The Sound Of One Drum Drumming

Peter Hornby • February 10, 2009

After a few days of welcome rain had blown through Orange County (even though we weren't in Orange County to see it), last night was pretty cold and crisp.  OK, it wasn't cold by any standards other than those of Southern California.  The tenperature was probably in the high forties (8C or thereabouts for the transatlantic contingent), and there was a smart breeze.Last night was also full moon, and full moon means Full Moon Drum Circle.  Or rather, it normally does.  Not last night.  Lorraine and I donned the arctic gear (woolly cap in my case), packed the djembe and the tambourine, two chairs and two flasks of tea, and headed down to Aliso Beach to join the groove.

Nobody there.

To be strictly accurate, there was one friendly guy, toasting himself in front of a firepit full of furiously blazing wood.  It seemed like a shame to just pack up and go, so we set up and started drumming.  Our new friend professed no ownership of the fire.  He said that it had been started by another guy, who'd set it going and left.

After a while another small group showed up, with a large buffalo drum (like a very big bass bodhran), another djembe and a shaker.  So we had ourselves a small drum circle for an hour or so until the fire started dying down.It was a really lovely evening - blazing fire on the beach, the sound of drums, and the surf just beyond the circle of firelight - and we're glad we made the effort.  But I'd certainly like to know where everyone else was.

Update: Turns out that the drum circle had been cancelled, and the cancellation had sneaked its sneaky way to my spam folder without me noticing.

Next stop Wednesday, March 11.

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