Idyllic Days

Hi there, 

Nearing the end of one of my favourite months. Beautiful June.

Now and then, I sit at the picnic table to the right and watch the boats cruise along the river.

              Doesn't this look like a lovely summer day.  Sunny, warm, clouds puffing by. Perfect.

You may, if you squint your eyes, or locate a magnifying glass, be able to see the Heron over there on the other side of the river fishing. (My kingdom for a telephoto lens.) I haven't noticed that many Herons around this year.  I enjoyed watching this one fish. They are intent and so still. Amazing.  I wonder from standing so still if they stiffen up like humans? Inquiring minds.

                                       I wish you could all smell the roses. So lovely!

A colourful spot with a stone inukshuk. The Inuit build these in the Arctic. They are used for navigation, hunting, messages etc. 

You may have seen this picture on my Instagram. I named this little Mallard "Capability." Eleven, yes 11 ducklings. And she does it all on her own. As you can see the well-behaved ducklings were swimming and feeding ahead of her near the rivers edge. I was setting on a dock. When she noticed me she reared up a little. I have seen other Mallard mothers attack other ducks that ventured too close to their ducklings. They can be fierce.

I had plans to go kayaking this weekend near this spot, but I hurt my foot on a walk. So I reckon I better sit still until it's better. Humbug!

* * *

    Pastel

I recently unearthed this happy little watercolour painting, and I have listed as a digital download in my shop.

                                                                       Until next time...

Be well and safe and stay huggable.

Huggable times are near.

Cultivate Your Dreams

 Linking to Link Parties via my link party page. Do drop by for a visit; you will be glad you did.

  Thank you, ladies, for hosting.

New Phenomena

Hi everyone, 

 Appearances tell me November has arrived. This means, as of today, snow covers the rooftops, and most of the leaves have disappeared, but I haven't quite caught up with it yet. What a difference a week makes. The snow may stay or go, but mother earth has given us much and she has certainly earned her rest.

I haven't been out to capture this new phenomena, so here's to living in the past for just a little while longer.

The River Institute's sapling nursery.

  The River Institute plants native species of flowering plants and trees along the river to protect the ecosystem. In the spring, wild yellow irises line the river bank in one area.

Small birds delight in the cover and make their nests there. I found this out last spring when an angry bird started dive bombing me. I immediately moved on before I got a chance to recognize her and make her acquaintance, but I think she was a Wren.

                                

                           I always admire this wonderful big house resting at the river's edge that I walk by when I skirt around  the parameter of the marsh. You could skip out the door and down to the dock, untie your boat and zip down the river, leaving any cares in your wake.  What a spot!

* * * 

I recently bought a few different types of pastel paper, but I've only tried out one colour so far. The package has several different colours, so I picked the lightest one for a painting I finished the other day. Pastelmat paper in grey looks good as well, but it arrived crinkled, so I will probably send it back. And a Clairefontaine Velour will arrive soon too. I like to blend certain areas with my fingers, (some pastel painters do not blend) and these papers are easy on the hands.

From the easel:

       Two colour choices for the mountains here. Haven't decided which colour I like the best.

Thank you for your lovely comments on my last post. I have replied to each of you on that post because Blogger, for some obscure reason, only occasionally sends me your emails. 

   Be safe and well. 

'Til Next Time

Cultivate Your Dreams

Linking to Link Parties via my link party page. Thank you, lovely ladies, for hosting!

A Trek

Jan 28/20

Because of  freezing rain, I haven't been out to the woods for about a month. And I‘ve been wondering about the birds.

At the entrance to the marsh, I called out and the chickadees and nuthatches quickly flew to the feeding area. They remembered me, and, my, they were very hungry. 

A beautiful, moody afternoon sky.

Recently, I was looking through my photos of the Yukon Territory. For a few years, we lived in the Yukon in a house nestled down near a lake, where I could hear, as I lay in my bed, the plaintive call of the loons. We drove there from Calgary, Alberta along the, then, unpaved Alaska Highway.  Later we motored up the Dempster highway that begins south of Dawson City, Yk. to Inuvik, NWT. 

 Not a garage, at that time, for miles on that unpaved, potential tire-shredding shale road, so we carried full cans of gas and extra tires on the roof. With only the vast remote wilderness for company, and the trepidation welling up within because the road sometimes does double duty as a landing strip,  we slowly motored on, in intermittent fog, for hours, with thunderheads of dust rolling up behind us, without passing a car or seeing a single living thing.  (From Dawson City to Inuvik it’s a two day journey: 478.5 miles/ 742km.)  Eventually, dust bitten and weary we stopped at the halfway point in an oasis named Eagle Plains / Rat Pass. Given its remoteness, we had reservations about the place, but it turned out to be a clean and hospitable place to spend the night.

While driving the Dempster Highway you see the rugged Ogilvie and Richardson mountain ranges and, of course, the tundra where ghostly cloud shadows, driven by the wind, mysteriously track over the land. Gorgeous at any time of year, but in the fall it is absolutely breath taking. 

The pastel painting below was inspired by those photos. 

A few years later, still eager for adventure, we drove from Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk along the ice road on Mackenzie River and the Arctic Ocean.  (That may be a story for another day.) I do, however, feel fortunate to have made that trip, because the ice road has recently been replace by a highway.

Happy trails. 'Til next time...

