Catching you up...........get ready for Friday!!

I should clear some things up about my big bike ride on Sunday. Some of you reading the blurp would be thinking, man, this dude thinks he’s some kind of stud or something huh?? Well, I’m pretty low on the studly scale as far as I feel. I ride to stay in shape, and yes, it’s some hard stuff physical stuff, but the other thing is I’m installing guilt to those of you who should be out there getting your body ready for a better life. Now a days you never know when you might have run like hell! To Drum like we do on Sunday nights, and other nites for that matter, you have to be in some kind of shape for sure, and my job requires that we all stay in good working order.
Speaking about Sunday night, I never did tell you how it went last Sunday night, when the next day was a holiday and we were expecting a bigger crowd. Well, it wasn’t so big, but it was well attended for sure. Wil was there with the mama drum. Since Wil has moved to Santa Cruz, we don’t see him so much. But when we do, you can bet that we’re gonna drum with the Big Kaweah groove that we all grew up with as drummers! Yep, we did too. So, the big groove machine was in action and to top things off, Kevin our fire spinner was back from work and hosted several beautiful fire spinning shows of wonder and delight. Backed up with a nice drumming, this makes quite a spectacle that had all the newcomers in awe and wonder, swearing they would be back next Sunday. We’re working on our fire situation too. It’s probably time to start the alcohol fire can. We burn the alcohol you buy in little white plastic bottles labeled as isoproponal, or rubbing alcohol. Its usually 99 cents a bottle and it burns a cool clear light that’s bright enough to see the faces in the back row for about 20 minutes. It also burns clean and we do about 5 bottles in one night. So, anyone who wants to bring some of these for our fires, please do. And, of course, the word is always out to bring goodies, which Carol and Paul always do………Thanks to you both for that!! More is better, and we welcome any kinds of cookies, or hey, bring something healthy then.
I’m trying to catch you all up on the past week, so we can move on, because there’s a lot of new stuff getting ready to happen so please stay tuned…………….And Thanks for doing so!!..........................

Already Wednesday tommorow............

That was a big fire around the lake yesterday! It burned all the way from horse creek to the house on the hill going towards Three Rivers. Our crews didn’t get called, but they had lots of firefighters working on it. I drove by after they had it all pretty much out but were still flying helicopters with water on it, and when I drove home from Three Rivers I could see the hotspots all over the hill, all the way up to Tharps Peak, the highest on the east side of the lake.
We sure had a great time this weekend at the Soul Food Cookout!! We played our set with the big help of the Auberry folks and did a good job they told us. Big Thanks to our friends who joined in to help and to Paul for kicking it up on his conga! Wadaba and Keio put on a great show also. There were several other groups that performed to a huge well attended crowd of holiday weekend party goers. There was even some Hollywood movie people watching us! Again, Big Thanks for all your help with this event, it shows that when we put all of our talent together we can really put on a great show!!!!
I got up early the next day and pumped the pedals up to Badger from Lemon Cove and did a 43 miler up the hardest road we ride.. Lots of things to think about for me personally and I needed a session with my therapist……….. my bike.

We've hit a Milestone!!

We’ve hit a milestone in the world of the Kaweah Drum Circle blog……..5000 hits!!!! Jimminey…..I never thought this would go this far or that so many of you are interested in our unusual way of living life. Thank You for staying in touch!
Initially I started this blog to keep everyone up on Garys condition during his health issue days, but as we went along I realized that many of you, some far away, are really wondering and remembering the days you had with our big circle of friends here in Three Rivers at the Drum Circle, and felt good about staying in touch with the ways and means of creativity and music and outside and the river……..
As you have seen, this Drum Blog is more than just drumming, its about having a healthy lifestyle, being in touch with the nature all around us and tapping into you artistic nature. You could very well find your picture on this blog, but only in the most fabulous way showing you at your most creative point in life, which is now. I’ve tried real hard to keep you all up on our weekly jaunts into the outside world and invite you all along anytime you can join us. I put in things from my personal life also, things I think you might very well see in your own life’s journey. And, lots of pictures to tell the tale.
Thanks to you all for joining in!!!! Rene’

Soul Food Drumming today............

