tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54867584782982500262024-03-05T13:00:58.393-08:00www.bitsandpeaces.compresents: THE BLOGJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17906564130769891598noreply@blogger.comBlogger379125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486758478298250026.post-68177519490375150782012-10-23T07:39:00.000-07:002012-10-23T07:39:14.415-07:00The Wave of ChangeHumans love their metaphors and symbols and because I’m human I will agree with this statement.<br />
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In the early 90’s I began searching for an understanding about how humanity grew to be where it is today. We haven’t always lived with factories, cars, electronics and plastics. We haven’t always lived with environmental issues such as desertification, a thinning ozone layer, warming ocean currents and piles of garbage that need lights perched on top to warn aircraft of their existence.<br />
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I was introduced to a book entitled ‘The Third Wave: Future Shock’. This book takes the reader on a journey to view humanities changing history from our birth, through many milleniums, ending with our present situation. A ‘wave’ refers to the moments of massive civilization changes.<br />
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During the first wave of humanities existence we were hunters and gatherers. We were nomadic, moving with migrating animal herds, eating fruits and vegetation that grew along our travel routes. We had simple tools and weapons.<br />
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After many hundreds of thousands of years humans began to create more complex tools. We became agriculturalists, taming our landscapes with farm fields and orchards. We began to build communities and marketplaces. We developed a formatted language with text symbols and hieroglyphs. We developed a sense of wonder towards our world and created gods and mythology. This way of living began before the end of the last ice age - in areas situated near the equator – lasting for over 12 thousand years.<br />
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About 3 hundred years ago, a third wave of evolution swept over the Earth. It was named the Industrial Revolution. Many people envisioned a future Utopia gracing the Earth, with an end to poverty and a beginning of a better life for all humans. Unfortunately, this vision became lost as stronger forms of greed, hatred and power dominated throughout the ruling structures of our societies.<br />
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These last 3 hundred years have changed the world and societies so completely that now we are facing challenges to our very survival on this planet. This has me concerned, greatly, and as I move through my life I find no ambition greater than to inspire everyone to realize that a most significant change is needed if life is to continue on the Earth.<br />
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I’ve dedicated many previous blogs to explain how our societies have destroyed ecosystems and the environmental integrities that hold this ‘Web of Life’ together, so I won’t repeat myself here, today.<br />
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Today, I just want to share a simple photograph that I took in my garden a few weeks ago and talk about what this photo means to me…<br />
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As I stumble my way through life, I’m always looking for symbols of inspiration. Things that fill me with awe as I contemplate the Earth’s mysteries. Things that fill me with hope to realize that humanity will overcome its present dilemmas so that our environments can be healed so that future generations won’t be burdened with the consequences of all of our present day actions.<br />
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I’m reminded of the metaphor that speaks about global change that comes in the form of waves. This photo is a clear symbol for that metaphor.<br />
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To the right side of this massive cloud wave we see small wisps of clouds that seem to cut a path to allow the wave to continue. It might be more correct to also think of these wisps of clouds as guides – possibly not cutting a path (for the coming wave will surely dominate whatever lies in its way). These guiding wisps are society’s scientists, artists, musicians and truly enlightened dudes who may be called philosophers.<br />
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They are the ones who question society’s conditions, allowing us to think about the ways that we live on the Earth. They are the ones who challenge our governments, speaking up for human rights and animal rights. They are the ones who create documentary films about what goes on behind the scenes in our cosmetic industries and food industries. They inspire the ones who write books that inspire more individuals to become activists for just causes. They might not be the ones who rule our societies but they are the ones who lead the masses within our societies.<br />
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The world is poised and ready for change. We can all feel it. It is almost impossible for anyone to deny it. The massive swell of cloud that is following the smaller wisps is this change. The Fourth Wave. A wave of human consciousness that will reestablish its relationship with the Earth and every living thing on it.<br />
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As I looked up from my vegetable patch to witness this spectacular site, a warmth crept through me. I recognized this symbol immediately. It seemed to vibrate at the same frequency as my DNA. I felt blessed.<br />
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Although it brings me much joy to be able to share this photo and the thoughts that swirled through my brain as I regarded this small instant in time, my main purpose for writing this blog is to inspire you to recognize the Earthly instances that surround and embed themselves into your life. Symbols surround us all and if we were all to become more sensitive to these instances then our collective evolution could blossom more fully, more completely, more gracefully and with a higher survival rate!<br />
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JimJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17906564130769891598noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486758478298250026.post-66639786109706614612012-10-03T10:05:00.001-07:002012-10-03T10:05:45.649-07:00A Rainbow of ColoursIt’s been a while since I’ve shared some of my gardening photos and stories on this blog, so I thought I’d do a little catching up, today… only highlighting the best of the best photos for you to enjoy!<br />
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I really enjoy taking all of these ‘in progress’ photos of my flower gardens. It allows you to see the story of Nature in simple yet profound ways.<br />
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This series of four photos spans almost four months, beginning in March – believe it or not. We had such a warm and dry spring that many flowers started to grow and bloom weeks ahead of schedule.<br />
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In the second photo you can see some Daffodils in bloom. They were one of the few spring flowers that survived this constant weather roller coaster. Near the bottom and to the left of this same pic, you’ll see my patch of Tulips – errrrr… I mean their leaves. The warm weather brought them out of the ground much earlier than usual and a sudden cold snap killed the flowers so I didn’t see one bloom this year. The same thing happened to my Allums – in the back garden. These conditions are what caused most apple, cherry and peach farmers in Southern Ontario to loose their crops – quite a blow to the farming industry and to the fruits that should have ended up in my belly.<br />
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It’s a good thing that humans have absolutely nothing to do with the world’s changing weather conditions – or I may be a bit worried about our future! Sarcasm, that is.<br />
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In the last photo you can just make out the red/pink colours of my Bleeding Hearts.<br />
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Here’s a beautiful close-up shot for you to enjoy!<br />
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These next four photos begin near the end of June and take us all the way to the beginning of September. Over the last few years, I’ve spent a bit of time learning to plant my gardens so that there is always something in bloom. In the spring this garden fills with many yellow and red flowers. They do their thing and then die as the summer flowers fill in this space more completely. I took the first photo, in this series, on the day when my first Day Lily bloomed!<br />
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Over the next many weeks, I was daily delighted with so many brilliant flowers!<br />
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In the second photo (above) the orange Day Lilies are reaching the end of their season, but my garden still looks attractive as my Hostas and my ‘Wine’ Lilies are in bloom. <br />
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I call them Wine Lilies simply because their colour reminds me of a nice bottle of red wine. I’ve ‘arted’ this photo to add some interesting textures to enhance their already lovely appearance.<br />
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In the third photo, you can see what remains of these lilies – browning, dead stalks. These pull easily – for the most part – right out of the ground and I collect them for my autumn fires. I like to use all parts of my garden to help other parts of my garden and this is one of the ways that I do this. My autumn fires happen in my veggie patch and the fires burn away the roots of ‘would-be’ weeds and the ash adds nitrogen to my soil for next year’s crops.<br />
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Just behind the Hostas, you can see my small Rose of Charon plant. In this series of photos you can see how the plant – or maybe it would be more correct to call it a bush – gets larger and larger until the fourth photo where it is in bloom.<br />
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I fell in love with this plant several years ago and I’m very grateful that one of my neighbours let me snatch several plants from their garden. The flowers are beautiful and they bloom for almost six weeks!<br />
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Right beside this plant are my Cardinals – which are in bloom during this same part of the year.<br />
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Their flowers are very bright and oh-so delicate. My mom introduced me to this plant and she was right when she told me that hummingbirds are attracted to them. I’m still trying to get a shot of a hummingbird feeding on these flowers… Maybe next year.<br />
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When photographing my garden, I don’t just look to my flowers and veggies for inspiration. Sometimes I look up… to the sky!<br />
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I also try to teach my son, Devon, to also look up… to Nature! This is a image that I created for this new school year’s Peacebus (yes – Peacebus artwork coming soon!).<br />
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When looking for inspiration in any garden it is important to also look down… way down! This small dark spot on my lawn turned out to be a colony of small black ants. I’m not sure where they came from or where they were heading but it was interesting to witness this one-day event as it happened.<br />
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This is another interesting insect that made a special appearance in my back garden – and again, I had to look down to find it. It’s hard to get a size perspective from this photo, so I’ll just tell you that this wasp is huge. It’s the largest wasp I’ve ever seen! And the most colourful!!! I wasn’t sure what it’s name is so I named it myself – the Golden Wasp. I posted this picture on Facebook, asking if any of my friends knew what it was and I smiled to learn that I was not far off when I had named it. Its full and true name is the Golden Digger Wasp and from my photo you can see that it is digging. The two images that I’m sharing here, are the best pics that I was able to get – although I took many others. I sat and watched this busy wasp for almost half an hour on this day. I was completely amazed!<br />
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My Facebook friends also informed me that its habitat is found in some northern states that hug the Canadian border along the lakes of Southern Ontario. I find it unusual that we share the same habitat and yet I’ve never seen this wasp species before!<br />
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Since most great things come in, or happen in threes, I’ll end this gardening tale with this calming photo of a butterfly – the third insect/animal in this story. Since my wife is so focussed on taking photos of Devon – it’s her newest favourite passion – I was surprised to find this photo on the camera, one afternoon when I came home from work.<br />
I told Joanne that I just loved this photo. I love the focus of the foreground with the abstract appearance of the background leaves. I love the angle and density of the butterfly’s wings. I love the contrast of the light and shadows in the background.<br />
As you can see, my garden fills my heart with a lot of love. My main purpose in sharing these images with you is to inspire your own passion for gardening, so that you can also enjoy the wonders of Nature to enjoy the peace and love that surrounds us all… shared with us at no charge!<br />
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Thanks planet Earth!!!!<br />
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JimJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17906564130769891598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486758478298250026.post-7283731320672890702012-09-06T08:04:00.006-07:002012-09-06T08:24:58.051-07:00A Vote For Mr. Jim Is A Vote For…My life’s journey has filled me with many visions and silly dreams o-so-grande! Many of my visions have never been realized… after all, I am but one spirit and visions are like a field of clouds endlessly disappearing on the distant horizon and I can only hold onto one at a time.<br /><div><br />Today, I will share with you my most recent vision that will not be realized because I am but one man and this dream would require the voluntary participation of all persons living…<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mr. Jim for Mayor of London, Ontario, Canada</span><br /><br />A few years ago, we had a Mayoral Election, here in London. A vision/idea/inspiration stirred within me. Over the weeks, it developed into quite an elaborate scheme. The time was too short to instigate my ideas and soon enough the dream began to evaporate as most unattended dreams do.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghAhPKfWvKCqIK8SBI2_6T0L0P6l2n1tyYlOyvfxqr0TnP_JBtKhuO1iuWuZvgUBm5YgbqXkfqFP70vCynZiaV40VMrR_cyuCCpFu25d9irUBib-Z3LbAASqdoEk75ePmIpAIxuLwN7TU2/s1600/make+obsolete.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 356px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghAhPKfWvKCqIK8SBI2_6T0L0P6l2n1tyYlOyvfxqr0TnP_JBtKhuO1iuWuZvgUBm5YgbqXkfqFP70vCynZiaV40VMrR_cyuCCpFu25d9irUBib-Z3LbAASqdoEk75ePmIpAIxuLwN7TU2/s400/make+obsolete.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5785082247728064418" border="0" /></a><br />A while ago, I saw this image posted on my Facebook newsfeed page and I was profoundly inspired by this short and simple statement. It moved me. Our planet has a long history of great minds and I have grown to realize that most things that I think about have already been thought about… and they are usually expressed far more eloquently than I could ever.<br /><br />Over the next several days, memories of some past thoughts began to swim through my mind. I embraced them. I challenged them. I tried to let them go. I couldn’t.<br /><br />In moments like these – I’ve grown to learn – it is best if I follow them… and so I did.<br /><br />For the next several weeks, I put pen to paper – taking the ideas out of my mind… releasing them. Oh my! How the pages of my notebook began to fill!! I was actually in the initial stages of beginning to attempt to bring these ideas into a reality when I realized that this task I was setting myself up for would be beyond my scope of capability – thanks to the input of the few people who I had trusted my idea with.<br /><br />I also realized that this outlandish scheme would go against my destined life’s path. I was not born to seize a position of power, but rather I was born to seize opportunities to empower others and share inspiration!<br /><br />…and so I stare at my notebook pondering its value.<br /><br />I have decided to share my vision with you – my blog readers – with the hopes that these rather grandiose ideas may simply inspire others in some way, shape or form… and with a smile!!!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhig3tIGG6RiktiHoN1JF-zUAkxIcnrp99gb81Ps2cgQ6VF86fYDR_XMAhiqXSmulixABIdSKSQ1weW1hQ3yDmrQUKAZ0Q1aPcAtYpZUxs8b9YxsFYc9mDqIDvXdiNhOkb0bUu8C7AVbGiU/s1600/detergents.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 372px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhig3tIGG6RiktiHoN1JF-zUAkxIcnrp99gb81Ps2cgQ6VF86fYDR_XMAhiqXSmulixABIdSKSQ1weW1hQ3yDmrQUKAZ0Q1aPcAtYpZUxs8b9YxsFYc9mDqIDvXdiNhOkb0bUu8C7AVbGiU/s400/detergents.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5785080679916166418" border="0" /></a><br />To begin my campaign to become the Mayor of London, I had to have a platform – a set of plans by which I would govern the community. I first began to look at the subject of transportation.<br /><br />Presently, London is spending far too much time and resources building and maintaining its roads. We always hear the points that road construction creates jobs and that wider roads are needed to prepare for future traffic flows. I believe that both of these points are false.<br /><br />Road construction does create many jobs, there’s no disputing that, but it also allows huge percentages of budgeted monies to leave the community – and this is not good. The workers are local and hundreds of families are provided for – and this is good - but I would calculate that the smallest percentage of the project cost goes to these families. Where does the rest (the majority) of the money go?<br /><br />As my campaign unfolds, I would be investigating points, such as this, to shed a clear light on how London taxpayers’ money is being pulled from our community with such ventures. I would then inspire the community to think of new and different ways that London could use tax payers’ money to create a stronger local economy with the goals of such ventures leading to a more self-sufficient city.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzpahiBoEfl4BCMCP0bJ-z6oYrm5LIQ9vcFL5QZrUpUQrwG6qFL89OUwfeCw5GCa9MwZgBUeAU_6jQlKxAZ06Sv-7W6S3qUzHPRXSyJGd0swhVLKqLSu5aEdN60rDg5A7gh8yaRPAAiima/s1600/food.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 372px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzpahiBoEfl4BCMCP0bJ-z6oYrm5LIQ9vcFL5QZrUpUQrwG6qFL89OUwfeCw5GCa9MwZgBUeAU_6jQlKxAZ06Sv-7W6S3qUzHPRXSyJGd0swhVLKqLSu5aEdN60rDg5A7gh8yaRPAAiima/s400/food.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5785081475262979570" border="0" /></a><br />The most important point is the fact that we are building communities that require large roads and this must be stopped. We build subdivisions – isolated from the commercial, retail, entertainment and business sectors of our city. If we reinvented community planning, we would be able to create a scene where people lived close to where they work, shop and socialize – walking, or riding bicycles to most appointments.<br /><br />If we think about it, we really have an easy task ‘reinventing’ our communities. All we would have to do is look at the historical plannings of our communities that thrived at the beginning of the last century when cars were not as abundant.<br /><br />If elected Mayor of London I would promote a greater use of local transportation. I would have extended bus routes, servicing areas that presently have no bus services. I would extend the hours of bus operation.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-pymTAwXtqkdrmXizYCblQ1wep-qfrvXbn9ZnzeUTAn48yQcICXQfdGEBNNYeUNGX_16Mek6M_5SB9ufnhJ-EAHrZ-D0R0XRhvL6kOm69MQ613gMGz9UcAB5Y15qRfVlovAmG48tAlFRv/s1600/toys.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 372px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-pymTAwXtqkdrmXizYCblQ1wep-qfrvXbn9ZnzeUTAn48yQcICXQfdGEBNNYeUNGX_16Mek6M_5SB9ufnhJ-EAHrZ-D0R0XRhvL6kOm69MQ613gMGz9UcAB5Y15qRfVlovAmG48tAlFRv/s400/toys.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5785082857013136530" border="0" /></a><br />London buses begin their last routes around midnight. By extending the hours of operation, more jobs would be created in the bussing sector, people would be able to attend late night concerts, coffee houses, bars and other social events, thus circulating more money within our local economies, thus creating more jobs. More food would be served, thus creating the need for more local produce, thus ensuring that our farmers wouldn’t need to look at distant locations to sell their products, thus keeping more trucks off of the roads.<br /><br />I’m starting to see the local, interconnected structures that would benefit from one simple and small change?<br /><br />The cost for bus transportation does absolutely nothing to encourage citizens to ride the bus. Even if you had to travel from one side of London to the other, for work, it is cheaper to pay for nonrenewable resources (fuel) to get you there.<br /><br />If you buy a bus pass and don’t end up using it for two trips a day, five days a week, then you would have been better off paying for each trip separately. This point really irritates me!<br /><br />As Mayor of London, I would lower the prices for bus fares. If you buy three monthly passes you would receive $20.00 towards your next monthly pass. This is a saving of $80.00 a year… almost one month free! Because you would be not contributing to the wear and tear of the existing roads, by driving a car or van, I would offer a discount on your home property tax – even more savings.<br /><br />The best inspiration is example. If elected Mayor, I would be encouraging all City worker to use the bussing system – Me, council members, city officials, etc. This would at least double the number of passengers on the bus. If more people are riding the bus then less cars on the road, less wear and tear occurs, less repair is needed, wider roads and expansions become obsolete. Now… where have I read the word ‘obsolete’ before?!!!<br /><br />So… I have been a school bus driver for several years and isn’t it funny that one of my plans to alleviate the strain of smog and pollution would be to work with transportation companies to make drastic cutbacks in school transportation?<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQUapPwoWN4DOzQ6nIVng6V5IfVOnWlHaPzJLgNi4A8TXKAra0xGg9tOdpHkc768CAKPZMPC5bjyE1QZx1Yvs7A7bqN5FNtrgLKYa5sz3OLoWLCNP05N4fqAekpyP85hKVYuXtr2rH_ndl/s1600/walk+to+school.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 354px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQUapPwoWN4DOzQ6nIVng6V5IfVOnWlHaPzJLgNi4A8TXKAra0xGg9tOdpHkc768CAKPZMPC5bjyE1QZx1Yvs7A7bqN5FNtrgLKYa5sz3OLoWLCNP05N4fqAekpyP85hKVYuXtr2rH_ndl/s400/walk+to+school.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5785082867172604706" border="0" /></a><br />Last spring an article appeared in a local newspaper, showcasing how small groups of parents have organized to create ‘Walk to School’ programs. Parents have organized to walk and collect students along the sidewalks as they make their way to school. I smiled when I read this article. Their inspiration was simple – by walking they realized that they would not be contributing to pollution!<br /><br />Here’s the link to that news article - <a href="http://www.londoncommunitynews.com/2011/10/walk-to-school-day/">http://www.londoncommunitynews.com/2011/10/walk-to-school-day/</a><br /><br />Also, last year, a new City plan was put into motion that would see that the distances that a student lived away from the school before they had to attend a school bus was actually shortened. This meant that students who previously did not qualify for bussing service now did. This means that more buses are needed, fewer students had to walk, more pollution is created and the roads take more abuse, needing more repair. This means that a small handful of local jobs were created and that larger sums of money would be leaving our community, lining the pockets of the large resource extractors!<br /><br />As Mayor of London, I would council with parents and teachers to work on a plan that would significantly increase the distance that a student can walk to school. We would create larger ‘Walk to School’ programs.<br /><br />Uh-oh! This means job losses in the bussing sector.<br /><br />Let’s take this a step further…<br /><br />How many people work at large firms throughout the city? The City court house, the Bell building, Victoria Hospital, large manufacturers, law firms, etc. As Mayor of London, I would work hand in hand with these businesses that employ many local workers to organize set routes and times throughout the City that would allow a large percentage of workers to take a bus. Yes! The school busses that are no longer needed to transport children, will now be needed to transport their parents! Jobs saved!! Again, fewer cars on the roads, less wear and tear, less maintenance needed and above all… less pollution!!!!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXZdQlBjn33nhZyIQtkhWFKmMjUAsPMlOm36Eyfk1EAiQ5K1iEz9rrysCOsI5ZqNJqrMnPs9-9VpYUnz8WQeBY6-0FqhG4AIgqBibT9-qCNWN3XTOxzT1uWTmpvG3YR5KtLiNRXomot-p4/s1600/garbage.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 382px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXZdQlBjn33nhZyIQtkhWFKmMjUAsPMlOm36Eyfk1EAiQ5K1iEz9rrysCOsI5ZqNJqrMnPs9-9VpYUnz8WQeBY6-0FqhG4AIgqBibT9-qCNWN3XTOxzT1uWTmpvG3YR5KtLiNRXomot-p4/s400/garbage.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5785081480633922354" border="0" /></a><br />Currently, Londoners create around 200, 000 tonnes of Carbon Dioxide emission every single day. We need to start working and thinking together – as a community - to reduce these numbers significantly, with further ideas waiting to be introduced to reduce these numbers even more!<br /><br />Okay – that’s page one of my notes!!!<br /><br />Let’s take a very quick look at a few other ideas…<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTvRoLyED9O739mAmyx5ocQZ9F7G-Gctdp9U7fDaxaTpEe81pjoxQ17XU-RvudVGtIE0SYeNqVrSL7WxW5OvUU5sEyehOT4acRBRGCz9lUnF8D0bJuXs8o6KJ_JznB37BcG_YTP-qPoGpL/s1600/chicken.farm.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 377px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTvRoLyED9O739mAmyx5ocQZ9F7G-Gctdp9U7fDaxaTpEe81pjoxQ17XU-RvudVGtIE0SYeNqVrSL7WxW5OvUU5sEyehOT4acRBRGCz9lUnF8D0bJuXs8o6KJ_JznB37BcG_YTP-qPoGpL/s400/chicken.farm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5785080674176450978" border="0" /></a><br />We all know what a factory farm is, but we never think that factory farmed animals actually end up on our dinner plates, when much of the meat that we eat actually is! What would we do if the Mayor of London inspired all food based industries to stop using or selling factory farmed animals?<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5LkNCfPE-LEWMik0Zvi3IzdRJDVsCAonozj_obPK4_rR2oUbU9wmywvHC4F6jdEKXVxw15QKMUSD-O2fTLEepY0kowERmACh6PYmiveJhq-P19qhkNMRr8RfXaZpYKd7soGP7WOpVCiM-/s1600/farming+native.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 332px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5LkNCfPE-LEWMik0Zvi3IzdRJDVsCAonozj_obPK4_rR2oUbU9wmywvHC4F6jdEKXVxw15QKMUSD-O2fTLEepY0kowERmACh6PYmiveJhq-P19qhkNMRr8RfXaZpYKd7soGP7WOpVCiM-/s400/farming+native.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5785080709451682402" border="0" /></a><br />We’d be a lot healthier for one thing. We would be acting in accordance with the laws of conscientious behaviour ensuring that the millions of animals that feed us do not live a life of suffering and misery!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlVX0VI7IH7gPrWKn6wF9mqd94Zp4dJYceKJ-nFLF5lVVWF6pNwZa2ypBcnkdxKGjMpI2_bYtCY8hzHs6OwEAAhpvNBFLj4tU_FqOlJbWPaZDBBoYsEePOP2ejyEv4rJKiD9zHrYJgKlov/s1600/farming+flowers.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 278px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlVX0VI7IH7gPrWKn6wF9mqd94Zp4dJYceKJ-nFLF5lVVWF6pNwZa2ypBcnkdxKGjMpI2_bYtCY8hzHs6OwEAAhpvNBFLj4tU_FqOlJbWPaZDBBoYsEePOP2ejyEv4rJKiD9zHrYJgKlov/s400/farming+flowers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5785080700310382050" border="0" /></a><br />This one simple – community agreed to action - would change to entire landscape of our City and neighbouring communities. Suddenly, free-range farms and food manufacturing jobs would spring up like a Canada Day fireworks celebration. I see a future of jobs, jobs, jobs!!!!<br /><br />Human beings are biologically vegetarian. We are not designed to eat meat. Fact! As well as introducing ideas that would ensure a more humane existence for millions of animals, I would, as Mayor of London, introduce ideals that would change our eating habits to embrace a more vegetarian lifestyle. We don’t have to give up chicken burgers entirely… maybe just not eat as many. This would lead future generations to better solutions, better philosophies and a more sane existence – but for now this radical change would be a soft beginning.<br /><br />As Mayor of London, I already practice what I preach. I may not be 100% vegetarian, but I embrace a very heavy vegetarian diet – you’ve all read my gardening stories. I would encourage City Hall to go vegetarian! Workers could bring ham sandwiches to work with them – after all… vegetarianism is a voluntary choice, not a rule put in place by a dictator. Wouldn’t it be refreshing to think that at City Hall only vegetarian meals would be served in the cafeteria?<br /><br />So… I mentioned early the fact that our present day building practices in regards to subdivisions is completely wasteful. As Mayor of London, I would set a course of action to allow the City to go into business for itself. One plan… the City would begin buying residential subdivision properties in order to create restaurants, convenience stores, postal outlets, etc. Imagine at least two houses on each subdivision street being renovated for such a purpose. Hmmmm…. more jobs! Designing, building, landscaping, etc. Local residents can now walk to find a few of the amenities that they previously had to drive to - one step closer to an ultimate solution!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjudTrI-tJ6qn65xVom2V002xiZ5xQ4EuQfo7hZ7M7MWhUN3aQqtlOkmnC7gFPYvdVJxcUdwA4kTJexXOVSQLBcz1ZKhikQ5xvsJkqWcrKUAThYekIilypzaDjvDw8EweHikYSGGcEc5z3L/s1600/nelson.