Beating Drums
Helping Others Through the Art of Hand Drumming

Wow…. Today was a day made in heaven.

When I arrived early this morning I headed slightly south of Laguna Beach and camped out at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point, CA.  I woke to a wonderful view of the ocean and nothing short of an image sent from heaven. It was the most inviting site I have seen in a long, long, long time.  I took this as a good sign that today would be a great day, and in fact it turned out to be superb!!

I walked around the beach a while this morning and then took out a few drums for some photo opportunities. Very nice, very nice. I then cleaned up a bit and headed to Laguna Beach.  I met a wonderful friend for lunch, hung out a short while and then headed for “Main Beach” which as the name implies, is the main beach there in the city of Laguna Beach.

I found a great parking place, a great spot to play drums, and the temperature was perfect. I got out my drums, my banners, and sat down to play.  Immediately, people gathered to watch and a few gathered to play. Over time more people gathered and many more stood nearby. I handed out flyers about Alzheimer’s and drumming and spoke to many people about what I was doing and how my main objective was to spread the word for Alzheimer’s awareness.

I couldn’t have asked for a better day. I was even visited by the man who made my drums, Jim “Sageman” Knapp! He stayed a short while, we talked, and he helped me with some tuning issues I was having with the drums. The turnout was great; people played, people danced, people smiled!  Many people even asked if I would be there again tomorrow, which unfortuntately I will not be since I’ll be on the road again.

After the drum session, I had dinner at C’est La Vie, uploaded some pics to Facebook and packed up. As I was leaving I caught the glimpse of a Laguna Beach sunset. Truly beautiful but not planned out well enough on my part to have my camera ready.  Next time, next time.

I was actually rather sad to leave such a great city. I felt so at home. The people were great, the atmosphere was perfect, the overall energy of the area was something I have never experienced before. I will definitely return to this great area.  But for now… I am on a mission. A mission to promote Alzheimer’s Awareness, one drum beat at a time….

Next stop…. Scottsdale, AZ.

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