Traveling to California for the new year we passed through the Palm Springs area and the home of the windmills. There may be a more official name for the place, but we just call it the windmill mile marker. From there we judge how much further our trip will be.
As we traveled this time around, I was remembering the first time I saw all these windmills. They were rather amazing to someone who had never seen them before. They weren't breathtaking or inspiring the way some of the natural wonders of the world are but, though man made, nevertheless very impressive because of their umfamiliarity and the multitude in which they were spread across the mountains of Southern California. (Click on picture below to enlarge and see how many there are)
Perhaps one of my biggest memories, however, was seeing these very windmills portrayed in the music video of the former boy band, The Backstreet Boys. I remembered seeing that video and thinking, "Wow! I have been there, driving past that spot they are standing right now!!"
This trip reminded me of that video, as we plugged in the IPOD and played a Backstreet Boys tune while driving past. And I wondered whatever happened to those rather clean cut boy bands of the late 90's, the ones that were popular when my boys were just becoming interested in pop culture and popular music. I remember when I had to listen to all that they listened to and read all the lyrics in order to approve or disapprove their choices, and in general, be completely overbearing toward them and their music, driving them crazy!
And because they were relatively young, I needed to shelter and protect them from the filth that was out there. By comparison, these boys bands were rather tame singing their ridiculous love songs about not caring who you are or where you've been as long as you love me. And while their lyrics were usually fairly immature, they were at least closer to wholesome than the rap music of the time and so I would let their music tastes develop as I attempted to guide them toward those things that were better than some others.
But times have passed and while I did not always approve the boy band songs, I see and hear what is out there now, by cmparison I wonder where did all those boy bands go? Are they lost somewhere in the California desert, among the windmills and in the IPODS of 40-something women now?
As we traveled this time around, I was remembering the first time I saw all these windmills. They were rather amazing to someone who had never seen them before. They weren't breathtaking or inspiring the way some of the natural wonders of the world are but, though man made, nevertheless very impressive because of their umfamiliarity and the multitude in which they were spread across the mountains of Southern California. (Click on picture below to enlarge and see how many there are)
Perhaps one of my biggest memories, however, was seeing these very windmills portrayed in the music video of the former boy band, The Backstreet Boys. I remembered seeing that video and thinking, "Wow! I have been there, driving past that spot they are standing right now!!"
This trip reminded me of that video, as we plugged in the IPOD and played a Backstreet Boys tune while driving past. And I wondered whatever happened to those rather clean cut boy bands of the late 90's, the ones that were popular when my boys were just becoming interested in pop culture and popular music. I remember when I had to listen to all that they listened to and read all the lyrics in order to approve or disapprove their choices, and in general, be completely overbearing toward them and their music, driving them crazy!
And because they were relatively young, I needed to shelter and protect them from the filth that was out there. By comparison, these boys bands were rather tame singing their ridiculous love songs about not caring who you are or where you've been as long as you love me. And while their lyrics were usually fairly immature, they were at least closer to wholesome than the rap music of the time and so I would let their music tastes develop as I attempted to guide them toward those things that were better than some others.
But times have passed and while I did not always approve the boy band songs, I see and hear what is out there now, by cmparison I wonder where did all those boy bands go? Are they lost somewhere in the California desert, among the windmills and in the IPODS of 40-something women now?
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