Tuesday, January 19, 2016

There isn't a peaceful, easy feeling right now

Events, whether good or unexpected, often lead us on a trip down Memory Lane. Such an event happened this week.

The year was 1978. 

In our long-wheel-based Chevy van, we were going down a desert highway, but not a dark one. It was in the afternoon.

There was a young couple in the distance alongside the road hitch-hiking, their huge backpacks in tow.

 After quickly conferring with my wife over about a 30-second timespan, we decided to pick them up.

For the next day and a half, the Canadian couple traveled with us throughout Death Valley.

They were on a quest.  They were looking for  a certain hotel which they believed to be there. To them, the find would be of significance.

They showed us a picture of the silhouetted backlit hotel at sunset.  

It was off an album cover.

Have you heard of “The Eagles?” they asked. 

During that period of time in my life, no I hadn’t.  

So they went on about the group and how much they enjoyed the band’s music.

That piqued my interest and it didn’t take long to understand their desire to find out everything they could about the singing group.

And now 37 years later, one of the founder’s of the illustrious group has passed away.

Glenn Frey, age 67, who along with Don Henley, founded the group, is no longer with us.

Over the years, the Eagles became my go-to music sound, especially heading down the highway.

Sometime back in the 90’s, upon leaving work one Saturday around midnight in our van at that time, I slipped an Eagles tape in and upon turning down the highway, “Hotel California” was blaring over the speakers.

My windows were rolled down and the wind was whistling through.

I was happy to be off work. Too happy.

I got too caught up in the music. At the end of the local bridge, there were blue lights and a ticket.

Through the years, on vacation after vacation, the Eagles were with us going down the highway.

We bought album after album and our sons gave us more.

There are times in our lives when our mortality takes center stage and we dwell on the times, our age and how fast life has gone by.

Some may have faced their mortality perhaps at the deaths of Buddy Holly, or John F. Kennedy, perhaps Martin Luther King, Jr., or Elvis.

For some, they may give a lot of thought to their mortality with the death of Glenn Frey.  He was of our age, our interests and our love for the kind of music that seems to have disappeared although I understand that some writers like to pan the group.

Our Canadian friends eventually found out that “Hotel California” was the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel located on Sunset Boulevard.

And although Glen is gone, the music continues on. He may have checked out, but he will never leave.

Next post: Jan. 26, 2016














No comments:

Post a Comment