Redemption Song
Scenes from a Full Frosty Beaver Moon
Lower Mississippi River Dispatch, Monday, Nov 22, 2021
Quapaw Canoe Company LMRD #851
Clarksdale, MS ~ Memphis, TN ~ Vicksburg, MS
Advance Note: All aboard for some River Time:
Community Canoe this Saturday, Nov 27th. Great way to get outside and have fun with your friends and family after Thanksgiving — in the natural wonderland of the Lower Mississippi River. 12pm - 5pm. Meet at Quapaw Clarksdale. $50 adults, $25 educators, free for those under 18. See below for more details. ~Presented by Lower Mississippi River Foundation~
Full Frosty Beaver Moon: I decided to share a few photos and paintings from last week’s full beaver moon eclipse. Confession: I am doing this in an attempt to make up for confusing the actual day. I feel awful about it. I know a few of you, like me, had mistakenly gotten up at 3am Wed. I am so sorry! It was actually Thursday! I am usually better tuned into these kinds of things. But I had read the UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) incorrectly. I feel obligated now to share what I saw, through camera lens and paintbrush, to share the visions and feelings, and with the hope that perhaps you will forgive me the error.
Some people call her the “Frost Moon.” Some call her the “Beaver Moon.” We Mighty Quapaws put the two together, and call her the “Frosty Beaver Moon” — for the first cold nights of the year, when Mrs. Beaver might be seen scratching fresh frost off her whiskers in the early morning light of the moon, as she sets off to forage.
During this time of year, the shadow the Earth gets projected into the atmosphere, and is clearly seen in tri-color banding opposite the setting sun. This effect makes for striking visualizations during the climax of the lunar cycle, as the full moon rises through distinct candy-colored sort of layering, Prussian blue, magenta, cinnamon, straw yellow, and the infinite cobalt blue above. The low-lying Prussian blue hugging the horizon is the shadow. Everything above is still in the red-orange-yellow spectrum light of sunset. The shadow grows in girth as time passes and Mother Earth rotates endlessly around. The transition is visible a mere 15 minutes or so, and then gets swallowed up by the night sky.
A group of us paddled out into the Montezuma Archipelago and watched a searing fall sunset, the appearance of the earth’s shadow opposite, and simultaneously the rising of the Full Frosty Beaver Moon over East Montezuma Island. (PS: read this account by Birney Imes from Sunday’s Columbus Dispatch)
I couldn’t sleep later…. something strange, and wonderful was going on… The light shafted over the river and through the trees in a weird effervescent way. I awoke almost in an enchantment…
Later that full moon night (at 3am to be precise) I awoke and wandered under underneath the strangely darkened skies, the moon bleached stars returned to the heavens, and the moon an eruption of oranges, greens, and lavender…
I quickly sketched out a series of paintings in earth tones, on big sheets of paper, only halfway seeing what the paintbrush was doing on the paper, painting by the glowing, pulsating light of the heavens…
…mesmerized by the surreal colorings and effect of the nearly complete eclipse… all eclipses, solar or lunar, make subtle shifts in our perception the world…
…and allow a fresh space to breath and to imagine….
…a new pathway forward is illuminated…. a new vision for creation…. at the very least in my paintbrush…. and in my words…. a redemption song…
More about Community Canoe, Saturday, Nov 27th:
The Montezuma Island Adventure is a roundtrip voyageur canoe paddle involving a tour of an archipelago of Mississippi River Islands with big beaches, swim holes, birds, turtles, and other wildlife. This round trip paddle affords an incredible variety of giant sandbars, wetlands, gravel/fossil bars, deep willow forests, and miles of beaches to swim from or walk along. So — a little bit of everything! Montezuma was created by the 1837 sinking of the steamboat by the same name. It is found above Kangaroo Point, about halfway in between Friars Point and Helena, AR.
Meet at 12am at our base in downtown Clarksdale, Quapaw Canoe Company, 291 Sunflower Avenue. Follow us to river in your own vehicle. Round-trip paddle. Pack your own lunch, snacks and water. Dress for weather. Don’t forget sun protection. No previous experience necessary, all paddle together in our big canoes with guides. But must be willing to paddle — sometimes hard paddling necessary. Return to land arounds 5pm.
Date: Saturday, October 27, 2021
Time: 12pm - 5pm
Location: Meet at Quapaw Canoe Company, 291 Sunflower Ave, Clarksdale, MS. We will drive from there to the launch point on the Mississippi River
Dress for the weather! Pack water bottle, lunch, sunscreen, hat, and towel.
Adults - $50
Educators - $25
Children (under 18) - no charge
Payment options:
Cash
Check made out to Quapaw Canoe Company, 291 Sunflower Ave, Clarksdale, MS 38614
PayPal (add 3% fee): paypal.me/quapawcanoecompany
Venmo (add 3% fee): John-Ruskey-1
Covid-19: All outdoor event. Must drive your own vehicle to landing and bring your own food. Handwashing station available. At base, mask up indoors and no handshakes, hugs, etc.
To sign up, contact:
Solange Fraser 612-390-1503, kefraser2@gmail.com
Schedule:
Meet: 12noon, Quapaw Canoe Company, 291 Sunflower Avenue, Clarksdale, MS 38614
Self Shuttle to river
Start: 1pm Montezuma Landing
Stop: 2pm Montezuma Island
End: 5pm Montezuma Landing
Pack in Daypack or Drybag:
-waterbottles (at least 2 per person)
-snacks
-lunch
-sun protection
Warm clothes as needed on Cool or Rainy Days:
-gloves or mittens
-scarf
-warm hat
-sweater or fleece
-wind/rain jacket
Optional:
-cell phone
-camera
-bird book
-binoculars
Note:
Pack any electronics in dry bag, dry box, or zip lock bags!
Water Bottle Refill:
We’ll pack a 5-gal jug of water to refill your personal water bottles.
Wear:
~~~Dress for weather. Wear shoes that can get muddy and wet~~~
