The Rest of the Weekend

You can imagine our relief on Saturday when, during the band's halftime show, the announcer invited anyone and everyone to join the band (seriously - you don't even have to be a student to be in this band) and added that there's "no experience necessary." That's Mary -  no experience on the tenor sax, yet in the band. (The week prior our conversation went something like this: "You're joining the band? Playing tenor sax? But you don't know how to play tenor sax.") In the above photo if you squint you can see a saxophonist under the "A" in Stanford (wearing a green tie) - and it's Mary! Since joining the band a week prior to this game, she had already learned a song and a half (the band gives her music lessons and the use of an instrument), and she can play bits and pieces of other songs. (The rest of the time she follows the choreography and tries to look convincingly like she's actually playing her instrument.) She was exhausted by the end of the day on Saturday, but still enthusiastic. (Her band day started at 5:00 a.m. and ended at 5:00 p.m. - and I'm not kidding!) We followed the band all around campus before the game and watched every performance during and after the game too. I took some videos, and if I can figure out iMovie I will edit them into a short clip. So stay tuned for that (but don't hold your breath).

This is the Stanford band on the field before the game. The band is still crazy and fun-filled, but we're told they have cleaned up their act. (If you're familiar with the Stanford band of the past, you know what I mean - enough said.) 

The two biggest fans of the newest tenor sax in the band named Mary.

And now for the reunion. (Spoiler alert: kids, this could be you someday.) After not seeing each other in more than 30 years, Brad got to visit with his freshman roommate, Winston. (And no, Mary wasn't there to hear the stories - phew!)  

Rumor has it that only four kids from Brad's high school ever went to Stanford. Here are two of them: Brad and his high school classmate Carl, whom he hadn't seen in over 30 years. (The other two people in the photo are me and Carl's wife.)

This is a great story. Late last spring Mary and a good friend in her freshman dorm figured out that their parents had also lived in the same freshman dorm together! This is Mary with her friend Katie's mom, M.J., who lived in Donner with Brad during their freshman year. (Which was, for anyone who's counting, in 1978-1979).

We were so happy that Brad's good friend Bob was at the reunion, and it was great to see him. We missed not having Sue and Harry there as well - hopefully next time!

Someday the above reunion photos (or reasonable facsimiles thereof) will be these kids' future. For now, they're just enjoying their sophomore year of college. On Saturday night we had a delightful dinner with Mary and three friends from her freshman dorm: Baffour, Costner, and Veronica. 

No, this is not Palo Alto! Our California trip had a little extra treat built in. The best and most economical flight home happened to be out of San Diego. So we flew down there on Sunday and enjoyed a belated anniversary celebration before heading home on Monday. I think the photo speaks for itself. It was a great way to end a great trip.