Cultivate Your Dreams 

I am linking to: 

Our World Tuesday 

My Corner of the World

Skywatch

World Tuesday
Friday Bliss

Mixing It Up

Jan.14, 2020

Hi there,

I hope you all had a lovely holiday. We did and it flew by. Now back to reality with plans for
painting, hiking, knitting and reading to add creativity to the hours and bolster the spirit.

Checking over last year's reading list, I didn't read as many books as I hoped, but I so enjoyed the ones that I did read. Cold Earth by Sarah Moss stands out in my memory, along with the very popular A Gentlemen in Moscow by Amor Towles. And Pachinko by Min Jin Lee was a definite eye opener.
Several more come to mind, but I will leave it there for now.  Since I am always on the outlook for good books, I'd love to hear what you enjoyed reading.

Feathered Friend

A bunny recently passed this way.

From the oasis corner.

In case you missed it, yesterday was national clean your desk day. That makes me laugh although I can make a hot mess in no time, and since I have limited space, I find it difficult to paint if things get out of hand.

So to help tame the upcoming chaos, I raced off to Ikea to buy a set of office drawers which hold, among other things, my watercolour paintings. 

 Although I drew the mistletoe and wreath, I must credit the wonderful botanical painter, Billy Showell, whose free you tube videos I watched as I tried to mix and match her colours.

A trillium line drawing added to my list of flowers to paint.

Recently, I also bought drawers for my pastels. Unfortunately the width of the drawers are too small for Unison pastels, but the Rembrandt's fit nicely.
So this year, among other things, it’s all about organization. A place for everything and everything in its place. 

'Til next time...

Cultivate Your Dreams

Linking to:  Our World Tuesday

                    My Corner of the World

                    Friday Bliss

Winter's Light

Hi there,

I hope you are all well and happy. And for my friends in the U.S., I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

'Tis nearly the season. Can you believe it?  I've been shopping and doing a little decorating. One must get the wreath on the door and a few lights twinkling early to knock the dark afternoons out of the ball park so to speak. The candles are lit every night this time of year, too. Light. So good for the spirit.

On the creative side of life, I've been painting and sketching. I also have two paintings in an art exhibition that is currently on for nine days. And I will be hosting at the exhibition this week along with other people, so I am mostly keeping out of trouble.

On the home front, the snow arrive early this year. Eleven days ago to be exact.

       The light seems remote this time of year...wispy, delicate and fleeting. A barely there type of light.  Amazingly beautiful.

 Once the leaves are off the trees, many nest that I never knew existed appear.

Thin ice covering the brook.

Merry and Bright.

Far off, a skein of geese heading south. Lucky ducks geese.

I love to hear them calling to each other. Enthusiasm and encouragement. A winning combination. 

Almost bedtime...must have a snack first.

So pleased to see that she/he is nice and plump and prepared for winter.

I only had a few seeds in my pockets, but I think these Chickadees forgave me. The dear hearts.

A Nuthatch knows how to make an entrance. They walk down the tree head first, fly to another tree face down and then land at the feeder. They move and fly so fast.

What a profile. It speaks of wisdom.

More snow coming down as I go to press.  So much like fairyland out there today... very mild and lovely, so I took a walk in the snow.

A few cards I've been drawing/painting on my desktop. The wee desk better known as "Abigail."

I'll be linking with Wednesday Around the World, and on Thursday with Soma who hosts the blog Whims and Fancies. Many thanks for hosting, ladies! 💗

I've left a reply to everyone who left a comment on my last post.
To my lovely readers a big thank you. You all make the world a better place!

Cultivate your dreams!

Natural Magic

 Hi there,

Thank you for the lovely comments on my last post. I was excited to have a painting chosen for the juried art show. From the vernissage, to the day I hosted along with another lady, it was fun and I learned a lot. The best, of course, was chatting with people and admiring the wonderful paintings that covered the walls at the show.
 

My framed entry. Snowdrops--a slight obsession of mine.

 * * *

The crab apple trees and lilac trees are in bloom. And the newly hatched, fresh-faced leaves are waving in the breeze.  When I look out the window, there are so many lovely hues of green--rich, deep, subtle, and, well, the whole landscape looks gorgeous. All those spring greens do animate the spirit.

The birds woke me up at 4:45 this morning. They were singing their hearts out. How industrious and celebratory they are. After opening the window, I crawled back into bed and found myself imagining spending an afternoon under a fragrant crab apple tree, drinking tea, knitting and/or sketching. I even  fancied I could feel a lovely soft breeze blowing in from the river. (Time to make that reverie a reality, I reckon. Even an hour would be lovely.)

Wild honeysuckle.

Yes, Emerson. "The earth [ really does] laugh (s) in flowers."

 Ms. Squirrel dressed to the nines.  Hurrah! She made it through a hard winter and is in fine form.  I think I have mentioned before that it takes about 3000 trips for this little one to fill her pantry with enough seeds to get her through the winter. She's an independent wonder.

  I am contemplating painting a bearded iris. Just look at the colours...as rich as a fine tapestry.

It was raining the day I was out taking these pics. It's still raining and that's okay. Blossoms need moisture. I'd like to get a few closes ups with my big camera; I hope to go tomorrow rain or shine.

A red-winged blackbird searches the area for a mate. (I love to hear his discordant melodies.) Since it's breeding season, the red bands on his wings are brilliant. What a charmer. I hope he soon finds his lady love.

Speaking of charmers/charming, how about that royal wedding? I loved it. Wouldn't it have been grand to be a butterfly on the wall at the receptions at Windsor castle and Frogmore house?

'Til next time...

Cultivate your dreams.