Blank canvas
We're back from a week in the interior. It was HOT. Every day the temp reached 32-35C (that's 90+ F). Luckily there is a gorgeous mountain lake 30 minutes from E's Mum's home which became our respite from the heat as well as from her. I realized I truly am a lakelady.
The drive across the southern part of BC was spectacular. From the ferry crossing through the Coast Mountains, into ranchlands, along the Similkameen River, across desert, and finally climbing into the Kootenay ranges.
On the way there we had a cold chicken picnic on the banks of the Skagit. We saw red-tailed hawks scouting the fields near Hedley. We ate freshly-picked cherries and apricots in Keremeos. We stopped for ice cream at the General Store in Greenwood. We marvelled at the classy revival of old buildings in Rossland.
Coming home we dipped into the lake at Osoyoos as the Canada Day revelries got under way. We saw cattle and sheep and llamas and hoardes of horses grazing in the cool morning fields in the Boundary region. We were entranced by the quaint town centre of Rock Creek. We ate a late lunch by deep languid pools on the Similkameen. We watched the sun set over the Georgia Strait as we ferried back to the Island.
All of this in 12 hours each way.
One of these years I'd lake to take a week to get there, camping in some of the intriguing small towns, visiting their farmer's markets, drinking coffee with the locals, paddling the rivers, horseback riding the hills...
Idiot that I am, I forgot my camera. So any works from this adventure will be memory-based impressions. Not a bad thing, maybe?
After tending the garden for two days on our return, (I picked 6 freezer bags of peas, a ginormous bowl of strawberries, and various herbs, zucchinis, and lettuces) I finally settled into the studio yesterday afternoon. I gessoed over five canvases I had recently been toiling over. All my works from the Visions show are still packed in boxes. I have a large blank wall in the studio where they usually hang. Clean slate. New start. Just not sure where.
The drive across the southern part of BC was spectacular. From the ferry crossing through the Coast Mountains, into ranchlands, along the Similkameen River, across desert, and finally climbing into the Kootenay ranges.
On the way there we had a cold chicken picnic on the banks of the Skagit. We saw red-tailed hawks scouting the fields near Hedley. We ate freshly-picked cherries and apricots in Keremeos. We stopped for ice cream at the General Store in Greenwood. We marvelled at the classy revival of old buildings in Rossland.
Coming home we dipped into the lake at Osoyoos as the Canada Day revelries got under way. We saw cattle and sheep and llamas and hoardes of horses grazing in the cool morning fields in the Boundary region. We were entranced by the quaint town centre of Rock Creek. We ate a late lunch by deep languid pools on the Similkameen. We watched the sun set over the Georgia Strait as we ferried back to the Island.
All of this in 12 hours each way.
One of these years I'd lake to take a week to get there, camping in some of the intriguing small towns, visiting their farmer's markets, drinking coffee with the locals, paddling the rivers, horseback riding the hills...
Idiot that I am, I forgot my camera. So any works from this adventure will be memory-based impressions. Not a bad thing, maybe?
After tending the garden for two days on our return, (I picked 6 freezer bags of peas, a ginormous bowl of strawberries, and various herbs, zucchinis, and lettuces) I finally settled into the studio yesterday afternoon. I gessoed over five canvases I had recently been toiling over. All my works from the Visions show are still packed in boxes. I have a large blank wall in the studio where they usually hang. Clean slate. New start. Just not sure where.