back from maui

.
arrived back home on tuesday after two full, glorious, intense, beautiful, inspiring, transforming weeks in maui.

highlights:

being in maui again

staying at peace of maui again

eating ahi shoyu poke again

going to savers in kahului again

spending 6 days with katie and keith, taking them to a couple of beaches

camping with them for 3 nights at 8000 feet on haleakala

catching two sunrises and a sunset from the summit

seeing the shadow of haleakala fall across land, sea, and molokai

seeing the tops of mauna loa and mauna kea on the big island above the clouds from haleakala

hearing a man spontaneously begin chanting in hawaiian at the first sunrise

hearing nick goodness tell the legends of maui and pele

bird songs at hosmer's grove

meeting up with fellow travelers at milagro's in paia

driving to hana with glenda behind the wheel--she couldn't stop smiling

stopping at the kea'nae peninsula to see the waves crashing against rocks, and then seeing the full moon just above the horizon

meeting up with the rest of the group of 15 at wai'anapanapa state park

setting up my tent above pai'loa beach with an ocean view and soundtrack

all the learning and practices from tom best, my teacher

the heartbeat, birth canal, turtle walk, big mama, koki beach, hamoa beach, alelele waterfall, waimoku waterfall (and the banyan tree and bamboo forest on the way)

painting mud streaks on my face, jumping out and shaking a bamboo branch and yelling at fellow travelers on the way up to waimoku

getting up EARLY and watching the sunrise, especially starting when it was completely dark

doing sun salutations on the beach, on the rocks, on the grass

the talking rocks at the beach

hawaii night at the hana aloha festival and all the wonderful hula and music

being invited to fake the hula along with a singer who was also a great hula dancer at the bar at the hana maui hotel

being told by bobbi that she and tom noticed i looked like i was floating when they saw me walking--being that relaxed and centered, and having all the bodywork pay off

all the great energy surges, feeling deeply present and alive

driving the hana highway back with glenda, who couldn't stop smiling

stopping in paia at mandala for two fabulous tunics, on sale for 50% off

getting two pretty rings, of mother-of-pearl and blue topaz, and a spiral shell necklace at nahiku ti gallery

somehow managing to startle kathleen, who picked me up at the airport, with how much being in maui had changed my energy

if you like shining eyes...

you will enjoy this video. it's 20 minutes, but well worth it. be prepared for some chopin.

thanks to keith for sending me this link, addressed to all eNLPers and labeled as MUST SEE!

dream: visiting a church

dreamed on 6/18/2008.

i am in a church. it is a rather large church. the service hasn't yet begun, the choir is singing, pews are filling up as people enter and get settled, waiting for the service to begin.

i find a stray purse and want to connect it to its owner, only i don't know who it belongs to. i carry it with me, holding it out so its owner can recognize it.

i go up into the choir area, and someone in the choir says, "you can leave that here--i'll get it to its owner." i set it down on the floor.

i am in a foyer, reading the bulletin board. i am reading an account of a visit to another church by a member of this church. the writer, a woman, is telling the story at the same time i am reading it. i hear her voice. it is not exactly simultaneous with what i am reading, but not too far off, either.

the written part is typed up like in an old-fashioned church bulletin.

the church she and her husband visited is on a college campus where they are visiting their daughter. it is a notable church, old and historic.

==

i wonder if this is the first time i have ever dreamed that i was reading something simultaneously with hearing someone tell the same story i'm reading. it was like harmony or stereo, deepening the experience.

there is something about church in my life--my father was an episcopal priest full time until i was 11, when he went to grad school and changed careers. i went to church just about every sunday of my childhood. i wouldn't say that i "got it" but i value the experience--the exposure to the liturgy, the words, the ritual, the progression of the service.

what i remember most is feeling like i was a good person, spiritually clean and uplifted, after attending a church service. even when i didn't know what the words meant. church gave me a new start every week.

one inspiration for this dream is playing church music. i have stayed at glenda's several times now, and in the evening right before bed, she plays her piano. she asks first if i mind. heck no! i love hearing people play who know how to play.

glenda plays hymns--nothing too complex, but with skill and feeling. her playing is a wonderful send-off to slumber.

the last time i was at her house, she played several hymns saturday night. sunday morning, i got ready for eNLP early and wondered if anyone minded if i sat down at the piano and played. no.

it had been years--so long ago i don't remember--since i played the piano. i started with treble clef only, reading music from glenda's hymnal, which is a baptist hymnal, i imagine--at least that explains why i didn't recognize so many of the tunes, having been raised episcopalian.

