Thursday, August 27, 2009

Unforgettable


Oh, what wonderful things I've seen and great adventures I've been on since last checking in here! I was this close to a moose and lucky for him, I shoot with a camera, not a gun. The moose was simply standing on the side of the road. My sister turned her car around, drove right up to her and I took photos which didn't seem to bother the moose at all. We left before she could change her mind.

I had made plans to meet up with my 1972 roommates on Monday and Hurricane Bill was forecast for Sunday. Knowing I would probably not want to drive in a hurricane and assuming the bridge would close, I decided to go to New Brunswick early and visit my family for the weekend. I told no one in advance, so surprised my Dad first and everyone else in turn. I had a great time with the family, spending the night at a cottage on Grand Lake that my sister in law had for the weekend and spending alone time (shopping) with my sister.

The reunion with my two girlfriends was as I imagined. Though we look quite different than we did in '72, we haven't changed a bit in how we relate to one another or have a great time together. We stayed up late, ate junk food (as well as wonderful meals), and had a lot of laughs. We went on a long car trip to keep a medical specialist's appointment for our friend who developed a medical condition since she arrived on vacation. That is quite different from '72 when we were all in our early twenties and healthy as horses. We had a blast, remembering (and sometimes not) events from the past and mourning together for a few lost friends from that time.

I regularly keep in touch with both women but it was truly wonderful to be in the same room together and witness how we all went back to the patterns of the ways we had related to one another thirty-five years ago. I thought it was very interesting. One became the mother; one the baby and one the comedienne. I could go on and on about these patterns. Broken Social Scene has a song, All My Friends. It tells a little about us but the next song is about our history. Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole sing Unforgettable. It fits for us. We all have these 'unforgettable' moments and experiences with each other in a prime time of our lives and we'll never forget their impact - which we all shared, being roommates. It was a really inspiring reunion for me. I am going to be doing lots of art now and these woman have provided the muse.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Beach Days Again and Again


This has been a great week for me. A dear friend and I have been exploring some Island beaches and loving every minute of it! The photo is of West Cape where I own some beach land. It's been five years since I visited and it certainly was about time. The beach and water were both wonderful and as great as I always imagine. I usually walk to West Point and back but my friend was only cool with walking half way. The cliffs were amazing as usual but we did not reach the dunes. The photo shows a pretty good face profile on the left.

We visited two other great beaches this week as well. Both were new to my friend and one was new to me. I'm not even sure if I could find that one again. I just took some roads that I knew would eventually reach a beach. What an amazing place this island is in the summer. The sheer beauty is one thing but the fact that you can drive to the end of so many roads and find a beach to explore is amazing. I'm a lucky woman.

It is thirty-one degrees at the moment and I would say the beaches are full again today but I need a day out of the sun. I'm listening to music, uploading tons of photos and catching up on a bunch of stuff. I have a glass project to start on Monday. Life has to be taken care of, even by beach bunnies.

The scenery has been beautiful and if you click the links to my other blogs, An Island Walk, Just Picture It, or Pictures and Pursuits (also listed on the right) you'll see, in the next while and also from the past weeks, some pretty awesome Island spots. Still Water by Daniel Lanois describes some of these shots. The Water by Feist describes most, I'd say. When talking about such Canadian beauty it's nice to extend it to the musicians, don't you think?

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Beach Finds


After complaining the last couple of summers of never getting to the beach, this year I am changing my tune. Happily. I've been spending lots of time at the shore this year and it is absolutely glorious. Any kind of beach is available on PEI. The beach can be secluded or out in the open, small or huge. The bottom can be sandy or rocky, and the water warm or cold. It can be crowded or you can be the only human in sight. I've visited all kinds of beaches this summer and have experienced each aspect at one or another.

The spot I visited on Sunday had fabulous rocks because of a lot of oyster drills in the area. My companion and I are both avid rock people so were happy as could be. There were only two other people at the end we were beachcombing. The water was very warm, like a bathtub.

I'm feeling so mellow from all this beach-going, that I'm going to play music to match. Not many are more mellow than Iron and Wine. Here is Sea and the Rhythm and Naked as We Came. I love singing along with these songs. They match my voice.

Tuesday, August 04, 2009

The Call of the Beaches


What a hot summer this is turning out to be. I am inside for a couple of days working on some glass and it's a bit of relief. I had a trip to the beach last week and got sunburnt and a mild case of sunstroke or sun sickness. For two days I was completely drained with almost zero energy and that, my friends, is very unusual for me. My daughter's friend who was with us suffered the same fate but her skin blistered as well. We were at the beach too long basically - from before noon to after five in the sun with not a cloud in the sky and temps of 28 C.

We had an overnight rain once last week but none this week. Yesterday there were showers forecast but we recieved none - just more heat. I was wishing for rain and everyone thought I was crazy. I like the balance rain brings.

On Sunday I attended a twenty-fifth annual and final celebration of friendship, seafood and music that has been a mainstay of my summers. Our sons and daughters now have sons and daughters and three and maybe four generations were together. It was marvelous to see all the new babies and children. The oldsters played music in the early part and the youngin's took over the stage for the late night. I will miss this yearly event and tradition as I don't get to see a good many of the folks on a regular basis. I was always guaranteed a chance to catch up once a year and have a good time and wonderful food and music while doing it.

This song comes to mind every time I go swimming and I should play the real thing instead of the weird rhymes in my head. I always enjoy Loudon Wainwright III and The Swimming Song. The second song is for a friend who came over from Halifax for the party and also played a set on Sunday night. She does a GREAT version of this song, Deep River Blues done here by Janet Bean.

Why not a couple extra songs to make up for my lack of attendence here this summer. I love If It's the Beaches by The Avette Brothers and stupidity once in my life will not keep me away from the beaches. I am going down for a swim after posting as a matter of fact. Finally a request from the heavens said perfectly by Jo Dee Messina with Bring on the Rain. I'm only asking for one day or night, not a deluge.