6° of Aberration

Looking for my alter ego...I'm sure I left it someplace around here...

Name:
Location: California, United States

Sunday, July 04, 2004

All That Jazz

Anticipating our 4th of July plans, I knew it was going to be difficult to top the recent Memorial Day fireworks display that followed an exciting Stanford baseball game. That night marked one of the first times the boys were able to witness fireworks close at hand rather than from the over-crowded periphery of some event we hadn't even attended. We first enjoyed the game and then got to stay in our seats and watch the display over the centerfield fence and the boys loved every minute of it.

Who doesn't cherish memories of those magical nights when you got to stay up late and watch the pyrotechnics that would become synonymous with summer (or remember the pain of being deemed "too young" and left behind until next year)? It is a treat to take the kids to events that I hope will one day be among their earliest and fondest memories: from ballgames and carnivals to ice shows and parades. Or simply those special nights when we go to a friend's house and the combination of rowdy kids, ice cream, sparklers, older siblings, convivial adults, and no mention of bedtime, makes for one of the highlights of the season.

So this 4th (Friday night the 2nd actually) we got tickets to a concert at Stanford's Frost Amphitheater. Usually this event features the San Jose or San Francisco Symphony, but this year the main attraction was the Preservation Hall Jazz Band with the promise of their brand of traditional New Orleans jazz that I favor. We had no doubt the boys were eager and ready; we just couldn't predict how patient they'd be sitting through an entire jazz concert.

We arrived late enough to find ourselves high atop the hill at the back of the amphitheater with several thousand other concertgoers sprawled before us. But we set the kids up on their own blankets with the adults not far behind and then broke out the food and wine...and juice boxes. It all went great: we weren't so close that we had to worry about disturbing anyone who only wanted to enjoy the music, and the freedom the kids enjoyed picnicking together made the concert exciting rather than something to tolerate.

About halfway through the performance the kids wanted to head down to check out the band and the dancers. So several of us trooped down with a half dozen kids. Predictably they took several minutes to size up the situation before deciding what was cool and how to fit in. Kevin soon planted himself at the edge of the stage, literally six feet away from the band where he could closely monitor their performance. Justin and Andrew wandered in among the bigger kids, the college crowd, and festive adults, and soon began to dance. Andrew worked up a quick sweat and Justin informed me that he was dancing so fast his feet were a blur. The music was energizing and celebratory, the night warm, and the joy contagious as the band played right on through their scheduled intermission.

When the band began parading through the crowd New Orleans street festival style, the kids reveled with the music. Then when Justin heard the first few notes of "When the Saints Go Marching In," which he has been practicing on the piano, he broke into a grin Dennis Quaid would envy. And when that was followed by the first loud explosion and the sky lit up with cascading green lights marking the beginning of the fireworks display, I thought he was surely going to levitate from excitement.

We quickly danced them back up the hill, settled them in to watch the partially obscured show with nary a complaint regarding our seats below the trees, and let the conclusion to the night's magic wash over them. I'm sure they thought life couldn't get any better.

Little did they know their mom had learned of a local rodeo that was in Woodside on Sunday.

3 Comments:

Blogger oakleyses said...

burberry pas cher, christian louboutin uk, oakley sunglasses, polo ralph lauren, prada handbags, nike air max, louis vuitton outlet, ugg boots, replica watches, replica watches, tory burch outlet, nike free run, uggs on sale, louis vuitton, christian louboutin shoes, ray ban sunglasses, longchamp outlet, kate spade outlet, ugg boots, louboutin pas cher, christian louboutin, nike free, sac longchamp pas cher, polo ralph lauren outlet online, ray ban sunglasses, chanel handbags, oakley sunglasses, louis vuitton, oakley sunglasses wholesale, nike roshe, michael kors pas cher, louis vuitton outlet, longchamp outlet, nike outlet, jordan shoes, tiffany jewelry, prada outlet, oakley sunglasses, air max, gucci handbags, jordan pas cher, cheap oakley sunglasses, tiffany and co, louis vuitton outlet, longchamp pas cher, longchamp outlet, christian louboutin outlet

April 22, 2016 at 5:38 PM  
Blogger oakleyses said...

uggs outlet, michael kors outlet online, true religion outlet, polo lacoste, hollister pas cher, coach outlet, vans pas cher, nike air max uk, burberry handbags, lululemon canada, true religion jeans, replica handbags, michael kors outlet, sac vanessa bruno, timberland pas cher, new balance, michael kors outlet online, guess pas cher, ray ban uk, michael kors, nike air force, coach purses, ralph lauren uk, north face uk, michael kors outlet online, true religion outlet, nike free uk, north face, nike air max, oakley pas cher, michael kors outlet, converse pas cher, nike tn, hollister uk, hogan outlet, coach outlet store online, nike air max uk, true religion outlet, abercrombie and fitch uk, mulberry uk, michael kors, burberry outlet, michael kors outlet online, michael kors outlet, ray ban pas cher, nike blazer pas cher, sac hermes, kate spade

April 22, 2016 at 5:40 PM  
Blogger oakleyses said...

swarovski, karen millen uk, louis vuitton, barbour, moncler outlet, juicy couture outlet, moncler, canada goose, canada goose outlet, canada goose outlet, pandora charms, converse, replica watches, pandora jewelry, doudoune moncler, canada goose uk, thomas sabo, lancel, moncler, canada goose outlet, ray ban, coach outlet, louis vuitton, juicy couture outlet, converse outlet, moncler uk, ugg pas cher, marc jacobs, supra shoes, links of london, montre pas cher, hollister, pandora uk, pandora jewelry, wedding dresses, louis vuitton, moncler, moncler outlet, hollister, gucci, toms shoes, ugg, nike air max, canada goose, swarovski crystal, louis vuitton, canada goose jackets, canada goose, ugg,ugg australia,ugg italia, louis vuitton, vans, barbour uk

April 22, 2016 at 5:44 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home