Set up

Monday: Woke at 5:30, and up. Brushed teeth in the small bathroom across the hall, and then morning practices in the chapel, until 7ish. A shower in the odd "European" style shower, a shave, and clean clothes. There was a sitting scheduled for 7:30. Got my sleeping bag and headed to the 'ballroom'... People were stretching, so I did as well, and then sitting until 8, accompanied by the sounds of birds, cars in the near distance, and what I think is the water pump for the facility.

Did a bit of right hand warm up in the hall. Breakfast at 8:15, muslix, yogurt and fruit, with strong coffee. Took a walk out with MB, down the dusty gravel road that runs by the center. Vineyards and a horse breading farm. Even the garbage on the side of the road seems charming, somehow. The weather continues to be amazing, cool dry and sunny, with white topped mountains in the distance.

Changed my strings in the ballroom with MB and Vincente looking on. Vincente is a puppeteer, and on the Level 2, but considers himself primarily a vocalist. Got some instruction on the coffee and tea making apparatus, through the filter of linguistic incomprehension. John P and I were giving us strange looks when I realized I didn't need to do tea service.

Out front, and guitar practice for a solid hour or more. Shinkaru arrived while I was at it. Made a little progress on "Lark's"... Moving Force was seeming pretty good. Worked on the end arpeggio. Reminded myself of "Hope" and worked on the picking pattern, what had flown out of my hands.

Lunch at 1. A carrot and rice sort of thing. Debra K arrived. MB volunteered to help clean up.

More guitar out front. MB was going to practice with me, but my alarm went off at 2:40, reminding me I had to set up for tea. Victoria and I set out many little plates of quince jam, dolce de leche, butter, crackers, cookies and baskets of cut bread. Hot water and coffee. There's a door on the refrigerator that doesn't close well.

There was a house meeting called for 5 PM. I helped with the washing up until then. Not enough cleaning products to go around, so I helped sweep here and there. Pablo wanted to sweep the whole courtyard. Somewhere along in her RF arrived, along with Fernando K. When I felt like I had contributed what I could, I went out back and did a sitting of sorts, on a stump. At 6, completion.

The atmosphere changes a bit when RF arrives. Tension? Perhaps. Attention. Can you have one without the other? MB and I did some guitar work in the backyard: Invention 1, Thrak, then I showed her Growing Circle again.

Dinner at 7. Pasta and oniony red-sauce, and green salad. I felt a tug, and stopped eating, but the consensus wasn't there. About 5 minutes later, a definite quiet descended. It was interesting watching Shinkaro during this period. He stayed very attentive and turned outward, reminding me of a cat, or an owl. This is the opposite of my norm, so I tried it the other way. Interesting. Helped a little with clean-up, trying to set the chairs straight. An impossible task.

MB and I took a walk down the street, and found the little shop someone had told her about. We didn't really need anything so we didn't go in, and the conversation kept drifting towards crimes and misdemeanors, so we turned back. Our getting mugged would be bad for us, and worse for the course. The emissions standards here are seemingly nonexistent. Cars passing us left clouds of choking smog behind them. It's a shame given how lovely the surroundings are. Later, a longish sitting in the chapel, and then bed.