Best Squam Ever

I'm back in Brooklyn after spending an incredible five days in the woods of New Hampshire, with both old friends and new ones.  It was the best Squam yet, and I did not want to leave.

Those cabins, they smell just like they should, which is exactly like my Grandma's cottage in Michigan.   If you could bottle up and sell eau de summer cottage, I would buy it in mass quantities.  It's a combination of Reader's Digest Condensed Books, wool rugs, corduroy bed covers on screened in porches, fire places, old National Geographics, wood paneling, and dim yellow light.   One of the greatest things about Squam is that not only is everyone staying in a beautiful turn of the century cabin on the lake, but everyone is spending their days in another beautiful cabin on the lake using their hands to make something beautiful, all the while taking in the cool breezes and gentle rain on the roof.  I only took a few pictures, but you can see a ton more over at the Squam Flickr Pool.

It was my third year at this retreat, and it was the best year so far.  It was such a treat to be with 200 other women who were unbelievably kind, helpful, and warm.   After swimming in the ice cold lake for half an hour, Jonatha rushed inside to build a fire so we could warm up while the rest of us huddled in towels and  shivered.    When my classroom was locked and it was starting to rain, Maya offered to stash my supplies in her car so we could all go eat dinner.  What a treat to have such nice helping hands.  Thank you thank you THANK YOU to everyone who came this year to take my workshops and buy my samplers and sit with me at dinner and tell me your stories.  I had a really great time.

Two new samplers debuted at Squam, and they will be released later this morning.  I am headed out now to photograph them.  If you're not already signed up for my mailing list, you can do that here to be notified as soon as it's in the shop.