After the quilters left, I headed for coffee and a moment to regroup…
I was off to Camp Sherman on the Metolius River where Katy and family have a cabin. For the last few years our Salem Art Group (SAG) has gone over to Camp Sherman annually to gather, make art, talk about making art, and sit on the river in a beautiful place. Camp Sherman is “off the grid” and the five (of the 8 members) of us are all pretty addicted to google, email, instagram…the usual. Four days without connectivity though led to communication, laughing harder than I have in a decade, talking about what’s coming creatively for each, looking at books (Kiki Smith, Morandi, etc.)., making books, eating healthfully (it wasn’t so bad!), sleeping soundly to the river song…
Susan cooked…
everybody worked…
I mended…
and sewed…on the deck
and it was so warm we ate out on the river’s edge…
Here’s to the chef…Susan Napack!
and we talked and laughed and began to draw as the night fell around us…
I had made everybody a little book and had worked on mine in the afternoon…
the dripping wax was incorporated….
and everybody began to work. The next morning there was a flurry of workbook activity before hiking and painting…and sewing for me…producing a few more blocks…
and then the drawing…everybody
drawing everybody…
“Three Little Birds”
“The Flower girls”
and then the books. We sat around the table late into the night talking and making and laughing. The conversations found their way into the books…
pareidolia (seeing faces in inanimate objects…thanks Jennifer Hull) reigned…
and then, sadly it was time to go…
On The Way 
Lovely!
Lovely way to start my day !!! re: as darkness fell, “Twilight dropped its’ curtain and pinned it with a star…..” (seen recently on facebook….& I love it…)
Thanks Nadine…xxoo!
Reading your blog this am started my day out with positive inspiration. Thank you Bonnie for another fabulous blog. For a moment I was in Camp Sherman with you.
Thanks Irene…the sound of the river is amazing. xxoo
So wonderful!! Looks like you all had a fantastic time. 4 solid days of art making… sounds lovely. 🙂
4 solid days of working without interruption was it’s own kind of luxury…xo
and what a chef you had! susan’s food is beautiful and looks super delish.
San…all healthy and delicious food, none of it made by me, though I AM a dish-washing professional…(I actually love to do dishes). xo
Elegant, as usual! You went early! we usually spot you there!
the only downside was missing your merry band riding bikes on the other side of the river and waving and hollering out “HALLOOO”…this was the only weekend available so we grabbed it! xo
I have always wanted a cabin in the woods. I felt like I was there. Artists really are different–in a great way. Love MEM
Hi Cuz…these guys are sooo funny. and then the whole table is full of collage stuff and the jokes are stacking up…and every night when I went to bed the sound of the river was a lullaby…xo
Delightful post, Bonnie! Liked the note book idea… need to remember that when we going camping.
Deb I want to see your camping workbooks…one thing is that anything goes when camping out…tape, staples, dirt, candle wax…anything. xo
It is on my to do list.. so you probably will.
What a special four days – magical in every way and we all need a little magic in our lives.
I agree Dayna, and I think of us all holding our devices which could bring us no magic at all…hence there was nothing to do but discover the magic within…multitasking (wink wink) xo