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Howdy Albert,

Well, I got back from the Oregon Country Fair yesterday and boy are my everything tired! It was my nth Fair. This year I traveled down with my buddy Alex and we arrived on Thursday. It was incredibly hot when we arrived, but the previous days had been even hotter. Our campmates had mostly set up camp and all we did was slide right into the Miss Piggy lot after getting our wristbands from the registration booth. Then it was time to head right in. If you're arriving here and are new to my monthly newsletter, The Eleven - click on that subscribe button on the top right or here to join the ride. But before we go any further, here's a video that my friend, James Island took of Reggie Watts (who I unfortunately didn't see). This will set the mood.

From the Peach Pit - the OCF guide: "The Oregon Country Fair is a magical, dazzling experience. In the woods, the Long Tom in July is transformed into a thriving handmade marketplace with delicious food around every bend in the path. The sights and sounds of artwork in motion guide the adventure that culminates in a joyous inner peace. Let the Fair transport and elevate you during your three days under the canopy of trees."

So, Fair. So much. So so much. To say. To think. To share. For the past 2 years, I've been part of an OCF team who administers an Unofficial OCF Facebook group that has 36,000 people in it. So, I spend a little bit of every day immersed in some aspect of the Fair. That's led me, who has attended this Fair for 15-20 years - to have some insights that are gained from having every question asked of you and insults thrown at you, and love shared with you on the daily. I mention this to provide some context. I've always been "in" the Fair except for my first year when I camped outside the Fair at Carefree Campgrounds and walked in each day. Here's my 2017 Review of OCF.

Being "in" the Fair = being Fair Family. This means that when the public is sent out into the night at 7/8 pm each night - I (and 10,000+ others) get to stay in the Fair Grounds and continue enjoying the magic of the place at night. Daytime and nighttime are both special. There's the Ritz - open much of the time. There are food booths. There are the special lights that come on at night and the costuming which many who run the fair are really into. Here are some examples of some of that pageantry - but lots more can be found on the OCF group I linked to above. Pics by Mike Meyer!

There is so much to see and do! This year I started each morning at The Ritz. It's a large collection of showers and 2 giant saunas - one round and one rectangle. I played music for people by a fire outside (with friends Alex and Gary) and led songs inside the sauna, too. Inside the saunas, everything from long ohms to full songs get sung. I did - I got a song ain't got no melody; California Dreaming and a couple of other chestnuts.

My days and nights were full of running into old friends and reuniting. It's a gabfest like no other! Sometimes I'd have a minute to catch up, sometimes a second! And sometimes I'd choose to wander with the person for a while and catch up. There were talks by a piano playing by the river; over meals with strangers; a dreamy evening spent around a fire with fellow musicians (Entertainers' Camp) where song after magical song was played. I didn't have my guitar handy for that one so I led a couple of acapella tunes.

Dating: I had more mini-dates this weekend than in the last 2 years put together - so it probably makes sense for me to attend for this reason alone.

I spent one chunk of time really diving deep into the booths around Energy Park - these have to do with the Earth - seed saving; biodynamic farming; information about lithium batteries and this is also close to where Risk of Change lives - so I got to peek my head in there to say hi to everyone as they prepared for a rainbow parade!

Then there's the walking. And the eating! I have been going Vegan for the past month and Fair was a great place to try out some food booths I'd never been to before. Golden Avatar was easily my favorite. But the salad at Cafe Mundo and the Momos at Momo's - were all good, too. Luckily, I didn't gain any weight this year! But interestingly, I really didn't feel super hungry during the Fair this year - also, the fruit and nuts at the organic booth in Community Village kept me nourished.

I wish I could tell you all about all the amazing entertainment that happened this year, but for that, you really can catch up (like me) via Fair TV! I did catch a couple things - Christopher Worth at Chez Ray's. An amazing speaker at the Front Porch speaking about indigenous life and history. But more exciting to me were chances to play music and sing with friends and new friends. I had a few glorious jams that I won't forget anytime soon - and I'm really hoping to connect some of the folks I played with into my Portland music community.

I feel like I could babble on forever - but that's a good snapshot of this year's OCF. Below is info about a show I'll do in my friend, Elie Cole's, backyard this August 2nd. Please come. I'd also love to play more - if you have a backyard or big living room and want it filled with music, please let me know. I play both kinds of music - Country and Western :)

I hope life is treating you well. I'm looking forward to a couple of nights to recover from the past 4 days. Whew. That was something.

Life is short - enjoy it while you can!

Love, Albert

Here's a short concert I and others did on my birthday, May 11th. Enjoy.