A Rock and a Hard Place

I've always been fascinated by rocks. As a kid I liked to hunt through gravel for 'precious stones', always hoping to find something very shiny and beautiful like a ruby but still being satisfied with a piece of quartz. When our kids were young they found a rock tumbler at a garage sale and for weeks we patiently waited for our specimens to be polished to a smooth finish, like these.

I believe these are geodes though I'm not sure about the one on the left. Maybe if I could slice it open it would reveal a tiny crystal world like the one on the right. Maybe I should study rocks and become a geologist.

But no, right now I'm happy to just enjoy looking at them. A friend who had been to Egypt gave me this. She found it near the pyramids.

Yes, amethyst, from the town of Amethyst, Ontario. The Romans believed amethyst would protect you against drunkenness. I wonder, do you wear it or put it in your wine?

This piece of rock is embedded with garnets. It was given to me by my son Andrew, who lives in Bella Coola, and yes, this is my lead-in to the third house in my Grant Road series of watercolours.

Known locally as THE TILT'N HILTON, this is where Andrew lived when he first arrived in the valley. He didn't stay there long; lack of indoor plumbing and electricity becomes discouraging. But he did find, right where he had left them several years before, his collection of garnet rocks, still on the window ledge. I don't know how the little house fared during the recent flood but it looks as though it's one of those buildings that survive despite all adversity. I shall find out and report in the next post.

Rory's Place

One day during my stay on Grant Road I visited my neighbour, Rory Villars, who also happens to be a watercolour artist and master of the whimsical, (yes, I know it's an overworked adjective but here it really belongs). Rory spends his winters in Mexico where he paints delightful scenes like this:

You can see the Mexican influence in the tiles. Cats are important creatures in many of his paintings. To see more of Rory's work go to www.roryvillars.com

This is my interpretation of Rory's Bella Coola home.During the flood the water reached to just below the window in the tower. I hope he didn't lose his art supplies or any of his paintings.

Down Came the Rain

Well, I'm so glad to have had that beautiful day of my previous post because the next day was very different! We had rain all day and overnight and awoke to a flooded basement due to sump pump failure (they should be equipped with alarms, right?). It was at least two inches deep, everywhere-including the carpeted section. The first thing I did, in nightgown and rubber boots, was to rescue the kitty litter box so Sam and Bridget could finally relieve themselves dryly. What followed next was a flurry of activity between George and me, such as purchasing and installing a new pump, moving stuff and sucking up water through the shop-vac; two forgettable days of slogging which left me exhausted and cranky. But all is fine now. 

However inconvenient that was it was nothing compared to the recent inundation in Bella Coola where my youngest son and his family live. Their flood was devastating to say the least. They had over 400 mm of rain, that's about 8 inches, in a very short period. The only road in and out, the famous Freedom Highway, is still closed due to washouts. Bridges were moved or cut off and many houses had to be abandoned including the one where Kim and Andrew lived. It's hard to imagine four feet of water in your living room but that's what they had! They have since relocated to a dry house but much work is still to be done.

The following picture is of Grant Road, where their home was. In fact when I visited there last summer I stayed at the far end of that road in the tall barn (see earlier post) and had decided to paint a watercolour series of the homes along the road. 

 

"Grant Road Rescue"

It's hard to believe that I walked up that road many times last summer.

Just a reminder of 'my Bella Coola barn'.

And here's the painting, the first in this series, with more to come very soon. I promise!

Yesterday

My plans for today have been shot down by rain; I was hoping to get back to the garden and split some shrubs and perennials that had made giant strides during the summer heat and rain. However, since I'm confined to the house I shall talk about yesterday. Not that yesterday was particularly significant unless it was someone's birthday or the anniversary of something special. No, it was just a Tuesday, but a very pleasant one here, one of those fresh autumn days with a piercing blue sky. So I went for a walk with my camera.

Can anyone identify these berries?

Or these?

O.K. I know these are our own grapes. They taste very sour on the outside but sweet inside.

The remains of my vegetable garden, reminiscent of J.E.H. MacDonald's painting THE TANGLED GARDEN.

And again, with asters.

Along the road...a wooley-bear caterpillar, signifying a cold winter by the looks of it.

Note the bird sunning itself.

Horses and cows in the shade.

And back at home the goldfish are still active. Soon they will slow down, stop eating and lie low till the spring. The frogs have already departed. Sigh!

So there you are, yesterday.

Today I'm continuing to work on a new series of watercolours. When they're finished I shall post them.

