Sweet Pea Down Under

While we have been cooling our heels in the coolest place on earth, the annual Bozeman Sweet Pea festival has been going full bore back home. I cannot say I miss it; for the last several years we have not attended and gotten no closer to the loud revelry than to listen to blaring band music booming up the street from the direction of Bogert Park. However, we did take a nod to the event yesterday in Byron by attending the "market day" gathering on the Butler Street Reserve.

This Sunday event featured dozens of food vendors and hundreds of artists and shopkeepers trying to sell everything from woven plant pot slings to handpainted ceramic doo-dads. In other words, it was Sweet Pea on steroids, and I tired of the display after reviewing just a few booths, just the same as I would have at Bozeman. However, Jayne found a nice dress, and I managed to buy a frozen banana treat, so all was not lost. Later in the day, after we had returned to our cabin for a rest, we returned to the scene of the crime to watch a drumming circle which was enthusiastically attended by local free spirits. I must admit the pulsating rhythm of the drums stirs the savage within all of us.

On Monday we took a tour to a local New Age site called the Crystal Castle. Nestled in the hills above Byron Bay, the Castle is a complex of walking gardens, labyrinths, and of course crystals that were for the most part imported from South America and placed at this lovely spot to channel energy and encourage the spirituality of visitors. I was skeptical of this place, just as I would have been visiting a church, but it completely won me over. Jayne was impressed as well, and we spent three peaceful hours contemplating the universe in absolutely gorgeous surroundings.

It is fitting that we did so. Word came early today that our little companion Willie back home in Bozeman is seriously ill. We have had Willie for 17 years, and he has been a good little dog and a great comfort to us. We would have liked to been there to say good bye to him (if it comes to that) but our friend Max who is dog sitting him also enjoys a bond with Willie and will do the right thing. All things must pass.