The book has been sent to the contest. My last art club session was yesterday. Tomorrow we leave for Spain. But first, one last post about the cruise on St. Lawrence River, which continues to bequite a highlight in our travels.
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Greeters to Halifax, Nova Scotia.
(I personally love the sound of
bagpipes. They always sound so . . .
eerie and haunting, full of "story". |
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Our bus driver and tour
guide. Unfortunately, I
didn't get his name. |
Our fourth day out, we docked at Halifax, Nova Scotia and were immediately reminded of Nova Scotia's Scottish connection. Bagpipes and kilts everywhere. Even the tour guides met us in kilts, as two busloads set off for Peggy's Cove.
Peggy's Cove seemed a wild and desolate place. I've always been captivated by fog and mist, no doubt to stories I read when I was younger. Mysterious and magical things happened in foggy locations. I love Lighthouses, too, so this one captured my imagination completely:
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| A wild an desolate place. |
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| Desolate, yes, but beautiful. |
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A magical place where anything
might happen. |
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And a warning of what could happen!
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And there was an official greeter to the cove as well, complete with kilts and bagpipe:
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| Official bagpipe greeter. |
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I did think it was a cold job
on a foggy day like that. |
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But he kindly consented to
a photograph with me. |
And then it was time to board the bus again and travel to Fairview Lawn Cemetery. Why a cemetery? A whole section of it contains graves of 120 to 150 of the unfortunate passengers on the ill-fated Titanic. (The numbers vary from report to report.) I've seen several movies through the years about the Titanic, but nothing quite prepared me for the rows upon rows of markers. Some had only a number, since the body could not be identified. You can read more about the Titanic
HERE and
HERE), but here are some of the pictures we took at the cemetery: (Though
many of the passengers were never recovered; just "buried at sea". |
| Entry to the cemetery. |
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| Directions to that section |
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And this is what met our eyes:
there were rows and rows like this!
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Some inscription were so
moving, like this one. |
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| And this one, too. |
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| But this onemoved me the most. |
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| There were so many like this. |
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| Just numbers. Heart braking! |
After that, we returned to the ship for eats and socializing and various leisure activities. The following day we went to Bar Harbor, Maine, but that will have to wait for another day, as the next few posts are going to be from Spain and Portugal.
I was never particularly a cruise person before, but this one converted me. Of course, we were iin great company, as well as seeing great sights. And when I get back to posting about Bar Harbor, I'll include a recap with pictures of the great crowd of friends we traveled with.
Meanwhile, I hope you have enjoyed the bits and pieces of this cruise so far. And if you know any special facts about the Titanic, I hope you will share them. That is an event that continues to have such a grip on my conssciousness, and the public's as well.
Another peek at my new print, coming soonish! It's all done, inked, coloured etc. and ready to print.
4.5 Stars From Inside Jacket: Ellie believes she will live in her little village on the coast of Scotia for always. But when her father gets a job on Sable Island, she must say farewell to her beloved home and her mother’s final resting place. Not even the idea of seeing wild horses that roam [...]
Bear with me while I post some more playful drawings I did in Nova Scotia, exploring simple shapes and sketchy line work.Trying to lock the composition in like puzzle pieces.
Finally back in Toronto. I was beginning to feel quite transient toward the end there. I'm suffering from a bit of Holiday burnout and am trying to get things back to normal. I need to jump right back into work but I'm still catching up on sleep. I'd be sleeping right now if I could. I drew and read lots in Halifax and the train. The biggest shift in reading is rediscovering good, old fashioned adventure stories. Long my favorite kind of stories I've not picked one up in ages and discovered some new ones on the trip. R.M. Ballantyne's The coral Island being the biggest revelation.
There were some down points to the Holiday. The biggest being a friend in Toronto passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. I still can't believe it. But it was wonderful to see family and friends after a long absence. It left me feeling conflicted. As much as I like Toronto I've come to realize it will never feel like home. I've developed a theory that it has to do with water. Living by the ocean or by a river is great but a lake just sits there, it isn't alive in the same way as moving water is. I think I miss living waters.
NOTE TO SELF: THERE ARE GOOD PEOPLE WITH GOOD SOULS IN THIS WORLD
A retired couple living in Nova Scotia, Canada decided, as many of us do, to play the lottery. Up for grabs was an $11.2 million dollar jackpot and as many of us also do, they dreamed of a win. The couple, Alan, a former welder, and Violet Large, are senior citizens who live simple lives with Violet afflicted with cancer and undergoing chemotherapy.
Last July they hit the jackpot in the Lotto 6/49 winning $11,255,272 to be exact, which in itself is something given the odds against winning anything, especially a huge amount like this. It's what the couple did following their win, which makes this story one-in-a-million. They gave away almost $11.2 million of their winnings to family members, local churches, fire departments, cemetaries, Red Cross and hospitals who obviously meant a lot to Violet, given her health issues.
Once word got out about their generosity, a producer with ITV television in London called The Canadian Press on Thursday looking to connect with the Larges, and the story drew a flood of comments from readers on the Daily Mail's website in the United Kingdom. Not surprising since everyone wants to hear about good news and good people doing good things.
"As I say you can't buy your health and you can't buy happiness but if you can help someone out that's what you want to do," Violet said.
I've always believed that when you reach out and share your blessings, they return to you in kind. Now didn't this story make you smile?
by Hope Larson
Atheneum / Simon & Schuster 2010
A tale of gold prospecting and romance and karmic debts paid off over several generations with just a kiss of magical realism in this graphic novel.
In the settled Canadian province of Nova Scotia the Fraser's of French Hill have settled into a life of barely sustainable farm life when the mysterious stranger Asa Curry comes calling. He's
co
So glad I left the studio intact at my mom. I’m working on The Situation for Tor and really loving it. Few distractions all tucked away in my mom’s unfinished basement playing music on my laptop. I also have a proposal open in a word document, which I hope to have finished by the time I reach Toronto. I’m currently reading Kelly link’s collection Magic for Beginners which is amazing. Worth it for the story the Cat Skin alone. I’m listening to Liszt and Radiohead and bluegrass and watching Extras. It’s raining all the time which suits me fine.
And we're off. We pull out of Halifax this morning for a seven day trip to Toronto. The iPod is loaded with music and podcasts, we are stocked with snacks and water and the tent is firmly wedged into the back and Benny the dog is staring out the window~fogging it up.. I'll try and post often from the road. I can still be reached by email and Twitter and we have a cell with us. Just write if you want the number. Talk to you all soon.
Wow, this one is so epic...
Pink clouds look yummy like massive cotton candies. Wish I could dive in there!
Great piece!
Thanks Patrick! This one was for my second picture book. Keep wishing I'd get hired to do another painted book like this.