Juneau Folk Festival

Arlo clawhammering it up on our chartered Allan Marine Boat which took us to and from the festival.

One of the best weekends of the year here in AK is the Juneau Folk Festival. It is fabulous seeing all the many talented folk artists around the state. Des Temps Antan was the featured band for 2009. They were an incredibly gifted old time French Canadian band. They were a three piece band, and tapped while they played! How do people do that!? It was amazing and greatly enhancing their sound. They gave a workshop on this talent, but I was busy attending a sweet clawhammer banjo workshop instead. However, I had a friend who attended and taught me the secret. Which means I have a new goal for myself. I need to learn how to play clawhammer banjo while flatfooting, which is going to take some serious coordination. Currently I can do neither of them well, but they are both so fun so I can't imagine the combination!

Another of my favorite bands from the 2009 festival was a tight all girls string band out of Whitehorse, Yukon Annie Lou is the leader and main song writer for the group. They have a CD coming out in a few days which I am planning buying, they are FABULOUS. Another goal, since I am in the Sitka Folk Society, is to bring them to Sitka!! We will see. Other goals include more adventures, E. Buck, referenced in both previous blogs, has created a summer adventure wishlist which includes more adventures than there are days in the summer. . . since I will not be here in my Sitka happiness home much this summer I will not get to partake in all of them, but I sure am going squeeze in as many as I can!

BEAR LAKE

Well yesterday I went with my fellow Appalaskan, Thomas, as well as E. Buck, Ben, and Arlo to Bear Lake. It was a sweet boomsham which ended in a ohwap sha walla walla!

Appalaskan - n. person from the Appalachian region residing in Alaska
boomsham - v. an awesome alpine adventure with friends
ohwap sha walla walla - n. delicious post boomsham dinner

Now I need to go and finish up my Cedar Grove version of Shady Grove, ah, life in Alaska in the springtime!

VERSTOVIA

Well I have been gone for a while, grad school, but life turned adventure again last Tuesday when genius roommate of the world E. Buck invited me to a Verstovia summit. Here is the best shot on earth, yes, we are dressed identically, ridiculous, the hike, fabulous.

wedding

Seldom in life do things happen without a purpose. The night I left Stephanie and Dan's wedding was one night that I was reminded of this. I had just driven away from the first wedding that I had attended since my move to Alaska, nearly 2 years before, you miss things living in Alaska. It was 12:30 am, late, I was not at all looking forward to my 2 hour drive ahead. It was dark and it was wet two reasons I missed my turn to exit the Biltmore Estate. Instead I found myself on a road that sort of dead ended into a field. I slowed my car, actually my mom's car, thanks mom, and came to a stop. Right in front of me was a huge beautiful owl. It looked at me, and I her. She stared at me and didn't move, I did the same. Since owl's don't blink she won, but right when I thought she was going to let me look at her forever she opened her wings and headed off into the darkness. Why do I write this story of an owl. True it was beautiful and a magical moment, but more than that. To me the owl symbolized the wedding that I had just attended, and the power and the beauty of Stephanie and Dan and their life journey together. It was the perfect end to a lovely evening.