Low Angle Light, High Angle Dreams
Full Moon Solstice Celebration Sunday, Dec 19
River Time, LMRD #853, Saturday, Dec 18, 2021
Our last offering of the year: Full Moon Solstice Celebration Sunday, Dec 19, 2pm-9pm. Limited space. Call or write to reserve your seat in the big canoe. See below for more details.
Full Moon Solstice Celebration:
Tomorrow afternoon we will push off in a voyageur canoe for a remote Mississippi River sandbar island, to watch sunset, and in the fellowship of a bonfire potluck supper, share stories and dreams, poems and songs, during this magic time of the year, this lovely season of long nights and short days, where we can best enjoy the mesmerizing light of the Full Cold Moon flashing off the face of the biggest river in North America.
Wherever you are, we Mighty Quapaws hope you experience in your own way this time of low angle light and high angle dreams, especially powerful during the last light of the day, this special time of year when you can peek into the center of our Milky Way galaxy (as seen through the heart of Sagittarius) while Aquila the Eagle and Cygnus the Swan are spreading their stellar wings and flying over above the flowing sparkling light, the foamy waterfall of stars pouring overhead through Cassiopeia, the Queen, and Gemini the Twins, Orion dancing above the horizon through the trunks of barren trees.
A prayer: And we hope your dreams flow as free as the Milky Way…. and open the pathway forward in the baby steps we take as a New World in the New Year. For us Quapaws, the pathway is best practiced in the beauty and balance of the big canoe, as an exercise in balancing ourselves with the rest of creation, and our dear, sweet Mother Earth.
Paddles Up to Neal Moore, 22 Rivers!
Our longtime Quapaw friend, Neal Moore, 22 Rivers, completed his vision on Tuesday at the Statue of Liberty -- after 22 months down 22 rivers through 22 states! I first met Neal in 2010, when he paddled down the Mississippi River, doing stories as a CNN citizen reporter. 8 months ago, writer Boyce Upholt and I joined Neal as he began his traverse across the Gulf Coast barrier islands, the southernmost stretch of his long epic journey, where he encountered dolphins, and a bull shark, and from where he turned left (out of Mobile Bay), and began following the rivers and streams of Appalachia north and eastward, up and over the divide at Chataqua and into the St. Lawrence Seaway drainage (through Lake Erie), and then over the Alleghenies through the Erie Canal into the Mohawk River, and then finally the Hudson River (where he had a chance visit with a wintering snowy owl!).
Lady Liberty became his spiritual and physical goal. I was blessed to be part of a group of paddlers (and others Neal met along his route) last week to celebrate the conclusion of his remarkable journey, for me a fulfilling experience, a fellowship of like souls, an enlightenment and inspiration, and a completion of many circles, (and the start of new ones spiraling forward).
“I felt like I followed that light shining all the way across the country, my journey was one of illumination. So to finally see that beacon up close, that flame of liberty, after seeing it in so many people I met across this land, it was overwhelming.”
(Neal quoted in a Dec 17 New York Times story)
Sunday Full Cold Moon
Join us in one of our voyageur canoes for a special experience. We will head out to the river after lunch (2pm) and cross over to one of our favorite islands — one with a spectacular view upstream and down, with great views towards sunset and also towards moonrise. There we will get a fire going, enjoy the evening and eat dinner together, and watch the rising of the full moon. Around 8pm we will start paddling back, the light of the moon guiding our way. It’s going to be a typically cold winter night, maybe breezy, with a low down in the 30s. Dress appropriately!
Date: Sunday, Dec 19th
Location: Meet at Quapaw Canoe Company, 291 Sunflower Ave, Clarksdale, MS. We will drive in personal vehicles from there to the launch point on the Mississippi River. (~15min drive)
Meet Time: 2pm
End Time: 8-9pm back in town
What to bring: Pack in daypack or dry bag a water bottle, a thermos with tea or coffee, warm clothes, warm hat, head lamp, flashlight, rubber boots (or boots that will keep you warm & dry in mud and shallow water entries and exits from canoe).
Potluck Supper: Pack whatever you want share! Quapaw will provide tables, stools, enamel plates, silverware, and hot water and cups for coffee or tea.
Price: $115 per person. We accept cash, check, PayPal, or Venmo. Payment required in advance to secure a spot.
Covid-19: All outdoor event. Drive your own vehicle to landing. Handwashing station available. At base, mask up indoors and no handshakes, hugs, etc.
Contact: please respond to this email, or call Solange Fraser 612-390-1503, kefraser2@gmail.com