Megan & I started out gracefully on our flight (by carrrr) to Northern Michigan for Bliss Fest.

Somewhere along the line a 'quick stop' @ the Goodwill in Petoskey (one of my FAVVVOORITE cities, by the by!) turned into multiple hours & many amazing outfit changes.  At one point we were seated at the in-store wrap around couch (what could be more natural?!) w/ these FANTASTIC old mum reading glasses, me w/ a grandpa cardie of course, and each reading great reads similar to the one I found later at the Salvation Army in Superior entitled Repairing Your Marriage After his Affair.  I could have a LOOONG winded conversation about that one, but I'll save your eyes.

We drive through downtown Petoskey one of my all time favorite views! and continue on to Harbor Springs where Bliss Fest is located.  We get to the fest & it's just a glowing, warm Summer day.  The festival is similar to a lot of other fests that I've been to, but it's a lot smaller, which makes it really welcoming and all feel like a gigantic extension of someone's living room.  Kids were let loose by parents and were running around pounding on these play sets that have real wood houses and instruments hanging from poles...just really creative & the kids take it for granted and seem very comfortable in their skins...trying to let off crazy energy, not seeming to be fighting overtly for someone's attention (here i go psycho-analyzing).  Dads are freely throwing frisbees with their kids.   I wondered for a bit why everything was SO cool.  And then I found out that there are no beer tents at Bliss.  If you want to drink you have to BYOB.  WHICH makes the environment REALLY sober.  And also makes me happy because most of the people that are grinning so big and dancing so wildly are actually stark sober.  What a lovely thought to dance like a wild beast and be sober.  Those are my kind of people.

We performed at the Song Tree.  Winding through the trees is this little wooden stage wrapped around a tree & this chap Kirby is hanging out playing while we warm up with my friend Micah Ling :)))!!!  He pokes at us at one point for stealing his crowd and soon enough we are setting up on stage. 

It's all acoustic which is really different (especially travelling with a rhodes), but I enjoy it so much because I really love arranging for different shows and figuring out what I think WILL work and won't work.  We had out one guitar, one cello, and one voice w/ back-ups.

Kirby the strapping lad takes a seat and is one of three, maybe four people that are on the little stump benches.  A man in a tree hammock HONESTLY 20 feet up (How did he get up there??) is reading a book, paying slight attention to us. 

We start in with this song of mine, "I can't tell you" which is this old motowny round that starts out w/ just voice singing, "I can't tell you, I can't tell you...what I'm doing here" and layers with claps and keys or guitar.  The lead part doubles & I take off on improvising, "You said it's not forever...you said I don't belong..." 

People on the trails started to slow as our set progresses.  I'm stomping my feet into the wooden stage, clapping, slapping Kirby's spoon-percussions into my legs.  There was something SO freeing about standing there, in sandals? barefeet? that may be a granola-stretch...belting into the trees.

Hammock man, book in lap, looked on peacefully and steadily the rest of the set.  By the time we finished up, there were about 20 people sitting in the crowd or leaning against trees watching us.

When our set was done, we went about batting eyes at young men who were carrying six packs to see if they'd get the hint, but either the blinding sun made us look like we were squinting or hairy legs aren't cute anymore.  We were very, very muchly hungry, so we went with wide, wonder to the food tents. Our eyes were glossing over, we were honestly skipping around like, "I WANT THIS!  I WANT THIS!" "Is that pecan pie???!"  We ended up gouging on organic black bean burritos and greek salads...plussss...split a falafel sandwiche. 

A Caribbean band played and people let loose.  Micah and friends lounged & Megan took a nap.  I danced by myself wildly and it felt so good.  Just this sun setting over fields shining on my face so I can't even see the stage that I'm dancing in front of and not knowing what else could feel so good. 

The last act was Daisy May now known as May Erlewine playing with her beau Seth Bernard.  I had heard a lot about them living in Michigan but never heard their stuff before.  Everything about teh show felt good.  She timidly approached the stage, but knew her SHIT.  Girl can sing.  Girl can play the gee-tar.  The crowd was not shy in it's adoration of both her & Seth & their lovely stories were personal & their songs were heart-warming.

Sometimes they'd look at eachother singing & their eyes would burn into eachothers.  You could see true respect and deep affection between them.  It made me get all soft & girly and hug Micah & Meg tighter like, "Awwwww!" 

The night got dark & chilly.  Stars came out.  For the closing song, all the workers from Blissfest got on stage and along with the crowd! sang a closing song together, each person kind of picking up things as they went along, no one relaly minding if they got words right.  I feel like this is not a passing statemtn, though I'm writing it as one, AND a monk friend of Daisy's from Tibet came onstage and sang a Tibeten prayer song for us and we all took a moment as a crowd & stage to say prayers for the blessings of the weekend.  I can only say that it was such a beautiful experience.  Hundreds of people radiating peacefulness.

One of the last things I saw before turning in for the night were the white, night stars SO bright against the sky and streaming across like little angels were tiny paper candles set aflame floating high into the sky.  One after another four of them fluttering away into the night.

Foolishly enough or amazingly enough, we got in our car, all inspired and quiet and drove.  I drove five hours straight before switching with Megan who drove about an hour whence I ask her, "Are you doing alright?"  And she's like, "One by one my senses are failing."  ahah So after driving past many dark, deserted nothings (highway 2 in the UP is dark...with very little traffic and next to no rest stops and long, lonnnng distances between towns) we pull over.

We found a spot that was semi-lit and a few semi-trucks were parked with us, so we knew it was somewhat legit and/or safe to stop.  The place was a combined town tavern and gas station, the best of all gas stations & we had parked under a large PBR sign without even realizing it in the dark of night. 

2-3 hours later? we were on the road again & arove into Superior-Duluth to warm, beautiful weather where we drove STRAIGHT to Park Point, laid our tired asses on the beach, and took naps enjoying cheese/peanut butter crackers & warm Faygo.

Sky reflecting on Lake Superior on my toes.  Nothing I could want more.