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.