July 27, 2001
Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada3am.
This is a letter I just sent to my mailing list:
July 27th, 2001
7:38am. I've been up all night. I had a great time. After the club closed, I invited a few car loads of kids back to the Gypsy Camp for a bon-fire. I gave them a guitar and they all sang together; …it was beautiful.
We were at the AQ, a club that is always packed with young people on Thursday nights. I chatted with a hundred heads, like I always do, and passed out information about two courses I'm directing.
The first course is August 5th to the 12th, 4 days of kayaking on the St. John River, from Fredericton to Westfield, then 4 days of rock climbing in Welsford. The cost is $275, which includes breakfasts and dinners for the entire week, and the climbing gear. For those who don't have a kayak, or can't borrow one from a friend, they can rent one for $150. I'll also teach photography, and capture images that will make it a trip not to be forgotten.
If a person just wants hang out at the cliff with us for the weekend... to experience the spectacular scenery... try some climbing... eat yummy grub... and enjoy the groove of talented musicians jammin' around the camp fire... the cost is $50.
The second course is August 19th to the 24th, paddling from St. Andrew's, around Deer Island, to Saint John. It will be prime time for whale watching. Each morning at sunrise, Micheal Daigle, a martial arts instructor with a second degree black, will stretch our minds and bodies while teaching practical self-defense skills. Stellar musicians will lead camp-fire sing-a-longs, and not stupid songs... I'm talking Pink Floyd, The Indigo Girls and The Beetles.
I'm looking for people to teach mini-lessons in geology, astronomy, ecology... and other stuff that would be of interest to folks on this trip. If you are good at something and want to share it... that could be your ticket. This adventure is open to anyone 16 and over. This is a community project, not a commercial venture, so my intent is to sponsor as many youth as I can afford. I want to bring kids who could use a boost in self-esteem and will greatly benefit from good role models.
My intent is to make a documentary recording the effects these adventures will have on the participants. A friend who co-owns a production company will join us to shoot a day of climbing and kayaking on the first course, then the cash from that trip will go toward buying a digital video camera to capture the second trip. Everyone will get a chance to use the camera and be part of the creative process. We'll all be stars. I'll broadcast it on my web site. A producer and crew from Vision TV(a national Canadian broadcaster), will also likely join us for a day on the second trip, making a TV feature about our adventure.
I haven't yet figured out the cost of the trip from St. Andrew's to Saint John. I'm more concerned about finding enough people to go, cuz I wanna make a great flick. If you want to go, let me know, and we'll work it. If you know someone who would greatly benefit from these educational adventures, please do what you can to help them.
It is now 10:27am. I gotta get some shut eye. At 4pm, I'm setting up a sidewalk theater on Prince William Street in front of Compu College to present my slide show with music and poetic narration. This weekend is the Busker Fest uptown, so I'm planning to camp out there until Sunday night. I’m hoping it will be a good chance to get the word out about The FAR OUT School courses and make some cash to fund my journey by kayak from Central Mexico to Nicaragua this winter. Please come visit me. I'll have free hot popcorn waiting!
My last big project was hosting a skateboard competition Canada Day. Check out the photos: http://www.solomax.com/july.1.01.html
I've added a lot of new journals and images to my site( http://www.solomax.com ), and I'll continue to keep updating as often as possible.
Love fearlessly
11pm.
