Toddstock: Friday 6.20.08

Some folks went tubing instead we took a boat trip to Napali coast with Joanna and Biljac Burnside. We saw several kayakers out in the ocean which made me grateful that our boat had a motor and someone else was driving. The coast has a surreal velvet cover. We could see hikers that were on the trail that Todd and the crew had taken on Wednesday.

Our favorite part of this ride was when the captain took the boat back into a cave. It was dark and you looked down into clear water. Looking back and watching the light come through the opening to the cave is one of my favorite pictures from the trip.

The boat was anchored in the calmest waters that the captain could find and we were able to snorkel. This spot was not nearly as calm as Annini beach, of course, but we were able to adjust to the waves and see some very colorful fish and turtles.

This evening was an interesting Q&A time with Todd. Doug Ford of Rundgren Radio ran the Q&A with Todd at his side. The interview can be heard here. Todd told interesting stories about how Kauai came to be his home and how they acquired the property. If you want to know more about the Q&A time you have to consult Chuck. I camped out in the hotel room with the air conditioning. My apologies to Roger D. Linder - I orginally said that he ran the Q&A but Roger runs the TRConnection which keeps all of us up on any news and tour info about Todd. I told ya Chuck knows alot more about this than I do!

Toddstock: Thursday 6.19.08

We woke up this morning in a real bed. There was no snoring from others in a nylon walled tent, no red dirt and a hot shower. Well, Chuck woke up. I still had more sleeping to do. That morning Todd led the group on a hike along Napali coast and Chuck was on his own for this event. No one could tell that it was Todd’s 60th birthday by the way he left others in the dust on the hike. The hike was up and downhill so when Chuck rolled in from the hike he looked like it would take him some time to recover. He was covered in red dirt from head to toe and I still can’t get the red dirt out of the socks he wore on the hike. He did say that the views were amazing and he was glad that he did it. I was glad I slept in.

We were treated that evening with a concert by Ken Emerson. He made it in for Todd’s birthday and Todd sat front and center taking in the music from Ken’s guitar. I would have loved to see what would happen if Ken and Todd had played a song together

Then it was back to the martini bar and getting to know more people. Todd wandered through the crowd so if he was around people would gather and listen to his stories. If he wasn’t in the food tent or at Michele’s bar then he was at the Tiki bar making and serving martinis. Such a gracious host.

Toddstock: Wednesday 6.18.08

We had been to Waimea Canyon on a previous visit to Kauia and knew we wanted to return to this spectacular view. We made the trek with Ronnie, his son, Allen, and Karen. Karen lives in England and is originally from Australia. We loved her quick wit and her comments about being Jewish and looking for a synagogue on Kauia were hilarious. She is also a songwriter although we didn’t get to hear any of her tunes.

Waimea is known as the small Grand Canyon. I’ve not seen the Grand Canyon but the clouds parted long enough for us to see the Napali coast and ocean and provide a view you won't find at the Grand Canyon, of course.

We returned to the campground after buying leis to take part in the house blessing for Todd and Michele's house. It's been under construction for 3 years and when I asked the forman who happened to be sitting next to us one evening when it would be finished he looked at us and said, "Never." Truly a work of art in progress. The roof has curved lines and is covered with copper. The foreman told us that it was constructed on the ground and then attached to the house. Todd's ability to see a vision and then make it happen continued to amaze and inspire me.

Of course, it was a Hawaiian house blessing. The spiritual leader explained as she moved through the blessing the purpose of each part of it and then she spoke in Hawaiian. A tea leaf was planted at each corner of the house to remind them of this day of blessing. We waited outside while the family went inside and spoke words of their intentions for each room of the house. When they were finished the rest of us were invited into the house. When the front door opened the view was breathtaking. We looked straight through the house (because there is no fourth wall on their living room/kitchen) to see the water of the koi pond at the edge of the living floor and look directly out into their valley view. Only an artist could know how to take advantage of such a view. Then each person was permitted to share their words of blessing for the house. Most of the words were beautiful and appropriate. My word was "martini" and it went downhill from there so Todd knew to put a halt and invite people to tour his home. When we are released to share our pics I'll post some of our better ones of the house here.

We had a great dinner that evening and continued to mingle and share in the beverages.

Toddstock: Monday 6.16.08

We continued to meet some great people. Chuck and I both have an introverted side to our temperament and so it takes a great deal of energy for us to small talk. Not so here. Todd/music was the common denominator so any question such as, “How many times have you seen Todd in concert?” was an immediate conversation starter. We realized pretty quickly that we were amateurs compared to the people who had seen him 60 or 70 times. There was a noncompetitive spirit about the camp so we were still welcomed even with the handful of times that we had actually seen Todd. Chuck has played Todd’s music whenever possible in bands and even in worship in churches.

We met a beautiful lady named Mary who came to camp by herself. Her husband has an aggressive form of MS and he was gracious enough to give her the gift of this week. She struck me as a devoted caregiver in much need of this time to recharge her spirit. She has physical problems herself (as most of us did since this wasn’t a Woodstock generation) and she was so filled with energy from other people and being near Todd and Michele. Her story touched our hearts and I continue to ask the source of love to be very kind to her.

