http://alisonslife-in-the-slow-lane.blogspot.com/ Life in the Slow Lane: STORYTELLING SUNDAY

Sunday 2 September 2012

STORYTELLING SUNDAY

It's the first Sunday in September, and as on the first Sunday of every month  Bloggers from all points of the globe get together and tell stories, encouraged by the lovely SIAN over at FROM HIGH IN THE SKY ...happy stories, funny stories, sad stories, long stories, short stories, stories with or without pictures- anything goes, and EVERYONE is made very welcome..

'Too Cool for School' is the theme Sian suggested for this month....and I suppose that in a convoluted sort of way (what's new?!) this story might fit.

When I WAS  a schoolgirl, my favourite Rock Group was 'YES' .....I know,now I'm really showing my age! I bought all their albums... on vinyl!.....and generally drove mum and dad mad playing them as loudly as I could get away with. 

Needless to say, my taste in music changed over the years and 'YES'  got left behind somewhere along the way. The funny thing was that Craig started listening to them MUCH later (he was a 'JETHRO TULL' fan as a teenager) and there they were, being played -on CD by now- around the house.

In 2001 Craig had to go to visit Phoenix AZ  on a business trip, and we decided that I would go with him...that in itself was something to be excited about, but as is his wont when travelling, Craig checked what Bands were playing anywhere within travelling distance of Phoenix. We discovered that 'YES' were going to be playing at The Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles....not quite what I was thinking of as 'within travelling distance'! Craig insisted though that it was too good an opportunity to miss, especially as a concert at the HOLLYWOOD BOWL was on my 'bucket list'.. I had done some research on the venue while at College, and had been fascinated by it since....... the man is a gem, I tell you! He suggested we add an extra week to the trip, and  drive to LA: I couldn't believe it...we were going to  see my 'first love' in music AND at a place to which I had never really thought I'd  go!


After a long drive from Phoenix to LA (on the actual day of the concert), and not having taken into account the traffic congestion in and around LA, we barely had time to put our cases in the hotel room and get changed before heading off to find the venue. On arriving, the first thing that hit me was that we had fab seats...



...they were in little boxed off areas, each with its own little table and canvas chairs! Each box sat 4 people,but I can't remember if anyone else sat in the one were in. What  really AMAZED me though, was that people were bringing picnics and bottles of wine, champagne etc!....it just seemed so sophisticated to us!! We really wished we had known about that beforehand..especially as we hadn't eaten a proper meal since breakfast!! 

The concert itself was memorable..not only were YES performing, but they were doing so with the LA Symphony Orchestra..I was in my element! As darkness fell, it was just magical..the whole atmosphere, the music..I loved everything about it! Craig DID go and get me a glass of wine, but it came in a plastic cup...I remember being very jealous of all of these people with real glasses.

Unfortunately, I wasn't a scrapbooker then so only have a few photographs ..these are the pages I made for my album





So many lovely memories have come back to me, as a result of telling this story..which is part of the reason so many of us love STORYTELLING SUNDAY.....I think I may be 'updating' this album to a scrapbook, getting some of these memories  down, before they fade into the mists of time!

If you have a story to share, or if you just want to enjoy reading some to while away a few minutes then pop over HERE and see what a variety you will find.

Thanks for dropping by!
Take care of you
Alison xx

P.S...if you missed it, I have a book ready to be passed on, as part of MELISSA'S PASS THE BOOK:YEAR 2.....you'll find the details in THIS post..just leave a comment  at the end of that post saying you would like to be included by midnight (GMT) tonight and it might just be on its way to you next. 

30 comments:

  1. never heard of Yes but my husband has, how exciting to get to see them!

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  2. What a lovely hubby to understand what it would mean to you to get to see your Band and how great that the event lived up to your expectations, and more. Lovely story, Alison. x

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  3. The photos you have really give a great glimpse into the evening. What a view you had! I love this story - it really conjured up those days of vinyl before bringing us up to date. Full of atmosphere.

