June 26th

the pictures tell the story of an outing to the Yakama Nation Willamette Falls Lamprey Celebration. There was:

• a welcome dance

• community dances that some of us joined in

• tables with free swag and interesting information

• a table where an elder filleted a lamprey, explained all the parts, and let Azrael get up close and personal with all of it

• a 'lamprey' dance like a Chinese lion dance, with a lamprey being carried by three or four people

• a table with native 'items' such as baskets and jams. And an otter pelt that Azrael would have liked to stay with. (Forever, I think)

• a salmon and lamprey lunch (which we sampled and shared after our own more familiar picnic)

• a ride in a car to the dock

• and a ride on a boat up to the falls

• a bus ride home

• an a walk up the hill.

It was a most excellent day. I wonder if it's annual celebration. I got free tickets on-line and it said it was sold-out yesterday, but nobody asked for my tickets anywhere.