We visit Puerto Rico, and it's Carnival season

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Discussed: Mardi Gras season, Puerto Rico, Amanda Palmer

Here in New Orleans "Carnival Season" starts on January 6, 12th Night.  This day is also celebrated traditionally as the Feast of Epiphany, the day that the three wise men visited the Christ child.  Unlike the revelers depicted in the link above, Carol and I and a large but chill crowd celebrated alternatively,  at a Bywater neighborhood tradition, the Bywater Bakery "King Day" King Cake Kick-Off.  The weather was perfect, the music was sweet, and the cake was excellent (I can testify to the deliciousness of the savory crawfish cake).  Sweet versions of king cake traditionally have a tricolor topping of sugar granules, colored yellow green and purple.  My savory cake had colored parmesan cheese! 
It begins!  Magnetic Ear performing in the Bywater on January 6, 2020.  From left to right, Russell Ramirez, Steve Glenn (Tuba), Jon Ramm-Gramenz, Martin Krusche, Dan Oestreicher, Paul Thibodeaux.


We have returned from the island of Puerto Rico, where Carol and I enjoyed our traditional Christmastime holiday adventure with our sons Jon and Tyler and their partners Samantha and Heather. We spent most of our week there in the far southwest part of the island near Boqueron and Cabo Rojo.  On a very nice side trip, we drove up into the hills of Santiago, to the home of Jorge Perez, a musician friend of Jons.  We enjoyed crashing their family holiday party for an hour or so, super cool. All of the days in PR were just right.  We have no complaints and wonderful memories. 
Near the lighthouse at Cabo Rojo, looking south

On the plane back to the mainland, I was listening to NPR and one of their "best songs of 2019" compilations.  I heard The Ride by Amanda Palmer for the first time, and it inspired me to explore her career and music.  Give it a listen if you dare, scroll down to the song.  It's over 10 minutes long, just Amanda accompanying herself on piano.  Lyrics reminded me of sitting in a half circle at the Unitarian Universalist church in Tacoma after our Monday sitting meditation and listening and wondering as we talked in the aftermath of our mindfulness practice, with topics such as our impressions upon reading Jed McKenna.  The lyric "and you've got the choice to get off any time that you like" I interpret to mean in the sense that the Buddha taught. More to come on this I think, continuing my exploration.  Interested to hear from you, if you have time to comment.  Thanks.

Comments

  1. MarkJanuary 11, 2020 at 2:03 PM

    Mind expanding Ride and Jed article. I'm looking forward to hearing more about PR and other rides.

    ReplyDelete
  2. RobJanuary 12, 2020 at 8:04 AM

    Always nice to experience the good kind of mind expansion (big mind), as opposed to the too-often experience of small mind or "individual mind". I think I'll go for a ride!

    ReplyDelete

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