handstories

Swell

    Cape Cod was lovely.  Hours and hours, and days and days, spent doing very little.

    We stayed in a cabin on a small island, accessible by a one lane road with a small wooden bridge.  Comings and goings had to coordinate with high tide, which would cover the road in a few feet of water.  There was a miscalculation on the first day and we had three unexpected hours on the mainland side.  That didn't happen again!

    So many beautiful beaches.

    Way too many photos of waves were taken, trying to capture the lines, rolls and feel.

    There were a couple of days spent on one beach, whole days of staring at the sea.

    Seals played close to shore (the blurry black spot in the center).

    I feel rested.

    An unexpected lodging option discovered on one of our many beach walks.

    Just before this sunset, this is the spot where I took a dip in the ocean, head under the water and everything.  I can still taste how salty it was.

    (In real life, there was a swimsuit!)

    The bit of stitching that happened on the trip was finished up yesterday.

Yesterday & today, inside & out

    Moon by Jude.

Coupeville & Christine

    Things are so strange right now.  The virus... How much to worry?  Events being cancelled, going to three stores before finding toilet paper (we were down to our last roll), Moon says a third of the school is staying home, K.'s office has told everyone to work from home for the next two weeks... Where is the line between panic and reckless?

    Meanwhile, I took myself on a short retreat.

    Traveling companions- pincushion complete with guardian girl, Velma's bear, Jude's star, a piece of smoky quartz (I don't know what it does for me, but it feels good in my hand), and the "ease" cloth.

    A whole two days to myself looking at the water and trees, listening and watching the many birds, and stitching and stitching in a cozy comfy room.

    I watched the neighbors frolic during breakfast.

    For lunch there was a walk into town, a table by the window overlooking the water, and eating in a restaurant alone for the first time ever.  Yes, ever.

    And more stitching, knitting and a little painting into the twilight.

    The next morning, and why this getaway happened, there was Christine Mauersberger's  "Stitching a Small Story" workshop.  Christine is a wonderful teacher- inspiring, generous and she creates a warm rich environment to work in with wonderful kindred folk.  I especially love her prompts and how she shares her own process.  It was really good to step out of my own "boxes" and stretch my abstract muscles.  Everything informs and enriches everything.  Also, what a gift it was to be able to see and hold so much of her beautiful artwork.

    "Yesterday in Coupeville" in progress.

    The water, trees, birds...  What a good piece of time.

    There was even a hot pink sunset (pinker than it looks here).

    This photo, with its glowing moons of light, is just how it all felt and was.

drifting

    A moon from a lovely bit of Deb's dyeing.

    Trying to float for a couple days.

    I do want to write about the wonderful event I went to last Saturday, and some self-realizations... Just as soon as my brain recovers from the computer stuff (there were a few more issues to wade through).

moon over moon

    I love this knothole, it can even wiggle within its space a little.

    The silky moon, and much of the blue framing the view, came from the basket of Jude cloths... more things to be grateful for.

    It was a lovely afternoon stitching at my table with the window above wide open to the trees out back.  Two crows were gathering for a nest, woodpecker, jay and chickadees were spotted (and listened to), there was a rabbit in the yard for the first time, and now and then a soft breeze carried in the sweetness of the neighbor's wisteria...

this place of through

    Thank you so much for all of your thoughts and touching messages.  It means so much.

    Today I am still out in an ocean of memories, trying to stitch some of them into this twilight blue cloth, with threads named "deep sea" and "blue spruce," and a golden boat.  Green and gold were his favorite colors back in the 70's, I wonder if they still were?

     When I think of him being happy- he's out fishing on his boat or in the woods hunting...in quiet stillness.  I hope he's surrounded in it now.

sights & sounds & silence

    In the middle of my time on the island, I realized that this was the first time I have ever been away alone overnight.  It was very deeply swell.  

    No internet, housework, appointments, to-do lists, etc...  Just the wind in the tall tall trees, eagles, hawks, a heron, birds calling at dusk, and later frogs in the darkness.  

    There was stitching, successful fire building, and a delicious second breakfast.

    Painting happened for the first time in weeks, bad painting, but still, it was good to move a brush.  The guys thought I was crazy for bringing that little Christmas cactus along, but after two years of waiting for blooms, and having them finally show up last week, I wasn't going to miss a minute of them.

    And there was time in a fairy tale with a couple of friends for company... one of Jude's strays marked the spot, while Velma's bear weighted the pages of Snow & Rose by Emily Martin.  ("Snow and Rose didn't know they were living in a fairy tale...people never do.")

    And more stitching and some writing, too...lots of beginnings.  

    During a nice long beach walk with the guys once they came, there was some wondering about how to stitch barnacles? 

        It was all really really good.

inactive movement

    Being much bigger than the usual little squares and too small for a blanket, someone asked, "What is it?"  

    "It's restful,"  I replied.

    Adding a backing layer for support to the thin loose linen base.  It's more of a speckled basting, rather than Jude's invisible-ghost stitching.  Each dot a mindless thought, moving through, and on.

 

slowly sailing

    It was a very good time away with my sister.  We did so much... a three-day road trip to The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Mass MoCA, Storm King Arts Center, and more, including some time by the sea.  I'll share more once the too-many-photos have been edited, and the head cold from the flight has passed. 

    At Jude's very good suggestion, I'm floating slowly back in after being un-plugged for more than a week.  Today was spent with a thermos or two of tea, a box of tissues, and starting the stitching on this piece for a friend who was diagnosed last week.  I'm trying to stitch deep strength and bejeweled wishes for her as she sails through the waves of this storm.  Jude's moon holds both, I think.

    I hope you are all well and swell.

calming

    It was a very welcome quiet weekend.  Moon caught a cold, and decided not to go to his double-header baseball game yesterday (There may have been some silent cheering going on in my head, and no, I'm not competing for Mom of the Year).  Instead there were hours of stitching (rather than 5-6 hours of driving across town and sitting in bleachers (when there are bleachers)).  

    All of the sewing in the previous week felt like a frenzy of bursting stars, which were cathartic and fun, but it was so nice to settle back into a peaceful floating along ship that kept company with some slower breathing.

    And there was a beautiful sunset.  I'm very grateful for lovely still moments these days.