can a dream really keep coming true over and over and over? i guess it can, because for the fourth time i had the good fortune of attending Squam Art Workshops two weeks ago. and every time it gets better. there is just nothing like spending 5 days on a glorious lake with 150 kindred spirits!
when i’m there for the June sessions (the fiber/textile ones), it’s all a blur of teaching, listening to more fascinating conversations than one brain can handle at once over meals, sitting with an audience of yarnies for evening entertainment only *we* would understand, and then stitching circles in various cabins. so much fun, but i must admit my head is about to explode by the end of it!
so the September sessions, for me, are a little more relaxing, and rejuvenating. i only taught one class, attended one class, and had a free day to do as i pleased…
the class i took was Maya Donenfeld’s Botanical Printing. what a joy! Maya and i have been trying to find some time to hang out together since we first met at June SAW 2010. finally, we got to spend 6 hours in the same room! i loved learning about her printing techniques, and just playing and being in her presence. it was also lovely to experience Maya’s class from a student’s perspective, because she is a wonderful teacher and it was fun to see her approach to teaching workshops. she has a way of transforming her classroom spaces that’s nothing short of magical…
i got to spend time with so many women i adore… alison and i drove together (and had adventures navigating through poor flood-ravaged Vermont), and at last got to talk at length about fabric and dogs and chickens! and my buddy kayte, who i hadn’t seen since i moved upstate 3 years ago, came as the guest speaker and accompanied us on the ride home. and jen and jonatha, as always, made my cheeks hurt from so much smiling and laughing…
as the ticket-taker for meal times, i had many a jaunt through my favorite mossy path… this time embellished with works by students in Penelope Dullaghan’s Earth Art class. the mushroom tree was my favorite, made by my new friend crissy.
i had two small goals this time at Squam. one was to spend time crocheting on the dock. or really just doing anything on a dock. i fulfilled it… a few times! first, the night we arrived, our whole cabin took our pillows and blankets out to our dock for about an hour before bedtime. we gazed at the egg-shaped moon and told stories, and i’ll always remember it. then on friday, my blustery *day off*, where i got some dreamy solo dock time. and sunny saturday afternoon, i shared the spacious dock in front of ali’s cabin with some knitters and assorted warmth-seekers…
here’s my second goal: it occurred to me on the drive up that, though everyone talks about hearing the loons calling at night, i wasn’t sure i’d ever actually heard it before. so i set my intention to listen for the loons, and heard their “crazy laugh” nearly every night. i even saw one swim by while i crocheted on the lake!
to see everyone’s photos, mosey on over to the Squam Art Workshops September 2011 flickr pool.
to read lots more blog posts, looky here.
thanks, darling mystic vixen elizabeth, for making so many of our dreams come true!
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