First Loves Blogfest - on May 14, post your first loves – first movie, first song/band, first book, and first person. Four loves, one blogfest! Alex Cavanaugh does it again! How could I resist?
First loves? I think Alex has listed them in the right order. Love is a complex subject. I'll keep it simple so as not to delve into philosophical interpretations of what love is. Maybe these are merely infatuations or perhaps passions, but I'll call them loves.
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Annette was a bug-eyed frail little girl with dusty brown curly hair. In fourth grade she was about the cutest thing I'd ever seen. She was quiet and shy. I don't think we ever said a word to each other, but my imagination often ran away with her. I'd had little crushes before, but I began thinking about Annette more than any girl I had ever known before then. I don't ever recall her last name--for some reason I thought it was Italian, but it may have been Spanish. She and her family used to drive the thousand miles from San Diego to La Paz, Baja California in a jeep. Our teacher Ms. Kingston had her tell about the trip once and it sounded like an adventure worthy of the pioneers in their Conestoga wagons. The story made Annette seem all the more interesting to me. I don't remember Annette after fifth grade. I wonder what happened to her?
There they are. Four first loves. Memories of long ago. Parts of who I am now.
For more First Loves visit Alex Cavanaugh's site for the list.
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Despite being a long time ago, our first loves really do have an impact on our futures and an impact on the people we eventually become. I'm loving this blogfest!
ReplyDeleteThat's true Angeline! My post is coming out in a few moments, just some finishing touches. Thanks for the blogfest, it's a great journey down memory lane :)
ReplyDeleteLOVE The Animals! They were a little before my time, but a great band, all the same!
ReplyDeleteThat's a great story about Annette, I'm pretty curious as to what happened to her now, it's a shame that we'll probably never know. Great post as always anyway Lee, the Animals version of House of the Rising Sun is truly a work of art, I love that song so much.
ReplyDeleteGodzilla - haha! I was just talking about this with some of my friends this past weekend.
ReplyDeleteLittle Golden Books is a great choice. I know they influenced me. I still have a huge set of them for my kids. Won't ever get rid of them.
Love The Animals
ReplyDeleteI've never seen the original Godzilla movies; only the cruddy remake they did a few years back. Excellent choice of song too :)
ReplyDeleteThis is a really good blog fest! There are some really interesting choices out there! Arlee the Animals is a good choice and I must also admit that I too liked certain Little Golden Books.
ReplyDeleteGreat posting on the first loves. The Godzilla has to be a guy thing. When I met my now hubby I asked if he had seen any good movies and his answer was "Godzilla."
ReplyDeleteThe geek in me could've also selected Godzilla! Grew up watching all of the monster movies. I'll look for that Coleman book.
ReplyDeleteThanks for participating in my blogfest. Knew you couldn't resist!
How fabulous was that. Oh to be Annette and come across this post. Just reading your tale makes me wistful.
ReplyDeleteGreat first loves, although I didn't imagine Godzilla on anyones list. Lol
ReplyDeleteHouse of the Rising Sun was one of my favourites too.
ReplyDeleteGot to admit I was more of a Beatles fan (they were cuter) but I had a couple Animals albums in my collection, too. The House of the Rising Son is a classic.
ReplyDeleteYou're the second one of this blogfest I've read that remembered a childhood romance/crush. I find that funny since we all had them.
I've always loved House of the Rising Sun.
ReplyDeleteLee, this post is a great example of the sorts of posts which first drew me to 'Tossing it Out.' You blog with such an irresistible sensibility about your childhood experiences and the culture of that era. I eat it up.
ReplyDeleteYes, to the House of the Rising Sun. Loved that song. Still do.
ReplyDeleteI love The Animals - the intro to We've Gotta Get Out of this Place is probably one of my all-time favourite places, along with Paradise City.
ReplyDeletewe are clearly coevals.
ReplyDeleteI was totally into Western movies as a child, and my favorite was "Tonka" the story about a star crossed horse that belonged to an Indian boy and also to the US Army.. in the end the boy and his horse were reunited.
First love, Easy, Michael O'Hara.
when we were 6, we "got married" in a little ceremony complete with a kiss.
First song? "I want to hold your hand!"
first book? "The cat in the hat!!"
Mimi Torchia Boothby
Thanks for the visits and comments.
ReplyDeleteYes, Godzilla may be kind of a guy thing, but it also represented the awareness of the atomic age and the fear that ensued. Maybe all the air raid drills we used to do in school helped pique our curiosity.
The Animals represented the more rebellious side to rock music, where the Beatles were endearingly rebellious while embracing much of the more traditional music styles. I became more of a Beatles fan, but I could always appreciate the raucous sound of groups like the Animals or the Stones.