Nice early cool morning on this three day weekend. This will probably be the last of several days off in a row for me, as we are now going into the official fire season. The fire danger was “high” in Sequoia, the sign said, as I was leaving the park and hundreds of people were coming in to camp.
I’m planning on going to the Soul Food cookout this afternoon to drum around 5. The event last till 10 at night. I hope you all can come and join us, its always more fun to have you along!

Shades of blue..........................

Wednesday night and I was wondering what happened to the music in the middle of the week?? We have always gotten together for this on Wednesday nites in the past, but now there is a change in the air. Can’t quite pin it down yet though. I got a call from Gary and he was going to come by and we’d go to Brewbakers instead. Wash the blue down with the amber. My pants were blue, the sky was blue and Gary and I were flying down highway one hundred and ninety eight into the sunset feeling blue in his red sports car with the top down and going to hear the blues actually played! I’m ready now to turn blue into purple for the weekend. We drank and talked and drank and talked and in the end laughed like pirates. After all I wasn’t driving. A good laugh is healthy they say……….. .
Big weekend of drumming fun if you want to join us. First, it’s the “Down Home Soul Food Cookoff” at the Garden Street Plaza in Visalia. Across from the B of A on old Main street. We’ll be drumming around 5 in the afternoon. There will be other performers to including Keio and Wadaba! Please come and help us out, and enjoy the good food!
Then, its Sunday night drumming………Special because the next day is a holiday and you can sleep in! Come on up and bring your friends for a night of drumming fun! Bring your bathing suit………..

Big day at the office for me. I went to Cedar Grove in Kings Canyon. It was alittle cool, though no snow in sight anywhere down in the canyon. There was some on the High Sierra peaks. The Kings river was raging, like it looks in August, so I know that in August it could just be a stream. There weren’t many people camping yet, but I’m sure the big weekend will bring some in.

Tuesssssday............

Lets see, Tuesday, one step forward two steps back. Isn’t it how it goes. Come home from work, open the gasoline bill, go take a nap. Man!! I remember when you could buy a used car for that money for two weeks of gas! I was driving to work thinking about getting a horse. You’d be on the highway, and instead of cars it would be horses again, the other lane, horses with people on them headed towards you, and in my lane horses with people headed my direction. Get to work and the parking lot would have horses standing in-between the white lines, eating hay and relieving themselves ,waiting for their owners to get off of work so they could go again. Those people who always are coming in to work at the crack of the hour would be running their horses to the parking lot to punch that clock in time. A cowboy movie…….. Think about it, scary huh!
I always have to remind myself to stay focused on the task at hand, after all its just Tuesday and there’s more surprises before the week ends. It was just last week Tuesday when we played at Crawdaddys, a performance we’ll think about as time goes on. July 1st is the exact middle of the year, what have I done so far, I feel good about it all and lets face it there is a lot to look forward to……….
Those are the Gemini twins, the bright stars around the moon, which is getting bigger. The one bright planet is Venus. I love going out into the full moon, the night time and the moonlight brings some nice changes to familiar scenes, like by the river.
Did you see that the weather dudes have changed the forecast………It was supposed to just ramp up to hot, but now its going to go there just alitte bit and then get cool again! I like that! Lets make each other happy………………….

I'd love to hear from you.........................

I was watching a red tailed hawk flying through the air. Nice and graceful in its flight as it swung around where I could see its bright red tail. It was riding the wind, as I was going down hill on my bike in Yokohl valley yesterday. A nice long easy downhill, where you don’t even pedal just coast. You have to earn it though, by going uphill for a long ways. Luckily it was just cool enough, actually almost a perfect riding day for all of that 26 mile ride. It felt good to get back on the bike after taking a week off to recover from my body slam given by me by my rollerblades.
We had a great drumming last night, with several special guests to make a groove you could chew gum too! Always good to see everyone that comes and joins in, Pete from Texas, Kevin the king and we even had an alien!
I’m hoping to hear from my new hiking partner about our hike up to skyline this week…………could you email me…….. rardesch@aol.com
Now that we’re getting personal, I’d love to hear from any of you who want to say more, or just want to say hi! I’m curious who you are in the Midwest that enjoys whats happening here too?? Thanks for checking in my friends………..

Its a cool Saturday.....................

