Trio Nouveau
http://www.kristio.com/music-trio-nouveau.html

“Live at the NWE

Vorst (2006, w/ Paulus Schäfer Gipsy Band and Tilburg Big Band)



Dutchman Tim Kliphuis is one of the top jazz fiddlers in the world, and has been dubbed Stéphane Grappelli's successor. After his long-standing collaboration with gypsy guitar legend Fapy Lafertin, he worked with Angelo Debarre, Stochelo Rosenberg, RIchard Galliano and many others.

A soloist in his own right since 2004, Tim now has a reputation which transcends the Gypsy Jazz scene. His trademark mix of
Jazz, Classical, Folk and World music has taken him all over the world.

An acclaimed tutor in Grappelli's Jazz Violin style, Tim has released best-selling tuition book "Stéphane Grappelli Gypsy
Jazz Violin" with Mel Bay and 2 Hot Jazz Violin DVDs with HyperHip Media... more.

Alfonso Ponticelli and Swing Gitan

Hot Club Sandwich

Billet-Deux

Doug Martin Avatar Ensemble with Annie Staninec

The Festival Staff.

Nicholas Lehr, Artistic Director; Stacie Burgua, Executive Director; Deana Duncan, Production Director; Jason Dittmer, Director of Marketing; Tyler Raymond, Technical Director; Jeanette Eveland, Volunteer Coordinator; Ann Deacon, Facilities Manager; Dorothy Ferguson, Shirley McClure, Karen McInerney, Linda O'Brochta, House Managers

SingPeace! Earth Pilgrimage for Peace & Global Harmony was inspired by  a singing dream that focused two essential elements in my life: music, specifically, singing, and the quest for inner and outer peace. The image of a pilgrimage came up, but one that would take place in a gypsy wagon, a "peace train."

I went online to find a course in my region: "How to Build a Gypsy Wagon." Calling up one of the Founders of Port Townsend School of Woodworking, Jim Tolpin, I told him of my intention. He offered to come to Whidbey Island to present his talk and slide show about his 30-year love affair with building gypsy wagons. I planned to introduce the concept of crafting a culture of peace through sharing song to my community. I invited singer/songweaver Laurence Cole, a master of what I was calling singing 'n mingling participatory singing, to lead songs at the event.

The introductory program for SingPeace! took place in March 2009. In May, I took the course where I had the opportunity to design the wagon. I drew the plans and details of the interior, after which we lofted it and laid it out on cardboard so I could get a sense of the space. On the first day of the class, Jim had offered: "Steve can build it." Steve Habersetzer was co-teaching the course with Jim. So, I hung out with Steve that week, and subsequently commissioned him to manage the project and build the wagon.

The intensive collaborative process of construction and decor followed, beginning in July 2009. Our singing troupe inaugurated SingPeace! when the wagon was displayed in November at the Port Townsend Woodworker's Show. Our Whidbey Island "homecoming" took place in March 2010, with a 2-day event at Yoga Lodge, where our singer-song leaders, Laurence Cole, Rob Tobias and Sara Tone, were also joined by EarthGym's Barefoot Bard, Mick Dodge.

SingPeace! support for protection and conservation of land and species, stewardship of and learning from the Earth has become a central theme of the gypsy wagon journey."The Garden" as a function of the pilgrimage has generated plans for a "Peace Garden," "Forgiveness Forest Garden," "Garden of Tranquility," and a "Secret Garden." So, as we travel from community to community we will support efforts already underway and encourage new garden planting aimed at healing communities.

Most recently, SingPeace! has become sponsor for Rasur Foundation International's BePeace Course, the first in the Northwest region. Feel Peace, Speak Peace, Teach Peace, via combined methods of HeartMath, for "coherence," and Compassionate Communication for "connection" have  significantly improved students' academic scores while maturing their social skills.  With the gypsy wagon as a staging area, SingPeace! is the celebratory component of this collaborative journey, with its singing 'n mingling, storytelling, puppetry, EarthGym and exuberant play activities.

SingPeace! is launching a North American tour. We have invitations from every corner of the U.S. and locations in Canada. The physical realities of gathering a troupe and caravan, attracting a truck and driver to haul the wagon, enlisting community participation in all aspects of crafting their "piece of the peace," all are among our present challenges. We are establishing an online presence, finding our place within the movement already under way and encouraging greater cohesion at the grassroots and policy levels to realize our goal: "Peace in our lifetime."

