finding my feet

it has dawned on me that it is the first time since 1985

that i am living in a dwelling on my ownsome

[note ownsome, not lonesome]

the faculty here at the Oregon College of Art and Craft

have been so kind and welcoming that i feel as if i have been here for more than five days

but that's all it is, so far

even so

the studio walls are filling.

i shall have to grow taller

or find a ladder

in order to make the most of the space

i have been wandering and gathering surface textures

as well as a few words

marvelling at the wonder of the leaves

gathering

and then bundling them up

with happy results

and i had a somewhat larger bundle going

a little ambitious for the pot

but a quick flip solved the spatial issue

then

later today

 a kindly former student

took me to the Japanese Garden

afterward

i felt as though someone had taken my soul out

given it a good scrubbing in a hot bath

fed it a lovely warm bowl of chowder

and tucked it in again between freshly pressed sheets

that had been dried in the sun

then read it the most beautiful bedtime story in the whirled

NB the chowder [mentioned above] did not have any koi in it

so now i am back in my wee cottage

reading this splendid book

which i found at Gold Beach

where i called in on my journey because the nice woman at the coffee shop down by the cannery dock makes the best ever double shot moccha frappes, except that it was Sunday and her day off [and who shall blame her, it was a glorious day] and the coffee shop was closed

anyway

on pages 14 + 15 there is good advice

i'm glad i bought it even if i did pay rather more over the counter 

than i would have from the Book Depository

if you live in the North-West Pacific and like food 

it's essential reading

and

the philosophy applies to dye gathering.

except that windfalls don't get much of a mention.

north by north west

i didn't take many pictures in San Francisco this time

too busy

listening to the sounds of the city

the glory of foghorns

parrots around t-hill

the whirr of humming birds' wings

the slow drift of the fog

the espresso machine as it unleashes my Africano into the glass

at Cafe Trieste

where

two older men address each other lovingly in Italian

i sipped my coffee

and

thought about friendship

and how much certain friendships mean to me

while reading "World enough and Time"

a book i was introduced to by my friends John + Patsy Sangster

on Lopez Island.

i think

i may make this book compulsory reading

for all workshop attendees.

after coffee i headed north.

i could simply have driven up the Interstate 5

but

it doesn't go anywhere near the edge.

i love the edge

so

i took the 101

which took me through Fortuna

and past this magical old cinema

i took this photo for my friend Shelley

i wanted to build a fort for her

but

it was really really cold.

so i went wandering instead

while wandering

i began to fill my pockets with stones

having a vague plan in my mind

to use them in Portland

+

looking down at my pinny

with its bulging pockets

i remembered that somebody

[contemporary of Virginia Woolf ? or other rejected lover somewhere?]

sewed stones into her dress

and then walked into a river

it would be so easy to do in a place like this

in the fog

where

footprints would soon be awash

and

the continental shelf drops away in moments

however

that was not something i was about to do

the water was far too cold

and i am enjoying the wild ride of this adventure we call 'life'

far too much

 

+

 

then a figure emerged from the fog

wandered over, making greeting noises

showed me a handful of exquisite polished stones 

pulled from a pocket

fished one out

and gave it to me saying

"take this one, it's a lovely amber colour and have a good day"

 

the stone looked like a piece of cold honey

reminding me of the eyes of a friend

[they are like those of a wolf]

honey coloured unless sparkling with excitement

when they suddenly turn green

 

 i was already having a good day

but that reminder made it even better

+

later i saw mollis azaleas

growing right beside the ocean

in Australia these plants are mollycoddled

and protected. otherwise they shrivel in the hot north winds.

here they grow like weeds. sigh.

wandering further north

i found evidence of my people

so

i left a mark of my own

 

and now i am in Portland

for six weeks.

bliss.

at the tin thimble

here at the Tin Thimble in Loomis

we have been gathering windfall in the main street

devising marks to identify each piece of cloth

stringing a story [thank you Sandra for letting me adopt the clothesline to hang clues]

cooking bundles in a fabulous copper pot

eating delicious lunches made by Violette

and sharing a big table

on which to reveal the magic

and again i've had the chance to meet people

with whom i have corresponded in the past

as well as

catch up with some folk

i've encountered before

onesies

wouldn't it be so comfy to loll about in a pair of onesies all day, like the ones that Izzie wears?

[why are onesies referred to as a pair? that's ridiculous]

if lovely people like Sheri

continue to give me treats for the road

like this

then a pair of onesies

will become an absolute necessity

thank you Sheri, for that massive dose of endorphins :)

and Sidnee for the gin and Liz for my tiny silver heart

and

the sweetie much earlier in the week

whose name i regret presently escapes me

but who brought me a sustaining chunk of organic ginger root

to feed my tiny teapot

blessings upon you all

a blessing. of sorts.

let me tell you a secret

deep inside

i am a shy

and

somewhat solitary bear,

it takes courage for me to step into the spotlight
i'd rather stay home than go to parties
[close friends have told me i am socially inept]
and i tend to take things quite literally

i tend to be forthright

i have a strong sense of justice and

i WILL speak out if i see something that is not right

it is how i came off the assembly line, reinforced by how i was raised.

if i kindly advise someone that it would be better

in the interests of [their] potential longevity

not to be consuming food in an atmosphere redolent of toxic vapours

i am doing that out of concern

and from what i perceive to be a duty of care.
in short

i mean well.

so if you then tell me i have "crossed a line" and go on to demand whether i realise that by coming to teach i have "inconvenienced others who normally use the space" and snicker derisively when my Precious rises sponstaneously to my defence

then all i can say is

"Bless you and be Happy"

 i shall not darken your doors again.

the colours of Eugene

astonishing colour from dahlias

weld, a local weed

oak leaves

Eugene's sweetheart, Izzie

birch magic

woad found in the back yard

-->

Eugene has been a most interesting experience. there were lots of lovely coloured leaves drifting about

there was a sweet repeat student [who had been at class in Cleveland a year and a day ago]

i had the opportunity to actually meet several kindly folk with whom i had been corresponding but had not yet connected names and faces in the real whirled

and i had some truly delightful students who bravely followed me into metaphorical woods and greeted the bounding sleeve-rabbits with all the right noises. you know who you are and i thank you!