Hidden stories...

Just down the road from my house there is a 300 acre property that used to be some rich guys hunting lodge who graciously donated it to Scouts Canada. It now houses a variety of cabins, bunk houses and common kitchen buildings. There are some beautiful trails in there around the lake and quite often Griffin and I go on walk abouts for hours exploring...I have this thing where if I see an interesting bend in the road or a path leading off the beaten track, I just have to explore it. This is where I came across these amazing carvings in the woods...who are they? who carved them? My sad fantasy is the lonely old woodsman who lost his wife and child in a tragic accident and has immortalized them in wood...my happy fantasy is some farmer who used to take his afternoon break in there with a beer and some carving tools...I also love when I find old fence posts and rusty barbed wire...signs of an old farm or homestead..some exploring...maybe find an old dump in the woods with some depression era broken dishes or old glass bottles..you just never know what you're going to find on the path less traveled.

Frost is art...

During our crazy winters there was many a photographic opportunity to take advantage of..snow and frost make everything look so magical and peaceful...even the windows of my van one morning were covered in this amazing frost...I must have taken 40 pictures! Then there was those peaceful mornings in the sleeping garden where every shadow was so gentle and still...

slacker

Well I've decided to really try to keep up with this blog. Reading others blogs and finding inspiration is really what its all about isn't it? We have to keep our mental health going strong.....hmm so whats new...well we had one hell of a winter here in B.C and especially for us on the west coast. As many people are aware we like to brag about our sub tropical winters here so when we were blessed with a white Christmas, it was all anyone could talk about! I mean really, it was BIG news! Well Christmas came and went but the white didn't go anywhere. Those of us who love to see the snow were getting a bit tired of it by the beginning of January until finally it started to melt away and it actually felt like spring again....not so fast amigo...we got more rain in one day than some places in Africa get in a decade. It came flooding through the barn and left the goats stranded on a little hay island in their stall...THEN we got more snow...not too bad this time and its now starting to feel like spring with the snowdrops coming up and the birds singing their little hearts out....the one thing I loved though with the snow was the quiet of it all out here in the country. Griffin and I would go walking in the 100 acre wood and find only the tell tale foot prints of mice, birds, deer and rabbits, not to mention the odd bear paw print since they don't really hibernate here....anyway thats the weather view from here..

Back on track...sort of...

Well it doesn't take long to see that your blog is out of date...the holidays are winding down although there is still a few birthdays (mine included) to come in the next month so that tends to expand the fun, food and drink...I spent some time on Valdez Island over the new year. This is one of the southern Gulf Island of B.C and once an important First Nations camp for hundreds if not more years. In the winter there is allot of movement on the beach with the wind and water and therefore things are constantly being turned over in the shells and sand and if you're lucky enough you might find an artifact or two...I found this harpoon tip and cobalt trade bead while walking on the beach. Irma found a very rare bone carving of a human figure...who knows how old these things are or who the craftsperson was but to find them after all this time is always a thrill...to be a fly on the wall to know the stories of the pieces and where they fit in the history...I suppose all that can be done is appreciate them for their hand made beauty and put them with my other treasures...happy new year...

etsyfied

Well I decided to put my wares for sale on etsy.com. I love this website and how it promotes hand made art from all over the world for a very nominal fee. I think it's a great way to get out there to promote yourself...especially if you are like me and not very P.R oriented. I am not a sales person and have never been very good at it and this website offers a chance for your work to sell itself without the expense of a website...been there...done that...we'll see what happens!

December 7....cold and cloudy...

Yesterday I went for a walk on the Gallopping Goose trail which is a reclaimed railbed/bike trail that goes from Victoria to Leechtown north of Sooke. There are different parts that you can easily join up on and do portions of the trail. The peice I was on borders a gravel pit on one side and an old farm with horses on the other. I spotted a Vireo nest up in a maple tree and tokk it down for closer inspection...as you can see in the photo it is lined with horse tail/mane hair which I thought was pretty cool...I could just imagine that little bird flying back and forth to the farm to find those treasured hairs for the lining of its nest...it was a cold clear day and I love it in the winter when you spot a nest just feet above where you've walked all summer but it was camoflauged by the greenery.

December comes in with a bang...

Well it's the beginning of December and we all know what that means...time for chocolate! My friend Irma had a small open house/studio tour on the weekend but unfortunately our wild weather kept allot of people indoors, and rightly so...sold a few of the little birds and had lots of good feedback. I do miss doing the craft shows on the social side but not playing the waiting game and watching the clock. I think people out there are starting to think twice about what and how they are buying what with all the problems with imported goods. A few friends and I went up yo a big country market in Coombs and they had all these cheap wooden kids toys but we were all a little leary about buying anything....