my heart broke a little

growing up, we went to a lot of concerts.  my parents took me to my first concert of my choosing, in 3rd grade.  we went and saw Cyndi Lauper and a group called The Bangs...who were later known as the

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Bangles. 

I remember this concert...vividly.  i remember that my parents were there in suits and stuff...because they had just come from work.  i can't imagine what they were thinking being there.  how awful.  but they did it.  i think it was because for years, they dragged me to other concerts...of their choosing. 

for some reason, those concerts were always Peter, Paul and Mary.  i guess they loved them.  they have pictures from before i was born...them with their hair parted down the middle.  my dad in his japanese-ness...looking like james bond...bell bottoms on and aviator glasses...at Red Rocks Amphitheater.  my mom with her hair feathered...GIGANTIC glasses and the matching shirt and pants with holly hobby looking-like print on it. 

anyway...we went to a LOT of Peter, Paul, and mary concerts.  a LOT.  i think i loved them as much as my parents did.  i had no idea what they stood for...and maybe it didn't matter.  we watched every PBS special that came on that had them on it.  It was the time during the year that Dad would donate to PBS, without question and we would watch to see if we could see our telephone operator in the background getting the the donation. 

i had a celebrity moment in austin when i ran into Peter in a bar in Austin.  i must have had this look on my face.  everyone asked what was wrong.  he was sitting there.  i was a wuss...i couldn't say anything.  i was so star-struck, i couldn't handle myself. 

When my dad was sick, i promised that we would go see them again...one way or another, we needed to see another concert.  It was very important to do this, so since that time, i've been stalking  looking at the webpage...cursing everytime a date would pass by and another city would get to see them. 

PDub via Flickrthen, when i got home from MN a bit ago, i saw that she had died.  this was a sad, sad day.

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This woman was gifted with a different voice and used it not only for the use of singing, but was an activist until her later years for so many causes. 

RIP Mary Travers