Monday, May 31, 2010

quebec smoke

there are many forest fires north of here, not very far, actually, in quebec and ontario. the highest number i've seen online is 72 active fires, several out of control. we can smell it here in north russell, and earlier the sky was very hazy. around nine there was no smell, by eleven it was nasty, smells like someone burning trash nearby. 
i've also been trying to put this book into a cohesive unit--and decided to line the limp vellum cover with some eucalyptus dyed retired gramicci climbing pants in cotton twill.
as i thought about the smoke here, i realize this book has marking and color trails. a bit smoky perhaps. muted. about dyeing old cloth: there are always surprises, and i just love the shibori marks left by time and wear and chance. about 1/3 down from the top of the twill piece you can see the old machine stitch line. connections: mrs. belfer and dorothy and mary anne and tom and chela and india and me all made this book. watched by wendy. approved? 
back to work tomorrow for the final few weeks. we will camp and work at the camp, and work at bittersweet farm and white water raft and climb and have a family picnic...and finish our novel and journals. it's been the best year teaching i have ever had.

9 comments:

  1. ha! i have a 'stone folder' that looks like your tools...found on the beach in Denmark

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  2. Sounds like a GREAT way to close out the school year! And, yes, fires...
    my parents are in Marion, MA almost at the Cape and they had smoke there from the fires in Canada... amazing.

    Love the eucalyptus died pants!

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  3. the folders are some of my favorite tools, the top ie elk made by shanna leino, the second is deer made by me as is the bottom one, of elk. neat that you found a stone one--what do you use it for?

    v-i just had to buy some eucalyptus this spring before anything was growing.

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  4. velma..thank you for the Apologia. as i
    read this entry above, i think that you are
    related. (to b.lopez) (or his mind/heart)

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  5. Take care with those fires about, this book looks wonderful..

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  6. I LOVE the interior of this book-in-the-making and hope parts of it will be visible upon completion!

    Here in Massachusetts, we were cloaked in a smoky haze all Memorial Day -- it was weird.

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  7. fires--we're across a big river and miles away, but we have our own fires now and then. but we are getting some rain, now.

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  8. who misses you and says come home and PLAY for god's sake, mom's boring.

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