Sometimes people you know for al ong time surprise you.  I had lunch with a guy I have known for about 10 years through birding here in Georgia.  I had lunch w/ him today to catch up.  He's in his mid 60's, my parents age, and among other things, he's a tremendous guitar player.  We always talk a lot about music.  He's a pretty quiet guy, but very thoughtful - just one of those gentle, wise people you want to be around - I always learn something from him.  

So we're talking about music and we get on the subject of famous electric guitar players.  Hendrix comes up, and he says "I saw Hendrix".  I ask where.  He replies "Woodstock".  WHAT?!?!  That kind of blew me away, but it was only the start of a 60 minute story about his life.  I've kown this guy for 10 years, we frequently talk about music, and he never mentioned to me that he was at Woodstock.  At 19 years old he fell in love with a 17 year old girl here in Atlanta.  She was still in HS.  They cobbled together some money, bought a clunker VW bus, and ran away together.  This was July of 1969.  Eventually they heard about what was about to happen in NY, and drove to Woodstock.  They got there early, so they were able to park the bus in a great location.  Unlike many who ended up there, they had shelter.  He talked about seeing The Who, Cocker, Hendrix, Ravi Shankar, Santana, and on and on and on.  Richie Havens opened, and they were blown away that he was STARTING the show.  He said "we figured hell this is going to be GREAT if Richie is the FIRST act".  Apparently he went first b/c much of the equipment couldn't get there for the electric bands because of the weatther, so they asked Havens to go first.  He played for almost 3 hours until he ran out of material.  The "Freedom" song (I didn't know this) was spontaneous and written at that moment.  

They were awakened by Hendrix playing on the last morning.  My friend was half awake in the bus and first thought it was recorded music through the PA, but he realized it was the real thing and they rushed outside to listen.  Imagine Jimi Hendrix being your alarm clock.  He said he will never forget seeing Jimi.  He didn't realize until some months later what a big deal Woodstock had been - they were just there listeing to music and having fun.  Said he was unaware that people had been killed, injured, and even someone born.  Remembers Navy helicopters dropping food in, but doesn't ever remember seeing people "starving" - said they all had plenty of food and water where he was.  A mechanic he knows here in town that owns a garage was one of the Navy pilots that did the food drops.  Small world. 

He eventually moved to California with his girlfriend, and when they were 18 and 20, they married.  About 1972 it fell apart, he moved back to Atlanta, and he never heard from her again.  He always felt guilty about how they split (I don't know the details), and tried to find her several times to make peace, but she had a very common name so he never located her.  Two years ago he got an email from her out of the blue - no contact for almost 40 years, and then wham.  She was living in upstate NY and had terminal cancer.  She was in hospice and wanted to see him before she died.  My friend is married now to another woman whom he adores, but she told him to go and see her, which he did.  They spent several days together, resolving the past (she though the split was her fault), taking pen to paper to write about their experiences, and generally catching up.... and saying goodbye.  She had saved many momentos and trinkets from their lives together, which she gave him.  He returned to Atlanta, and a week later she was dead.  

I am leaving a lot of detail out.  I just listened for an hour with my mouth open.  He emailed me a picture from a Woodstock Book (I'll post the book cover) that is actually him and his girdfriend - what are the chances - but it's him - even I can tell it's him in the picture.  I told him I was in Bethel in 1989 for the 20th reunion of Woodstock (by chance).  I was pretty much the same age he was when he had been there 20 years earlier.  Kind of cool.  Anyway, I don't really know the point of this story, I just felt the need to share it.  

BBG