Pleasant dreams

[rickvs]

I had an interesting dream last night -- well, interesting to me and perhaps one other person who reads this journal..


I was having dinner with my family at a huge restaurant, one which had apparently been converted from an old southern mansion: shallow wooden ramps led to big rooms filled with long tables, with lots of staircases scattered about up which the customers dasn't go.

In a far corner of the main hall, someone was having a birthday. So various waitstaff drifted over there to sing -- and one of them started beating on serving trays as if they were drums. Then others joined in, some with instruments. And the waitstaff took off their costumes to reveal ... the uniforms of my old community marching band, the Santa Ana Winds. (If you're familiar with southern California: yes, the name's an intentional pun).

You can pick me out of the 1986 group photo at their website: www.sawinds.org ...The guy in the suit standing behind the letter "I" is Robert Ward, their founder and director since 1971. I'm in the row behind him, a bit to his right, and to my immediate right is Carl, best man at my wedding and the only other Winds member I've laid eyes on since we did the Rose Parade in ...1991?

The rest of the dream was like old home week -- me wandering around in a happy glow with my eyes welling, greeting people I've not seen for years. (I'd rather attend a reuinion of these band members than a high school reuinion).

I think my favorite part was that while I usually figure out I'm dreaming during the course of events, I was convinced this one was really happening right up until I awoke in bed. Good times :>

Comments

[griffen.livejournal.com]

*faints*

You were in the Santa Ana Winds?? I *worshiped* them!

Did you know John Hatch? He joined when I was still in high school, 1986 or so. He was my drum major in band when I was a freshman in high school.

[rickvs.livejournal.com]

What did he play? I was in the Winds during the 85-86 and 86-87 seasons (the second Rose Parade I marched was as an alumnus). His name is familiar, but I don't think that was the name of the Winds' drum major -- and I've got a higher-rez version of that photo I pointed to, if you want to try to pick him out. Not all the members made the trip to D.C., however, and around Christmas time, we'd march close to two hundred people.

I was kinda glad to find, a couple of years ago, that the Winds had a web page. When my wife arrives from Nashville in a few weeks, I'll see if I can digitize the LP they put out in the seventies, and add those songs to my .MP3 collection. Can't hear "Tiger Rag" too many times :>

In what context were we worshipped -- did you march in a band yourself? I recall that Long Beach was the consistent Bluto to our Popeye, and had been since the earth cooled, if one listened to the old-timers.

[griffen.livejournal.com]

If I'm not mistaken, John Hatch is in the last row, fourth in from the left (when looking at the photo). As I recall he played saxophone.

I was in Valencia (Placentia, not Magic Mountain area) High School's marching band for four years, from 1984-1987. I played clarinet and saxophone. :) I watched every DCI Championship for seven or eight years after I found out John was in the SAW.

*grins* This is very, very cool.

[rickvs.livejournal.com]

I'll post a higher-rez version of that section shortly. Do you still keep in touch with John? He might remember me; Carl and I were rather ...outspoken, and we double-dated for the prom with two sisters who were also in the Winds.

[griffen.livejournal.com]

Do you still keep in touch with John?

*laugh* Oh, dear no. He was a senior when I was just a freshman; I doubt he'd remember me. I remember him mostly because he was my first serious case of hero-worship. *grins*

I have this thing for authority figures, you see.... ;)

[rickvs.livejournal.com]

In my first reply to you, please replace "did you march in a band yourself?" with "what high school did you march for?"

Typos; can't write without them -- can't shoot them. Uff da.