Welcome everyone, to the #AtoZChallenge Blogging Extravaganza, where hundreds of bloggers publish 26 posts in 30 days, one for each letter of the alphabet, covering a myriad of topics! “Musical Memories” is my theme.Click HERE to see all posts and HERE to view the A to Z Blog. Please support our efforts by visiting, sharing and commenting. We have all worked long and hard on this project. Have fun and thanks for reading! ♥
XIBABA | #AtoZChallenge 2017 (X) Day 24 #MusicalMemories #dogladysden Share on X
The time: 1974
The place: Toronto area, Canada
Okay, this one had me stymied. The only song I could think of for the letter ‘X’ was ‘Xanadu’.
by Olivia Newton-John
(Yuck – but Gene Kelly was fun.)
by Rush
(Meh – and much too long.)
by Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich
(Much better, but I already did that one in 2015.)
What to do, what to do………
My good friend Google found a song from 1974 called ‘Xibaba’.
Voila!
Xi what now, you, ask?
Xibaba, aka She-Ba-Ba, is an instrumental written by Brazilian jazz musician Airto Moreira and recorded by Mexican guitar god Carlos Santana, for his 1974 live album, ‘Lotus’.
Now we’re talkin’. I love Santana!
Although I have no memory of this particular song,
1974 was memorable for a couple of reasons:
In January, my father retired from the army and my parents moved down to San Diego, California, where they remained for the rest of their lives. That’s one helluva commute! Over 4000 km (2500 miles) and three time zones.
I wasn’t able to visit that often, but we kept in touch by phone and later, email. It was my father who insisted on getting me a laptop one Christmas, which created this little addiction I have now.
Hubby and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary with a house party that lasted all night long. We put on a good spread and the booze was flowing like water, but, nobody got out of hand. This would become an annual tradition, along with other such festivities, for several years.
The old ‘party animals’ have calmed down now, but we still make a point of celebrating every special occasion, so we’ll have good memories to take with us into our dotage. Life is short. Enjoy it while you can, yes?
How close to your immediate family do you live?
Do you like parties?
Looking forward to your comments!
The Doglady’s Den #AtoZChallenge 2017 Youtube playlist:
MORE FROM THE BLOG:
LATEST FROM INSTAGRAM:
Follow THE DOGLADY’S DEN on WordPress.com
Discover more from The Doglady's Den
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Dog Mom and (retired) Canine Innkeeper in suburban Toronto, Canada, known as The Doglady. Former corporate workaholic. Writer, photographer, digital creator. Animal lover, music fanatic, inveterate traveller. Eternal hippie/rockchick. History, literature and cinema buff. Hockey and soccer fan. Dedicated night owl. German/Canadian binational, multilingual. Let me entertain you!
43 thoughts on “XIBABA | #AtoZCHALLENGE (X) #MusicalMemories”
Commenting a bit late, I know. A couple of weeks ago, I was in a motel in Staunton, Virginia and they had satellite TV. On a station we can’t get at home, hubby and I watched a documentary on Carlos Santana. He has led a fascinating life, and the documentary explained why his life took some of the directions it did. One of those directions produced this album. There is no one like him. Enjoyed this song while I read. Thank you!
No worries, Alana. I’m still struggling to catch up! 😮 That sounds like an interesting documentary. Thanks! I will look for it. Santana has long been a favourite of mine, as well.
Looks like I missed your letter X post. I LOVE Xanadu, and it was one of the first music videos that my then 2yo kept watching!
As you know I consider San Diego my second home, so I understand what made your parents move there!
How wonderful that your anniversary celebrations were being kept alive!
I did the A-Z questionnaire. Were you a volunteer?
Xanadu isn’t my taste, but we are all different. 🙂 Yes, I remember you mentioning San Diego a few times. Another thing we have in common, along with Switzerland and hockey. I lived there for extended periods on and off from 2010-2014, taking care of family affairs. Last trip was only six months ago after my mother died. Even though my parents are gone now, I want to visit at least one more time, strictly as a tourist. It is a real paradise. ♥
I filled out the survey, too, but didn’t volunteer for anything, except surrendering my life to blogging in April. 😉
Debbie,
Both of our parents live within four hours from us, so it’s easy for us to make a day trip to see them whenever we can. It’s not nearly often enough and this year is going to be even more challenging than prior years. Life just gets crazy sometimes. I’m so happy we have unlimited long distance calling on our home and cells. This makes staying in touch so much easier.
