Went to Maine Primitive Gathering. It was at the Delta institute in Bowdon. Much better weather than last year, even had a beutiful full moon, though I was a wimp and slept in the Delta institute classroom. No time to build a shelter and it was cold at night.
Made a fire by firesaw with Mal Steven’s bamboo. Hard work, takes a lot of shoulder muscle endurance but gave a good coal. Always generous, he sent me home with some sotol, cottonwood root for me to work with and a ton of white ceder for my students.
Mal and Nick inspired me to work even harder at my bowdrill technique by getting a coal in one try each from the Eastern Red Ceder I struggle so hard with. Harder woods are tough for me because with the lighter pressure and increased speed it takes to get the coal I usually lose control of my spindle to sloppy form and it goes flying out.
I also tried evening primrose for handdrill on white ceder with no success. Nick said he doesn’t like it for handdrill ether.
Arther Haines did a plant walk and showed us wild raisin and a creeping evergreen vine in the raspberry family that I see around home all the time, among other plants. He said goldenrod is good for keeping the nasal passages from creating an abundance of mucus as when sick. I will have to check my notes on the other plants he talked about and post on it later.
I learned a lot and am still assimilating so more on the Gathering will surely pop up in future journaling.
Wild Raisin.