MUSIC ; DANCING ; AND GOOD FRIENDS

             Back when I was stationed at Castle A.F.B. near Atwater Calif. When I first got there I was A rather quite person . In short time I would eventually find my way to the Airman's club . I would sit in the corner have my beer and just watch much like I did at the bars back home . After a couple nights like this , Jeff Van Etten ; whom turned out to be the D.J. . He asked me one night to help him set up his equipment for the show . Which I did , before I knew it he had me running the light show .The next thing I knew I was doing the light show every night . Soon I was turning the disc's ,keeping the dance floor full. 
               I found this was a great why to wind down . We played both Disco and Rock and Roll but not in the same night though .Soon after this my circle of friends began to grow . There was Edward ,the Jersey boy , Trouble the dancer from Lima Ohio and the local girls Evelyn and Jackie everyone' dance partners . Those are just a few of the gang . 
             Every Friday and Saturday night we would meet a the club and dance all night long . I would be have a blast on stage with the show . We would have puppets , sound effects and so many  different lighting effects .All this was before computers .I would have make all the lighting changes by hand . Which would keep me busy . This is when I really learned to really listen to the music .
            Sometimes the gang would meet at lake Yosemite just outside Merced . We would cook out ,swim enjoy ,the sun and pull out the tape player and work on our dance moves right there on the grass. These were memorable times . Everything in our lives at that time seemed to center around the music and the lake . Always laughing and having a good time . It was with this group of friends that broke out my shell and gained a serious interested in music . Shoot I even thought about becoming a full time disc jockey , Off course this never came to be . Except when I pull out my records and jam when I am alone in my home . When doing this I burn off a lot of stress , one side effect is that I have a good time doing this .I often wondered what has happened to these people whom I lost track when got transferred to West Germany .