Really nice cool day here! I know it’s the quiet before the storm, heat I’m talking about. This next week is supposed to ramp up so get those fans out. We might as well get used to the heat because its going to be around for awhile.
Thursday night we did a great sauna, hot and the cold water hose after, that’s living man! The stars in the sky were spectacular! Peppered with dots, so many, I swear I could see the water cities of Europa as it swung by Jupiter. Now the moon is rising and it’ll be full before we know it, the Summer moon.
I’ve been walking on a cloud of air the last few days, smiling and all that stuff as the mysteries of life are unfolding. Please stay tuned about this and I’ll fill you in…..ask me on Sunday……………Enjoy……..

She stares at the Naked Flame

We’re grinding up to a Friday………yippee!! Now that I’m working Friday is Friday! And the weekend is coming up fast. What’s going on, well I don’t know yet, other than Drumming on Sunday Night for sure. That’s what makes Sunday night drumming special in my mind, the fact that no matter what happens in life, Sunday nite will always be there. Its been that way for over 15 years now and its never changed. We ALWAYS drum on Sunday nites. Only one time did we have only three attend, and I was one. But, that has only been once, and since then we never know who will come and drum. That’s part of the draw is wondering who will be there………will it be 20 people, or will it be 60 like some of the recent ones we’ve had. Its all a surprise and most always a real pleasure to do what we do with you. Its funny that this blog pretty much covers every aspect of our lives with pictures and stories of the drummings and adventures as we go through the year, that the only thing missing ……….and the most important thing we do is the music!! Imagine knowing all about us now and not knowing that part??!!..........Hopefully we’ll be able to share some of that with you soon……..So, stay tuned and Thanks for doing so!!
We’ll be doing a sauna tonight at the gallery………..8pm…….your always invited you know.

Drum Circle plays in Visalia.............

We made it our goal to play at Crawdaddys awhile back, and we did tonight! We had to get out of our comfort zone, and play in front of strangers but we did it. And it was very good you all! We had a good show of hands, Gary, Maha, Jose, Nadine, Sage, Cherrie and Paul. It was a fun crowd and it was great to get out and do that on a Tuesday nite in Visalia. Gary played a mean flute to a rendition of Summer Time that was very memorable. We went to Dennys afterwards for pancakes just for tradition. Thanks to all who made this a really fun nite!!!!

Back to work and some more..............

Its back to working in Sequoia Park Fire Dept for me today. I’m signed up for a 6 month season and they are saying its going to be a big fire season. Of course they say this every year, but it has been dry and no rain and all that so we’ll see and I’ll let you know first hand!
We went to the Riverview bar Saturday Night and dodged several fights as the cowboys were in rut and the heads were drunk. All in all it was a good time, but you have to really pay attention for sure!
Had a great drumming last night, lots of visitors and new friends came. We had dancers till 10 and that’s always a great and welcome surprise. Our fire was small, Thanks to Carol for bringing brownies and a big trash can full of small blocks of wood to burn. Lots of people brought other sweets and it looked like lobbyists at a dentist’s convention, cookies, candy and all.
We’re all on for going to open mike night at Crawdaddys tomorrow night, Tuesday. We’ll try and get there around 7.30 to sign in and see how it goes. There’s a big concert at the Cellar Door also, starting at 9.30 where all of our support team is going, so our open mike night will start out with a trail run and see how that goes. Join us if you want…………….

Update and more..............

Matthew was transferred to a hospital in Fresno. I’ll post stuff if I hear more. The place where the incident took place, N. Highland ave is a known bad area. I think Main Street is still cool, as long as you all pay attention to things.
We’ll probably go to the Riverview tonite to have a few beers and get ready for Sunday. I decided to get out my roller blades last night and give them a go round the neighborhood, like the old days when I used to skate a lot. I got to the end of the porch and the blades took off, but I was alittle slow catching up and ended up going horizontal and slamming myself down about 2 feet. Damn that hurt and I’m still limping! I feel like I can skate though, but will probably wait a few days now. Stay tuned if you will……….

Pray for Matthew...............