We are not party people, so the only partying we do is just the two of us and that’s rather mild. 🙂
It’s great to live close enough to visit family, Cathy. Finding the time is always an issue, but thankfully, modern technology makes it easy to stay in touch. We enjoy partying ‘a deux’ also. 🙂
My family is scattered as well. New York, Utah, Oregon, Colorado, Idaho, Washington, Missouri, Montana… group texting or group messaging keeps us connected. Nice selection for X!
Sounds like you have a big family, Mary. Modern technology sure helps people keep in touch. 🙂 I got lucky, finding this song for ‘X’.
Ah Santana – love his music. This one is so upbeat. X is a hard letter – I cheated a little but you did so well.
Santana is one of the greats! 😀 I got lucky, finding this one. X is the worst! Thanks, Suzy.
Even as I write this, I am waiting for guests to arrive for dinner. Yes, life is short, and one must enjoy every moment. Which year did you get your laptop, Debbie?
Enjoying your photos! Hugs!
So right, Vidya! 🙂 I hope you had a lovely dinner party. I was a computer resistor for a long time. My father forced the issue by giving me a laptop for Christmas in 2008. I took to it like the proverbial duck to water. 😀
P.s…..immediate family “son and daughter” together…unfortunately half of Canada, the Atlantic and half of Europe separate me from my one and only sis…as well as from friend-of-a-lifetime, aka D.D.Doglady! 😉
p.p.s — you have a picture of the fearsome foursome!
Yes – sent to you via Facebook. 🙂 I’m sure you already have that one!
Here’s hoping you’ll be able to visit this summer! 🙂 Thanks, Bianca. It has been a lifetime, for sure. ♥
The Summer of ’74 was my favorite of all the great Summers I had growing up. My Pa was unemployed for those few months and he and my brother and I spent that Summer body-surfing nearly every day at Santa Monica Beach (Lifeguard Station #26 was our spot).
My life was never again that lazy and carefree after the Summer of ’74. Sand, Surf, Sun, and the Beach Boys on the radio. Heck, I wasn’t even drinking then and it was STILL the best.
~ D-FensDogG
[Link:) Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews…
“Sand, Surf, Sun, and the Beach Boys” Sounds like an idyllic summer! 🙂 Thanks for sharing your memories. Stephen. Apologies for these late responses. Still trying to catch up! 😛
Santana and Airto. A winning combination!
It was a great find. Thanks, John! 🙂
Wheeeee! Who wouldn’t want to dance after listening to that music? Another fun post! Love the photos. So your dad got you going with the laptop, did he? What did we do before the Internet, I wonder?
Wow, your parents did move far away. I thought my parents moved far away to Cape Breton which is about 1,000 miles away. So you’ve slowed down on the parties, eh? Me, too. I never was much of a partier anyhow. Don’t like loud music and crowds, and I don’t drink either. I’m pretty dull, eh? A real introvert who enjoys my own company and likes solitude and tranquility.
We’re almost done, Debbie! Only two letters left. Glad I got X out of the way. That’s a hard one.
🙂 Debbie’s parties were never “crowds”….just a bunch (the size of a “bunch” is always relative) and the music was always tolerable! And we ALWAYS had fun! The strange thing is that in all those years when we were “young”, I don’t remember anyone getting out of hand…Debbie, correct me?
You’re right, Bianca. Our parties were pretty tame, compared to some. There were no drunken brawls or similar incidents. Nobody was into drugs either, as I recall. European upbringing. 🙂
My parents chose to move that far because my mother was suffering from a severe circulatory disorder and needed to live in a warm climate. Her brother in Los Angeles had recommended San Diego. It’s a beautiful place and I don’t blame them for wanting to stay there.
