My NW Indiana and More: January 2012

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Bulldog Brewing Co. - Whiting IN

I must say, this place is very nice . . .

Bulldog is a micro brewery that opened late November of 2011. It is located on 119th Street downtown Whiting IN. Let me cut to the chase first because there is no need to keep you hanging. The place is great, the staff is great, the beer is great, the food is great (and I will rate the burgers better than great). Parking not so great, but well worth the trouble.

When you walk in you are greeted by some terrific people who will seat you. I did not think to count the seating, however I would estimate 100. So if you have a large group, I would make reservations to be on the safe side. Otherwise, come right on in . . .

What makes me feel at home is the great staff, including the manager I met to get permission to photograph and spotlight his store in this blog. The wood floor is nice because it absorbs the sound of footsteps. The plain brick walls you don't really notice at first, however as you take the place in I found the brick walls to be very easy on the eyes, sort of asking you to look around.

At the back of the dining area there is a very nice stained (I think) or painted logo. That's my buddy Juan sitting at our table . . . don't tell him I used this photo.

The two times I have been there I had the Industrial Harbor IPA beer. I am not a real beer drinker, but found the beer very satisfying. As I believe with most micro breweries, you need to find the brew that fits your taste. The first time I came the staff offered to get me some small samples if I could not decide. So, if you are not sure what you might like, ask about the beer first, and if you are still undecided perhaps ask for a sample.

Down for cleaning . . .

Bulldog Brewing Co.

1409 119th Street

Whiting, IN

(219) 655-5284

info@bulldogbrewingco.com

www.bulldogbrewingco.com

Mon through Thur 11:00 AM to Midnight

Fri and Sat 11:00 AM to 3:00 AM

Kitchen is open Mon through Sun, 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM

Enjoy!

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Studio 659 Art Gallery - Whiting IN

If you are interested in more art, check out Studio 659 on 119th street in Whiting IN. What is unique about this gallery is that it offers classes like digital photography, belly dancing exercises, and ballroom for beginners (sorry I still need training wheels for that one).

I also found an artist that had some of her work at the front window, Sophia Rapata. I saw some of her photography at the other gallery I go to that I like.

Studio 659 runs different shows. This month was "Shades of Grey", as you can tell from the above photos. Next month is "Vixens: Pin-Up Girl Art".

The gallery is small. It will not take you long to go through it. Whiting is an old community that is very interesting, so I would encourage you to plan seeing downtown Whiting, and then stop in at Studio 659 to look around.

For more information, check out their website at: www.studio659.org.

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Friday, January 27, 2012

73rd Acoustical Jam - Paul Henry's Art Gallery

I would like to mention, this gallery exists for the artists to present their work to the public. The gallery gives the environment for the public to enjoy and connect with the artist, and for the public to purchase some of the artists work. Browse the gallery when you are there on a Thursday night, ask about any of the art, the artist, even ask if the artist is there that night. The acoustical artist who come out to JAM Thursday night typically have a gig the upcoming weekend. The Thursday night JAM has become their playground for practice, which is what makes Thursday night fun. The gallery encourages the JAM artists to advertise, and the JAM artists would like you to enjoy their work in other atmospheres too. There are many places the artists go to "do their thing" for each of us to enjoy in our own way. I would like to ask that you take time to find that experience and show the appreciation to the artists. As I become aware of Internet information on the artists, I will post a link to their site to the right of this blog under "Friends of Wesley", so you can keep up-to-date on what is new with them and where they will be.

First up to warm us up was Lou Shields. This time he brought his "possum stomper"!

Next up was Meredith Judd on his banjo. Meredith is a good old sole that probably enjoys life more than we could ever hope for ourselves. Anyway, after talking to him that is how his life looks to me . . .

After Meredith came Mycul Hanus . . .

The crowd was great as always, along with the art in the gallery . . .

Do you recognize the next photo JAM artist? Okay, maybe not by the shirt, but by the hands. It was Rich Hall.

Rich is so into it, he eyes became keyboards . . . okay, I am just pointing out the fact you can see the reflection of the keyboard on his glasses in this photo . . . (click on the photo to enlarge it)

Later in Rich's set, Melissa Welch joined . . .

And now I will say, Melissa kicked some saxophone butt last night . . . she needs to be recorded!!!!! You can tell the crowd thought so as well, because the applause put a smile on her face :)

And they kept on playing . . . YES!

It became perpetual fun with Melissa throughout the rest of the night . . . she whaling on the sax making us smile, us making her smile, she returning the favor with some more sax . . . and and and . . . Thank You Melissa from all of us!

Next up was another first time artist to JAM with the clan . . . and that was Lisa Garcia. This night, though the first for Lisa, she asked the audience and other artists to jump in and play / sing with her, and it was fun.

Next up was Dan Serapin (left) and Adrian Remeriz (right), with Melissa joining the first song.

Then Thomas Matecki on piano and Richard Alvarez on bongos . . .

Remember the show Dobie Gillis? Specifically, do you remember the statue of The Thinker? Hmmm . . . this next photo is of photographer John Brudek. I don't know if it is good or bad, photographer's taking photos of photographer's. Must be a beatnik thing . . .

And we know who's next by this photo, right? Okay, even I would not know. It was Don Taylor with Melissa joining him on the first song.

Next, Michael Hanus and Mark McKechnie . . . and Mark alternated in and out with Ben Perkins . . .

And later joined by "bongo Rich" . . .

Next was Lee Watson, who eventually had the other JAM artists up with him. And here is the funny side of this. Not only has Lee been supporting the gallery, he was also my son's first boss and I did not know that at the time I was taking the photos!! The laugh's on me this time . . .