Caldera

                                                                                                                                                Zack   

            There's a one week camp near Sisters Oregon. The name of the land is Caldera and it's owned by the man who coined the slogan for NIke. He now makes his money running camps on his land. The campus scenery consists of; a small cook house, A large hall where meals were actually served, five small triangular "A frame" buildings, and a lake which is fabled to be one of the deepest in all of Oregon.

            I had first heard about the Caldera Song Writing Academy from Avi, a former local of Skagway. The camp was for all poets, songwriters, and as a new addition to the camp of this year all artists from painting to metal working. The camp and arts council of Sisters hired the musicians not only to perform in the Sisters Folk Festival but to also teach and mentor at the camp. The age group for the camp was eighteen years of age and older but they made exceptions for the local American project and myself.

            The first day in Oregon I wasn't actually on Caldera's campus. Avi, Genie, Avi's mother, and yours truly were offered free lodgings at the Saldi's house since it happened they were also returning home that same day. It wasn't a bad night after the long day of traveling and considering the next few nights would be in a tipi I enjoyed the plush cushions of the couch. We had to stop by a sports clothing store for a couple pairs of basketball shorts for myself and a Best Buy for Avi's new computer before picking the Saldi's up from the airport. The cramped, hot, half an' hour car ride was not the most pleasant experience but it mattered not since I was in Oregon! After a mexican dining experience complimentary of Genie and a shower I was assaulted by Yasha's vivid stories for the remainder of the night. 

            We woke up the next morning at seven so that we could arrive early to Caldera and have the best selection out of the tipis. After settling in we were called to the hall for the signing of wavers, the distributing of packets, lunch, and a meeting. Lunch was mostly dry goods, like scones and muffins accompanied by locally picked fruits. Might I say that this catering service was the greatest I've had at any camp.

            During the meeting which was immediately after lunch the head of campus, Brad Tisdale, layed down some ground rules and told us a little about the campus. He ended the meeting by introducing the staff. The first day was short lived and I headed for the tipi half past seven.

            The second day I attended an interesting class with a former punk rocker who happened to find the diamond in the rough known as Jewel from Homer, Alaska. He happened to have helped write a few songs also tour for several years with her. After that class I immediately began writing and didn't stop until three in the afternoon. After finishing my first song I entered the tipi and found Avi writing. I took this opportunity and suggest we write some music. She agreed and wrote 3 versus and chorus in two hours. She later suggested we play our song at open mic and the when I learned that each night there's an open mic from seven to eleven. There were also multiple jam circles throughout the campus. The open mic was enough for me though and I retired to bed right around 11:30.

            The last day was very uneventful for me. I really only walked around the campus and took it all in. The weather was still hot. I can actually say that the whole trip was filled with great weather. Even on the second day when it was hailing the width of quarters I was still enjoying every moment. That night Avi and I would play the open night armed with our one hit wonder. We really should've practiced the song more, but we were still showered with compliments after the performance. Instead of watching the rest of the acts for that night I sat outside of the hall and wrote another song.

            After another early night, I awoke the next morning and enjoyed the last free breakfast from Caldera. The entire campus then participated in a thorough campus cleaning. Genie arrived at eleven thirty to pick Avi and I up. I left that camp with the most inspiration I have ever possessed and went directly to the folk fest where I witnessed some of the greatest live music I have yet to listen to.