Thanksgiving in Collingwood

When you are two years old

you feel safe in the arms of your Dad

You can climb Blue Mountain with a whole bunch of

family and friends and....

....discover a fallen down 'castle' right at the top

and

ask your Dad to make you one of your very own.

You can wonder at how the land stretches out to meet the lake.

And then spy the lake getting closer.

When you're two you go to dance class with your Mummy...

....and learn to walk like an elephant....

....and groove to the music.

When you're two you go to the gym....

....and seek the refuge of Mummy's lap when it's time to top up 

your liquids between activities.

Walking the Marshlands

We popped across the road to walk Steve and Andi's marshlands.

Apart from being super neighbours,

Andi is a wonderful photographer and artist.

It was a dark and angry afternoon

but it looks like the sky is clearer over the mountain

on the Bay of Fundi.

We live somewhere in those woods that climb the mountain.

Neat rows of yellowing trees line the edge of the marsh

whereas the mountain ridge in the distance

seems more chaotic in it's Fall browns and greens.

The marshes are home to wonderful grasses

and of course a beaver damn.

Sorry I didn't photograph the damn simply because

the beavers were more sensible than us....

....they stayed indoors for the afternoon.

It was wet and windy.

Next time.

Me thinks there might be inspiration for a piece

in this photograph.

This is our stream... it tumbles down the mountain

swooshes through our pond and around the garden

under the road and

 down here it zigzags through the marshes.

The clouds are closing in.

Time to go home for a hot cup of tea.

All Caught Up Crumb-wise - Week Forty-Three

Handy Hubby has always thought that stitching the cross

or cruciform for a year was a pretty weird choice....

....that is because he associates it with religion.

But to me I think of the more ancient symbolism.

To the Celts it is the meeting place of divine energies.

Ancient Greeks used it to represent the four elements.

The Hopi used it as North, South, East and West

the four points on the horizon.

And in the Middle East it also represented the four winds.

I am sure there are many more meanings.

Red on the other hand is the colour of

blood and fire

love and passion

Joy and strength

Courage and Vigour

not to mention rage, danger and stress

but also

action, vibrance, radiance and determination.

Handy Hubby, the Rusty Pups and myself

are getting back in the routine of walks along the dyke.

That day the tide was coming in

and it wasn't long before this seagull lost his rocky island.

You can see him still perched there on the waters

beneath the North Mountain

which protects us from so much weather that travels up

the Bay of Fundy.

Basalt rock protects the dykes from wear and tear.

It was quarried from the North Mountain.

The tides are still pretty high.

Haven't seen a low tide mudflat since I got home.

A Crumb For The Week Of The Hunter's Moon - Week Forty-Two

Are you getting bored with my year of crosses yet?!

oh, well

only twelve more weeks left.

I returned home to the highest tides of the year

thanks to the Full Hunter's Moon.

Water, water, everywhere.

Just a little bit higher and the fields behind the dyke

would have flooded.

By the end of our walk the tide had peaked

and started to recede.

The next day it was a bit lower again.

Can you see the wood from ancient dyke work sticking up

to the left of the gully?....well the tops of those

are what you see in the really high tide photograph. 

Back Home After Creating Fabulous Memories - Week Forty-One

A Crumb memory of Judy's installation Luminous Halo Path

at the Elemental Festival

in Kagawong on Manitoulin Island

The Festival's theme this year was Walking

which struck me as more than a coincidence

considering Judy has been healing from her

broken leg since the late Spring.

Judy, Margi and Val beneath the trees where everything began.

The white wrapped sections represent Judy's steps

and the colourful flags in between show the length of her stride.

We laid it beside a river

where salmon were running

....just perfect....

It skirted a mighty rock....

and climbed a hill.

It looked beautiful

and it rained overnight

which made it even more beautiful

for Judy's talk the next morning.

Fungus grew on trees along the pathway

Fungus with delicate underbellies.

And we found evidence that fairies live in this magical place too.

Kagawong means "mists rising from falling water" in the Ojibwe language.

Val, Margi and I were so pleased to be there

to help Judy install and just be there for her.

A Wrinkled Crumb of Sorts Week Forty

We just can't avoid wrinkles

They come to us all eventually.

Wrinkles are surely a sign of wisdom

evidence of a life lived.

As children we were always taught to respect our elders.

Sometimes I feel invisible

but I am here!

Well actually I am on Manitoulin

Spirit Island

playtime with Judy, Margi and Val.