Hi, and happy 11th :) I'm in the Lazy Boy listening to Grateful Dead and Friends on KBOO (every Saturday 12-2!) and looking forward to this interesting-looking summer. I watched the 1st round of the Jan. 6th hearings - that was quite something, wasn't it?

And then it's back to things I can actually do something about. This week I put together a newsletter/survey for our Quiet Clean PDX group and I'm now sifting through the 240+ responses. Feel free to take the survey! One thing that is clear - people hate gas-powered leaf blowers enough to take action about it.

I also got around to getting an idea started - Al's Tools. This website will be a place that points people toward information about switching to electric yard-care tools. I'm thinking I might even sponsor a little league team :)

On the tree front sadly the tree I'd been advocating for at 48th and Belmont was clear-cut the other day. That was hard to take. At the same time, lots more people have been drawn to this work in the past couple of years. It's really quite amazing. On a daily basis, I'm being contacted by people wanting to save the trees in their neck of the woods. And many tree-loving organizations have recently come together to organize this work. Meanwhile, the work continues at our Facebook group. Join us if you like.

Here's my summer line-up updated below. Please consider joining me for something on this list if you are able. I wrote something about how to make the Summer fun go better. I hope life is treating you well.

Lots of love, Albert

6.16-19 - Summer Solstice at Breitenbush (will be my 27th year?)

6.21-26 - WDSX - The World Domination Summit (last one). There are still tickets to this floating around. I've been holding onto the one I bought a couple of years ago and am very much looking forward to being with this fun collection of people in Portland this year! This is the last one of these and it really is transformative.

6.30-7.3 - Songwriter Soiree Retreat. This is round 2 for this retreat and like everything else, it's been put off for a couple of years. I don't really consider myself a songwriter, but I do like playing music, and Sara Tone is going to be there offering drum classes, and Lewis Childs and Jonathan Brinkley, and Robin Jackson - so, you know - it's going to be lovely. Can't wait!

7.6-7.11 - Oregon Country Fair. A fun fact about this event is that I've recently taken on a new role of being one of the admins for the 28K-large FB group for this event. That's introducing me to more people who are Fair Family than ever before. I'm grateful for this. If you've never been this is one of the most fun things that Oregon has to offer. NEW - I'll probably be hosting a singing/storytelling event at the Spirit Tower Stage on Friday at 9 pm

7.21-24 - String Summit (Strummit). The last one at Horning's Hideout and likely sold out (but there is a way if there is a will :)

NEW 7.28-8.4 - House/Cat Sitting for friends in Bremerton, WA. The house is big and has a nice view of the water. Contact me if you'd like to join me.

8.12-15 - Singing Alive - tickets are available for this - very sweet singing event East of Salem.

NEW 8.22-25 - I have a reservation at a Cape Lookout State Park campsite - I could host a couple more people.

This is what I know so far. There's a chance you might invite me to go camping with you - purty please! I bring zee guitar and zee 1,000 songs! We sing into the night together!