I heard the story first at our sauna Thursday night. This guy who has come to drumming several times, a few years back and lately, last month I think. Matthew is his name and last Monday night while he was walking his girlfriend and another friend home in Visalia, they got jumped by some gang dudes and Matthew got stabbed 7 times. Since, he has gone through several operations and will make it it looks like. This has put a real din on our thoughts about going to main street in Visalia in our merry ways. While main street is pretty safe, the surrounding streets, especially north, are pretty dangerous. Matthew is a great guy, and you would never think of him to get in this kind of situation, even though it was totally random. I have heard indirectly from Jeremiah that some of them have given blood. They knew him better, though he is a part of our drumming tribe. He’s in Kaweah Delta if you want to visit him. Meanwhile we’ll pray………

Thoughts for a Thursday.............

Hot and sweaty it was, but I hear some cooling is back on the way! That’ll be good for a Thursday. We went out on the town Tuesday night and ended up at Crawdaddys. That wasn’t even the plan, but our super telepathic drumcircle ways got us all there! Sage, Paul, Nadine, Jeremiah and friends. We watched the Oakgrove City Band play and ate shrimp gumbo. Drank a few beers and then several of us went down to Taylors Hotdogs around 11.30 and I got a couple of chili dogs with everything. The others were all vegetarians, so they got nothing and schooled me on whats really in them dogs, while I ate. There’s lots of folks out on Main Street in Visalia on Tuesday Night!
We’ll probably do the drum circle thing for the open jam nite, next Tuesday at Crawdaddys, so lets all of us drum hipsters show up and give it a go eh…………
We’ll be in the sauna box tonite………Thursday at 8 pm if you’d like to join us.

Rattler and a couple from Belgium........

We started out on our bike ride this afternoon and right away saw some guy getting wood from the side of the road, with some woman watching. We stopped and talked and they were going up to the park to go camping. They were from Belgium. I asked the woman if she could speak Dutch and we ended up speaking to one another in Dutch. I was born in Amsterdam, Holland and can still speak some of the language, though I can listen and understand even better. This was a good exercise and we talked about all the places to camp in the park and where to go. Nice little break with some nice people out on their vacation. Then, off we went. It was really hot and since I haven’t rode on a week, I had to take it kinda easy for a few miles. We did a 20 miler up Dry Creek.
I really don’t intend to make this a Rattlesnake Blog, but we just keep running into these guys and they are getting bigger! The snakes give me the fricking willies, but there is some interest in seeing them moving along. This guy was very fast, and started rattling as soon as he heard a deep voice talking. Usually you might go the whole year without seeing any snakes, but this year I’m just in the right place with my camera I guess.
We’re meeting at the Visalia Coffee Company at 8.15 tonight if you want to join us for a night on the town……………

Sundays river and now Monday..............

Hey, Its Monday………..Big Stretch…..Drum circle hangover today, not from drinking or any of that, but from drumming hard, drumming when dancers are out and they want to dance and need to have a groove to move to. We owe them that, its intimidating I guess, to step out in front and start moving to the grooving, all eyes looking to see if you can do what you came out to do, but its not really like that, its all eyes looking, wishing they were brave enough to step out and dance. We encourage the dance, as drummers and dancers make the perfect marriage of the rhythm, and we don’t care how you do what you do, we’ll back you up with a groove to move and we’ll keep it up as long as you dance. Thanks to you Summer for grooving the grooving and getting out there, and yes, drumming too!
We did have a pretty hot fire last night, though it could have been cooler so that it wasn’t so hot down below in the inner circle. We’re working on that and will probably switch to candles and an alcohol fire. We do need something in the middle to have as a focus, no circle is a circle without something in the middle.
Good circle, lots of friends came and as always, some new faces. I’m glad everyone’s drumming too, instead of just watching. Shakers, or anything is better than just watching, or you could dance!
The river looked pretty good last night, running at around 450 cubic feet per second. Its low though considering previous years as I’ve said. The top picture is of Slickee, which is up river, and the bottom picture is looking downriver.
As expected, its getting hot, the beaches will be in record setting heat today I hear. Here, its just hot and we might as well get used to it.
I’m working on getting it together for the big week. Need to ride the bike, Ive been slacking this last week, and now its time to get out again so my body can respond to all the socializing needed to live the life of a drummer. I’m digging it and glad all of you are in this movie too……………enjoy your Monday!

The last 2 days of a drummers life............