i searched out hymns in the key of C, or with only one sharp or flat, feeling rusty at reading anything more complex. i found some i could play that had harmony in just the treble clef. the rhythm just came to me.

glenda was full of praise for my sight-reading. beam!

then i found a hymn i know well, "morning has broken," which i will forever think of as an old cat stevens song, although the hymnal attributed the tune as traditional gaelic. i pointed that out to keith, my scotch-irish friend (and glenda's son-in-law) who plays pennywhistle. he hung around a bit and sang.

i love that tune, and the words in the hymnal. click the title of this post to read the lyrics.

i got bolder and added the bass clef notes, slowing me down considerably, but it came back to me. and i knew what i would need to do to quickly learn to read and play bass clef better than i ever have.

right then, after playing it twice reading both clefs, i spotted what i thought might be a flute in its case. sure enough, it was. i took it out and put it together and played it.

oh, my. it's been at least 10 years since i've played flute. mine is sitting on my bookshelf in its case, not functional.

the beauty of playing music and wanting to get better at it is something i would like to have more of in my life. maybe it's time to get that flute fixed.

the opera

last night i went to see "die fledermaus," which means the fluttering mouse in german, or the bat. the austin lyric opera presented it at the new long center for the performing arts, the replacement for palmer auditorium.

i got to see it courtesy of a generous editing client, who has season tickets but was unable to go to this production.

my friend john gough, who plays cello with the williamson county orchestra and who LOVES opera, came with me. our seats--row M, orchestra level--were excellent.

i'd seen one live opera before this, when i was in junior high or high school, and it was confusing and boring to me. in german. it was mozart's "the magic flute," and although i enjoyed the music, i hadn't a clue what was going on. i've listened to arias and appreciate them, but wasn't too interested in watching an entire opera. until now.

die fliedermaus was earthy, bawdy, funny, and in english. in short, accessible. the libretto was rewritten by three esther's follies writers, who moved johann strauss jr.'s opera to austin.

thus, the set for the first act had a backdrop of the capital, UT tower, and frost bank tower. the second act is set at the driskill hotel, and the final act takes place at the travis county jail.

the storyline had holes a mile wide, but i don't think anyone cared. the cast seemed to be having a blast.

there were even bits of the overture (the first part that the orchestra plays by itself, says john) that were familiar to me from bugs bunny cartoons! click the title of this post to hear the overture on youtube. go to 2:40 and 4:58 to hear. i can just see bugs, daffy, and porky dancing!

it's not all singing, either, and even when there IS singing (in english), there are still supertitles in english, because, you know, when the soprano, tenor, and baritone are all singing different words at once, it can be hard to understand. i appreciated that.

the second act's costume party featured willie nelson, stevie ray vaughn, the capitol building, the UT tower, a pink flamingo, peter pan (of mini-golf fame--he's gay, don't you know?), the mangia pizza dinosaur, the hyde park bar & grill fork and french fries, and more. then the biscuit brothers AND the quebe sisters entertained the party guests (and us, the audience). nice!

the bat was definitely an in-the-know wink at austin life.

oh, and the singer who played the warden looked just like david dewhurst, our illustrious lieutenant governor!

it's 3 hours long, with two intermissions, during which you can go out on the long center's patio and view the rapidly changing austin skyline--and a few bats fluttering around.

lela's birthday

Today my baby girl is 27 years old. Not only that, but she's a great person, cool, funny, smart, caring. Beautiful inside and out.

Last night she went to the Saxon Pub to hear The Resentments play their regular Sunday night show, and who should show up but Bonnie Raitt! She sent me a photo of them together today. These ladies rock, people.

Scroll down to see the photo!

I didn't go because I was finishing up a freelance editing job. ;( That's why I haven't been posting much lately. It's done now, so expect more frequent posts!

5R error

Try saying that 10 times as quickly as you can.

I created a music program for our peer group on Sunday, but my second CD didn't "burn." I didn't test it; I just assumed it burned because the laptop spit it out as if it had.

Played warmup, flowing, and half of staccato, switched CDs-----and nothing happened. Lisa had to finish out my program from some of her 5R CDs that she just happened to have handy.

So...I get to do the program again on April 20, our last dance together. I will switch up warmup, flowing, and staccato a bit so as not to repeat myself. It's my pleasure.

I danced vigorously, which was good, but my back hurt a lot later. It's the floor at the Khabele Studio. It has no heart, as Lisa says. I add, especially for people with back problems.

