A Different Kind of Week

It has been an off beat week in my life. I have been out west basically in a holding pattern awaiting my spouse’s arrival to finalize plans for our second home in Washington State. I have spent the time catching up on my stitching studies with Karen Ruane in her class, Swathed in Stitch. Karen shares videos several times a week where you act as a ‘fly on the wall’ as she works away on her own projects. I find it a great way to learn from a true artist. Karen also writes a blog about her work and posts almost daily. You can see the artistry of her stitching in this latest post. I am continually amazed at the delicacy of her work and its elegant beauty.

I am afraid that my own stitching this week has taken a back burner to another project I have gotten involved in. I have been working on that wrapping cloth which focuses upon a composition of men’s handkerchiefs juxtaposed with feminine lace and other bits. I am in the midst of stitching the hankies to a white Kona cloth backing that I will eventually embellish. Here is a quick glimpse at the project.

However, most of my time has been spent preparing a website for publication for a charity organization that I have been involved with for many years. Our work is in India with the poorest of the poor. Our current website is sadly out of date and since we rely upon volunteer help for most of our activities, it has taken a long time to get a new website up and running. I became involved in our efforts late last year and hope to be able to share the new website by spring.

This past week I have been going through many old photos from trips I have made over the years to one of the areas where we work. A few of my favorites are of the fishermen in the Alleppey area of India. The fisher folk go out in huge boats similar to those used by generations before.

Here is a scene on one of the beaches after the men return and the daily catch is laid out to dry.

Unfortunately, since the tsunami many years ago, catches have been down and fishing no longer provides adequately for families.

Here is one more of some other boats along the shore and baskets waiting to be loaded with the daily catch and taken to market.

Hope you have enjoyed this glimpse into daily life out on the shores of the Arabian Sea. It is so easy to get caught up in our own lives and forget that we are but one drop in the sea of humanity that populates this globe.