Join the largest global choir and musical action day of healing for the Earth by joining One Earth. One Voice. on December 21. Our synchronized moment of song will take place:

Friday, December 21: 10pm GMT | 5pm EST | 4pm CST | 3pm MST | 2pm PST

Learn the song, download the music and spread the word: http://www.oneearth-onevoice.org/learn-the-song/

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=JQK-ixb8jxQ

Ise Oluwa is one of the most beloved songs of West Africa. We believe that’s true for a few reasons: one is the message of the translation, which we agree with deeply. The other is its beautiful, simple (that word again) melody, with so many possibilities for harmony.

Words: Ise oluwa, koley bajey o.
A (simple) phonetic pronunciation: eee-shea oh-lu-wah, koh-leh bah-jey-o.

Translation: That which Creator has made (or that which has been created) can never be destroyed.

When we teach this song to groups around the world, most are not experienced singers. We’re amazed at how quickly people learn the song – even the harmonies, which are beautiful. Whether you are a novice or a professional, we like to emphasize three basic principles:

Tune into our website: www.oneearth-onevoice.org and our Facebook page (One Earth. One Voice.) to register to participate, and for updates.

Special thanks:
The Three Altos (music)
Chris Shaeffer (video production)

Thursday, April 8, 2010

More on Hoh River Trust:

www.hohrivertrust.org

The Hoh River Trust was formed to own and manage river lands along the Hoh River on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula with an objective to conserve, restore, and enhance these lands for the benefit of fish, wildlife, and people.

The Trust’s work is focused in three areas; restoration, stewardship, and outreach. We are working to restore the industrial timberland to a more naturally evolving condition that will enhance
habitat for the dependent species. We oversee the condition of the
property and ensure that its uses are compatible with our conservation objectives. And we engage the community in a meaningful way to ensure that this land retains its recreational and cultural vitality, and that ultimately the community has a true sense of ownership and stewardship over these lands.

Explore our website to learn more about the Hoh River and our work to help preserve this ecological treasure.

Hoh River Trust featured in recent Seattle Times article.

Recently the Seattle Times ran a feature article on the work being done by the Hoh River Trust. It described the work being done by the Trust as "one of the largest single conservation efforts in Washington".

We would like to thank the Seattle Times for taking the time to recognize the work of the Hoh River Trust.

Conservation victory: 7,000 acres along Hoh River permanently protected By Lynda V. Mapes

Seattle Times staff reporter

To view the article click here.

Preserving Habitat for Endangered & Threatened Species

As you stand along the Hoh River as we did last week and the bright sun filtered through the lush green canopy it is easy to stand in awe of the beauty of the river and the surrounding landscape.

However, we are constantly reminded that our forest stewardship extends far beyond preserving the visual beauty of this ecosystem. Home to Northern Spotted Owl, Marbled Murrelet, Pacific Chinook Salmon and
wild steelhead the Hoh River and Valley represents one of the last great
places to insure these species don't become extinct.

'Preserving a Last Great American River' means a lot more when you think of it in these terms.

How often do we hear or say, “Be the change you/we want to see in the world?” We now have the tools to do it.
The BePeace or Connection Practice developed by international peacemaker, Rita Marie Johnson, provides precise know-how to gain insight into our inner life in an efficient and powerful manner. Application and regular practice in the use of these tools directly impacts our day to day interactions in a real, authentic and sustainable way.

Rita Marie Johnson has been living “Humanity’s Peace Story” since childhood. The first inkling of her mission came at age 10, when she heard the words, “You will be a peacemaker.” She remained in the dark about how to go about this daunting task until some years later, when she learned that Costa Rica had dismantled their army in 1948. In fact, just two years prior, in 1946, the Costa Rican educator and diplomat, Roberto Brenes Mesén, had published a breathtaking and prophetic epic poem, “Rasur, or the Week of Splendor.” The poem, originally written in Spanish, tells of a master teacher, Rasur, who mysteriously appears one day in a mountain village where he woos the children deep into a mountain where he teaches them the way of peace. During that week, the children impart to their parents what they have learned from the master, Rasur, transforming relations of the entire community.

