The Top Corporate Donors to Trump’s Pet Projects... Meta, Amazon, Coinbase, Google/Youtube, RTX (formerly known as Raytheon), Lockheed Martin, Mastercard, Exiger, Scotts Miracle-Gro, Altria Group, BlackRock, Nvidia, Palantir, Comcast and Chevron...

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington



Troubling... I use Meta... Everyday... I use Faceborg because everyone I know is on there and the posts that they share are interesting to me... Friends and Family...

I read Google News everyday & all my music videos are on YouTube..

However, I do boycott Amazon and Walmart... I just refuse to do business with those corporations... I was bothered by Jeff Bezos's purchase of the Washington Post Newspaper and his corporate censorship... And I don't shop at Walmart because they added a $10 delivery fee to every shipment because... They say it's a long distance to my house... I know that it's 3 Mi to the Walmart down the street... But they choose to do all home delivery shipments from a town about 50 Mi away... Well you can steal $10 from me once but not twice!

The takeover of the mainstream media makes the work of bloggers important...

The landlord just replaced My TV with a Vizio device that has no monthly bill for him... But it seems to automatically find CBS news stations... And so I watch CBS news from New York City often... Also Los Angeles... It's possible to get ABC, NBC, BBC, PBS and Reuters... But the default is CBS... Most famous for canceling the Stephen Colbert late night show...

And some of those feel-good general interest stories seem to be obvious propaganda or advertisements masquerading as news... For example: they just did a story that people who are visiting the United States for the soccer games are you using UPS to ship Ranch Salad Dressing to their home country where they can't get Ranch Dressing... That sounds like an infomercial paid for by UPS... And a reminder that living in the United States is truly wonderful and you can just go down to the grocery store and buy ranch dressing... Unlike those third world hell holes... 

Protest is illegal for soldiers


Trump "Voodoo Doll" - THEY SEEM TO BE WORKING! - This is Satire, Mockery, Ridicule... It's a Joke! --- I don't believe in Voodoo... And I'm not selling these... Nor have I purchased one of these dolls...

 


Trump "Voodoo Doll" - THEY SEEM TO BE WORKING! - This is Satire, Mockery, Ridicule... It's a Joke!

The top corporate donors to Trump’s pet projects... Meta has donated to the greatest number of these projects, with contributions to six. Amazon, Coinbase and Google/Youtube contributed to four. RTX (formerly known as Raytheon), Lockheed Martin, Mastercard, Exiger, Scotts Miracle-Gro, Altria Group, BlackRock, Nvidia, Palantir, Comcast and Chevron donated to three...

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
https://www.citizensforethics.org/

Free Coloring Book Art... 
Make as many prints as you like!
Color them with felt pens, pencils, 
crayons or blood spatter!

American flag 250 upside down 13 stars



Keywords for further research... Trump, insane, voodoo, mockery, satire, ridicule, joke, haha, keep sticking those pins in your doll, it seems to be working, Trump's health is very bad, it's like he's knock, knock, knocking on Heaven's door, or actually Hell's, CIA, FBI, NSA, DOJ, DOD, DARPA, MK ULTRA, EIEIO, Mount Weather, Greenbrier Hotel, Fort Meade, NORAD, UFO, Lockheed Martin, Exxon, Enron, Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, George Bush the son, American Idiot, Trump is a Lunatic! Shell, BP, Bechtel, No Nukes, Vogtle Georgia, Chernobyl, F*ck You Shima, Three Mile Island, atom bomb, hydrogen bomb, Bikini Atoll, ecology, environment, EPA, Grandpa Simpson, War profiteering, price of gasoline, price of oil, Iraq, Iran, iPhone, iCarumba!

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Sincerely, American

It’s not even that I’m desperate to see a Democrat in the White House again.
It’s that watching today’s MAGA Republicans cheer this behavior on is exactly what makes me want the change.
Because let’s be honest: it’s not just about one man in the Oval Office anymore. It’s the whole ecosystem of Republicans who will excuse anything, defend anything, spin anything, as long as their “side” is the one doing it.
They’ve turned blind loyalty into a requirement and basic decency into a punchline.
I’m old enough to remember when “President of the United States” came with at least a minimum expectation of character.
Not perfection.
Not sainthood.
Just a grown adult who understood that their words could heal or harm, and tried to choose the better option more often than not.
We used to fight over policy, over taxes, over healthcare, over foreign policy.
Now we’re fighting over whether it’s acceptable for the president to mock people’s looks, insult grieving families, and treat half the country like enemies instead of citizens.
That’s not “tough.”
That’s not “refreshing.”
That’s just rotten.
I don’t need to agree with a president on every issue.
I don’t even need them to be from my party.
I just need them to have a moral floor.
A clear line they won’t cross, even when it would fire up their base or score them cheap applause.
So no, it’s not that I lie awake at night missing a Democratic president.
What I miss is a President who at least tries to act like a decent human being.
Someone who understands that the job is to represent a nation, not indulge a fragile ego.
Please like and share!

