I Think of My Dad Often

Saturday March 7, 1992

Awake at 7:20, time to get up, but we just snuggle back to sleep until 8:30. Wonderful! Our queen-size bed in the trailer is very comfy. Frank walks around the Laguna Seca Campground while I get ready. By 11:30 we're on our way to our second day at the Monterey Jazz Festival. We spend most of the day on the wharf in 2 of the 4 rooms featuring jazz. We see our square dance buddy Bob Holmes and his new girlfriend.

What a great day! So much fun, good music, toe tapping, hand-clapping, reminiscing and feeling close to Frank. I didn't realize how much we really needed this fun weekend. It's so easy to forget your troubles here. Lots of laughs and sing-alongs. Some songs touch a tender spot and bring tears to my eyes. I think of my dad often. He sang so many of these old songs to me. We hold hands alot and dance some.

Feeling real good. Some low abdominal pain.

Wow, that sounds like fun. Although her life at home is busy with friends and activities, I think she was appreciating that this weekend was just the two of them enjoying their time together, laughing and singing, sometimes even crying. While Mom's father Gerald was an abusive alcoholic to his wife and stepson, to his daughter he was absolutely devoted. She was a princess in his eyes. I never heard that her dad sang songs to her. That is very touching. He died of lung cancer (a heavy smoker) in 1954, when I was just 1 year old. The photo above was taken of him in 1926, still a young and vital man.

Monterey Jazz Festival

Friday March 6, 1992

Up and finally ready to leave for Monterey about 9:30 a.m. pulling our 5th wheel trailer. It's a great trip of 6 hours except for the last 2 hours when we do hit rain.. It's raining lightly when we pull into the Laguna Seca Campground which is 20 minutes from the Jazz Festival in Monterey. It takes about an hour to get all set up. We have dinner from the microwave oven, then clean up and head for the Jazz Festival. In the dark (6:30 p.m.) we accidentally find our way to exctly where we want to be at the wharf parking lot. We buy our $40 tickets and head into the first show, Black Dog Band. We see several groups and really enjoy them. We leave for home about 10:30. We're in bed about midnight. I continue to feel real good.

Wow, that was a long tiring day, but Mom was going strong until midnight. I'm so impressed by her energy. After a 6 hour drive I would have just chilled for the night.

The Monterey Jazz Festival is the longest-running annual jazz event in the world. It premiered on October 3, 1958 with San Francisco jazz radio broadcaster Jimmy Lyons as its founder. Over 43,000 fans attended the 54th edition of the two-day and three-night festival September 16-18, 2011. The festival featured over 500 artists performing on eight stages spread over the 20-acre Monterey Fairgrounds in Monterey, California.