Don’t have to go far to be around about 3000 people today. All I have to do is go across the street to the Exeter brewfest The band is like 200 yards from right here. Tickets are 30 bucks, so I’ll just sit tight here and check it all out.
I got the tipi poles down from Three Rivers, my truck looking like some vehicle from the grapes of wrath movie staring Henry Fonda. It was rickety and rockity, but I made it and no tickets, and no mess on the road. Friday morning, 6am, and went to the school where I set the tipi up in the baseball field in a weeping rain. I was amped to pull the project off so it didn’t matter what happened right then. Finally, as all the kids started arriving in the school yards the buzz word was “Tipi”. I could see them all at the basketball courts and the lawns and the kickball fields looking at the tipi and wondering when they were gonna go inside and check it all out. I was pleasantly surprised to find the 2 liners of the Bull painting and the Bulls running painting wrapped inside the tipi cover. I used them on the inside and they made for a nice feel of “primitive”
Inside the class I had a slide show and all of my dance outfits from the past, a super native American show and tell!!
7 classes of 30 fourth graders each at 45 minutes a pop. I was hoarse by the end of the day, but now I totally understand the feeling of accomplishment had by the teachers of children! The peering wondering eyes, the questions I didn’t think off and the enthusiasium for the Tipi! I preached the environment of course, and they took it all in when pictures of rattle snakes came on the slide screen.Every class of 30 kids each ended with all of us going inside the tipi, where I handed out arrowhead necklaces to all, provided by the school, which was very cool!! I felt good when I finished packing up the tipi and heading home. Then, it was off to Auberry to drum!
Auberry, chilly and lots of drummers, some we knew and some we didn’t. Together with Wil, and Jon and Paul, we stood next to Chuck and kicked out some grooves to warm things up and get it all going in a direction. We gave hearty hugs to Angie for her birthday, and Linda, Chuck and I stopped at Crispy Crème on the way home for some sugie and coffee………..a tradition of sorts. So, there it is , Sunday night drumming is coming up, so make plans please to come up and get warmed around the fire and play some drums!………………

Pushing the gas pedal to the weekend.........

Pressure, pressure, I’ve got a lot to do today, and so I’m going slower. Its funny how that works huh! The big Auberry drumming is this weekend and of course we’re going. We’re positioning to see who goes with who and what nights we’re staying and what drums you bringing and what are you bringing for the potluck and all that stuff………phew man, drumming can be complicated! I can’t wait till we get famous and have other people do that kinda stuff so we can just drum………ha, ha………..
The weather is really nice and cool, sunny and all the things I like in weather. I’ve got to figure out a rack for my truck so I can bring down my teepee poles from Three Rivers and set up the lodge at a middle school here, where I’m giving a class tomorrow. It should be lots of fun once I get all that done, then after I take it back down, head home and Auberry here I come.
Its really good to hear from you Sarah! We’ll be waiting for your arrival from way over in Texas this summer! Looking forward to seeing all of you soon, have a great Thursday and Yea………..stay tuned if you will…………….

Hipsters hangout...........

Brewbakers was nice last night, food, friends and drink to be merry. We hung out till pretty late, and then walked down the street a bit. And wow, now we know where all the Drum Hipsters hang out……The Cellar….We went in to check out the band from Georgia and ran into several folks. Lots of people on that late hour of Tuesday night.
Wednesday night music………….well I don’t know?? Any ideas??

Tuesday.....The Now Hour......

Last Friday night, several of us drumfolk had a great time at Nadines birthday party. We drummed till very late. Several different neighbors, who they had never met, came by to see what all the drumming was about and ended up joining us. In the backyard, in the middle of Visalia we were and the town didn’t mind it seemed. 3.30am came too soon.

We had arranged to met at the Renaissance Fair in Visalia around 2.30 in the afternoon Saturday. It was fricking hot, and I didn’t get there till around 3. I had the thought that all would already be there and I would be late, but the old drum circle creedo stood true, I was the first to arrive! The others showed right after. We checked out the place and ran into several we know, hooked up with the Tanjora Belly dance group and watched their usual great dancing, even in the heat. Although we had brought our drums with good intentions, we never did drum on that sultry hot day.
Now its Tuesday, time to get some stuff done since the weather feels cooler……..my favorite kinda feel. We’re probably going to Brewbakers tonight, so lets hook up and plan an outdoor adventure. I’ve been itching to get back on the rock…………