live oak music festival

when i was at the lama foundation i met many wonderful people.  three of these people are, michele, who is a resident at lama and is a wonderful woman and fabian and sophia who are from köln, germany and are also wonderful people.  when i was at lama, michele told me about a music festival that she has worked at for the past few years and said i would love it and i decided to try to be there this year and meet up with her.  the festival is near santa barbara california and i knew i would be in the area at that time.

michele and i

me sophia fabian

sophia and fabian are traveling in america for a few months and came to lama for a one night stay, and i am so glad they did!! fabian and i connected right away and talked and talked for a long time about everything.  it felt so good to speak german again and i realized that i really had missed speaking the beautiful language.  they told me they where were headed to california and so we decided that we would meet up somewhere when we all got out to the coast.  when i decided for sure that i was going to go to the live oak festival i wrote fabian an email and asked if they wanted to come along. they did and so we met up in LA at a bus station on the side of the road and we drove up to the live oak music festival together. speaking german all the way!!! ganz toll!!

we learned a thing about american folks festivals that we did not know before we got there.  the audience sits. everyone brings their own folding chairs and they sit in rows in front of the stage.  they actually line up at 7 am to get the best spot. its amazing and totally strange to me.  the people who want to dance can only dance on the sides of the stage directly in front of the loud speakers where the sound is bad because you can only hear mono and you can not really see what was going on up on the stage.  it was a bit of a drag because there was no real fun party vibe that could really get going with everyone just sitting and staring at the stage. it was very different from what i have ever experienced.

this is how it was

sitting audience

one good thing is if you get tired, you can sit in an empty chair until the rightful owner comes along, so sometimes we did that but otherwise we were always dancing on the side.

fabian fitting in

a lead singer of one band commented in the middle of his performance on how strange he thought it was that everyone was sitting saying ''what's wrong with you people? i remember when the dancers were in front of the stage and the sitters were on the sides.. what's going on here? come on, lighten up!!'' so myself and a few others from my side of the stage and some from the other side just danced right up to the front of the stage and pretty soon everyone stood up and started dancing! and it was like the festivals i usually go to, everyone relating to each other, moving together, laughing, smiling and shaking their butts to the music! it was awesome!!

everyone dancing together

freaking out

at night after the stage shows were over  there was a big tent where the last band of the day would play and then the people would dance! the music was great through out the whole festival. there was some very soft folk singers as well as some really rocking folk bands with many many talented people.  there were jam sessions going on in the campground day and night with all different types of instruments, which was very cool. 

night time dance party

mad hatters jam session

jam workshop

mostly i had a wonderful time with the people! sophia and fabian were such fun to hang out with and speaking german at an english speaking festival was quite strange and fun for me.  we met a group of cute young guys who have grown up going to live oak festival and spent a lot of time with them. they were hilarious and sweet.  we found michele every now and again as she went about her work.  she drives the artists from one place to another in a golf cart, dressed up in fun costumes.  not a bad job, at all!

our boy friends

showing off our horns

chillin at camp

it was a fun festival and i am glad i went. the place was beautiful with huge old oak trees growing everywhere and the weather was perfect.  i spent time with sweet people and danced to beautiful music so all in all it was a good choice to go.

i also bought these amazing hand made horns which is something i have been looking for for along time.  being a capricorn, sometime i feel the need to let my horns out!!

socal

we arrived at gram and frank's and everyone was very happy!! it was a bit of a surprise for them because we had not been sure of our exact arrival date and we called them when we were two hours away and said ''we're almost there!'' as you can see, they love surprises! 

we stayed only one night and then had to get back on the road to head down to LA to drop mom off at her friend denise's house in santa monica and for me to go to a folk music festival in santa barbara that i had tickets for.  we were only gone for the weekend and came back to gram and frank's and then stayed for two weeks.

now some socal images:

california girl

LA traffic

santa monica blvd.

ocean ave

the beach

bikes on the beach

santa monica pier

happy to be here

surf's up

with darling denise

so by now i be feelin some california love!! the sun shines here almost every day, its warm and wonderful!

from the moving vehicle

here are a few images from the window of 'lilly bordeaux' our trusty friend the dodge ram camper van as we traveled through, new mexico, arizona and california.

