The Passing Of A Old Friend

This past weekend an old friend from high school passed away.  This event has brought back a lot of memories.  Some of these memories included our friendship in the daze of our youth.  It is now 50 years since the summer of 1970.  It may have been the greatest summer of my youth.  I was 19 years old and having the time of my life.  I had some great friends and was dating a really nice girl.  Some of these friends, including the girl, are still part of my life and will likely see this reflection.  In the summer of 1970 I attended two large music festivals and saw some of the greatest bands of the time. Outside of the festivals I also saw some legendary shows in a variety of venues. “Beneath The Planet Of The Apes” and “Woodstock” were my favorite movies. My favorite albums were the James Gang “Rides Again” and the Steve Miller Band’s “Number Five”. Even the ordinary summer nights were a blast as I hung out with my friends in the park or someone’s apartment. This summer was a stoner’s version of “American Graffiti”. I am grateful for these memories. As Pink Floyd once sang in the song Free Four, “The memories of a man in his old age are the deeds of a man in his prime”.