field notes

in the land of mountains, trees and water, the colours can be jaw-dropping, the light clear 

and I can never get enough of being outside

yesterday was a day spent boating on a favourite lake

nestled in the midst of coastal mountains, there is simply not a bad view

and many beaches to stop at and do some beach-combing

impossibly beautiful water

collecting driftwood from the southern lakes has been a pastime of mine for as long as I can remember

fascinated by the lightness of it

the strange structures revealed as layers of the tree are washed away

cracks and whorls, lines etched both lightly and deeply

rough textures on one side, smooth as silk on the other

I love it all... the look, the feel,  and as I turn them this way and that to see what remains of what was once a tree I wonder at how they came to be where they are

over time and distance what was once a tree has been stripped away and what I'm left with in my hand is a record of that transformation

and yet it feels like there is more to it than just that

to feed my curiosity about how water and wind leave their mark on the wood and the transformations they craft I'm starting a small field notebook

a place to do a quick sketch

record a thought or two about what I see

what I think

what might have been

and as I couldn't find one of just the right size with just the right paper, I'm making my own... 

 beginning with a few signatures made to look like small notebooks in and of themselves

 I'll be working in them over the coming weeks

and when I get home they, and a few more, will be bound into a small leather-bound notebook I can continue to carry with me whenever I have the urge to go on a beach walk

tomorrow I'm take one of these and my urge and heading to Kluane Lake

to see what I can see

take care,

Jillayne