Thank you from Tumblestone: Part One: (Preface, and Opening Statement)

Preface: The following was written in segments and/or blocks of time or concentrated sessions that took place through the course of the fall, and into the early winter(Sept-Dec. 2023). Then picked it back up again just after Xmas, and into Jan 2024 for a final review, and to make those last edits, and/or additions) The pages reflect the overview of Tumblestone 2023, and the people that made it what it was (as it is remembered through heart and fractured memories). It took no time to get into the plotting/outline of the draft pages, and the bulk flushing was coming along nicely/quite steadily. Every day, or every other day writing a minimum of a page or two… and wrote a lot when I was (yet, with no end in near sight). I had been putting off other things that needed my attention… So I had to step back from time to time, to take care of some of those things. As time passed, it seemed like the time that I was able to spend had grown shorter, and fewer…On top of more things added to the plate, that had been keeping me from churning out those finished words. When I do finally get the time to return to it (periodically)… A quick skimming of the text blocks would continuously reveal pieces that needed revision…and my time had been spent doing those revisions, instead of progressing with new segments needed for completion, and other times I just couldn’t force myself to find the words. I didn’t want to rush it either… I wanted to take the time to appreciate each and every one, through memories of (to the best of my knowledge) and from the heart. (As I always had) The process was just to write, and let it all flow out…regardless of the content produced (usually heartfelt gushing) 😉 … *When proofreading, it turned out to be not so much fun to correct, or even to know exactly what it was I was trying to spit out. Therefore a lot of the blocks needed revisions of sorts. I also noticed that as I wrote… I flipped back and forth from addressing the reader and directly to who I was talking to, and/or about, as well as back and forth from I/we. (And this was all throughout). For what it’s worth… The following pages is that spittle. (Nearly 25000 words about why this year was as good as it was) Thank you all for all that you are, and what you’ve done to make Tumblestone 2023 Music & Art Festival what it was. Opening Statement: In my first post after the festival…I did a round of general thank you letter (to everyone) and voiced some of my thoughts about the event/how it felt/and why we were pleased with it, considering the fight it was to get there, and addressed some of the difficulties we faced leading up to the event. The following pages will be a little more in-depth, and detailed as much as I can remember through fractured memories of the weekend (and the days/weeks/months leading up to it) Each year we try to develop as much of the grounds as possible. Mostly just for optimal flow, better safety measures, levelling ground/pathways/trails/roads, making more commendable camping space, and more campgrounds (if we can get around to it) Because stage 2 was not going to happen this year…we scrapped the thought of builds over there and directed everything we had to get the grounds proper-like (roads/paths/walkways/floors/areas) This year we were shooting to develop even more land than we have in the past few years… and had made room/ improved the roads, and the grounds for a bunch more camping space this year,(including RV), and really focused on that…and grading any/all potential problematic areas. I hope y’all noticed/appreciated that…Thank you to anyone who had a hand in the preparations. 🙂 ❤ We knew that because of our situation leading up to the festival date…things would look slightly different this year, but we were okay with that as long as it had the same vibe/feel that everyone expects/has come to love. We could only do what we could (with what we could) and try our hardest to make it the best that we could. Thank you to anyone who had a hand in that. 🙂 ❤ It all turned out fine, and all the hard work was worth the struggle…It was a truly magical experience once again. It left me glowing for days (once the bangover subsided) It’s quite an amazing event to be at …and still has that beautiful vibe of the precursor (despite all the changes made over the years. It is still so much fun, reassuring, and a spiritual enlightenment… which propels me to into the start of winter with great thoughts. You’d be hard-pressed to find anything locally that stands up to it/ its honesty/ its beauty. However, these events are only so special because of the people that are contained within. Thank you to anyone who has shown love or any support to/for Tumblestone, and/or the artists/performers/musicians that make it up. Thank you to all that came out, brought a loved one, had a good time, got merch, etc. (*we see you fam)…It means a lot that you care 🙂 ❤