Subject: Spring Announcement

Date: Tue, 27 Apr 1999 09:18:02 -0400

From: Johnsen Michael

To: Gary Gooch

Mr. Gooch,

A big welcome from the blooming east. Yes, the air is thick from pollen. Today is one of those most splendid days, where living for the moment comes easily. Clear, blue sky; the trees have their young leaves which are bright green, and will turn to a rich, velvet dark by summer's end. To bask in the 65 degree weather, with air that's clean, even for this EPA-non-atainment-zone metropolis.

Last weekend I went out to Great Falls. Driving up the winding McAurther Blvd Janice and I stopped at the Glen Echo park- which was recently spotlighted in the news because state and federal money has been allocated for it's restoration. The place was bought in the mid-1800's and the owner was in the Chautauqua Movement- and Glen Echo "park" was created to be a center for ideas and cultural teachings. If the word Chautauqua seems familiar, it's because Pat Metheny's third album, in 1979, is called New Chautauqua. It's all Pat, no-one else plays on the album. It has the tune "Sueno Con Mexico" on it- you might be familiar with that tune... Remember when we were in Oaxaca? Monte Albon with the green fields set against the boiling clouds in the sky? The dancers lining the walls in stony stillness. The crazy bus ride to the coast, teetering on becoming a 5th page headline accident in the states... the young child in the middle of the jungle wearing the Simpson's T-shirt.

Oh, and Zippolita. The beach with a body-count. It almost got us- but we dodged microbes and ripped hammocks to arrive back to the States and a bowl of Shrimp Pad Thai. I have not have Pad Thai like that since. All for $3.00. Austin...

So we went to Great Falls, but parked south of the actual park for free and walked in, following the high road the overlooks the re-built towpath and canal, by the park where it turns into a lake. It was magnificient. Even if there were other people around, and the park is relativly small, I was able to ignore those facts, and enjoy the time. Of course the effect was not the same as the wilds of Idaho and Montana, but a connection non-the-less.

The warm weather is slow to arrive this year- most of the day-time highs are 55-75 degrees. We usually don't have such a spring, and I enjoy the crisp air at night...

I hope you are enjoying the rebirth in Montana, those perfect spring skiing days...

Mike