TINY AND TOASTY

That's how my brain feels at the moment. Betwixt and between working on two boards, trying to keep an active musical life, and still having a bit of work to do for Kent's and my family winery business, I feel like some of the details are spilling out of the container - kinda like this espresso I just made. I'm grateful for the espresso. It does a pretty damned good job at fueling the machine - my brain.

I'm happy to be this busy, especially with Lark Camp. I'm doing all sorts of board-related administrative tasks (that other folks would find boring), and I'm writing a lot of material for brochures, newsletters, and a new website. But I am also enjoying my new role as talent programmer. To a detail-oriented person, organizing close to 100 instructors is, well...fun. (That's crazy-talk, I know!) I enjoy communicating with the instructors, but also engaging with the micro-communities within Lark Camp. That might not make much sense, so I'll explain that aspect of this truly unusual music camp a bit more.

Lark Camp occupies all three campgrounds within the Mendocino Woodlands State Park, about 10 miles inland from the coastal village of Mendocino. Each camp has a theme based on what world music is represented there. For example, in Camp One, you'll find music of Ireland, the British Isles, Scandinavia, and Eastern Europe. Each national genre requires a cadre of instructors who teach those workshops and play for the related evening dance. So, Balkan Dance Night taps the skill of that particular group of instructors and their students, and they form a subset community of the whole camp. I'm learning how that little micro-community cooperates, and how it's connected to the other little micro-communities. It's super cool!

Expect more news about Lark Camp, because after years as a camper there, and a few years as an instructor, being able to help carry the camp forward is an honor. I'm working with a great team of people who really love the camp and the community that lives through it.