retreat, another Obon dance

Yesterday was the Vedanta retreat. I went to the afternoon portion only, which included singing and a talk given by the swami from the St Louis center, Swami Chetanananda. I got teased by choir-mates for not going to the morning session. Sometimes it's hard to say no.

At night we went to the Obon dance in Florin. It was smaller than the Sacramento Obon dance but just as fun. We could see better, and the sound system was better. Talk about people watching! It's all about watching the dancers. Some are in kimonos--some are in shorts, and everything in between. The mood there was very positive. I wished I knew the dances so I could join them. Maybe one year I'll go to the practices beforehand and learn.

This morning I went to worship. I almost didn't go, but I'm glad I did. After worship I talked to friends and got a good hug from S. Now I smell like her perfume.

This whole time living in Sacramento, we've never been tourists to the capitol. We were thinking of going today, but instead we're planning to stay home and clean house, try to get rid of some of the clutter.