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 332px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjudTrI-tJ6qn65xVom2V002xiZ5xQ4EuQfo7hZ7M7MWhUN3aQqtlOkmnC7gFPYvdVJxcUdwA4kTJexXOVSQLBcz1ZKhikQ5xvsJkqWcrKUAThYekIilypzaDjvDw8EweHikYSGGcEc5z3L/s400/nelson.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5785082265174507570" border="0" /></a><br />Another action that I, as Mayor of London, would instigate would be to inspire the community to create more locally owned and operated retail stores. Between the year 2000 and 2002, I lived in Nelson, BC where such an ideal presently exists. This is not new! Many communities have already embraced the fact that this community plan allows the growth and development of local manufacturing and retail. Local jobs, local merchandise, local economies have been blown out of London by Wal-Mart and Rona stores (to name just two) … and now it’s time to grow them back!!!!<br /><br />For more information about Nelson, BC - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson,_British_Columbia">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson,_British_Columbia</a><br /><br />To see a nice collection of photos that I took while living in Nelson - <a href="http://bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.ca/2009/01/up-on-roof.html">http://bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.ca/2009/01/up-on-roof.html</a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMBjmhtGcXYt1TqGuCU1Hfn0lDGt09Lglmnz574MV-5ZeHk7UxDqzzmnFIxzTRkMr_dG4rD8PPDsCMfNqHyFMmmgqKJUcv4evxXtgx_ZX9bE8g3m7JSIke7-RfW1k7-ru2JkOFqCld6Jjf/s1600/emma.maersk.01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 392px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMBjmhtGcXYt1TqGuCU1Hfn0lDGt09Lglmnz574MV-5ZeHk7UxDqzzmnFIxzTRkMr_dG4rD8PPDsCMfNqHyFMmmgqKJUcv4evxXtgx_ZX9bE8g3m7JSIke7-RfW1k7-ru2JkOFqCld6Jjf/s400/emma.maersk.01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5785080687355738834" border="0" /></a><br />The new school year for our children has just started. All parents want their children to work towards receiving a good education for their future. New backpacks are purchased, along with notebooks, pens, calculators and lunch bags. Isn’t it ironic that the purchase of these items is ensuring that our children have a more dismal future than the world’s greatest minds could ever calculate?!!<br /><br />The landscape of China is becoming a wasteland as more and more products are manufactured in this country, thus depleting their forests and other natural habitats in the pursuit of the resources that are needed to create these products. Once manufactured, they are bound in plastic wrap, packed into transport containers and shipped across the oceans in the largest ocean freighters ever built, to be unpacked, redistributed, bound in plastic again and again, until they finally end up in a landfill.<br /><br />Can’t we make backpacks out of agriculture fibers here in Canada? Here in Southern Ontario? Here in London?<br /><br />Imagine a landscape full of fields of hemp. The roots help to prevent topsoil depletion. The plants need no chemical fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides or herbicides. Imagine local processing plants that turn these plants in useful fabrics. Imagine these fabrics being locally processed to create clothing, belts, backpacks, paper, notebooks and possibly (I’m not quite sure on this point) ink for our pens! Imagine one or two trucks being employed to transport these items throughout our City, thus eliminating so many wasted barrels of oil, thus eliminating millions of tonnes of Carbon Dioxide from the air that we need to survive!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_O5wmX-4nrA6yK0ZCX3-0XmdoTx1zs8x84oMLgEqgaavpOmPKiflV-Iw0pwruTc0OA2HNF_97OsifqZ2wYQ0Y1blar-6cc79mTIXYaqAVJKmmHFqqMenlhL7tW5_wxTwgY4Ix2X80Opfy/s1600/jail+time.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 358px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_O5wmX-4nrA6yK0ZCX3-0XmdoTx1zs8x84oMLgEqgaavpOmPKiflV-Iw0pwruTc0OA2HNF_97OsifqZ2wYQ0Y1blar-6cc79mTIXYaqAVJKmmHFqqMenlhL7tW5_wxTwgY4Ix2X80Opfy/s400/jail+time.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5785081502512836418" border="0" /></a><br />And whilst I’m rambling on about creating a community labouring in local manufacturing, let me state that as Mayor of London, I would work with existing retail stores to promote and sell more of these types of products.<br /><br />Imagine you’re in a record store and on the front counter there is a display selling local manufactured chocolate bars. Or you may be in a clothing store and along with purchasing a new hemp T-shirt, you decide to buy a calendar for the new year filled with the expressions of a London artist. All of this sounds like more and more local jobs. All of this sounds like a city that will soon be developing a new sense of local culture. All of this sounds like a break from premeditated economic slavery that is presently governing the power structures of our world.<br /><br />I’ve listened to many examples of communities who are trying to create new forms of currency, to promote many of the ideas that I’ve stated here. I’ve never believed that this radical approach to economics is necessary. Money and it’s value needs to be reexamined and reevaluated – yes – for sure… but the basic philosophy is the same. Money is a form of determining value (for product or service) and is designed to smooth financial transactions. It’s a lot easier to take a $10.00 bill to my local sandwich shop to pay for my lunch that to carry a goat under my arm to barter for a bowl of garlic and potato soup!!!<br /><br />But… local currency – working alongside existing territorial currencies - can help to promote new and growing local cultures as well as to promote a pride for the places that we live.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtvsHyUt8VDcLuAz_znzricVDlX75GNkM-Q_ArXa1YmMrkzJ08WI9O8sMd410bf5W8g4QT_QeBbCPuQZFd_G1r5e8cm7rIM_3VSNLxe5Vrei69D5q-AwNS6CfPHJUR2fz6IMC0HyDYYrmT/s1600/gardens.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 372px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtvsHyUt8VDcLuAz_znzricVDlX75GNkM-Q_ArXa1YmMrkzJ08WI9O8sMd410bf5W8g4QT_QeBbCPuQZFd_G1r5e8cm7rIM_3VSNLxe5Vrei69D5q-AwNS6CfPHJUR2fz6IMC0HyDYYrmT/s400/gardens.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5785081493946501730" border="0" /></a><br />To this point, I must say, that as Mayor of London, I will be working with the economic sectors of retail to create London’s very own loonie. This loonie will be locally manufactured (yeah – more jobs!) using recycled metals (yeah – more recycling!). The London Loonie will be designed locally, with the assistance of local artisans, with the intent on showcasing the vibrant lifestyles that we take so much pride in! This loonie can be used to purchase locally manufactured items.<br /><br />Remember that chocolate bar that you wanted to buy at that downtown record shop? It has a cost of $2.00. You can buy it using good ol’ regular Canadian currency, or you can use the London Loonie – you’ll just need two of them, or a combination of the loonie with Canadian currency.<br /><br />This loonie will make a great collectors’ item or souvenir for out-of-towners and can also be purchased at any local retailer for $2.00 – with the profits of this sale going to the City trust fund. As the City trust fund grows, the City will then be able to offer its citizens additional tax breaks concerning property tax payments. This means that we’ll all have a bit more money in our pockets so we won’t have to work as many hours at a job, thus making it easier to spend more time with our families and in our gardens.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA3XWQK9KzX0_8CyeNMrzu3cBfTUYQNGpZqJYcqNnI8BE953t86d8PmQC38w8uGXS3KPTfvN9EOnR_DVV7Rf-dhfRfH0jHEHKH0h-6ZumGnGl_A3F6b0H6eF_EZGS14Sw5Fe7KoVkEEk3D/s1600/springbank+and+commiss.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 390px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA3XWQK9KzX0_8CyeNMrzu3cBfTUYQNGpZqJYcqNnI8BE953t86d8PmQC38w8uGXS3KPTfvN9EOnR_DVV7Rf-dhfRfH0jHEHKH0h-6ZumGnGl_A3F6b0H6eF_EZGS14Sw5Fe7KoVkEEk3D/s400/springbank+and+commiss.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5785082854061541554" border="0" /></a><br />Since education is of such importance, especially when considering the mess our world is in, I, as Mayor of London, will be establishing a continuous series of lectures and conferences to share new ideas about the new social structures that our city should be inspired to embrace. Each time you attend one of these lectures, you will receive a property tax cut (putting more money into your pocket) and one London Loonie – for free!! This is how the loonies will begin the process of circulation – a reward to citizens for taking the initiative to become more involved in creating a healthier and more stable community.<br /><br /><br />As Mayor of London, I will reduce home property tax for all of those who wish to plant and harvest a family garden.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkAXORRDasDYZ-vROlmQ62OTYapk8ke0_HY4LGgLV81wQHIBL7eO0ZMmLW2gOBT2LxFmkX9JppMleeOJhBnvSJb4i_RgWVfQD-_6TrCdtxCl6ofxh-1uW5AM1ef4AiCt7HuIfuG-9U7FrG/s1600/no+farms+left.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 260px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkAXORRDasDYZ-vROlmQ62OTYapk8ke0_HY4LGgLV81wQHIBL7eO0ZMmLW2gOBT2LxFmkX9JppMleeOJhBnvSJb4i_RgWVfQD-_6TrCdtxCl6ofxh-1uW5AM1ef4AiCt7HuIfuG-9U7FrG/s400/no+farms+left.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5785082274026508994" border="0" /></a><br />As Mayor of London, I will work with our neighbourhood planning departments to create new residential constructions using geo-thermal technologies. Asphalt shingles will become obsolete (there’s that interesting word again) as we install locally manufactured metal roofs, complete with small wind powered generators.<br /><br />As Mayor of London, I will work with existing power companies to create a City that is energy self-sufficient where more and more homes will have the opportunity to be powered ‘off the grid’.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmxQRihrbdwGfK3yWkvsX8fcX_Ch853mxqI4Zs_b4hnuO4DYQ8uh_bYVUzGBYNCjRAV_Zp6rmmYSpJIiURsPDT5axcPPWUIZbygrbv0F_lurw-U0vJ3JQ7fauUYr5uiD0eUj7bgYA13VVw/s1600/lawns.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 372px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmxQRihrbdwGfK3yWkvsX8fcX_Ch853mxqI4Zs_b4hnuO4DYQ8uh_bYVUzGBYNCjRAV_Zp6rmmYSpJIiURsPDT5axcPPWUIZbygrbv0F_lurw-U0vJ3JQ7fauUYr5uiD0eUj7bgYA13VVw/s400/lawns.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5785081515932933650" border="0" /></a><br />As Mayor of London, I will inspire homeowners with large lawns to reduce the size of their lawns, thus reducing pollution and increasing natural vegetation. I’m referring to those homes that have 1-3 acres lawns… this is very wasteful.<br /><br />As Mayor of London, I will create a system where retailers are responsible for recycling packaging materials such as styrofoam.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEivOp_RIjCBEI-iq7pQuBxCwdnIt9uJmPefCFoGL7eEzVcz-_sWq2_C0ggL3ftcL1b0iKyXlxM8MlMNDywSceomGKC2HIeuk4xt4PuBVoM1e_z7O2iaNXVygACNQ4vrodJQ0yptgvIe57/s1600/music.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 322px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEivOp_RIjCBEI-iq7pQuBxCwdnIt9uJmPefCFoGL7eEzVcz-_sWq2_C0ggL3ftcL1b0iKyXlxM8MlMNDywSceomGKC2HIeuk4xt4PuBVoM1e_z7O2iaNXVygACNQ4vrodJQ0yptgvIe57/s400/music.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5785082251059190098" border="0" /></a><br />As Mayor of London, I will involve myself in the local music scene – and possibly create my own band “Mr. Jim and the Renaissance” – to keep the heartbeat of this city upbeat and happy!<br /><br />The Alarm – Marching On - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDNvWDV7eTU">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDNvWDV7eTU</a><br /><br />I had a bit of fun with my list!!! If you can’t have a bit of fun with some of your crazy dreams, then you’re not really livin’!<br /><br />My notebook then continues with campaign strategies, media agendas, interactive web page designs, etc. How I would organize my campaign is of little concern, here. What is of concern is the inspiration and the motivation behind a set of values that could change the world for the better… for my son and all the world’s children! I love you Devon!!!<br /><br />Daddee</div>Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17906564130769891598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486758478298250026.post-59068674044757389802012-08-14T10:43:00.021-07:002012-08-15T12:27:11.349-07:00Devon’s First VacationJust a few months ago, I was very happy to share the task of writing this blog with one of my Peacebus students, Ava, who is in grade 4. She was my first guest writer and I’m sure that you will enjoy her story…<br /><br /><a href="http://bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.ca/2012/05/mr-jim-goes-bald.html">http://bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.ca/2012/05/mr-jim-goes-bald.html</a><br /><br />For today’s blog, I’ve asked another very special person in my life to help me write a story. My son, Devon, is only 9 ½ months old, but as you will soon see, he is already a very talented and funny author…<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 308px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5776980278754042610" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2JfGrm9-I0sYEpn24aTtMtJSMvC-7U7SBO_wWi4cqnxOLSs23Jpq7eBrg3Dv433kZzliFpq7WG793p6OkK1c2Bw_MQCKA0Lsc4Xv20X0tj1izwnI27joZKn-QIEmPRmVSOUBRVOPmEcZ-/s400/01.cover.beachchair.JPG" /><br />It’s been a lot of hard work growing up over the last nine months – what with all the growing, eating and playing – so I thought that it would be fun to relax for a day and go to a lake side cottage with my mommy and daddee.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 313px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5776980272796725778" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Ny2VzoEaWxN5L0GIL2CQCj27xKhHqBAl1lO8kL_VTxG2wb4fErp0En34C1DwgxkvRqlOKpD-bu1dhECgtYQ_Q1_hUYkZWJLEUgXJLGnvmpinEBjTe4-z-hM7Tn85izIfKNEmm_smsieH/s400/02.everything+is+packed.JPG" /><br />We packed my Opa’s van very early in the morning. Just before we left, daddee went over his checklist…<br /><br />Bathing suits – check!<br /><br />Yummy food for the bbq – check!<br /><br />Toys – check!<br /><br />Devon – check!<br /><br />Alrighty then… it was time to leave!!!<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 307px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5776980267189699970" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlzJJHvF2yeYQY5FSkaZIf9_dt3NYqVuRdNkRfmDDeSBXMM96WpvuE10v4YqwzakdUCAg_0AxfgFRAshvjHVCuOjsqf7Cut_NExt8XkbnALCUsMxA8yiBdJKCtCInT5yNMFkwTmsk-37LC/s400/03.not+getting+lost.JPG" /><br />During the ride, mommy was always asking daddee if he was sure that he knew where he was going. We didn’t get lost – not even twice!<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 307px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5776979463872929282" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjViPMtLyw4SdE3FLsPTbcYzdrF8fUiTOVqSDPaxcq9cohR8WQEgKvEiVFTyP5ObXZW2f72H3A6AKK-mIA5HSCtyOJgb0R3A7FHc6Ku9eHReSlfrze4PjGOxPYwovyYUbs4TrKWeQqg43up/s400/04.co+pilot.JPG" /><br />It was a long drive, so I helped out, too.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 163px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5776979459470471794" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUP03tH8yB_Ptml2qL7AzK1zP0tVMBmdQkzRNy4PjvEkmMmUeQj7OrmUuOnPDzrRr1V9q5EK_3Sjhf4Y-oyo276ivzUcJlarWmpaMXeXDWhJ_Yw19iaV-hvOx6gEIxlFmFBiALEMHhsAwp/s400/05.to+the+beach.JPG" /><br />When we got to the cottage, we left all the unpacking for later and rushed straight down to check out our beach.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 307px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5776978586112105682" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimAf7f6gALQ8C1UxrrzYnzoYOts50b3GTLIDcDS6XjJ4InA_E23fVnkpoiFSqI1di4zgnidhADqIja3NlSadS5mI4VWs-r-LV2JRkob1_Q0eJPWhtmaC96YgUq61Uu1TtMZgii7ZxFT951/s400/15.golden+beach.JPG" /><br />Daddee said that this beach was made especially for me. “A golden beach for a golden baby boy!” is what he said.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 307px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5776979442453416578" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4b8b_K5HkA0HdL9OKPY9ee4i8lLStZdaw42sno259jPHjB0IHgTQNhCfJDXH-6Fe7b8AWHvRkUCYC8A5ddm0liKUw8ewQVoUNCDjldiObX7Xyz5YcyWMpS7HjAIxFSlpGmSP2Kq6LwZbz/s400/06.flying+over+water.JPG" /><br />Since my bathing suit was still in the van, we spent a few minutes flying over the area, just getting our toes and fingers wet.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 262px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5776979433175453202" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip_HjNeXF3YvcgbH5AZDmWKLiIsXpfvC5OzPih0GWzfFTKNmlMOBIivvUGJDNDg8FPLfcoKbWC2HeREkqlxBIxkDU7lgNkzB3l4JV0LZnUbhfAoNW5Y-jj31819NpqaOyAVBMWqiTBQgtV/s400/08.first+plunge.JPG" /><br />The water was so warm that we had to go for a swim, right away, so we quickly changed into our swimming outfits. Daddee wore swim shorts and I wore my swim hat!!!<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 275px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5776979427816068674" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTKh-8R7VIxHZ6bHbeg4BaGwzReuBGIq2IYKo0ldAxxQKocoItkKhsm1sOUY4seofoPboYsFi2pwkuk6_EdqHtsxVKDXR4zyPkOxd3bLxoJ6yL6wYCv1wnWXlh0kqyn26gZTuOURL478xS/s400/09.swimming.JPG" /><br />I’m not sure what, “swimming in the buff,” means – it’s what daddee said I was doing – but it sure is great!<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 307px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5776978622290265138" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJLtsmst0u4d9iOIJBTfEHmHlBZLrbFBbPQK0BcDPR9ZPmFOpl8UvsTUGJa-SL1UOuC3G5xwWAJeeiuzBuEsRTB2aggC-8LK8PZZeHfoXHfr33N5g523PEKra09eGPf_XkJOaHrEiYRT_Y/s400/10.mommy+watching.JPG" /><br />While we were swimming, mommy relaxed with a cold Ice Tea on the beach.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 333px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5776978604908010594" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqyoMictVbAgQZLVOKtPendtQfd-4CC5A0iLB9IdO-e9WeuFjYNyEuv0ycyBwJPX7NoysanZEDsuw55fVdpuluDBwURmeWAp4nNqL4peqlLEynIEX4iucjlb3mnxTMoW05cPWjxiFy7-jm/s400/12.best+time.JPG" /><br />Having mommy and daddee together for such a long period of time is hard to do. We’ll have to have more vacations in the future.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 307px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5776977429316264914" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhfRsiM5mE49aeE0TexcCXdiuPKDFc_y5urs9abIH5fNu_hbEbS3vAiig3jdtIHarHVfHfz11sjKfQ4TtSsc4b4IMDV6USYf2wZzIiZAsX958PM_yTKgXY2Ckumt1cR6VFHD3OseK7xsNl/s400/16.the+cottage.JPG" /><br />This is the cabin that we stayed in. It is very small, so we spent most of our time outside on the beach.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 307px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5776978599626910418" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8S-zOW1ZaeeY5RrCN3qiMkycljvfK4sIma46Ear-HPiEJuKqCV9dkDLEBgJ1_a8kiEVFArFXlRxU_u5ax0rluccfDrw7FGkV6Awf-q5w20VRJOUGAI3DdmEst2a3RO6zXjR6QE9i-lM-3/s400/14.koly+after.JPG" /><br />We sure did a lot of swimming. Koly also loves to swim and he joined us most of the time.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 307px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5776977419515537234" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVw5P18uzFXJ0XAZXVdvbBFvY_EcBlP5jtj0547dm1XX3Frp6AuHQPg_VDA6924dv53KOZqbYG66gz9rvcW4yjQrigFK7ptlkoeuBU3_k5ZKMHrdM2b-bCM1tfCV7yIwMBg88SA98jFibQ/s400/18.flowers.JPG" /><br />Daddee spent a bit of his time taking photos of nearby flowers…<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 307px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5776977407974907362" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtPOfc3XWRLag4UDof34BWz5O-BUtOYp1MnQ7gyUJZB7xykyqAv2G-l2AHTJday3dP2psLwWmYeOAaiZURUTbJlARX5aP36mD0K0EsfuhpbeLHgQAQ1vX7RAo6MdS0dNKLo77QrI-5ZpDs/s400/19.clouds.JPG" /><br />… and the always changing clouds in the sky.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 60px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5776977425166809954" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH0MWOgCBYnh8k9mTBjgvYsnh7rI92TpUwpA27RVeBx1Qze5asJ_8Z-2gofUPso9JySmaZQHQTziPJCLuYTi0YhPQExWhpA69F8l1-l07jaYJUTvtthArVRBfwZKAxLanZX5abcrOYCCsD/s400/17.7+photo+collage.JPG" /><br />Mommy likes taking pictures, too. She took seven photos to make this one really long image. It was very beautiful staying in Northern Ontario, with all the trees, hills, rivers and lakes.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 153px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5776977403726622642" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQxRC8IkC22ZCcbD_IS-cvL2vC_lKxrhhFY-Yk4-xw0Zjdi6F3_DswEsiirWAgl_Ki2b4Z1zkL8utnZiWzDeGWD3MMhP-M_A4XlqlXfwSKLblNZvl2d1sAVjaH90v4I2J8Ef7TB4PTL2rz/s400/20.bubbles.JPG" /><br />One of the games I love to play is called ‘Making Bubbles With Mommy’. Daddee’s not very good at this game… or else it might be called ‘Making Bubbles With Daddee’ – but it’s not.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 307px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5776976069952821458" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi63gTkCCftL00TxB11hKnOQ2c_1Z4OIoJL1jbRU0M5xTPEDdHV0vLtwBVDjwRPMt82r3KRLXN-n8pv7vrn-xI7yGrh-T80MBUEyydm8WmdzwIzylZPB87IhECxcZI2Jb2av4oGaBPczkL6/s400/22.rain+clouds.JPG" /><br />It was sunny, then it was cloudy. Sunny! Cloudy!<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 307px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5776976059622558114" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-RNLGg6Ij1E5x4No4nNgWkKWHJOsnNzng0Jkxb3Dd2sAsLBuaGCCTHxAfUdEADCOgwv4gbKMpRsz1exbWk2KrqYsYxfefKtXegLwLlbqXHJhekCs0XlL_rOdqaiM23iZHB9VoKK9S746b/s400/23.under+cover.JPG" /><br />It drizzled for a little while, so we all had a little snack, staying dry underneath the tent awning.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 137px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5776976080735073074" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirWsryX-ZoniBpnCiWEjC3Hzi4cF-GC5ADTxSGQbubGH8VokOTjZ1rxFJzjbX4_LORAq_m55fL0PrhWLug8Hbl7ZB8rsSt-5XBhqOd8mtMVPJLNhm5uxfkmCiEMLeh-1u3SOA3ZmKJmRGU/s400/21.crawling.JPG" /><br />There was only one small bit of cantaloupe left… and I wanted it! So I showed mommy and daddee my newest trick – I CAN CRAWL!!!!<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 307px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5776976050882012706" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuNCFVTRRffDgrz3C3CzUUOFz_AhQ9byCCoIxft28kV48E5xlyVPg7SzmQ3BVuRDuNQ2nZjZa0kzaMMs4LjAAyXeYDl7og5aLPDTsepjsDkrLvm2qMS4fpT0Y7mlQ-mzcD-m8r55s5czDl/s400/24.storm+breaks.JPG" /><br />Daddee said that if we all clap our hands together really loudly that the clouds would crack open so that it would be sunny again… and it worked!<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 287px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5776976043954415186" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmk8EmMd6EJmRhy4W6usXKtwknsi74kCopYjEJLBmqPDp1AH7a8ZJiFEtAAS3TsasSvd5dSEq2T3oTsWo3p7Ah_5HqJn7LcS5kuzkBsgNJjq3P2Ugp-CT0oM2BVyN6ia_8RwHdc-bEOYwi/s400/25.ducks.JPG" /><br />Then we saw three golden ducks swimming on our golden lake. Daddee said that this was a good sign.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 203px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5776974744196885138" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_6SCbrqSa3fX9zW7aioslItEOiE1YPnpm6EFaAWr4kazaRUIRHZae39QsucboLEmoLRC9XB3w3B8gbIjQfprek9euCXLfHt3LfBPyJVb5Ms6wWj6NdOibbXUHoDGpK7FuM6K5T5SvZaKM/s400/26.sun+on+hills.JPG" /><br />We could see the sun’s light on the trees, across the lake. See how the distant hill only has a little bit of light on it – near the waterline? Well, for the next few minutes we watched as the sun’s light moved higher and higher until all the trees were bright with sun.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 307px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5776974740191668002" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ZM15JZkst-lgNBD0mbPN2z1trYNKwlZ2pHXYKzsFk7J-CAUpUZRnv1y5yScUUd7MMvn07Hy3Pr4i-T-PKEqiLVJr5qNllqpATI7pXr6aY7ei4avJcKEqce5EWgRWHLBf3PyGxqrUvbAp/s400/27.double+rainbow.JPG" /><br />And then, we saw a rainbow. And then, there were two rainbows!<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 307px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5776974720342473666" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcZz_sU7qmjB4eMUadGeVBjTfT9Z-1dBDs_jv1R1p7KYU3wFTqyLGSLckG97wL-O4Kaa8LYGezFvGgovC9MZZ332YxssnghHj-0KIipA45JYdJO79FEZxAFzke7DnhA0EwGTohpyXLWN1b/s400/28.pot+o+gold.JPG" /><br />Daddee said that it’s not often that you will see a rainbow touching the ground, but if you do it’s a lucky sign. One of these days I’m going to have to ask daddee what a ‘sign’ is.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 392px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5776974710190586226" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieMbl-wpIkoFdFrthRG_CqaML3bSB2eA4FZ2k-I9TZ_5Px9IAWkjJ2UOSUiADrIEFY1Z6j9aRWLOGcCXwJKVX0yhBYcP-UvMGJITJYORs2NDbtmmz_yHZYvpUjpNaKl-10v_DLCF9WslPc/s400/30.NLOTH.JPG" /><br />Boy! The weather sure changes a lot when you’re on vacation. After daddee took this photo of the fog, he said that his photo looked a lot like U2’s album cover ‘No Line On The Horizon’. I’m going to have to ask daddee what a U2 is, as well!<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 307px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5776974706817808258" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaLjLKikySEKeNtCmfsmGPVo5PWUf4EL5668xMH9dT-eqtQ3T2WXc7Ng6lXxoAWSBIOK89RJiGtK6n15b-TumMGBPT-uqRLL7TnIH0Ar5NOOY7twj3k3kWVavXgnhI9hHxPP5YTGQqbzpx/s400/31.turtle+toy.JPG" /><br />And then it was sunny again and I got to play with a turtle that mommy found for me.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 257px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5776973006612472466" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7G7n18qQh0EV8SOIUhaqdfWJ338DL01aApZ_eeLBjstVf-evj0NBZJGpogMaNIRw90Sg1JZRFjZW7PDxv1IuPj_RrbOERQtwykqeDdB8NgvS4aJsQW2A4l2ego-WssGBcxKZq1LiUzbKi/s400/32.having+a+drink.JPG" /><br />After some more swimming, daddee and I relaxed with a cool drink as we lounged about on a beach chair.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 307px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5776972994477771458" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqU6xNiHAiEb8XY2RNE2liLENG-jMLE5OCy-i5v0DVrDfCahnnXqLlWzYJhfwUHro3soEC_RtzCcZ3Pnw1HoJZzx3x8euIe-eMvoj6dujYYCPk8kG4_NqdCS99SLJDNHQwzEla-sniIfRG/s400/33.fam+portrait.01.JPG" /><br />I told mommy that we should get a family vacation portrait before we all had too many cool drinks and forgot. I told her that Koly wasn’t in this photo…<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 307px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5776972981932215810" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSxlMNpRk-i1AcL19s0MyKIDyC4taeyhmaTEP7lcNRJuWxeDg0gBgxCu9xjpoPYTZamHiwt63pJUU-AnU41YkMghpsiuISomIJBiXygn3sPSaMEQHwodn4SG4jsBg2ufUhXIlPOnWXdx7x/s400/34.fam+portrait.02.JPG" /><br />… so we tried again. This time daddee was making funny faces and I remembered that I was wearing just my diaper – not a very classy family photo…<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 368px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5776972972909105634" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1E2nDqXjh2mqcSDhI309pGHAI2yBGGcoi98oMhWrBxIZd5COjOnSI_7WOQ_Gjng2dC8MyL_qozoU35gRQR_DSN9qdDBdIpEQvlKgrRgPAR_eC3WlCgOT9o_F1M0UytRhUSV2vyqRinTGw/s400/35.fam+portrait.03.JPG" /><br />… so we tried again! This time we got it perfect!<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 307px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5776972964579522802" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk_imnsy6ckukWuHYNukoP-vk-lck9S9pqg_F1TK5rRcUMxpyJWWH5-STClEbXJP6AnXw28B6MK3tc5fvbDurxIu6GQeI_mDWIBzYpINEMn14rGP79Atr_YHhgNhke9vC86r04y5hRqLSf/s400/36.croquet.JPG" /><br />Just before dinner time, we all decided to have a game of ‘Bang The Ball With A Stick Hammer’. Daddee was winning for most of the game and then I decided to help mommy out with my expert advice. “A little to the left, mommy. Oh! That’s too far. A little more to the right! Perfect! Now hit it hard!!!!” I was a great expert advice giver and mommy won the game!<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 307px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5776970726095372178" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM01hmNvIxjJorYviJGowTyeV8gFcfMf_JJdWrshmfLQtvKABpaJ0z75oHJlUNIqkH8G_4sFj6ZGZl7wdQLUNozvWDnPImyDo7Q3KBatKyTM-wU4CyAkoEfM255nocsM3YogyiGLv3H4to/s400/37.croquet+in+the+rain.JPG" /><br />And then… guess… guess… it started raining really hard. Daddee said that he didn’t care if it was raining or not, “we’re here to have fun no matter what.” He set up for another ball game and then we all played in the rain… under our umbrellas!!!!<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 307px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5776970718706809186" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwol1NIfnkwcsx9T96s95uj7pRviaySdXHjckEVSsB8gmA6quZJAbClxqT4K6ZYrKb5wO9wJnZtCsamiAH4YEEeiG0JXCKekClyridlQpDhL1bRYWKIn3llOmFysSJBViqp-QczFhyphenhyphenI3xg/s400/38.peek+a+boo.JPG" /><br />It got really cool outside, with lots of lightning and thunder, so we had to spend the rest of the day playing inside. Daddee and I played my favourite game ‘Peek – a – Boo’ for hours and hours!!! Did anyone notice that I’m standing up in this photo? This is one of my newest tricks, too. First, I crawl over to a piece of furniture and then I climb it until I’m standing on my two feet. I can get up alright – sometimes it’s the coming down that hurts a bit!!!<br /><br />I’m sure glad that I brought so many toys to play with. Mommy is a great friend to have around during toy time. We can play for hours and hours and she never gets bored. In fact, mommy spends most of our play time laughing!!! She thinks I’m funny!<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 307px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5776970698976054850" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo-jzTdQxSDMdk2djv6z9GX2TefHp5L6FsHS6uLkVYO3nDhnjOFETZXeCwkv-SRJcHKfdZaG-VGT9PWOjVpD8n-Np5Bgf1D8kvLqI0xmX22M1QJQNIeDZ0RRl3nhl1CDZGH4bMsJZo47LP/s400/40.the+tower.JPG" /><br />Another of my favourite games to play is called ‘Godzilla’. Here’s how it works… first mommy has to build a tall tower out of blocks…<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 307px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5776970697557775506" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir5MEYbziEG-ZV4JtU-bKqEjp8JvNsV1hLZMTs0u7rvDowHOclh984ux0VnsUoexBzsruWPqTKvArMWAPCIGAacB4DfL1FeV3y4ilxXGRO-EZx0MGikqjOuSB3lteDTMAC5xskyn2VbQ9J/s400/41.the+destroyer.JPG" /><br />… and then I destroy it! What a great game!!!!<br /><br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 307px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5776968223069409954" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje5416EqbbU_uhuU8H9Un9C_av6URdif43igZdjSumkEHLjJR9-LVq82XdSmRwPaHopytpuvE4Q-YRTJ6URMjVH2pWIKAFnmo1EcHbOHMmsE0_4c6edF6ELv_ZK3NI0qBConecyMO1wD0J/s400/42.food+art.JPG" /><br />All this playing has given me quite the appetite. I think that it’s time for lunch. Mommy asked daddee to feed me. When mommy came over to see how things were going, I heard a whole bunch of new words that I’ve never heard before… she was directed them to daddee. Daddee said, “I’m not teaching Devon to play with his food, I’m teaching him how to be creative – a great artist!”<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 307px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5776968218931166066" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuKwYoY4aJ_PswP5C-exfqIVv1PnTu9xIPzOSH6jX89NN2kU1lGH5ht6LKJ8w7Q2JVhlgjVZw-B8ACXY8luXnB5Zo_EqeEt1klOtYSy8pLoAGQ7VhFojVsqyKoO7EVLH_xwoK2DOiWpv-c/s400/43.guitar.JPG" /><br />Near the end of the day, daddee likes to play me songs on his guitar. He says that he’s putting music into my head so that I’ll have musical dreams when I go to sleep.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 307px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5776968208553168370" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQa98-MwCi4L83jO9gClWYqDj26x2AiyyetiYPDWj4ClE4ulV-op-YUO2c37YRqaSSAZkzqQUwlsi4flhl48t-dNKg_U71UBAd6h-Q_dewoumfQEEvKQkMwlBgl-1rMgB01rnAmC8kXc5/s400/44.devon+plays+guitar.JPG" /><br />Daddee’s been playing me songs for my whole life. I’ve been watching and listening very carefully and today I decided to show daddee what I’ve learned. He told me that I will grow up to be a fine musician.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 307px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5776969699627750002" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWztjeBX1t9sx7EHuZBJsLt2qF1YrAZH3TF7EZiyfkmjgjrKehnAOO7VlAqsG7Dtjaa9ZYBNbN0JEulzgAl6eovjT9Xgosx33SJT7Ct0PhDlkYWgEax4K5shMlBKXdwG2I4j0nk0hzRVUt/s400/45.almost+sleep+time.JPG" /><br />Just before I go to sleep, I like to have my bedtime bottle. While I’m drinking, I’m thinking of all the wonderful adventures we had today on our first ever family vacation!!!! Thanks very much, mommy and daddee – I hope we can do this again really soon!!!!<br /><br />Devon<br /><br />+ + +<br /><br />Thanks very much, Devon, for writing your first blog story to share with my friends from around the world. I’m sure that they will all enjoy it.<br /><br />As your editor, though, I do have just one comment to make – just so you’ll know for the future. This vacation that we all enjoyed lasted for a whole week… not just one day. I’ll have to remember to teach you a little something about a thing called ‘time’… but that can wait until you’re a bit older!<br /><br />Daddee<br />Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17906564130769891598noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486758478298250026.post-17338701369422574102012-07-31T11:20:00.000-07:002012-07-31T11:20:29.296-07:00Guerrilla Gardening – Year 3It’s been over two years since my last blog story about my ‘Guerrilla Gardening’ adventures. This is a link to my favourite story about this topic… <br />
