Hopewell Rocks, New Brunswick

While visiting the Hopewell Rocks in New Brunswick at low tide, we came across some community/spontaneous/environmental art -don't really know what label to put on it, if it needs one.
Each day, after the tide has gone out enough to reveal the beach, the park ranger collects up stones into a form. Throughout the day, visitors to the beach contribute to the installation.

Some like the challenge of balance, building on the Inukshuk idea.

Others add decoration.

Some are challenged to go higher than those before them.
The tide rushed in, levelled it all and made its own arrangement. The park ranger returned in the morning to rearrange the elements again.
It reminded me of the rise and fall of civilisations throughout the history of man.

Leaf Peeping in New Brunswick

More leaf peeping, this time in New Brunswick.

Anne of Green Gables

Like many generations of girls, my mother fell in love with L.M. Montgomery's 'Anne of Green Gables' series of books. When she met and married a handsome man with the ancient Anglo-Saxon family name of 'Shirley', the obvious choice of name for her first born was 'Anne'. 'Lesley' got tacked on in front, which is another story. And so I was named.

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It was a thrill to arrive on Prince Edward Island and to see so much of 'Anne' everywhere. The islanders still love her and she is a big draw card for the tourists.

According to research by one of my uncles, the surname 'Shirley' was first recorded in the Doomsday Book in 1086 and it is the only name written that has an unbroken paternal link to the present day.

The name has various meanings but the general idea is it describes the people who live in the bright wood clearing.

We found some bright wood clearings while Leaf Peeping on PEI so I had returned to my roots (ha ha).

Lobster Season in the Maritimes

Everywhere we went around the shoreline in the Maritimes we saw people working with lobster 'pots'. We assumed they were getting them ready for the new season which begins sometime over October, depending on the location.

It was interesting to compare those made from wood and woven net with the ones made from high tech materials.

There were different shapes so some of these could be crab pots.

The pots are ready. Let the season begin.

Cape Breton Vernacular Architecture

The first Europeans settling the island brought with them their own culture, which included familiar architecture from their homelands. They built houses of wood because it was plentiful.

The early homes were often functional in that doors and windows were placed where they were needed rather than being decorative. The eaves and trim were minimal.

The central doorway and high gable over the door is a familiar architectural style on the island.

Leaf Peepers and Inverness

Another activity we have been occupied with during our tour of the Maritimes has a name - Leaf Peeping. Each evening we check the internet for the Fall Foliage Report before we plan our next day's route.

We had a memorable stay in Inverness Harbour on Cape Breton Island. The fishermen traditionally name their boats after their daughters because they will always have their daughters but their wives may change.

The coastline has a wild beauty. The days were cloudy, rainy and foggy so I focused on gathering interesting close-up shots with my camera.

Highest Tides in the World

We have spent many hours this week driving around the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick to find front row seats from which to view the rising and falling of the largest tides in the world.

The flowing water sculpts grasses growing in the mud flats.

This shot was taken from the same place as the first one just 6 hours later.

Wolfville, Nova Scotia

One of our stops, while travelling through Nova Scotia, was Wolfville, which has just applied to Italy to become the second 'slow' city in North America (the first was Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island). And what an impressive place it is with its mix of a long history of European settlement, unique marine geography, a magnet for world music, significant centre for biological research...and the list goes on. One of Canada's oldest universities, Acadia University, is located in the small city. Students double the size of the city during the academic year.

Harriet Irving donated lots of money to build a spectacular research greenhouse and gardens. The milder climate (by Canadian standards) has meant they could put in plantings to represent many different bio ecosystems, which can all be accessed by paths and trails.

'Face In Nature`by Judith Leidell

Throughout the walks art has been placed as part of the Uncommon Common Art community project put together by the Alliance of Kings Artists http://www.uncommoncommonart.com/

`The face, decomposing in nature, can be given renewed life if visitors place found natural objects at the base of the tree.``

Lunenburg, Nova Scotia

We spent the morning exploring the UNESCO World Heritage Site Lunenburg, a town that is the best example in the world of an 18th century town planned in England then built in the New World. The straight streets arranged in a grid pattern ignore the hilly terrain so some streets are very steep.

I opted for a self guided walking tour to view the range of architecture that has been preserved in the town.

In the historic area most of the buildings have been lovingly restored.

And there were lots of pleasant details waiting to be found.

Bluenose II in Lunenburg

After exploring wooden boats moored on the west coast of Canada a couple of weekends ago, I spent today on a famous wooden boat off the east coast. The Bluenose II is a replica of her sister, a fast fishing schooner built in 1921. The replica is in Lunenburg's harbour in Nova Scotia.

I captured another series of images that focus on line and circles on boats.

But I also found some interesting lines of stitching.

Celebration Time

Today I posted to the UK the module I have been working on all summer, a semester of work towards a BA(Hons) Embroidered Textiles with the JC School of Textile Arts, which is why I am celebrating by cleaning up my studio. (I know how to have a good time).

From a study of images of The Suit...


I examined the inside of a suit jacket. I took out the lining....

and flayed it on a tree....

...and I worked with all of the interesting interfacing pieces.

Assessment day is next month in the UK where my work will be marked then returned to me.
In the meantime, I am working on the next module. This semester it is a research one and I have decided to study the Art Deco Movement.