Stavelot, Belgium, October 25th 2008. A long drive and a wrong turn and suddenly Alex, Stef, Gaëtan, Moïra and I were upon a huge bonfire in the middle of Stavelot, a tiny town in the Ardennes Forest best known for being the site of The Battle of the Bulge in WWII.  The whole town was there—little kids dressed, I assume, for Halloween in skeleton costumes, one fireman company, one man in a white bear costume.  It was only the beginning of a long, surreal, perfect weekend.

The fire crackled and popped and burned hot and gave and received energy from everyone, the flames dancing, leaning forward and back, a concerted effort in a chill Autumn evening to keep the coming Winter at bay.