Lee
Awww, maybe someday you'll reconnect with Annette and find out if she did have pioneer-like adventures :).
ReplyDeleteI love that your imagination often ran away with her. Great story and post, Arlee.
ReplyDeletexoRobyn
I love your lists and the memories attached to them~ I love the song, "House of the Rising Sun"!
ReplyDeleteYou should write about Annette...how fun to relieve these precious memories~ I enjoyed you list! :D
House of the Rising Sun was the first song I learned to play on the guitar. "There was a house in New Orleans..." Love it!
ReplyDeleteIt's funny, I notice now that it's so different for my kids having the ability to watch a movie at home pretty much any time they want to. I loved going to the movies as a kid and feel like we must have also gone quite often. I'll bet it didn't cost $75 for a family though! Great first loves reflections.
ReplyDeleteA2ZMommy and What’s In Between
I love that song, but I grew up with the Dolly Parton version. :)
ReplyDeleteHouse of the rising sun is brilliant! The melody is haunting.
ReplyDelete- Maurice Mitchell
The Geek Twins | Film Sketchr
@thegeektwins | @mauricem1972
Neat thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteAnnette might be finishing up a blog right about ow and in it, she's said, "There was a little boy named Lee. He hung on my every word in 4th grade and to this day, I don't think I've ever met a man who listened as intently."
ReplyDeletegodzilla rocks... that's it!
ReplyDeleteWe all love something...right!
Jeremy [Retro-Zombie]
Howlin' Wolf Records: On-Line Magazine
Are you sure you just don't remember Annette further than forth grade because she was just replaced in your mind by a second love, maybe something completely different such as baseball, lol? Funny how our minds can work sometimes. She sounded very sweet and a little mysterious.
ReplyDeleteoh the animals and that song--one of the greats!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad so many of you enjoyed hearing about Annette. I wonder if she ever even noticed me? I think the reason why I don't remember her past 5th grade was that she may have moved away. She came into the fourth grade after school had started and I pretty sure she moved somewhere else during the course of my 5th grade school year. There were more "loves" later and they just sort came and went in my life. Then of course my family moved as well.
ReplyDeleteLee
Not a summer goes by when I don't hear my husband and Uncle playing House of the Rising Sun at least a dozen times on the guitar (since it is among one of the few songs they can play :)Great song.
ReplyDeleteI may have to youtube the animals (not sure who they are)
ReplyDeleteThe House of the Rising Sun is a classic. I never saw Godzilla in the theater but I bet he was impressive on the big screen to a five year old.
ReplyDeleteGodzilla is totally awesome... I still love it.
ReplyDelete"The House of the Rising Sun" continues to be one of those songs that I can listen to all day without ever getting tired of it.
ReplyDeleteSiv-- "House..." was one of the first songs I learned to play on the guitar as well. It had that classic arpeggio that was pretty simple to play.
ReplyDeletebaygirl-- You'll probably recognize some of their songs when you hear them.
Susan G-K--Not only was I impressed by the sight of the destructive powers of Godzilla, but I was fascinated by the way Raymond Burr was inserted into the action among all the Japanese actors and providing his narrations. I think even as a kid I recognized that the American actor had been added into the film. This influenced my storytelling style later on.
TF -- Godzilla is modern legend. Totally awesome.
Lee
I find that "House of the Rising Sun" track to be rather haunting after I saw it in some creepy TV episode in recentish times. Maybe a Supernatural episode?? But it's still a classic song, of course.
ReplyDeleteLove the story about Annette. I think we all have those people in our pasts that we still wonder about, even years and decades later.
A perfect ending to this story would be if Annette signs up for next year's A to Z! A wonderful blast from the past! Julie
ReplyDeleteI love the House of the Rising Sun. It has such a haunting quality to it...
ReplyDeleteDear Arlee, . . . thanks for sharing these four firsts. I'm new to your blog and found this posting evocative. It led me back to my own firsts. Thank you. Peace.
ReplyDeleteTrisha -- The minor key of the song does make the tune rather haunting and the story line is pretty dark--it could actually be used as the inspiration for a screenplay or the like. I wonder about many of the people in my past.
ReplyDeleteJulie -- That would be pretty cool. Of course if I could remember what her last name was that would probably make things easier.
Wordsfrom...-- Haunting is a good description for the song.
Dee -- I'm glad you stopped by. Welcome to TOSSING IT OUT.
Lee
This was fun, Lee. I love getting to look into people's past. Helps me know how they became the people they are today.
ReplyDeleteRed.
These "first love" posts are wonderful. A great blogfest idea.
ReplyDeleteI love the House of the Rising Sun! Great group. And what a sweet first love story.
ReplyDeleteRed, Patricia, and Shannon-- Thanks for the visit and comments.
ReplyDeleteLee