Summer Memories

We had a gorgeous weekend, sunny but not humid. Our last week of summer is here and yes, autumn is lovely and all that but then comes winter. So I'm posting a couple of summer memories here. 

Above is a quick loose sketch of the bouquet I enjoyed in my Bella Coola barn.

When I got home I had this commission to paint as a gift for the daughter of the owner of the garden. It turned out that this woman and I went to the same school, had the same teachers and even lived in the same town, but we had never met although we had some mutual friends. It's amazing how two years' age difference can matter when we're young. I enjoyed meeting her and discovering our connections. Both she and her garden are delightful. It was a treat painting this watercolour.

My Bella Coola Barn

This is the barn I lived in during my recent visit to Bella Coola. I'd wanted my own pied-a-terre rather than bunking in with Andrew and his family; even though it was offered I prefer my own space during a longish stay. So Andrew kindly reserved this residence for me. It's at the end of Grant Road, a nice fifteen minute walk from where Andrew lives. It was perfect!

When I reached the second floor this is what was waiting for me; Kim and Andrew had arranged for this gorgeous bouquet from Moore's Market, also on Grant Road, and a bottle of red wine. I was set.

The kitchen had everything I needed including a good supply of herbal tea and fruit.

My bed was situated behind this unique spiral staircase. These stairs lead to the third floor and two more bedrooms but I never ventured up because of their lack of a handrail and attacks of vertigo whenever I made an attempt. Instead I used the steps as a handy place to hang my clothes.

When lying on my bed this is how I viewed the staircase. I also enjoyed the funky colours on the walls...hot pink and orange.

The views from my windows offered these natural sculptures...

...including the requisite abandoned VW bus. 

I did not take pictures of the good sized bathroom and laundry facilities but I must remark on the efficiency of the composting toilet, a new experience for me. It worked just fine.

I think this little thumbnail gives a good overview of the resourcefulness of the people who live in the Bella Coola Valley. Everyone I met was ecologically responsible and respectful of the natural habitat. And the drinking water there is wonderful!  

Old Photos Into Artist Trading Cards

Some of you suggested turning some of my rejected or duplicated photos into ATCs and so I did. You will notice at once that there is a theme building here, as it usually is with a series of nine ATCs.

So there you have them. Yes, I could have photoshopped these but that wouldn't be recycling. Besides I don't have photoshop. If you're in the Dunvegan area this coming Saturday at 2 pm drop in and check out all the neat cards. We are a very creative and welcoming group.

The Great Themes of Family Albums

I recently heard that a friend of mine has managed to reduce her collection of family photographs down to one single album. She is a minimalist, I am not. But it got me thinking about the twenty- something albums in my possession, many of them from my parents' collection and therefor many duplications. So last week during all the rain and thunder I decided to start a cull of my own and at least get the number of albums down to a reasonable size. So now we're down to twelve or so albums. It hasn't been easy and along the way I discovered some of the great recurring themes we all record, at times very badly. So before chucking them out I'd like to share with you some of my rejects.

"PEOPLE CAUGHT IN THE ACT OF EATING"

 

Actually these are some of our children enjoying Christmas dinner though it looks as if they hadn't eaten for over a week.

Hard to know what they were celebrating here but not a lot of enthusiasm.

A related theme: "PEOPLE LOOKING STUNNED IN THE KITCHEN"

Here I am in the dark, wondering why I am here at all.

And here's my sister looking pretty fed up. (Sorry, Lynne)

And now we come to "PEOPLE LEAVING"

And they just can't wait to get away!

Who were they anyway? Sometimes it's good to have notes on the photos.

Up next: "THE ROAD TRIP"

We've been waiting all year for this!

Oh, this is good.

As I said, it's always helpful to have notes on the pictures; wouldn't want to miss the moose.

Oh! Another moose. And a very tall one too. (Or very short hydro poles.)

Again, grateful for the notes on this wildlife shot.

Surely the end of the road...and a good thing too.

The next theme could be called "PEOPLE STANDING AROUND IN GROUPS"

Who are they and why are they there?

We have traveled from Kansas to the Land of Oz.

Well, I know that I am somewhere amongst this herd of graduates.

Living in Canada there is always the wonder of "SNOW"

And it's always so exciting, that first snowfall!

In the category of "YOU HAD TO BE THERE" we have:

This...on the back is written, 'septic system'

But here's a photo that was in the rejects pile until I reinstated it after noticing something.

Our cat, 'Ti-Gris', really looking like a tiger on the prowl. this one stays.

And so does the next one because it's so tiny and rare:

My great-grandmother, Eva.

I hope you enjoyed these photos and recognized some of the common themes from your own albums!