It’s late, it’s pitch dark, and it’s cold. I reach into my back pack to get my sweatshirt, and as I pull it on, I accidently toss my glasses out into the night. Yes, that was the first thing I did when I arrived at Yearot Menashe this year for the music festival. The third thing I did, after finding my glasses: I sat down and laughed and laughed and laughed. That’s part of the Yearot experience for me, opening up to the unexpected, whatever it may be, the vagaries of nature and human existence, love, laughter and music.
The music! The music and the woods of Yearot Menashe make this festival a favorite of mine. Coming pretty late on Thursday, entering the festival arena is like walking into an alternative universe: trees towering above, lit from below with the green glow of stage lights, a full moon above and a crowd of people surrounding the stage. Roy Rieck of Acollective looked out at the crowds and said: “You are so beautiful! This is the most beautiful sight!” Amen. People gathering together to listen to music, sharing songs, companionship, food and drink. It is the most beautiful sight ever. A music-loving temporary three day community.
I love to read and practically memorize the schedule, and then forget about it once I am there and drift from stage to stage, or back to the campground as the spirit moves me. Waking up in the morning to the sound of birds singing and someone playing a guitar nearby, I start each day as if the morning had invented me anew. I love the people I camp with, a group of family and friends, new and vintage, a circle that shifts and changes and is always a wonderful place to be.
Now back in the city, I am reliving those moments again with Muperphoto‘s pictures… so many beautiful photos it was very hard to choose among them! Which is your favorite? Enjoy!