RASUR.pdf

I first spoke with Rita Marie Johnson on a 2010 Peace Alliance conference call. She had just returned to the U.S. from Costa Rica where she’d spent the years since 1993 discovering and developing peace-making methods and a training program to “feel peace, speak peace and teach peace.” Rita Marie even wrote and produced an opera during that time: “Rasur, the Week of Splendor,” once the poem was translated into English. The BePeace movement eventually gained the support of the President of Costa Rica, a former Minister of Education, and was installed in the country’s classrooms. To date, over 40,000 students have learned the BePeace method in public school settings.  Rasur International, http://rasurinternational.org/

Rita Marie Johnson has combined the work of the Heart Math Institute (Heart-Mind Coherence) and that of Marshall Rosenberg who initiated NVC, (Non-Violent, Compassionate Communication), adding a special dimension in her synthesis of the two. Walking the “BePeace Path,” I’ve sensed a deepening clarity and coherence, as though stepping into someone else’s shoes to gain insight into their world almost from inside their skin. “Ubuntu,” where “me” becomes “we,” cultivating true understanding and compassion by which to craft a universal culture of peace.

People of all ages have been learning these methods. BePeace, now known as the Connection Practice, is the only peace skill-building course offered at the United Nations-mandated University of Peace. Because seasoned mediators - graduates from every culture, ethnicity, and language group across the globe - routinely experienced an “a-ha” during the course, (“Ah, so, this really works!”), they suggested that the course be the first requirement of all training at the university.

Rita Marie has recently published a book, Completely Connected: Uniting our Empathy and Insight for Extraordinary Results, available in bookstores and through the Rasur International website. http://rasurinternational.org/rita-marie-johnson/

The BePeace Foundations Course appeared to me to be the perfect complement to my mission, the gypsy wagon journey of SingPeace! Pilgrimage for Peace & Global Harmony. SingPeace! - crafting a culture of peace in community through music, creative arts and exuberant play - was the “celebratory” component of a powerful skill-building process. As founder and director of the SingPeace! Pilgrimage, I determined to bring BePeace to the Northwest.

To begin with, I needed to learn and experience, first hand, the validity of the BePeace methods. Three of us from my project traveled to Santa Cruz, CA to attend a BePeace Foundations Course. On completion of the 4-day retreat, I invited Rita Marie Johnson to present the first training of BePeace at Whidbey Institute, near my home on Whidbey Island, north of Seattle.

In 2011, musicians from around the U.S. and Canada were in residence at the first 4-day BePeace Foundations Course, offered in the Northwest. Among them were singers, guitarists, 3 violinists, 2 stand-up bass players, drummers, etc. Leading up to the event, several of us took part in a day-long facilitator training in order to assist Rita Marie during the retreat. I must say, I have never felt more thoroughly listened to than when paired with Rita Marie in that training. Once heard, I was better prepared to hear others. A ripple effect has taken place since the BePeace Foundations Course, with several of us in attendance taking advanced training to become facilitators, group leaders coaches and trainers of BePeace or the Connection Practice. [i.e. “BePeace” is often used in faith-based communities, “The Connection Practice,” is the terminology generally used in secular settings.]

The following interviews with Rita Marie Johnson shed light on the methods she has imbibed and synthesized:

"Humanity’s Peace Story,” an illuminating audio interview with Emily Hine during the 2011 Shift Network Peace Week, along with the BePeace Anthem, composed by Sam Guarnaccia can be found at this link: http://samguarnaccia.com/bepeace-anthem-childrens-peace-songs/

During the Shift Network’s “Summer of Peace,” Rita Marie spoke again in more detail, taking interviewer, Philip Helmich, through the steps of the Connection Practice: http://summerofpeace.net/program/130
(Also available at rasurinternational.org)

Videos:

“Introduction to the Connection Practice, “ Rita Marie Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=i3UYjEejVgA&feature=youtu.be

“The Connection Practice, Scientifically Based Social-Emotional Learning for At-Risk Kids," a talk by Rita Marie Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXf2LdpeFY4

“BePeace Camp 2014:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhbNzptZoHQ

“Completely Connected - The Magic of Combining Empathy and Insight:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-MwWna5aAo

Media:
BePeace Course Retreat https://singpeacepilgrimage.ning.com/profiles/blogs/international-peacemaker
Peacemaker, Singers will meet at Whidbey Institute http://www.southwhidbeyrecord.com/lifestyle/124319498.html

Nanila The Grandmother Song [HQ]

SHOSHOLOZA

Shosholoza was originally a sad song sung by people during hard labour, sometimes far away from home. It has become one of South Africa's most popular songs, especially as an anthem at sporting events. Rough English translation: Move faster, You are meandering on those mountains, The train is from South Africa. You accelerate, on those mountains, The train is from South Africa. "Shosholoza" means "Go forward" or "Make way for the next man". The word also sounds like the noise of a steam train. ("Stimela" is the Zulu word for a steam train).

