Hard to believe that six months has passed and I haven't so much as entered a word to start the process of a new blog entry! It would seem that the lack of entry could be due to the lack of anything happening in my life. NOT THE CASE!!!! In fact we've been pretty busy and as everyone appreciates...'time flies when you're having fun'! My time here at RIVERWOOD has been filled with creative and constructive things that satisfy me artistically and physically and that's exactly how I like it!
Back in February when I last wrote a blog entry I mentioned that we would be expecting our first grandchild during the summer. Well, the delivery date for the baby is, in fact, today! But with a first baby who really knows!. Needless to say I don't go anywhere without my phone attached to me since the happy event is going to take place in Vancouver and, alas, we are here in Peterborough so rely heavily on Ma Bell and Text messaging, etc.
When I first learned that a grandchild was expected to help make our small family circle bigger I became busy crocheting small items for little fingers. I mentioned my 're-connection' with crocheting in my last blog and indicated that I was really enjoying creating things with yarn after so many years of not doing so. And over the months many packages have been carefully wrapped and shipped to Vancouver via UPS. Here's a sampling of things that have been sent.
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| A BRIGHTLY COLOURED ROOSTER for LUCK and HAPPINESS |
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| "SURFIN' BEAR" is READY to HEAD TO THE BEACH to 'HANG TEN' |
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| LITTLE BLUE BIRD and BLACK KITTY on A SOFT BLANKET |
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| A COLOURFUL BUNTING BAG for COLD FERRY BOAT RIDES |
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| A RATTLE in the SHAPE of a CELESTIAL STAR |
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| A PLAYFUL OTTER in a DIAPER. HE CHATTERS BECAUSE HE'S A RATTLE, TOO! |
And...toys are not the only things that have been shipped and sent out west. We have also carefully packed several large wooden crates (custom made by David) in which we've put a number of oil paintings that I've painted and are suitable for a child's room, two adult sized antique rocking chairs, an antique 'captain's style' high chair, an antique child's rocking chair and a lovely dove-tailed pine box which David made and was used at our cottage for many years to keep Alex's toys and 'collectables' in one place. The chairs were used in 'Granny's' house and also in our house while Alex was growing up. There's a certain about of pleasure in emptying out space in our house and sending favourite 'useables' to where they will begin another life with another child; especially when the child will be a cherished grandchild.
With regard to my art I have done little in the way of painting and have done absolutely nothing in the way of stone carving. In May I was part of the four member show 'Quadrangle' along with Averill Ambrose, Fran Crowe and my sister, Julia Cameron. The paintings and sculpture I had on display for that show have all been documented in my last entries to this blog with the exception of one and I show it to you now.
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| "HAYBALES on COUNTY ROAD 6", oil on 14" x 11" stretched canvas |
Somehow a scene such as this is eye candy (yoga for the eyes) for anyone who wants to feel relaxed and forget the whirlwind that is pretty much part of every day life. We always seem to be rushing here and there doing whatever it is that makes our lives busy and full. Every so often it's nice just to 'float' with an image that calms our nerves and makes us take a breath before we go on to whatever it is that needs to be done next. A painting such as this one is something to focus on when you can't actually be in that space physically. I've actually done several paintings of this same theme and those that now own them have mentioned how calm they feel when they look upon them. In those comments I realize I've accomplished what I set out to do when I first began to paint these small paintings.
Now onto something altogether different.
Over the past couple of years we have had to struggle with an unsightly fence that was built between our property and our neighbour's property. On the most part we might have overlooked the problem except for the fact that it's 10' high, resembles the sound barrier fence style you see along highways and is right in front of our living room window so it's basically 'in our face'!
After some deliberation we decided to make use of the space between our house and the ugly fence by adding a den/studio which would be accessed from our living room. In other words, turn the shaded area (due to the fence) of our side yard into interior living space and eliminate the view of the fence altogether. And so this is how the project began...
During the winter months, David constructed a beautiful latticed fence. The fence was made in three sections and the lattice sections were hand made using a proportion that was pleasing to the eye with regard to the bottom portion. When the ground thawed David placed three sono tubes into the earth and constructed the posts. The fence is 10' tall and covers the 'hoarding' fence and also creates a private 'groto' like area at the side of our house.
