Ebbitt Grill of chili and a filet and as much Yuengling beer as I could comfortably hold. I met up with my favorite bartender, an Ebbitt's fixture for 14 years, Brian Kelley, who happens to be from Kilwinning, Scotland. When he discovered I knew trivia about Kilwinning Lodge No. 0, and that I might be heading to Scotland in May, he provided me with his personal list of pubs and publicans if I pass through his old homestead.
Many, many thanks to Rob Lihani, Charlie Cook and Susan Michaels of Digital Ranch for inviting me to appear in the show, and to Paul, Mark and Tom from DC for their hard work. My 50th birthday passed without unseemly hullabaloo on Monday while I was here, and I was suitably serenaded and birthday-caked at Gadsby's Tavern in Alexandria. As birthdays go, not a bad way to spend it, and even better to be able to celebrate it with brand new friends. If only these guys hadn't all voted for Obama...
