give a girl a home...

...and watch everything else fall away. particularly if she's been without for nearly two years. and that's just what happened to me the last couple weeks. i've been given one of the domes as a shelter while i'm here in cuyama; i can't begin to express how amazing it feels to spread out a little, knowing i don't have to pack it all up in the morning.

the cultural mentoring weekend went off without a hitch, and was actually quite pleasant and unobtrusive (only ~30 people, including staff and kids). due to the small size it was possible for unfiltered presense for everyone involved. i participated in the blindfolded drum stalk (rather than protecting as i have for the past three years), and had huge walls come crashing down as a result. the whole weekend gave me a little glimpse into what these "workshops" are helping people experience and my GOD it's huge and frightening and beautiful. i cower in the responsibility of it all, but am so honored to be a witness to it.

the weather out here has been quite typical of spring: rainy, chilly, and dynamic. the sun is shining, and the wind is howling down the canyon, stripping away any remnants of heat i could hope to collect between my skin and a wool sweater.

every day here is so different with the flux of people and the energy and excitement they carry. just two days ago, there were nine people here. and today, there are no visitors, cyndi and warren went to town for the 40th birthday celebration, and cindy is working on her camp. it's cassie, little bear, and the king birds, holding down the fort.