Raw Spirit

Cali, Shelley and I attended a Raw Food festival in Sedona, Arizona a couple of weekends ago. I've been a slacker and haven't posted anything for a while, but this was way too interesting to not share. In an earlier post, I remarked how I love festivals because they draw such odd crowds. I know to a lot of people, this crowd would have appeared even stranger than it did to me. As it happened, I seemed to fit in fairly well with this crowd. I have to admit, I loved being a hippy for a few days.

This is one of my favorite hippies from the festival. Look how happy he is...and so purple! Those are bunny ears on the top of his head. He wore this outfit all three days of the festival. Pew-ee! Everyone reeked by the end, though....most of us camped at the volunteer campground nearby. We were all a bunch of dirty hippies, even me.

This is another of my favorite hippies, Natan. You can't see his spiked blue hair and painted toenails, but he was pretty flashy. And he gave me a wonderful relaxation massage which I really needed after spending all morning volunteering at the "Conscious Speed Dating" event. If you've never done speed dating, don't bother! What a headache.

This is Kane. He chops open coconuts and lifts heavy things, and looks cute while doing it. :)



Check out this contraption! This hippy spent the whole festival giving people rides in this funny device. It moved like something from out of a dream. Old and young seemed to enjoy it. What it was, I really don't know.

Yoga was a daily activity. Surprisingly, I never made it to a single class.

More of my dancing hippy friends.

The whole three days consisted of free food, classes, workshops, music dancing and lots of interesting people all concerned about health and the environment. It was beautiful and inspiring. I'm looking forward to the next one in California in June. If anyone else is interested, check out the website at www.rawspirit.com. Would love to have you join me!

Lake Powell with the Fam

I wasn't really sure how I felt about taking a vacation with the (almost) entire family since it's something we haven't done since.....well, I think I was around 20 when the family last tried the vacation thing. We took a spontaneous trip to Disneyland in a rented RV. There was only 18 of us then if I remember correctly, but try cramming 18 people into a stuffy RV for 40+ hours and see if you ever choose to attend a family vacation again! I just remember spending most of the vacation arguing about what to do, and yelling at my dad in the parking lot of a casino on the drive home because I wanted to go sleep in a bed, and no one would make the decision as to whether to stay at the casino for the night and get a good night's rest or to keep driving so we could be done and over with this hellish experience by morning. It must have traumatized all of us enough, because I don't think anyone has even brought up the idea of a family vacation since then.

My brother Jerry initiated this trip, being the brave and generous soul that he is. I think I mostly came because he extended a personal invitation with several follow up calls. He was kind enough to pay for everything, too, so I knew he must have really wanted us all there. He was so sweet. I went with a smile on my face and a prayer in my heart that this trip wouldn't turn into "Family Vacation Nightmare Part II".

This time there were somewhere around 30 in attendance, but for some reason, that many people crammed into a houseboat worked much better than into an RV. I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised by how well everyone got along and how much fun it was to be together. I can honestly say I was bummed that I only got to stay for a day since I had prior commitments that same weekend. Granted, the scenery was stunning, the water was warm and inviting, the beach had soft red sand, and with two speedboats, water slides, and nightly entertainment, there was plenty to keep one from getting bored. However, the thing that made it the most memorable was definitely the people. My family's awesome, and knowing that we are capable of having a successful family vacation together makes me all the happier to call them my own. :)

Le Rendevous

There's something consistently odd about small town festivals. The Mountain Man Rendevous in Wyoming this weekend was no exception. It certainly drew an unusual crowd. In fact, I think this was the first time I've seen men walking around in public with loin cloths on and nothing underneath. Of course, these fine gentlemen are welcome to walk around in whatever they do or do not choose to wear..........


This one, however, is not.......

I think these were the original three amigos......

And this, of course, is a bear pushing a stroller.....

After enjoying the crazies, we spent the weekend relaxing at Rob's parent's ranch house.

This little turkey had it out for D'Ogee. He chased him away from his buddy the rooster, and must have threatened him with his waddling wattle, because by the end of the weekend, D'Ogee wouldn't go near him.
The best root beer ever.....
Hat making lady....
Saturday afternoon we cooled off by cliff jumping at the Flaming Gorge.
Well, some of us jumped. Others spent a long time staring at the water trying to jump. :0




Good times. :) Thanks Robert for sharing your very unusual but friendly hometown with us!