Jonifest 2002 at Full Moon was everything I thought it would be when I checked the place out last September......and more. If I had to dream of the *perfect* place to hold Jonifest, Full Moon is certainly it. Stephen, Walt, Smurf and I arrived mid-afternoon on Thursday. After getting settled into our simple but comfortable rooms, we had dinner with the other 25 or so people that came for the Thursday night festivities. The Mexican style dinner was wonderful, filled with very fresh vegetables, chicken, salsa, warm tortillas, and delicious tasting spices. Dessert was a warm chocolate brownie drizzled with chocolate. Every meal at Full Moon was really tasty!
After dinner we all went up to the Performance Space, which has a stage with a full sound system, chairs and tables, a bar, and a porch in the back for the (cough, cough) smokers. (Yuck!) :-) Several people performed including Christina and Henning from Denmark, Claud, and Gregg Cagno, who came all the way for Thursday night only- just to play Millworker for my birthday. All the music was absolutely wonderful, and it was a very relaxing, mellow, music-filled evening. Everyone else staggered in on Friday, and more of the same- good food, good music, good friends. The next 2 days were similar, adding workshops during the days and lots of connecting with friends new and old. The music went on from 9AM until the wee hours of the next morning, with barely a 2 hour break in between. The song circles after the scheduled performances were absolutely magical. There was over 16 or 18 HOURS of video tape rolling, so if you missed it, you will be able to relive almost the entire weekend! On a personal note, it was the VERY best ever Jonifest for me. I was *finally* able to relax for the first time ever, and really enjoy all the performances, as well as make much deeper connections with people. ;-) Watch for the dates for Jonifest 2003 as soon as I get caught up on a bit of sleep. (That will take a loooooooooooooong while!) LOL!! Many hugs, A very tired but VERY happy Ashara