I was one of those snobs who said: “Computers? Who needs ’em. Not me! Waste of time.” How quickly that changed when I started using one! 😀
Our house parties were always small, intimate affairs; close friends only. There were some great ones in collaboration with our men’s soccer team that involved renting a hall, though. Good times, fond memories! 🙂
Everyone is different, Cathy. I’m sure you’re not at all dull. How could you be, with your amazing gift for writing, photography and music? As an only child, I’ve always enjoyed my own company too and have become more introverted over the years. We’re too lazy in our old age to host parties, now, but still enjoy going out, though. 🙂
Some letters are just harder than others. I think you get an “A” for effort (although I never knew understand that saying – shouldn’t it be an “E”?) Great photos. I live about an hour away from my brother. My mom and dad have both passed – my mom lived 30 seconds from me in Indiana before she passed in 2010. Interesting – I recently cleared out an old cell phone and thought, “I wished I’d called her more.” After going through my calls to her, I was reminded that I talked to her often by phone, as well as seeing her at least once a week, sometimes more. I miss her, for sure. And, I love parties. When I was single, I used to look up those obscure holidays like national egg day and have a party incorporating several. It was fun for me and hopefully for my guests. The last one I remember was Burg-eggsalada – it was national burger, egg and salad month. Ha! I enjoy your posts. Keep ’em coming after the A to Z Challenge. http://www.dianeweidenbenner.com
I was lucky to find an appropriate song. 🙂 Sounds like you and your mom had a great relationship. Nice to be so close. Love your party idea! We’ve gotten lazy in our old age and don’t host them anymore, except for the rare restaurant outing. I’m glad you enjoy the posts, Diane. Thanks for visiting. I will return after getting over this internet fatigue. 😛
One of the benefits of moving back to Maine is that I am geographically close to my family not that I was too far away before but it’s nice to be home. Love that you go all out for your celebrations. I also think it’s important to celebrate special occasions. Life is too short. WeekendsInMaine
Much easier to deal with a health crisis, etc. when you’re within reasonable distance. That point was driven home to me in spades when my ageing parents were declining. It’s definitely important to celebrate life as much as possible, Thanks, Karen. 🙂
Much easier to deal with a health crisis, etc. when you’re within reasonable distance. That point was driven home to me in spades when my ageing parents were declining. It’s definitely important to celebrate life as much as possible, Thanks, Karen. 🙂
Now, hey! ELO was on Xanadu, too…
I know! What the hell were they thinking? 😛
Oh, I love this one – it has a beautiful retro vibe! And of course, I love Santana!
I’m glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 Santana is one of the greats. Thanks for visiting.
this one has such a retro feel to it 😀 Reminded me of old bollywood movies 😀
Interesting to connect Santana to Bollywood. Must listen again! 🙂
Just the name Santana is a guarantee….
I remember the party! I also remember, that you, being such a good and dear friend, didn’t forget to put in at least one bottle of gin (I was the only one, btw, that drank gin!) among all the other bottles…and didn’t comment all that much when the next day the WHOLE bottle was gone! 😉
I remember driving home, yup, and trying to sleep…but couldn’t. My dad was out on the porch (he needed as little sleep then as I do now), so when I went out, he just casually asked “Had a bit too much, eh?”…to which I candidly replied “Of course not, Dad!”…”So, why aren’t you sleeping?” “I’m trying to, Dad, but even if I hold on to the wall and have one foot on the floor, the room keeps spinning…something must be wrong between the wall and the floor!” At which my Dad, bless his soul, burst out laughing and said “I’ve told you once if I’ve told you a thousand times….no drinka dat shiiiit! Keep to wine!”
Hahaha! Thanks for sharing that story, Bianca. 😀 Your father made some damn good wine, as I recall! We sure had some fun times back then, didn’t we? P.S. There’s still a bottle of gin in the bar, for your next visit. 😉
I’ve already read two posts on Xanadu, so thanks for this. When Santana was doing his Supernatural tour I had four tickets in the fourth row of the venue. I was begging folks to go –
everyone said he was old hat- and finally my secretary said she’d go. It was fantastic. I bought the CD. As you know, I am not a fan of rock and had actually never even heard of him. The CD is in the player right now cause Charlie grabs it and wants me to put it on so he can dance. So cute. (I won the tickets at a golf outing where I was not even golfing).
As for family, the son and grandson are just two miles away and the middle son works near me and lives about ten miles away. And then everyone is spread out with the oldest living in Texas. I hope to have my Canadian cousins here this summer for a reunion. Now that our parents are gone, we do not see each other except at funerals.
All of the concerts we attend feature ‘old hat’ artists. 🙂 I’m not surprised you liked Santana, Denise, as he is heavily influenced by jazz. ‘Supernatural’ is an excellent album. How lucky to get free tickets – those aren’t cheap! Nice to have two of your sons so close by.
Hi Debbie – love parties (sometimes!); I live near one brother, but the other is further north … and cousins etc are around the country … though your commute to your parents is a little long! My Ma used to live in Cornwall (Penzance) and that took us 6 hours minimum to get down from here on the South coast …
I sort of remember Xibaba – clever to have found it .. cheers Hilary
http://positiveletters.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/x-is-for-x-war-facts.html
Six hours by car is a long commute, as well. It took me almost as long by plane. 🙂 I was lucky to find this song for ‘X’. I hate to use the same word more than once.
As you are probably aware I have long distance family as well. Parties are okay, but it mostly depends on who the party is for and who is going to be there.
What a song find. I’d never heard of it, but it’s pretty cool.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
Yes, it must be just as hard for you, Lee, from California to New Jersey. I agree; the guest list would be an important factor for a party. That song was a good find!