I met a lady, Mary Ann and her husband, Larry. He is 67 and I didn't catch her age. Mary Ann had only discovered Todd’s music six months ago and was consumed by it. She had printed off the words to songs and had compiled them in a notebook. It was one of the things she asked Todd to sign for her. She really resonated with his words. One of his songs, The Last Ride, came through the speakers and tears started rolling down her face. The words spoke to her at such a deep level that the only way to describe the connection is to call it spiritual. Even though our ages were not that far apart I still found that she was very inspiring to me because I hope I always look for those things that speak to my heart. The concert on Sunday was the first concert of Todd’s that she had actually seen live. She and her husband enjoyed it immensely. They were the ones who had brought Todd the walking stick which he carried during the hike. They also brought jewelry for Michele and I think it was the night of the Luau that she wore their gift.

There were so many great people – I can only name a few as I blog about this event. I just kept saying during the week – of all the places to be on the earth at this time – this was the place to be. It was simultaneously surreal and, yet, very centered. Very difficult to explain but the people who were there know what I mean.

Day 3 was the day we went looking for a different extension cord for Chuck’s sleep apnea machine that he was using in the tent. Most of us were of a mature age which required an electrical box in the tent that housed the camping tents because of the number of people using CPAP machines. Michele referred to us as a Papper colony - better than being a leper colony! Chuck discovered that the CPAP machine has a dual purpose – was great for blowing up air mattresses!

Toddstock: Sunday 6.15.08

Chuck and I took off on our own to check out the snorkeling at Annini Beach. Beautiful, clear water. We didn't find much in the way of snorkeling but when we went with the group on Tuesday we saw turtles and all kinds of fish. Michele Rundgren's brother and sister-in-law led the group and knew exactly where to direct us to the fish.

Camping

We have not camped for at least 20 years so it was a test. With the air mattresses it really wasn't bad. What was bad was the snoring. I had wax earplugs and could still hear it. Of course, I'm sure they heard my snoring and coughing as well. The majority of the tents were under one huge tent like they use for events so we were really close together. So, at night, Toddstock turned into a snore fest. We lasted 5 days and 4 nights in the tent and then mutually decided if we were to have the best experience possible that we needed more rest. The hotel room was small but looked huge compared to the tent and the bed and shower looked even better. There were outdoor showers at the camp and you could look up and see the Hawaiian sky - when you looked up you hardly noticed the cold water. Trading hot water for cold still ended up feeling like a true luxury.

Camping in Kauai is probably under some of the best circumstances possible. Lower humidity and cool breezes at night. We just got tired of the red dirt that permeated everything. Chuck did like the red hue of the dirt on his green khaki shorts but that was about all we could tolerate. I imagine we'll be finding red dirt for quite awhile.

The Burnsides

We connected with a great couple, Biljac and Joanna Burnside, who were on the same flight from Denver to Kauai and needed a ride from the airport. We stopped by Sears to pick up their tent and get stuff that we still needed like chairs and beach towels. We had borrowed a tent and had three suitcases so by the time we got everything in the SUV we still had to tie some luggage on top (thanks to Biljac).

Biljac had cooked for a football team at Old Miss years ago and volunteered those cooking skills for breakfast and dinner times. He knew what he was doing in the kitchen and we were grateful for it. Joanna was usually at his side cleaning and organizing. They made a great team. Biljac owns two businesses - he teaches Karate and tunes pianos. Joanna teaches piano at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. They live in Hattiesburg, Mississippi with their cat, Nudge. I'm so glad I didn't do anything to tick Joanna off during the week - I'm sure Biljac has earned numerous awards for his Karate skills but he also informed me that Joanna has been the state champion seven times for their particular style of Karate. Those southern women are velvet covered steel!

The cup in my hand was my cup for the week because the Rundgrens strive to be environmentally friendly. They also used biodegradable cups and utensils made out of corn. I kept watching my martini served to me by Todd himself that he had been poured into a "corn" cup and just waiting for the vodka to melt right through it!

The Journey to Toddstock: Saturday 6.14.08

The journey began to Todd and Michele Rundgren's home on Kauai on June 14th. Chuck had to take his digital accordion, of course, so he had called ahead to make sure that it would fit in the overhead storage - no gate check for this baby. They reassured him that the accordion would fit. On the first leg of the journey we flew from Cincinnati to Denver and the plane was small. There was no way the accordion would fit in the overhead storage. The stewardess was very accomodating and reassured Chuck that she would find a seat for it. Probably due to the weight of the instrument she put it in the nearest seat possible which was FIRST CLASS. Yes, look at the picture again and you will be able to see for yourself that the accordion is sitting in first class. And where did the wife sit? In economy, of course! I had to pretend that I was upset because I did think it was hilarious. I did ask the waitress for the accordion's drinks and lunch. Apparently, it likes foreign beers. Fortunately, she enjoyed playing along with the joke.

Yes, it's hilarious but, at the same time, there is something so wrong with this picture - especially for such a long flight!