Loss of The Greatest Dad.

I thought that when I first started this blog that most of this would be about fun things that I have done and future travels that were to come. Tonight I feel like I need to talk about something very sad that happened over the weekend. Not that I want to let everyone know about this, but I guess more for my own personal well-being. Actually, I guess I would also like to somehow have this as a little, simple memorial to the greatest man that I knew. He was the nicest, most caring man who always thought of others before himself. He never asked for anything and always offered everything to anyone in need. He loved people and more importantly, loved to make them smile and feel good. He spent the last few years of his life in pain and sometimes in misery, but he would never ask for help.

Unfortunately, I don't remember much of my dad when he and my mom were still married. They divorced when I was about 7 or 8 years old. My earliest memories are of my dad picking me and my brother up to spend time with him. He was always so happy to see us! He always wanted to buy us new clothes and other things, not to buy our love, but to make sure we had what we needed. I remember driving around with him while he was working for AAA. He would go to calls for roadside assistance and always make the people he was helping feel better about their situation. I loved riding around with him and listening to him talk about different things. I loved it when we would stop at a Circle K or 7-Eleven to get something to drink, like a Super Big Gulp. I know it may sound silly, but those are the things that I remember about my dad. He had a way of making me happy just to be around him. Even if we were not doing anything really exciting. Although I wasn't able to spend as much time with him when I was growing up that I would have liked to, I was able to spend much more time with him as I grew older. I will never foget him and I will always (and have always) loved him.

I was able to spend the last 3 weeks of his life here at my house with him. I was able to see him every day, except for the five days that I spent in Washington State earlier this month. It seems such a short time that he was here with me, but to me, it is worth a whole lifetime. Until the very end, he wanted me to be happy, even though he was in constant pain and deteriorating health. He would be hurting, but he would make a joke about something and make me laugh. I will miss having him here in my home. I can still smell him here when I enter his room to clean it and get everything in order. I will never forget these last few weeks. He affected the lives of so many people in a positive way. I am very glad that he is not in pain anymore and can finally get some rest, but there are a lot of us that will miss him so very much. We are all hurting right now, but I know that we will make it through this because if there is one thing that my dad never wanted was to have people crying about him after he died. We all did and we all will for some time to come, but that is human nature.

I love you dad and I will miss you very much!

-Ryan

Glenn E. Olds

11/14/1940 - 9/9/2006

Camping at The Gorge!! 8/31 to 9/4/2006!!

One of the best parts of the three nights of Dave Matthews and O.A.R. was camping for four straight nights with thousands of DMB fans from all over the country and Canada. If I had to guess, I would say that there was about 20,000 people there in the camping section of The Gorge! It was awesome to see all of the tents and the different set-ups that people had. Some people brought couches, recliners and anything else you can think of. We actually saw someone that brought their kitchen stove!! No joke!! I should have taken a pic of that! It was a great time and we met some really nice people. Here are some pictures of some of the camping that was going on.

This picture was taken on 8/31/2006. We didn't even know we could camp there that night. We had tickets for the nights of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd. We were told that the campground did not open until Friday afternoon (the 1st). Luckily we decided to drive by just to look at the place and found out that we could come in a day early!! It did cost an extra $40 though.

Of course grabbing a beer was the first thing that we did after we, I mean Jessica, set the tent up! There was not much else to do the first night but have a few beers!! Not that I am complaining. I couldn't think of anything better to do at that time! If you notice in the background, there are not many people to be seen. Wait until you see a picture from the next morning!

The picture below was taken the morning of the 1st! Notice how many people showed up during the night!! It was awesome to see the place fill up so fast. We were so glad to get there when we did!!

This is a picture of the pathway that leads from the campground to the Amphitheater. It looks peaceful now, but you should see it after the concert! It is a mess. Of course, people felt the need to "moo" while walking shoulder to shoulder down this path. You practically don't have to move your feet, you can kind of just be pushed by the crowds of people! This walk was not the funnest thing to do after standing all night during the show.

The picture on the left is of the lawn area of the amphitheater from the campground. I took this picture from the campground. The picture of the right is of the campground taken from the lawn area of the amphitheater. It shows half of the campground which extends out of the picture to the right.

Dave Matthews Band. The Gorge. Night 3. 9/3/2006

09/03/2006
Dave Matthews Band
Gorge Amphitheatre
George, WA

Granny *
Typical Situation *
Grey Street *
Where Are You Going
The Idea Of You *
Lie In Our Graves *
JTR *
Crush *
Dreaming Tree *
Last Stop *
Digging a Ditch *
Cant Stop
Jimi Thing *
Tripping Billies *
Encore:
Loving Wings *
All Along The Watchtower *

Special Guests:
* Rashawn Ross on Trumpet

This is a picture of Me, Jessica and two of the people that we met during the weekend (John and Megan). They were really nice and were always offering food to us! They are from Utah and drove down, so they were able to bring a lot more stuff then we did. I think that meeting all of the different people and making new friends was what made the weekend so much fun!

Dave Matthews Band. The Gorge. Night 2. 9/2/2006

09/02/2006
Dave Matthews Band
Gorge Amphitheatre
George, WA

One Sweet World *
Crash Into Me
Seek Up *
Grace Is Gone
When The World Ends *
Shotgun *
Don’t Drink the Water *
If I Had It All *
Dancing Nancies *
So Much To Say *
Too Much *
Break Free *
Pig *
Ants Marching *

Encore:
Butterfly
American Baby Intro *
Pantala Naga Pampa *
Rapunzel *

Special Guests:* Rashawn Ross on Trumpet

Dave Matthews Band. The Gorge. Night 1. 9/1/2006

09/01/2006
Dave Matthews Band
Gorge Amphitheatre
George, WA

Everyday *
Proudest Monkey *
Satellite *
Say Goodbye *
What Would You Say *
The Idea Of You *

Big Eyed Fish *

Bartender *
Hunger For The Great Light *
Dream Girl *
Loving Wings *
Warehouse *
Stolen Away On 55th & 3rd *
Cant Stop
You Might Die Trying *
Louisiana Bayou *

Encore:
Sister [Dave Solo]
So Right *
Stay [Wasting Time]

Special Guests:* Rashawn Ross on Trumpet