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Hello to all! I feel like I am returned from a far away place. In truth I am, in more than one sense. I have the very best of intentions when it comes to updating my activities for those of you who may be interested however it is often much longer than I would like between missives.
And I am returned, from the other side of the country. For all of September E.G. and I made a road trip in our reliable “Ford Exploder”, a derogatory term it certainly does not deserve. In our drive across this vast country, Canada, we made it as far as PEI but had to save Newfoundland, Labrador and more northern points for another adventure. Our car not only served as transportation but also as our bunk when not enfolded in the guest rooms of various relatives. The only thing we would do different is take fewer clothes; E.G. concluded he did not really need twelve t-shirts.
On our travel agenda, some things were absolute must-sees, such as the Royal Tyrell Dinosaur Museum in Drumheller, Alberta, which did not disappoint. I wanted to stop at some of the places visited and painted by two of my heroes, W.J. Phillips and Tom Thomson. We had friends and family to stop with, some in BC but most in Ontario. E.G. has not seen his family members for fifty years and they threw us a wonderful party on, coincidentally, our wedding anniversary. We visited members of my family that I had not previously met and were so warmly welcomed by everyone. Prince Edward Island was calling E.G. so after arriving in Ottawa to see daughter Theda and spending a day at the National Gallery, another fulfilling, enriching, satisfying day, we set out for the red sands of that province with a stop at the Bay of Fundy. One of our two mornings on PEI we were privileged with an impeccable sunrise over the Atlantic and it really was something to celebrate.
Our four day stay with Cousin Marilyn and Dan in Fergus culminated in a Niagara Falls day of the finest order. Dan was aghast when we said we just could not fit it into our schedule so he re-arranged his and treated us to a wonderful experience. Thanks Dan, and Marilyn and Patty in Saskatchewan, and all of my relatives and all of the Munro/MacDonald clan who are just too numerous to name but warm and loving all.
Canada is an amazing country, truly full of wonders and everywhere people love and celebrate their personal corner of it. If you are interested in the long version of our cross-Canada trip let me know and I will post it to you.
As for the rest of the year, I have to work backwards... Spring and summer both went swiftly, I met plenty of friendly people, both visitors to my own studio and to Billy’s Museum when I minded the museum for him. As many of you know this excellent one- man museum raises funds through donation for our local salmon enhancement society, so thank you to all of you that contributed to the ten thousand dollar total. We are currently partnering with DFO to fund a two-person crew who are enumerating returning chum, coho and pink salmon to Gilford Island rivers, mainly Viner River and Scott Cove as well as numerous smaller creeks around the Broughton Archipelago and mainland inlets. Returning stocks seem to be holding their own this fall, in spite of the ever present threats from logging/habitat damage, unmonitored sport fishing and fish farms. Unfortunately the Fraser River sockeye salmon tragedy currently remains an unsolved mystery.
I was very pleased in the early summer when Craig Murray from Nimmo Bay Resort invited me to display some paintings in his guest chalets at the resort. I managed to gather up and package six medium to large paintings and took them in my speedboat over to Billy’s when Craig came in by helicopter to pick them up, en route to Nimmo Bay. That was kind of dramatic and exciting.
SeaRose Studio is also now a registered WWOOF Canada host and we are having our first “Wwoofer”, a young lady from Switzerland coming to stay with us next week. This is a world-wide organization, matching people like us who could often use a hand with all the tasks needing to be done at any given moment, and people from all over the world who want to travel and immerse themselves in the real lives of their chosen destination. The WWOOF host provides bed and board and certainly some local jaunts of interest, and the “Wwoofer works around your place, weeding, harvesting, clean-up, firewood tasks, whatever you need that they can do. Search WWOOF Canada to find out more and to see our listing.
Halloween is imminent and Christmas just around the seasonal bend. Wild winds have characterized the weather since we got home and a goodly amount of welcome rain. I notice the foliage of the trees and shrubs on the little islands has visibly decreased the last couple of years. It is really clear when comparing photos I took of the Burdwood Group of islands twenty-five years ago. There was considerably more greenery on our picnic beach. There is very little soil on these islands so the plants need a certain amount of regular moisture to maintain their hold on life and it is evident that the weeks of no rain we experienced this year are taking their toll.
Right back to the beginning of the year now, I am remembering we had some cougar excitement around here. These days everyone around including Bill, has the internet but the place seems to just be getting more wild! Throughout the spring there were at least six cougar sightings locally and our neighbour's little dog was killed by one not ten feet from her. E.G. saw one go right into the woodshed and under our house when he was having a sit-down in the electric kiln shed. Cougar populations seem generally to be increasing as I notice they are frequently in the news these days.
Time to go out and enjoy the last half hour of today’s sunshine. The wind has died to a gentle breeze, all the leaves are blown off the maple and the air is infused with a silvery moisture-haze. I’m off to enjoy it. Ta ta for now, Yvonne
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