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Trump supporters, here are a few reasons why so many people think you are gullible and stupid.
Trump claims that the complete mess that is now the Reflecting Pool is a result of "vandalism." However, when asked to provide evidence for that, he's refused to do so and claims that we'll "see it in court" — weeks or months later when people no longer care about this story. Why can't he just show the evidence now?
We're over one-third of the way into his presidency, and as he continues to claim that the 2020 election was "totally stolen," yet he's still never provided all the "overwhelming evidence" he claims exists. What's he waiting for?
He's now claiming that Obama and Biden spent over $100 million on failed repairs to the Reflecting Pool. Verifiable government records show Obama spent only $34 million during his two-year repair job that dealt with issues such as sinking, leaks, and other major repairs. There are no records of any major repairs being done to the pool during Biden's presidency. Something tells me that if reporters asked Trump to provide evidence of this "$100 million claim," along with his insistence that they wanted to spend "$300 to $400 million," he wouldn't provide anything. Yet, despite another example where Trump claims something is true but provides zero evidence, you all keep believing him.
During his lies about Obama's birth certificate, he frequently said he had "smoking gun" evidence he could prove it was fake. Yet, in a "shocking twist," he never provided any of that actual "evidence." In other words, he was flat-out lying and literally making up nonsense.
For over a decade, he's said on numerous occasions that he was just about to reveal the details of his health care plan. Well, it's 2026, 10+ years since he first began making those claims, and we've never seen even one page of this so-called plan he's promised, repeatedly, was just about to be revealed. And here's the thing: I'm not sure how you all reconcile not realizing he's been lying all this time without either knowing he has been (which means you know he just lies whenever he wants but support him anyway) or that you really think he's had a plan this entire time but, for some mysterious reason, he's never shown it to the public or tried to get it passed through Congress — which doesn't make any sense.
Then there's Iran, where Trump claimed that he was personally told by Iranians that they were "desperate" to make a deal and were in a state of "total collapse." Except that obviously wasn't true, as the war continued to last for several more weeks and, by all accounts, Iran doesn't seem very desperate to rush to make any deal, as the one they've agreed to is worse for the United States than the one we had under Obama. And you don't need to believe me; go ask the growing number of Republicans who have called this a really bad deal and noted that your president has spent days melting down about the coverage of it because people know the one we had under Obama was better.
Remember when Mexico was going to pay for the wall? Whatever happened to that? Five years of Trump as president, and he's built less than 100 miles of actual new wall, and Mexico didn't pay a penny of it.
Then there were his claims that he would release his tax returns but then never did. I know you all don't care, but do you know people who lie when they're not trying to cover something up? And why would a man who often likes to boast about how "rich and successful" he is want to hide his tax returns from the public — something every other president in the nation's history has shown to prove that they don't have any conflicts of interest that could impact their decision-making as president?
Can't forget his claims that Democrats are going to "rig the 2026 midterms," even though Republicans control the White House, Senate, and the House of Representatives — power in our government the GOP gained while Democrats controlled most of our government during the 2024 elections. If Democrats are so good at "rigging elections," why do Republicans have all the power in Congress, the White House, and the majority of the states' governorships? Furthermore, since Democrats are the minority party in our government in every possible way, how are they wielding power to "rig" the upcoming elections? That doesn't make any sense — but you all believe it because Trump is saying it. Again, he is not providing any evidence for it, much like he never provides evidence for the vast majority of his conspiracies, yet you continue to believe everything he says.
Last but not least, the Epstein files. You know, those documents you all spent years trying to pin on Democrats to prove they were supporting child trafficking and abuse. Pam Bondi literally staged a photo-op early into Trump's presidency to give right-wing influencers the first copy of the ongoing investigation. You all were all-in on going after child predators. That was, until Bondi realized that Trump's name was mentioned more in these files than every other person other than Jeffrey Epstein, and this president began his still ongoing cover-up of these files, calling them all a "Democrat hoax," as his Department of Justice continues to hold back millions of documents in defiance of congressional orders. And now, suddenly, you all don't seem to care much about child predators, considering it seems very likely that Trump is either protecting them or one himself. But we're all supposed to not think you're disgusting and stupid when it seems that even when it comes to going after child predators, it really depends on whether or not one of them might be Trump? And if so, then you're less interested in finding out those facts and details.
The list just keeps going and going.
So, while you all get upset and have your feelings hurt like a bunch of snowflakes when people call MAGA a cult of stupid, tell us: what should we think of people who continue to worship a president who blatantly and constantly treats you all like you're exactly that?


Moderates for Keeping our Democracy

Acil Mungkal 

This Australian's reply to Trump's rant about “NATO not being there for America” is perfect.
"Mate. You run a country with 600,000 homeless people sleeping on the street tonight. A country where 40% of adults can't cover a $400 emergency without borrowing money. A country where insulin costs more than a car payment and people are rationing it to survive. A country where medical debt is the number 1 cause of bankruptcy. A country where women are dying in hospital car parks because doctors are too scared of abortion laws to treat a miscarriage.
You lock up more of your own citizens than any nation on earth. More than China. More than Russia. More than North Korea. The land of the free has 2 million people in cages, and a quarter of them haven't even been convicted of anything. They're just too poor to make bail.
Your life expectancy is going backwards. You're the only developed nation where that's happening. Your infant mortality rate is worse than Cuba's. Your kids do active shooter drills between maths and English while you sell the gunmaker's stock to your mates.
Your minimum wage hasn't moved in 15 years. You've got teachers working 2 jobs and veterans sleeping under bridges and you just spent a trillion dollars flattening a country that didn't attack you.
And you’ve got a convicted felon, adjudicating raping, paedophile protecting, porn star shagging insurrectionist running the biggest dumpster fire war campaign since the Taliban thanked you very much for losing again.
And you're calling Greenland poorly run?
Greenland has universal healthcare. Free education. One of the lowest incarceration rates in the world. Nobody goes bankrupt there because they got sick. Nobody dies in a waiting room because their insurance said no.
'NATO wasn't there when we needed them." When exactly was that, champ? September 11? Because NATO invoked Article 5 for the first and only time in history FOR YOU. Soldiers from dozens of countries deployed, fought, bled, and died in Afghanistan FOR YOU. Australia wasn't even in NATO and we still showed up. For 20 years.
And you pulled out at 2am without telling anyone and left them to deal with the mess.
So maybe before you start calling other countries poorly run, have a look at your own backyard, you spray-tanned aluminium siding salesman. The only thing poorly run in this picture is your f----- mouth."

Anti-trump meme - please share worldwide


REPUBLICANS REVOLT - Over a Dozen Join with Democrats and Vote NO on Trump's "SAVE" Act... #Runaway from Mad King Donald... SCOTUS Rejects Trump's Birthright Citizenship EO...

Trump is unhappy

Actually, there's about TWO hundred million of us that would like to slap Trump in the face...

Where's Waldo?
Where's Waldo?

Trump's big event on the National Mall was a disaster... a total failure... just like everything he does... Without Elon Musk fixing the voting machines he'd be unemployed and Kamala would be president!

Trump is unhappy

I'm feeling optimistic... Putin is sick... 
And we got young lovers climbing the Empire State Building! 


Empire State Building protest - power of love

Protest for Peace... Excellent!

The Power of Love




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Imaginary Vandals Dump Red Dye Into All the Fountains in Washington DC... Here is Photographic Proof... We Have the Video!
Moses and the Nile River turns to blood
This Post is Satire, Mockery, Ridicule... It's a Joke!  HA HA...  I feel certain it's illegal to actually do this... So Don't Do It!

I heard that Trump plans to fix the reflecting pool by dumping blue dye into it... That sounded like a really stupid idea but... It's good for a joke!

While we have video of the river turning into blood, it's actually a movie from 1956 called The Ten Commandments... 

Did You Know?: It is Possible to Participate In the Rainbow Gathering July 4th OM Chant from Any Location on Earth. The Main Meadow is in Pennsylvania.... The Chant Starts about NOON Eastern Time... After a Morning of Silence... And Now it's Really Important that the World Pray for Peace...

This was the last photo I took before I put the camera in my pocket and joined the people chanting... Because there is a time to document life and then there's a time to actually live life...

Rainbow Gathering 4th of July OM chant

Karin's Rainbow Gathering 2026 news and ideas https://newsylvania.blogspot.com/
My favorite website for info about the Gathering... She really knows what's going on!


Update June 29

Days are getting warm. Remember to hydrate. The meadow is beautiful. Full moon tonight. Join is at the heart fire. Do not leave anything visible that is not legal in the national forest. The LEOs are training on us. They come through the woods at 2 am. All parking is road parking. Make sure all 4 wheels are off the road. Energy is high and beautiful. Meadow is lovely. Pay attention to Milkweed . Please do not trample them. Baby bats are being born now in standing dead. Please don’t cut or camp near them. Both bats and butterflies are endangered. Live lightly on the land.