<a href="http://bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.ca/2010/04/guerrilla-gardening-attack-2.html">http://bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.ca/2010/04/guerrilla-gardening-attack-2.html</a><br />
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… so that you can become familiar with the inspiration behind this motivation.<br />
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The spring of 2011 was so wet – it seemed that it was raining almost every single day – that I got behind with my regular veggie patch and so I had no time to tend to my ditch peaceflowers throughout the city. <br />
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This spring was rather dry and after I had got ahead with my own veggie patch, I thought that it would be good to check on my ditch gardens to see how they had faired over the last two years.<br />
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I chose this location for a guerrilla gardening site cuz I thought that only tall grasses grew here and that our flowers would be able to dominate and thrive. I learned that this area filled in with Golden Rod and these plants absolutely smothered the Day Lilies that we had planted. If our Peaceflower garden was to survive a lot of work would have to go into continuously clearing away the existing plants and I just didn’t have the time so I decided to not put any more effort into this garden.<br />
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This was another location where we planted orange Day Lilies in the shape of a peace symbol and you can see that I had many helpers for this adventure. We all had a really great time!!!<br />
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A few weeks later, I did manage to revisit this site to do a little weeding, hoping that our Day Lilies would dominate and thrive.<br />
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Upon my inspection of this site, earlier this spring, I noticed that several plants had actually survived but most had perished. I thought about why this was. I concluded that because the soil was a heavy clay that the roots weren’t able to survive. I thought that if I was to revive this garden that a lot of work would have to go into mixing the existing clay with a sandier soil to create the proper growing conditions. This would have been too much work for me to accomplish alone, this year, but I am hoping that one day I may be able to do this. <br />
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It’s such a great site and thousands of travelers would be inspired! Hopefully… one day…<br />
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Well, I had just one site left to inspect. I had my fingers crossed for a good omen, as I was feeling a bit disappointed by my two other failures.<br />
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As I got closer, I could start to see a few brightly coloured green leaves and this put a smile on my face. I began to move some of the dead grasses away, from last year’s growth, and I kept finding more and more Day Lilies. Yeah!!!!<br />
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Soon, I had found that most of the flowers that had been planted here two years before had survived and a few of them had also reproduced other Day Lily tubers (roots)!!! I’ve added some small green dots to this image so that you can see the shape of the peace symbol more clearly.<br />
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I figured that these flowers had survived because the soil conditions are perfect and there are few other dominating plants – this ditch is mostly grass.<br />
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I decided to add more Day Lilies to this ‘Guerrilla Gardening Attack Site’ to make it even better. I went home, to my gardens, and began looking for flowers to add. Many patches of Day Lilies that I had planted around my house had reproduced in excess of what I wanted, so I dug these flowers up to add to my ditch art.<br />
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This was a patch of a different species of Day Lily. Instead of blooming with tall stems and orange flowers, this species has shorter stems with yellow flowers that actually bloom earlier in the season than the orange ones. I figured that by adding these flowers to my ditch art that the peace symbol would be in bloom for a longer period. First the yellow flowers would bloom and then the orange ones.<br />
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I chose to dig up this patch of yellow Day Lilies cuz they just weren’t getting enough sunlight where they were. By moving them I opened up this space in my garden to plant other flowers that were more suited for a shaded setting.<br />
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So… with a shovel in hand and a bag of Lily tubers, I set off to enhance my peaceflower ditch garden. When I first planted at this site, I simply cut an X into the ground and pushed the tubers under the folds of the ground. This time, I dug deeper and pulled out small plugs of earth. I broke the soil up in my hands and planted the tubers in these holes, filling them in with the loosened soil, hoping that they would reproduce and spread more easily.<br />
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As you can see, the flowers were already quite large when I planted them.<br />
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Several hours later, I was finished! About thirty additional flowers were planted at this site and I was very excited to see how it would all look once they had grown and bloomed.<br />
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I really wish that I had more photos to show you. I wanted to finish this story showing the peace symbol in full bloom, but I never had a chance to do this. Over the last several months I did manage to drive past this site a few times and I did see the flowers in bloom, but on these occasions I was working and I didn’t have my camera with me.<br />
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So… to conclude… I will have to ask each of you – my blog readers – to use your imagination and picture these Day Lilies in full bloom, adding inspiration into the lives of all the passing motorists who happened to catch a glimpse of something very lovely and purely peaceful!!!<br />
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JimJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17906564130769891598noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486758478298250026.post-75811884590807860292012-07-19T12:07:00.002-07:002012-07-19T12:07:51.411-07:00Truth In ComedyI’m not one who spends a lot of time watching television – when I’m not working I like to spend my time playing with my son Devon, working in my gardens or relaxing with a book under the shade of a tree. But, I do like to keep tabs on what’s going on in the world, so instead of watching the News (which is controlled by big business), I’ll watch comedy shows like ‘This Hour Has 22 Minutes’ or ‘The Rick Mercer Report’. <br />
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It annoys me when I’m watching the local News and I see a report telling me that milk consumption is good for me – this is false and I quickly realize that the milk industry is probably behind this promotion… calling itself ‘news’.<br />
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To find out how the government is wasting tax dollars with outrageous military spending while doing nothing to protect our environment, tune in to your local comedy channel!!<br />
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I find it hard to realize that our global environments are in such a sad state of degradation and instead of focussing on issue of this nature, our media does its best to distract us by filling our time with mostly useless and one-sided stories that neither inspire or capture our imaginations.<br />
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I like to use comedy to share important environmental issues with the world. I find that these simple cartoons can bring light to any situation.<br />
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Viewers, at once, tend to agree with the message and although they may not be inspired to act in positive ways at that moment, the information has made its way into the viewer’s mind and that is the most important thing… at this stage of humanities growth.<br />
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I grew up reading Calvin and Hobbes comics and I know that – more often than not – they made me pause and think about our world in many different ways. This comic strip brings to light a very valuable observation. If everyone did spend their time thinking about all the issues of importance in this world, it would be very hard to focus on the affairs of our daily lives – that’s why these issues are pushed away and avoided.<br />
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This may be an accurate observation, but it is this observation that is harming the happiness for future generations. Instead of realizing the connections between what we consume in our day to day lives and how these economic choices are destroying our world, it’s easier and less complicated to ignore these problems so that we can finish eating our fast food that’s been served to us on styrofoam plates with plastic forks.<br />
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We may not find the solutions that we need to overcome our environmental issues in comedy, but I believe that they do hold a value for our societies as they continue to educate us.<br />
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JimJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17906564130769891598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486758478298250026.post-42400902954801321352012-07-06T09:01:00.000-07:002012-07-06T09:02:53.984-07:00Flowers and Berries and VeggiesI think that it’s been many years since I’ve worked as dedicatedly as I have these last several months on an art project. “I’m Not The Only One” (last two blog stories) took every spare instant of time that I had. I’m realizing now that it’s already July and I have yet to share any pictures or stories about my gardens. So, that’s what I’m going to do today…<br />
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For the last several years I’ve really enjoyed being able to share my garden photos with my friends from around the globe on Facebook. This pic was created as my album cover for this year. It looks nice, but it’s hard to see how much time went into creating this image… it took almost an hour – fiddling with sizes, art media effects and so on. Notice the size of the flowers in the immediate background? Very tiny…<br />
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This is what this garden looks like today! These are called Day Lilies and they got this name for a very simple reason – the flowers last for only one day. You may think that these flowers would complete their flowering rather quickly, but their flowering season lasts for almost an entire month!<br />
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In this photo you can see the many stems that grow so tall. Each stem is filled with many buds that take turns blooming.<br />
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Here’s a zoomed in crop shot of those same flowers. It’s now easy to see how these flowers continue to brighten our days with so many wonderful colours and shapes for so long during their flowering season.<br />
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Day Lillies also come in a variety of colours, shapes and sizes. I used my computer to help me create this interesting ‘arted’ image of a yellow Day Lily that grew near my Blueberry patch, several weeks ago.<br />
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Each species of Day Lily probably has its own unique name, but I don’t know what they are – I make up my own simple names for them. I call these ones my ‘Wine Day Lilies’ cuz their burgundy colouring reminds me of a glass of red wine.<br />
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During the springtime, my berrybush garden looks rather empty, so I’ve planted a few Daffodils and Tulips to brighten it up until the bushes and berry canes grow and fill the area in. These were my first flowers this year.<br />
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Even if an area only has one or two flowers you can still find ways to get in really close to take interesting photos. By fiddling with different computer effects a stimulating image can be created to please any eye.<br />
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I’ll often visit an area of photographic interest many times over the course of a day or two, to find the perfect light, shade, dryness or wetness from the rain to compliment my compositions. Sometimes, inspirational lyrics from songs get added to my photos to share simple ideas – simple ideas that may be a little more complicated than, at first, they may appear.<br />
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This fun series of pics shows how my Blackcap patch has filled in to produce a rather large amount of berries for my family to enjoy as well as my next door neighbours, who received several small bowls during the height of the season.<br />
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Like most fruits, Blackcaps taste best when eaten straight from the vine. I find that keeping them in a refrigerator changes their taste and texture, so I’ll often find myself picking these berries several times during a day so that their taste is the freshest!<br />
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This year’s berry harvest was so successful that I’ve even managed to freeze a nice sized bag to use in making jams – I’ll be adding these Blackcaps to my Black Currant and Wild Cherry recipes sometime very soon. They also blend with Maple Syrup very nicely to make a sauce for pancakes or French toast!!!<br />
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I’ve always found that having a garden – whether it’s a flower, fruit or veggie patch – is the simplest and most rewarding way to understand the importance of life’s miracles here on planet Earth! It boggles my mind to try to understand how a little seed can be filled with so much information and motivation to want to reach for its Creator – our sun! How does a plant know how to or where to put its leaves? Or branches? Have you ever watched the tiniest of buds – smaller than the head of a pin – grow to produce a colourful flower larger than your hand? How does that work?<br />
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Yeah! Yeah! We know enough to fill books on this subject and if I was interested to learn about all the strands of molecular growths and movements I’m not sure if I’d feel satisfied. To me, it’s a great mystery. A mystery that I have no desire to solve. A mystery that makes me feel content to leave as a mystery, so that I’ll forever be amazed by all the complexities that are life!<br />
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Now, I’m definitely not saying ‘Live life in ignorance’ cuz that’s a completely false appraisal of my attempt to define the word ‘mystery’.<br />
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My desire to learn about the things that grow in my garden is great - I’m learning new things about these plants all the time. My garden if forever being moved around as I learn about what a plant needs to flourish and I try to provide that personalized environment.<br />
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By reading a book about how to prune berry bushes and berry canes I was able to produce this beautiful arrangement of fruit. These are Red Currants and they’re always a little on the tart side. I grow them cuz they’re easy to grow and care for and the fruits are very useful.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVtbMrsXuBQ72BEZ0pA7U9ICwm9VDyc9o6IOO1ZRbpn-Wf6YW_cX8WY5Q4Jax6-hLR_3BoL2Y2p-9YqFzqjp2cQK3ML6XPZiCWHD27e-z7aocnjWtbNFrrtlEYZ6v9-y94voDRRJ9Eckzs/s1600/red+currant.03.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" sca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVtbMrsXuBQ72BEZ0pA7U9ICwm9VDyc9o6IOO1ZRbpn-Wf6YW_cX8WY5Q4Jax6-hLR_3BoL2Y2p-9YqFzqjp2cQK3ML6XPZiCWHD27e-z7aocnjWtbNFrrtlEYZ6v9-y94voDRRJ9Eckzs/s400/red+currant.03.JPG" width="285" /></a></div>
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I grew up with these berry bushes in my parents’ garden, but I’ve never known them quite as intimately as I do now. Because of their tart taste, we store these berries in our freezer. The freezing process seems to bring out a richer, sweeter taste in the berry. We’ll just use a ½ cup or so of the berries in our muffins and pancakes that we bake. Very nice!<br />
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When I eat a berry – especially one that I’ve just picked – I can’t help but to think of the sun! Because of the sun we have life on this third planet of nine, hurtling through space, simply spinning in infinite surround! There’s this great gaseous inferno blasting all of space with its energy and warmth and here… in my garden… a simple man touches the sun… and enjoys the freshest of berries!!!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAqlcLyp2s-ds0qKIYNEiu80evfRZtOkMvxgJIAINnBNsy1GrE3CYslc6UvdZIqn66jQEjr7kGT9mGLz4n7-9K2onDDOQyFJqRJm9DbyM-uDYArhwWmgEv54K7srVrqwCV2Sxuc0rZc6Ff/s1600/water+rations+01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" sca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAqlcLyp2s-ds0qKIYNEiu80evfRZtOkMvxgJIAINnBNsy1GrE3CYslc6UvdZIqn66jQEjr7kGT9mGLz4n7-9K2onDDOQyFJqRJm9DbyM-uDYArhwWmgEv54K7srVrqwCV2Sxuc0rZc6Ff/s400/water+rations+01.JPG" width="230" /></a></div>
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It’s been a really hot and dry summer… and then there was an accident of some kind that burst apart a major water pipeline that keeps London wet! We were under water rations for several days!!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm_Wtsbv05MdG4hmnl11zljBGDZ1FaLuTUD3igSc_6ZFtuKfIwNxm3sdEhraeBim6MbCIzGkhV1Zm1LdBzfv4VjkO2YCEATv_IH3WhGes_yoo5BdH8okLpPA8fVU7cV3tFb-r4538yXjGt/s1600/water+rations+02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" sca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm_Wtsbv05MdG4hmnl11zljBGDZ1FaLuTUD3igSc_6ZFtuKfIwNxm3sdEhraeBim6MbCIzGkhV1Zm1LdBzfv4VjkO2YCEATv_IH3WhGes_yoo5BdH8okLpPA8fVU7cV3tFb-r4538yXjGt/s400/water+rations+02.JPG" width="290" /></a></div>
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My veggies were just starting out and they were struggling because of the non-winter we had (creating no ‘snow-pack’) plus the lack of rain in the spring. Joanne came up with a great solution! We started using Devon’s bath water on our gardens. That – combined with the way I shape my gardens for water conservation – allowed my potatoes, carrots, eggplants and tomatoes to grow to their potential.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEholpAK-pVgLVFpvC6H_GWgth4_lIqxsohx2l1_g2KGAalb5Bkc38KmP6ERA19Ph3gHuCMHPTzpq0K5VK_11foaanTVf3KJD5noN013YJVVHo_I0NP_EqJ3c-Zf0lcoyNK0Qsup3ueoqyrf/s1600/water+rations+03.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" sca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEholpAK-pVgLVFpvC6H_GWgth4_lIqxsohx2l1_g2KGAalb5Bkc38KmP6ERA19Ph3gHuCMHPTzpq0K5VK_11foaanTVf3KJD5noN013YJVVHo_I0NP_EqJ3c-Zf0lcoyNK0Qsup3ueoqyrf/s400/water+rations+03.JPG" width="270" /></a></div>
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It’s good that humans have the great capacity to be able to adapt to ever-changing conditions. As each of us strives to live life more simply – cutting back on fast food dinners ( C’mon, now!! Let’s not just cut back – let’s stop supporting factory farm fed industries altogether!!!) – we’ll begin to appreciate, on a deeper level, the value of our food and water. Then a new kind of change will occur… humans will begin to work together in new ways, planning a future instead of merely adapting to a decaying present.<br />
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Normal, evolutionary adaptations have always been fine throughout the history of our species. This is because these changes occurred over thousands (even hundreds of thousands) of years. The last three hundred years (a sliver of time by comparison) have seen such a swift and massive change in humankind’s ability to dominate global natural environments that our ecological support systems has been threatened with extinction… simply affecting every living organism on this space marble of ours. This time, our greatest abilities to adapt could never be enough to overcome the obstacles we could soon face. The time to plan was 100 years ago… but the time to act is now!<br />
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Ohhh – the problems!!!!! Yet – all the glory as we reach our true instinctive potential to bring peace and balance for all life forces to this breathing Earth of ours!<br />
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Having a garden brings these ideals to life!<br />
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So… I should end this story on a lighter note and so I will share a few more lovely photos taken in my gardens this year…<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhldRUIbDAMVEImil5bC1_dsbXkpgc30_68KIEXBt8Cbc-93K0zgNNPTkc5WDJJkwQelSu6t2N9z8TqitwD6DNbvLak1ZzywZtGrroqfMXIsBFGDO4DgEZDitmtQ-XA16U0SSlAf8HzbOxN/s1600/chives.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" sca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhldRUIbDAMVEImil5bC1_dsbXkpgc30_68KIEXBt8Cbc-93K0zgNNPTkc5WDJJkwQelSu6t2N9z8TqitwD6DNbvLak1ZzywZtGrroqfMXIsBFGDO4DgEZDitmtQ-XA16U0SSlAf8HzbOxN/s400/chives.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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These are my chives in flower. The density of the purples tingles the senses in my eyes. Not only do they look gorgeous but they add a nice tongue sensation to my bbq’d ‘taters!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUSGtjIri9zccs8wyC5YCJMdw1CoWaAeI80zfma2_S_D2AUBiBW0m0inP5VFagXZjaAiCKqtBdDvsJnYx-Heg0KA5WDvbOVlXxU0HomRj0DxVSFGhSattHtfC7KUVtGOlPljMgnIbV1ewN/s1600/baby+blueberries.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" sca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUSGtjIri9zccs8wyC5YCJMdw1CoWaAeI80zfma2_S_D2AUBiBW0m0inP5VFagXZjaAiCKqtBdDvsJnYx-Heg0KA5WDvbOVlXxU0HomRj0DxVSFGhSattHtfC7KUVtGOlPljMgnIbV1ewN/s400/baby+blueberries.JPG" width="310" /></a></div>
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I just love this photo. These Blueberries are soon going to fill out and change to the deepest blue hue – it’s so nice to seem them at this young stage in their lives. Some people may say that I really missed my shot by a week or so cuz all the baby blue Forget-Me-Nots have already flowered and have turned to seed – only a few flowers remain in bloom, but I think the timing of this photo was perfect. It captures the whole ‘cycles of life’ idea with the end of one species of flower and the birth of a new one. Also, if all the Forget-Me-Nots were in bloom then the background would have been a simple wash of only one colour and texture instead of the many presented here.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7NTeiXteCRw7-9dXVMhCxytd4KWnZeWhUAvsrCwdIVNJzUXiY2PK48S2fNb_gzu5xyf0nI7E0Bvka79ahavhE4hcTlz9THgRFxMDkO1wDxvpcICimCR8ne_SJ2zG8V16AJPAjjCr2dc2h/s1600/face+o+storm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="331" sca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7NTeiXteCRw7-9dXVMhCxytd4KWnZeWhUAvsrCwdIVNJzUXiY2PK48S2fNb_gzu5xyf0nI7E0Bvka79ahavhE4hcTlz9THgRFxMDkO1wDxvpcICimCR8ne_SJ2zG8V16AJPAjjCr2dc2h/s400/face+o+storm.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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And finally, the other component of any great garden… the rain!!!! I just love rain storms… except when they are moving at such a rapid rate that the sneak up on you and send a blast of lightning that you are close enough to hear to your left side followed by the loudest thunder you could ever imagine deepening the distance between your ears – LOL!!! – making your heart miss a beat. That scared me to one step closer to death!!!<br />
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Ha! I’m alive to tell about it… so I guess it was all for the good.<br />
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JimJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17906564130769891598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486758478298250026.post-70264374231782018602012-06-26T11:04:00.001-07:002012-06-26T11:11:23.036-07:00I’m Not The Only One - Part IIMy last blog entry shared the stories behind the ideas and inspiration that influenced the creation of a twenty-foot long wall mural entitled, “I’m Not The Only One”. To date, I’ve only shown you the first of the five panels used to create this mural…<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4g10RR_27zv4ivCzs5I4SZdZgQAhLGz3B6tVenXi0ezSukrlFQJS9czVKoWmgyQJHHTlqOkTnh8BlC0VAwOQMu0-js2QdWVx-sF2oHr4E-Xj6FcvJNyIjl_qRNJcO9KhYOrDxCEXQQ-92/s1600/a.im.borders.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" rca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4g10RR_27zv4ivCzs5I4SZdZgQAhLGz3B6tVenXi0ezSukrlFQJS9czVKoWmgyQJHHTlqOkTnh8BlC0VAwOQMu0-js2QdWVx-sF2oHr4E-Xj6FcvJNyIjl_qRNJcO9KhYOrDxCEXQQ-92/s400/a.im.borders.JPG" width="267" /></a></div>
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Here it is again, in case you forgot what it looked like.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmF__wjrj7PS76CS_Cjtz9S8zQgN4QIM0dzhHhuNSm0mNpU8So-8uUGs36cho1dcEmNyYtnVZEr_SbXeCL8ld4Kzj_Eix6iAAKQ-r6TLrvkFHcALhUBrryMRJl317KRUsDDQFACKG6JIDM/s1600/15.on+the+move.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" rca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmF__wjrj7PS76CS_Cjtz9S8zQgN4QIM0dzhHhuNSm0mNpU8So-8uUGs36cho1dcEmNyYtnVZEr_SbXeCL8ld4Kzj_Eix6iAAKQ-r6TLrvkFHcALhUBrryMRJl317KRUsDDQFACKG6JIDM/s400/15.on+the+move.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I mentioned, briefly, that I’m also creating an animated video to tell the story of this mural, leading up to the opening reception. I’ve created these 3 image sequences to share this idea on my Facebook pages. There are many more photos that will be appearing in the video, but the 3 image sequence gets the idea across.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVA_sRN1DmD2nBLvFIfoD92rcVp7qOHVJ_yp-lRPHzeqqB77xnEgF81hKXp-BQWybILOI6Pkf4EWhXlzhShK6Kqa2DrPXLv3dVEFAsOaNpAirG44JvMvyi77a9FTgXO8sDNbgmNpZit_Uy/s1600/b.not.borders.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" rca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVA_sRN1DmD2nBLvFIfoD92rcVp7qOHVJ_yp-lRPHzeqqB77xnEgF81hKXp-BQWybILOI6Pkf4EWhXlzhShK6Kqa2DrPXLv3dVEFAsOaNpAirG44JvMvyi77a9FTgXO8sDNbgmNpZit_Uy/s400/b.not.borders.JPG" width="276" /></a></div>
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In each 3 image sequence, one completed mural panel is showcased. The artwork created by the students who ride The Peacebus is used to create the words in these mural panels. Each panel also shares stories about some of the adventures that have happened on the bus. This panel showcases all eleven pages of the book entitled, “A Turtle’s Great Adventure” that was created at the beginning of this school year, last October.</div>