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| INSTALLATION of 'THE LATTICEWORK FENCE' |
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| FINISHED FENCE WITH BASKETS and FLOWERS. |
As soon as the fence was up and permanent I went to my friend Patti Peeters, who owns and runs "The Little Front Room", a gift and garden centre just down the road from our house. She was responsible for making the flower choices based on the colours and textures I like.
While the fence was being built we were working with an architect and an engineer to draw up our plans for the addition
Also, during this process we had to make out applications to the Otonobee Conservation Authority and the Building Department of Peterborough for the various permits required to build in the city. All of that was done over a period of time; however, we didn't run into any major problems because we made very sure that we dotted all the 'i's' and crossed all the 't's' before we made application.
Once the permits were in place and posted on our property we were good to go. A small backhoe was put into service and the earth and existing rocks on the south side of the house were moved around to make way for the footings. Then contractor and sub-trades stepped in and worked on the sono tube foundation, the framing and the roofing construction.
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| MEASURING UP for the PLACEMENT of the SONO TUBES |
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| A NECESSARY 'UPHEAVAL'! |
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| SOUTH WALL GOING UP! DAVID (in red) WORKING, TOO! |
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| LOOKIN' GOOD! |
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| BEGINNING TO LOOK LIKE SOMETHING |
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| SCAFFOLDING REQUIRED for THIS KIND of WORK |
Once the heavy work was done (foundation, beams and trusses) David was able to continue the work on his own and while it's been a summer full of more WORK than PLAY for him he has done a magnificent job of making this addition a work of art!
One day while all the construction was being done I took Rachel (our little Coton de Tulear) for a kayak ride and we paddled around Little Lake which was calm and filled with 'summer' people in various water craft or swimming in the cool water. And from the viewpoint of the water I captured a glimpse of our addition.
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| VIEW from the KAYAK |
When the the installation of the roofing material was complete David did a small project apart from the continuous building he was already doing for the project. He built a wonderful flower stand complete with trellis for the deck which can be seen from the new bedroom door in the master bedroom. It also acts as a privacy screen for the deck from our neighbour's kitchen window below us.
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| THE PLANTER that matches THE LATTICE WORK FENCE |
Work on the addition progressed nicely and the front of the addition (the street view) now looks complete all but a bit of finishing around the window and a railing around the deck which will be completed after the entire exterior is complete...in the Fall sometime!
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VIEW from STREET. LAQUERED METALWORK BUTTERFLY given to me by DAVID. HE has a GOOD EYE!
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It was now time for a serious 'away from it all' break! We made a plan to fly to Vancouver for an unexpected visit with Joanna and Alex. On July 19th we flew West and spent five days catching up with our 'Vancouver Family'.
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| VANCOUVER BOUND |
During our stay there was a fun baby shower given for Alex and Joanna! There were about 30 people, including many children...most of them under 5! The party was organized by Joanna and Alex's friends and was at A & J's house. 'Surfin' Beach Party' was the theme and the barbecue was going from 2:00 in the afternoon until 9:00 at night. The weather was great and everyone had a wonderful time...especially the kids because they all got the chance to drink from 'sippy cups', eat yummy food and 'hand paint' little white 'onesies' for the new baby that's soon to join their friendship circle. The little wearable works of art were pretty interesting looking when they were finished and strung up on a clothesline to dry in the breeze. There was something for everyone to enjoy but what David and I liked the most was just being there and enjoying the camaradarie between Alex and Joanna and their many friends and their children.
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THREE MEN (including the FATHER-TO-BE) and a GAGGLE OF WOMEN and CHILDREN
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The Mum and Dad-to-be were laden with enough baby gifts (a miniature life jacket, t-shirts with surfing slogans on them, etc.) to overflow their drawers and cupboards but there was much more than that given at the party. There was a real feeling of connectedness and true friendship in the air as the adults laughed and chatted, watched the antics of the children and enjoyed good homemade beer, wine and flavourful things from the barbecue. It is a wonderful feeling to know that our once small child has developed into a happy, healthy person who is surrounded by so many interesting and talented friends...and is now creating a family of his own.
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MOTHER-TO-BE and GRANDFATHER-TO-BE LOOK ON from ABOVE as
a GREEN SHIRTED FATHER-TO-BE CHATS with a FRIEND
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I took many, many photographs at the party but have only shown two because it's not necessary to show more...my description of the party is enough. It was a warm, fun celebration to have been part of!
