The next photo is the PROMPT. Remember, all photos are property of the photographer, donated for use in Friday Fictioneers only. They shouldn’t be used for any other purpose without express permission. It is proper etiquette to give the contributor credit.
PHOTO PROMPT © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields
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Genre: Fiction
Word Count: 100
I
EXCEPTING ALICE
Despite my husband’s protests, I gather seashells along a Massachusetts beach. They are my favorite souvenirs from my travels.
I pick up a rock and hold it in the palm of my hand. A whimsical drawing of a cat smiles at me.
Later as we have lunch at Theresa’s Stockbridge Café, I show my find to our server.
“Oh!” she exclaims. “You don’t see many of those on the beach these days. That’s an Alice original.”
My heart pounds. “You mean as in the Alice?”
“Yes!”
Suddenly I find myself singing, “You can get anything you want at Alice’s Restaurant.”
- The photo prompt this week is mine and while it’s true that I can’t resist collecting shells on the beach, the ones pictured came from St. Thomas, Florida, and Wilmington NC. I’ve never been to Massachusetts. 😉
Click the images below for the full pictures:
Genre: Tribute – Non Fiction
Word Count: 100
II
REMEMBER ALICE?
Alice’s Restaurant wasn’t really a song about Alice—or a restaurant. It’s just the name of the song.
As the story goes, “It all started two Thanksgivings ago…”
Rock stations across the United States play Arlo Guthrie’s classic narrative every Thanksgiving which falls in late November.
While she enjoyed cooking, Alice Brock never expected fame or fortune to come of it. In recent years, she reminisced how, thanks to her “funny looking friend with the guitar,” and his eighteen-minute ramble, she became the “living legend Earth Mother.”
She left us this year, a week before Thanksgiving. Rest in peace, Alice.
And if you really want to step back in time, (or have eighteen minutes with nothing better to do) here’s the song about Alice…and the restaurant:
Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple 
I loved that song. Haven’t heard it for years
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Dear Neil,
As I said…the song is a staple rock stations all day on Thanksgiving.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I never knew there was a real Alice, but grew up listening to that album. Thanks.
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Dear Jaems,
And now you know. Happy to pass it along.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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so interesting!
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Thank you, Clare.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I always leave knowing more than when I came. Thanks again, Rochelle.
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Dear Sandra,
I’ll take that as high praise. 😀 I didn’t mean to post an information dump. It seemed that more needed to be said after the first story to explain. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I’d never heard the song before. I new a restaurant like that in my hometown… well, it was the Only restaurant. The song was a funny one. May the original “Alice” rest in peace indeed. And here, I thought I’d heard all the war protest songs. I’ll have to stop laughing before I can write. LOL!
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Happy to give you a laugh, whoever you are. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle,
We can always count on you to learn us something new! What a great story (duo).
I vaguely can remember hearing something about “getting anything that you want at Alice’s restaurant” but too vague.
How perfect that she would pass away just before Thanksgiving, given that the song is aired on the regular for this particular holiday.
Shalom and lotsa love, even in stones,
Dale
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Dear Dale,
You know me, I have to pass these things on. 😉 It does seem like more than a coincidence she passed away so close to Thanksgiving, doesn’t it? Glad you enjoyed and took the time to say so.
Shalom and lotsa happily artistic hugs,
Rochelle
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Of course 🙂 It does seem rather like providence, does it not?
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What a heartwarming story!
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Thank you, Linda. Hope you had a good Thanksgiving.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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We did. I love Thanksgiving. It’s pretty much a stress-free holiday.
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love this!
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You made me smile, Tina. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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My pleasure 🤓
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Busy and interesting post. I enjoyed the range of story and song.
Rochelle, I won’t be posting this week – time taken away for now.
Thank you.
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Thank you, whoever you are.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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This was always a staple at Thanksgiving on our local Rock station. I loved the song, all 18 minutes of it. I remember wanting to play the guitar riff so bad. And you knew every line of that song by heart. The movie was great as well. Thanks for the link about Alice. You and she were like two peas in a pod artistically. Love your story. However, we are running out of room for all the seashells. lol. May Alice R.I.P.
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Dear Jan,
Apparently, it’s not just our local 101 who plays the song every Thanksgiving. I pretty much still have the whole massacreed movement committed to memory along with the twenty-seven eight by ten color glossy photopgraphs with the circles and arrows…(I’ll see myself out now)_. Thanks, m’luv.
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So sorry to hear of Alice’s passing, and just before Thanksgiving, no less.
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Dear Lisa,
It does seem a providencial passing. Thank you for stopping by.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Rochelle, you are welcome.
Shalom,
Lisa
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You can get anything you want, excepting Alice! I love how you wove the song (I don’t know that many appreciate its impact today) into this story and that you remembered Alice. I’m not sure many remember Alice or what she did. And I love the tchotchke of the girl reading the Torah.
Signed,
Group W Bench Member
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Dear Group W Bench Member,
Love it! I can tell by a few of the responses that I age myself with this post. 😉 And they’re the ones missing out. Nu? Glad you stopped by to play with the pencils and reminisce.
The girl reading the Torah was given to me after my quite late in life bat mitzvah. 😀
Hope your Thanksgiving was memorable.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks for the prompts!
Cheryl
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You’re welcome. BTW. Cheryl, I’ve moved your link to our inLinkz list. You won’t get much traffic putting it in my comment section.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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and so alice was real and not just a figment of one’s imagination. may she rest in peace.
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Dear Plaridel,
She was definitely real. Thank you for reading and commenting so faithfully every week. Much appreciated.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I missed out on the nostalgia of this one, except for collecting seashells at the beach. I grew up on the coast, so beaches were a huge part of my life until I moved to the mountains.
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Dear Nobbin,
As many seashells as I’ve brought back from the beaches I’ve visited, I still can’t resist gathering more. And then when I’m back here in landlocked Missouri I look on them and remember.
I guess you’re too much of a young pup to get the nostalgia. 😉
Thank you for coming by.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Love the stories, Rochelle. I must confess, I’ve never heard of Alice before but I love that clip. Thanks for sharing it. It reminds me of some of the stories performers in Newfoundland would tell when I was young. Have a great weekend,
David
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Dear David,
Sigh. Showing my age I guess. Of course it was cutting edge back in the Vietnam era days. Glad you enjoyed the stories in any case. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Don’t worry, Rochelle, I haven’t heard of half the things the young people are talking about these days either 😉
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Dear Rochelle –
Belated congratulations on your 53rd wedding anniversary! Your story and the graphic you used were wonderful and I apologize for not commenting sooner. I got caught up in life and fell behind in my reading/commenting. I hope you had a lovely celebration. Best wishes for another wondrous year together.
Great story today; as Sandra commented, I also leave here knowing more than when I arrived. Fascinating info on the legendary Alice and always fun hearing that song again.
Best always,
~ Nancy
Shalom
🕊️
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Dear Nancy,
I knew if anyone would appreciate and “get” my stories you would. Kind of esoteric to some of us of a certain age. 😉
We had a wonderful anniversary celebration. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Such lovely comments, dear Rochelle! 😊
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And now we know the rest of the story…thanks Rochelle.
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Dear Dawn,
Mission accomplished. I work is done here. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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This is my first time to ever hear this song! Thank you, Rochelle.
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Dear Angela,
I hope you enjoyed the song. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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What a fabulous story. I didn’t know anything about her or the song. A sad passing. What a gem
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Dear Laurie,
It seems that those of you in this group under a certain age don’t remember. 😉 Glad you enjoyed my story. Thanks for dropping by.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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