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Annual Rainbow Family Gathering of the Tribes

Autumn Wanderlust Vinson 

Hello family,
I have been on the land for two days. For those who were reading all the stories of harassment by the incident team (like I was), I was also nervous because of the posts I had read.

I had zero problems getting in. In fact, as I made a left/right onto the last FS road, and first saw the rangers, I gave a wave, and one of the female rangers yelled to me, ‘Welcome Home’.

Nothing past that, and seeing that a team from the Forest Service has marked off delicate ecological areas…..which family is respecting.

Just be smart, respectful of the land and all people, (and baby bats in standing dead trees) of course.

So…Ignore All Rumors. WELCOME HOME!

Rainbow Revolution bumper sticker art - free


What IS the Rainbow Gathering? To me, it's Woodstock with Amateur Musicians and I'm in the Band! Held at a Different Location in a National Forest in the USA...

It's a backpack trip for up to 20,000 hippies... Many people bring in a lot of equipment to build kitchens to feed the hungry... Giant bonfires... Drum circles... Healing rituals... Barter trade circles... And a lot of people with guitars... Big fun!

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Free art! Pirate this Image and Use it Everywhere.

Rainbow spiral - free art!


The Rainbow Gathering is Happening Right NOW - Near Sheffield PA... July 1-7: Ignore All Rumors of Cancellation or Organization...

Updated 6/23 by Karin... Directions from the east via Sheffield, PA to Main Parking... 

Go to Sheffield PA, One tenth of a mile from the end of Route 666 (where it meets Route 6) there is a Uni-mart gas station. Turn onto this road, go past the park and cross over the bridge. Continue onto High St (State Road, SR2002) and follow for 11.2 Miles. Make a left onto Mayburg Road (FS 116 and 119.) Make an immediate right onto FS119 and drive 5.3 miles. Main Parking is here. All parking is on the road.

Make sure all four tires are off the road or you will be ticketed.

There is no real Handicamp at the moment. The best trail we have in at the moment does not have parking nearby. Drop off only. Trail from main parking to the meadow is usable for carts, but there are some steep parts.

If you get to the Hearts Content Recreation Area, you passed FS116/119.

The back gate has very limited parking and unless you can park in a ditch, FS 119 is your best bet.

There is a bus from Warren, PA to Sheffield that drops you off at the park in above instructions. Find details at
Bus Route.

Greyhound goes to Bradford PA, which is about 40 miles south / southeast of Sheffield. That's about as close as you can get.



Very cold down in the gathering. Maybe low 40s on the night of June 19. Warmer on the road. LEOs keep rolling in people at night on the road Park and get in the woods ASAP!

Welcome Home!
Directions found on:
https://newsylvania.blogspot.com/2026/06/howdy-folks.html?m=1
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Karin's Rainbow Gathering 2026 news and ideas https://newsylvania.blogspot.com/ 
My favorite website for info about the Gathering... She really knows what's going on! 

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What IS the Rainbow Gathering? To me, it's Woodstock with Amateur Musicians and I'm in the Band! Held at a Different Location in a National Forest in the USA... 
It's a backpack trip for up to 20,000 hippies... Many people bring in a lot of equipment to build kitchens to feed the hungry... Giant bonfires... Drum circles... Healing rituals... Barter trade circles... And a lot of people with guitars... Big fun!

10,000 people chant om at the rainbow gathering

The forests of Pennsylvania and New York State are marvelous. Camping for a week this summer sounds fantastic... An epic Rainbow Gathering! Plus the opportunity to meet people from Canada. 
Rainbow Gathering Photograph by Gregory Vanderlaan 2004 California
Tiny Flashlight You Can Wear Around Your Neck to Illuminate the Nighttime When Walking around in the Dark.

Remember to Bring Toilet Paper and Plenty of Food.

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A reminder to everyone, especially new attendees: be aware that Gatherings take place in National Forests, where federal laws hold sway. Cannabis is illegal on federal land, regardless whether it is legal in the state, and the cops very much enforce federal law in the National Forests.

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HISTORY
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A Journey to the Rainbow Gathering in California 2004. Photographs and My Story... and Memories of The Gatherings in Idaho, Utah and Pennsylvania...

This is a description about my trip to The Rainbow Gathering in California 2004… I wrote this to help me remember…

I made it to the 2004 rainbow gathering in beautiful Modoc National Forest of California. I got there July 1st before sunset and left July 6th in the morning. On July 1st, I hiked in a minimum distance and slept outdoors near the giant lava rock. At that point I was upset because I smelled burning clutch when I parked my mom’s car in the sagebrush. It turned out that the car in front of me was the source of the smell but I did not know that then. I drove over from Eureka and had a pleasant trip but I did drink 3 GIANT Pepsi-colas and was wired on caffeine and sugar…

I chatted with my fellow campers and we got along great. They told me the layout of the area and informed me about bears, cats and other local conditions. No problems with the animals. Then I went to sleep. I woke up and was cold and stiff from sleeping on the ground. It was a full moon and I walked all over looking at the sagebrush meadow. Another nap and then at dawn I went back out to the car and got supplies, more clothes, raincoat and water bottles. I walked back in and visited many campsites and chatted with locals… getting a clue about where it was all happening.

Got directions for a short-cut to the main circle… followed those directions and wandered around lost for a while…I really enjoyed the quaking aspen groves up on the mountain. I visited Bread of Life kitchen and listened to people blowing shofars and singing Christian sing along songs.


I visited a Jewish teach-in about the history of different tribes. On the main path, a dreadlocked man was playing bagpipes… including some Arabic harem music…Then I wandered down and stopped at Ram Dass’ tent. I spent 8 hours there. Many people came to chat with him personally but I never felt the urge to do that. This tent was on the main path and right next to the information booth so there was a constant flow of interesting people to look at. A couple set up a therapeutic massage clinic right next to me. They did a lot of healing and it was fun to watch people get better. We smoked some grass. They had a sign hung up advertising their massage clinic and many people stopped to ask me detailed questions about it. This turned out to be funny to me because I was just an innocent by sitter and had no official connection with them. And I didn’t know any of the answers to the questions… Some 20 year olds were next to me and they were loudly begging for “zuzu”. After an hour of listening to improbable stories about their time machine that ran on “zuzu” and their need to save their invalid aunt, I asked someone to tell me what a “zuzu” was. It turns out to be secret code for candy or chocolate… I had filled my backpack with LOTS of snickers bars and M&M candy to share with fellow campers so I threw a package of M&M’s at them and there was much cheering…

Info Tent… right next to Ram Dass’ tent…


Then I went out behind Ram Dass’ tent to enjoy the sunshine and get away from the crowds. This was the first time that I had smoked marijuana in a year and I was feeling strange and kinda creepy… It appeared to me that I had smoked too much… I could see the giant tents way off in the distance and they looked like alien spaceships that had landed. I found out later that one was called “simply wonderful” and the other was a Hare Krsna tent.



