All over again

Mimi invited me last Friday to visit the Cuyahoga Valley National Park so she could photograph Brandywine Falls for some work and I was all over that. We lucked out because it had been grey and raining all week but it cleared up for our outing! Though it was highly windy. Can you see the bit of rainbow on the left?

The falls were SO intense and the drop so short that I felt dizzy just looking at the rushing water head on. The volume was way up and I felt like I was at a spa with all the mist. We walked a bit afterwards on a trail and then headed home, stopping at an Asian market that I had never known about. All in all, exactly what I needed to start the weekend.

The following day, I somehow managed to finish my taxes and though I had terrible chest pains throughout and afterwards, I am now incredibly relieved. I managed to shower and rush off to SPACES for the Monster Drawing Rally! I thought of Jean when I saw these beauties on the way.

Tom was already busy (and you can see Mimi and Yuko further down the tables working the first shift of artists). I made sure to have ice cream and cupcakes before I started to draw. I only realized after I sat down that I had left half of my supplies at home in my rush, but managed to make two pieces (one being a comic about the rally and eating options that my beau snatched up instantly) in the hour allotted.

Here are a batch of Oberlin students (one took my papermaking class this January, and another of those students was in the other room, drawing).

And their professors! Kristina and Don. I was so impressed by their staff, board, and volunteers. What a fun night.

I took a FULL day off after that, which included lots of eating, laying around, reading, and driving around with the beau. I like to think I did a good job being off, but I did worry a lot.

Mostly, about this. UGH. I was horrified when I came in to see how the hanji vat was doing. Not what a girl likes to see on Monday morning. I felt like I was a surgeon trying to work on my child. Eventually, though, I stopped being so careful and just went to town trying to remove the sealed top layer of plywood that was covering up damp wood.

This is as much as I could manage before running away to breathe non-moldy air. The fan is on and I'll go in for another round once this dries. I swear that the NEXT time I make one of these, I'm going to do it right! So that this doesn't happen. Actually, it was pretty well made, but just not supported properly (causing the front to crack open and leak). The rest of this week will be more of the same: taking care of dirty work but then feeling really good once it's over. I hope!