what a weekend!

Firstly, my birthday was FUN!
I was having a lot of anxiety that people wouldn't show up (which is the worst feeling), but lots of friends DID! And they had a good time! And so did I! And they gave me presents! I will post some photos later when I tune them up.

Saturday morning I got in the car and drove to Sarona, WI, to the Hunt Hill Audubon Sanctuary. It's a beautiful little camp with a small barn, cabins, some buildings for meetings and projects, a pier and trails through the woods. They serve unbelievably delicious vegetarian food-- there was moussaka and roasted garlic bread that made me weep with happiness. I met my grandma there because it was the 15th annual Join the Circle dance camp!

At the peak, between Friday and Sunday there were about 100 people at the camp. Some people have been attending for all 15 years and a few, like me, were there for the first time. There were a lot of couples in their 50's, 60's and 70's, but there were also a lot of younger families with grade-school kids and teenagers. Just about everyone there had an instrument-- from tubas to fiddles to guitars to saxophones. People "jammed", sang, played games, but mostly-- we DANCED!

Contra dancing is an ancient style of folk-dancing. It's a blend of European origins, and you find a lot of similarities to waltz, Irish and American square dancing. I went to dance events and workshops with my grandma when I was a little girl, and I loved it then. The last time I remember being part of a dance circle like this was 1993, and I have to say, I'm very glad my drought ended.

There's something incredibly special about standing near the wall in the upper loft of a small barn, looking around, and seeing everyone smiling. I mean, everyone, smiling. Kids that were 6, 7 10, 12... boys and girls. Teenagers! Single men and women, couples... everyone laughing, smiling, holding hands and making eye-contact as they spin and skip and shuffle and jump and clap and stomp and whoop! The band is playing wild Irish tunes and traditional folk music-- so full of LIFE!

One of the most memorable parts, for me, was seeing a man that I haven't seen in about 17 years. My mom used to take my siblings and I to see this man, a performer, who played guitar and wrote and sang fantastic songs for kids. I listened to his cassette tapes when I was three years old! I was telling someone just a few weeks ago about a song of his that we used to sing. Well, Mr. Tom Pease was at the dance camp, as he is every year, with his wife.

They are as healthy, generous, loving, friendly, supportive and active as you can imagine two people to be. They must be in their early 60's now. When you look in their faces you can see exactly how much they smile and laugh-- and it's a lot. They're both tan and fit and have wonderful silvery hair.

Tom and I talked about how much his music meant to my family when I was younger, and he told me how important he believes it is for families to have connections to music-- any music, not just his, and not just folk. When I was little, you could have told me that Tom Pease was a regular guy with kids and a regular job (he's a teacher, I think)-- but I wouldn't have believed you. He was my first experience with a genuine performer, a real celebrity. He was magic to me.

I didn't take many pictures over the weekend, because I knew they wouldn't be able to capture the beauty and joy I was experiencing. Even in words, it's hard to describe how powerful it was to be surrounded by people who were so friendly, positive, passionate and engaged in playing music, dancing and sharing their friendship.