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| Anyone who went to WM should know what this is…photo courtesy of the talented M.M. Posey, as I don’t do Williamsburg anymore |
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| Ahhhhh. Beautiful. Photo courtesy of M.M. Posey, that lovely photogfriend o’mine |
I still remember the first time I heard the song “99 Red Balloons.”
I was in high school, at a Kick in the Pants concert. Before you judge the name, please consider that the band was a group of guys from my school. Aged 15-19. Pretty amazing that they gave themselves such a mature name, really. At least they weren’t the Butthole Surfers or something like that. Anyway, the real point is, they actually knew my name, and played at my surprise 16th birthday party. So, you know, I was feeling really cool around that time in my life, but especially at this concert.
Except that I didn’t know the words to any of their songs.
And they were all covers.
One of the covers they played was “99 Red Balloons.” Being the first time I heard it, and having no basis for comparison vis a vis the original, well-played version (and did I mention these cool band guys knew my name?), it was awesome. I remember throwing my hands up and staring at the ceiling as if I were seeing red balloons floating by throughout the chorus. It was really fun, except for now, in hindsight, I can see why I had very few friends throughout my high school experience.
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| In all fairness, this was taken in Colorado. The Aspen there are very beautiful. |
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| Red! |
So, the point to this long saga is not that I was a freak in high school (although I was clearly borderline), but that every time I see fall colors, I remember this exciting and colorful concert experience and feel similarly elated. There’s nothing quite like seeing slashes of bold colors floating by against the big blue sky, which I think the song captures quite well in its lyrics. AND, as an added bonus, for the first time in five years I’m actually on the East Coast for autumn(!!!!!!!!), where fall colors are the best and brightest in the world.
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| Even NYC gets in on the fall action! |
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| Virginia Mountains. |
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| Another Colorado gem. |
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| Amazing East Village fall ivy. |