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<a href="http://www.bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.ca/2011/10/turtles-great-adventure.html">http://www.bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.ca/2011/10/turtles-great-adventure.html</a> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnOiIOhyphenhyphenFGwFtn8JmeDSZD0ShJVz8J01WkqNko3D7OgWPJ4tZUi0nD3fYhoLTliRCkrbuse5YCYZU3b8_BZVGEkY5EprrOhrQ4SmF6OMQSr_qBko2533aWhcIJv_Ct8QXMaUIy5ZyjTQG5/s1600/16.the+drive.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" rca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnOiIOhyphenhyphenFGwFtn8JmeDSZD0ShJVz8J01WkqNko3D7OgWPJ4tZUi0nD3fYhoLTliRCkrbuse5YCYZU3b8_BZVGEkY5EprrOhrQ4SmF6OMQSr_qBko2533aWhcIJv_Ct8QXMaUIy5ZyjTQG5/s400/16.the+drive.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Now that a mural panel has been loaded into my car, it is time to venture to the Cherryhill Library where it will be hung for the opening reception – Vroom! Vroom!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL518m8rJxsoAorvLSRgjaHiCwlookjK445_-BCBvfKNqwnWvMMmaG9RczhzyVH4H4XrQxEn7eSjBl_jcTCHqUNwRdFsJIDl4K272fyw01lTMZBHn93JSta8cf7QKEPCGhmnBJTO7QpcNl/s1600/17.arrive+at+mall.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" rca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL518m8rJxsoAorvLSRgjaHiCwlookjK445_-BCBvfKNqwnWvMMmaG9RczhzyVH4H4XrQxEn7eSjBl_jcTCHqUNwRdFsJIDl4K272fyw01lTMZBHn93JSta8cf7QKEPCGhmnBJTO7QpcNl/s400/17.arrive+at+mall.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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And now I’m unloading the mural panel and taking it into the mall where the library is located. But wait!? What’s this???? Above we see that I’m loading the panel “NOT” into the car, so how is it that I’m unloading the panel “THE” when I arrive at the mall?</div>
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HA! When this idea popped into my head I laughed! I thought that this would be a fun way to showcase each individual mural panel and also show the journey that all the mural panels went through, at the same time.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrSoiM6Nr_NhGYBPSxea_KYX-9L3Cg7Vm7durlcO4dY7YxufLvI_IVfT7O9kkn9TUJS6DYxuwzCCcZzIoiXaOasJ9_DCDvvIHdaNyxdpHChOr2cKm9jtbKq5eL7o8nx86dsx4kxnGX-1u0/s1600/c.the.borders.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" rca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrSoiM6Nr_NhGYBPSxea_KYX-9L3Cg7Vm7durlcO4dY7YxufLvI_IVfT7O9kkn9TUJS6DYxuwzCCcZzIoiXaOasJ9_DCDvvIHdaNyxdpHChOr2cKm9jtbKq5eL7o8nx86dsx4kxnGX-1u0/s400/c.the.borders.JPG" width="275" /></a></div>
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And this is the completed 3rd panel in the sequence. As you can see, there is a lot going on inside each panel. There’s no way that this art creation could be fully understood just by a passing glance. This artwork demands a closer look!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSyh4UNRl2EypOuh1q7ahUi_FO7pOwmM3k3UKCPMOYyqLcJkvNVmsCjNBMOdJGrp4Y8aCc81c3ya8dmR8SHPQQiaAU1utk0KBY_mQri20VdKZjNhOavgbv0toGd8y6T3GldmCnOr_E__uK/s1600/3panelstogether.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" rca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSyh4UNRl2EypOuh1q7ahUi_FO7pOwmM3k3UKCPMOYyqLcJkvNVmsCjNBMOdJGrp4Y8aCc81c3ya8dmR8SHPQQiaAU1utk0KBY_mQri20VdKZjNhOavgbv0toGd8y6T3GldmCnOr_E__uK/s400/3panelstogether.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I wanted people to get a sense of how this project would look when it was completed, so I made this image showcasing the first 3 of the 5 panels. I was very satisfied to see that the bus (painted in shades of gray) was becoming very visible.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-CG6Pnp-pJdvcYmZ1V-LZxkMUtxvbLm7xqs5P8-qUpNpO-iMEFeXds0mACybRUUfyLEMWTzOyiLjE7YOazS1pmgcp4f-fcG7lN5NrDzN1TgRLnpL_pXvG2usSK-ReOKLn2XzLuvAiYS-h/s1600/18.to+cherryhill+room.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" rca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-CG6Pnp-pJdvcYmZ1V-LZxkMUtxvbLm7xqs5P8-qUpNpO-iMEFeXds0mACybRUUfyLEMWTzOyiLjE7YOazS1pmgcp4f-fcG7lN5NrDzN1TgRLnpL_pXvG2usSK-ReOKLn2XzLuvAiYS-h/s400/18.to+cherryhill+room.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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After entering the mall (above), I’ve now entered the library and I’m carrying the “ONLY” panel to the Cherryhill Room, inside the Cherryhill Library, which is found inside the Cherryhill Mall, where I will soon be hosting the opening reception.</div>
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This panel was a bit more challenging – it has the most letters in it. If I had made all the letters the same height (as the rest of the mural panels) then the letters would have been very thin, making it almost impossible to read. This panel looks a bit more abstract but that’s okay with me.</div>
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The “O” in this panel is dedicated to many of my Facebook friends. It tells the story about how I used photos sent to me from these friends to be the first art decorations on my bus.</div>
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<a href="http://www.bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.ca/2009/06/peaceflowers-from-around-world.html">http://www.bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.ca/2009/06/peaceflowers-from-around-world.html</a> <br />
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This is the final 3 image sequence that I’ve put together. It was meant to be a bit of a tease, because you’d possibly expect me to have shown the whole mural. If I did that then there would be no need to attend the opening reception… and I wanted you to attend!<br />
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It was Thursday, June 14 at 2:22pm when the last artwork was glued onto this mural panel. This was a great moment – I could relax for about 30 seconds! The opening reception would be in two more days and I still had a lot of work to do to get ready.<br />
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This work took me until the day of the opening to complete. One last minute run down to the photocopy centre and then back home to pick up Joanne and Devon and I arrived at the library with 43 seconds to spare! Wheewwww!!!<br />
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I made just twenty prints of this ‘mini poster’ and then I numbered and signed each one. I made them to be small souvenirs for any of the Peacebus students who attended the opening reception….<br />
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… and several did!!!! The first to arrive were Abbey and Liam with their father. You can see that Abbey was having fun giving Mr. Jim the ‘rabbit ears’!!!!<br />
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As you can imagine, Devon and I made it into many photos, but since this part of my story is about those who attended I’m just going to show those photos. I quickly learned that Andor’s father loves babies. Seconds after this photo was taken, he was playing with Devon on the play mats that I had brought into this room.<br />
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It was very nice having many moments to chat with the students and their parents outside of the school yard and bus stops. I see Justine’s parents almost every morning and usually we just have a few seconds to exchange some fun words, so it was nice to be able to have an actual conversation.<br />
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It was hard to remember to take photos of everyone who attended. Although the atmosphere was relaxed, there was always a lot going on. <br />
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I was really happy to see that Carrie had come to visit with her mom and her son Jakob - who I’ve known since only a few hours after his birth!<br />
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Even my real estate agent Bud (there’s no Bud wiser!!!!) made a huge effort to be a part of this days happenings. He had spent the afternoon working in nearby Strathroy and noticing that it was getting near 4:00pm (the end of the opening reception) he quickly wrapped up his business and zoom zoomed his way to London to check out this mural. Thanks Bud!<br />
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A great surprise for me was seeing one of my closest friends from high school. Because it was a two hour drive to London, Brenda decided to make a day of it with her daughter Alyssa. They spent the morning at Storybook Gardens and after lunch then arrived at the library to meet my family and see the wall mural. It had been almost 21 years since we last saw each other and I hope we won’t wait another 21 years until we get together again.<br />
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There was an interesting surprise waiting for Don, when he surprised me with his visit. It seems that there were many surprises for many people during this two hour long event!!!! Don’s surprise was seeing his picture in this wall mural!<br />
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Two summers ago, I had arranged to use the Peacebus to transport (for free) people from across London to a local organic blueberry farm. Photos from that event made it into this mural and since Don also attended the ‘Blueberry Daze’ he is now a part of the story.<br />
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<a href="http://www.bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.ca/2010/08/blueberry-daze-continued.html">http://www.bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.ca/2010/08/blueberry-daze-continued.html</a><br />
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This is Grace. She is one of the many people who I see when I’m working at my second job. My second job is driving mini-buses around town, helping people with mobility problems. Sometimes my passengers are going to doctor’s appointments and sometimes my passengers are visiting local libraries to see art mural installations!<br />
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All in all, it was a great event!!!! It would be hard for me to plan anything better – even if I could. All the smiles and silly jokes, rabbit ears and crying babies, hugs and memories shared made this an afternoon I will cherish for the rest of my life!! Thanks to all for sharing these moments with me!<br />
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Since then (and this event only happened a week ago) I have received emails and posts on my Facebook pages by other parents and students who have also gone to view this mural. Even some fellow bus drivers have made it down to the library for a look-see. <br />
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If you would like to pop in to check it out, it will be on display at the Cherryhill Library until the end of July, before it continues its tour through three other London Libraries over the next six months.<br />
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If you decide to go I will make just one simple suggestion… be prepared to smile!<br />
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Mr. Jim<br />
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<br /></div>Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17906564130769891598noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486758478298250026.post-72507831760420339022012-06-05T06:42:00.001-07:002012-06-05T06:42:53.584-07:00I’m Not The Only One – Part I<br />
To say that the last few years of my life as an elementary school bus driver have been interesting would be a grand understatement. The stories, songs and artworks that the students of The Peacebus have shared with me have filled me with the most positive of assurances that these ‘Future Leaders of the World’ will grow to respect our Earth and all of the lifeforces that abound here in ways that I can’t even begin to imagine.<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GD7j_STtc_8">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GD7j_STtc_8</a><br />
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About two years ago, I began to wonder what I would do with the hundreds and hundreds of peace art drawings that these students are continuously creating. An idea began to form, in the back of my mind, and since then I’ve spent much time developing this idea. My plan was to create a large mosiac mural, using all of these artworks.<br />
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Since I knew that this mural would be a very unique art creation, I thought that it would be a great plan to be able to share this with the community. I began to organize a small art tour throughout the libraries, here in London, Ontario.<br />
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The construction of this mural began five months ago. Wood panels were cut and primed, wood supports were fastened and eye-hooks were mounted so that the panels for this mural could be easily hung from a wall.<br />
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The inspiration for my art concept came from John Lennon’s song entitled “Imagine”. The lyrics from this song are very inspirational and found myself being drawn to one line in particular: “You may say ‘I’m a dreamer’, but I’m not the only one”.<br />
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I wanted to create an art mural that would show John (rest his soul) that indeed he was not the only one to have dreams about ‘Peace on Earth’ – the children of today (40 years after this song was written) also have thoughts and desires to realize humanities destiny to bring peace and balance back to our global civilization.<br />
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The mural concept focuses on just five words from this song – I’M NOT THE ONLY ONE. Since there are five words in this expression my mural is designed using five separate panels – one word is found in each of the five panels. The students’ artworks will be used to create these words in large capital letters.</div>
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Since all of these artworks were created to decorate The Peacebus, it seemed obvious to me that the background image – filling the rest of these mural panels – should be of The Peacebus.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzLSAzPEX0tw0Qg2meS5qm2DxlfOjrUz34T2oBBryhXnXuz_A40hcgTg3qcoul5lZZCCEnw_TDEaEVou5ajMnr6cbSfQpJhOZHPlIZCvPQxxGhnS-6-i6X3NVFDcYqooYlLzit6ANbjgMy/s1600/07.design+layout.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" fba="true" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzLSAzPEX0tw0Qg2meS5qm2DxlfOjrUz34T2oBBryhXnXuz_A40hcgTg3qcoul5lZZCCEnw_TDEaEVou5ajMnr6cbSfQpJhOZHPlIZCvPQxxGhnS-6-i6X3NVFDcYqooYlLzit6ANbjgMy/s400/07.design+layout.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I decided to paint the image of The Peacebus in many shades and tones of grey. I figured that this would make a nice background.</div>
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I really want the students’ artworks to stand out, so they’ve been printed using full colour which, when set upon the grey background, really sparkle with life.</div>
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Early on, I realized that I wanted to do a little more than simply showcase all of the individual artworks that the students have created. I decided to highlight many of the art adventures that we’ve had, as well.</div>
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Part of the first mural panel, tells the story about how Peacebus buttons were created with the generous donation by a Peacebus fan.</div>
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<a href="http://www.bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.ca/2010/07/buttons-for-bus.html">http://www.bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.ca/2010/07/buttons-for-bus.html</a></div>
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Another panel shares the story about how I shaved my head to raise money for the children of Kenya.</div>
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<a href="http://www.bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.ca/2012/05/mr-jim-goes-bald.html">http://www.bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.ca/2012/05/mr-jim-goes-bald.html</a></div>
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Another panel shares the Earthday adventures where students joined me at a local park area to help plant trees and learn about birds of prey.<br />
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<a href="http://www.bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.ca/2012/04/mr-jim-celebrates-earthday-2012.html">http://www.bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.ca/2012/04/mr-jim-celebrates-earthday-2012.html</a></div>
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And so on! In the end this mural will become more of a history of the students and my adventures over the last several years.</div>
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I’ve also been taking many photos of the mural’s creation – right from the beginning where I spent time priming the wood panels that are being used. The photos in this blog story have been grouped into sets of three – highlighting each of the stages. Many more photos have been taken and my plan is to create a fun animation film that I will be sharing in another several months, once it has been finished.</div>
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To conclude this story, I’m going to leave you will the promotional flyer that I’ve recently created to invite the community to the opening reception and the art tour that is to follow.</div>
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The opening reception is taking place at the Cherryhill Library on Saturday, June 16th, 2-4pm. Please, consider yourselves ‘invited’ and I’ll hope to see you in a couple of weeks!</div>
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Jim</div>Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17906564130769891598noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486758478298250026.post-27934167229536341282012-05-16T09:58:00.001-07:002012-05-16T09:58:46.379-07:00Mr. Jim Goes Bald!A short while ago, a fun event happened on The Peacebus! Afterwards, the principal Mme. Cooke-Sawyer, asked me to ask one of the older students to write a story about the event for the school newspaper. I smiled greatly! “The students will think this is wonderful!” I told her. <br />
Instead of asking one of the older students, I had anther plan. A talented artist and writer named Ava has been sharing with me her many creative artworks and stories, throughout this entire school year, and I was (still am) so impressed that I immediately thought to ask her. Ava smiled greatly!<br />
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I became her editor and advisor and I taught her how to interview another student. Her first draft was brilliant and needed little editing. I will share the final copy in a quick moment.<br />
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I just want to take another moment to add that this is the first time in “The Blog”s history that I’ve had a ‘guest writer’ – so this is indeed a special moment!!! Ava is a student in Grade 4. Please enjoy…<br />
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<strong>Mr. Jim Goes Bald!</strong><br />
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Our school has been supporting children with special needs in North Maragoli, Kenya, for a number of years now. First, we helped build a school from fundraising events at Jeanne Sauve. We sell food, drinks and sock monkeys. We do fun activities and have raffles. <br />
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Now that the school is built, every year we help it to stay open by having a Dance-A-Thon. Plus, Scotia Bank doubles how much we raise so, “Thank you Scotia Bank!”<br />
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Every summer, our Grade One teacher, Mme. Bourassa goes to Kenya. She uses the money that our school raises to set up educational programs and buy school supplies for the children in that area.<br />
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This year, 2012, Mr. Jim (the most peaceful bus driver you’ll know) decided that he wanted to help out. So he thought to himself, “How can I help?”<br />
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He had a chat with Mme. B (which is what we call her) and asked if she thought if he would look good bald?! Mme. B thought that the students would definitely want to see him go bald. Mr. Jim wanted to challenge his students to raise $100.00 and if we did he would shave his head!<br />
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When he told the students who ride The Peacebus about his plan, they all cheered in excitement. We only had five days to raise $100.00, once the plan was in motion.<br />
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At first, we thought it was too much money to raise in such a short amount of time, but Mr. Jim kept encouraging us. He put reminder posters all over the bus so we wouldn’t forget.<br />
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To keep things interesting, everyone who donated got to enter a draw for one of Mr. Jim’s peaces of artwork. A Grade 5 student, Justine Jongepier, won a copy print of a painting that Mr. Jim created with the help of several students when he visited Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, in 2006.<br />
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Grade 4 student, Hayden Thomson, is happy about helping out. “It makes me feel like we really helped the people in Kenya and some of them now get to go to school.”<br />
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“Mr. Jim set a goal to raise $100.00 and he raised more. In fact, Mr. Jim has raised over $300.00!” Hayden smiles. I asked Hayden if he thought it was good to help people who he’s never met before and he shook his head, “Yes!” When I asked, “Why?” he paused and then said, “Imagine your life in their shoes.”<br />
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Mr. Jim also had a little help from some of his Facebook friends. Friends from England, USA and Nova Scotia donated money. His real estate agent wanted him to go bald, too, so he gave him $10.00<br />
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One day, he was driving as a substitute driver for a different school, when a little boy offered him a toonie (because he saw a poster). Mr. Jim said, “No thanks, I don’t accept tips.” Then a teacher from that other school told him, “He wasn’t giving you a tip, he was giving you a toonie to shave your head,” and she handed it back to Mr. Jim. So, he made two dollars from a stranger!<br />
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In the end, we raised over $420.00!!!!!<br />
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This is way more than we expected. It was time for Mr. Jim to make an appointment with his barber. <br />
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When the barber heard that it was for a good cause, he received a $60.00 hair cut free of charge! Give to others and people give to you.<br />
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Now, the next time you see Mr. Jim you will see the results. A peace sea turtle with some ocean waves are all that remain of his hair, which is shaved onto the back of his head. Mr. Jim loves turtles and he thinks that they are very important.<br />
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He also thinks it’s important to help others and he is glad that his friends and Jeanne Sauve students were able to help so many children in faraway Kenya.<br />
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Peace out!!<br />
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Ava <br />Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17906564130769891598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486758478298250026.post-20698054184080576792012-05-11T06:52:00.000-07:002012-05-11T06:52:07.505-07:00A Stitch In Time(The video is ready!!!) <br />
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A little over a half a year ago, I posted a blog story about how…</div>
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… this peace of artwork came into being.</div>
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<a href="http://bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.ca/2011/12/stitch-in-time.html">http://bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.ca/2011/12/stitch-in-time.html</a></div>
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I mentioned that I was in the process of creating an animation film showing the evolution of this artwork and that I hoped to soon be posting this video onto my youtube account.<br />
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Well!!!! We wait no longer!!!<br />
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I could write a detailed account of how the video came together, sharing some of the ideas that were used to create this video… but I won’t. I’ll simply let the video speak for itself!!</div>
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I hope that you enjoy this short musical and artistic expression and that you feel inspired to help me promote this by sharing it with your friends.</div>
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Jim<br />
<br />Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17906564130769891598noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486758478298250026.post-10939971257279715172012-04-27T13:41:00.000-07:002012-04-27T13:55:22.487-07:00Mr. Jim Celebrates Earthday 2012…… with students from The Peacebus!<br />
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Earthday is one of my mostest favouritest days of the year! I love using my minds eye to see the millions of people from around the world celebrating the life energies of this ol’ great planet that we all share!! If the Earth could, I’m sure that she would send out a glorious ‘THANKS!’ to all those who cleaned up litter from parks, roadsides and river edges and those who planted trees, shrubs and bushes in parks. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8If-geKHCrpOMvxjjFfGkaHUkqt0b5GCuNv25lYrGzxSg4j_m6mVTuzzCOUHwGXAB0xgF4f01BVz2dbGG2Hz34H4NVBA6SrcbtZWYhXnrqakQbojUPVZQOj3X_bwMUCY16ScvKaJIXI8Y/s1600/IMG_6278.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8If-geKHCrpOMvxjjFfGkaHUkqt0b5GCuNv25lYrGzxSg4j_m6mVTuzzCOUHwGXAB0xgF4f01BVz2dbGG2Hz34H4NVBA6SrcbtZWYhXnrqakQbojUPVZQOj3X_bwMUCY16ScvKaJIXI8Y/s400/IMG_6278.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
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To get to the Earthday event that I invited all of you – my readers – and my Peacebus students to, I hopped on a city bus. I live near Springbank Park and at this time of year so many colourful blossoms decorate the many trees along the roadside.<br />
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I got dropped off downtown and continued my way to Watson Park via my feet, which was just a short 15 walk away. As I crossed over the Wellington Street Bridge I noticed that I was following and being followed by large groups of parents with their children. There were many in attendance and I thought that was just great!<br />
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It was still early – the opening speeches hadn’t even started yet – and people were already busying themselves with shovels.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDiQL9xD0NyyFG5oddnJqQEWleD4kmMYi_ACqZw7Z5J76HXMw2jygMkfaCuysjiB7l75g6OBLPXUNwMfsoS43glLgp8HgLRwqSDJafV3bvwfRI7F3zOnIchyphenhyphenGiICoIxZUFI_sk8O4KyffV/s1600/IMG_6290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDiQL9xD0NyyFG5oddnJqQEWleD4kmMYi_ACqZw7Z5J76HXMw2jygMkfaCuysjiB7l75g6OBLPXUNwMfsoS43glLgp8HgLRwqSDJafV3bvwfRI7F3zOnIchyphenhyphenGiICoIxZUFI_sk8O4KyffV/s400/IMG_6290.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
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To take this photo, I stood in an area that was planted last year. You can see that the trees are doing very well, with their leaves just starting to grow for this year. The areas that get planted are left to grow as Nature intended. The grasses and weeds and wildflowers fill the area and the Park’s maintenance crews let the long grasses grow. Each year less and less area is mowed and this means that less and less fossil fuels are burned in the mowing machines.<br />
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The trees that we plant are all indigenous to this region of Southern Ontario. Some coniferous species are planted, small shrub bushes like Dogwood and really tall trees – like this one – really help to completely fill in these areas. Just imagine how beautiful this whole area will look in another 20-30 years!!!!!<br />
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This (for now… soon to grow…) cedar is one of the trees that I planted last year. I always like to see if I can find the trees that I’ve planted in this space over the last several years.<br />
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In this photo we see London’s famous town crier Bill Paul – our M/C for the day, along with Steve Sauders – Mr. Earthday Canada himself inspiring the crowd with some uplifting words. “The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time to plant a tree is today!” We also heard statements from the politicians seen here.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZOmbwY_OWBJ6BP7KQwc8MXmamWQa9OT2SirWdQA478FtN3_7H2GdyYbSdgRDtU_iMXQKI5mFJzI6EbqGPMRA0b_RmV7lmY9PUG1Ui-zVFgdMThwBlPQ8BA1cknqHrtDwRu3ri5hqJfYc1/s1600/IMG_6299.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZOmbwY_OWBJ6BP7KQwc8MXmamWQa9OT2SirWdQA478FtN3_7H2GdyYbSdgRDtU_iMXQKI5mFJzI6EbqGPMRA0b_RmV7lmY9PUG1Ui-zVFgdMThwBlPQ8BA1cknqHrtDwRu3ri5hqJfYc1/s400/IMG_6299.JPG" width="303" /></a><br />
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We all had a chuckle when one of the politicians said that all three of them would join forces in planting a tree, “to show that different levels of our government can actually work together!”<br />
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Every so often, I would gaze around the crowd to see if any of The Peacebus students and their parents had arrived. Last year, two students showed up and I was hoping that as many would show up this year. After the first hour had passed I began thinking that I might not see any of my students, but then, from a distance, I heard, “Hey Mr. Jim! Hey Mr. Jim!” and I turned to see two face painted students running towards me!!!!!<br />
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A few minutes later, I noticed another student already busy with his father planting several trees. Another quick moment later, I heard my name being shouted across the area as another student arrived. By the end of the day seven Peacebus students had shown up, bringing with them another twelve adults and so I was happy to realize that I had inspired 19 people to attend and plant trees on this amazing afternoon!!!<br />
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Over this last week, I’ve been collecting photos from the students’ parents, of the students who attended. I spent a while this morning designing this….<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlZQ1wRHaKoOV71TTXcQVpPc8Btk8Val9IEOQMK6ercGn-Tb3EpeXF2KY-F3UpTzq3D3q-tJQhV-lUniXSHk5lD-EVhDkjMgNCJGaeNpOcPQABgrQ8uwdGPuZn6AU5JdNIH5SRp27L-Yfb/s1600/collage.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlZQ1wRHaKoOV71TTXcQVpPc8Btk8Val9IEOQMK6ercGn-Tb3EpeXF2KY-F3UpTzq3D3q-tJQhV-lUniXSHk5lD-EVhDkjMgNCJGaeNpOcPQABgrQ8uwdGPuZn6AU5JdNIH5SRp27L-Yfb/s640/collage.JPG" width="378" /></a><br />
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… poster that I’m going to make copies of to share with these students - a very personal souvenir to remember this day by!<br />
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I hope that your Earthday adventures were as educational and inspirational as the one that I participated in and on behalf of Mother Earth I extend unto you a soulful and heartfelt ‘Thank You!’<br />