I enjoyed the sunshine and the paranoid effects of the grass wore off…
The sun set (amazing colors) and I went into a wooded area and played fetch with a dog. There were a LOT of dogs this year and they ran around loose at night. This one brought a stick up to me and dropped it at my feet. We played for a very long time and after I was totally bored he still wanted to play. I kept on telling him that I was not going to play anymore and he kept on trying to get me to play. This experience of inter-species communication was very powerful to me. The grass made everything seem so intense and I had just read a book at school called “A Language Older than Words” by Derrick Jensen that was all about inter-species communication. My ecology class studied this book in detail. We would read a couple of chapters, write a page of analysis and talk about it in groups. So my experience with the dog was strangely significant. Later that night I was eating a stick of summer sausage and another dog came to visit. I fed him some of the meat and we had a good time dining together. He also wanted to stay and eat forever but I was able to get him to go away when I conclusively “proved” that there was no more meat. (I put it inside the backpack and he believed that since he could not see it, it was gone)…



Then I went down the trail in search of drums. This year, there were many drum circles- none could be considered the “main” one. I danced with some people playing a Hare KRSNA beat and waving glowing cyalume lightsticks. I had two super bright LED flashlights (tiny-keychain size) that I tied to a short piece of twine. I could spin them around and make circles of blue and green light. Big fun to dance with. I was slightly concerned about temporarily blinding people because they were so powerful… I also wore them as a necklace and they automatically lit up the trail right in front of me as I walked along. It made the forest look like an underwater scene… blue and green light bouncing around and mixing to form ever changing illumination. Then I visited a tent where a man was telling GURU stories about Hanuman and Lord KRSNA. There was a fire inside the tent and 20 people listening. It was warm, comfortable and I stayed there for a couple of hours.



Main Circle and Simply Wonderful Tents.



Note the Beautiful Rock Formation above.
Then I went to the “Chai-Tea” kitchen and played the drums until dawn. I had my TEAK STICKS and tapped out rhythms in complementary patterns. My wife bought me those teak sticks and they are very lightweight, extremely loud and simple to play. Tick, Tick… Tock… Tock-ta-tic-tic-tic….. I have found that it is possible to make a sound that is similar to a cricket and that makes me feel like I’m a part of nature that is playing in the band. I ran out of drinking water and was saved by a refreshing cup of tea. Truly a miracle. At that time I had not found the source of drinking water and was truly concerned about it.






Then the sun came up and it was time to sleep. Early morning campfire scene.



About noon, I went out to the car for supplies. On the way I stopped for a cup of coffee. VERY strong coffee. At the car I played guitar and sang for an hour. One person was getting stuff from his car and stopped to listen. He wanted to find hot springs near the gathering that he heard were really good. A friend of his just happened to be parked next to him (coincidental meeting? Celestine?) and he complained to her that the noise of the drums kept him awake all night. I confessed to being one of the drummers that interfered with his sleep… I did that! I made that noise… They went away together to find the hot springs (romance?)… I wandered way up on top of the mountain to find the bathroom. This gathering had a huge quantity of people and the tents seemed to go on forever. Eventually, after a very long walk I found the slit trench bathroom… Then I located a wonderful source of drinking water at the “Warriors of the Light” kitchen. I made my way towards the main circle where they were serving dinner but arrived too late. Not a problem because I had plenty of food, candy and water. I also had a large amount of tobacco and shared it with anyone that asked. I was attracted by the sound of the “marimba tent” and went up there for a while playing the teak sticks and a borrowed drum. I smoked a lot of grass for the entire rest of my time there. I did not have any more paranoid effects, just endlessly stoned. Especially the chocolate syrup topping that went onto breakfast waffles… heavily laced with grass…



I ended up playing the drums at the “DunDun Village”. I took some action photographs of the synchronized dancers. The all-female dance troop was so erotic that I did not take any pictures of them. They seemed so sexy that I felt that it would be impolite and voyeuristic to use a camera. I just respected their feminity by taking home memories instead of photographs. Eventually, I spent the night playing drums around a campfire there. They had fire dancers performing at night. They had torches doused with camp-fuel (white gas) that they spun around their heads. One performer accidentally set herself on fire and rolled around in the dirt to put it out. During breaks in their show, I did my LED dance of blue-green circles. Same dance as they did, but high tech. I got a positive reaction from the audience. “GO BLACK LIGHT MAN, GO !”



The word was passed around that the morning of July 4th was to be silent. No talking or drumming at all. Then the sun came up and it was time for sleep. I woke up July 4th in the late morning. I met a fellow that I had played drums with and felt compelled to sing him a song that I had learned the night before. The lyrics are: Om mane padme, Om mane padme, Om mane padme OM. (repeat) The jeweled lotus is blossoming, deep within our soul, The jeweled lotus blossoming is our highest goal. He thanked me for the song but reminded me that we should not talk that morning.

I wandered on down the path towards the main circle and ran into a person from Arcata. Bart Orlando from the Campus Center for Appropriate Technology. He was demonstrating his solar oven. We communicated using hand gestures and I walked over to the main circle. It was about 11:30 AM and we held hands and chanted OM for a half hour. I could not stand up for the entire time. It was a unique event. 16,000 people holding hands… Then a parade left “Kiddee Village”, the clock struck NOON and we all cheered. I had to find shade and relaxed under the quaking aspens near the Marimba tent.



Many people came and went. Here is a photo of a maiden playing with a ribbon toy…



A fellow gave me the last half of a marijuana cigarette but I had had enough. So the next group of people set down, and I gave it to them (two couples, about 40 years old). They thanked me but said “We won’t actually smoke that “shake” right now because our HASH is better”. They stayed for a long time and it was funny because the ladies got into a detailed conversation about home-loans and re-financing mortgage rates. One of the guys made fun of her for bringing in “Babylon ideas” to the gathering. Often the outside world is referred to Babylon… I guess that is a reggae/biblical reference to capitalism… We had a great time chatting in the shade.

They showed me a knife that was made out of a deer bone. It was sharp enough to serve as a letter opener, butter spreader or cheese cutter but it’s hidden significance was… no metal… easily smuggled past metal detectors/xray equipment… The lady that owned the knife explained that she lived in a dangerous city and wanted it for self defense but refused to be hassled by police with metal detectors. I guess I will not be flying on an airplane any time soon since such a simple weapon can totally defeat homeland security efforts.

Some people walked by dressed up as cats on stilts…






An oboe player sat nearby and played middle eastern tunes.



Then we admired a lady that had a KORA. It is a west African 21 string harp used by storytelling singers. She was a tiny oriental lady with a lovely wrap around dress and BALLOON HAT.



I woke up and went to dinner at the main circle. We ate great vegetarian food and I put a dollar in the Magic Hat to help fund the Rainbow Gathering.






I relaxed near the giant rock outcropping and watched the sunset. The stars were especially bright that night. I saw the constellation Aries the Ram. (I THINK) I pointed it out to some people I was sitting with and we all could see the outline of a giant goat with curly horns standing on the top of the mountain. To find this constellation, follow an imaginary line made by the last two stars of the big dippers handle. They point directly at the Ram’s head. Also that night there was an electric parade… people walked by on stilts with their bodies outlined in lights… I spent the night at the Marimba tent.