Shosholoza, shosholoza
Kulezontaba
Stimela Sphuma South Africa
Wenu Yabaleka
Wenu Yabaleka,
Kulezontaba
Stimela Sphuma South Africa

See article: http://tinyurl.com/kmvnsow

In the 1980s, a number of musicians raised their voices to call for the freedom of Nelson Mandela. (The fight against apartheid, as the documentary Amandla! highlighted, was waged partly with music.)

The most famous of these protest songs, in the U.S. at least, is probably 1984’s “(Free) Nelson Mandela” by the Specials, which reached No. 9 on the U.K. charts and helped to make Mandela’s cause more widely known.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iz0mF17YpWY

Three years later, the South African musician Hugh Masekela had one of his biggest hits with “Bring Him Back Home (Nelson Mandela),” which became an anthem among Mandela supporters—and which Mandela himself would later dance to, a free man.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opUEIVlG1BQ

The same year that Masekela’s song came out, the South African band Savuka, fronted by Johnny Clegg, released “Asimbonanga,” which roughly translates as “We have not seen him.”

Mandela would dance to that one, too—and in the highlight of this video, you can watch him do so below when he joins Clegg on stage.

“It is music and dancing,” he says, “that makes me at peace with the world.”

And then, after the song ends, Mandela shows us his inimitable humour…”But I don’t see much movement at the back there, you know.”

So he asks the band to play it again so people can dance more than they did the first time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opUEIVlG1BQ

Beloveds, and you are That for me,

Do you want to sing in the New Earth and Golden Age? SingPeace! is seeking Tribe and Troupe for its North American Tour.

SingPeace! Earth Pilgrimage for Peace & Global Harmony began in 2008 as a singing dream, with a period of a little over a year to design and craft the wagon, a number of Singer/Songweavers signed on. They have shared their songs, in community, in an on-the-ground "sing 'n mingle" style.

The SingPeace! mission is and has been to craft a "Culture of Peace" through participatory song, story, poetry, art, dance, theater/improv, and exuberant play. Activities 'round about the SingPeace! Roma-style gypsy wagon tweaks and invigorates our collective memory of life at its essence and most heartwarming best.

ReEnchant the World, Engage and share your soul song and story and encourage others to do the same. This is the core of the SingPeace! mission.

Please enjoy the links below, join in and inspire your families and communities with these simple, yet layered harmonies and uplifting, loving lyrics.

*SingPeace! video: https://singpeacepilgrimage.ning.com/video/sing-peace-first-event-in... (with Laurence Cole, Rob Tobias & SaraTone)

*Songs for the Great Turning, website by Gretchen Sleicher: https://singpeacepilgrimage.ning.com/profiles/blogs/songs-for-the-gr...

*This Fire, Laurence Cole & Songweavers, new CD release with sample songs & lyrics:https://singpeacepilgrimage.ning.com/profiles/blogs/this-fire-new-cd...

*SaraTone: online song offerings, CD, etc. (SingPeace! video: "Livin' in the Garden") https://singpeacepilgrimage.ning.com/profile/SaraTone?xg_source=prof...

*Rob Tobias & Friends Song Blog & discography: http://www.robtobias.com/pages/songblog.htm

*Rob Tobias, "World in the World," and other CD samplers. Oregon, see his calendar dates! http://www.robtobias.com/pages/2discography.htm

*"If There Ever was One," video, Laurence Cole, Fairy & Human Congress, http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=62603589558&oid=62076...

*Cascadia Earth," new song offering by SaraTone https://singpeacepilgrimage.ning.com/profiles/blogs/cascadia-earth-n...

"Nanila, the Grandmother Song," video: https://singpeacepilgrimage.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?q=nanila

You may friend Laurence Cole, Songweavers, RobTobias, and SaraTone on Facebook. Let them know that you resonate with their music!

♥«•.*♥ Love ♫♪♫♪♫ Light ♥*.•»♥

Pushkara Sally Ashford

Sunday, 06/26/2011

Peacemaker, singers will meet for week at Whidbey Institute

Singer/Songwriters, Sharon Abreu & Mike Hurwicz, will be "in residence" at the BePeace Course Retreat, Whidbey Institute, August 1-4.

