Great Lakes Autumn Council Notes
November 2-4, 2001
Jahlai Country Home, Montague, Michigan
Notes compiled by Gonzo. These are my own observations, and do not represent any form of official documentation. They were perused and augmented by some other attendees.
In attendance during some or all of the weekend:
Karmapapapa, Racchimuskillingum Michitonquia, Nana, Medicine Crow, Bob, Gonzo, Leanna, Matt, Steve, KTPupp, Rob, Doug, Leaf, Ocean Song, Brother Bill, Dan D, Mary Morningsong, Psychedelic Jack, Robin, Steve, Sarah, Bear, Su, John, Chuck, Meg, Betsi, Terry, Dawn, Devon, Kimberly, Will, Brian, Diane, Bob, Wendy, Bob, Owen, Sunfire, Joshua, Austin, Jack, Benjamin, Elijah, Spot, Gumby, The Jahlai Llama
Consensi:
Other discussion and notes:
Two 2001 calendar items were offered:
On Saturday night, we enjoyed one of the finest Rainbow musical jams in recent memory.
There was much discussion of the "Creative Monster Within" Troubadour Revue and Circus of Peace. The Circus of Peace is conceptualized as a self-sustaining travelling caravan of entertainment and a living peace and learning experience. This will not be a traditional Rainbow entity, in that it will involve organization and promotion, but the ideals will be consistent with the ideals we all see Rainbow encompassing.
Thanksgiving Council will be here at the Jahlai Country Home. There was discussion of the logistics of welcoming folks. We discussed the possibility of setting up an outdoor Rainbow kitchen for the council. We are excited to be welcoming the Thanksgiving folks. A couple of notes regarding respect for the wishes of those who are offering their home: Please note that Thanksgiving Council attendees are requested not to come earlier than Wednesday evening, and not to plan to stay on past the conclusion of council. Also, attendees are encouraged not to bring pets, since pets cannot come into the house, and it may be cold outside. Please respect the smoke-free environment inside the house. If you park on the shoulders of the road, as many will, please be sure your vehicle is all the way off the pavement. There may be Forest Service employees in attendance for a short time one of the days of council; please welcome them as you would any other arrival at council. If there is anyone uncomfortable being present with the Forest Service folks (or any other attendees), there is the option of taking time out at Sarah's welcoming space, about 10 minutes from council.
We sorted out some Rainbow Guide materials and prepared some Guides for mailing to folks who requested them. Several folks offered to help with data entry once the entry form is ready. We discussed using a colorized version of the same cover we used for the '86 Guide.
The initial release of the excellent Medicine Crow music CD coincided with this council.
Debate: If someone blocks consensus but there is noone there to hear, is there a block? Can someone sleep block?
There was some informal conversation about One Mitten Kitchen. Midnight snacks proposed were quesadillas, burritos, and egg-veggie scramble. We agreed that One Mitten menu should be an agenda item for Michigan Spring Council.
There was an interesting discussion of the logistics of holding the Annual Gathering on Grand Island, a very large National Forest island a short distance off the Upper Peninsula coast in Lake Superior.
A question was posed: Is there anyone who has a cabin that will be unused for the winter? The concept is that such a cabin could be made available in the event that someone at Thanksgiving Council volunteers to operate a Rainbow "office" (i.e. handle mail and communications) for the winter.