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From: Brandi Chase
To: didjeridu@eartha.mills.edu
RE: S 98 P-IMPETUS this is long.
Date: Tuesday, June 23, 1998 7:06 PM

A few key words for those who were there:

_IMPETUS_ (naturally)
_CROWDER-CAKES_ (great hot or cold!)
_YELLOW-RED_ (don't get left behind!)
_THE DAVE BAR_ (a tasty, nutty treat)
_THE BOULDER BEAST_ (did anyone get pictures?)
_BOP IT-PULL IT-TWIST IT- (pass it,please!)
_SPARKY_ (need I say more?)

And more words for those who were not:

I left the Miracle Manor around 7PM to head towards LOS ANGELES and the airport. I took the scenic route to highway 10, down Dillon, (a long desert road through the windmill fields), to highway 62 which, when you turn right takes you to Joshua Tree and Peter Spoeker and when you turn left takes you to Urban Sprawl. As I turned left I decided to roll up my window (the wind, the IMPETUS for all of the windmills in the area was particularly strong that night and I didn't want to mess up my hair-do). BUT, nothing happened. All the electrical in my 1982 Subaru Wagon from that moment on, systematically fitzed out.

So It was off to LA with no blinkers, and the windows wide open blowing me through and through. (Wow, when I put it that way, it doesn't sound so bad....!)

My plane left at 6 am the following morning (brief interjection, thanks to all of the girl scout T-shirt buying folks out there--bright blessings!) and arrived in Denver at 9:30. I was the last person to get off the plane (no real problem BTW getting the didji's on board, 3 of them wrapped up in a floor rug, I guess the over head is 62 inches long so if you can stay below that in length,-hey size does matter_ you're good-ta-go) and the only one carrying didji's with blonde hair (the description given to Julia who picked me up) so we recognized each other immediately and get this:

She's a girl
She SKY-DIVES
She drives a 1982 SUBARU wagon
She plays a mean didjeridu.

So naturally we hit it off right away. Another side note, if any of you were wondering the ALL-GIRL-NAKED-SKYDIVING-DIDJERIDU-MARCHING-BAND is in its formation! Me, Julia and Kristen so far, just need two more members and trust me folks, this band is going to make the SPICE GIRLS look like tall-leggy supermodel type commercially selected marketable sex pots. <HA!> (We need a red head so JULIE MADILL get practicing on that didji, you've got a role to fulfill sister!).

At Dave's house I ate up some tasty Crowder- Cakes and received many congratulations and hugs and welcome homes from the people there...(some who you might know Randy G. -not Kenny G!-, Dave C. of course & Kristen).

John Madill and Lee "BEAR HUG EXTRAORDINAIRE" Parker hooked up with us at the Boulder Theater. Brothers of mine, no question.

Didginus put on a great show. That Randy Graves, ---what a great player. The band was also greatly enhanced by the addition of Tony C or K. (?) a sitar/tabla player and part-time pussy cat.

On Saturday morning we were joined by John Arntz for a one day-night stay. I had the good fortune of riding in the automobile-"light" (his rental car) on the way over to the Farmers market and the band-shell. He said I was "infamous" <ha!> What a great fella, funny as hell.

John, Randy and I did the "da ta ta ta ta--DA" dance all the way to the car after playing at the Boulder Solstice Center Celebration and solute to the four directions. After dinner at the tasty Vietnamese restaurant we bought Ben & Jerry's in bulk and shared it with all present at Dave's house. We were like children sharing spoons and cooing over the benefits of "PHISH FOOD" and "NEW YORK CHOCOLATE CHUNK" and "DOONESBURY" to the daily diet.

Everyone retired at different times on Saturday night, Me? I was up until 4 AM giggling. ;)

Didjn' with the sunrise was spectacular. I hope everyone in their respective corner of the world participated in this. It was dreamy to over look the plains from our mountain perspective, to watch the sun peak out from behind the clouds and cast such an ethereal glow on us all. We were like angels that morning.

No, we were angels that morning.

Back home it was more Crowder Cakes. I don't think I will ever tire of that culinary delight!

And then it was games of BOP-IT (an electronic wonder that encourages little children to make loud obnoxious noises in order to hone their hand-ear coordination and inspires parents to develop the "until the batteries run out" rule) into oblivion.

the dissolution of the gathering began around 11 or so, with John A. Then Lee P. left after giving out giant bear hugs (of which he is famous for) Randy and several Didginus members left around 7.

At dinner that night with John & Julie Madill, Debbie (new didj convert) and Dave the events of the preceding days Crystallized for me. During the conversation I was reminded of a MORMON legend I was always taught as a child (for those of you who don't know, I was raised Mormon on a family farm in Utah with 10 brothers and sisters, no my father was not married to more than one women, no I do not have horns but I do have a great deal of Mormon know-how and practicality even if I am non-practicing now) anyway...

One of the Mormon stories goes like this. In the last days there will be a gathering of the lost twelve tribes of Israel. They will begin to gather when the horns start to blow.

YIKES.

I can't help but feel that my family is here on this didjeridu list somewhere. It becomes more and more apparent every time I meet one of you or have a conversation via phone or email. This is my tribe, my larger family (and hey that's saying alot, because as I mentioned before, I come from a family of 10!)

In a private post a fellow list member mentioned to me (upon seeing the TUCSON pages) that it looked like _I_ had a nice tribe to hang out with there. It seemed strange to me to hear that, because the truth is WE ALL HAVE A NICE TRIBE TO HANG OUT WITH, and the point of this list, at least IMHO is for us to get together. To gather. Try it, if you haven't I guarantee you will like it. You won't believe you can feel so at home with these strangers. You won't believe how supported you will feel. You won't believe the honesty. You won't believe the unconditional love.

That is until you try it.

Well.
I left Monday morning around 11 AM...I got teary eyed, but I didn't cry because I knew I'd be seeing everyone again soon. I arrived in LOS ANGELES at 2:30 PM and arrived at my car (from a drive that took 30 minutes to make on Friday) at 4:45 (what the hell kind of traffic-bullshit town is LA anyway). After SUSHI (mmm-mmm good) I hopped in the little SUBARU (windows still down) and out of the URBAN hell. On a road winding through sky-scrappers, through automalls, through housing developments,more housing developments, MORE housing developments, slightly less housing developments,mobile housing developments, Windmills, nothing, small desert town, miracle manor.

357 emails
to here.

Glad I could make it. Both places.
wished you were there.
NAMASTE

BRANDI CHASE
www.rounddoor.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
don't blame me, its the didjeridu's fault.