Seattle to Moses Lake -- Nia in Leavenworth

I allowed myself three hours to get to the space, when Google said I only needed about 2:20.  All was going smoothly until I was about half an hour away from Leavenworth and saw a sign saying to "Expect 40 Minute Delays".   Some quick math told me I couldn't afford 40 minutes, so it was a been worrisome. I didn't fret too much, as I tend to wait until the last minute before panicking. Before I knew it, I was passing the sign that said to "Follow the Pilot Car".  Without even noticing a break in the flow of traffic, I zoomed back a long line of cars waiting to drive the opposite direction. I guess they'd been there a while because some of them were getting out of their cars and stretching. 

And I made it to the studio in plenty of time.

It was a full weekend of events that Gayle Holeton put together at the Icicle Creek Center for the Arts. The center is a campsite, and all of the event halls are like cabins. I really appreciate the cool, crisp, blue sky in Leavenworth, especially after the horrible week Seattle has had. 

I taught a FloorPlay class and didn't really have a plan, but threw together some of my favorite FloorPlay songs and some selections from the event I taught last year in Santa Fe. We played, and made-believe, laughed and sweat. The focus was on comparing the horizontal energy (playful) with the vertical energy (mature). 

River was a little bit antsy in his cage. I don't blame him. It usually takes a day or two of awkwardness before we get into the flow of the road life. I felt it too. Everything just seems a little bit off and difficult. But once everything finds its place again, the flow feeling takes over and we surf on the joy of the vagabond life. 

I stayed after my FloorPlay class for a session on Feldenkrais - Awareness Through Movement. Ava, I think was her name, and she led a beautiful lesson. I always get so much out of doing Feldenkrais work with a skilled facilitator. 

I snuck out in between sessions to grab some food on a picnic table I found in between several of the cabin buildings. River hung out on the grass while I ate some eggs, greens, avocado and bread. I gave him a nice long rest in the grass, and we climbed on a big rock, before we went back into the studio.

The next session was about Ayurveda. since I was letting River decompress in nature, I missed the beginning, but I'm already pretty well versed in the basics and she seemed to still be on the basics when I arrived. We eventually got to play around with the different styles of music and movement according to Ayurveda. 

And after that session was my class. I thought about continuing the Ayurveda thing as a focus in my class, but I decided to let it rest and I focused instead on Moving Slowly During Quick Movements. I explained how if we increase our awareness, moments seem to take longer. And we applied that to what we noticed as we danced. 

Nia at Icicle Creek Center for the Arts

After the big day of events, we all went to Craig and Robin's house where they had a big spread and barbequed burgers in their beautiful garden. I took River for a walk before we went inside, and then we went right through the house to the backyard where I ran around with him on the grass for a while. 

We all ate, River sat at my feet, and had deep conversations until the sun was starting to set. Then I excused myself because I still had another two hours to drive to Moses Lake. 

On the way to Moses Lake, I passed by a big dam. It was dark so I didn't take a picture, but it was cool. I got in late and crashed as soon as we got to the room.