    Thanks for sharing your story today Alison

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  4. Now that is just a really cool story!

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  5. What a great story and an amazing experience. So lovely of your husband to arrange it all :o)
    Fiona x

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  6. what a fabulous experience and I love the interpretation of within visiting distance

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  7. What an amazing experience that must have been for you Alison! Looks fabulous!!

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  8. OOOO, what a great view. What a great addition to your trip :) And, yep, I have heard of Yes....I have a very healthy love of 70's rock and Prog Rock :-D

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  9. How fun to hear about your concert experience. And if you do update the pages, I hope you'll keep the old ones as well.

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  10. Wow what a fun and nostalgic experience this must have been and how sweet that your husband gets involved in your passion too!

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  11. How wonderful that you had this memorable opportunity and that your sweet DH made it possible!! Blessings, Tracey

    http://gracescraps.blogspot.com/

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  12. Hi Alison ~ This is such a cool story!!! How fun to have that memory, and I can totally relate to the traffic you must have encountered driving through LA. Been there, done that, do everything to avoid it! (When we travel to my mom's we go a different route as to miss the LA freeways!) Gosh, it's too bad we didn't become friends a few years earlier because Doug and I would have crashed your party and gone to the concert with you and Craig!

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  13. a lovely story to read Alison! happy memories! x

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  14. What an excellent story! So glad you were able to cross two things off your bucket list!

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  15. Oh what a lovely man Craig is and what a lovely story too!

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  16. Those boxes look great! What a shame you didn't know about them in advance - it sounds so sophisticated!

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  17. Craig sounds like the right kind of guy to travel with! :)

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  18. What an enchanting evening for you--even if you did have to drink wine from a plastic up!

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  19. Oh my, what a lovely evening you must have had.

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  20. This is a wonderful story--I love how both you and Craig ended up liking the same band but at very different times in your lives AND the combination of circumstances that made this special event both possible and memorable. Naturally it brought a memory to mind for me...

    One of the best things about living in the Newport, Rhode Island area is that we often attended Navy Band concerts on the lawn of the Naval War College. The lawn was huge, but it was always filled with all manner of people and picnic gear. We kept things pretty simple--sandwiches, cold drinks (yup, a little wine too), books for each of us to read until the concert started, a cribbage board & cards. But other people went to the entire opposite extreme--we once sat next to a group that brought tables, frozen margaritas (still in the blender container), and candles. But, once it got dark, everyone was pretty much equal--all of us enjoying a beautiful place, beautiful weather, and terrific music.

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  21. Sounds like it was a great time! I do hate it when I arrive somewhere to find out it could have been better - who knew you could bring a picnic?!

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  22. I think I was more of a Jethro Tull fan myself - Aqualung was my favorite album for quite a while!
    I went to a wonderful event at the Hollywood Bowl. I saw Mikhail Baryshnikov dance there. I loved your story today.
    Rinda

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  23. What a lovely story! I too like YES, and love outdoor concerts!

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  24. What a wonderful memory Alison! and what a fantastic venue to see Yes! I imagine the sound was fabulous.

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  25. I would never considered that as being a close drive but am so glad that Craig saw fit to extend the trip and head west. We love outdoor concerts with picnics :)

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  26. Yes - to a kind husband
    Yes - to an opportunity you didn't miss (despite the traffic)
    Yes - to a memorable evening

    That concert/pic-nic/regulated space idea seems ideal - no muddy bottoms, no restricted views by large parties squeezing in front of you, no spilled drinks on lumpy blankets!

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  27. What a great story Alison. I haven't heard of Yes - I'll have to check them out. What with the drive & LA traffic I'm surprised you managed to get there in time. It's too bad you didn't know about being able to take a picnic.

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  28. Wow, what a fantastic looking evening, it must be one of those moments that you've treasured ever since! x

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Thanks for leaving a comment....I love reading them all!