WASHINGTON STATE INTERNATIONAL KITE FESTIVAL BEGINS MONDAY

The View from My Porch

It’s a beautiful morning here on the Long Beach Peninsula and ready or not, here the tourists come. The Washington State International Kite Festival begins Monday and already motels (especially those located near the Bolstad approach to the beach) and streets are beginning to fill with tourists. This is the time of year when negotiating the six block drive to my mother’s apartment proves challenging.

Last night when we drove to the beach to walk the dog the food tent for the Ilwaco Jr./Sr. High School Sports Boosters was going up. The Booster Club, many of them fishermen, put on a barbecued salmon dinner each year for the Kite Festival. The dinner includes coleslaw and corn on the cob or you can purchase a crab cocktail. Fishermen know how to cook salmon. There will be other food booths the length of the approach which will be for foot traffic only all of next week.

Events will be held for all ability levels and it will be an opportunity to see professional kite fliers from all over the world. Everything from the biggest to the littlest to the most will grace the skies of Long Beach. The forecast is for extremely good weather. That coupled with the slight dip in the price of gas should bode well for this year’s event.

When not on the beach, festival goers can visit the Washington State Kite Museum located on the Sid Snyder beach approach.

This year’s festival coincides with my husband’s vacation and for once someone else is doing work on our old house instead of him. Aside from finishing the fence he will be free to ride his bike to the beach to gawk at the kites and tourists. Taking the car is out of the question since the traffic will be backed up from Long Beach all the way through Seaview. People wanting to go to Astoria will be backed up from the light in Ilwaco to Black Lake.

It may not be too late to obtain reservations for next week, especially if one tries the North end of the Peninsula in Kilpsan or Ocean Park. Check the Long Beach webcams next week for a bird’s eye view of the doings. Unfortunately, the Kite Cam seems to be under the weather, but the other cams in town should give you an idea of what’s happening. I’ve contacted the webmaster of the Fun Beach website and we’ll hope they get it up and running before Monday.

Well, the UPS man turned out to be a very nice athletic young woman and a large box now graces my porch waiting for my husband’s arrival. Actually the box will make a great toy for my grandson whose arrival I await. Mostly, though, he will be wanting to be down on the "beach beach" flying his own Spiderman kite.

Beyond The Borders 2008

Saturday's second-annual "Beyond The Borders" Music and Arts Festival was so deliciously elemental, my dear Watson! The morning began with some clouds and showers but the afternoon was the perfect mix of sunshine, scattered clouds and refreshing breezes, just right for an outdoor concert at the Longbranch Improvement Club.

I was a little late to the party, arriving just as the first act, Mooncoyne, was wrapping it up. There were many friends to greet, including my dear Gigi, fellow Blog-Squadder Kim, with her kids and her lovely mum, Marilyn. Together we went into the shade of the Hall to peruse the beautiful artwork on display by Two Waters artists.

The drumming circle began to play on the indoor stage and would continue to entertain between each outdoor act of the afternoon. I tell you, the energy in the room really pumped up when Kim's son Justin hit the floor with his t-shirt-waving warrior dance! The rhythm started to pull me by the second and third Chakras, into a spell, into the dance. This was the Fire of the day, hypnotic and hip-pulling. Gigi and I danced every time the drums played, heating ourselves up again and again.

The next performer to begin on the outdoor stage was Lora Chiorah, accompanied by Leif Totusek on guitar. Lora is a beautiful Mother of the Earth, from Zimbabwe. In her voice was the drifting dust and rooted people. The collar of her dress was layers of bright orange cloth petals and she was an African Lotus, blessing the Earth we all stood upon, within her songs and movements.

Lora sometimes played an "Imbera" (guessing at the spelling) which is a thumb-piano mounted inside a hand-drum. She used it when singing a song about the coming of Westeners. Between the vocals, instruments and foot-stomping, you could close your eyes and see the wagons, see change coming. Leif Totusek's guitar rang out like life through a rippling heat-mirage. Music this deeply-rooted in the earth pulls a sweetness, even into struggle and pain.

The next group to take the stage was "World Sounds," a six-piece eclectic mix of instruments and moods, led by flutes, other wind instruments and vocals. Here then, the third element of Air added itself to the afternoon. As a Native American wooden flute was played, the breeze cooled our dancing fire and carried dragonflies above the stage.

Abrace (which means embrace in Spanish and Portugese) was the last performance of the afternoon. Four incredible women who sing intricate harmonies make up the group, with a gentle man who provided most of the percussion to back them. Here my favourite element, Water, began to pour through the sound. Their voices rushed like a river and happily tumbled together over wild falls.



Samia Panni was "Yemaya" herself, the Universal Mother of the Ocean. This wonderful group is a deep dive into the current that life flows in. I'm so glad they returned for the second year. Their beautiful song "The Storm Is Passing Over" stays with me in its hope for Humanity.

With the generous help of Two Waters Arts Alliance, the Angel Guild and lots of great volunteers, Mark Runions has now firmly established a summertime tradition. A sweet and humble magician, this year he stirred the Four Elements to bring the world to Longbranch. Well done Mark, thank you for a wonderful "Beyond The Borders" Festival!


My friends Gigi and Soi Bec - havin' a great time!

Picture info:

1 & 2 are ©Mark Runions 2008
3 is ©Lorraine Hart 2008


Sorry to say I've had some computer problems today and have been unable to include pics!

eta: got my computer wiz to sneak past the trolls.. hopefully there's pics!