Quaking Aspen

A grove rooted and grounded in love.

Paper Cranes

Many paper cranes are the product of a winter so long. They keep my hands busy and my spirits high.

In Japanese folklore, there is the story of the Crane Wife [it is nice to make a crane while listening to the Crane Wife] - here it is as told by Colin Meloy.

"It's a story about a peasant in rural Japan who finds a wounded crane on an evening walk; there's an arrow in its wing. He revives the crane and the crane flies away. A couple days later, a mysterious woman shows up at his door and he takes her in. Eventually they fall in love and get married. But they're very poor, so she suggests that she start weaving this cloth which he can in turn sell at the market—the condition being that when she's weaving it, she has to do it behind closed doors and he can't look in. So this goes on for a while and they actually become kind of wealthy. But eventually, his curiosity gets the best of him and he looks in at her while she's weaving and it turns out that she's a crane and she's been pulling feathers from her wings and putting it into the cloth, which is what makes it so beautiful. But him having seen her breaks the spell, and she turns back into a crane and flies away. That's the end."

- NPR's Fresh Air: Interview with Colin Meloy of the Decemberists

Noble and fragile. Cranes are wonderful things.

Kodon

I just found out that this photo of mine is going to be published in the student literature and art publication on campus called Kodon! 

This is just a picture of my cousin's son, Emerson, that I snapped one July evening in the backyard of my aunt's house. Good gracious, this made my weekend.

Wovenland

Just look at this tapestry created by Gunta Stölzl circa 1931. It's practically a landscape! Ah it just blows my mind. If I were lucky enough to have it hanging on my very own wall I would waste entire evenings just sitting and staring into it. So in that case it's probably good that I don't have it... I would fall grievously behind here in school. Well, here's to wistfulness. Found via Folk Object.

Clinging

I happened to look up and discover just in time, as today the whole structure is being sanded down for a fresh coat of paint.

The Possibilities Are Endless

How beautiful is youth! How bright it gleams,

With it's illusions, aspirations, dreams!

Book of Beginnings, Story without End,

Each maid a heroine, and each man a friend!

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Writhing Light