Kicking Cancer's Butt: "Rockin' Down Memory Lane"

I love reunions. I've had a great time at every high school reunion I've attended, and I've only missed one. I love when the Pentoneys get together. I get this from my Dad, who was the huggiest, most nostalgic man in my life until I met Danny McRenyolds! The reunion this past weekend was, to use Jean's yoga word, epic. no, make that Epic. It was our Big Chill, only bigger much more special. Music is the tie that brought us all together, but it's the music mixed with the decades of friendship that make the magic. Danny, Jack Hayward, and Chris Dunne all arrived Friday in the early evening. Eric Peterson came and brought his bass and his stick, which is amazing. It's like a double wide guitar neck that you play with both hands in a way unlike the guitar or conventional bass. Eric makes it sing. Jack set up his rig in front of the windows, Casey brought out his PA and a few guitars, Chris had a few guitars, Danny sang, Casey sang, Eric sang, sometimes we all sang. Richard, Mary and Christine were also here, so pool was played and fun was had. Saturday was the Morro Bay Music Festival, but Casey and I opted out because it was raining and because there was a lot more weekend to go for me. I slept all day long, until Casey and Bella left to go running at 5:30.

Saturday night began when Troy O'Shann was the first to arrive. I met Danny, Troy, Jack, Eric and Tommy Shanahan when Sydney and I went to see their band at Sweet Springs Saloon in Los Osos in 1981. The reason this reunion came to be is that Tommy was coming to town and hasn't been here in 25 years or more. At the peak of Saturday night there were probably 40 people at our house, including all of the musicians from the night before, plus Tommy, Troy, Brett Merrill, and Ted. I invited Ted and Janice because they had a gig I thought they would enjoy coming by later? Who knew that Ted played in Magnum Force in the '80's and knows all of my friends? So cool! Classic moment when Janice got up to sing and asked for Zepplin, then nailed it. She impressed the boys, she did. Not an easy feat with these boys! We all stayed up until 1:30, when I told everyone to either go home or go to bed.

Sunday was the really big day, the official reunion day. All of the bands were going to play at Sweet Springs, just like the good old days. It looks exactly like it did with really no changes, and in the dim light everyone looks the same and it felt like 1983! Casey and I went at 1:00, because that's what time Tim Jackson was playing, according to his web site. I assumed I would stay an hour or two at most. I admit I wore the same dress I wore to the Pomar benefit, but this time I sassed it up with my very tall, very strappy gray heels. They don't show up in any photo, so I'm going to have to reproduce the moment. I even danced! Felt good, after 9 months without. I had my sunglasses hanging on the front of my dress, and at one point they fell off. I bent down to pick them up off the floor, and somehow my center of gravity shifted backward and I started going down on my butt. Casey was looking at me, caught my look of panic and literally swooped in and saved me. It was a heroic, if slightly embarrassing, moment! Casey and I got sandwiches and went back to the van with Casey McDonald and Mary Gross. Sitting in Stella and escaping the very LOUD music helped me to regroup so we could stay longer. Apparently they were calling for Casey to come onstage while we were outside and everyone assumed we had left. When we returned to the dance floor they immediately asked Casey to come up and play. He played Dave Miller's guitar, and he sang "When she's sad, she comes to me, and a thousand smiles, she gives me for free." At that point I had to don my sunglasses like all of the rock star boys in the room who wore them all day, because I pretty much cried from then on out. I suspect it was a bit like when a small child gets overtired and loses control of their emotions. By then at was about 5:00 and we'd been there for four hours. Every song after that made me cry because it was just so cool to see Troy, Danny, Jack, Eric and Tommy up there together sounding so good and having so much fun. The drummers, Brett and Greg Jackson, were also great but those 5 boys were in my line of site, making me cry. We were home by 6:00 and I was sound asleep at 7:00 and didn't stir until Casey woke me up at 7:30 the next morning and pointed out I'd been asleep for 12 1/2 hours!!

One of the top weekends of my life, and it sent me back into treatment brimming with love and confidence. My doctor said I should take a break more often - my platelets are up and I gained 4 lbs. I had a treatment yesterday and so far I feel OK. Maria, bless her, is coming to clean my filthy house, and I'm going to Cathy's yoga class at noon.

I forgot - we had a Yoga Party with Jean and Rachel Sunday morning with me, Casey, Jack and Troy. What can I say, except Epic? I do regret not taking a photo of all of us. Here are a few I do have:

Jack and Casey, both wearing a green T under a white button down...what can I say?