We were part of a group of friends with a tight bond. Back in 1996, a group of us Yes fans got together for lunch after a Yes event. Zoey and I met that day. A mutual friend, Dawn, decided we shouldn't wait for the band to do something as a reason for us to get together. She hosted the first YesTogether in June 1996, and there were four of us who got together every month. It lasted until June of 2000, when I moved to St. Louis and another member, Jerry, moved to Ohio. The last time we all got together was at my wedding, six years ago. We were all there for the funeral too.
In keeping with the theme of this blog, I'm going to post a review that Zoey wrote. It's her story of my wedding and ProgDay 2002, by way of JRR Tolkein. It says far more about Zoey's personality than I could convey.
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This is the story of the wedding journey undertaken by two hobbits, plus one elf and the adventures they had on their travels.
A few days prior to the wedding journey, the hobbit Mrs. Frodo sprained her ankle whilst dancing. Though she went to a skilled healer, she is saddled with a cast upon her leg. Galadnen, the elf, had readied all she needed for the trip beforehand but knew that the trip could be canceled at a moments notice. She had never been packed for a trip beforehand, so this did not bode well and she was suspicious that the journey was jinxed.
The day of the journey, Galadnen receives a message that the quest has been postponed, so she takes a seat and listens to Izz for a bit, then loads up the remaining items and begins to travel to the homely house of the Ladybugs. When Galadnen arrives, she finds Mrs. Frodo unhappily sitting upon the floor, looking for pieces of her broken spectacles; it was not a good scene. Galadnen felt badly for Mrs. Frodo and after she had put together her spectacles, Galadnen gave to Mrs. Frodo a special pin. The pin cheers the Mrs. and she now has a renewed interest in the journey at hand.
So, Mrs. Frodo begins packing, as she has spent the night before at the healers and hadn't the chance to get ready. So she packs quickly and the hobbit and the elf load Bill the Pony and start off on their journey. Their meanderings through the countryside of Pennsylvania and Maryland go by fast as wind but once in Virginia they they go off course for the first time. Galadnen catches it and they return to the path quickly. All the villagers they meet in the Southern lands give Mrs. Frodo and Galadnen queer looks, making them very rather uncomfortable.
At long last, they finally come to the borders of North Carolina; no sooner have they done so, they are set off course again but they get back on the path soon enough. Finally around 11:30 pm they arrive exhausted at their lodgings and fall into a deep sleep, only to be awakened early, so they can complete the rest of the journey with another hobbit, Jerry. Breakfast at the lodge is taken in quickly and the travelers leave early in the pouring rain.
Countless times did our travelers get lost that morning, until at last they find the backup venue referred to as "Cat's Cradle". Not finding a soul there, they walk the streets in the rain back to faithful Bill and begin to travel to the farm. Mrs. Frodo, Jerry and Galadnen become lost a few more times and at long last find Storybook Farm but they don't see anyone present with their first glances. They pull up to a pavilion and two men are seated within. Mrs. Frodo gets out to ask directions with Galadnen following behind out of curiosity. Then they start off once again searching for the Riverside where they will find their friends and the glorious wedding.
Perhaps they got lost one more time before finally arriving at the Riverside. Although, once inside the doors they see the King and Queen, Roy and Rhea in wedding garb and think for a moment that maybe they haven't missed the wedding. Rhea looked radiant, with a beautiful circlet of flowers about her head and floating gown. Galadnen loved Rhea's bouquet and secretly hoped that she would be able to catch it at the reception. Mrs. Frodo, Jerry and Galadnen were saddened when they heard they had missed the wedding but were quickly served delicious wedding cake, that was light on the tongue and sweet. Our travelers are glad to see their friends and they talked together for a few moments before heading into the auditorium to see the musicians perform.
Mrs. Frodo, Jerry and Galadnen enjoy the bands they have seen, and Galadnen especially loves Izz, as she had been looking forward to seeing them for quite a long time. Just before the Muffins set they realize how very cold they are, so they nip out to find a store, where they can find warm clothing. Our travelers arrive in their warm garb, just in time to see Kraan, whom they enjoy greatly.
Then Mrs. Frodo, Jerry and Galadnen make for the village of Chapel Hill where they are to meet for the wondrous wedding reception. You already know the story, don't you my friend? Yes, indeed, they become lost again and find themselves in the village of Durham, so they turn about and head back to find their mistake. They arrive at Spanky's just in the nick of time, albeit a half hour late but in some circles that is quite fashionable and well accepted, so they find comfort in that thought.
Our friends find that they are seated at the "King Crimson" table, which lifts Galadnen's spirits. Soon they realize the reception room is filled with old friends from their past. As weary as they are, they have a wonderful time conversing with friends until the toasts are made and dinner begins. There is all manner of delectable food set out on tables and the guests begin to help themselves and make merry. What a wonderful reception it was, Galadnen never had food this delicious at a wedding reception before, so she was in awe and wonder and found that her eyes were bigger than her stomach that night.
Miraculously enough, after the reception our travelers found themselves back at their lodgings without becoming lost. Again they feel into a deep sleep, remembering the day that had just passed them by in a flash. They were awakened from their pleasant dreams early and began to slowly get ready. Jerry decided to get to the festival bright and early, while Mrs. Frodo and Galadnen decided to take the day as it came to them and not to rush but savor every moment.
First on the agenda was breakfast, for they were both ravenous. They passed by many awful waffle houses but they wanted something a bit more pleasant, so they drove about until they found a little place by the name of "The Mad Hatter". All sorts of pastries had they but Galadnen wanted what she referred to as "The Southern Experience". She got her eggs, bacon, grits and biscuit and it was quite tasty. A guitarist performed while they ate and Mrs. Frodo and Galadnen were very relaxed and happy.
Then Mrs. Frodo and Galadnen found their way to the venue without a hitch. They were late but they enjoyed themselves well enough; Mrs. Frodo worked on a writing project during Djam Karet and Galadnen worked on a nap while they played with her ears opened, listening. Mrs. Frodo, Jerry and Galadnen enjoyed seeing Happy the Man in all their quirkiness and it was quite cheering. The day passed by in a flash once more and our travelers, in separate modes of transportation tried to make their way once again into Chapel Hill. Jerry succeeded but Mrs. Frodo and Galadnen became lost or
had an inkling that they were not going the proper route.
After a long time on the road, the two of them decided to stop at any decent restaurant that appeared along the road. Galadnen directed Mrs. Frodo to a restaurant she remembered seeing, so they waited outside and finally were admitted. The meal was absolutely perfect and the waiter quite handsome and attentive, so they enjoyed themselves. Strangely enough, they had the odd luck of sitting beside Tempano, it was as if they were following Mrs. Frodo about all day. Galadnen and Mrs. Frodo made it back to their lodgings late at night, where Jerry was waiting, worried sick about the girls. He was relieved to see them and decided that the two of them must have gotten lost once more. By this time getting lost was quite normal and acceptable.
The next day Galadnen was disappointed that she hadn't given her friends all good-bye hugs and she wanted to speak to them again but that was not meant to be and they bid Jerry farewell, then headed out Monday morning for home. The two of them were both sad and quiet on the journey back home, getting lost at least once, for lack of road signs. Mrs. Frodo and Galadnen had their song for their travels home, which was: "Spinnin' Round" by Izz. After getting out of the South, the journey back began to fly by. They arrived back home late but were quite happy to be back where they belonged, where they could sleep as long as they wished in their own beds in a familiar setting. This was the end of the quest, journey, wedding, thing. ;-)
PEACE~LOVE~HAPPINESS
ZOEY!
aka Galadnen
