Art & Soul - The road to and from Portland

I am home from Art & Soul. I am tired. I traveled to Phoenix, Paris, Portland (all cities that begin with P?). I am traveling to Dallas on Sat. to spend time with my sister. My parents will be there for the weekend and we will connect with my brother for a true family gathering. Something that hasn't happened for many years. I look forward to this.

I feel my traveling has been about the getting there and back as much as being there. I don't know that I'm cut out to go on so many trips all in a row. I was suppose to go to St. Louis for the Weavers' Guild show in Nov. and then onto Poplar Bluff but because of the trip to Dallas combined with all the other travels I had to cancel. I'll miss seeing all the folks I usually have such a good time with but there is next year.

I was awful at taking pictures this year. I have none of my classes or of vendor night or anything of Art and Soul. I know some students took pics and hopefully they will post on their blogs and/or send them on to me so I can post. I will say that classes went well. Wonderful things were created and several people came to show me their finished products. Shibori dyed and painted silk ribbons, wayward thread stoles, and lots of fun hand dyed fabric yoyo's! I regret not having photos. I need someone to remind me. I get so caught up in teaching and seeing what people are doing I literally forget to take any photos.

I did take pictures of my trip to and from Portland on the road. Traveling through Shasta is such a picturesque landscape it's hard not to want to photograph it. Mostly I snapped pictures from my car as I was meandering down the highway.

I had blue skies, sunshine, and perfect weather I as left to drive from my California home to Portland, Oregon.




When I left Portland it was pouring rain. I drove for hours with the windshield wipers steadily beating time and after 300 miles I had to stop. I was tired and needed rest. I slept in that motel for almost ten hours. That's a lot for me but know I needed it. When I awoke early the next day, dawn was just breaking but I knew it would be a nice sunny day to drive home.

As I approached Mount Shasta I was taken with the cloud that shrouded it so I stopped to take some pictures and as I neared it I snapped some more from my car.





Look how the streamline bank of clouds caused these two mountain tops to look doubled.



Fog

Blessed damp dense fog
Comforting compress for a
Soul seared by living

© 2009 Forrest Hainline


And when I arrived home that same evening, glad to plant my feet back on familiar soil and have my family around, I was greeted by this sliver of a moon (reminding me of this song) and the colors of a setting sun.