between a rock and a hard place

the start of the grand canyon

the flintstone park

red rocks

oak canyon

one big chicken

town of julian

a long way

 house on the cliff

winding road

in small town usa

an iron elephant

joshua trees

dust storm with cactus

california state line

german in the desert

wind power

water in the desert

sun setting

there were so many times that i couldn't grab my camera fast enough to capture the country side speeding by or a funny sign or an interesting scene.  there are so many moments that went by as we drove the many thousands of miles from virginia to california. i have now traveled from sea to shinning sea and i must say that what i have seen of the north american continent was stunning and amazing. after this trip i am even more in love with mother earth! her incredible ability to make the most breathtaking landscapes, rocks, trees, rivers, mountains, views, lakes, deserts, fields, everything so majestic and magic!

sedona arizona

sedona arizona is a beautiful little town nestled between huge red rocks.  it is known for being a very special place because of some earth energy vortexes that are located here. over the last few years, many spiritual centers have popped up in the area and new age people travel here from all over for retreats and workshops, seminars and get togethers of all kinds, making sedona a kind of ''new age disney land'' one of the brochures read.

according to the scientific point of view, a vortex is an ''area of enhanced linear energy flow, with the energy flowing upward out of the earth or flowing inward toward the earth. upflow vortexes boost spiritual energy and the expansion of consciousness, while inflow vortexes help one turn inward and enhance introspection.''
according to new age thought the vortexes around sedona are ''energy centers with remarkable spiritual powers, enhancing the masculine, the feminine or both aspects, in the individual.  the energy resonates within the person and may offer spiritual awareness and healing experiences.
the native people of the region recognize the entire area around sedona as being ''sacred ground'' and many tribes continue to hold their rituals here.

sedona

kienda and i decided to visit 3 of the 4 main vortexes to see if we too could feel the energies at these special spots. our first stop was 'airport mesa vortex' located on a hill over looking town.  this vortex is an ''upflow vortex'' thus also a  ''masculine energy vortex''.  it was quite amazing.
(the juniper trees often grow spiraling upward on and around the vortexes)

the view from the spot

the spot

amazing magic trees

just above the vortex

we sat in the masculine energy for a while and meditated.  i felt rushes of energy flowing through my body.  i had a more physical experience while kienda received a message from the beautiful and wise old junipers growing at the vortex.   the masculine message is: ''stand up straight, sit up straight, create direction and straightness through your intention and the accomplishments of your desires, stand tall. use your gaze to bring straightness into the physical world, look clear and straight.  the intention of the mind and the focus on the aspects of life over which you have conscious control is what brings a balancing 'straightness' into the physical world. each action, each movement must be directed straight and clear from focused intention.''

straight up twisted

we then went to the 'cathedral rock vortex' which is an 'inflow vortex' thus making it a 'feminine energy vortex'.  it was late in the day and we were not up for a big hike so we stayed down at the foot of the beautiful imposing rock formation and found a spot where some twisted juniper trees were growing and a circle of stones had been made.  kienda climbed a bit further up the red rock to find a place to sit and i sat in the stone circle. i felt a calming feeling as i sat there and was reminded how important it is for my soul to just sit in silence and listen to my own heart beat and to feel the 'home' inside myself, to give myself love as a mother loves her child and to be gentle and soft with myself. 

kienda receive this message from the feminine energy: '' i am the goddess in everyone. i am the mother, the lover.  i am passion for life, not passive but active.  i embrace and encircle everyone and everything. i draw all into the dance - the dance of life.  what is your favorite step? your favorite style? your personal dance? do it and the world is your partner! awaken now to the profound delight of being alive!

dance your dance, sing your song! enlighten your soul and your consciousness by accepting and embracing each of life's offerings, actively and passionately! in doing so you inspire others and encourage them to love and accept themselves and their dance, and we can all sing and move together.''

cathedral rock

feeling the feminine flow

the stone circle

hearing the feminine

mother earth in her red dress

old twisted juniper tree

as the sun was setting we drove to 'bell rock vortex'' which is a combination 'upflow/inflow vortex' thus making it a mix of both the masculine and the feminine energies. 

the way to bell rock

so many different shades of red

bell rock

big rocks at bell rock

the sun had gone down by the time we reached bell rock so we did not have as much time here as we had had at the other two vortexes but it was still interesting and very beautiful.  we sat in silence and i remembered again that i am at exactly the right place at the right time.  the rocks were still warm from the sunshine and i felt a contentedness and peace fill me.

kienda received a personal blessing and we both felt very connected to the stones of the earth, the energy around us and the cosmos as a whole. 

all in all it was a very beautiful and powerful day filled with interesting experiences and amazing cosmic moments.  kienda and i were both very thankful for the blessings bestowed upon us.

sedona

two happy spirits