2017 is a #1 year...

To celebrate the coming year, which carries the numerological weight of a "1," I decided I wanted to do something new and adventuresome to set the tone for "new beginnings," which is the energy for this new year.

2+0+1+7=10/1

(Numerology is an ancient science of evaluating birth dates, birth names, starting of a business, etc. and the link will take you to a place with lots of details about the coming year.)

The camel, "Eli," lives in Port Angeles and is available
for events where camel rides are an option.

The "new" thing I did was to ride a camel and to attend an Arabian Nights Murder Mystery dinner, neither of which I had ever done before.

A friend asked me "What did the camel ride feel like?" I told her that it was just as I had imagined it might be... like sitting on a rock while an enormous bowl of gelatin was being moved from side to side.

Because the temperatures were hovering in the 30's I was double-duck downed so that sausage on top of the camel is really me, not Omar's tent.

Other riders were younger or more gutsy or both and were dressed in the costume of the evening so they look as if they are supposed to be riding a camel.

"Samyiam," or "Deniz," a trader with the caravan.

The fellow in orange was also celebrating his birthday, so he was over the moon when everyone starting singing "Happy Birthday" as he went around, but the camel (named Eli) was less enthusiastic about the raw choral delivery.

My character was "Cantara," the fortuneteller (fitting, as some of my friends noted), and I tried to find costume elements to fit that role.

"Zahrah" is in the middle, discovering there's a plot afoot.

Jenna Rose, a former roommate and good pal, was "Zahrah," a young woman shopping in the marketplace. She had a friend with some belly-dancing costumery so she was quite colorful and it fit her, too, as she does personal shopping as her business, though not generally with bells and hip jewelry.

Moi, as "Cantara" with Kasuni, a caravan
guard, wondering what his future was.

At the bottom is a group shot of the folks who came to the event, and we all had a great time trying to solve the mystery of who killed the prince.

What was quite entertaining was that each person had a script and a few folks really took their roles very seriously (including Dr. Marschall, NP, as the character "Jinan" who claimed his herbs were miraculously healing stuff)!

Following the mystery event, everyone enjoyed a potluck dinner and some creative desserts. And there was a drumming circle which was pretty lively, but by then I was ready to head home for a quick refresher before going to a dance.

However, once I got home I received a message about the death of my son-in-law's sister and although it was expected, it did not feel to me like I wanted to go and dance and so I chose to be quiet, keeping my energy focused.

As 2016 came to an end, I realized that there had been many 'journeys' over some rough terrain at times, but I was not beset upon by thieves and charlatans, nor forced to beg for food in the marketplace and from time to time my palm was crossed with silver, so all in all, it was a pretty good year. But 2017 is going to be even better...

What can I say? People were tired of listening to the
fortuneteller giving them bad advice and putting them at
risk with the guards... could not get them to focus.

A Community Affair

I've been wanting to see more of the Sequimites (if that's how they call themselves) so I was looking forward to the Nash Farm community potluck and barn dance, held at their farm this past weekend, kicking off the annual Irrigation Festival. Fortunately for all the activities held this weekend, it was a perfectly lovely sunny and almost-cloudless time.

Earlier in the day I managed to take this shot of the San
Juan de Fuca Strait looking toward Seattle.

Sons and mothers turned out to share time together.

 For many who attended, it must have been more like a family reunion than a community-wide gathering, but even for those of us who are new to Sequim, it turned out to be a very friendly experience. 

I met three delightful young women who were all, like me, struggling to find their way in a place that is new to them and where it is not always easy to get into the 'pipeline' of information about activities. I urged them to come to the Open Mic and just after I started talking about it, I was able to introduce them to The Computer Guy (you know who you are!) and the Musician (you also know who you are!) I featured in my previous blog about the Wednesday night entertainment. I realized later it is something I have always been good at - putting people together to make a successful something happen. I'd love to see the Open Mic evening become better attended, for a lot of reasons, some of which are selfish.

The Nash team provided us with some awesome organic
hamburgers, and plenty of smoke to keep critters away. 

Soon we had a table filled up and we were laughing and kidding with each other as if we had been friends for a long time, and it was a sweet feeling - like getting your hand squeezed under the table in the high school cafeteria by someone who wanted you, and only you, to know you were special. It was an evening to fill up both the physical and emotional gaps and to make connections that might go a long distance.

I love being around people who use words to play around, who can pick up on subtle and possibly outrageous pairings to turn what might have been an innocent comment into something hilarious and unexpected. 

The musical entertainment during the time we were eating was just perfect; I confess I didn't get the names of the players or band(s), nor did I  get details on the really wonderful Blues band that provided the dance music, but like the smoke from the barbecues that was blowing past my head, the earlier music provided a curious foggy background presence which made the evening pleasurable.

The potluck/buffet table was an ever-changing source
of salads, casseroles and desserts. No one left hungry.

The food contributions were impressive. I got there early and enjoyed the first round of salads and casseroles and ate too much to have room for more than a couple of fresh strawberries for dessert. Even after 8 p.m., more people were coming with more food so next year I will be aware of this and plan accordingly.

The sun finally dropped behind the building so I could stop squinting, and the dance band started playing; wonderful memorable tunes that made me stop at the entrance.

I watched the dancers and dreamed...

He held out his arms and she moved into them easily, and it seemed like a perfect match even though they had never danced together before. His grace and strength gave her courage to relax and enjoy the moment of contact, hands to hands, and to laugh and see the smile in his eyes. It was only a dance. He was virtually a stranger, but for that moment in time, he was so much more, and she let the music take her away. 

And after all was said and done, there was the lesson about
recycling - tastefully managed.