Native American Festival

Kevin Locke, hoop dancer

It was about this time last year that I attended the Sarasota Native American Festival and I enjoyed it so much that I put it on my calendar as soon as I heard about it this year.  What a wonderful surprise when the emcee announced that Kevin Locke, famous hoop dancer and flute player, was here and would be performing.  The drum this year was a very good one, with several members from Cherokee, which warmed my heart.  Then there were the smells:  wood fires, burning sage and sweet grass, buffalo burgers and of course fry bread.  Lunch consisted of 2 buffalo burger patties on fry bread and I was in heaven!

Although there weren't very many dancers there, the ones who were there were excellent.  There were several former national champions and I regret not getting their names for here. 

It was a very fine time with some highly talented and experienced Native American artists.  As always in these settings, I left feeling very grounded and happy.  The drum beat alone reminded me that mother earth is still there, bearing good and evil alike, sustaining us each and every day.  All my relations!  Oh yeah!

A NIce Ride

Today I jumped on the Burgman and went to follow my nose for a while.  Less than 5 minutes into the ride I saw 2 eagles mixing it up with an osprey near a lake at Celery Field park near here.  The older eagle left the skirmish first and perched on the pole, giving me the closest eagle shot in the wild I've ever had.  I don't know what they were fighting over, but they all ended up with nothing.  Sound familiar?

My nose lead me to Siesta Key beach and since it was close to lunch time, Siesta Key Oyster Bar started calling my name.  It was a beautiful day for people watching, a couple of cold Newcastle's and grouper tacos.  Yum!  A pretty young lady seated close to me had eyes tattooed on her back and I was totally captivated by them!  I finally asked if I could take a picture and she consented.  Her name is Nicki and she reminded me of Jenna Elfman. 

I finished off the afternoon with a long walk on the beach.  Life is good!

News Flash: Lake Powhatan Here We Come!

No, I didn't take this spectacular picture but I wish I had.  I don't even know who to credit for it.  But I posted it because I'm as happy as this osprey with his catch.  I just found out today that we've been accepted as camp hosts for the spring/summer/fall season at Lake Powhatan camp ground near Candler, where I grew up.  We've been hoping for this and just had to wait for the process to take its course.  It's a beautiful place with a lake stocked with trout, numerous hiking trails and it's close to my favorite cousin's house. 

Unfortunately I've been sick most of this year with a very bad cold followed by a sinus infection.  I finally had to see a doc and take an antibiotic to break it up.  That,  along with my trusty netty pot and lots of mucinex, finally got me past the worst of it.  So yesterday was the first time I've played golf this year and the long layoff really hurt me.  I didn't think it possible, but I'm playing worse than when I started back in December! 

We finally got to Myakka River State Park the other day and Fred the alligator was still in the cove where the air boats park and the canoes launch.  He's quite an imposing figure, about 12 feet long.  Some folks thought he wasn't real and said so to the air boat captain, who suggested they go over and pet him.  Noo, I don't think so!  

This week found me in the pool at 9:30 in the morning with about 80 other people for an hour of water aerobics.  I love it!  It's so easy on the joints and a wonderful way to exercise.  I feel energized for the rest of the day!  I usually finish it off with a lap of the big pool. 

Life is good in sunny Florida and I'll be glad when baseball season begins, which is just around the corner.  Until then, it's golf, gator watching, scooting on the Burg and aerobics in the pool!

"Normal" Redefined

As it says in my "About Me" introduction, since LaVerne died in October, 2008, I have been redefining normal.  She and I talked a lot about her passing and she asked if I would be okay.  I said yes, that I would be very sad for a while, then I would be okay.  Little did I know how deep that sadness would be or how long it would last.  Yet I seem to have settled into a new natural, usual state of being which is one definition of normal. 

In March of 2010, there were no entries to this blog.  Why?  Because I was very depressed after returning home from 2 months on the road in Florida.  "Man's mind, once stretched to a new idea, never regains its original dimension" said Oliver Wendell Holmes.    The house was no longer a home and I wanted to live my vision of being on the road full time.  So I found a home for LaVerne's cat, Peaches, and prepared to store my furniture and rent my house.  After 18 months of life on the road, I acquired a new, larger and nicer trailer, a bigger truck to pull it and a bigger scooter.  I also acquired 2 new companions, Lynn and her chihuahua, Tinkerbell, who bring me much joy and happiness.    

My new normal finds me spending a third of my time in Florida, where I lived from age 6 months to 13 years , and two thirds in Asheville, my hometown.  I used to make fun of snow birds, now I are one!  It's more than nice to have the same home in both places.  I've also spent more time with 2 of my half-sisters, Barbara and Nancy, than I ever have before.  They are such a joy!  They both came to visit me in Asheville last year and that was a wonderful treat.

Reconnecting with relatives that I've always liked has become another important part of my life now.  In addition to Barb and Nancy, June and Hester Cagle, and Henrietta, there has been William and Joyce Propest.  All of these good people had a big influence on me as I was growing up and I'm grateful. 

Jubilee! community in Asheville is now a regular part of my life, whether I'm there attending in person or listening to the webcast in the comfort of my trailer home.  I have also made a financial commitment to Jubilee! and hope to offer them more of my time this year, too.  The 4 T program from Unity continues to influence my life - tithing of my time, talent and treasure to the source of my spiritual nourishment. 

For the first time since I moved away from Boone, I am playing golf regularly again.  There's a weekly golf league here that's a lot of fun on a very good course, and the guys are good to be with.  My game is slowly returning and I can still make so good shots once in a while. 

Reunions have been the norm the past few years and will continue in 2012.  In March I'll be attending the first reunion of my Undergraduate Pilot Training Class, 70-08.  We learned to fly at Williams AFB, AZ, in almost ideal conditions.  It will be in Dallas, TX and looks like most of the class will be there.  Bios have been exchanged via email and it will be more than fascinating to catch up with so many highly accomplished people (a couple of generals, a test pilot and an astronaut).

In August I plan to attend my Enka High School reunion, again, which will include the classes of '64 and '66 this time, a first.  At a reunion planning meeting, a man I hadn't seen since college told me I had changed his life by suggesting he look into the Air Force ROTC program.  He joined, became a pilot and made a career of it. 

Henrietta Case

A couple of sad reunions occurred last year around the deaths of 2 of my favorite cousins, Henrietta Case and Junior Cagle.  But there were also some unexpected revelations from relatives I encountered at those gatherings.  One relative said "during that difficult time in my life, you were the only person who cared about me."  I hadn't seen this man in over 40 years and his words touched my heart.  "That time" was when he was in prison in Raleigh and I would go visit him there.   Another one said, "you were my hero" when I was young.  I had no idea!   The kind words boosted my sagging spirit, that's for sure. 

Melvin Cagle, Jr.

My diet in Florida consists of lots of fresh orange juice and oranges, avocados and lots of fresh, delicious tomatoes! Most of the other produce is fresh, too, as the growing season here is so long. Then there's the seafood...especially shrimp.  But I also find a lot of good rainbow trout here, which is a bit unusual.  Lynn has perfected ciopino and we have it quite often.  It is a wonderful seafood stew that I learned of from Trader Joe's.

As Lao Tse said, Life is like the river, it flows on and on.  Ready or not, like it or not.  Sometimes I paddle, sometimes I float, and sometimes I steer around the obstacles, or not.  Life is still an adventure and I'm still glad to be here, waking up on the right side of the grass.  Thanks for stopping by!