"The San Francisco Treat"

Wow, I have two weeks worth to catch you up on. Where do I start. I am torn on Thursday nights now between playing Ultimate Frisbee and going to EdenDale Vineyard for "Jazz in the Garden". It was so pretty to watch the sun set over the vineyard while listening to music and enjoying sampling the local wines. The Britt Festival is going on now and lasts until September. It takes place in historic Jacksonville (a cute little town but almost too perfect) in an outdoor amphitheater. Musical acts from all over play all during the week. Went to see Indigo Girls and Brandi Carlisle. How relaxing to sit on a blanket, enjoy a picnic and watch the sun set while listening to music. Minus the lesbian love fest (sorry I know that wasn't too PC), it was wonderful. Going back to hear Lyle Lovett soon. Still taking tennis lessons and surprisingly getting better. Went hiking up to Pilot Rock with some friends. Reaching the summit was very difficult and involved some actual rock climbing. The view from the top was amazing.

The most exciting thing that I have done recently was my weekend trip to San Francisco. While the trip was more business than pleasure, I loved it. Went down for a conference. Got to visit with 2 cousins that I have not seen in over 6 years. Both live in SF. It was a great and fun reunion. Tried my best to avoid all the festivities associated with Pride Weekend. Also got to visit with Stephen, Nick and Mike at the Giants and Yankees game. Thanks again Stephen for the invite....I had a great time!!! It was awesome to sit and watch a baseball game while viewing the bay and sailboats surrounding the stadium. Even joined in with a few "boos" after B. Bonds was consistently walked and not allowed to hit. Hiked on a trail with my cousins until we came out to a great view of the Golden Gate Bridge. Was only my first visit to SF, but I will definitely go back and visit again.

Hope everyone is doing well. Looking forward to coming home to visit soon!!!

Cultural Experiences

Well, nothing too exciting to write about but definitely some cultural experiences to share. A few weekends ago, I went to "Baga Fete". This is a traditional celebration of West African music, dance and culture. The Baga ethnic group is located in Guinea, West Africa. The drumming (by hand, not with drum sticks) was fascinating as they produced rhythms by which the girls danced to. We are not talking the two-step or the waltz but full out African dancing with flailing hands and big movements. At the end, the raising of the "Kakilambe Mask" was performed which is invocation of positive hopes for the community in the coming year. You were invited to dance around the mask and throw what looked like crushed corn. While this was very interesting I must tell you about the location of the event. It was held at Wellsprings which is a natural hot springs spa. Until that night, I had not seen a lot hippy, granola, tree hugging people like I expected to see when I first arrived to Oregon. That all changed. It was like a little hidden community. They had tents, trailers and RVs everywhere. Lots of dreads, long hair, no make-up, tie-dye, flowing clothes, etc. We went to view the natural springs before the performance began. There were several people in the water and walking/lying around. Apparently after 8pm, clothes are optional. I believe it was about 8:30 at that time. You get the picture.


This past weekend, I went with a group of people on a jet boat ride through Hellgate Canyon. If you remember the movie, A River Wild, it was filmed in this canyon. It was a fast, wet ride. We sped over the water very quickly and then suddenly did a 360(many, many times). No staying dry on this ride. We saw a sea otter, 2 bald eagles, osprey, and wild goats on the mountainside.
Coming home for a brief visit at the end of July. Hope to be able to visit with some of you. Miss you all.