On The Banks Again

I found myself at a river again for the first time in many months. After not having access to a car for a year and spending the last three months of our drought extended summer almost entirely inside avoiding the horrible reaction the smoke illicit in my skin - I hadn’t spent any time with a river in too long. This summer felt like I was suffocating in the city. The parks were beautiful and my friends drove me out for some amazing and memorable adventures, but not being able to visit my river teachers, my mountain friends, my trails and outlooks that I can only return to when the snow is melted- broke my heart a little bit. I finally got another car a few weeks ago and am ecstatic to have the freedom to leave the city but a little bummed that there has been so much snow. Visiting the Middlefork of the Snoqualmie River with my friends a couple weeks ago reminded me that even in the winter there are rivers you can access with 2 wheel drive. I look forward to going back to film some more as soon as the roads warm up a bit more. I was there to do a photoshoot - you can check photos on my photography instagram here!

This was also the first time I tried wearing a dress in cold weather (layered with a linen chemise underneath and hemp thigh high socks underneath) and the wool was remarkably effective at keeping me warm. I ended up taking off my jacket even though it was only about 30 degrees out. Later I wore this dress again with the same under layers and an additional handmade linen skirt over it for Winter Solstice. I was pleasantly surprised that I didn’t stayed warm through a whole night of dancing and hiking under the stars and in the snow in below freezing weather. Goes to show that a more old fashioned approach to dressing can be just as effective as wearing modern synthetic cold weather clothing! I will continue to explore winter style in all natural fibers as the season goes on…