Songweavers Aimee Kelley-Spencer, Laurence Cole and Aimee Ringle walk the road toward peace with the SingPeace! Earth

By PATRICIA DUFF
South Whidbey Record Arts & Entertainment, Island Life
Jun 21 2011, 4:02 PM · UPDATED

She looked around to see where in the world an army didn’t exist.

It was Costa Rica. So that’s where American peacemaker Rita Marie Johnson settled down 15 years ago to begin her quest to change the world.

Johnson is the director of the Rasur Foundation International and the founder of the Academy for Peace for which she developed the “BePeace Foundations Course.” She brings her teachings to Whidbey Island for a retreat at the Whidbey Institute at Chinook from July 31 through Aug. 4.

One of the program hosts, SingPeace! Earth Pilgrimage for Peace & Global Harmony founder and island resident Pushkara Sally Ashford said the program seeks sponsorships in order to send local teachers and community members to the BePeace Foundations Course at the institute’s Clinton campus.

The program has been taught widely in schools in Costa Rica since 2004 and is now moving into the United States. Rasur Foundation International aims to train educators in the BePeace method who, in turn, can train other teachers, students and parents in their local communities. The BePeace Course strives to equip people to use skills to resolve conflicts in a non-violent manner, while also providing life skills for making positive choices in general.

In Costa Rica, Johnson was able to influence lawmakers to establish the Ministry for Justice and Peace.

Also, since returning to the United States in 2009, she has taught at the National Academy for Peace in Shelburne, Vt. and in other locations around the country, including a model school program in Denton, Texas. The course in August will be the first in the Northwest region.

Ashford is excited by the prospect of creating a “BePeace” community on Whidbey Island.

“SingPeace! co-coordinator Julie Vosoba and I took the course with Rita Marie Johnson in Santa Cruz in April,” Ashford said.

The two singers have been spreading the word about the Whidbey Institute course ever since and stressed the celebratory component of SingPeace! that includes their fellow singer-songweavers who will share the experience at the institute. To that end, they have planned a pre-retreat meeting at Unity Church in Langley so folks can acquaint themselves with the practices of the BePeace program.

The meeting is from 7:30 to 9 p.m., Tuesday, June 28 at the church at 5671 Crawford Road. The goal is to eventually hold an ongoing series of classes designed for adults, families and children.

“Long-term, we plan to form a BePeace hub here on Whidbey that will ripple the methods for feeling, speaking, teaching and singing peace out into the community,” Ashford said.

It is not an unlikely vision as Johnson’s methods are meant to resonate with people from all walks of life and all ages.

The practice combines a scientifically proven method for “feeling peace” with a clear path for “speaking peace” that creates a compassionate connection to other people. The idea is a sort of “pay-it-forward” model, creating a continuum of non-violent behavior from one person to the next. Johnson says there are two skills that are essential for achieving a nonviolent way of life. One is an emotional skill, “feeling peace,” defined as the ability to remain peaceful under stress.

The other is a social skill, “speaking peace,” which is the ability to communicate empathically and honestly to others.

“Peace infrastructure is a new concept,” Johnson said.

“We have infrastructure for war — why wouldn’t we have infrastructure for peace?  It’s so important to the well-being of our children.”

Her program has been extremely successful in Costa Rica. The Academy of Peace, where the program was first implemented, won the Changemakers Innovation Award: Building a More Ethical Society, and the Costa Rican Ministry of Education decided to implement BePeace in the national school system.

As an international peacemaker, Johnson has presented BePeace workshops in eight states and in Canada, Europe and Central America and at the United Nations University for Peace. In 2006, she completed a speaking tour in Japan on Costa Rica as a model of peace and in 2007, she served on the plenary panel “Women of Power” at the International Women’s Peace Conference in Dallas. That same year she was the keynote speaker for the World Day of Prayer at Unity Village, Mo.

Johnson was also instrumental in creating the National Peace Academy of the USA at Case Western Reserve University, in Cleveland, Ohio.

Ashford, who built a SingPeace! caravan in which she lives when traveling to spread her musical message of peace, is excited by the prospect of leading the community on such a journey.

“It’s the nature of pilgrimage that you never know exactly where it will lead,” Ashford said.

“This one is a collaborative effort that has brought many elements; many ‘pieces of the peace’ together. BePeace is the latest addition to the journey and one that presents a clear path and steps toward peace,” she said.

