landing on my feet

back home in the foothills

after almost a month away

reentry is sweet.

this year it's more of an unfolding

gently easing me back into this glorious place.

this is where my feet know the land.
this is home.

 in australia i am always finding treasures to bring home

and stephen and theresa dairing have fibertreasure that move me.

(they also have wonderful edgy and utterly cool things, too!)

here is thin hemp thread, slubby handspun silk, and two bundles,

green and brown (both will brown out in time)

of "bark" thread. 

stephen said there was no translation. 

bark thread.

before leaving tim ely suggested i meet up with adele outterridge. 

and she did meander over to anne's home 

a week ago.

(anne newton, me and adele outteridge)

 and i'm prepping for this event

 and on my table there are some things to read and think about.

brambok booklet from the center where my class has been held for three years running.

my students

in the 6 day master class

gave me this amazing book,

so very generous and loving of them!

peek inside

 i'm saving reading this until after the book arts bazaar

that's coming up next sunday.

 they wrote me some lovely words.

in melbourne

i bought some pigments

but i also got a whole packet of pigments

from trace willans

not sure what will happen with them, yet.

think pulp and pigment.

barb adams helped me prepare for the papermaking class.

she gifted me with two books.

 this small piece was a memoir of our work days

 and inside the shifu bag 

  this shifu book

 grounded by a wonderful pebble

stitched to the back cover

in between the covers...

circles worlds

 it's a beautiful book.

and then i bought this little gem
at brambok.

 found this novel in a lovely shop

down near cape otway

traveling with wendy warren.

it's dense and rich and echoed

much of my experience as i finally feel the land here

a bit more.

i need to read to help frame

my experience and this book helped.

look!

 i also bought this

which is fascinating.

 bell did field work, a single mom with two kids in tow.

perhaps of necessity, but my thinking is that

it informed her experience (and those of her kids)

and enriched field work.

(i'm reminded of the things i did with my kids,

volunteering with the disabled riding program, 

bread and puppet, 

art and music events
but this! imagine 2 years of field work!)

 i had two too brief conversations with marion gorr

and i bought this lovely cloth

 silk and amazing stitched images

 i came home to a box from shanna leino

a wonderful little talisman

with political ramifications!

she's sending the proceeds to the aclu

 and one last little thing

helen, from the grampians texture staff

 made this. 

she had her stitched pieces on exhibit 

her first time going public! 

there's a book poster over at facebook

who writes in cyrillic or some other language that i have no knowledge of

but posts beautiful books.

this is the back of a book.

can you imagine?!