On the water

The summer is a great time to be on the water!

In the summer we visited friends on the southern gulf islands, here are a few pictures taken from the ferry. The sun was setting, the sky was clear, what could be better?

 

Off the ferry and on island time for a few delightful days...

 

Canada Geese dining on eel grass and... 

 

 

a raven surveying its territory.

 

 

sail boats...

 

canoes...

 

 

ferry boats and kayaks

 

 

all offer their own perspective on the water.

 

 

But surely this is the best view ... through a child's eyes.

 

 

 I have been absent from blog land for a while, the summer has been beautiful, offering many other distractions, but it is time to check in again.

I have been having trouble with my eyes, nothing that can't be fixed, but it has been affecting my ability to see close up. Computer screens and telephone screens are the worst, so I have been avoiding them.

You may recall that about 2 years ago I had cataract surgery on both eyes, well my eyes have recently developed a film. My left eye (my reading eye) is much worse than my right so I have scaled back on my reading and computer work because of problems with eye strain and headaches. I have an appointment with my eye surgeon in a few weeks, but until then I may be limiting my computer time and in favour of painting.

Speaking of painting here are two on the "water theme". Both are inspired by pictures that I took in Venice last summer and both are watercolours.

The first is "Reflections of Venice", 14" X 20":

 

The second is "Little Red Boat", 14" X 20":

This is not the best picture, I took it inside with artificial light, I will take a better one and repost it at a later time.



Thank you so much for dropping by and thank you for all the wonderful comments you have been sending my way.

 

Until next time, Gillian

 

 

 



Just a little bit of fluff?

The day was predicted to be cloudy with showers, but the sun shone.

A piece of fluff, a clematis seed head really, caught my eye as it danced in the breeze so you know I had to reach for the camera.



Catching the light so perfectly.

 
Not being poetically gifted myself I offer these quotes:

"Every problem contains within itself the seeds of its own solution."

Stanley Arnold

Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant.

Robert Louis Stevenson

 

 

It is only the farmer who faithfully plants seeds in the Spring,
who reaps a harvest in the Autumn.
- B. C. Forbes

 

 

 

So delicate and so pretty, caught in the sunshine, they made me stop, take notice and smile. I hope they brought a smile to your day as well.

Maybe it is not too early to start looking at seed catalogues and dreaming of spring.


On the art front I have recently started painting portraits. Here are two quite different subjects; the first is a singer at a country fair and the second is a small child peering out of her stroller.

 

 "Hey Mr. Guitar Man play a song for me" (sorry I didn't get a very good picture of this one):

 

"Guitar Man", watercolour. 13" X 10"

And a small girl peering out from her stroller:

"Small Wonder"

 

That's your Whimsy for this Wednesday, thanks for dropping by,

 

Gillian

Adrift

It is getting warmer, not sandal weather yet for me (April when I took these), but time for wandering on the beach. A recent walk took me along the shoreline in search of driftwood and other items of interest on the beach and foreshore to share with you.

Driftwood is usually wood that has been washed up on the shore by waves and wind and grounded there. It can be small pieces of wood, logs that have escaped from booms, or wood (trees) washed off the shore by the action of wind and water, man made wooden objects discarded into the water from the shore (flotsam), objects lost from boats (jetsam) and the remains of shipwrecked wooden boats and ships.

Some driftwood seems to have arrived fairly recently while other pieces seem ancient.

On the local beaches it collects through the year and is sorted and distributed along the beach as shelter for sunbathers and picnickers; the extra wood is usually left for people to cut up and take away as firewood or cut up for making of carvings and table tops. Driftwood also serves as protection for birds and small animals and invertebrates and a place for lichens, moss, and plants to grow.

This seagull surveys its domain.

A beachcomber then is a person who searches or combs the the beach looking for useful things, items of interest and of value, I guess that makes me a beachcomber.

"The first appearance of the word "beachcombers" in print was in Herman Melville's Omoo (1847). It described a population of Europeans who lived in South Pacific islands, "combing" the beach and nearby water for flotsam, jetsam, or anything else they could use or trade. When a beachcomber became totally dependent upon coastal fishing for his sustenance, or abandoned his original culture and set of values, then the term "beachcomber" was synonymous with a criminal, a drifter, or a bum. The vast majority of beachcombers however, were simply unemployed sailors like Herman Melville in Typee, or Harry Franck in the book Vagabonding Around the World.^{"  (Wikipedia)}

Ancient nails, wire and bolts from some past use.

Driftwood comes in an endless variety of shapes and sizes, textures and patterns.

I like to look for interesting and recognizable forms in the driftwood. I see animal heads, faces, monsters and some pieces that are interesting to look at but just that; and I just let my mind wander.

An eye?

An octopus?

A face?

A sea monster?

A yawning face? (seen vertically below)

Narwhale, unicorn?

A birds head?

Another eye, maybe with a seaweed teardrop?

This piece of driftwood has captured shells in its outer layer at some point in its journey.

This piece offers us a unique perspective on the harbour.

A soft Sea washed around the House by Emily Dickinson:

A soft Sea washed around the House

A Sea of Summer Air

And rose and fell the magic Planks

That sailed without a care --

For Captain was the Butterfly

For Helmsman was the Bee

And an entire universe

For the delighted crew.

Well that was my beachcombing adventure, some interesting sightings, some fresh salt air to clear the mind and I'm ready for the next adventure.

Not many words today, this is another scheduled post since I am away from my desk travelling for a while yet. I am taking lots of pictures though which will be appearing here on my return. 

Here is a watercolour that I have recently finished called "Sedona Bell Tower":

Thank you for dropping by, Happy Whimsy Wednesday, until next week ....