and so I came home...
after being in the Yukon for one day short of eight weeks I struggle to believe this is home but home it is
it all feels quite out of whack
to fight off the aimless feelings of disconnect, I started the process of cataloguing all of my finds... driftwood, rocks, pressed flowers, burlap, feathers and so on
as I gathered things throughout my stay I set up a simple labelled storage system, a ziplock bag for each of Whitehorse, Dawson City, Marsh Lake and Bennett Lake and into the corresponding bag my finds went
today I began working with what I found at Bennett
printed photos of favourite views
driftwood
(several of the pieces I found are from old boards... many boats sank on their way to the Gold Rush and it's possible some of these could be from them... things take a long time to decay in these glacier-fed lakes so you never know)
a sampling of just some of the rocks and driftwood
texture... decaying lumber half-buried in sand
remnants of an old burlap sack that washed up on the beach at the north end, it was still gathered and tied around the neck
the sack fragments started unravelling as I carefully washed them but the twine that it was tied with has stayed intact
(untying that knot on the beach took a long time and a lot of patience!)
I plan to baste these fragments to a support, probably heavyweight paper or card to keep them safe until I'm ready to use them
it will take many days to process all I have found, longer still to make the inks and paints from the gathered plant material and pigments but I'm in no rush... something to work at as I ease back in to living here
the photo below was taken by a good friend in Whitehorse; she was walking by the Yukon River and took this photo just as our plane took off at 7:00 a.m. on Thursday
it's fitting, that as I left the land was shrouded in a mist of fog
away from me now, no longer distinct...
shadowy forms that beckon
out of reach
just my memories
for now
3 comments:
You are so good at cataloguing. I love that you are easing into the next stage of your process so gently, giving each item in the individual consideration and a place of its own in your collection. Memories will arise and ideas will emerge for sure as you work through this task and settle back into your 'normal' life. Home is where the heart is.. I think maybe you have more than one home in your heart.
You've just put words on the sensation I sometimes have when I've been away for a week or so - as though I've forgotten how to live in my house. I'm glad you've found a way to work yourself back into your place!
Home is a wonderful place to be, but when you have an 'away' spot like you have it must be so hard to make the transition between one to the other. Your collections of things are a tangible memory of where you've been.
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