Drumming at the Marimba tent… in the afternoon…



They had two marimbas (covered by blue cloths in above photo) and the leader would teach a volunteer how to play a simple bass line on one while he improvised on the other. They were not in use during the day of July 4th. That night, they were both played…



They also had a complete drum set with cymbals, violin, gypsy dancers, 10 conga drummers, acoustic guitar and ME on teak sticks. I was amazed at how loud the bass drum of a drum set is when you are sitting very close. It was like getting kicked by a mule in the chest.



A lady had a red LED flashlight and we both played with our lights on the white parachute that formed the top of the tent… wiggling the lights in time to the music… making a psychedelic light-show… her doing red, me doing blue and green…

mix all three and every color of the rainbow is possible… RGB…



At dawn, I went to the Warriors of the Light tent to get water and sleep. July 5th was spent walking out. I would walk a little, rest a lot, walk a little, rest a lot. I met a guy from Chico that said he was a mural painter and that he owned “The Palms”. (a large farmhouse in rural Chico that is a rock and roll/art commune) I showed him my computer art (prints of my websites) and we had a good time talking about our experiences in Chico.

He took the picture of me standing in front of the giant lava rock. (my campsite on July 1st)



The fellow in the foreground of that picture offered to sell me some magic mushrooms but I declined. The other fellow has a grass pipe on a fishing rod that he dangles out onto the trail… hoping for someone to fill his pipe… “fishing for weed”









I spent some time near the “CALM” medicine tent and drew a pen and pencil sketch of it. They provide general medic services for free.



Photo of the CALM Medic tent…





Then I walked out to the car and had dinner, played the guitar and slept soundly inside the car.
Picture of the Sunset on the last night…



I listened to AM talk radio and ran the heater… It gets really cold up there at night. The next morning, I tried to drive away but the rear tire dug a big hole in the sandy dirt. STUCK! I jacked up the car and filled the hole with dirt, let the car down to compress the dirt, jacked up the car to add more dirt and eventually, was able to get out. We had to park in a field that was covered with sagebrush and very difficult to drive thru. Major hassle getting in and even worse getting out. Driving home I saw about 20 wild horses running free…


I drove home stopping only for a giant hamburger in Redding and a swim in the Trinity river. Many road construction delays and unbearable heat in the Trinity Alps. That dip in the river was so fantastic… I drank so much water I got high… So, how was your summer vacation?

<~~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~~>

Rainbow Gathering Idaho 2001: I went to the gathering with a goal in mind. I wanted to play my guitar and sing in public. Yes, mission accomplished. Part of My Autobiography...



I was Living in Chico, California and working at the plastics factory when there was a layoff, my wife suggested that I borrow the car and drive over to the gathering. My friend Mike Jensen wanted to go and so we checked the oil, brake fluid, transmission fluid and water and set out on a classic American road trip. We made it as far as Reno the first day and slept by the side of the road.
Normally I'm creepy about just pulling off and sleeping because there is the possibility of being hassled by the police but Mike soothed my fears and we spent an uneventful night there. Then on thru Nevada to Winnemucca and a turn North to get to Boise traveling thru the High Desert. Boise is a very beautiful town in a fertile valley. The directions printed from the website recommended going an extra 50 miles out of the way thru Sun Valley instead of taking the shortest route because the
road was supposed to be difficult to travel. We drove thru the Sawtooth Mountain Range (stunning beauty) and finally saw the tiny sign directing us to the Gathering.

About a mile down the dirt road, the car stopped running. All it needed was 15 minutes rest and it started right up. We had been traveling fast for hours and it was over whelmed by the demands i was putting on it. Many people drove by offering help. I was upset but Mike calmed my fears and sure enough it was fine.

Another 5 miles down the dirt road there was a fork with a sheriff... he directed us to the left and gave us a piece of paper telling us that it was an illegal gathering. Mike wanted to ask him a bunch of questions but I just wanted to go and avoid police contact... We found parking and walked in with our few belongings and set up camp. Went to sleep.

Mike was interested in finding "Serenity Ridge" (a 12 step AA/NA meeting-we met at Mom's AA in Chico and were both interested in the program at that time) ... and so the next day we started our search...

On a side meadow there was a sculpture made out of branches that formed two interlocking three sided pyramids. One with the pointy end up and one with the pointy end down. It formed a three dimensional star... Like the "Star of David"... On the path we saw "Dun Dun Village". They were doing drumming and synchronized dancing.

I ran out of water and was getting really thirsty. Mike suggested that I ask the nearest people for help and "Just bliss out"... It so happened that the people not only had fresh clean drinking water and a glass, but the had herbal tea... I was very grateful... not only for the physical help I got but for the knowledge that my needs were going to be taken care of for the rest of the event... I gave myself permission to "just bliss out"...
Then we went to the main campfire and danced to the drums for hours... actually all night long... It was cold up there in the mountains of Idaho and we only had sleeping bags, no tent... If we left the campfire, it was uncomfortable, so, why NOT stay and enjoy the unique experience of 30
drummers...

The next day I went over to the "Relaxation Station" near the entrance and sat there all day long. I played my guitar and sang for all the newcomers to the gathering. A man wearing a silly "Dr. Seuss" hat sat down with his guitar and I taught him how to play "Uncle John's Band" by the Grateful Dead. We played it for a very long time... It seemed to him to have an odd chord sequence but after repeated instruction, we got it down. Fortunately, I had brought my hand written songbooks and the lyrics/chords to hundreds of classic rock/folks songs were in them... We had a fine time at "Relaxation Station" a place where newcomers were encouraged to stop and rest after their long journey... A lady was telling fortunes with Tarot Cards... we had beverages, food and anything else that a weary traveler could want... Grass, music and shade...

There was a fellow that was playing a trick on passers-by... he had a piece of foam that looked like a concrete block. he would ask the stranger to help him lift it because it was so heavy, then he would "accidentally" drop the block on their toe... They thought it was going to hurt them because it appeared to be a very heavy object, but it actually was very light... The "OH NO!' experience turned into silly laughter when the passers-by realized the joke... He did this to about 15 people during the afternoon I spent there... ahh, simple minds easily amused by cosmic theatre...

The next day was July 3rd and I walked over to the main campfire... Playing my 12 string guitar and singing loudly to the assembled thousands of people. Mostly "Iko Iko"...

ONE DAY WE ALL NOTICED A GIANT RAINBOW IN THE SKY. IT WAS CAUSED BY ICE CRYSTALS IN THE CLOUDS BEING DIFFRACTED... My wife calls this phenomenon a "Sun Dog"... It stretched for over half of the visible sky and stayed there for hours. You could tell something was happening because the people in the meadow all of a sudden started pointing at the sky... In our campsite under the trees I could see the main meadow and saw hundreds of people spread out for a mile stop what they were doing and point...

