letter from Australia,
dear friends,
i am flat out and mostly unconnected
but loving my classes and students here.
the first week i settled in 
at Anne Newton’s eagle’s eyrie
and set to making pulp with 
anne and Barb Adams in preparation for
the papermaking masterclass at grampians texture.
then i traveled to Geelong to stay with Wendy Warren, 
teaching shifu at Mary-Jane Walker’s School of Lost Arts,
a lovely historic house in Geelong.
off to Cape Otway to see
and hear the song of the great southern sea
and respite in the bush.
there, i saw wallaby, panda, and so many birds…
as well as resting and thinking and making some lovely prints.
a one day TAFE class, similar to American extension or adult ed classes,
only organized with a certificate program
where 15 of us ages 15 to older than me
made shifu all day long.
back on the train to Melbourne
helped by three at risk teens who were lovely, charming, and full of stories
who told me about their journeys through 
the labyrinth of teen years.
and now i am at the Grampians Texture 
teaching a 6 day master class.
more news to come, but we are in day three today.
whirlwind and no internet when i have time to write,

but here are some photos:

























































i will try to add captions later, promise!

lovely melbourne

i've been in australia a few days now
staying with anne and tony
and sleeping in an eyrie
that has a hideaway 
porch, too.
 i love this little place
 a morning visitor
has not interefered
with me catching up: 
i'm no longer jet lagged (quickest adjustment yet.)
 beautiful old brick abounds
at their home
 and i like this little baby...
 their home has the perfect floor space
for rolling out
bolts of cloth
 for students at my grampians texture
master class
(master means lots more work,
right guys?)
anne shows the way the bolt's cocoon works.
 having a friend who is a kick-ass cook
means that she also knows the best places to eat!
(our neighbor took a selfie with her plate after being served)
 this salad was the world
and the chai was the best i've tasted.
these people understand food.
and:
we've been very busy 
prepping pulp and materials.
i have not one photo
of making pulp at barb's house
from which we returned
happily exhausted
after having started a small pulp fire
that fortunately damaged only her outdoor cooker
not the neighborhood.
driving home the truth
that it's hard to concentrate when you have so much
wonder to share
with dear friends.