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The following is an excerpt from a trip-diary which I wrote during summer trip of '96 to Oregon Country Fair, of which I was informed two years earlier by my good friend Grady Boles . Our band "The Northern Sonoran Breath Dreamers" had just finished 3 days of intense practicing and stage time in Eugene and we spent some "down time" in the quiet backwoods seclusion of Al Shockley's cottage in Grande Ronde Oregon: |
7/16/96
On this Day, we arose hours after sunrise. Brigitte made blueberry pancakes which she and I devoured. There was a distinct change from the oppressively dusty air at the fair to the clean fresh air of Grande Ronde. We spent some time winding down and talking about our experiences and personal feelings concerning the fair, our interactions with others, and our performances. Al talked at length about his love for each of us and how we were all great people and about his appreciation for our participation in the band. About our being easy to work with, thereby making him feel more comfortable with assuming the leadership role of the group. The love just continued to pour out of him, as he ceremonially thanked the Great Spirit for our time together. We all took turns saying our good-byes, and the final good-bye was a "D" jam with Al, Kep, and myself on didj, with Brigitte singing. It was as beautiful as it was spontaneous!! A fitting end to a musical journey that would forever be etched in my memories. As I backed out of the driveway, Al clasped his hands together in a prayer and looked into my eyes. I could see clearly through my windshield that his eyes were glassy onyx with no white showing, as if they had suddenly been transformed into those of a dog that feels nothing but unconditional love for its human partners. While driving away from the farm and back onto the main highway, I recalled that look on Al's face and instantly felt the most powerful wave of emotion I have felt since youth. A large extremely massive previously undetected, block was lifted off of my chest and pure love flowed freely into and out of my heart. Tears welled up in my eyes making it difficult to drive as I realized that I would always love these friends of mine, and that I also loved myself! I forgave myself for all of the idiotic things that I had done and was about to do. Then. I forgave everyone else for the stupid things they had done. Wow! what a spiritual moment!
excerpt from summer trip to Oregon '96