week 31 in my “this is where i am from” year long project:
There was a strange little pond, deep in the woods behind Hennessey’s Grove, good for ice skating and tadpoles and salamanders. It sat at the bottom of a steep hill covered with mountain laurel and purple trillium. I remember the long walk home, up that hill, towards the sinking sun.
week 30 in my “this is where i am from” year long project:
Another little section of map – the substantial blackberry patch of the people across the street, and the burned shell of a house – set back from the road, black and charred, the lawn overgrown with grass and sumac, next to the far swamp, perfect gloom. And here it is in the context of my growing map.
(click the image for a larger version)
week 29 in my “this is where i am from” year long project:
Milkweeds grew behind the house, by the bulkhead – a perfect spot for finding monarch caterpillars and observing the wondrous transformation in a mayonnaise jar. This time of year always makes me think of it.
Regarding my tardiness this week: I missed my Wednesday post deadline and I’ll tell you a little bit about why. I’ve been super busy all spring and summer, no breathing room at all, dancing as fast as I can. A few weeks ago a new project came up that I so wanted to work on – couldn’t not work on- so I did. I finished this week and it was really, really fun and worth the extra effort. I’ll tell you a bit more about it next week.
week 28 in my “this is where i am from” year long project:
(click the image for a larger version)
This is another little section of what will eventually be one big map. The end result is going to be much, much larger – even though I’m working as small as I possibly can- and more detailed than what I pictured when I first started. I can’t bear to leave anything out, not the dirt pile or the aluminum lawn chairs, or the raspberries or the poison ivy or the big rock or the little gate on the corner with a fancy latch or the tree near the asparagus patch where my mother so famously saw a great grey owl.
I spent the fourth of july holiday way upstate sewing. It was misty and moist and super hot.
I worked on some pieces I started 2 years ago – made from antique garment linings.
I’ve also been working on some other songbirds, I’m finishing the teal bird this evening.
And this pink girl- also begun years ago then put away and finished lately. I guess some things need to percolate. She has a fancy bustled bottom.
week 27 in my “this is where i am from” year long project:
One day a huge hot air balloon passed over our house – very low – you could see the people and details of the basket and hear the whoosh of the flames. We all stood on the back steps with my mother and watched it float past. It terrified the cat.
