SOAR Report 1: Trees, Snow, and Fire

Before I left Lake Ann on October 20^th to head to Tahoe City, California for SOAR , there were leaves on the trees.  The maple trees were just past their peak, and the oaks and aspen were nearing theirs.  It was a beautifully colorful autumn.

I arrived at GranlibakkenResort  on a gorgeous day.  The aspens were at their peak there, too.  And I saw Ponderosa Pines for the first time.  Their pine cones are enormous; they looked so perfect I wondered if they were fake.  I was later told that Ponderosa pines are special in that they smell like butterscotch (some say vanilla).  I wanted to sniff a tree to find out, but had this nagging thought that someone would take a picture of me smelling a tree.  That might be weird….

I also saw Sequoia trees for the first time.  My!  But they’re tall!  Here’s one picture of the top of a Sequoia:

Here’s a picture of Sunday sunrise at SOAR.  The sky was lovely.

The following day, it snowed.  And the next day.  And the next.  I heard a report of over 20 inches total.  I loved it.  Here are two snow pictures:

The snow may have made walking a bit more of a challenge, but it certainly was a positive addition to the ambience.

Most of the snow was long gone by the time SOAR was over and all the wonderful fiber folks headed home.  The day after I returned home I heard the news that Judith Mackenzie’s studio had burned down while she was teaching at SOAR.  She lives in the Pacific Northwest, and her studio is in Forks, WA.  Some other buildings were also destroyed, but no one was hurt.

It is impossible to appreciate the full extent of the lose that Judith has suffered:  notes, equipment, fiber, yarn, books, finished items.  What a heartbreak it must be!  As you might imagine, many fiber folks are jumping right in to help her.  Please take a look at the website, Rebuild Judiths Studio, to see how you can help.