The people camped next to us were 20 something years old and they had long involved conversations about their careers in computer businesses in the Midwest... they also talked about their body piercing and the trouble with infections/who to go do the piercing that had clean tools
etc. I sat with them for and afternoon and sang them songs. One of the fine things about having my handwritten songbooks is that the people I play for can select which songs to sing from the index. Often they would exclaim "That's my favorite song!" and so we would sing it... It helps because they often don not know the words and can read them while we are singing...

I had to leave the gathering before the big July 4th celebration because my wife had bought tickets to a concert in Clear Lake, California. I took the shortcut road home and it was fine. The directions to the gathering recommended going the long way because of high winds... IF YOU ARE DRIVING A BUS WITH A VOLKSWAGON VAN WELDED ON TOP... But my little Honda car went smoothly.

I drove home alone and Mike stayed there at the gathering and found his own way home... as it turned out he stayed there for a month and got a terrible ride home in an old bus with bad brakes...

On the way home I experienced a light rain shower in the High Desert of Nevada. I stopped the car and walked around the in rain... It is so very rare to have rain in the desert so it was a happy time. I also watched fireworks as I was approaching Reno from the east.

Back at home we packed the car and camped out at a state park near Konocti Resort. Saw Dan Fogelburg and danced it the bar to a local band... Overall, a fine trip that was an unexpected blessing... I was so fortunate to get laid off at the Factory (for a week)...

Read More of My AutoBiography at:
http://gvan42.blogspot.com/2018/03/growing-up-in-los-gatos-california-in.html




Classic Rainbow Spiral ART


Pennsylvania Rainbow Gathering Memories:
I was driving around the East Coast of the USA on Vacation and...
My hitchhikers said the Gathering was at the intersection of 6 and 666 in Pennsylvania. I drove there by myself and was greeted by a man that said "Welcome Home, Brother". I parked and walked in carrying a backpack and sleeping bag... no tent... so the entire time I was sleeping in random different locations... When I arrived at the main campfire circle I noticed that the Gathering was located on a creek and so I wandered downstream to find a nude swimming hole... There by the creek side was a sweat lodge and a group of bathers. I went swimming and waited for the opportunity to go into the lodge. By this time I had been approached by someone's child who recommended that I not smoke tobacco during my time at the Gathering... I took that advice and soon was feeling the withdrawal symptoms from my addiction... A group left the sweat lodge and I went in... a person asked me to leave as there were two couples that wanted a private sweat and I was a fifth wheel... I got angry because I had no knowledge of a queue waiting for the sweat lodge... and I was freaking from the tobacco "JONES"... I left after arguing a bit and later got to sweat with many other men... The sweat was very therapeutic and helped with my nicotine anxiety. I wandered up to the main circle and met a fellow that manufactured plate glass xylophones and wooden marimbas. I borrowed one and played at the main circle. Then went over to a stage near the entrance and joined a group performing there. I was not wearing any clothes... It's the one time in my entire life that I have performed on stage nude... We mostly played songs like "JINGO" by Santana... that classic beat...
And the song "Infinite Sun"

Lyrics:
We are all one 'neath the Infinite Sun,
forever, forever, forever...
I will never forget you,
I will never forsake you,
forever, forever, forever...

Later that day I met some women and retired to their blanketed campsite for a back rub... One was named Terri and we became friends... Traded phone numbers... She decided to leave the Gathering Early because she wanted to go to the Bob Dylan and The Dead concert at RFK Stadium in Washington DC.
I selected to not go because the Gathering was a better event... In my opinion...

On July 4th at the main circle I found a bowl of Peyote unattended... It had a sign saying Sacrament, Help Yourself... and I did... For the entire day I ate small bits of Peyote... Just a small amount and then wait a half an hour, then another small amount and wait... after about 12 hours I had eaten a LOT and truly got the Mescaline High without barfing. The flavor of Peyote is quite bitter and many people find it to be so bad that they barf... I prefer the slow, steady approach.

I wandered over to a stage made out of hay bales and enjoyed the music. There was a cable slide built into a tree and I rode that often. How it worked: there was a steel cable leading from a platform about 15 feet up in a tree stretched tautly to a stake in the ground... A person sat in a leather seat that was attached to the cable by a freespinning wheel and chain... Jump off the platform and ride the cable to the ground... whee! swing the seat back up the cable for the next rider... That was an amazing ride, home made by Rainbow Gatherers just for our own amusement... Thanks!!!

Then I started dancing with a lady that had coarse brown hair... we became friends and were kissing on the ground when she suggested we go on stage and sing for the rest of the tribe. By this time I was very high on Peyote. She gave me a choice of three songs to perform... the names of the first two songs were incomprehensible so I selected Kumbayah, the third choice. We did go onto the stage and sang for the rest of the tribe... by that time she selected to go to her campsite and we parted ways... I located my sleeping bag and found that another lady was in it... I told her to not worry or leave and we slept together like spoons...

In my reading about the Native American Church, one of the things that happens is that a person high on peyote meets Mescalito and is taught their song... then they perform it for the tribe... My experience was similar... I felt as if the woman with the coarse brown hair was Mescalita and we did perform my song...


A couple of days later I drove home and went out on a date with Terry. We had a fine time and she and her girlfriend wanted a ride to an Ashram in rural Virginia. So the three of us went to visit Dar San Singh near an army base on the Potomac. We could hear the explosions of the warriors practicing with their weapons. The sound provided contrast for what was happening at the Ashram.
The Spiritual Study of Indian Religion.
I didn't quite grasp the message of this GURU (mainly because I could not understand a word he said-heavy accent, talked quietly) so I and the Terry's girlfriend came back to DC and I dropped her off at her house.

And THAT's how I spent my summer vacation...

~~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~~

My trip to the Rainbow Gathering in Utah after I retired from work. 2014
Since I had time on my hands and money in my pocket... it was a perfect opportunity to go camping with 10,000 hippies in the woods.

I drove my Ford Windstar Van with the bed in the back to Chico and picked up my friend "Rainbow" Mike Jensen. We drove for two days to thru Nevada and Utah to Salt Lake City where we went shopping for groceries. The clerks were very helpful and in General the Mormon People were kind to us. I drove past Park City and turned off the main road just before Heber City. I had gotten the driving directions from the WelcomeHome.org website and we traveled a long way on dirt roads into the Utah wilderness. I parked in a field and we relaxed for a day in order to get acclimated to the high elevation. A camper who parked next to me was complaining that he had forgotten to pack Bungee Cords and he was upset as that was an essential part of his backpack. I had a few extra that I gave him and in his gratitude he gave me some Marijuana. I was at the gathering for 5 minutes and already stoned.

Mike was excited about going to the main part of the gathering and he packed up his backpack and hiked down the trail. I wouldn't see him for 3 days. I spent the night sleeping in my van on the mattress. The next day I simply relaxed in the parking lot and enjoyed the sunshine. Then I packed my own backpack and walked on down the trail. I did not take my camera as it was low on batteries and Mike had my batteries in HIS backpack. It was exhausting to hike due to the 9,000 foot elevation. I only made it half way to the Welcome Home Tent on the first day. I did take a blissful ride in the back of a pickup truck with a pile of other campers thru the sunny forest... Then I camped out in a location that had many mosquitoes... not a lot of fun... I put my sleeping bag over my head to prevent getting bitten and endured the night.