While we were visiting we enjoyed walking around Vancouver and were able to experience the most beautiful summer weather Vancouver has had in more than 30 years! Not one day of rain and the good weather lasted well after we left!
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| BEAUTIFUL VANCOUVER - BLUE SKY PERFECTION! |
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| TRANQUIL CROSSOVER to BOWEN ISLAND |
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| CEDARS and BEYOND; AS FAR AS the EYE CAN SEE - BOWEN ISLAND |
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| A FOND FAIRWELL to an EXCEPTIONALLY BEAUTIFUL PROVINCE |
We left Vancouver with a promise to return shortly after our grandchild is born and we will again enjoy the warmth of our family but in a whole different way. We'll be heading into exciting and happy times for sure.
We did leave behind one little thing...a painting for a special member of the family who I won't name because he may not want people to know of his 'weakness'. It's a small 'pop art' style painting that I did in the style of Andy Warhol. Admittedly I enjoyed painting it and often found myself licking my lips!!!!!
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| 'AFTER ANDY WARHOL' POP ART PIECE by ajm |
Back home as I sorted through the photos I had taken of the event then I sat back and pinched myself. I realize how lucky we our with our lives, with our son, with our delightful daughter-in-law and her parents, and how our tiny family has grown over the years. What also comes to mind each time I look upon the happy photos are those that are less fortunate. Especially the many young people out there that have had problems as they've matured into adulthood and the many that have fallen through the cracks and have completely lost their way or have no family to help and guide them to get on the right track. I also think of the doctors, nurses, care-givers, helpers and volunteers that give assistance to those that are struggling with their health or their lives. They are the amazing ones...helping hands and hearts for those that are trying to cope.
When, after such happy visits, we finally settle into our own lives back here in Peterborough we find we do miss Alex very much and obviously wish we were closer to him or him to us. However, many years ago he chose to live in Vancouver and is extremely happy living in B.C. as we are happy living here in Ontario. At one point, in fact for many months, we seriously thought we would move to Vancouver or Victoria. However, the real estate market is way out of control out there! But more importantly we haven't seen anything that really 'grabs us' even though there are hundreds of places on the market. I guess that this house that we built in 1999 has become so comfy that our 'want list' is already within the boundary of the property and within the house walls and it holds us well. We've got good friends and neighbours here, some family members and we've created a 'retired' lifestyle that suits us well.
We've gradually developed beautiful gardens around the house and there are views of water and trees...but, alas, NO mountain vistas! But, we can always take photos of mountains when we fly west and then we could hang them on our walls right!!!??? Better still I could paint the images; then hang them on our walls! So we'll fly back and forth to BC when we desire and in between keep in touch by using modern day technology. Now that's easy!!! (NOTE: that is not to say that someday in the future we may make the BIG move, but we'll be older then and by then may be thinking small condo!)
After returning from Vancouver we got right back into the work of the addition. After a few days David had managed to get the drywall up with the help of a rented drywall lifter. The lifter was a godsend because the drywall sheets are so heavy and while I can help a bit I can't lift with much confidence!
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| DRYWALL SHEETS FINALLY UP! |
While we were away our dear little dog, Rachel, visited with his doggie friends and stayed with my niece and her two children and their dog. She had a lot of fun but we missed her; especially when we saw one of the many 'small breed' dogs in Vancouver. Vancouver is a city of small dogs and, like Peterborough, there are many parks and places to walk there. So it wasn't long before we set out with Rachel and took her on one of our favourite walks...along the Otonobee River towards Trent University.
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| FAVOURITE PATH in the SHADY BUSH HIGH ABOVE the TRENT CANAL |
The walk takes us high along a heavily treed escarpment then winds it's way down toward the Trent River where a wide path has areas of shallow water where Rachel can swim and cool off while we watch the sleek rowing shells go by full of Trent Rowing Club members or view the beautiful yachts that motor through the Trent Canal System as they head to the lakes in the north or to the Peterborough Lift Locks to the south. It's a beautiful place to walk any time of the year and Rachel enjoys it as much as we do no matter what the weather.
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| MARSHY AREA near WALKING PATH - a BEAUTIFUL PLACE FULL of NATURE'S FLORA and FAUNA |
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| RACHEL COOLING OFF in her PRIVATE WADING POOL |
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