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The Pink Ladies are getting thrown out of the Petraeus hearing. Great to see that someone cares enough to put themselves on the line like that.

Camp Seeley is a dream, beautiful lake amid blackened forests, but the cabins are intact and comfortable. Someone told me that they keep coming back here because the staff is also very open minded and kind. I make a point of telling them thanks and complimenting their camp. They seemed efficient and the place was great for the Gathering. I did a little exploring and went down to the dock. The first thing to do during a free moment is get out on that clear water. Even with the wind making waves and clouds in the sky, I wanted to get out on that water.

As people were waking up and others were arriving, I was struck by the joy that each person seemed to feel every time someone would walk up or pull up in cars. It was heartening to witness people coming together and teasing each other and be genuinely pleased to see each other again. Gave you a sense that people got close over the length of this gathering. Eventually, the opening prayer was called in the pavilion.

Native people together have a certain sense of always living a way of belief, not preaching it nor pushing it. We started the weekend as a prayer and with Matt D. leading us, we started off a weekend of prayer in all that we did. Right after, we had a talking circle and connected up with each other through our stories, which were amazing and confidential.

Dinner was ribs, wow. Thought we'd get hot dogs on a stick, only hoping for a bun. The food for the weekend ended up being fantastic and was well appreciated by all of us. Then after a interlude which allowed Brian and I to grab kayaks and cross the lake. What a rush to be on rough waters and toiling to pull a little boat towards a point that seems a mile away. We got over and marveled at how beautiful it was.