autumn stuff

see the geese?

and here i'm wearing hannah's beautiful sweater

(knitted twice)

she says i have to smile more

hannah visited for a few days,

after a marathon and a job interview

and a long drive

first to montpelier

then to the north country.

 she's addicted to yarn,

wool mostly.

she remembers fondly my little flock

of mostly brown sheep.

 after hannah went home

i used slu's paper mill

(zone 4 paper)

where i beat thistledown fiber first

and then linen canvas.

the linen clogged the beater

and while fixing melissa found this,

 large helping of old, 

oniionized pulp.

 yuck, 

thick and light

a map of sorts of who'd been there.

 i brought home thistledown sheets

and put them into a jerry-rigged drying stack

 on the counter the thistledown 

(and that's all there is, no formation aid)

and here it is,

layered on fall prints

 and i finished off yesterday what i began 

on wednesday

 this edition of paper is exactly like it was when i made it 

without a beater, using only a blender.

a two sided sheet,

 extremely textured.

a decorative sheet, but pretty satisfying to use

north country fiber.

nerves and nose

lord peter whimsey was once described as nerves and nose

i wonder...

isn't that rather apt?

leaving the known

for the unknown

meeting expectations 

my own, for sure, but real nonetheless

and feeling, falling short.

but 

confusion and chaos

will sort themselves out.

i will be fine and happy and doing what i want to

two weeks to make my work

and a couple days to give something back to 

say thanks

and maybe see a niece or a friend

or both.

onward (at 3:30 a.m.)

basement life

the road trip from the north country of new york to down east maine is...10 plus hours, anyway.

when staying with my nephew i sleep in the basement. if it was MY basement you would consider it torture to make anyone stay more than a brief minute there. but this one is organized and tidy, with "stations", laundry, wood carving, movie, outdoor gear all organized.

lake champlain at rouse's point

the northeast kingdom is fascinating. every time i drive through i think i'll just wing it. i always get lost, almost quebec this time. 

this looks like home, only they would be hardwood not softwood--this is heading to a paper mill. new hampshire.

spavin cure. just in case. you never know.

car photos are particularly bad. really. but it's kind of fun to drive and take pictures at the same time. 

and my first view of the atlantic. bar harbor. sanctuary. basement. and a good sleep.