Cultural Experiences

Well, nothing too exciting to write about but definitely some cultural experiences to share. A few weekends ago, I went to "Baga Fete". This is a traditional celebration of West African music, dance and culture. The Baga ethnic group is located in Guinea, West Africa. The drumming (by hand, not with drum sticks) was fascinating as they produced rhythms by which the girls danced to. We are not talking the two-step or the waltz but full out African dancing with flailing hands and big movements. At the end, the raising of the "Kakilambe Mask" was performed which is invocation of positive hopes for the community in the coming year. You were invited to dance around the mask and throw what looked like crushed corn. While this was very interesting I must tell you about the location of the event. It was held at Wellsprings which is a natural hot springs spa. Until that night, I had not seen a lot hippy, granola, tree hugging people like I expected to see when I first arrived to Oregon. That all changed. It was like a little hidden community. They had tents, trailers and RVs everywhere. Lots of dreads, long hair, no make-up, tie-dye, flowing clothes, etc. We went to view the natural springs before the performance began. There were several people in the water and walking/lying around. Apparently after 8pm, clothes are optional. I believe it was about 8:30 at that time. You get the picture.


This past weekend, I went with a group of people on a jet boat ride through Hellgate Canyon. If you remember the movie, A River Wild, it was filmed in this canyon. It was a fast, wet ride. We sped over the water very quickly and then suddenly did a 360(many, many times). No staying dry on this ride. We saw a sea otter, 2 bald eagles, osprey, and wild goats on the mountainside.
Coming home for a brief visit at the end of July. Hope to be able to visit with some of you. Miss you all.