While connecting online through Fibre Arts Take Two, fellow students and artists Kate Foruria and Nancy Barnhart discovered they don't live far from each other. They decided to meet up in real life! Kate had a lovely visit with Nancy and had this to share:
Nancy Barnhart, one of the students in Embrace the Journey, had seen that I live in Chelan, WA which resides at the south end of the crystal clear, aqua blue Lake Chelan. She reached out to let me know she lived up lake from me and so our friendship began. She lives in the tiny little town of Stehekin, 55 miles up lake, the only way there is by a 1.5-hour boat ride (that’s the faster pedestrian only ferry of the three). The town has less than 100 full time residents but swells a little higher with summer tourism. Just a beautiful setting at the far end of Lake Chelan, nestled below the towering peaks of the cascade mountain range. We decided to meet, and I made the trip up to the lake.
The highlights of the town (aside from the scenery) are:
1) The amazing bakery down a gravel road pumping out all kinds of fresh, tasty bakery goods. It’s a well-known hot spot and a stop everyone makes. Hikers along the Pacific Crest trail make a point to divert into town to pick up supplies and dive into the bakery to indulge on their locally baked temptations.
2) The other highlight is the tiny little gallery where local artisans, including Nancy, show and sell their creations. I bought one of her photography books and a book about her husband’s family history settling in the small town.
Nancy met me at the dock and proceeded to take me on a fabulous, full-day tour of the sites and history of the area before I had to catch the boat home. It’s a peaceful, beautiful area rich with history and photo opportunities. Her husband’s family is one of the original families who started a life in this isolated town. She took me to the old one room schoolhouse he went to, preserved in its original state, of course my camera is going a mile a minute trying to capture the small details of this amazing time capsule. I believe she said right now their new school has 11 students.
We went to Nancy’s home and spent some time on the property, an idyllic setting amongst the trees a few steps from a pristine river that flows into the lake. Her eclectic and artistic taste was reflected in everything from her vegetable and flower garden to her studio. My favorite part, what she calls the “boneyard” - a collection of old machinery, an old car and bits and pieces from the history of the place. All of which has a beautiful patina ripe for the photography enthusiast… yes, I have hundreds of amazing photos to work with for layering in my creations! It was so fun.
And of course, we stopped at the bakery to pick up lunch and indulge in something sweet. We had some hammock time in the hammocks stretched between the trees in her yard and just a lovely day of getting to know each other. Kindred spirits, that’s who you meet in these classes, from all walks of life, from all over the globe that you otherwise wouldn’t meet. We plan on staying in touch and getting together down the road. I love art workshops, I love to learn, but these encounters, they’re priceless!
Kate thank you for sharing this wonderful story with us! We love seeing students come together IRL!
To connect with more talented Fibre and Mixed Media artists join the Fibre Arts Take Two Community Group.