5 rhythms peer group disbanding

I feel sad about this. We've been dancing together on Sunday mornings for 7 years. I love this group--its familiarity and intimacy. Some people have come and gone, but a core has remained. Gary, Lisa, Elizabeth, Steve, Scott, Cherrie, Karin, Lakshmi, and others more recent or sporadic.

It's been just wonderful to enter the studio (we've danced at 3--at Zein's Arabic Bazaar, Quicksilver, and now Khabele) on Sunday morning and know I was entering a sacred space, nonverbal, to move to programs we put together ourselves. It's been like entering into silence, only the silence has music, movement, and companionship.

No one is needy or intrusive or very sociable--or unfriendly. We all know there's time to interact in a "regular" manner later--this is our sacred time to move, together in a space but separately. I love that. It's been a gift that has allowed me to focus deeply on my body, my habits and patterns, and become more authentic in my dance, and more graceful, more centered, more grounded, more aware, more whole, more healed.

Lisa has been training to become a 5 rhythms teacher. She wants to teach and can't do both. (She and Gary have been the mainstays of the peer group, doing the music most of the time, renting the space, buying the equipment.) Plus, Gabrielle Roth doesn't like peer groups.

I'm glad Lisa is pursuing her goal and actualizing her life. I wish her the best teaching the 5 rhythms, and I will go to some of her classes. I hope I never get to a place where I think I know enough, that no one can teach me anything. Beginner's mind no matter how much experience you have is a reverent approach to learning. Because you never know it all. There's always more to explore, and my years--13 or so--with the 5 rhythms have deepened my exploration and appreciation of the wonder and complexity of life.

But I still feel like I will want to rent a studio sometimes and go into it with some peers and just move to music with reverence.

I'm doing the program this Sunday, and I loaded it with favorites over the time I've been dancing the rhythms: Peter Gabriel, Rusted Root, Geoffrey Oreyema, Toni Childs, Rachid Taha, Gotan Project, Suru, Leftfield, Ashkara, Doug Sahm, Lyle Lovett, k.d. lang, Thomas Barque, Rachel Bagby.

I'll miss the following Sunday, and our final dance together will be April 20. That date is a turning point for me. I don't know what my map will be after that, but I know I will follow my heart, and that it will be a moving experience.

fragrant downtown

Kudos to whomever at the city decided to put planters of mountain laurel at each corner on Congress between Cesar Chavez and 11th St. Those mountain laurels are in bloom now, and what a pleasant surprise it was to take a mid-day stroll up and down Congress and occasionally get a noseful of their delightful purple perfume.

It was so balmy today, I considered whether it was a perfect day. I remembered Maui and decided that it was perfect for Austin today. It's balmy and fragrant year-round in Maui.

Sixth Street is blocked off for SWSX, I saw as I was riding my bike. Parking anywhere central is going to be expensive or impossible tonight.

I'll be biking over to Flipnotics in a bit to catch Sarah Temple's show, and also Michael Fracasso, Jane Bond, and maybe even Matt the Electrician and Beaver Nelson, if I stay that late.

Sarah Temple is a fabulous young Latin singer--she sings in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and her native Catalan. For a listen, go to her MySpace page: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=288467281

Just hope that the SWSXers smitten with Austin know about the terrible summer heat and humidity here and decide it's better to visit Austin than to live here.

musical congratulations

I was pleased to learn this morning that my next-door neighbor, Bruce Hughes (also my daughter's boyfriend), won Best Bassist at this year's Austin Music Awards. I know how hard he works--it's high time he won.

Bruce has been playing both bass and guitar since childhood. Besides playing with the Texas Bluegrass Massacre, the Scabs, and the Resentments, he has his own band playing songs he wrote, Bruce Hughes and the All Nude Army. Bruce sings and plays guitar. They play at the Saxon Pub on Tuesday nights. Go hear them--they have an original rocking sound and are very very tight--a wall of sound. Their music has been described as funk, blues, pop, rock. Plus, Bruce has a fantastic lyrical singing voice.

My friend Diane, who was also at Bruce's show at the Saxon on Tuesday, says, "...Bruce is great. He's also an added surprise for those who actually listen to lyrics. Generally it's the odd combination of bluesy funky with happy and uplifting lyrics - great! Actually it's hard to categorize - the style of music differs from song to song. Never boring. He plays in the Resentments who are also very fun. If they play anywhere else I'd like to know because the dance floor is so small there."

