remembering

Last night I went to a wedding reception at our local grange hall. It was low-key, lots going on this weekend, including graduation for our biggest island's high school graduation class ever-28 students!!!! So not as many folks, as I thought would be in attendance but enough to have the feel of celebration.
Catching up with friends, I hadn't seen in awhile, the island is small compared to places out there in the world but we have our hidden pockets and activities and we don't often see each other til we come together in these family gatherings.
I forget sometimes the magic we share together. Living here 20 years like I have, in a very small setting, breeds a certain scarcasm thru lots of shared history and trials and tribulations with the same people. We're all family like it or not, at least in our little alternative sub-culture clan, call us what you will, but we've been thru a lot over the years. People come and go, and some like me have been here 20 years or more. There's also more recent arrivals who just seem to fit right in the groove.
So there's times when I rememeber how much I truly love these folks. Just hanging out in our old grange hall, sloshing wine and deserting and catching up, two of our island men run naked thru the hall to announce fire juggling outside!!! So we empty out the hall and gather around the fire and watch the two of them juggle, naked bodies glistening from the light of the fire of their torches. Lots of smiles, chuckles and ohhs and ahhs all around. The bride and grooms 'blood' family has never seen anything like this, but we island folk are all old hands at this.

Later I notice the wedding band is so unbeliveably awesome yet not many people are dancing. Everyone is so busy catching up in the other room or around the fire, I make it my mission to gather up the troops and announce that we need more dancers. I don't want this band to go away and feel unappreciated. They've traveled from Seattle we've got to show them what we got! More people filter in and we get a groove going, spinning and twisting, and turning.
The music is some cross between mideastern fusion jamband jazz complete with electric violin and congas. Beautiful spacey, trancy, twirly we're all having so much fun. I asked the bride where she found them and she said "I just Googled mid-eastern music Seattle."

Ahh yes, the wonders of the internet. After they finished their set and were packing up some of our local bluegrass pickers arrive. A couple of them set up outside and soon the band and pickers are out jamming to the moon and stars.

I go home remembering what a special place I live in.