iphone camera on my walk

 so there's some (more) snow

 and this lovely light was frigid last evening.

almost as cold right now

 it was too cold to walk

my nose hurt

 but it was beautiful

with light strong, intense

 and secret hidey holes and shadows

 frost heave causes many scares

while driving the back roads.

this morning the snow was squeeky 

and i knew we were below zero.

again.

 some treasures i picked up

at the grampians texture

waiting for experimental stitches

of some sort.

 the leavings from some 

frozen blueberries

patterning the inside of

a yogurt container.

some drawing experiments

under ecoprinting

and today, after,

well i'll let you know what i think 

once they're all dry.

frustration

ok, i know i've been spoiled rotten by summertime in australia.

but geesh!

snow and snow and cold and cold.

you should see the end of my driveway!

and the kitchen cold water is frozen.

and i still don't have a camera replacement.

i got one--too big--

returned.

i got a second--

too fancy--

returned

and today i ordered one almost just like my old

plain old

powershot.

the kicker?

it's cheaper! and RED!!!

 so here, trace, is my photo

taken by YOU!

which proves that i do not always break cameras and 

that my good friends put up with me

 as i look at the melbourne now exhibit.

i can say 

in all honesty

that australians are among

the finest, friendliest people i've met.

and the north country, dear place,

it's time to warm up

just a tiny bit.

please.

this is a tiny photo

(it gets blurry when i enlarge it)

that a student, jill, sent to me

from my second grampians texture class.

one side of the room was windows, the other a huge mural.

i read to the class every day

and tried to link the readings

to what our hands were up to.

this is the whole group of teachers

trace is next to me and down on the right

is tony who 

gave me a ride to class most days

this little bit of my students' paper&books

is from our show and tell.

thrusday after class 

everyone was in a rush

to get out of town:

meet trains and busses

drive while daylight lasted.

i left the land of kangaroos the next day.

i willpost more photos as students send them to me. 

(DID YOU ALL READ THAT???)

an evening journey

…with friends

 was it wednesday?

i don't recall

 but

 naomi drove marie and me

into the mountains

 where we found a few surprising things

 vast

 and more vast

 and looking down,

a few pieces of trash

 including a dirty diaper.

 which made us angry.

 oh, but this place!

 so different than

my old familiar adirondacks

 oh, my

 we all took photos

 and a month or so ago

there were fires here

 but this land knows 

how to deal with it

 trace's xanthorea

 working through.

the burnt bits

wrote mysteries all over

my white twill pants

and then we went to dinner

with trace.
~~~
gail stiffe has put up a post
about my class at beautiful silks
and the book she completed.

hands working

this little film inspires me

every time i view it.

and i am reminded of the simplicity of making thread

yarn

string

and how that thing

 string yarn thread

holds us together

sinew cloth clothing protection

shroud

fiber.

my mother's maiden name was weaver.

it's a protection i hold close.

i learned to stitch with used unraveled hem thread

on kleenex.

winter to summer and back again

the last class was exciting

going deep

four days

13 humans

and blue fairy wrens

(among other feathered beings)

 i love the variety 

 of needle books

my students had.

did i say i had 14 students in the two day class

12 in the four day class

and we worked.

 we made and made and made

 we shared

 we built

 we discovered how a few crinkles

can enhance the dullest of papers.

 these folks kept saying "why not?"

and making my predictions

dust and ashes.

oh, i learned so much! 

 proving my predictions wrong

 some came despite

difficult circumstances--

 there were stories

involving 

toilets and firearms and other things

 some folks just took off

like sky writers,

you know,

those pilots who write letters

across the blue heavens.

 many, many books were made

 new spinners fell in love

with paper,

kozo and lokta

 and some book artists 

combined their learning from class one

with our class.

when natural dye pots were unavailable

we decided to make a few ecoprints instead.

when one said the red was colorfast

she was right

 and then,

well,

my beautiful little canon

powershot

spurted from my pocket

into the rinse bucket.

so there are no more photos.

but

as a few come into my inbox

i will share them.

let me tell you this:

four days is entirely enough

to really get somewhere

with paper and shifu and books.

we ended with stationers bindings in classes one and three.

and they were all amazing.

THANK YOU ALL.

if i could hand pick students, 

you would be the exact ones for me.

it was amazing,

toilet jokes and all.

a few more stories

may come along

as i try to get my brain

wrapped around back to school

and a dentist appointment

and then income tax forms.