Check Bruce out on MySpace: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=30869512

John Chipman, who plays drums for both the Resentments and Bruce Hughes and the All Nude Army, won best drummer. John is my new friend. After going to hear the Resentments play at the Saxon numerous times, we have finally been formally introduced, and he even remembers my name! (The guy at the Saxon door knows me as "Lela's mom".)

Stephen Bruton, founder of the Resentments, won best guitarist.

Texas Bluegrass Massacre won best bluegrass band.

Blaze, featuring family friend Brannen Temple, won best jazz band AND they (plus Roky Erickson) are on the cover of this week's Chronicle. Click the title to see the photo!

Congratulations to all these hard-working, talented musicians and the people who love them.

report from ACL fest

wow! wow! wow! i had the best time ever at ACL fest at preservation hall jazz band's set sunday afternoon in the wamu (i.e., gospel) tent!

i'd seen them on tv many years ago: some elderly new orleans musicians playing impeccable old-time jazz. i like that old-time music--it's playful, it's intelligent, it swings, it's fun, it's human, it compels movement. i figured i'd check them out.

well, the band was anything but sedate. these guys put on a SHOW. i give them my 'most all-around entertaining band' award for ACL fest 2007. i'd see them again anytime they're around.

bringing associations of mardi gras, a couple of guys painted in mime and a spiky-haired singer came out first, the singer singing through an old-fashioned bullhorn mike that made his voice sound like recordings from the 1920s. then the band proper came out and played. composed of men older and younger, whiter, blacker, and cafe au laiter, they got the audience standing and grooving quickly.

early into their set, they played an old favorite that went over well on a hot day. you know the song--ice cream. a couple of younger band members--the adorable red 'froed tuba player and the dread-headed banjo player--started throwing little cartons of ice cream out into the crowd! people went wild!

later in the set, that same tuba player announced that a friend of his had confided that he wanted to propose marriage to his girlfriend in public, and he had arranged for that to happen at ACL. he brought them onstage. the young man got down on his knees and popped the question. there was silence in the tent. then she said yes and the crowd just erupted.

mr. tuba player also appreciated the sister city bond that austin and new orleans have, our mutual love of music. i don't know if he knows how many katrina refugees have landed here, and that we welcome them with open hearts and are proud to have them here.

he also explained that many of the musicians in the band are second- or third-generation musicians. they pass down that passion and talent from generation to generation in new orleans, where music is a way of life.

the band closed their set with "shake that thing," while folks from the crowd came up on stage and danced, and the mimes and 20s singer dude came out, and it sure looked like everyone was having a blast up there, especially the shirtless middle-aged dude who shook and shimmied in front of everyone! i must say, he jiggled with pure joy!

this band has great musicianship--and they know how to have fun. what a pleasure it was to rediscover them.

currently listening to: made in new orleans: the hurricane sessions, preservation hall jazz band

lucky me and the austin city limits festival

it's late on friday afternoon, and i'm killing time at work before 5:30, my official leaving time.

what a fortunate week! a colleague posted an email that she had to sell her ACL tickets for sunday due to a death in the family(lucky for me, not for her), and i bought one. one day is about all i can handle.

then friend linda moore, who works for AT&T headquarters, emailed that she had THREE 3-day passes and wristbands for the AT&T stage to give away.

i promptly called my daughter, who loves events like this but doesn't always have the moolah to attend. she was bummed about not going, so my offer really perked her up. not only did she want a pass, but so did her boyfriend, and hannah gets in free, leaving me a pass to scalp, which i did this morning before work.

i'll make a donation to a cause linda supports (the white tara workshop) and stick the rest into my travel account. i will be that much richer in maui!

then a colleague whose house in rollingwood is being renovated said people could park in his driveway during ACL, so now i have a place to park sunday. it's about as far from my house to republic square for shuttle buses (10 blocks) as it is from his house to the ACL gates, but it's definitely a more scenic, softer walk from his place, and hopefully i can avoid the downtown traffic sunday night after DYLAN!

best is that sunday will be a family day at ACL. hanging out with my daughter, granddaughter, bruce, whomever, or by myself, i will be there for yo la tengo, the jones family singers, STS9, grace potter & the nocturnals, the paul green school of rock all-stars, devotchka, charlie musselwhite, lucinda williams, preservation hall jazz band, either my morning jacket or guy forsyth, ziggy marley, the decemberists, and the grand finale..........bob dylan himself.

i would have liked to see zap mama and the gotan project and a few others playing friday or saturday, but i want to have the energy to really enjoy them, so ... there's always next time.

have a great weekend!