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Mr. JimJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17906564130769891598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486758478298250026.post-43435752950072484112012-04-19T09:56:00.003-07:002012-04-19T10:03:49.040-07:00Earthday InvitesAcross the globe ‘Green and Clean’ events are in full swing as we humans get back in touch with dear ol’ Mother Nature! I’m here today to invite you to two special events that are happening over this coming weekend…<br /><div><br />Last year, I wrote a small series of stories to raise awareness about an environmental issue that is happening in the area where I grew up, just north of Toronto.<br /><br />History of the Mega-Quarry issue:<br /><a href="http://bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.ca/2011/06/dufferin-county-jobs-and-destruction.html">http://bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.ca/2011/06/dufferin-county-jobs-and-destruction.html<br /></a><br />Since then (what over 40, 000 people have been doing about this):<br /><a href="http://bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.ca/2011/10/foodstock.html">http://bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.ca/2011/10/foodstock.html</a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRr2_mjpyra5KsmmJcSx3WsmhPXAx0yvJXqGTUeb6-3dnzvoBYAb-XJk9G_NpCi08Vc7e7UOsOn-YyYiNtCLh6of7zYpeeVmha3Y-IoO0fDDs3oAqjbYqeJmeJR3OEfi6yJ8rWWro73OJX/s1600/megaquarryad.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 284px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRr2_mjpyra5KsmmJcSx3WsmhPXAx0yvJXqGTUeb6-3dnzvoBYAb-XJk9G_NpCi08Vc7e7UOsOn-YyYiNtCLh6of7zYpeeVmha3Y-IoO0fDDs3oAqjbYqeJmeJR3OEfi6yJ8rWWro73OJX/s400/megaquarryad.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5733157804561839602" border="0" /></a><br />Now:<br />The View From Here – Artists Against the Mega-Quarry<br />Art Exhibition and Sale<br />Evening Event with local food and live music… and of course, lots of art.<br />Saturday, April 21st, 2012<br />7pm – 10pm<br />Honeywood Arena, Honeywood, Ontario<br />Tickets are $20.00 and to get them you should email <a href="mailto:viewfromhere2012@gmail.com">viewfromhere2012@gmail.com</a> – although if you just showed up I imagine that you’d be able to buy a ticket at the door.<br /><br />This event continues on Earthday, April 22, 2012 from 11am to 5pm for viewing, buying and bidding (auction style) on the many artworks that have been created to support this cause.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ7B7Vx0nRj-ZFe4Q_uRWhlKyovRS0TFNMPxpULLt5KmSjPTWeyASrhZqJJJHuUgAot7DQ7_ARMY9Ik6OVIRxG47b1BFwWiH-qa53dCJ3EzB3t13XjNnFY8KuvH8QcMY3KoKeR64q_ODLH/s1600/TheFaintestSound.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 297px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ7B7Vx0nRj-ZFe4Q_uRWhlKyovRS0TFNMPxpULLt5KmSjPTWeyASrhZqJJJHuUgAot7DQ7_ARMY9Ik6OVIRxG47b1BFwWiH-qa53dCJ3EzB3t13XjNnFY8KuvH8QcMY3KoKeR64q_ODLH/s400/TheFaintestSound.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5733157814383113826" border="0" /></a><br />I was hoping to be able to attend this event, but I have other events, here in London, that are going to be keeping me rather busy. However, I was able to create a copy of one of my landscapes inspired by this region of Ontario, to donate to this effort. I won’t be in attendance but one of my artworks will be!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb02_otS2zdpzwQTIjZpiWom29ug3_mV4_FMtpXVHCkQnOv6W7OIE0xrZSqqc0kw0uD1vNYF1TCmxdptAwelGmmZwLOO5CDs2foespTFiJ8qhzHicxG7eCE_nyVcuNBLMmFJK_bQDxEJo0/s1600/earthday.sticker.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 304px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb02_otS2zdpzwQTIjZpiWom29ug3_mV4_FMtpXVHCkQnOv6W7OIE0xrZSqqc0kw0uD1vNYF1TCmxdptAwelGmmZwLOO5CDs2foespTFiJ8qhzHicxG7eCE_nyVcuNBLMmFJK_bQDxEJo0/s400/earthday.sticker.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5733157794945855954" border="0" /></a><br />This coming Sunday, April 22, 2012 from 11am to 3pm I will be planting trees at Watson Park, London, Ontario. Watson Park is on the east side of Wellington Road, between South St. and Grand Ave.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyq13JbzmfsZVOnGsjm1yeNJQk7jhwjrCTjDRNuGZoC5Xo7f43wVycnv7IpFNVZ9VpWV8f22sI2EMwZkYtt1MNqAtqRectynVVStUh7h-pGoe5rc7bJYPLwl_pg8hm36O1Qz4im-DOeA93/s1600/32.baldheadedeagle.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 304px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyq13JbzmfsZVOnGsjm1yeNJQk7jhwjrCTjDRNuGZoC5Xo7f43wVycnv7IpFNVZ9VpWV8f22sI2EMwZkYtt1MNqAtqRectynVVStUh7h-pGoe5rc7bJYPLwl_pg8hm36O1Qz4im-DOeA93/s400/32.baldheadedeagle.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5733157461311438818" border="0" /></a><br />Last year, they had a Birds of Prey display and talk with many amazing feathered friends.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrZGV-DVfDpFGMn1mxGhpzpeTwq6XKFqxaF4us1Y2CvS1ypooBJU0gRtuoV2zBmuM_Z3puDg4OVJ6QvV46p9sEfhvUV-GRJhREDTADz69dlPyCwCoI6YXWIaLITvRMj0hvsGCMY0XPRx_O/s1600/34.mandala.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 254px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrZGV-DVfDpFGMn1mxGhpzpeTwq6XKFqxaF4us1Y2CvS1ypooBJU0gRtuoV2zBmuM_Z3puDg4OVJ6QvV46p9sEfhvUV-GRJhREDTADz69dlPyCwCoI6YXWIaLITvRMj0hvsGCMY0XPRx_O/s400/34.mandala.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5733157467471138450" border="0" /></a><br />Throughout the day, everyone got involved with creating this unique art display using pine cones, broken branches and dried grasses.<br /><br />There was a bbq stand to keep our bellies full, jugglers and face painters to keep our faces smiling and reporters snapping pics and chatting with all the families about how much fun it is to do positive things to care for our Earth.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOV4UdS-pLImnaPGud99p5PaBeEOrP-bMjrKydFxKFATWFRWeVRXcYoTmS3AixJSDU4__VT4-uMQLgIBmY-hOGBio81u9_uNlTowhYJinXqQIBBJ3MPrH-6PoNRpK-jb8fD7t-74NlSI4n/s1600/24.treeplanting.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 251px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOV4UdS-pLImnaPGud99p5PaBeEOrP-bMjrKydFxKFATWFRWeVRXcYoTmS3AixJSDU4__VT4-uMQLgIBmY-hOGBio81u9_uNlTowhYJinXqQIBBJ3MPrH-6PoNRpK-jb8fD7t-74NlSI4n/s400/24.treeplanting.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5733157452162254466" border="0" /></a><br />If you are in the area, drop by and help me plant a tree – I will have my pockets full of Peace Stik-ers to share with you!<br /><br />Jim</div>Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17906564130769891598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486758478298250026.post-76193490823149314432012-04-10T10:05:00.006-07:002012-04-10T10:21:19.463-07:00Temagami and Me(An Artist Should I Learn To Be)<br /><div>Part VII<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiUXungHbH0GxAx_TkApeMgYWXdArECzPjAibqRvrOWq6cKRgbx2KCZNGjypwvCNR0U2AyZ4Ue8cKOy8jJf0lmwe0OrRkdrxika4Va52Bg6awvLYLzQqO6mow1v_4YQ2lW2e_F5z6lLBPZ/s1600/peacefulwarrior.fullimage.b.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 306px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiUXungHbH0GxAx_TkApeMgYWXdArECzPjAibqRvrOWq6cKRgbx2KCZNGjypwvCNR0U2AyZ4Ue8cKOy8jJf0lmwe0OrRkdrxika4Va52Bg6awvLYLzQqO6mow1v_4YQ2lW2e_F5z6lLBPZ/s400/peacefulwarrior.fullimage.b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729822854990695442" border="0" /></a><br />The Peaceful Warrior<br />Paper Collage on Drawing Board<br />14” x 20”<br />2006<br /><br />It had taken Alan and me over five months to plan and prepare for our ten day walk across Southern Ontario to raise awareness about the clear-cut logging that was planned for the Temagami forestland. We had overcome many obstacles and challenges and in the end we had completed what we had set out to do. A short time later, Alan and I laughed when we thought about the fact that we still hadn’t been to Temagami to see what we had worked so hard to protect!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-V_qgR1rDKl09RrkU7GGhbXoX71xWeGcGOOwsQZ9FMMeV97-7FFsaZBNkrZ5H9BpeeVQKxvGgg2C5-4FNo3b3StcgA6NTr6UmNigPQLMoExoJCcSmlfOz5hTulw9k5_rBA1lESZKj0TuN/s1600/landscape02.b.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 276px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-V_qgR1rDKl09RrkU7GGhbXoX71xWeGcGOOwsQZ9FMMeV97-7FFsaZBNkrZ5H9BpeeVQKxvGgg2C5-4FNo3b3StcgA6NTr6UmNigPQLMoExoJCcSmlfOz5hTulw9k5_rBA1lESZKj0TuN/s400/landscape02.b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729822317451809394" border="0" /></a><br />We wanted to travel together, but our work schedules didn’t allow that to happen. Alan made his own journey to the Northern Ontario forest and had many wonderful adventures. Joanne (my then girlfriend and my now wife) and I prepared for our own journey.<br /><br />We found ourselves in the heart of the old growth forest for three life-changing days! We enjoyed a peace that we have yet to experience again, since that time.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxqn36_tYlB1z2OjSDbMx_NnBC0VdYz9_1WabX55m8ky-7JCa_uSVDfHnRr6vtihJwwAQNIhLFocxFOucHUZgjyhTIsAA06Fp5IvelPv4XSvbUpAKtH0CX7WxDMuAcYZqn5sSk01R1ENj1/s1600/temagami+landscape.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 276px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxqn36_tYlB1z2OjSDbMx_NnBC0VdYz9_1WabX55m8ky-7JCa_uSVDfHnRr6vtihJwwAQNIhLFocxFOucHUZgjyhTIsAA06Fp5IvelPv4XSvbUpAKtH0CX7WxDMuAcYZqn5sSk01R1ENj1/s400/temagami+landscape.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729822849060938130" border="0" /></a><br />I was in awe of the energy that I felt flowing from, through and over the land. Untouched in over 10 000 years, the trees, rocks and water sand a song to me about ancient times. I listened more closely and I could also hear the beavers, birds and dragonflies humming a tune about future days.<br /><br />Our days were filled with sunshine and our nights were a window to the heavens. The waters were clean and the air was fresh and pure. I felt uniquely special for being able to experience this land in this way with the one I love.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDUGfME6LSQk-Sd6flMDTGzVFJv7eWDj_IawGsqYwwqkySfAdjxyFRgpZCPfWPutg2wF2I8f_0OZzSmuxYmZYObQoY1YBjjQm5ue9BuR2te6dGitNx-u650WqNfnD6iEwxrlwHLhI70ImH/s1600/landscape05.b.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 261px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDUGfME6LSQk-Sd6flMDTGzVFJv7eWDj_IawGsqYwwqkySfAdjxyFRgpZCPfWPutg2wF2I8f_0OZzSmuxYmZYObQoY1YBjjQm5ue9BuR2te6dGitNx-u650WqNfnD6iEwxrlwHLhI70ImH/s400/landscape05.b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729822324318022290" border="0" /></a><br />As we were hiking along old hunting trails, endeavouring to find our way out of the forest, I heard a whispering voice in the breeze. This echo of the wind that blew through the trees’ branches asked me to share this story of love and beauty with the world. I acknowledged this request with a smile and a nod of my head, though at that time I had no idea exactly how I would do this.<br /><br />A week later, I had a profound dream. A dream that would open up a brand new world for my mind and my spirit. A dream that would pull the blankets back, lift me from bed and lead me to my drawing table.<br /><br />Joanne appeared in the entrance of our living room, rubbing her eyes, wondering what I was doing up at 3:00 am. “I had a vision come to me, just now, and I felt the need to draw it while it still remains in my mind,” I stated. “Who knows?… I just might end up being an artist!”<br /><br />The End<br /><br />+ + +<br /><br />So… there you have it folks! The end of the seven part story that tells the tale about how one man surrounded by many family, friends and supporters was able to learn about and share inspiration about the Temagami forestland, and how that experience changed his (er – I mean ‘my’) life.<br /><br />I hope that you’ve enjoyed it!<br /><br />+ + +<br /><br />I mentioned in my last blog how Alan and I had estimated that because of all the media support we had received, around 130 000 people had heard of Temagami for their first time. A very impressive number!!!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWKEils_pS4TTyEw1NGNRizptGWg4YFlXEr4lHel6giHkWhgCsRun31yGNNiKrLZ62OosJF0Hz5ubzZw4WrPHdUPTXXWliJV9sjiGMDj1R9v9BQ64RRLUENuOYKkZaWnEDAFE5iI04L-Ij/s1600/athenaeum.2004.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 309px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWKEils_pS4TTyEw1NGNRizptGWg4YFlXEr4lHel6giHkWhgCsRun31yGNNiKrLZ62OosJF0Hz5ubzZw4WrPHdUPTXXWliJV9sjiGMDj1R9v9BQ64RRLUENuOYKkZaWnEDAFE5iI04L-Ij/s400/athenaeum.2004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729821080123243938" border="0" /></a><br />Since then, I would estimate that I’ve been sharing tales across Canada, with the help of over thirteen different newspapers, a few arts and crafts magazines as well as radio and television interviews. In each of these interviews I always share the story of my first inspiration – Temagami.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7JaqPrJVF3Gk-VBGGVU3KRuEVEKk9sAuPhMIGDkgqu02pH6fzZ_CjWjkAk7shScp4xCoqTJYEWECLsFIJrzdbxdiGjg7gCw4QWTGVU5UCmV6YeIPJMHCMT28p9Pt4ebo_AWtS0HDkJAa1/s1600/athenaeum.2004.b.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 348px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7JaqPrJVF3Gk-VBGGVU3KRuEVEKk9sAuPhMIGDkgqu02pH6fzZ_CjWjkAk7shScp4xCoqTJYEWECLsFIJrzdbxdiGjg7gCw4QWTGVU5UCmV6YeIPJMHCMT28p9Pt4ebo_AWtS0HDkJAa1/s400/athenaeum.2004.b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729821114011377394" border="0" /></a><br />I would now estimate that with these additional media spotlights that the forestland of the Temagami region has been heard about and read about by over one million people from around the world – some of my television interviews have been broadcast as far away as Australia.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgynmWEZigsJVfo-xIddwg0fdegZVMwYchYyJWdCLoh6-3HogR2tKf_Y-Jcrgb_biZXgqukk903v1f4VcGmKULIA9xRUXWpO9K23nYeeovJ1v1sw9HrSL2dMtmujVp56rJChyynKuu-FJjt/s1600/athenaeum.2004.detail.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 381px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgynmWEZigsJVfo-xIddwg0fdegZVMwYchYyJWdCLoh6-3HogR2tKf_Y-Jcrgb_biZXgqukk903v1f4VcGmKULIA9xRUXWpO9K23nYeeovJ1v1sw9HrSL2dMtmujVp56rJChyynKuu-FJjt/s400/athenaeum.2004.detail.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729821072140056274" border="0" /></a><br />One man shares a message with millions!!!!! Not bad considering I’m not a sports celebrity or rock star!<br /><br />+ + +<br /><br />‘Peaceful Warrior’ was created using paper collage techniques (using bits of paper cut out of magazines) that I have taught myself over the many years. I love how colours can be manipulated to create so many moods and depths to an art peace – notice how the sky changes from a light blue to a dark blue as it recedes into the distance.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCD_iqGIiLwngcTHDCof3RiL2s_qEWObu90tix4RsASWMzH_h6EOKYJRBxm28qhFvADPlgpWEQO7Ch4PA3gkATrA3sJmbVoz61DBnsrF2jVUO2vNfbZAhn9sibG1ii9OcwNQ92vhpGtCOM/s1600/peacefulwarrior.detail.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 378px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCD_iqGIiLwngcTHDCof3RiL2s_qEWObu90tix4RsASWMzH_h6EOKYJRBxm28qhFvADPlgpWEQO7Ch4PA3gkATrA3sJmbVoz61DBnsrF2jVUO2vNfbZAhn9sibG1ii9OcwNQ92vhpGtCOM/s400/peacefulwarrior.detail.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729822863791242082" border="0" /></a><br />This is the story of one tree (I’ve always compared this tree to be me – so in this way this art could be considered a self portrait) standing solidly as a protector of the forest in the far background. The sky is tranquil, dotted with a few fluffy clouds. The river meanders peaceful by the sandy beaches and the rocky terrain. All the elements that are ‘Temagami’ are present in this artwork. The concept of ‘reflections’ is also present as we see a small portion of the tree reflecting in the river’s water.<br /><br />+ + +<br /><br />I’ve mentioned how each of these seven artworks ended up being given to my close friends and family. I really wanted to keep this one for myself, cuz I just love it so much. But, I had already chosen my most favourite of this series ‘Earth Angel’, so I had to find a home for ‘Peaceful Warrior’.<br /><br />This was an easy task. I had actually negotiated its new owners before my yearlong art tour began.<br /><br />To prepare all seven artworks for this art tour, many of them had to be mounted, matted and framed behind glass. This was a problem for me, cuz I didn’t have any money to pay for this service. I approached a local art/framing gallery and asked if we could make a deal where they provided this service and in exchange I would provide them advertising at each of my exhibits. The owners thought that what I was doing was a wonderful thing, so they gave me much consideration. In the end, a deal was struck where they would provide this service for me, but in exchange they wanted me to give them 'Peaceful Warrior’ at the end of my art tour. A deal was made and we shook hands.<br /><br />+ + +<br /><br />‘Peaceful Warrior’ really struck a chord in my heart. Maybe this was because I did consider it to be a self-portrait. Needless to say, I have missed it over the years.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSAYMi2Z65e1dIzDjxBsF_2ebJAjPa6uBIhe1yXN8RwoZQwUdI-tB7DP-nvS_KXyIl_NvD-m7DOTZd9guvqekOXYHx2hMS61ENmgIKxljLuPstMTJa9k28Phtzz2IDIx5rfoFruV4oCzzZ/s1600/temagamipine.final.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 197px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSAYMi2Z65e1dIzDjxBsF_2ebJAjPa6uBIhe1yXN8RwoZQwUdI-tB7DP-nvS_KXyIl_NvD-m7DOTZd9guvqekOXYHx2hMS61ENmgIKxljLuPstMTJa9k28Phtzz2IDIx5rfoFruV4oCzzZ/s400/temagamipine.final.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729822334780242466" border="0" /></a><br />Because I love it so much, I have felt inspired to recreate this image on a number of occasions.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ArXuejfbsT4jzHocsB_xiU7UoHWOcZSGlrwcjv_ejKLOtg8pGIpgChJwBhUKy9din0T8_vTJV707IFmxrgOqny4g389tiFFI9piL-3l5qYLYCQKaCM-noKEnS-U-MEEiJdTLr-CSKz6g/s1600/day02.progress02.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 306px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ArXuejfbsT4jzHocsB_xiU7UoHWOcZSGlrwcjv_ejKLOtg8pGIpgChJwBhUKy9din0T8_vTJV707IFmxrgOqny4g389tiFFI9piL-3l5qYLYCQKaCM-noKEnS-U-MEEiJdTLr-CSKz6g/s400/day02.progress02.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729821647924830306" border="0" /></a><br />Every time this image came to life, the story of Temagami was told again.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQkBlspy2OjI_XpqvtSs17UqttQVeBiZB7Y0uPuJQ8BE3G7x5PqrhyphenhyphenQpUBr19ZfAyKjlYIMZMBgET2IrCnet5AwFn_zv-9sPvGKV5Y0iC_ArIqKy60R9tTVVK5hv8ub2tU-vp_gBIhJfX/s1600/day03.progress01.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 306px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQkBlspy2OjI_XpqvtSs17UqttQVeBiZB7Y0uPuJQ8BE3G7x5PqrhyphenhyphenQpUBr19ZfAyKjlYIMZMBgET2IrCnet5AwFn_zv-9sPvGKV5Y0iC_ArIqKy60R9tTVVK5hv8ub2tU-vp_gBIhJfX/s400/day03.progress01.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729821664350379586" border="0" /></a><br />Yes – the image was altered slightly. I got rid of the rocks and the river because the technique that I was teaching was very difficult for these grade 2 and 3 students.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5GhgZ89X-HlTK5ylzklTCfIGfhUjk7oMFnYsPbcO-qraVFicTSHHzXnlv62Y1T0DSw2aryx-R1W0_P3xifKkbWUYkf2iuQDAiafCJaYox2HNp5n6lVG7c0hICyOUK4PT0ox7SNJTttY_e/s1600/class02.group.smiles.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 316px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5GhgZ89X-HlTK5ylzklTCfIGfhUjk7oMFnYsPbcO-qraVFicTSHHzXnlv62Y1T0DSw2aryx-R1W0_P3xifKkbWUYkf2iuQDAiafCJaYox2HNp5n6lVG7c0hICyOUK4PT0ox7SNJTttY_e/s400/class02.group.smiles.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729821631934365746" border="0" /></a><br />The techniques that I taught during these classes were meant to resemble ‘paper collage’, just using paint and brushes instead.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVbP9bN8fH6GVaksc7ws8H_YlhYpIJTSvsBYq88GolR7YoH2t5hQSCkTY-oClkmmnnKcDvZW3rBsANBfC2ogpTxUTMXyiRmPbjpqdpthrQ_AWy3McrrQ1cmm_JGxSp55MfCMpNrIYgqtn2/s1600/day03.group.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 264px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVbP9bN8fH6GVaksc7ws8H_YlhYpIJTSvsBYq88GolR7YoH2t5hQSCkTY-oClkmmnnKcDvZW3rBsANBfC2ogpTxUTMXyiRmPbjpqdpthrQ_AWy3McrrQ1cmm_JGxSp55MfCMpNrIYgqtn2/s400/day03.group.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729821658881404866" border="0" /></a><br />The students loved to see how all their colour blending created such an unusual yet striking texture when the work was complete.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg09jGWAL6Giz9vmOs_d1xuOnnxMdN2AwH8j_DJDV523dZtWLNLGVLdpjbqTFM46zATboNV4C2Wj7KQ8UqeO1lkdtuy2PBL0IesT2E0xr8jjaBdqCqbPA02cWZmy2K1hfiQSQXsX6kw5Wd-/s1600/day3.progress03.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 306px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg09jGWAL6Giz9vmOs_d1xuOnnxMdN2AwH8j_DJDV523dZtWLNLGVLdpjbqTFM46zATboNV4C2Wj7KQ8UqeO1lkdtuy2PBL0IesT2E0xr8jjaBdqCqbPA02cWZmy2K1hfiQSQXsX6kw5Wd-/s400/day3.progress03.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729821673201974514" border="0" /></a><br />The Temagami forestland has been thriving and surviving on this planet of ours for over 10 000 years. I’ve only had the pleasure of making its acquaintance just a short 16 years ago. Since then, I’ve learned how to use the lessons that it taught me in many ways, offering inspiration to my fellow Canadians as well as the many international readers of this blog.<br /><br />Continuously, I hope and pray that more people will become involved in this story and the many countless other environmental struggles that face our global civilization, so that the Earth’s inspiration will continue to flourish for all future generations.<br /><br />‘Nuf Said<br /><br />Jim</div>Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17906564130769891598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486758478298250026.post-47919683462400527692012-04-03T13:48:00.004-07:002012-04-03T14:00:00.519-07:00Temagami and Me(An Artist Should I Learn To Be)<br /><div>Part VI<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRAWN4K8dqpJq68l0dwAkyPcECSNw4BlLjqZDCng5vObk8smdnmhShhwMPy0AR_9otm3tZn84GtyWhSvwLxh0JnUBF2f0kwJhecAwbBL2nAhs1u2yg2L_UAiha2-aXJqGPuJxLOd4cFckW/s1600/dawnchorus.02.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRAWN4K8dqpJq68l0dwAkyPcECSNw4BlLjqZDCng5vObk8smdnmhShhwMPy0AR_9otm3tZn84GtyWhSvwLxh0JnUBF2f0kwJhecAwbBL2nAhs1u2yg2L_UAiha2-aXJqGPuJxLOd4cFckW/s400/dawnchorus.02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5727280206655401650" border="0" /></a><br />Dawn Chorus<br />Colour Inks on Drawing Board<br />14” x 9”<br />2006<br /><br />Upon completion of our exhausting journey throughout ten communities in Southern Ontario, Alan and I spent a period of time reflecting on our experiences. We discussed the events that had happened and we wondered about the things that were still to come.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRvyHKdWT4o1CBEvtFb065_WAcOEFnGUlHfWeiWTmamoYYPB8mi4AmZglQFP_WdYhKddE4DgDmbL_oas3o5ha9WyXNOG6q6PRmyfyZd2myEidHTgS-KuHROnDrhmMBB3g8Kj4xso_D5awA/s1600/temagami.news.cambridge.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 361px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRvyHKdWT4o1CBEvtFb065_WAcOEFnGUlHfWeiWTmamoYYPB8mi4AmZglQFP_WdYhKddE4DgDmbL_oas3o5ha9WyXNOG6q6PRmyfyZd2myEidHTgS-KuHROnDrhmMBB3g8Kj4xso_D5awA/s400/temagami.news.cambridge.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5727280251744538354" border="0" /></a><br />We had set out to educate people and raise awareness about the issues of clear-cut forestry practices that were happening in the Temagami region of Northern Ontario and we both agreed that we had, indeed, accomplished that goal. With all of the support we received from many local businesses, the newspaper, television and radio media and community grass roots organizations, we calculated that between 80 000 – 130 000 people in Southern Ontario were now aware of Temagami’s existence and it’s struggle for survival. We were more than impressed!!<br /><br />We spent many hours sharing stories of our adventures with our family and friends. Out of the many events that happened, two significant moments shine in my memory…<br /><br />Our public presentation consisting of music, photographs and video recordings was a very dramatic expression, to say the least. I can remember, on several occasions, becoming very emotionally involved in the words I had prepared to share with our audiences.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEjC2OLRUwggkokhKoZDrOTpyKeTsAQDbrw9DxGNsVssH1Blq-vzWcmmkCybKm_o8W7H_oCEkPcDUDgXiYg2Uffp9hfrpJLE6XksP7liTvBydAtSy3OWTU9zxXdGYg13IILD0bPnJMGVVT/s1600/kevin+jim.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 246px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEjC2OLRUwggkokhKoZDrOTpyKeTsAQDbrw9DxGNsVssH1Blq-vzWcmmkCybKm_o8W7H_oCEkPcDUDgXiYg2Uffp9hfrpJLE6XksP7liTvBydAtSy3OWTU9zxXdGYg13IILD0bPnJMGVVT/s400/kevin+jim.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5727280216589234050" border="0" /></a><br />At one of our venues a mother had brought her three year old son along to learn about Nature and humanities responsibility to act respectfully towards all of life’s wonderful creations… including the Temagami forestland. Later, when the presentation was over and we were about to have the ‘lighting of the torches’, this mother called me off to the side for some private words. With tears in her eyes she clasped my hands and leaning in she whispered softly in my ear, “Thank you.” She then hugged me, and looked down to her son and while smoothing his hair with her hand she said, “I’ll make sure that my son never forgets the lessons and understandings that were shared here, this evening.”<br /><br />A few days later we were in the town of New Hamburg. It is a smaller town, but it showed us that it was filled with a lot of heart. Only seven people attended our presentation and no one thought that this was a bad thing.<br /><br />A mother with two teenage daughters asked what our plans were for the night. I told her that Alan and I had a four hour walk ahead of us before we reached our prearranged campsite. The campsite was to be an area of untilled farmland at the back of a farmer’s field. She knew that we had to set off on our walk very shortly, and with gleams of star-shine in her eyes she simply asked if we could wait for half an hour before we departed. We did.<br /><br />A short time later, I could hear singing and laughing, thumping and bumping and a lot of “Hooras!!!” in the distance. I nudged Alan and said, “It sounds like the town is having some sort of parade on the same day as our walk.” The sounds grew ever louder as they grew ever closer. Moments later, a group of five adults with twelve children loaded with hiking gear, tents, pillows, pots and walking sticks rounded the corner. We recognized several faces from our presentation. Alan and I looked at each other in absolute amazement!!!!<br /><br />In the morning, the farmer who had shared his land with us, came to wish us a good day. He was rather speechless for a few moments as he looked upon our entourage of over twenty people, as we busied ourselves preparing breakfast under a row of trees that edged his field. He was delighted to sit with us to share a warm drink and listen to all the excited stories that the children had to share with him.<br /><br />I smiled and my heart grew a size bigger, that morning.<br /><br />(To be continued…)<br /><br />+ + +<br /><br />‘Dawn Chorus’ is, again, based on a photograph that I took while adventuring throughout the Temagami region…<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge8oWnfK-IqrR_kKLEicnIpYD8Uv_7hJ7P5daRCoD-BwOfotD_djaaLbEnXG5KExOv6JFyffrU8tG5fXPZk2ajqt63oUoTmGftFAjNDSUNQXbRGYWMRhLGF9Er0NYY7k8RIa99EZXSeBdk/s1600/landscape01.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 263px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge8oWnfK-IqrR_kKLEicnIpYD8Uv_7hJ7P5daRCoD-BwOfotD_djaaLbEnXG5KExOv6JFyffrU8tG5fXPZk2ajqt63oUoTmGftFAjNDSUNQXbRGYWMRhLGF9Er0NYY7k8RIa99EZXSeBdk/s400/landscape01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5727280229991566466" border="0" /></a><br />I’d mentioned near the beginning of this short story series, that I learned about Temagami while attending presentations given by environmental organizations that had been working towards changing government policies to protect these endangered forestlands. While I was having my own personal adventures in this region, I happened along this group’s ‘protest camp’ that was set up just outside the next area that had been slated for logging.<br /><br />I was invited to spend some time with this group and soon I was looking for an area where I could set up my tent. I found a large clearing along the edge of a wide river – it was a very peaceful place. I spent a lot of time with the people in this group – all of us excited to be sharing stories of our individual experiences over the last several months.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn9BrBxnG2Lu01DNmo-RrWrj4jAawPwnxEMS2dIPD4MDc3YtXqfPFcwHWX1_4EOoSXr_5jrIUzSKvZIvlvj58vNWxvPHwqbBG7_Ayz9bljWZuvreo5SIr2C7rK241SBc87NQ9IoF9kscae/s1600/lilypads.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn9BrBxnG2Lu01DNmo-RrWrj4jAawPwnxEMS2dIPD4MDc3YtXqfPFcwHWX1_4EOoSXr_5jrIUzSKvZIvlvj58vNWxvPHwqbBG7_Ayz9bljWZuvreo5SIr2C7rK241SBc87NQ9IoF9kscae/s400/lilypads.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5727280259894026146" border="0" /></a><br />Together, we went for hikes through the forests. We got lost on one occasion causing all of us to have to cross through a swamp to find the trail, again. We spent the evening cooking dinners over a fire that was surrounded with wet boots and socks!<br /><br />I also enjoyed many moments on my own. For hours I sat by<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicW6MK6arPrJ0ZLJhU2K9bG4cfrcS4J7DsinLiJrb0aI3IipQLla3_nYYbgxFGz5DNTTqZQ15JNgkb07r7nN8uteW7FGDnppGLeT-JpAo6HLUsHS6-UEsRHTglFYtprt48DRBYY4CUnHJI/s1600/mass.superconsciousness.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 286px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicW6MK6arPrJ0ZLJhU2K9bG4cfrcS4J7DsinLiJrb0aI3IipQLla3_nYYbgxFGz5DNTTqZQ15JNgkb07r7nN8uteW7FGDnppGLeT-JpAo6HLUsHS6-UEsRHTglFYtprt48DRBYY4CUnHJI/s320/mass.superconsciousness.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5727280703586195138" border="0" /></a> the slow moving river, looking across the shore to the forest on the other bank. I meditated in my own fashion and found myself lost, on several occasions, in the rhythms and heartbeats of this forest. The energies of growth and vibrations of the Earth slipped in and out of my mind and my soul. I felt that I had ‘touched’ the Earth for the first time in my life.<br /><br />I woke rather early, one morning, and I crawled out of my tent, wrapped in blankets so that I could experience a morning sunrise. As the sun began to push back the night stars a thick, eerie and mysterious fog began to form on top of the surface of this river. I took several photographs to try to capture this evolving moment. ‘Dawn Chorus’ is based on one of these photos.