camp-in

so it looks like our tee pee is actually going to take the form of a tent. julia dropped off her sewing machine the other day, so d and i are now trying to decide on fabric. while i'm always suckered in by nubbly, bright, hefty, earthy fabrics, i think we're going to stick to white on white this time around. we're hoping to collect a bunch of different white-patterned fabrics to quilt up into one real special tent.

in the meantime, here are a few little beauties from throughout the ages:

president lincoln and mcclellan at antietam by alexander gardner, 1862

annie oakley's tent, late 1800's

clown tent, wisconsin, ca. 1875-1940

gypsy encampment, lyons, illinois, early 1900s

dancing in the recreation tent FSA (Farm Security Administration) agricultural workers' camp. Bridgeton, New Jersey. 1942

general patton's tent, 3rd army command, france, 1944

lady in a tent, 1960's

camping, 1970s

[our tent here.]

let's build a tee pee, you and me

it looks like like our previously ignored upstairs room is finally going to get the attention it deserves! up until now, this lovely, sunny room has been little more than a repository for all the miscellaneous/homeless objects that no longer belong anywhere else in our newly appointed apartment. not for long! d and i are hatching a plan for a newly painted, rearranged, bright and sunny writing/reading/crafting room complete with a homemade tee pee built atop our folded-out futon. (inspired by none other than kelly r., of course!)

i have a feeling that this tee pee plan will face several revisions, but here's some of my research so far:





my mom lived in a tee pee once. when i was a kid, my favorite stories were those from her "tee pee years." hopefully ours will be done by the time she comes to visit at the end of the month - i haven't heard those stories in a while.

kindling

the spring thaw has begun. last weekend, after two months of deep hibernation, we all emerged from our cozy little dens and joined the world again. and surprisingly, it seems we have made it through the worst parts of winter unscathed, if not in better condition than when the cold set in.

i'm glad for winter this year. hibernation actually felt restful, and all the quiet deeply productive. i've re-surfaced as one half of a pair, with a cozy new home, a whole heap of new projects, a long list of things to find/make/re-tool/rediscover, and some fire under my heels. in the past, i've always fizzled out pretty quick, so this time i figure i'd start small, with kindling, in the hopes of building a little momentum.

here goes.