Oh add me to the list of Mudcatters - I know I haven't posted much but I will stop lurking and participate more now that I have met more Mudcatters in person. I have to say that for me, the weekend was pure magic. I actually thought the food was great - it's a camp, not a five star restaurant, and they did a nice job. My friend Maria (the only black person at the event - she kept getting mistaken for Azizi!) and I haven't stopped talking about it since we got back. It was like a spiritual vitamin shot - really lifted my spirits and proved the old spiritual truism about the importance of being around like minded people and how it raises your vibrations. I find myself singing more around the house, and with more gusto and enjoyment, than I have felt in a long time, and I'm charged up and busy thinking of new songs to learn (and there's plenty of inspirational material, with the great CD's I bought from Camsco). I felt a sense of community, a sense of "family" as Charmion put it, like I haven't felt for a long time, and it just reinforces what I've always believed about the power and importance of music. I loved meeting people I kind of felt like I knew from Mudcat. I wish the Getaway could be an entire week and not just one weekend - I hated for it to end. Let's see, highlights were:

Being with people who love folk music and know that it's more than Peter Paul and Mary, the Kingston Trio, and Bluegrass. Nice to spend time in "the folk stetle" as Charlie Baum put it. And while I'm on that subject, what a nice host and announcer Charlie is! He really pulled everything together and made everyone welcome - the perfect MC.

Meeting folks and hearing their music - Ron Davies, Charmion, Barry Finn (he sure knows a lot of good songs!), Giok, Leadfingers (what a charmer), Skarpi, El Greko, the unforgettable Bobert, Lorcan, Mmario....and so many others.

Just drinking in all the songs! I'm a "song" person as opposed to "tunes" and the Getaway is hog heaven for songaholics!

Oh I can't wait till the next one!