<br /><br />Like many of the artworks created in this ‘Group of Seven’ series depicting the beauty of the Temagami forestland, ‘Dawn Chorus’ is based on concepts of reflection. While other artworks were designed around just one reflection, I felt compelled to add a second reflection to this art peace.<br /><br />Near the top of this artwork we see a reflected ghost-like apparition. This is the fog that rose and settled upon the river. As we travel down the art we see an upside down silhouette of the forest. This is the forest reflecting on the surface of the river. Also reflected on the river is the morning sky, filled with gentle clouds and the bursting colours of the morning sun.<br /><br />The second reflection found in this artwork is found near the left side. Quite simply, I added a mirror line and reflected the original reflection a second time on a vertical axis. The idea manifested in my designing mind and I just thought that I would look nice – adding more textures for the viewer to enjoy.<br /><br />The title ‘Dawn Chorus’ came to mind on the morning when I experienced this sunrise. As the moment was unfolding I was thinking of Earth spirits – the undulating fogs looked like shape-shifting beings/angels/spirits - a choir, singing a chorus of celebration for the dawn. A chorus that embodied the word ‘hope’. As these thoughts were flirting with my brain I could here the banging of a deep drum and feel the electric pulse of Dave Sharp’s guitar while Mike Peters leans towards a microphone….<br /><br />Dawn Chorus (excerpt)<br />By The Alarm<br /><br />The tension in this world<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEC9VWWOZcz9RTX1oyi6jdmPRexXyj_uP4da3vstFXBg3F3ZJ0PTszXDxhjEWwhqKzQsSM0mPFGsblX0au-UVSGdhQveMoi5PZ3T7J5eZCnogF83QuOBuE3x-BSO9DP5bSYBOLhxxGEt9Z/s1600/dave+mike.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEC9VWWOZcz9RTX1oyi6jdmPRexXyj_uP4da3vstFXBg3F3ZJ0PTszXDxhjEWwhqKzQsSM0mPFGsblX0au-UVSGdhQveMoi5PZ3T7J5eZCnogF83QuOBuE3x-BSO9DP5bSYBOLhxxGEt9Z/s320/dave+mike.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5727280910894710594" border="0" /></a><br />Keeps me from sleep<br />I’m hungry and cold<br />There’s a weight hanging over my shoulder<br />A rain black cloud of doubt<br /><br />Have I got enough love? Have I got enough hope?<br />Enough strength to face the world each day?<br />I know there’s an answer somewhere in this night<br />I see it each time I look in your eyes<br /><br />I’m walking in a wild place<br />I am banging on the gates<br />On the other side of the tracks, babe<br />Hoping that someone’s gonna hear me pray<br /><br />Oh there’s a dawn chorus breaking out all over this town<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=it2aSevdVAo">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=it2aSevdVAo</a><br /><br />At that time, gazing across the river, I was naming the photograph I had just taken. It wouldn’t be for another decade when I would revisit this inspiration to bring this title to life again as it entitled a new peace of art.<br /><br />This artwork was presented to not just one childhood friend, but two! Teresa H. and I have known each other since elementary school and while in high school Teresa met her husband to be, who is also a friend of mine. Eric is a member of the Green Party of Canada and Teresa is a teacher, so I was very happy to know that this artwork would be residing in a home that could appreciate its significance.<br /><br />Jim</div>Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17906564130769891598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486758478298250026.post-57018148269024006422012-03-20T06:30:00.005-07:002012-03-20T06:36:04.171-07:00Temagami and Me(An Artist Should I Learn To Be)<br /><div>Part V<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqGkSfBxLkz2dDgF2cdyxOkyE9QqaEXA7L_5jq91shrwHInFR0UW_TDf_haGU07O3PGVdYV58Rv_hOl30ag7QMuyqH4bAOGsgICIqCfh-PbhhmpU1CYPR00nlTftPX4FIwyamZiGVx3H1K/s1600/three.soldiers.02.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 296px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqGkSfBxLkz2dDgF2cdyxOkyE9QqaEXA7L_5jq91shrwHInFR0UW_TDf_haGU07O3PGVdYV58Rv_hOl30ag7QMuyqH4bAOGsgICIqCfh-PbhhmpU1CYPR00nlTftPX4FIwyamZiGVx3H1K/s400/three.soldiers.02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5721972042308763746" border="0" /></a><br />Three Soldiers Standing<br />Needlepoint<br />9” x 7”<br />2006<br /><br />It was about one month before our “walk” throughout Southern Ontario was to begin. My partner, Alan <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4nXUm4qg_dWTxHCEfxW470QrOxDQNEyn2m6j8vbTIQEOuTkSWmqJu18qKTwYax90W1qC9tqHsTZg8pvmagWPLGLk0EGmyRbXWLrOQNH3IbynqWJGsKiohU42IOfw0Nalu6Uu5gtOpVGOz/s1600/t.construction02.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 304px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4nXUm4qg_dWTxHCEfxW470QrOxDQNEyn2m6j8vbTIQEOuTkSWmqJu18qKTwYax90W1qC9tqHsTZg8pvmagWPLGLk0EGmyRbXWLrOQNH3IbynqWJGsKiohU42IOfw0Nalu6Uu5gtOpVGOz/s320/t.construction02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5721972283476318386" border="0" /></a>and I were very excited to realize that our efforts in creating ‘The Temagami Trail Tribute’ would bring to the public’s attention this ancient forestland’s struggle for survival as bulldozers and chainsaws were being fueled. We had the venues for our presentations in ten communities organized, travel and documentary equipment had been sponsored and now we were ready to focus on promoting these events.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiConcoaRfFMeia2my58HdRE2GS8S8mGITd3wBcmMZUs5lUX_VcLp-xOsn8HZ-67KwX9QK2b7sEiuVHiPeH_aHTtkI-dHqOGWtEZgK0Z7SEToCKhUbC28oEQoz2y1gzydpvgcAkMOuKRYhW/s1600/TNEWS.02.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 316px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiConcoaRfFMeia2my58HdRE2GS8S8mGITd3wBcmMZUs5lUX_VcLp-xOsn8HZ-67KwX9QK2b7sEiuVHiPeH_aHTtkI-dHqOGWtEZgK0Z7SEToCKhUbC28oEQoz2y1gzydpvgcAkMOuKRYhW/s400/TNEWS.02.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5721971686486928162" border="0" /></a><br />Our next efforts concentrated on talking with reporters from each of the communities we were to visit. The overwhelming support that we received was very surprising and we were both greatly encouraged.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgedHKWBYutZs0ArYfFtDF3opzOgTR7Fz2_Xy_73AG2LeMEX0qtEof7jNsBP90EiS3Zm-BOvhpsif_0_t7icOPyc83cY8W9vgj9svxAtc1C7pK-deLRaxlvL5MiRlzSYZojMIKWNMgz__Aq/s1600/t.silhouette.02.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 316px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgedHKWBYutZs0ArYfFtDF3opzOgTR7Fz2_Xy_73AG2LeMEX0qtEof7jNsBP90EiS3Zm-BOvhpsif_0_t7icOPyc83cY8W9vgj9svxAtc1C7pK-deLRaxlvL5MiRlzSYZojMIKWNMgz__Aq/s400/t.silhouette.02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5721972025231532466" border="0" /></a><br />Each community newspaper wrote an article about our upcoming walk and what our goals were. These stories educated the public to realize that our environment was in jeopardy and many readers were inspired to learn more by attending our presentations. Reporters also attended our event and later, other stories were published to continue spotlighting the issues concerning clear-cut forestry practices in the Temagami region.<br /><br />During our time in Woodstock, Ontario the local radio station caught wind of our expedition and soon Alan and I were sitting in front of microphones with many thousands of people hearing our story. Because of this unexpected interest in our journey our audience, that afternoon, was significantly larger when compared to other venues.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAElUDiyoqSGet5J0YffIHj0laXDM4uS44mlbwbQXgbBSZykjzXYAtbWCXAcNZQjtTRF8tmWt5rpab1Yh1gAesj7bYKdGFEFGDzffNmj-h39cnXOFCu-Q9v9Hy2_S-exQUUd5ba6_tQBCX/s1600/police+escort.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 261px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAElUDiyoqSGet5J0YffIHj0laXDM4uS44mlbwbQXgbBSZykjzXYAtbWCXAcNZQjtTRF8tmWt5rpab1Yh1gAesj7bYKdGFEFGDzffNmj-h39cnXOFCu-Q9v9Hy2_S-exQUUd5ba6_tQBCX/s400/police+escort.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5721971671203598898" border="0" /></a><br />The local police helped with our walk, as well. After each presentation we asked those in attendance to join our walk for a short distance. Our small groups numbering from seven and sometimes up to twenty-five people filled the roadways for a kilometer or so and this turned quite a few heads. The police helped to clear traffic as our group traveled through each town with lit candles and torches.<br /><br />Although Alan and I were the leaders of this substantial effort, the successes that we reached came about because of the voluntary actions of a great number of caring people. We knew that alone we would not be able to ‘change the world’ and all of the support we received made us feel united with the people who would.<br /><br />(To be continued…)<br /><br />+ + +<br /><br />Three Soldiers Standing is the smallest of the seven artworks created in this series. It’s small in size, but it still took almost a month to complete.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAik55ZqdUIO5nNxFd_-iiaNOwBqq-AbEGsfCC4x5HRp4TIGhHNlaa2X-_K771fKtbxOpvkIo91KAFiExqxlHDsgbBYaXp6VLogR0164oGBcoSRwGAdlRWZ8rFWrx9k5nmhyphenhyphenvGafdZTpS7/s1600/logstitch.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 284px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAik55ZqdUIO5nNxFd_-iiaNOwBqq-AbEGsfCC4x5HRp4TIGhHNlaa2X-_K771fKtbxOpvkIo91KAFiExqxlHDsgbBYaXp6VLogR0164oGBcoSRwGAdlRWZ8rFWrx9k5nmhyphenhyphenvGafdZTpS7/s400/logstitch.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5721971666562659058" border="0" /></a><br />I dabbled in the world of needlepoint for a couple of years and I really enjoy all the different ways that coloured threads can be used to create interesting textures. I don’t think I used the traditional ‘cross-stitch’ even once during my self-taught training. The stitch that I’ve used in this artwork I have named ‘the log stitch’ cuz it looks like lots of different sized logs placed either vertically or horizontally on the canvas.<br /><br />The title comes from the three large White Pines that are found in the foreground of this distancing landscape – they are a bit darker than the rest of the trees in the foreground. The news article (above) has the caption “Temagami trek ‘last stand’ against forest destruction”. A ‘stand’ refers to a group of trees. The three White Pines reminded me of soldiers ‘stand’ing on guard and protecting the forest, thus the title ‘Three Soldiers Standing’.<br /><br />The title also was inspired with thoughts of hope for the Temagami forestland. Because of ongoing positive developments founded on the work of so many interlinked environmental protection groups, I believe that our future will include the Temagami forestland! More work still needs to be done – much more work – but the first initial steps have been laid and all of this positive action has inspired these ‘Three Soldiers’ to remain ‘Standing’ for as long as it takes to bring peace and under‘Standing’ to this ancient forestland and our distancing future.<br /><br />This series of seven artworks was entitled ‘Reflections of Temagami’ and in each artwork there is a reflection. Most of the artworks use a reflection as a main design feature, but this artwork doesn’t. The reflection in ‘Three Soldiers Standing’ is very subtle, and you can see it along the edges of the two small lakes.<br /><br />Again, this artwork was given to a close friend, after my year-long art tour had completed. Joe M. and I have known each other since Kindergarten and we had a chance to meet up at another friends wedding, a few years ago. Joe lives in the U.S. close to the west coast, so we rarely get a chance to visit. I could have mailed the artwork to him, but it was nicer to have been able to present it to him in person.<br /><br />Jim</div>Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17906564130769891598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486758478298250026.post-17924252850900439002012-03-11T11:47:00.002-07:002012-03-11T11:52:25.079-07:00Temagami and Me(An Artist Should I Learn To Be)<br />Part IV<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVWFjuNOIMdiSenAqC4oQKXtKa4uhtcL6nFS3KyQ6ysCxDttCR19toGw_lbVzQtuBOV8ghhwJvbQBelqCpurUMNMbfqBdU3m-2uaH1wOj1XRhqWkl4e3v_h0PCN3Ns0wzdp9S9rCKv6-Wd/s1600/for.breath.adetail.02.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVWFjuNOIMdiSenAqC4oQKXtKa4uhtcL6nFS3KyQ6ysCxDttCR19toGw_lbVzQtuBOV8ghhwJvbQBelqCpurUMNMbfqBdU3m-2uaH1wOj1XRhqWkl4e3v_h0PCN3Ns0wzdp9S9rCKv6-Wd/s400/for.breath.adetail.02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718713844579271314" border="0" /></a><br />Forest Breathing – A Detail<br />36” x 48”<br />Acrylic Paint on Canvas<br />2006<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC6YUkLtB3bC0fsomGAN_DlURxaCMZqzMv5vOKDwmwymEo3jbOaKnuu3gmZclIx-nJC1QVTEUSdRxhg_Z3gS-Mht6-W1DKszh4zKISK2nbx0BW2UElPOChaDlqlQnvEZsDBHMrUvE48SgX/s1600/t.lightingtorch.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 255px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC6YUkLtB3bC0fsomGAN_DlURxaCMZqzMv5vOKDwmwymEo3jbOaKnuu3gmZclIx-nJC1QVTEUSdRxhg_Z3gS-Mht6-W1DKszh4zKISK2nbx0BW2UElPOChaDlqlQnvEZsDBHMrUvE48SgX/s400/t.lightingtorch.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718714149878604706" border="0" /></a><br />Alan and I had decided to create a walk throughout Southern Ontario to raise awareness about the Temagami forestland and the threat to its survival. This walk became known as The Temagami Trail Tribute!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqiijQUC8SFC5hPkBxoLfRqma5xzCpjCMzZwRuK6IgWLSV2bkUqLQ8_tWgPhzjVYbI7B-la97IByDc7hRD5Q1h0RaKnyVwXKOTNn5tw0AtSwHfrDfpqrNIIxkYqki3OLTLHr5NS4KILiVg/s1600/t.100yearslater.02.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 376px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqiijQUC8SFC5hPkBxoLfRqma5xzCpjCMzZwRuK6IgWLSV2bkUqLQ8_tWgPhzjVYbI7B-la97IByDc7hRD5Q1h0RaKnyVwXKOTNn5tw0AtSwHfrDfpqrNIIxkYqki3OLTLHr5NS4KILiVg/s400/t.100yearslater.02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718713854347103522" border="0" /></a><br />Since Alan and I had never done anything like this before we first had to create a plan of action. We decided to focus our action on education. To do this we created a forty-five minute long presentation, using slides and music, to tell the story of how this problem came to exist and our hopes for a peaceful solution. The Klienburg Art Gallery donated many slides of the artworks created be THE GROUP OF SEVEN artists which were used in our presentation to showcase the beauty of our Northern forestlands.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil-XOUqPCifN5tDyiA4sFDEU-b7PlVtrbjwnitpm1SJUOep9svoZc8bq-07rcT2ZrO3ntqdfYUxeA7-UNSYHUuctDubT3uZxPeDquS0pFQzLK8bLgijz0Qocl3QKd9UugaXaMxVdp3Z1j2/s1600/ROUTE.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 283px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil-XOUqPCifN5tDyiA4sFDEU-b7PlVtrbjwnitpm1SJUOep9svoZc8bq-07rcT2ZrO3ntqdfYUxeA7-UNSYHUuctDubT3uZxPeDquS0pFQzLK8bLgijz0Qocl3QKd9UugaXaMxVdp3Z1j2/s400/ROUTE.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718713851636362802" border="0" /></a><br />Next we had to figure out how long our walk would be and where it would take us. Many days were spent looking at maps of Southern Ontario as we calculated how far we could walk in a day and where we would be spending our nights sleeping. We decided that a ten-day walk, visiting ten communities between London and Toronto would be a challenge that we could accomplish.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRM-Wi-dhhpGB3ZqbgoT6KAzucXniIEq6YWlSVQCUPkN2zune2_M46cBw2cm_D-Z3HFVfTg5BDrnVCM0R9Byj9ckxhvFjTlVKAPT7m1Zx-zkY2p5jAw620h_emQ7wXpyqS2IczgrgZGpj3/s1600/Tnews.01.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 340px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRM-Wi-dhhpGB3ZqbgoT6KAzucXniIEq6YWlSVQCUPkN2zune2_M46cBw2cm_D-Z3HFVfTg5BDrnVCM0R9Byj9ckxhvFjTlVKAPT7m1Zx-zkY2p5jAw620h_emQ7wXpyqS2IczgrgZGpj3/s400/Tnews.01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718714153525221426" border="0" /></a><br />After communities were chosen, we began contacting people within each community to arrange venues for our presentations. We received support and encouragement from everyone we spoke with. Every venue was donated to our cause and soon other businesses were helping us reach our goal. Novack's donated rain gear and hiking boots and Stan C. Reade donated film and camera equipment. Ecosource Paper, from British Columbia, donated all the hemp paper we needed for our promotional needs.<br /><br />One day I was making photocopies on the 'tree-free' paper and a gentleman inquired about what my partner and I were doing. He was so impressed with our dedication to such a noble cause that he paid for all of our flyers. All of this support was very encouraging and inspirational, but we still had a lot of work ahead of us…<br /><br />(to be continued…)<br /><br />+ + +<br /><br />My favourite subjects in high school and college were designing and drafting. In these courses we learned how valuable it is to create ‘detail’ drawings. A detail is like a zoomed in look at a particular area of a previous drawing. That was my inspiration for creating ‘Forest Breathing – A Detail’.<br /><br />I really enjoyed creating the canvas ‘Forest Breathing’ and I knew that there were more ideas in that painting that my brushes couldn’t explore the first time around. I wanted to explore different colours and different ways of applying my brush strokes. I didn’t want to recreate the same painting, so I thought of ideas that I had learned while I was in college studying architecture.<br /><br />I bought a different sized canvas – larger this time – and although I used the same colour slide image to create this painting, I zoomed in on just one smaller area, creating my detail.<br /><br />+ + +<br /><br />As I mentioned, in my last blog, I decided that I didn’t want to sell this group of artworks, after my year long tour through Southern Ontario was finished. I had decided to give them away, to family and close friends.<br /><br />This artwork was given to a friend who I have known since Kindergarten – almost my whole life.<br /><br />Mary-Jane S. lives close to the town where we went to high school and she is now a teacher in a local elementary school. Joanne and I have visited with her and her family on several occasions while enroute to my parents’ house.<br /><br />I often wonder if Mary-Jane has ever used this painting to teach her students about the Temagami forestland, and the importance of preserving natural environments.<br /><br />JimJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17906564130769891598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486758478298250026.post-72883412337396276022012-03-06T13:59:00.005-08:002012-03-06T14:11:19.142-08:00Temagami and Me(An Artist Should I Learn To Be)<br />Part III<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhalBG8a7hkY4CXLAOOYRD3heMX45owzShBb-P4ReFG_m_ljUHFjTexfdM43uYiB8moy2Sx2YTueZBoT5OMN5FgHq1eJT5AT3SmBQ7nNkWZQDxnZusEXqg4L7fjDDCEL_ad0HDo6pVvM5GQ/s1600/earthangel.borders.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhalBG8a7hkY4CXLAOOYRD3heMX45owzShBb-P4ReFG_m_ljUHFjTexfdM43uYiB8moy2Sx2YTueZBoT5OMN5FgHq1eJT5AT3SmBQ7nNkWZQDxnZusEXqg4L7fjDDCEL_ad0HDo6pVvM5GQ/s400/earthangel.borders.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716909455701954930" border="0" /></a><br />Earthangel<br />Coloured Ink on Drawing Board<br />16” x 28”<br />November 2006<br /><br />I left the Temagami information session in Toronto with a smile on my face and determination in my heart. “We will save this ancient forest!” I thought to myself, “We will!!” though I had no idea HOW.<br /><br />One month later a curious event took place… It was my day off work and I was enjoying the sunshine as I walked along the Thames River Bike Path, here in London, Ontario. Along came this beautiful Husky dog, bounding my way, and close behind was her owner. I bent over to scratch Mia behind her ears and Alan and I exchanged friendly words.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx5AoMUIn5qKRB-wWU4LVZ4N7f4dYmGCQ0FzLQAJJkpopLVruR5liEQFFxL6dqoIsHA6FNSe0SO1uLw1AcF7xFgNYEro6oPBRCPkTbOmya7O_e_YjSMaNMjlqIvm862zM7JFRdVEcdgaxN/s1600/temagami.cambridge.news.01.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 393px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx5AoMUIn5qKRB-wWU4LVZ4N7f4dYmGCQ0FzLQAJJkpopLVruR5liEQFFxL6dqoIsHA6FNSe0SO1uLw1AcF7xFgNYEro6oPBRCPkTbOmya7O_e_YjSMaNMjlqIvm862zM7JFRdVEcdgaxN/s400/temagami.cambridge.news.01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716909896018581650" border="0" /></a><br />Soon we were talking about the architecture of the future and being done with the subdivision sprawls that are overtaking this city. Alan was a recent graduate in the field of Aquaculture and he shared ideas about using this education to build a clean water existence in homes and communities that would benefit Nature. We both knew that these ideas would take decades to achieve. We both agreed that it was hard enough trying to encourage people to recycle and be nice to each other and here we were dreaming about PEACE ON EARTH and which ideas would lead us there. We both wanted to do something positive.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3e_x5pCnlq_lgxIqIwz_FkDGs3nGAJShF2NMKg4htTEQREey6MM0VMiaQvyuSjRQR5XcZcNfGa4y6E-e6Fl0X0L4KX0S99s9C3HdngAo9vN5Vdo_XgPGLsiCmcFAizGWEB78_B3EHl9wn/s1600/t.constuction01.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 272px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3e_x5pCnlq_lgxIqIwz_FkDGs3nGAJShF2NMKg4htTEQREey6MM0VMiaQvyuSjRQR5XcZcNfGa4y6E-e6Fl0X0L4KX0S99s9C3HdngAo9vN5Vdo_XgPGLsiCmcFAizGWEB78_B3EHl9wn/s400/t.constuction01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716909466042205922" border="0" /></a><br />I told Alan of my most recent educational experience where I learned about the Temagami forestland, located in Northern Ontario and how this unique species of forest is being threatened with extinction by the hand of man. He listened intently as I explained how a natural forest breathes and lives. I asked him to join me and my ambitions to raise awareness about these issues with others.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk1IBtCFrewlsSoec48VPSu8oOluUrdFOhIXTy675tMHU-RHgxrMYPSaOLVYDg9KHsyFeGl8R_gWB-FAPY00mzETk42Q-BRveLaNQuEB53vTqGoDq7Lw3Zr8CeAsMP1MwURx_9YuuVX1ec/s1600/ttt.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 247px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk1IBtCFrewlsSoec48VPSu8oOluUrdFOhIXTy675tMHU-RHgxrMYPSaOLVYDg9KHsyFeGl8R_gWB-FAPY00mzETk42Q-BRveLaNQuEB53vTqGoDq7Lw3Zr8CeAsMP1MwURx_9YuuVX1ec/s400/ttt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716909896608172562" border="0" /></a><br />I told of my most recent ideas inspired by peaceful warriors of the past. I wanted to create a walk, similar to other great walks that colour Canada’s history. This walk would be a tool to share the story of Temagami’s struggle for survival and to share a vision for peaceful understandings leading to positive action for future generations. Alan smiled. THE TEMAGAMI TRAIL TRIBUTE was about to be realized…<br /><br />(to be continued...)<br /><br />+ + +<br /><br />To create my ‘Reflections of Temagami: A Group of Seven’ artworks for my then upcoming 2007 art tour, I was using the colour slide photos I had taken – while in the Temagami region - as my inspiration. But, I had to be very selective as to which photos I would use. In keeping with my idea, any image that I selected had to have a reflection in it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBsvOjcHMVjg5ExBeccuP1JPYSPPtIAXyiVlm53Vm8uxdYgFMvLyB5jmlN6bMt4bTtTsqJnICXtLdw099sAzEnsT0BF-JtkZqIxLl1toJnCQ3p8WRQxjnTrzlr8reYtJKocoD_cBOE-MSh/s1600/earthangel.photo-0.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 270px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBsvOjcHMVjg5ExBeccuP1JPYSPPtIAXyiVlm53Vm8uxdYgFMvLyB5jmlN6bMt4bTtTsqJnICXtLdw099sAzEnsT0BF-JtkZqIxLl1toJnCQ3p8WRQxjnTrzlr8reYtJKocoD_cBOE-MSh/s400/earthangel.photo-0.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716909461832349122" border="0" /></a><br />This is the photo that inspired ‘Earthangel’. You can clearly see that the majority of this photo is of the water, with the forest being reflected on it. My main focus while taking this photo was to capture the reflection of the shoreline, with all the wonderful textures of the rocks. The reflected blues of the sky were an added bonus.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnAPsrsGXzIADGB1jdNuqufn2S0v4HNXQ2W4Lwbz8gBCJommjzM4SayG3spL4j1DPomrwIjP4rZeJ9UlH9FQHmLDW7MuoRVFNBY5chxTFrMfzXwaPESMjUvwsU5GVPHSDjbGLygHuHGkeN/s1600/earthangel.photo-3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnAPsrsGXzIADGB1jdNuqufn2S0v4HNXQ2W4Lwbz8gBCJommjzM4SayG3spL4j1DPomrwIjP4rZeJ9UlH9FQHmLDW7MuoRVFNBY5chxTFrMfzXwaPESMjUvwsU5GVPHSDjbGLygHuHGkeN/s400/earthangel.photo-3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716909460102118210" border="0" /></a><br />As with ‘Forest Breathing’, I felt compelled to rotate this photo 90 degrees. I spent many moments enjoying how this rotated photo filled my imagination with delightful thoughts and impressions. Within the rocky shoreline I saw head, chest and belly of an organic beast. The tree trucks were arms held aloft and covered with the greens of the trees to become wings for my rock being. This creature looked like it was flying through a sky filled with the deepest of blues.<br /><br />Since this creature was flying, I thought that it was an angel soaring over the Temagami forestlands, filled with my prayers of hope for its salvation. Since its body was made of the rocks, soil, bushes and trees of the Earth I thought that the final artwork should be called ‘Earthangel’… my personal prayer.<br /><br />So… I had my inspiration. Now I needed to figure out what medium and which style of rendering I was going to use.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZeP57Fc2DGiaXO88sUrD-p0Me7VDpggUC5bupqOW7Pxhcd4zxuzyKw9VqCs7KdVaMFnRd_23kIHBqep-CFszHKhZ619BVDzIT7jzJxf_2yGTacHiavwkRM2aXJRQYZt9zKrxeheQON_ve/s1600/dragon.quilt.full.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZeP57Fc2DGiaXO88sUrD-p0Me7VDpggUC5bupqOW7Pxhcd4zxuzyKw9VqCs7KdVaMFnRd_23kIHBqep-CFszHKhZ619BVDzIT7jzJxf_2yGTacHiavwkRM2aXJRQYZt9zKrxeheQON_ve/s400/dragon.quilt.full.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716908704790420770" border="0" /></a><br />I woke up one morning, and as I was rousing around I was wistfully enjoying a quilt that my wife had made and hung in our bedroom. This quilt is quite a delight for the eyes – it’s one of my favourite art peaces that adorns our walls. I became taken in by the colour shifts throughout the quilt – colours beginning in a mixture of purples, slowly shifting into dark blues.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKYgIw863rEty4RTW_xOYSCmjo0am8GwdufLmYJHb_RQM2YveCpVTn85Hewq-nrcxVsUzhZrhS8uVYL_B4wg7WV6ooN6G3F3_XvtQhxWq3t4I5mAMHpVCUPnIAJrdlgkrf8JbvcTtQdf4B/s1600/dragon.quilt.detail.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 392px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKYgIw863rEty4RTW_xOYSCmjo0am8GwdufLmYJHb_RQM2YveCpVTn85Hewq-nrcxVsUzhZrhS8uVYL_B4wg7WV6ooN6G3F3_XvtQhxWq3t4I5mAMHpVCUPnIAJrdlgkrf8JbvcTtQdf4B/s400/dragon.quilt.detail.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716908694435124914" border="0" /></a><br />The background of this quilt was made using squares. Each square was made using five different angular shapes. A lightbulb lit up over my waking head!!!!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixct9W1EYotukXFZXQ253yWVaeSf0EjSp51Jq4N-pG37ihL77feGAD0qlLKCjoF0ru4CSOCh8VtJhfk9Zmm1yYqKfyugxRs7QZMuUHmcnZNfTNyH9I08y3pveBkDMCoIBCdyal8PTv4aDU/s1600/earthangel.detail.01.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 398px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixct9W1EYotukXFZXQ253yWVaeSf0EjSp51Jq4N-pG37ihL77feGAD0qlLKCjoF0ru4CSOCh8VtJhfk9Zmm1yYqKfyugxRs7QZMuUHmcnZNfTNyH9I08y3pveBkDMCoIBCdyal8PTv4aDU/s400/earthangel.detail.01.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716908196294044034" border="0" /></a><br />I used the same idea – just arranged slightly differently. This square – made up of five different angled shapes became the blueprint for the texture used to create ‘Earthangel’.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJX8gy3aZ6u0SxCJKIvpJPJsFhrxse2E71wU1S4Uo_NUVHDO50OAhcmJIzvRXspJ9n_mDXfJx5DpnlL9aiLqEnjd2SmYMAEs1IBOMu3OrV5i7hsrmTuD_sN5cO3Ki_JYZ-eGowO8WF2nSR/s1600/earthangel.detail.02.JPG.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 398px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJX8gy3aZ6u0SxCJKIvpJPJsFhrxse2E71wU1S4Uo_NUVHDO50OAhcmJIzvRXspJ9n_mDXfJx5DpnlL9aiLqEnjd2SmYMAEs1IBOMu3OrV5i7hsrmTuD_sN5cO3Ki_JYZ-eGowO8WF2nSR/s400/earthangel.detail.02.JPG.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716908204202861922" border="0" /></a><br />I allowed myself to be able to rotate this design to look like this…<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEyXbISpPn7_99m-m1qIR5TuMZFKcNIsReI7ueiwGPuTn40cPErmDsXpOCVz9JmyNYOKQjAy599ODceISq-2pcJJqRiAo-CNkDghdtEZpsZ7lbupZQObe0E-hCB7RALfnfVgXm7ekMPxGi/s1600/earthangel.detail.03.JPG.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 398px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEyXbISpPn7_99m-m1qIR5TuMZFKcNIsReI7ueiwGPuTn40cPErmDsXpOCVz9JmyNYOKQjAy599ODceISq-2pcJJqRiAo-CNkDghdtEZpsZ7lbupZQObe0E-hCB7RALfnfVgXm7ekMPxGi/s400/earthangel.detail.03.JPG.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716908209337915506" border="0" /></a><br />… and this…<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaBym76BuK1OyNvJ4hIGzj8EqUfPKq0gI4OE_N6gWCtYIOBZU2pvcALYa4Pk7DXuRgAtjygJtYtgpY1ZFWMztyVILnuJctI03yREewV0O1WXuQIEmzbG27PPIMcB7Bm3hvw-28otwKcNp_/s1600/earthangel.detail.04.JPG.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 398px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaBym76BuK1OyNvJ4hIGzj8EqUfPKq0gI4OE_N6gWCtYIOBZU2pvcALYa4Pk7DXuRgAtjygJtYtgpY1ZFWMztyVILnuJctI03yREewV0O1WXuQIEmzbG27PPIMcB7Bm3hvw-28otwKcNp_/s400/earthangel.detail.04.JPG.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716908216116005970" border="0" /></a><br />… and this, to allow me to have four possible ways to use this one design. This proved to be very helpful when designing the most intricate part of ‘Earthangel’ – the tree trunks/wings.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgboCypQ1HteNyzxNVcUP0KLqMHWk-vxGj961cdUrGvC7ZWrZByY0uHUJgcaN0txM6_lJJ-ppZCX5w-aUxcmcc0F3BW-Dx7FdUTOXRkdoOL7iMI_CMAz9zCLTeDaiUC3FpOBaAfOIEemhKs/s1600/earthangel.detail.02.colour.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 321px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgboCypQ1HteNyzxNVcUP0KLqMHWk-vxGj961cdUrGvC7ZWrZByY0uHUJgcaN0txM6_lJJ-ppZCX5w-aUxcmcc0F3BW-Dx7FdUTOXRkdoOL7iMI_CMAz9zCLTeDaiUC3FpOBaAfOIEemhKs/s400/earthangel.detail.02.colour.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716908715084946194" border="0" /></a><br />I decided to use coloured inks for this artwork. By adding small drops of water to my inks I was able to create the many different tones of blue used to create the sky. When looking at the above detail you may think that I used three or four different tones of green, but that is not the case. Only one tone of green was used.<br /><br />One thing that I learned about painting with coloured inks is that deeper and richer colours can be created by painting an area more than once using the same colour. There is a limit though – at the limit an area can be painted only four times and then it becomes saturated. Any attempt to paint an area five or six times will see the drawing board being worked on, fall apart in little clumps of soaking paper.