The course is hosted by SingPeace! Earth Pilgrimage for Peace & Global Harmony, the Whidbey Institute and Aldermarsh/Marsh House Retreat Center.

The Whidbey Institute BePeace Foundations Course is from 6:30 p.m. Sunday, July 31 to 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 4. An early registration discount of $100 is available before July 1. To register visit www.regonline.com/wi_bepeace or call 341-1884. The Whidbey Institute at Chinook is located at 6449 Old Pietila Road in Clinton.

Dear Friends,

Namaste. Thank you so much for taking time during your busy weekend to support The Yoga Lodge through your actual or energetic presence. Hosting Pushkara’s home-coming, having her exquisite gypsy wagon and talented singers from SingPeace! on site was a true privilege. The songs for peace and global harmony, as well as the activities with the barefoot sensei not only inspired joy, and respect but strengthened our connection to the earth and to community. Most importantly we were able to follow through on promises made to our neighbors and invite them to participate in a more peaceful dialogue. I hope this is the beginning of a shift in our neighborhood toward greater harmony which reverberates well beyond the ‘middle island’ of Whidbey. Ten thousand thank yous to each of you………………….

With Love,

Wendy

Wendy Dion

The Yoga Lodge on Whidbey Island

360-678-2120

info@yogalodge.com

www.yogalodge.com

At Langley Fairgrounds

DjangoFest NW & International Peace Week
*Song Swapping & Djammin’
Free admission. Everyone welcome!
Wednesday-Friday, Sept.19-21, noon-2 p.m.

Local Folks, greet our International Guests
Bring your instruments, voices & picnic baskets

Hosted by SingPeace! Pilgrimage for Peace & Global Harmony
SingPeace! Caravan, Langley Fairgrounds

Sharon Abreu, Michael Hurwicz & Pushkara Sally Ashford

Song Swapping & Djammin' at the SingPeace! gypsy wagon

ALSO!

*Saturday, Sept. 22, noon-2 p.m.
”Cafe Impromtu" hosted by Kristi O’Donnell, Django Djammin’
Fairgrounds, Caravan Stage

https://www.facebook.com/events/743682489296530/

Food available at Friday Farmer’s Market near WICA or in town
Hot Shotz Espresso at the Fairgrounds, Friday and Saturday

And More!

*Day ’n Night *DjangoFest Djammin’
*Acoustic Djammin' hours: 9 a.m. -5 a.m.(!)
Django Camping at the Fairgrounds

*Quiet camping or Django Camping and Djammin' available
$20 (tent) and $25 (hook ups) per night
Visit: http://portofsouthwhidbey.com/facilities/island-county-fairgrounds-campg...

Map: Fairgrounds Campground
819 Camano Ave.

Pushkara Sally Ashford peeks out the door of her brand new handcrafted gypsy vardo wagon. Ashford is getting ready to wheel out from Whidbey on a pilgrimage for peace.
Photo courtesy of Pushkara Sally Ashford

Giving peace a chance
By PATRICIA DUFF
South Whidbey Record Arts & Entertainment, Island
Life
Feb 26 2010, 4:10 PM · UPDATED
A wagon of peace is rolling home, and its owner would like to invite the community to welcome it with song. The peace-wheeling, hand-built gypsy wagon, owned by local resident Pushkara Sally Ashford, has been a year in the making. Ashford will eventually live in the wagon as she pulls it along throughout the
journey she calls “Sing Peace! Earth Pilgrimage for Peace and Global Harmony.”

The first leg of her pilgrimage will begin the day after Earth Day, April 25, but until then, the gypsy wagon will be home on Whidbey Island, where it will be featured at the Yoga Lodge in Greenbank on
Saturday, March 6 and Sunday, March 7. The community is welcome to come by at 7 p.m. on Saturday to view the wagon, followed by singing at 7:30 p.m. led by songweavers Laurence Cole, Rob Tobias and Sara Tone who hope to bring the audience to their feet in an interactive sing ‘n mingle style, with songs celebrating the earth and the unity of life. The evening includes clips from “Sound of the Soul: Taking Humanity to a Higher Note,” an interfaith film documentary of the 2009 Sacred Music Festival in Morocco. On Sunday the celebration of peace continues with a “Singpeace! Family Event” from 1 to 3 p.m., with singers gathered outside to sing around the peace wagon. Mick Dodge, the “Barefoot Sensei,” will demonstrate E.A.R.T.H. Gym (Exuberant Animal Rhythmic Training Hall) activities and practical play,
the goal of which is to feel the exuberance of the land under your feet. Ashford said Dodge’s training has been eye-opening for her. “Sinking our soles deep, singing harmony with the land,” she said of it.

