All's well and I'm over the border!

Finished garden loom

Martha preparing to build a garden loom

Martha and friends with completed loom

Warping the loom

I'm bedded (almost) down in a park right on the edge of the town of Hope, BC. My site looks out on a wide bend in the impressive Fraser River. Can't wait to see how it looks in the morning light. I was here, however, BEFORE dark, you will be happy to note.

The trip from Lolli's at Camano Island was super pleasant. After consulting with Lolli and Lisa Grey, who is visiting her and will drive to Fort Bragg with her to visit and teach a class for Pacific Textile Arts, we decided that staying off of 5N and going the whole way to the border at Sumas would be the most quiet and pleasant route. That it certainly was. Sixty (not 50) shades of green (not gray), at least. What a color study. This is positively the most lush place I've ever  seen. Blackberries everywhere in numbers that put anyplace else to shame. Another thing; I didn't know there was so much corn planted in northern Washington. Amazing. The further north I came, the more corn and then a mix of ten foot high corn and voluptuous commercial berry vines. I can easily see the logic to the berries because the wild ones have been profuse, but corn? I never knew. I was traveling on Highway 9N all the way from just beyond where 5N crossed the road from Camano Island. It was winding and quiet and I loved it. It seemed as if every other minute a new lake or river came into sight. It no doubt takes a lot of the famous grey weather and rainfall to produce all this green that I love so much, but, Wow!

In my email tonight was a note from Martha in Poulsbo. She sent me some lovely pictures of a loom she and a friend made out of madrone branches to stand in the friend's garden for some special events where there would be children who could weave "wild things" into the web and then birds could come and "borrow" some of those fibers for their nests. I love that idea. What do you think, Art? Shouldn't that mean very happy birds? I'll post a couple of her pictures here just as soon as I receive permission to do so from Martha.

I'm off for a short "before bedtime" walk with Bobby and then to bed. Must rest up after Tuesday night. Also want to be fresh to take in all the sights here in HOPE tomorrow. Doesn't that have a good ring to it? This is the first night on my trip when I'm hearing many other visitors arriving later than I. It had to happen sometime, eh?  (I am in Canada, remember). Much love to all,   Jackie