The next day I walked on down the trail resting often... Including next to the campsite of the Lady Nicknamed "Hitler" who was drinking a lot of booze and loudly arguing with everyone... Eventually she would be arrested by the police for stabbing another camper with a knife... I walked on by without talking to her and arrived at the "Welcome Home Kitchen". I would stay there for two days and nights... smoking weed, singing songs and Tending the Campfire...

I was given the opportunity to focus my attention. Here is what happened...

While at the Welcome Home Kitchen, the Fire Tender wanted to go to another kitchen and trade a cooler filled with coffee for pizza. He asked if someone would watch the fire while he was gone. SOMEONE had to be there... I volunteered. I Said "I'll be here. I'll be the responsable adult. I can do that, I have done that."

he said "Great" and Left with the cooler filled with coffee.

So I took over and made sure we didn't burn down the forest. I also collected wood, placed it carefully on the fire arranging the logs so that they would burn without causing a lot of smoke AND I invited arriving people to help themselves to a cup of coffe or clean drinking water... and to take a break and relax around the fire.

This is a classic way to focus attention as the placement of logs on the fire is very similar to Zen Gardening with sand...

So, during this time... I asked for a Really Big Idea... I had attended Rainbow Gatherings before and I wanted each visit to be different. It's pointless and boring to keep on repeating experiences... so, this time I wanted to get a really big Idea...

and here it is: A SolarFire powered Desalinization Machine. Use a driftwood fire to power a steam engine. Use the force from the steam engine to drive a water pump. Pump seawater thru a pipe in the fire and into a long black pipe with a reflector that focuses sunlight on the pipe. When the water boils, it expands in volume... at the end of the pipe, steam will be billowing out with a great deal of force. Use that force to drive an electricity generating turbine. Collect the steam and let it turn back into a liquid... The result is Pure H20, NaCl and Electricity... all valuable and sell-able.

Clean safe drinking water is a big problem. We could use the collected steam for drinking, bathing, livestock, gardens... AND making Ice for a really great Scotch on the Rocks.

To make this practical, the location of the machine would need to be near a big pile of driftwood. On Agate Beach in California, I have seen a pile of driftwood that covers the entire beach for about a half a mile... In other locations, use whatever resource is available. For Example: In Saudi Arabia it would make more sense to burn oil or gas...

So, during my meditation I Got my really big idea...

Later, the fire tender returned and his mission to get pizza was successful.

Much later I was sitting by the fire and another Rainbow Gatherer approached... He said mockingly: "Have you been sitting in that same spot for two days?" Which was true, I did spend a couple of days at the Welcome Home Tent.

I replied: "No, I also worked as the fire tender... That gave me an opportunity to Focus My Attention... [said slowly] Focus... My... Attention... "

The fire tender was listening and he nodded with understanding... Later we ended up hanging out together and he was a fine fellow... He was also very interested in being in the Cleanup Crew... I assume he got paid a lot in valuable stuff left behind.

~~~~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~~~~

Long ago I was playing the drums with some Buddhists at an anti-war protest march... I asked them why we were playing such an odd rhythm... They said that it requires that you Focus Your Attention... It's true... That experience was quite different than bang out a 4/4 on the big bass drum... I also did that at the same protest, our goal was to get George Bush the Father to remember that we didn't LIKE his war... and there were people playing the drums 24 hours a day in Lafayette Park to remind him... His only choices were to listen or flee...

~~~~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~~~~

We walked from the Welcome Home Kitchen to camp at The Big Shady Spot at Main Meadow. At high elevation, sunburn is a major problem so our campsite was the very best!

A group of musicians were relaxing in the shade and I played my harmonica. I actually lead the group doing the song "You Are My Sunshine". A six year old girl was demanding the attention of the adults and I played that song for her, everyone else sang along... Big Fun...

I saw a group of people congregating in the Smaller Shady Spot at Main Meadow and I wondered... "What are those people doing?" Then they all came over to our campsite... A Lady asked me if she could teach a healing seminar at our location... I said "SURE, have fun. I was wondering what the crowd of people was for, and was considering walking over there but you came over here..." and she said: "Sometimes Mohammad goes to the Mountain and sometimes the Mountain Comes to Mohammad." Her name is Sonya Sophia and she taught a seminar of Self Help - Acupressure. We put pressure on locations of out body by tapping lightly with our fingers while she told us reassuring statements and we would all repeat what she said... Like: "I Love and Respect Myself." It was a good seminar and I enjoyed it so much that I took her business card and attended once a week internet sessions. Here is a link to a youtube video of her teaching at a Rainbow Gathering...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2r0I8VoxJY&t=19s

That night I attended the GIANT BONFIRE and danced. Some campers brought a laser lightshow.
I tried to get the people to play along with the Drumming Beat [Boom, Boom, Chick] from Queen's "We Will Rock You" but no one wanted to play that beat... Everyone liked "Jingo" by Carlos Santana...

When it was time to leave I found that Mike had mover the Van to a much closer location. Thank You Mike! I never got acclimated to the high elevation and hiking was exhausting.

He also volunteered me as an ambulance driver to take two teenagers to the hospital at Heber City. When we arrived, we took the girl to the nurse and then delivered the couple to the Salt Lake City Airport where her uncle had a ticket home waiting for them... They basically had taken too many psychedelic drugs and were tired, lost, broke and needed some help.

Mike spent some time reading out loud from the book "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand at the gathering and in our motel rooms.
History: What it Looked Like in 2022...

Main Circle July 4th Colorado Rainbow Gathering

Gathering Colorado 2022 - newspaper photo

Many People put a Lot of Effort into Building Kitchens to Cook Food and We All have Giant Communal Meals... Others Build Giant Bonfires... Many People Bring Musical Instruments... Drums, Guitars, Flutes, Harmonicas... Others Teach Classes in Self Healing... Some read Tarot Cards... Whatever it is That Interests YOU is what Happens at the Gathering... Some Trade Hand Made Crafts, Crystals or Tie Dye T-Shirts... Some People Take Psychedelic Drugs and Marijuana but Alcohol is Only Allowed in the Parking Lot... AA & NA Have Meetings... Some people do Fire Dancing with Flaming Kerosene Balls on the end of short Chains... People Work Building Slit Trench Latrines and Clean Water Delivery Systems... Others work as Volunteer Doctors and Nurses... Rangers from the National Park Service are there in case you have an Emergency they Can Radio for a Medi-Vac Helicopter...

I like bringing Extra Food to Share... Especially Small Bags of M&M Chocolate...

And on July 4th at NOON There is a Group "OM" Chant Holding Hands... 

Remember: Cold at Night. Go a Few Days Early to Get Acclimated... Bring Warm Clothes, Sleeping Bag... Bring Plenty of Food and Chocolate! ... Bring a Bag of Tobacco for "Nic @ Nite" --- Bring a Cup to use when they are serving free food! Remember: Sunburn is a Real Health Hazard at High Elevation.