<br /><br />By using this technique I was able to quadruple the number of coloured tones to be presented in the final artwork.<br /><br />+ + +<br /><br />As all of the seven artworks were being completed, I began to wonder what I should do with them. Should I put them up for sale? Should I donate them to a charity after the art tour was finished?<br /><br />I finally decided to give them away to my friends, who I know would respect and cherish them. The first in this series of seven ‘Fallen Comrade’ was given to my parents. ‘Forest Breathing’ was given to my friend Jim Mikol – he appears in the above newspaper article. ‘Earthangel’ ended up being my favourite of the seven and so I decided to keep this one for myself. In a future blog I’ll continue to mention who the other artworks were given to.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdqjUIOOvBM88e20U6GMbiTwRGIaPr4EsqFDAX8fp5_MSxu2rQRMfHLSxfNzPcodHV64qeKJfqiW91Ner12TzW7_nA3h1h5pV7WrHMfS35FM9waBSUfENfPzpwB42mNXmN6lhT1CjvoGS5/s1600/bald.mr.jim.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 304px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdqjUIOOvBM88e20U6GMbiTwRGIaPr4EsqFDAX8fp5_MSxu2rQRMfHLSxfNzPcodHV64qeKJfqiW91Ner12TzW7_nA3h1h5pV7WrHMfS35FM9waBSUfENfPzpwB42mNXmN6lhT1CjvoGS5/s400/bald.mr.jim.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716908691605489074" border="0" /></a><br />Here’s ‘Earthangel’ as it appears on my dining room wall. This photo was taken just two hours ago.<br /><br />But wait!!!! What’s this???? Who’s this bald guy???<br /><br />Yup! It’s me, but what’s with the sporty bald look?<br /><br />Indeed… that’s another story!<br /><br />JimJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17906564130769891598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486758478298250026.post-57770726303374164272012-02-29T06:30:00.006-08:002012-02-29T06:39:49.805-08:00Temagami and Me(An Artist Should I Learn To Be)<br /><div>Part II<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7l7F75DofWMyjnRuZsbhge0_AU8d3mT8-VvHYD2f05rtYMcutU-WmbUARiCv6McxVXn7Vp1hgWAc2A_AF2-o3QG-nssMLdW3g3h1kvfcvePQPlyQfuh27ZcZMGkMjzlkrQYhpUQVfTW2O/s1600/forestbreathing.photo.03.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 284px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7l7F75DofWMyjnRuZsbhge0_AU8d3mT8-VvHYD2f05rtYMcutU-WmbUARiCv6McxVXn7Vp1hgWAc2A_AF2-o3QG-nssMLdW3g3h1kvfcvePQPlyQfuh27ZcZMGkMjzlkrQYhpUQVfTW2O/s400/forestbreathing.photo.03.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714566294612694354" border="0" /></a><br />Forest Breathing<br />Acrylic paint on canvas<br />24” x 36”<br />2006<br /><br />I was spending a bit of time at a local book store, searching for books that would explain why our environment was in such peril, when I spotted a small folded flyer that told the story of Temagami.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLTmhGGUMJ0JweX1SySWkSdYtsMaUKhFgDElbd4e7rC8u7_7ClXjeKMs9tKoWgX1NU5na7rVMFMZYWj_LOxBM43WjT88D0BCuboF9BA1yNOTdH_mh_dwWrekVMzMISppaONr3L1rhyDx7b/s1600/landscape.03.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 281px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLTmhGGUMJ0JweX1SySWkSdYtsMaUKhFgDElbd4e7rC8u7_7ClXjeKMs9tKoWgX1NU5na7rVMFMZYWj_LOxBM43WjT88D0BCuboF9BA1yNOTdH_mh_dwWrekVMzMISppaONr3L1rhyDx7b/s400/landscape.03.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714566297972748642" border="0" /></a><br />The Temagami brochure was filled with lots of information that peeked my desire to learn more. There was a phone number available for those who wanted to attend an upcoming meeting. After a few phone calls I found myself on a train bound for Toronto.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0PWwId5dgHAjWZaN6MdcHN_1cSfloyhl73X66yzfHFXtZ1hHPRrKum8WHt3ukXS0-LUWwFEvRfFhxFNt94rxfFX1VeCFMvkIMbwKmtt3bN3-Lg0HOOFFNDcLFjoY0vwuYL26SwFnZGj_-/s1600/onepercent.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 236px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0PWwId5dgHAjWZaN6MdcHN_1cSfloyhl73X66yzfHFXtZ1hHPRrKum8WHt3ukXS0-LUWwFEvRfFhxFNt94rxfFX1VeCFMvkIMbwKmtt3bN3-Lg0HOOFFNDcLFjoY0vwuYL26SwFnZGj_-/s400/onepercent.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714566841260167746" border="0" /></a><br />I was glad to attend a gathering of wonderful people, curious to find ways to become involved. I listened as slides were shown, to tales that explained the uniqueness of this forest. I learned about ‘species of environments’ and that Temagami was an OLD GROWTH RED AND WHITE PINE species of forest. I was shocked to learn that only 1% of this species remains on our Earth.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3Xy42_zeNHlQOL-b2rRMLtukicVvs4chh1MUOq-yTl-7kA3V8cH17aZS9bkNDwQ4PAnMTbO-BygwRMVlpTAaSCLSwv9tm2-Ub-rSLH23reWBfTbUquKuX8JxhiEPuzUg0v3xzRXKO1b-/s1600/burningforest.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 263px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3Xy42_zeNHlQOL-b2rRMLtukicVvs4chh1MUOq-yTl-7kA3V8cH17aZS9bkNDwQ4PAnMTbO-BygwRMVlpTAaSCLSwv9tm2-Ub-rSLH23reWBfTbUquKuX8JxhiEPuzUg0v3xzRXKO1b-/s400/burningforest.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714566282055090290" border="0" /></a><br />Temagami is the largest of the last few remaining stands. I had a difficult time understanding how this situation came to this critical point. It seemed obvious, to me, that under such conditions all actions should focus on the preservation and expansion of such life reservoirs. I learned that once an area has been clear-cut and the roots dug up and burned in lines of fire that stretch across the horizon that heavy rains wash much soil away leaving exposed rock where nothing will grow.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3rW5Om63KCqWRVwsopMdNGWcDobBqK4npY8RStR-0u0q4ELMH3uzbkiu4K99bK5ysRpQzmtq2Hmx1Fy5NFhE0Vd9VmPHmPa59-E14eJfimq42bMGqEVJkHadiUetmzKUL4_6TPb2AtPBH/s1600/t.moss.02.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 332px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3rW5Om63KCqWRVwsopMdNGWcDobBqK4npY8RStR-0u0q4ELMH3uzbkiu4K99bK5ysRpQzmtq2Hmx1Fy5NFhE0Vd9VmPHmPa59-E14eJfimq42bMGqEVJkHadiUetmzKUL4_6TPb2AtPBH/s400/t.moss.02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714566843949653906" border="0" /></a><br />The moment when I became hooked by desire to find positive ways to protect this ancient history <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMeH7rFj0szebXpGTTwNh-5xOmaKiKlaP_NWnTfRJDlpw8VgXcgdUEsCrRdC6ikZXEC1FGXzyz0AAFRRSuncvN_-rGhBtjQxH1X8q6yrTcslzYCJ6Zzho6_XAYw-4BBqQnv9z6BJsroOwV/s1600/mushrooms.1996.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 155px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMeH7rFj0szebXpGTTwNh-5xOmaKiKlaP_NWnTfRJDlpw8VgXcgdUEsCrRdC6ikZXEC1FGXzyz0AAFRRSuncvN_-rGhBtjQxH1X8q6yrTcslzYCJ6Zzho6_XAYw-4BBqQnv9z6BJsroOwV/s200/mushrooms.1996.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714567162831148274" border="0" /></a>was when I learned how a forest breathes. The speaker began talking about all the animals, birds and insects that work in unison within a natural environment. She told how old decaying trees feed the roots of new saplings as they reach for the sky through the hole in the forest canopy that was created by the fallen tree from over twenty years previous. I thought about the forests that I’ve hiked through in Southern Ontario and then I understood the vast differences between a naturally balanced habitat and a managed tree plantation.<br /><br />I still had a lot more to learn, but now I felt that it was time to do something… before it was too late!<br /><br />To be continued…..<br /><br />+ + +<br /><br />‘Forest Breathing’ was inspired by a photo that I took<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnKyhngg0RXYIcLwvfiaSsiRQWw0zxa10tqDbK_I8y47gXzTesO6Et85SpE2iGG-ZPFMTJFoRz1fjvxtE-0xNhZySEVZlBqBT-Iz9vs7sZ0opUF0ekNzarMftj8rPVxUrW8jvjsAY7np9q/s1600/forestbreathing.story.brief.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 138px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnKyhngg0RXYIcLwvfiaSsiRQWw0zxa10tqDbK_I8y47gXzTesO6Et85SpE2iGG-ZPFMTJFoRz1fjvxtE-0xNhZySEVZlBqBT-Iz9vs7sZ0opUF0ekNzarMftj8rPVxUrW8jvjsAY7np9q/s320/forestbreathing.story.brief.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714565991181278578" border="0" /></a> while adventuring through the Temagami region. The photo was a bit overexposed and that gave it a washed out look – making it look almost monochromatic (one colour). When I turned the photo on its side, my imagination saw a variety of animal faces – almost like a totem pole. I found this inspiring and soon my paintbrushes became rather busy.<br /><br />I decided to make the painting monochromatic, using only two tones of one hue. Those of you with a sharp eye will notice that a blue and a magenta hue also grace this canvas. These colours were added, in small doses, to make the painting just a little more interesting.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPvUdefY0b-iCc81Yx4CfKnQfT80qVJxGZieiFXPuP7H3rbgEDRrYAeNla8vzWYhILQ_BrDNf_BHPT4V0pGNbe5HC1LmIDyqKFGP_b-TKfvd2w5uQAV7jkWMnPKCu1rPep68v4fBD5IBWS/s1600/contours.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 316px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPvUdefY0b-iCc81Yx4CfKnQfT80qVJxGZieiFXPuP7H3rbgEDRrYAeNla8vzWYhILQ_BrDNf_BHPT4V0pGNbe5HC1LmIDyqKFGP_b-TKfvd2w5uQAV7jkWMnPKCu1rPep68v4fBD5IBWS/s400/contours.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714566283580854434" border="0" /></a><br />I painted ‘Forest Breathing’ in a style that I have called ‘contour’ painting – referring to contour lines that you can find on any topographical map. First I apply one strip of paint around a shape that I’ve traced onto the canvas – as my guidelines. Once that wiggley line of paint has dried I paint another line right beside it… and so on, until the entire shape has been filled it.<br /><br />Jim</div>Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17906564130769891598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486758478298250026.post-40838653179914205322012-02-23T13:50:00.003-08:002012-02-23T13:55:59.976-08:00Temagami and Me(An Artist Should I Learn To Be)<br />Part I<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPIZyeUaO_pf7c_k4ZTwhUxgtYKAy2hEIcU1KZkU8QAw11bHlzObpjsfR5UXueDkgayjTW1u_RuaW5rmIhELGZilq-xrepON33tnq1cqVuDcqwWAU_Sl15UrRUOFGgmFsYV_HLFWgoAgsM/s1600/fallencomrade.03.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 288px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPIZyeUaO_pf7c_k4ZTwhUxgtYKAy2hEIcU1KZkU8QAw11bHlzObpjsfR5UXueDkgayjTW1u_RuaW5rmIhELGZilq-xrepON33tnq1cqVuDcqwWAU_Sl15UrRUOFGgmFsYV_HLFWgoAgsM/s400/fallencomrade.03.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5712452384772680242" border="0" /></a><br />Reflections of Temagami I: Fallen Comrade<br />Black ink on drawing board<br />36” x 24”<br />1996<br /><br /><br />I am not a gambling man, and, even so, I would wager that there exists no person over the age of twelve who has not heard of, or seen on T.V. a disastrous environmental story. At age twenty-five I had, indeed, heard my fair share of frightening events and yet my growing concerns only confused me.<br /><br />I became curious to understand the history of these problems…<br /><br />I read books about the rise of our Industrial culture and global populations. I watched a television show about rising sea levels and the spread of disease <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf9MzX104C5zkFsvKiwR6QGYGDGClKkC4DstyrSQRtcdEwvFpVnGHBSiHs5e1znYrnB6j5ECrIQ65Wl_y6OASB6jZRiW2t5QNB_kgOgQB2AQHvIcn2XRqsb5OIddzG4hZmKz234C0-xLVZ/s1600/ADAM.EVE.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 205px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf9MzX104C5zkFsvKiwR6QGYGDGClKkC4DstyrSQRtcdEwvFpVnGHBSiHs5e1znYrnB6j5ECrIQ65Wl_y6OASB6jZRiW2t5QNB_kgOgQB2AQHvIcn2XRqsb5OIddzG4hZmKz234C0-xLVZ/s320/ADAM.EVE.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5712452912210314706" border="0" /></a>and wondered about a picture of a baby whale dying in a fisherman's net. I heard about rivers on fire caused by water pollution. I flipped through a book with pictures of garbage trucks loading ocean barges with thousands of tones of North American waste to be exported to poorer countries. I sighed as I read an essay that explained the reasons for world hunger. I cried as I rode my bike home from work past another subdivision that had recently been a small wood lot and farmer's field. I felt a sense of desperation as I saw a photograph depicting 'Adam and Eve' in the year 2047...realizing that the image was (at that time) already five years old.<br /><br />I picked up a pamphlet that told the story of TEMAGAMI.<br /><br />I smiled to my girlfriend and whispered that everything was going to be all right. I learned that many people were taking action to raise awareness about a sacred forestland on the brink of extinction caused by clear cutting and I wanted to learn more.<br /><br />To be continued…<br /><br />+ + + +<br /><br />You may notice that this first of a seven-part story is rather short! Actually, all seven parts are about this length. I didn’t want my story to take away from the artworks that were on display during my ‘Reflections of Temagami’ art tour, so I did a lot of editing to make sure that my story fit neatly onto just seven pages – one page was displayed beneath each of the seven artworks.<br /><br />I have always considered ‘Fallen Comrade’ to be my first ever artwork. Yes – many of my school friends remind me that my youth was filled with lots of drawings and sketches and Yes – I spent my years in college creating many drawings and sketches for my architectural and interior design programs…. but all of that was schoolwork or just a bit of fun.<br /><br />‘Fallen Comrade’ represents to me, the first time that I had focussed and bent my creativity towards an inspirational cause.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBRIw2VwoluOy2PraWbVtwDv8ByzMr0uEzyBB92PdiEhgxDVwRextsjaWDpTbta-ca7_edrVuRHsUUstPin6pxCHd5rnT5nAlamQ0IFdDwAVFNIZ6KWO5FNzB_uC22yd_vSl5Komkta7QW/s1600/landscape04.02.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 283px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBRIw2VwoluOy2PraWbVtwDv8ByzMr0uEzyBB92PdiEhgxDVwRextsjaWDpTbta-ca7_edrVuRHsUUstPin6pxCHd5rnT5nAlamQ0IFdDwAVFNIZ6KWO5FNzB_uC22yd_vSl5Komkta7QW/s400/landscape04.02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5712452391746293682" border="0" /></a><br />While in the Temagami region – this seven-part story will soon take us there – I took a lot of photographs. I really wanted to capture the variety of landscapes that unfolded and revealed themselves during my journey to this very special place.<br /><br />Upon my return, I waited very impatiently as my slides were developed. Yes – I was shooting with colour slide film! Joanne and I packed a small lunch into a knapsack and took the developed slides to a park area, here in London, Ontario, to see the final results. We made an afternoon of it realizing that each photo would start a long conversation.<br /><br />I was very happy with most of them… and a bit devastated that a few of my hopeful favourites didn’t turn out at all – oops! Wrong setting on the camera!!<br /><br />When we got to the photo of the image that inspired ‘Fallen Comrade’ my breath was taken away. I felt tingles crawling down my spine. I heard a whispering voice from within the photo telling me to draw! And, so, I did!<br /><br />One month later, I wondered what I would do with this completed ink drawing. I thought about making copies, selling them and using part of the profits to benefit other groups who were also involved in raising awareness about the Temagami forestland. But I didn’t know how to do this.<br /><br />I ended up speaking with Diny O’Dell at Artisans Alley (she is still there and I still visit her about twice a year) and I showed her my drawing. A more encouraging person I have never met!! I still believe that had I not met Diny that I may not have continued to pursue my newfound talents!<br /><br />Her advice was that I shouldn’t think about making prints and trying to sell them at this point. It would be best if I just continued drawing…“and don’t ever stop!” And, so, I did!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguGoh5UhzSZN8iuQHhwjI6ZK5aWm_jchk_-XjSG4oSPL9-VZIGO9O23dFZ0T921-TQYFCKyIZVznQBa2mYHulHUQqq2pmVmT7DvEjTDCNSEy94z8F_7qw8OvzudvIRl1n4q5LrJWINAVOu/s1600/dad.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 312px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguGoh5UhzSZN8iuQHhwjI6ZK5aWm_jchk_-XjSG4oSPL9-VZIGO9O23dFZ0T921-TQYFCKyIZVznQBa2mYHulHUQqq2pmVmT7DvEjTDCNSEy94z8F_7qw8OvzudvIRl1n4q5LrJWINAVOu/s400/dad.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5712452376813915074" border="0" /></a><br />The next decade and a half, presented many unique and life-changing adventures for my wife and myself. As ‘Fallen Comrade’ was so large and I didn’t want to see it damaged during our many moves, I decided to give it to my parents. Soon, this drawing was delicately matted and put behind glass and hung in my parents’ living room, where I am still able to enjoy it when I go to visit.<br /><br />I’m sure that this drawing will be a part of my family for many generations to come.<br /><br />JimJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17906564130769891598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486758478298250026.post-23201619442774289692012-02-21T09:32:00.000-08:002012-02-21T09:41:11.924-08:00Temagami and Me<div>(An Artist Should I Learn To Be)<br /><br />The Introduction…<br /><br />For the last several years, I have been enjoying sharing stories about my art adventures, gardening experiences and thoughts designed to inspire a world to realize our responsibility to act in positive ways to ensure a peaceful future for all life forms that inhabit this Earth. The one thing that I have yet to do, though, is share the story about how I became the artist, the gardener, the teacher, the musician… the activist and architect for peace. This story dates back to 1996, but before I get into that I want to briefly describe how this story first came into being, so that you’ll understand my reasons for writing it in seven small parts…<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM1BCfoC6GHNZfVAzOlag2yjYo1TPBgc6dNu5bwAbt-hadxJFUDOvj0tc_TbQNVuFNd69-9n-KDNaOWbvIJRwFT0WYUYVijLaYFwhTwThb4NGr48C3lnfi8rQqaVqkO_LEIyzx72xvH8mV/s1600/landscape.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 282px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM1BCfoC6GHNZfVAzOlag2yjYo1TPBgc6dNu5bwAbt-hadxJFUDOvj0tc_TbQNVuFNd69-9n-KDNaOWbvIJRwFT0WYUYVijLaYFwhTwThb4NGr48C3lnfi8rQqaVqkO_LEIyzx72xvH8mV/s400/landscape.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711644323150493762" border="0" /></a><br />So… it should be obvious that this story revolves around a thing called Temagami – after all, this word is in the title – eh! Temagami is the name of a place where a unique species of forest exists.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBxsnn8dL-jl4a57In_lw0XmKt_bjnRrpcaE7SYK1lOi8OJTQw10O5MEEkjSLqxpyBzZJHJYrokUrfzcZOL7cibsQWKN-C0pqHWRtuIw_-3PdN6qcgcJAOLg7H-bexpWq46xBvhONHQjlC/s1600/machine.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBxsnn8dL-jl4a57In_lw0XmKt_bjnRrpcaE7SYK1lOi8OJTQw10O5MEEkjSLqxpyBzZJHJYrokUrfzcZOL7cibsQWKN-C0pqHWRtuIw_-3PdN6qcgcJAOLg7H-bexpWq46xBvhONHQjlC/s400/machine.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711644361703223234" border="0" /></a><br />This forest species was (and still is…) threatened with extinction and I decided to do something about it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhrQ7CxVWxdSIwiikGNfgLh5g4xFrJ53GF-NzGPTnJMDXyDRNScC7jYGZgMWwLL-rCtAiNTjBAypCuCDRuymmP9ufqXc8DH76AMSHfoEhibyOoeQphZomsBNjzH88XxcbYHMYxZz_hv_4c/s1600/t.walklondon.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 254px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhrQ7CxVWxdSIwiikGNfgLh5g4xFrJ53GF-NzGPTnJMDXyDRNScC7jYGZgMWwLL-rCtAiNTjBAypCuCDRuymmP9ufqXc8DH76AMSHfoEhibyOoeQphZomsBNjzH88XxcbYHMYxZz_hv_4c/s400/t.walklondon.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711644904073285506" border="0" /></a><br />After this adventure, I discovered that I had been blessed with a gift for expression… I was becoming an artist. I had thoughts about creating a series of artworks to share the beauty of this region so that more people would become involved in the efforts to preserve these lands.<br /><br />The artworks created by Canada’s most noted talents ‘The Group of Seven’ were my inspiration. I wanted to create a series of seven Temagami landscapes and I was going to call it ‘A Group of Seven’. I thought a bit more deeply and came up with the idea that each landscape would have a reflection in it. The concept of reflections (thoughts reproduced to the eye of the mind) is very important as this allows one the ability to regard the past so as to improve the future.<br /><br />Soon, the first artwork in this series was completed. I had named it ‘Reflections of Temagami I: Fallen Comrade’. You’ll see this artwork in my next blog.<br /><br />Although I was very pleased with this art peace – it still graces the walls in my parents’ living room – I found that my mind could not gather the strength to continue with this series…<br /><br />I became rather depressed. Although my adventures in the Temagami forestland were filled with many enlightening experiences – in one instance my body became a tuning fork and I vibrated with the energies of ten thousand years of life – I felt that this series of artworks would be seen as Temagami’s epitaph instead of its resurrection.<br /><br />How could I bring inspiration to the world if the subject matter delved into the ‘Fallen’? Was Temagami to die so that I may live?<br /><br />To battle this depression, I focussed my mind on new and different thoughts… shedding the past to rebuild my future. Temagami had become the most important chapter in my life (to this date), but a chapter that I had to put back onto my shelf – not to be forgotten, but not to be trapped within.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnEnb5LoD0KnKXaRin13jfOCX8DCAEOZX_qroTKZeRDLa0alDKIEzABUYN8ttLSAYElxQkaCas4FBu3KJzykacbQ7m3ii4dvGDcUlknB4xRFyuK15jt28Nfy-7zxTxKUEPYsHv3Knzy48S/s1600/nova.theatre.news.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 273px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnEnb5LoD0KnKXaRin13jfOCX8DCAEOZX_qroTKZeRDLa0alDKIEzABUYN8ttLSAYElxQkaCas4FBu3KJzykacbQ7m3ii4dvGDcUlknB4xRFyuK15jt28Nfy-7zxTxKUEPYsHv3Knzy48S/s400/nova.theatre.news.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711644878605422306" border="0" /></a><br />Two years later, I was embracing a new art project that would fill the next five years of my life. “Canada: Glorious To Be” took my wife and I across our great nation – from Manitoba to British Columbia to Nova Scotia and way up north to Nunavut.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rp3iPj_Kefc&context=C3b9718aADOEgsToPDskIVdT29cDE5N2t8pgPcKs72">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rp3iPj_Kefc&context=C3b9718aADOEgsToPDskIVdT29cDE5N2t8pgPcKs72</a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUTPZSYEcO7tlP89cK9-IIUsktriJy8kpY-o_8s8jSdHnMTCC4ylpxX7D6v1hBMEYjEme1f4WjCZ-wTcBEN24hZ6xE8_WGGdjZ7N9AUQYhRWgBBojkgxPBjkcKaPfbcpAOEfNwychyMnSp/s1600/ROCKSFORDEACAN.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 303px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUTPZSYEcO7tlP89cK9-IIUsktriJy8kpY-o_8s8jSdHnMTCC4ylpxX7D6v1hBMEYjEme1f4WjCZ-wTcBEN24hZ6xE8_WGGdjZ7N9AUQYhRWgBBojkgxPBjkcKaPfbcpAOEfNwychyMnSp/s400/ROCKSFORDEACAN.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711644884608237554" border="0" /></a><br />During these adventures I expanded my art training to a variety of different mediums – needlepoint, paper collage, acrylic paints, even rocks! Many community organizations were thrilled to have me create workshops for the local youths and soon I was learning how to be a teacher.<br /><br />I shared ideals about how important it is for individuals to act in positive ways to benefit their community - “Think globally… Act locally!” - and after five years I began to find it ironic that I was not living according to these ideals for I had no community to call my own. Joanne and I moved back to Ontario to create a life for ourselves.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf2ImiTMU_gAN7Sgg-7xBhkvYSt2uRd_AYZSQgSaxJ8WjKZY9rZOr70pUp4Ed0WGjTW1o-9l87YpVQiIW7TcWLRhAENdS5zuZbZgeDvh7TdnauZk1UaW3FHOR3vblq3GuW4Ntspdtmn1io/s1600/class02.group.silly.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 303px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf2ImiTMU_gAN7Sgg-7xBhkvYSt2uRd_AYZSQgSaxJ8WjKZY9rZOr70pUp4Ed0WGjTW1o-9l87YpVQiIW7TcWLRhAENdS5zuZbZgeDvh7TdnauZk1UaW3FHOR3vblq3GuW4Ntspdtmn1io/s400/class02.group.silly.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711644315423045058" border="0" /></a><br />Soon, I had established myself as a freelance environmental art teacher and life was moving along smoothly.<br /><br />The topic for most of my classes was… you guessed it… Temagami!!! To help in my teaching, I had to revisit many of my early photos, drawings and books on the subject. Since most of this material was over a decade old, I did a little investigating to see how this forest was doing now.<br /><br />I was elated to learn that although many problems still exist – the pressures by the large logging corporations – many new laws and programs had been created to set the foundation for the preservation of these old growth forest stands!!! I was filled with a renewed sense of hope!<br /><br />The story of Temagami was not over. In fact, I felt that it was just beginning. My doubts and hesitations from a decade before were eroding and my fires of inspiration began to smolder until a new flame awoke within me. A new audience had evolved during this time and I felt the urge to create a new chapter in the world book of Temagami.<br /><br />Yes – Temagami was my ‘Fallen Comrade’, but ‘Fallen’ implies that it can be picked up again.<br /><br />As I continued with this ‘A Group of Seven’ titles like ‘Three Soldiers Standing’, ‘Earthangel’ and ‘Forest Breathing’ began to emerge at the ends of my nimble fingertips – filling the viewer with a sense of great struggle and the will to overcome adversary. I used this opportunity to showcase both the beauty of the Temagami forestland as well as the evolution of my artistic abilities. Each of the seven artworks were created using the artforms that I had been experimenting with over the last decade.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrxk9jbjf2ev84AvK7GQgu8ofgYizcgsISZmK8R9Op3r85Jgf_aHnYQMXYxrhzSueQQ7yjTNBMJppljuQtN2YamhULuHOoZkoa-BMJS8o-Od3Ybe3ZLtfa4_fLmnqH6i3UcWpKfhhNqDi7/s1600/newsclip.temag.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 273px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrxk9jbjf2ev84AvK7GQgu8ofgYizcgsISZmK8R9Op3r85Jgf_aHnYQMXYxrhzSueQQ7yjTNBMJppljuQtN2YamhULuHOoZkoa-BMJS8o-Od3Ybe3ZLtfa4_fLmnqH6i3UcWpKfhhNqDi7/s400/newsclip.temag.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711644376286282386" border="0" /></a><br />While I was completing these artworks – which took me a little over two years – I was organizing my first art tour. Yes – I had had many art displays here and there throughout London (and the rest of Canada) - but this was to be my first tour showcasing a completed body of work. The tour went through many libraries and it also expanded to many of the communities that were involved in my initial adventures a decade before.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiftMoRg5CsjfvxbVvlKYDJZeq1lXZJki75HooYAKsRIAtSxz4Lxu2QP07y1IuXFMaAGJcEgPhzLZOL7ze694bg6WWaidgKfGEJ8fSXeXU0f_xIFVHRX28k14yc1ODmIxoyCKqDQFYLkSG4/s1600/itsnot01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiftMoRg5CsjfvxbVvlKYDJZeq1lXZJki75HooYAKsRIAtSxz4Lxu2QP07y1IuXFMaAGJcEgPhzLZOL7ze694bg6WWaidgKfGEJ8fSXeXU0f_xIFVHRX28k14yc1ODmIxoyCKqDQFYLkSG4/s400/itsnot01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711644314085463042" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQXBQhKGHZGX9r2RNoCtZjhv5eZNgFY-GvAJREHWa61XuZ92e7Pw2oxZdRW2ULm7Y_f5iv5yWiOV8easxka-gYCNqUsNszrLLsl_swpAeLXWn4x1spCoK22QO8iyeKGXhD6pRXlzMTMijh/s1600/itsnot02.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 264px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQXBQhKGHZGX9r2RNoCtZjhv5eZNgFY-GvAJREHWa61XuZ92e7Pw2oxZdRW2ULm7Y_f5iv5yWiOV8easxka-gYCNqUsNszrLLsl_swpAeLXWn4x1spCoK22QO8iyeKGXhD6pRXlzMTMijh/s400/itsnot02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711643926743212674" border="0" /></a><br />The launch of ‘Reflections of Temagami: A Group of Seven’ was mere weeks away and I was making my final preparations when I had a gut feeling that I was missing something. The artworks were finished and framed. I had built the easels that would be needed for a few of the venues. My accompanying photos were mounted and ready. And then it dawned on me… I had created this new chapter filled with images but I had no words. It was then when I realized that I had to share the intimate details about how I heard of Temagami, what this meant to me, how it inspired me, what I did and what the results were.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOgolv4nO77agrwO0dwA_tbbFiIo9BINoljCnjt_CUcU97UD_VN7I4fN8K4TGsjlKbNtSL_V0FKBAV1C146kBEF4_LSrgkZvbI1z0OuPqDsESx1w2_v_t1GgrSMpOA5_xT9bWpsTRDGUPd/s1600/itsnot03.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 263px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOgolv4nO77agrwO0dwA_tbbFiIo9BINoljCnjt_CUcU97UD_VN7I4fN8K4TGsjlKbNtSL_V0FKBAV1C146kBEF4_LSrgkZvbI1z0OuPqDsESx1w2_v_t1GgrSMpOA5_xT9bWpsTRDGUPd/s400/itsnot03.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711643908556193682" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6JD_uDMJQSvF-BWLAmCr7qdWJSDMmyHTDzA_xPEi76i9LuYohiNyRFLhWS5PSgtNLLofImKHdO33luamqt3FYR7yklCXTNMGZbCvmR55BdnLNqM2lcuFi-xGOKdRh9ewVwgJtcZRTg-Kl/s1600/itsnot04.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 271px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6JD_uDMJQSvF-BWLAmCr7qdWJSDMmyHTDzA_xPEi76i9LuYohiNyRFLhWS5PSgtNLLofImKHdO33luamqt3FYR7yklCXTNMGZbCvmR55BdnLNqM2lcuFi-xGOKdRh9ewVwgJtcZRTg-Kl/s400/itsnot04.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711643901243927778" border="0" /></a><br />Since I had seven artworks to showcase, I thought that it would be a great idea to share my story in seven equal parts. One part of the story would hang beside each of the artworks. Simple!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUBxK3HLT4JOS3XNkHhc1io5pMcQ5Sb3rgeyrPXIdbRXdMtdNf3GNOegTM4MOWPlEOeUTxKMW1dpZJuS9B6fEiwysTNp9qxUggRWgQMS6GOOFt62al-n1mvxeC9hcjZ8e7bYT3z1zlNq61/s1600/itsnot05.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 257px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUBxK3HLT4JOS3XNkHhc1io5pMcQ5Sb3rgeyrPXIdbRXdMtdNf3GNOegTM4MOWPlEOeUTxKMW1dpZJuS9B6fEiwysTNp9qxUggRWgQMS6GOOFt62al-n1mvxeC9hcjZ8e7bYT3z1zlNq61/s400/itsnot05.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711643889408398802" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJKrzuCiTAN_2BOs9rP784qgYgFrpJOHYVCNmyffJf1-YogPiu2J7o1GEVZHaWxz2cUqRbz0QCFhsXwNYCDTzcQMfDhDwQdGCwM1Zusc-iQSWgtPKcwoOXBjudPra_1XtrvPhaJMBcjnPu/s1600/childrenshistory.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 328px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJKrzuCiTAN_2BOs9rP784qgYgFrpJOHYVCNmyffJf1-YogPiu2J7o1GEVZHaWxz2cUqRbz0QCFhsXwNYCDTzcQMfDhDwQdGCwM1Zusc-iQSWgtPKcwoOXBjudPra_1XtrvPhaJMBcjnPu/s400/childrenshistory.