The football season is eight or nine weeks in, and Laura has
missed nothing. She and Uncle Tom have
attended every game, home and away.
Together with the other band festivals, the two of them are as busy as
Emily and the band. They have acquired
their own group to sit with, and Laura is trying to whistle between her hands
like a friend of hers does. As if that
almighty whistle from behind her teeth she has already demonstrated for me
isn’t loud enough.
Laura bristled the first time one of those adults she lives
with suggested the night would be too cold for her to sit through the game;
apparently if it’s good for Uncle Tom, it’s good for Laura. She layers up and cheers her team to eight
victories in nine games. And goes to
every band show, too.
Yesterday was the holy grail of high school band
performances, the Buckeye
Invitational. Held at Ohio State, on the
field of Woody Hayes, featuring enough noise to make any band aficionado happy,
and concluding with the Ohio State University Marching Band. Tom and Laura dropped Emily off at her high
school to ride the band bus, and the two of them high tailed it for Columbus. I sent Laura with the camera.
Laura arrives
The field
The stands
The fifty yard line
Emily's blue and white at
2:30
There they are on the
score board
And on the field
One of their marching
formations
I am humbled
The Pride of the
Buckeyes
The other band Laura
came to see
The “i” is dotted
More than thirty bands played, a new one every fifteen
minutes. Home at midnight, and one sleepy little girl went up to bed, while
Uncle Tom went back to the high school to meet Emily’s bus. Laura filled the card and consumed the
battery with her pictures. And she saw
what she went to see—the Buck i dotted.
That was a big day for a little girl and one she will always remember.
ReplyDeleteOh, this is marvellous! Nothing stirs me more than a marching band. I always start crying! They are a dying breed up here in Canada. We used to have world famous marching bands, Now we struggle to field an ensemble. So so sad! Thank you for this wonderful post. It was mightily satisfying!
ReplyDeletesports are not my fortay, but buckeye, a wonderful tree with much to admire, now music that is another thing.
ReplyDeletewhat fun for your g'kids.
ReplyDeleteLooks like they had a grand time.
ReplyDeleteWhat an incredible experience! To be able to choreograph a performance every 15 minutes must have been something too. Way to cross the eyes and dot the t's. No, wait, it was dot the eyes and cross the teas. Oh nevermind.
ReplyDeleteI bet Laura will be part of the marching band when she's old enough!
ReplyDeleteOh wow. We don't have many marching bands over here, but I can just imagine it. What a lovely memory to cherish.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a fabulous display of skills going on there.
ReplyDeleteI love marching bands! We don't have them over here, we used to having marching girls teams, I think every town had at least one, but they seem to have disappeared too. There are bands that play in parades, but that's about it.
I'm jealous of the whistling. I would love to be able to do that piercing whistle done by putting two fingers in the mouth, but unfortunately I can barely even whistle the regular way. My dad was a whistler, he used to whistle along to the radio while working.
Good to see you again--enjoying the enthusiasm of these lovely young women. Extended family is the BEST. You're doing a terrific job of keeping up!
ReplyDeleteShe took great pictures! Love the band formations, and it was very moving to see the blind band.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun experience for her. Have you seen the youtube video of the Buckeyes half-time show where they reenacted video games from the 90's? She might enjoy watching that.
ReplyDeleteThe picture that is the Hudson band in a diamond is our parade block. that must have been either when we finished or when we were dancing our butts off. I am ever so glad I give my grandma something to right about. :)
ReplyDelete