Kowanaman

I used to live out in the middle of the Stanislaus National Forest just west of the Yosemite National Park boundary. We named the little valley we lived in Kowana Valley. Kowana means “music” in the Miwok language, which were the Native Americans that had a winter camp on our place before the California gold rush. I play the flute, I have an Olwell, Pratten style, made out of a California wood called madrone. It looks and plays like boxwood. It’s also even more unique since I lost my left forefinger in a car accident in 2005. The first hole is plugged and moved to the backside of the flute and my thumb has taken over for my missing finger. So if you see a nine fingered fluter, that’s me.
In 2021 my wife Lynn and I moved to Black Mountain, NC, near Asheville. Because of Covid, there aren’t any sessions going on here, but hopefully things will get going again soon! So all you sessioners that used to play at Jack of the Wood and the White Horse, let us know when you start sessioning again, we’re chomping at the bit!