Rainbow Gathering Graphic - Whole Earth from Space

The First Amendment to the US Constitution: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

So... While Local People & Police May SAY that it's an Illegal Gathering... The First Amendment to the Constitution Always Guarantees the Right to Peaceably Assemble... and That's What We Are Doing!


...or...

...or...




I replied: Bring Food... Enough to feed yourself for a week... Bring Flashlights! I've always had to backpack in and so I traveled light... Instead of bringing a drum I brought Harmonicas and TEAK STICKS... Very Light Weight... Often it's a Long Walk from the Parking Lot to the Welcome Home Kitchen so... Figure That You will be Bringing Everything you want in One trip.

Inside the Marimba Tent - California Rainbow Gathering 2004 - gvan42

As some folks have asked about clean/sober space and meetings in the woods. SereniTea Ridge is indeed focalizing our camp for the annual gathering! We could use all the help we can get, so if you’d be interested in camping/connecting with us, please let us know!

SereniTea Ridge at the Rainbow Gathering - meme

Preamble For Serenitea Ridge:
We are a fellowship of men and women who share our strength, experience, and hope with each other that we may solve our common problem and help others to recover from the disease of addiction.
We come together every summer at the National Rainbow Gathering to share our vision of peace, love, and healing for our Mother and for us, her children. We realize that we know only a little and that more will be revealed if we are willing to place our trust in spirit. We hold 12-step meetings in our camp twice a day, at Rainbow Noon and Dark Thirty. All are welcome, regardless of age, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or drug of choice. Any person in recovery is welcome even if your recovery is not chemically-related. Because of the nature of our sensitivities, we ask that Serenity Ridge and Brew HaHa Tea Kitchen remain chemical-FREE. That includes caffeine and nicotine. We ask that you respect our serenity by respecting these requests and join us as we share this life in recovery.

Words of Advice:
The gathering is going to be in high elevation. That is a given. There is always a hike in. Some yrs as far as 4 miles although it has been less in the last several yrs. This is primitive camping. There are only slit latrines with little privacy. No portapotties. Please be prepared for these obstacles. If there is a medical emergency it could take time to assess care. This has always been the nature of the gathering. For our new family we welcome you but be aware this is not a festival.If you come before 7/1 then you are at seed camp. You must be prepared to be self sufficient and pitch in.Everyone will help as much as possible but be prepared for cold weather and maybe a fire ban. Our focus is building a community in the woods where we as a family are self sufficient as we prepare for our silence and prayer on the July 4th. It's going to be epic, even if it isn't easy.

~~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~~

Photographs and Story of My Journey to the Rainbow Gatherings in California, Idaho, Pennsylvania and Utah...

~~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~~

Rainbow Bridge in the Sky Photo
I Said: We all saw something like that at the Rainbow Gathering in Idaho 2001... People out in Main Meadow were pointing and shouting as if a UFO was landing... I left our campsite under the trees to see what the comotion was... and saw a giant rainbow in the sky that persisted for about a half an hour... Bliss!

and AP Replied: At the 78 gathering in Oregon, it had rained cats and dogs for days and days. On the 4th after the OM, the very second it went quiet, the sun came out over our huge circle with a rainbow from one side of the circle to the other. That was enough to make a believer of me that something else was at play in those moments!


Welcome Home!

Too bad you can't see this, it's a beautiful
picture of the Welcome Home tent from the 1992 Colorado National

When the earth is ravaged and the animals are dying, a new tribe of people shall come unto the earth from many colors, classes, creeds, and who by their actions and deeds shall make the earth green again. They will be known as the warriors of the Rainbow -- Old Native American Prophecy


Rainbow Gathering 2022 Colotado July 1-7

Live Lightly with the Land and People!

~~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~~

The Saying "Welcome Home" was a Greeting Originally said to Returning Vietnam Veterans... Because They Were In Need of a Friendly Greeting. 

~~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~~

Rainbow Gathering Photograph by Gregory Vanderlaan 2004 California
The 
Rainbow Gathering Photograph by Gregory Vanderlaan 2004 California
Photo of the CALM Medic tent…
Rainbow Gathering Photograph by Gregory Vanderlaan 2004 California
Rainbow Gathering Photograph by Gregory Vanderlaan 2004 California

Prayer for World Peace on Interdependence Day (July 4th)



Fire Tending Meditation: a way to focus attention.

When at the Rainbow Gathering in Utah 2014 I was given the opportunity to focus my attention. Here is what happened...


While staying at the Welcome Home Kitchen, the Fire Tender wanted to go to another kitchen and trade a cooler filled with coffee for pizza. He asked if someone would watch the fire while he was gone. SOMEONE had to be there... I volunteered. I Said "I'll be here. I'll be the responsable adult. I can do that, I have done that."

he said "Great" and Left with the cooler filled with coffee.

So I took over and made sure we didn't burn down the forest. I also collected wood, placed it carefully on the fire arranging the logs so that they would burn without causing a lot of smoke AND I invited arriving people to help themselves to a cup of coffe or clean drinking water... and to take a break and relax around the fire.

This is a classic way to focus attention as the placement of logs on the fire is very similar to Zen Gardening with sand...

So, during this time... I asked for a Really Big Idea... I had attended Rainbow Gatherings before and I wanted each visit to be different. It's pointless and boring to keep on repeating experiences... so, this time I wanted to get a really big Idea...

and here it is: A SolarFire powered Desalinization Machine. Use a driftwood fire to power a steam engine. Use the force from the steam engine to drive a water pump. Pump seawater thru a pipe in the fire and into a long black pipe with a reflector that focuses sunlight on the pipe. When the water boils, it expands in volume... at the end of the pipe, steam will be billowing out with a great deal of force. Use that force to drive an electricity generating turbine. Collect the steam and let it turn back into a liquid... The result is Pure H20, NaCl and Electricity... all valuable and sellable.

Clean safe drinking water is a big problem. We could use the collected steam for drinking, bathing, livestock, gardens... AND making Ice for a really great Scotch on the Rocks.

To make this pracital, the location of the machine would need to be near a big pile of driftwood. On Agate Beach in California, I have seen a pile of driftwood that covers the entire beach for about a half a mile... In other locations, use watever resource is available. For Example: In Saudi Arabia it would make more sense to burn oil or gas...

So, during my meditation I Got my really big idea...

Later, the fire tender returned and his mission to get pizza was successful.

Much later I was sitting by the fire and another Rainbow Gatherer approached... He said mockingly: "Have you been sitting in that same spot for two days?" Which was true, I did spend a couple of days at the Welcome Home Tent.


I replied: "No, I also worked as the fire tender... That gave me an opportunity to Focus My Attention... [said slowly] Focus... My... Attention... "

The fire tender was listening and he nodded with understanding... Later we ended up hanging out together and he was a fine fellow... He was also very interested in being in the Cleanup Crew... I assume he got paid a lot in valuable stuff left behind.




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