Ashford has given a lot of thought to the land this year since she introduced her plan to design and build the handcrafted Roma-style wagon for her pilgrimage. Her plan is to spread the message of peace and draw attention to housing, health, food and environmental issues. This 70-something maverick is a former teacher, singer and now a grandmother who wants to focus on the big picture and the long-term
legacy that will be left to her grandchildren and their grandchildren. “My mind is going toward the 500-year plan, the 1,000-year plan, for the rainforest, water and the other components of true sustainability,” Ashford said. “I’m going for ‘peace in my lifetime’ and I’m willing to do what it takes to bring it about.”

What it took first was designing the wagon and finding someone to build it. Ashford found herself at the “How to Build a Gypsy Wagon” course offered by master craftsmen Jim Tolpin and Steve Habersetzer at the Port Townsend School of Woodworking. After creating the design on paper, she commissioned Steve Habersetzer and a team of other craftsmen to help her finish the project. “It was a very delightful process for me, because I didn’t know I could do that,” Ashford said. It was a satisfying collaboration that, when all was done, left Ashford with a beautifully crafted green-living wagon — complete with decorative carvings, stained-glass windows, a 12-volt solar electric panel, a composting toilet, running water and a beautiful French vintage-style propane fireplace. Etched into the windows are symbols of the most meaningful things in her life, including her grandchildren, her guitar, animals and the lyrics to a song.

During the process, other pilgrims of peace began to take notice of Ashford’s intentions, and she has subsequently gathered several followers in her serious pursuit. Ashford and her ever-growing band of singers and activists hope to establish a culture of peace by drawing attention to issues with songs
and activities such as the planting of trees and other communal tasks that will bring young and old people together to make a long-term commitment to the earth. She used as an example Ecuador, which in 2008 approved a new Constitution that granted inalienable rights to nature. For Ashford, peace and harmony in the world are not a dream or a fantasy or a pastime. “They require the efforts and attention of everyone of us,” she said.

After Earth Day, Ashford and friends will circle the Olympic Peninsula, stopping along the way to create “singing villages.” They will visit part of Oregon and then head north again in time for a stop at the
Folklife Festival in Seattle. “It’s meant to be joyful and fun,” Ashford said. “When we think about the warring mentality of the world and the economy, none of us really knows peace. But when we sing together, it’s hard to bear a grudge, and the joy takes over.” It is with joy that she follows the intentions of her heart. Her plans are not set in stone, and she is not sure where the wind will take her after that, but Ashford is sure that, with the help of social networks and other means of news travel, her repertoire for a culture of peace will have a snowball effect, and that people will know these songs when they come together in the “singing villages.”

Having felt a strong need to let go of her “homebound” style of living and build a vehicle that would transport an important message, Ashford said that to consider one’s relationship to the land, and that one is its steward, is central to everything else in life. “We need a strong base — habit is formed in habitat. I want to strengthen the base of the culture here. There’s plenty to do; plenty of neglected and unattended concerns to address,” she said. A lot of people are becoming interested, Ashford said, and there has been a steady gathering of older women she calls the “Elderwise,” who have begun participating in various ways.

It is not a hurried journey, and Ashford said it will be going on for a long time. It is, in fact, a commitment that has spiraled into other connections such as having been named an “Ambassador of Change” among 50 others in the world who are sponsored by a program called “The Movement
of Change,” a network comprised of people who believe and act as if they could change the world through their positive messages. Ashford’s message will be published in a “Messenger Mini Book” through the organization. It is one way people are taking ownership of intention, she said, about
the journey of change that needs more than one voice. Ashford has every intention of making her voice heard. “That’s what I signed on for in this life,” she said.

Suggested donation is $12 for adults, free for children age 12 and younger. For advanced tickets, call 579-2129, or e-mail singpeace.pushkara@gmail.com. Parking is limited; carpools are appreciated. Also, a shuttle will run between the Greenbank Park-and-Ride at Highway 525 and Bakken Road and
the Yoga Lodge at 3475 Christie Road. For the Web site, click here. Click here for more info. All donations will go to the support of social and environmental projects.

South Whidbey Record Arts & Entertainment, Island Life Patricia Duff
can be reached at pduff@southwhidbeyrecord.com or (360) 221-5300.