| It was this, or the Bee-Gees. My parents opted for the Bee-Gees (playing
NYE in Fort Lauderdale), I decided on Phish.
I sent away for mail order (props to the post office in Deerfield, Ill. for catching my errors) and received my ticket after leaving for school in September. Needless to say I was psyched. I had only been to one Phish show and was by no stretch of the imagination a head. I kinda dug the band a bit, but figured what more could you ask for than to be with chill people in a warm climate for the new millennium? |
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| Back at school, everyone asked what I was doing for New Years. When
I told them, I couldn't pick their jaws off the floor–they couldn't believe
it. Josh the Jewish Punk Rocker was going to Phish for New Years. After
some convincing they finally believed me. And then Beth
(my little angel) gave me an offer I couldn't refuse–an invitation
to the RV. I gave her a huge hug and couldn't wait for New Years to arrive.
The semester ticked by slowly, each day counting down to Big Cypress. I was stoked to say the least. Max and Mary were going to be there, Russell and Beth, Beth's little sister Chrissy, and three people I hadn't met yet. And my roomie Dave was going in his own Westphalia (which is now for sale). Finally holiday break came around and I left the dregs of Allston, Mass., for the tropical clime of Florida. |
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| One day I joined Beth
and Russ in Jupiter
for a relaxing afternoon of stumbling over the rocks in the ocean, another
day they joined me in Boca Raton for bowling with my family. Then Dec.
28th rolled around, and, after whooping my brother-in-law at 1-on-1 (sorry
Willie, you know it's true), I went to Publix and stocked up on food for
the RV. I must have looked like a madman with seven loaves of bread and
250 slices of cheese, plus the infamous Millenneos. That and film, lots
of film, including one roll of black
and white just for Jan 1st.
Eventually everyone arrived at my old-folks-home in Boca Raton. Dave left early on the morning of the 29th (smart one that he is), and Suzy and her crew arrived at around noon. The RV was to arrive at around 1:30. At around 4:20, the RV rounded the curve onto Litten Drive, and a loud cheer erupted from everyone, including my parents who wanted these darn fool kids off of their driveway (Love ya ma and pa). A hasty packing job a quick snapshot and we were on our way. A little drama at the gas station ensued, but what do you expect when you have a skinny white boy from Manhattan drive an RV? (Ed note: Josh, You were the one saying "go!" when the tailpipe was hitting the pump–and I'm not skinny!) After a nifty seven point turn, we were back on the road. Russell the driver, Josh the navigator, Max and Mary asleep up top, Chrissy and Beth asleep in the back, Allison talking to Russ and I, Adam and Carmen following in the Toyota. We were making real good time, reaching the toll booth at Alligator Alley in about 35 minutes, not bad for a 30-foot RV in a 3-car caravan. |
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| Traffic slowed up, no big deal. And then it just stopped. We listened
to both tapes we had, and we were not moving. Cops are cruising in the
shoulders, a chopper flies overhead. It was unfortunate that we had to
sit through that traffic, but we all got to the show alive and well. I
would gladly sit through that traffic again, knowing the experience was
as wonderful as it was.
Max rode shotgun with me from 10 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. and we went probably around five miles. Max grabbed his guitar and we jammed when not driving. At around 2 a.m., Russ and Beth woke up and they took the reigns of Kermit the Swamp Lizard (as Max and I had dubbed the RV.) I drifted off to sleep. Beth, I love you dearly, but, girl, you brake way too hard. Max and I rose again to take the controls at around 7. It took great effort to get everyone back in Kermit before we took off down the great exit ramp to the sky, but fortunately everyone was accounted for; I actually got Kermit up to 55 miles per hour. A quick search of the RV and then it was on to 2nd avenue. We parked the RV and took the opportunity to kiss the ground around us. |
On
the way to Jupiter
Jupiter, Fla.
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Jupiter,
Fla. #2
Big Cypress
#1
Big
Cypress #2
After
Midnight
Big Cypress
#5
Josh's
B&W Photography
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