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: Tuesday 6.17.08

On Tuesday we went back to Anini Beach but this time we were led by Michele's brother and sister-in-law. They lived on Kauai so they knew where to find the best snorkeling. They led us to some great sites and it had been a long time since we had seen such colorful fish and turtles. Truly helped us remember how much Chuck and I love snorkeling.

Chuck's accordion strap had broke the night before so we knew we were going into town after snorkeling to find a music store. Pippi, Ronnie and his son, Allen, went with us to get some lunch before we hit the music store. Pippi hails from Texas and has a wicked sense of humor and an amazing singing voice. Ronnie is from England and is a true gentleman. We enjoyed getting to know these great people and they will always be a part of what made Toddstock such a once in a lifetime event.

We stopped for photo opps of these amazing taro fields as shown above.

Been Gone Too Long

I'm back to finish the Toddstock blog. My friends and I had an open house here at my house and we did very well selling jewelry and purses (handmade - not knock-off brands). We had a great turnout and appreciated everyone showing up. Sales were good and so I went on a bead hunt with my friend, Cortney, who makes beautiful, contemporary jewelry. I have replenished my stock and am beading again. We will probably go to a bead show this weekend at Sharonville Convention Center but no more buying after that - only selling! Cortney and I have promised to not let each other spend any more on beads cause we're beadaholiques! Cyndi, who makes amazing fabric purses, Cortney and I will probably be at the September Days Arts and Crafts Market on September 13th at the Village Green in Fairfield. Hope to see you there!

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.