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711643887401414130" border="0" /></a><br />This is the story that I am going to share with you over the next few weeks. Each story will be accompanied by one of the artworks in this series as well as some additional photos and sketches that were created during this time.<br /><br />Please enjoy!<br /><br />Jim</div>Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17906564130769891598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486758478298250026.post-70599636460161958742012-02-09T14:34:00.000-08:002012-02-09T14:51:38.803-08:00A Peacebus Valentine’s Gift…… To Planet Earth!<br /><div><br />The last fun art competition that we had on the Peacebus was way back in October – when the students created a kazillion peaceful drawings inspired by thoughts of turtles.<br /><a href="http://bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.com/2011/11/t-is-for-turtle.html">http://bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.com/2011/11/t-is-for-turtle.html</a><br /></div><br /><div>With Valentine’s Day soon approaching, I thought that it would be fun to have another art competition inspired by thoughts like “I Love My Planet”. The students also thought that this was a great idea and soon pencil crayons and markers were put to work.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj44yyUxOt8_FXHNorbVmXwyQ35aCVkDKdzCb1B_-_WDNvFg65-ve3krltuhvM4lIQ581uOQTXvoJgAIXnE899cFRWDTZ20lACUqCzQLCFtS6wploMOpTO3qF_flf86XEzlSZv6cKt2p_yN/s1600/heart.earth.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 356px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj44yyUxOt8_FXHNorbVmXwyQ35aCVkDKdzCb1B_-_WDNvFg65-ve3krltuhvM4lIQ581uOQTXvoJgAIXnE899cFRWDTZ20lACUqCzQLCFtS6wploMOpTO3qF_flf86XEzlSZv6cKt2p_yN/s400/heart.earth.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707270115367414098" border="0" /></a><br />I found this really cool image on the internet and I thought that it would help to inspire the students. I added a few words to the image and after visiting my local print shop I had made a series of stickers to give to every student who created an artwork for this competition.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMYR4l9xGx_LIpj_MwOMRrEJjBgBiMQ0wpcYE5nX7lTvHf7Lva58Bklou3k-DD75Qb2ELg93ObPTgDvtAZvuxboM0J7cm-K3PzImh_7q4_MJz5FijgYG1EBjKK8F6v-hYyj6UrVCz8ZlhG/s1600/ana.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 357px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMYR4l9xGx_LIpj_MwOMRrEJjBgBiMQ0wpcYE5nX7lTvHf7Lva58Bklou3k-DD75Qb2ELg93ObPTgDvtAZvuxboM0J7cm-K3PzImh_7q4_MJz5FijgYG1EBjKK8F6v-hYyj6UrVCz8ZlhG/s400/ana.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707268969219231986" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW2YHLfZTb_9PEyqn7WW0Wo4mpzgrWfmH8LjylSROanepBQkcW2wALw-oyVt3HiNP7plggj0I6Akh0nihkKimRlSONhsNf4b6w0e3L9xEyWzOO12hBYhpdvGKUYzorLe5qJ3X8FV0BgimN/s1600/andor.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 304px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW2YHLfZTb_9PEyqn7WW0Wo4mpzgrWfmH8LjylSROanepBQkcW2wALw-oyVt3HiNP7plggj0I6Akh0nihkKimRlSONhsNf4b6w0e3L9xEyWzOO12hBYhpdvGKUYzorLe5qJ3X8FV0BgimN/s400/andor.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707268982934859186" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZS6EagPzLd3m8tHHzx747WkggehiAVq0mjqHLz5lQBp4lCEcHkXPh-LbWZMpL1j78wpDY5UAoC0Lp8sgZ0T_TgH955FcqEqU2-0Tu1i9d28y5fyHkBV5gpFX2GbR7hAtGxZgzkYoaJfwF/s1600/emily.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 388px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZS6EagPzLd3m8tHHzx747WkggehiAVq0mjqHLz5lQBp4lCEcHkXPh-LbWZMpL1j78wpDY5UAoC0Lp8sgZ0T_TgH955FcqEqU2-0Tu1i9d28y5fyHkBV5gpFX2GbR7hAtGxZgzkYoaJfwF/s400/emily.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707269534827825490" border="0" /></a><br />The next morning, three students handed in their creative artworks! I was very impressed with their use of colours and I complimented the students for their designs.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiHLj0M1SIKIEyblVZAGndQVcODdBM6ZKWz_6XKOsbrByakRoLatrfzp4MjJkY3tF4qk7RhGHpMkRwDCqarlHvYgr0Y-MZ4EEC5xfK_oZVd9pwfn1GKjFEvbHufPOXJRUIWuxIJb8jdgua/s1600/jade.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 334px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiHLj0M1SIKIEyblVZAGndQVcODdBM6ZKWz_6XKOsbrByakRoLatrfzp4MjJkY3tF4qk7RhGHpMkRwDCqarlHvYgr0Y-MZ4EEC5xfK_oZVd9pwfn1GKjFEvbHufPOXJRUIWuxIJb8jdgua/s400/jade.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707270149682866402" border="0" /></a><br />Jade’s design really blew me away! I could tell that she had used a few tools to help her with her drawing and that shows that a lot of thought went into her creation. Think about how much planning went into laying out the words ‘Happy Valentine’s’ as the letters circle the sun – with the word ‘Day’ finding a nice home in the middle.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxBv9J9pDRMKDJTo3czNFy57Mjgy_5GI2f-e_Bq2zOlpK6i6wzYN7jbzKMDO-hqvFLe3JiviRkPKWFoqMvIgv-0D2QIJjXSy9EPIfxxKxqJoS4LUFo7czWDzMBkm9fqiAhQH4ga6Im7nWw/s1600/ava.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 398px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxBv9J9pDRMKDJTo3czNFy57Mjgy_5GI2f-e_Bq2zOlpK6i6wzYN7jbzKMDO-hqvFLe3JiviRkPKWFoqMvIgv-0D2QIJjXSy9EPIfxxKxqJoS4LUFo7czWDzMBkm9fqiAhQH4ga6Im7nWw/s400/ava.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707268995251171090" border="0" /></a><br />I found Ava’s drawing to be a true delight and inspiration! Notice how the continents on her planet are shaped like hearts. The letters are brilliantly constructed – see all the textures that are used in each letter…blue and purple flowers in the ‘E’ and Valentine’s hearts in the ‘C’.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdd9ES5EX4zHlaHl6SQrXLQvcmxKaExwX-HmzDepvbRgzaKWkrsMY83knocSPnccKmVBfhGbkNf3fsGKB88jfy8fdOYBkiIbiTObN5mcaQoD08P_p6XiGGmDnHogw4kG9tHxrso2kpk7ku/s1600/jane.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 392px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdd9ES5EX4zHlaHl6SQrXLQvcmxKaExwX-HmzDepvbRgzaKWkrsMY83knocSPnccKmVBfhGbkNf3fsGKB88jfy8fdOYBkiIbiTObN5mcaQoD08P_p6XiGGmDnHogw4kG9tHxrso2kpk7ku/s400/jane.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707270157255949730" border="0" /></a><br />I really love Jane’s colourful design! It’s like a ‘love’ party!!!! There’s a huge heart filling the background, with an Earth near the middle surrounded by hearts and peace symbols while streamers cascade throughout the rest of the space. I followed the length of one of these streamers and was very impressed to witness that it changed colours as it wiggled around the page. Very nice!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwCFAkvT9kHm9-xLcf0516E5BmymemSjefod7OY6ke4TXgs9z7W2a-VPCKYQpg76w4Q4zyuYEuPbu2iSfODTQbVjmbvMETp2W1LwimJtymxiDbBC2p4kpH3W8gNi_KXNmETP95o2xjtJXr/s1600/abbey.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 396px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwCFAkvT9kHm9-xLcf0516E5BmymemSjefod7OY6ke4TXgs9z7W2a-VPCKYQpg76w4Q4zyuYEuPbu2iSfODTQbVjmbvMETp2W1LwimJtymxiDbBC2p4kpH3W8gNi_KXNmETP95o2xjtJXr/s400/abbey.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707268929931776738" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJvM_8lHucUe80tAb5OZJnSA7GyRq5l6GBPqwrrLHd1NlGeAZZpmbluXN8g6fBzW-1XttAjbIUjITPMaap4PeIoz8NOglQhnC19p-oQZHtk8DyCLcAp1_ykhfskWE2mn02SIj_INHz9Q9a/s1600/ioana.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 398px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJvM_8lHucUe80tAb5OZJnSA7GyRq5l6GBPqwrrLHd1NlGeAZZpmbluXN8g6fBzW-1XttAjbIUjITPMaap4PeIoz8NOglQhnC19p-oQZHtk8DyCLcAp1_ykhfskWE2mn02SIj_INHz9Q9a/s400/ioana.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707270132927383506" border="0" /></a><br />It wasn’t just Peacebus students who participated in this competition. Word quickly spread through the school about what we were doing on the Peacebus and on several occasions friends of the Peacebus would visit me to hand in their drawings!!!! This made Mr. Jim (that’s me) very happy indeed!!!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6LdGigvxRgLnMbrzViXdJf3jzL3ytTqWC9eWk0Jlk9qFu9Qx32hQQm5ANHqzEaRKkvTzD9FixpCjib8lOuSn7vXWaj0vFjsQB6Nl7zN9qPiEN9_s-gm00SXzepsjAkQRKr1g5BgYirJr6/s1600/catrin.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 334px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6LdGigvxRgLnMbrzViXdJf3jzL3ytTqWC9eWk0Jlk9qFu9Qx32hQQm5ANHqzEaRKkvTzD9FixpCjib8lOuSn7vXWaj0vFjsQB6Nl7zN9qPiEN9_s-gm00SXzepsjAkQRKr1g5BgYirJr6/s400/catrin.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707269513474923874" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-XP4iEYxRIew1nURUz8CJ9jVc72vzLnTx36qTAvkYq17_6HZhiJqMW7YFEuW5Y6pAg6QjGQeOf1Q8sjRqJWGfc_jHZxnEjcb7WlMncNk3wEcBvpsOfrMWOhRl1dEbjCWAMaB59tXp-dcg/s1600/daphne.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 312px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-XP4iEYxRIew1nURUz8CJ9jVc72vzLnTx36qTAvkYq17_6HZhiJqMW7YFEuW5Y6pAg6QjGQeOf1Q8sjRqJWGfc_jHZxnEjcb7WlMncNk3wEcBvpsOfrMWOhRl1dEbjCWAMaB59tXp-dcg/s400/daphne.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707269516960342818" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOCQqrsq6YRjVmtQn3uDY8GpnVYUSMGSA_ddtL9XS3r7mqnGSzfnM_wCMebANlztk9kwVOzZbhf9UZ27EPU9N2xfr9fIS832jf7XZW5spQDthtW6q5cRIeLWUI9rmshwXFVUChRue2VsQN/s1600/miles.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 398px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOCQqrsq6YRjVmtQn3uDY8GpnVYUSMGSA_ddtL9XS3r7mqnGSzfnM_wCMebANlztk9kwVOzZbhf9UZ27EPU9N2xfr9fIS832jf7XZW5spQDthtW6q5cRIeLWUI9rmshwXFVUChRue2VsQN/s400/miles.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707270844655697682" border="0" /></a><br />When we were getting near the end of the competition, I had to think of what I was going to create as a special gift for the winners.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirsyhCVxkZn6_aeTOf9FrCYrfv3YU9K6R8vy6Bq9p23zCepkViMPuS5MZ-ny9hptxRFqVvmVfKANr785lvDtBYzpFJ60Mm6GG5JE4R4aN197CUFqZZVFkox-jsdGi5JD8Rq2FUYl-Tus6R/s1600/haneen.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 343px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirsyhCVxkZn6_aeTOf9FrCYrfv3YU9K6R8vy6Bq9p23zCepkViMPuS5MZ-ny9hptxRFqVvmVfKANr785lvDtBYzpFJ60Mm6GG5JE4R4aN197CUFqZZVFkox-jsdGi5JD8Rq2FUYl-Tus6R/s400/haneen.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707269544671860834" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpbtGU_F5AyAv0QSs2wXBAxY-nYTr2puP-gmPZTle88zof_uIyi5novuNtZfYi7pcPcaVwlwChDG593K7dH-phfxpUjQdavXHwKujm-iwDestDvF5cGIbA0iQ5DLICtkVMzaIvH8JQZiFW/s1600/sahar.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 245px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpbtGU_F5AyAv0QSs2wXBAxY-nYTr2puP-gmPZTle88zof_uIyi5novuNtZfYi7pcPcaVwlwChDG593K7dH-phfxpUjQdavXHwKujm-iwDestDvF5cGIbA0iQ5DLICtkVMzaIvH8JQZiFW/s400/sahar.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707271467426997202" border="0" /></a><br />In the past, I had taken one of the many designs and created additional stickers or posters to give away as prizes. This time I wanted to do something a bit different.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9kqzFJjK0c9kP0WuGtl_Tc3x2TT-JkUKvykZ5T_QaYZUgYg78E0E-eaz4HGQF2G7lDsGdI2WviwqG3la6_cJNmJ38LNEiELiENhosJj2GpG46j49F3Ult_SFAMwlLh2xY2ByUxU_S6WFq/s1600/mackenzie.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 398px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9kqzFJjK0c9kP0WuGtl_Tc3x2TT-JkUKvykZ5T_QaYZUgYg78E0E-eaz4HGQF2G7lDsGdI2WviwqG3la6_cJNmJ38LNEiELiENhosJj2GpG46j49F3Ult_SFAMwlLh2xY2ByUxU_S6WFq/s400/mackenzie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707270826721140786" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj-BVVARVm_mHgm8fbzU7WauVTQTXaT_dulI7wvOFlywLV8qlYrlKICQw6i6Zvq-cqN11mHfaEH7uH0HcE2tSbuFlNqPjSZAaLpMWANPd0CH42HWpS_9TYepYsJwhuCh6nNl8unpZaQEXS/s1600/mira.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 394px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj-BVVARVm_mHgm8fbzU7WauVTQTXaT_dulI7wvOFlywLV8qlYrlKICQw6i6Zvq-cqN11mHfaEH7uH0HcE2tSbuFlNqPjSZAaLpMWANPd0CH42HWpS_9TYepYsJwhuCh6nNl8unpZaQEXS/s400/mira.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707271417715496450" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRYb5XEDe5Ol7JZRbCnPURlewAvdut-yts47e_ijRsc9O2MR_GTLG9aCL9SBDUu9Hi7yAcUc7BnAZWHdxqicSj1G0_f_pD81-QWRsNu-iN6lAQoR9XnkZ7idoPwbVgSmiSPjDHg9liRc7s/s1600/unknown.jpg"><br /></a><br />I did decide to create a poster as the final prize, but instead of using just one of the artworks I decided to use as many as I could fit onto a page. This worked out to be 24 images – a good number for sure! That’s a lot of art!!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCn99nRFEclfU85sOlyAN4qWWTBEmwYPJQGSI__xSJvAe-SPDIIW9rqejwCbFxjLF8x2U_lqtM5kB_TkXAechQDxm4Vwa_eFM_Y3dkS6jZwQhHMRto77vmcLcOH7MveDW-FXc3x-oDDcB2/s1600/kaela.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCn99nRFEclfU85sOlyAN4qWWTBEmwYPJQGSI__xSJvAe-SPDIIW9rqejwCbFxjLF8x2U_lqtM5kB_TkXAechQDxm4Vwa_eFM_Y3dkS6jZwQhHMRto77vmcLcOH7MveDW-FXc3x-oDDcB2/s400/kaela.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707270816992552498" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj39llXf-Upz08FWcCUuzQld33hxHVBhrUXHuwV4rK_BN7eChwSQSkHy-uPPs7Xnm8gS7oCr7Yp0aD9-8o6iKpgD-ZExb8-mCMVWLaHo6Q15YLjQ0Au2QSJr29WRNJBALMWaFzvGui7pg8a/s1600/nicole.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 327px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj39llXf-Upz08FWcCUuzQld33hxHVBhrUXHuwV4rK_BN7eChwSQSkHy-uPPs7Xnm8gS7oCr7Yp0aD9-8o6iKpgD-ZExb8-mCMVWLaHo6Q15YLjQ0Au2QSJr29WRNJBALMWaFzvGui7pg8a/s400/nicole.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707271419527884226" border="0" /></a><br />As the poster neared completion I realized that I needed just a few more artworks to fill the final spaces. I told the students about the poster. I told them that I had only three spaces left. I told them that if I received more artwork than would fit on the poster that the students shouldn’t be upset if their artwork wasn’t used, “There are only three spaces left, so the next three artworks will make it on the poster and after that I just won’t have any more room.”<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKDSAPhm_-Ur6Slm9omiVFGKqanoiIkkEfSk8cEB-vYrG-BBGZdFjSSuBtQTxeo5b9qDUSaxK_5qpb7yyyhKR-H1m9LtrxrWNW0qcvaQAkVw0Bp-AblZfNxaqcC6tB_h7JfMvOxEZvuzHm/s1600/melanie.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 350px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKDSAPhm_-Ur6Slm9omiVFGKqanoiIkkEfSk8cEB-vYrG-BBGZdFjSSuBtQTxeo5b9qDUSaxK_5qpb7yyyhKR-H1m9LtrxrWNW0qcvaQAkVw0Bp-AblZfNxaqcC6tB_h7JfMvOxEZvuzHm/s400/melanie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707270831194865074" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDBw8b6MixCvQ3YZ00PfO5qM1swL4_rMQwej1cet4o_BLdHH7qj0VXgdC2HAqdX_W-L624I1Ah1N5NaKPuh6VKWBPtfRkKBdTvGH4hVhW0_4LtQsd0ugAprAjpDVhdeLCGDb-FLXkLEg5p/s1600/justine.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 323px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDBw8b6MixCvQ3YZ00PfO5qM1swL4_rMQwej1cet4o_BLdHH7qj0VXgdC2HAqdX_W-L624I1Ah1N5NaKPuh6VKWBPtfRkKBdTvGH4hVhW0_4LtQsd0ugAprAjpDVhdeLCGDb-FLXkLEg5p/s400/justine.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707270812175999938" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBfeuNWhEaOYkeyg_VZG8Sc33x0YNUhiajRDkr9TkqTIX-261dIQqLAedaHqFZjPSEPWciYQ6T4QR93gMaxbGY9-BZL-d_k9IPrn2MJvq-bPx4L1OnpxC5ll97oPPbFGNsTF_JkQ3WoiW_/s1600/zarek.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 398px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBfeuNWhEaOYkeyg_VZG8Sc33x0YNUhiajRDkr9TkqTIX-261dIQqLAedaHqFZjPSEPWciYQ6T4QR93gMaxbGY9-BZL-d_k9IPrn2MJvq-bPx4L1OnpxC5ll97oPPbFGNsTF_JkQ3WoiW_/s400/zarek.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707271886921948434" border="0" /></a><br />Well, this worked like a super charm… later that afternoon when I arrived at the school to take the students home there was a line of students waiting for me. In the next three minutes 10 drawings were handed in!!!! Now I had more than enough to finish the poster prize!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI2MaXR6LZlDv7PY9EqIVm5dmEzWN9P26qb16X6LhFutIf3Z_YjKDfmOJr0uq8kYI-YioqanOBrWyCC5uQ-lPQQNTFVdpdNiTZfCpAGMeCH4HF57aSJPlt_lhT22DWHf5VWJZctg2rNmYd/s1600/akela.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 393px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI2MaXR6LZlDv7PY9EqIVm5dmEzWN9P26qb16X6LhFutIf3Z_YjKDfmOJr0uq8kYI-YioqanOBrWyCC5uQ-lPQQNTFVdpdNiTZfCpAGMeCH4HF57aSJPlt_lhT22DWHf5VWJZctg2rNmYd/s400/akela.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707268940215931554" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO3W9QwDxiCuOCUaHFhTl2NpW2TAPICntCkW9FGGbsGNbHLzngGBQhz-ApqMJnywZAfX4nsK9WrrNoQnMCBfddrgrf6m86_oASUfl5Ac0ucEUig_Y5P2pIDJnzSQzKZY-i6jsfuZYyNhz3/s1600/helena.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO3W9QwDxiCuOCUaHFhTl2NpW2TAPICntCkW9FGGbsGNbHLzngGBQhz-ApqMJnywZAfX4nsK9WrrNoQnMCBfddrgrf6m86_oASUfl5Ac0ucEUig_Y5P2pIDJnzSQzKZY-i6jsfuZYyNhz3/s400/helena.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707270122209644914" border="0" /></a><br />I love it when I can say to the students, “Ya know… I had a really hard time choosing just a few winners for this art competition so I’ve decided to give a special prize to every single person who participated.” The Peacebus rocked with joyous cheers!!!!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1auG_tutP-2PPEbpGAPysEx_LUhLZ_VBveQH6I0BxZv0mZn2fuAD82bXsOs-TcQV5lZfIZ35352ItWOZf6pRyt7OyKu0CyH3rHa6l3Cwu9VyOj_HEvMx4N_ZI5RKNNYHqWRieD_igEDUO/s1600/poster.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 280px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1auG_tutP-2PPEbpGAPysEx_LUhLZ_VBveQH6I0BxZv0mZn2fuAD82bXsOs-TcQV5lZfIZ35352ItWOZf6pRyt7OyKu0CyH3rHa6l3Cwu9VyOj_HEvMx4N_ZI5RKNNYHqWRieD_igEDUO/s400/poster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707271427937162706" border="0" /></a><br />This is the poster that I created for the students. I didn’t want to wait until Valentine’s Day (next week) to hand out the prizes. I figured the students would be having a lot of other events happening on that day already, so I started handing out the posters last night. An early Valentine’s Day present for the students…<br /><br />… and this blog entry is my early Valentine’s Day present to you – my readers!!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj420mnXBBEtb0Rh7fO7G0KAn_H-L-LqkKncvjrEeO8t8BTHVS1kUAfQVLN43fOG8YLRKM0FXrVs-sUYL63ttJ0QSdwakkNeYRPPAppUxaBQDk6DWhxrwwPNU506-D01mOU5kgd63Rpzpi4/s1600/hasti.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 399px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj420mnXBBEtb0Rh7fO7G0KAn_H-L-LqkKncvjrEeO8t8BTHVS1kUAfQVLN43fOG8YLRKM0FXrVs-sUYL63ttJ0QSdwakkNeYRPPAppUxaBQDk6DWhxrwwPNU506-D01mOU5kgd63Rpzpi4/s400/hasti.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707269559985673570" border="0" /></a><br />May this Valentine’s Day fill your hearts with love, your minds with joy and your souls with peace.<br /><br />Mr. Jim</div>Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17906564130769891598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486758478298250026.post-44689306956680876562012-01-31T14:23:00.000-08:002012-01-31T14:29:37.025-08:00Artist United!!!!…Against the Mega-Quarry!<br /><div><br />Over the last year, I’ve shared four stories about an issue of great concern for me and for tens of thousands of other Ontarians…<br /><br />An American company stole into the beautiful hills of Melancthon Township, lied to farmers as they gobbled up precious agricultural land. Their intent – build North America’s second largest open-pit mine!<br /><br />This mine could be deeper than Niagara Falls is high and it could achieve a size equivalent to 1/3 the size of the GTA (Greater Toronto Area – including Mississauga, Scarborough, North York, Brampton…).<br /><br />Five major rivers that traverse the landscapes from this region to Lake Ontario are in jeopardy of being polluted with heavy waters created by the residual left behind from daily blasting of nearly 20 tonnes of explosives.<br /><br />300 heavy hauler trucks an hour (!!!!) are expected to be destroying all the roadways in this region as limestone and gravel is exported south of our border.<br /><br />Boy! I’ll bet that the Highlands Co. is sure surprised that in less than one year we stupid red-neck hicks have been able to organize in all levels of government to protest their desires!<br /><br />To read in more detail about this issue please link to this story – <a href="http://bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.com/2011/06/dufferin-county-jobs-and-destruction.html">http://bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.com/2011/06/dufferin-county-jobs-and-destruction.html</a><br /></div><br /><div>To read about how people have come together to petition this irresponsible aggression – <a href="http://bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.com/2011/10/foodstock.html">http://bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.com/2011/10/foodstock.html</a><br /></div><br /><div>Today, I simply wanted to let you know about another event that is scheduled to happen in just a few days…<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU97iHOV1qU0BIf2cY_Jn3wN6DzbsmKCMKLeVMQAmENgv3A7A2VjW_iRWOzC4QdErWaMuMD-5tG0X07aSNP7_Etbhp8F6TciZ-DMgIsTTgao258JttKEKZ5wS2MFxhKiSVV51AinXWfJZN/s1600/POSTER+AAMQ+2+email+408kb.jpeg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 259px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU97iHOV1qU0BIf2cY_Jn3wN6DzbsmKCMKLeVMQAmENgv3A7A2VjW_iRWOzC4QdErWaMuMD-5tG0X07aSNP7_Etbhp8F6TciZ-DMgIsTTgao258JttKEKZ5wS2MFxhKiSVV51AinXWfJZN/s400/POSTER+AAMQ+2+email+408kb.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703926467686676834" border="0" /></a><br />This flyer may be a little difficult to read so here are the points of interest…<br /><br />Where – Studio 5 – 1362 Bathurst Street – just south of St. Clair West – Toronto<br /><br />When – Opening Friday February 3rd – 6:00-9:00pm <span style="font-weight: bold;">and</span> Saturday February 4th – 11:00am – 5:00pm<br /><br />Sandi Wong is the artist responsible (in part she always reminds us) for organizing this wonderful display of colourful landscapes, created by many concerned artists and I want to thank her for this amazing effort! Although I will not be able to attend this event, I am busying myself and my paints to create some new originals that I will be showcasing at other upcoming events.<br /><br />But that’s another story….<br /><br />Jim<br /><br />PS – If you attend, please have a great time and return to this blog and post a comment sharing your experiences at this unique and noteworthy event! Thanks!!!</div>Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17906564130769891598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486758478298250026.post-9606206214025096602012-01-19T14:10:00.000-08:002012-01-19T14:21:32.067-08:00Sunny DaysBrrrr… a wee bit on the chilly side, here in London, Ontario. We’ve finally got a bit of the white stuff on the ground and I’m sure that many skiers and snowboarders are happy!<br /><br />Although I always enjoy the winter season – ha! for the most part – one thing that I like to do, to keep warm, is reminisce about the summer season. I’ve been saving these gardening photos to share with you now so that you can also enjoy reliving the sunny days of summer…<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3YXJfTN5jwWpOa28lr1dDTl0hwZj3CNvmA9nZNqE-7hm_YDnEBFuMki5uPBw0hPl_f3tlKEp4KqqdYP-DYt729xuxRtXWIQESGOm0n-iuZBUJKDNl6MBQOGZ500rgMznE0qGRz1jrO761/s1600/thestory.22.firstlayerdone.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 305px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3YXJfTN5jwWpOa28lr1dDTl0hwZj3CNvmA9nZNqE-7hm_YDnEBFuMki5uPBw0hPl_f3tlKEp4KqqdYP-DYt729xuxRtXWIQESGOm0n-iuZBUJKDNl6MBQOGZ500rgMznE0qGRz1jrO761/s400/thestory.22.firstlayerdone.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699469836782332226" border="0" /></a><br />In 2010 I had a major restoration job to do on the foundation wall at the back of my house. After the work was done, I had a bit of fun painting a silly image on the wall before the whole thing got filled in with soil.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgimVRnlbTmKLN412GFidtMKvT1_gAIUW-R-ylZfFef-j5q-tMMgyRQkJPYV_0IY9o5w_YVdDwlT5eoOC6cB9n60iFQi48sGzVDSXIfNWhUIoJ-ymvW_OdUfP8oKxDG40xLAOQHbXKsvb-N/s1600/image.001.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 304px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgimVRnlbTmKLN412GFidtMKvT1_gAIUW-R-ylZfFef-j5q-tMMgyRQkJPYV_0IY9o5w_YVdDwlT5eoOC6cB9n60iFQi48sGzVDSXIfNWhUIoJ-ymvW_OdUfP8oKxDG40xLAOQHbXKsvb-N/s400/image.001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699469843335709794" border="0" /></a><br />Last spring, I more than doubled the size of this garden area, adding a nice curve to finish it off.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiYb1n3i1n23tsPpzwGN9jQSW_AJDaiHRaUsKeOecAOEWxrs9sp3uJIJz__zwmYt3nsdvNTmFp5JeYbm91b_WERpB4nrzuY6gAOWBSSAJmzHrRiKZyKObuodEHMxRu8dPihwNHqnuHOa4y/s1600/image.01.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 304px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiYb1n3i1n23tsPpzwGN9jQSW_AJDaiHRaUsKeOecAOEWxrs9sp3uJIJz__zwmYt3nsdvNTmFp5JeYbm91b_WERpB4nrzuY6gAOWBSSAJmzHrRiKZyKObuodEHMxRu8dPihwNHqnuHOa4y/s400/image.01.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699469858114928018" border="0" /></a><br />For the most part, I planted yellow beans along the whole front of this space, with Gladiolas planted closer to the house. I added a few small hostas around the garden hose and nearest the corner of the house I planted some baby blue Morning Glories.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj24a4J83Ih1Wy_6CNj4kVWmROAs4U1FM6CCMh8-YSdDW0mL-s9M3fJnr9nw1AOKZBtzqmCc54Hct0NURlhuXgbN6pbLKgQbL2ZkkcVkZw0CSoYPYmhQncTOadmHq_3hVxsIIfzQF0Y2Cws/s1600/image.02.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 304px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj24a4J83Ih1Wy_6CNj4kVWmROAs4U1FM6CCMh8-YSdDW0mL-s9M3fJnr9nw1AOKZBtzqmCc54Hct0NURlhuXgbN6pbLKgQbL2ZkkcVkZw0CSoYPYmhQncTOadmHq_3hVxsIIfzQF0Y2Cws/s400/image.02.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699469860388821506" border="0" /></a><br />I added small round cages around the beans to give them a bit of stability as they grew higher. Since so much soil was exposed to the air – while everything was filling in – I added lots of grass clippings to hold the moisture in the soil. The Morning Glories were growing very quickly and soon I had to add metal poles with string strung between their lengths so that the flowers would have somewhere to grow.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWc8m4RqWzZ_luQZQKy5KnQ6gE68PuBV9BYyqwRXWZGdFnNtZCXbt7W7WKw1zkKWaLOBdRUmfV_LxBu1TfcUd2NsohEFCCO30Vg0z_qWuhkSPPjukYh99EeAqrzZgqZyczAXZtgwfytwd8/s1600/IMG_4412.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 304px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWc8m4RqWzZ_luQZQKy5KnQ6gE68PuBV9BYyqwRXWZGdFnNtZCXbt7W7WKw1zkKWaLOBdRUmfV_LxBu1TfcUd2NsohEFCCO30Vg0z_qWuhkSPPjukYh99EeAqrzZgqZyczAXZtgwfytwd8/s400/IMG_4412.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699469868785382514" border="0" /></a><br />Here you can see that the green grass clippings have turned brown, as they continue to hold moisture in the soil while they decompose to add nutrients to the soil. You can see a few yellow beans peaking out and the Morning Glories continue to grow and grow!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhzqEVmeTfZdEPPY43pw8Xcfi2MYETFMP84KQAJcblfpUrtLHb6yQCffr67Z6N5RZnsBj4GAGXjGsXKIE8P9Y8cSSNMSRv1Jsx37eUknNB5K2J4sofkoW-F5BkK2sRRa52zTlb4druSNzp/s1600/IMG_4428.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 304px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhzqEVmeTfZdEPPY43pw8Xcfi2MYETFMP84KQAJcblfpUrtLHb6yQCffr67Z6N5RZnsBj4GAGXjGsXKIE8P9Y8cSSNMSRv1Jsx37eUknNB5K2J4sofkoW-F5BkK2sRRa52zTlb4druSNzp/s400/IMG_4428.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699470372286141410" border="0" /></a><br />My idea for the Morning Glories was simple… I wanted to grow a wall of flowers. But you can see that my idea was getting out of control. Already the plants have grown as tall as the metal poles and they are reaching to grow higher still! What am I going to do?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV098J0wHixnIsLb-LeimfT8wg8WM13VTVl3L2UIZugfXdhi_NjBvtOoRN6ZSOYuUGxg6nPxmuVFm_OerPGt6O_-SGorldW9Tn_yR_IFGLAPeqC8x3Rg8hgdzxPdk8fKpJPSg7nRR_z8jP/s1600/IMG_4477.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 304px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV098J0wHixnIsLb-LeimfT8wg8WM13VTVl3L2UIZugfXdhi_NjBvtOoRN6ZSOYuUGxg6nPxmuVFm_OerPGt6O_-SGorldW9Tn_yR_IFGLAPeqC8x3Rg8hgdzxPdk8fKpJPSg7nRR_z8jP/s400/IMG_4477.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699470376295953282" border="0" /></a><br />It’s a little hard to see, but I ended up using a heavy-duty rope to run lines from the tops of the metal poles all the way to the window awning.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIlU7Pn1BUHndlCIu_tFdT9ZHM00QBu-dAjAqebUvO7YyxzCo_zVeKdRmfZq_smhhf8v4NZIoxGtK5fG8WIQ7iztMGmVesUYFUTQ7nA3MDUOCwwUFBmDczCRmjgfMDmHCN08sbBlsd3yh2/s1600/IMG_4478.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 304px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIlU7Pn1BUHndlCIu_tFdT9ZHM00QBu-dAjAqebUvO7YyxzCo_zVeKdRmfZq_smhhf8v4NZIoxGtK5fG8WIQ7iztMGmVesUYFUTQ7nA3MDUOCwwUFBmDczCRmjgfMDmHCN08sbBlsd3yh2/s400/IMG_4478.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699470388377174162" border="0" /></a><br />Morning Glories are a plant that needs continuous maintenance – if you are trying to grow a wall of flowers. Daily, I would weave the vines up and down and around the ropes. Left unattended the vines would simply grow upwards for a foot or two, become heavy from the weight of its own self and then fall towards the ground. They don’t naturally twist and weave themselves around the support ropes I put in place.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8GypJ0Oc00b-bPiOAqcofUOoE6BOSef_9Ih6LjjtsbefWVGlXB8a1ya5nJ328c0cmjJVHJwTyPvso-s3y2Gi6TzI5lctDsvf6kh3QDI5esTRiZAdzE0hgQCsjmYOORn-kU2NAjkCREZeX/s1600/IMG_4479.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 304px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8GypJ0Oc00b-bPiOAqcofUOoE6BOSef_9Ih6LjjtsbefWVGlXB8a1ya5nJ328c0cmjJVHJwTyPvso-s3y2Gi6TzI5lctDsvf6kh3QDI5esTRiZAdzE0hgQCsjmYOORn-kU2NAjkCREZeX/s400/IMG_4479.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699470394057842290" border="0" /></a><br />I would spend close to half an hour, each day, redirecting and maneuvering these vines. It was lots of fun and I learned a lot about how this plant grows… but soon I had a wild jungle on my hands and I saw my control slipping away.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGsNshV1T8N4-rw8CBJWn2ZY_I2A8mgcA_HbfLgMcYfZ3l6sSU7bCp5wHQBmHsO4pFHzJV5Y0SMLVyAzVgfney4vc3p3VASPQinNm3RYJ5W2H6LMDgrUNiJDz91Rhv3f-7-3bEHWssD5tD/s1600/IMG_4576.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 304px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGsNshV1T8N4-rw8CBJWn2ZY_I2A8mgcA_HbfLgMcYfZ3l6sSU7bCp5wHQBmHsO4pFHzJV5Y0SMLVyAzVgfney4vc3p3VASPQinNm3RYJ5W2H6LMDgrUNiJDz91Rhv3f-7-3bEHWssD5tD/s400/IMG_4576.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699470406703386914" border="0" /></a><br />These plants didn’t seem like they were ever going to stop growing… and they never did, until the Autumn frost finally killed the plants and flowers. You can see how far the vines stretched.<br /><br />Yeah!!!! After patiently watching and tending to these vines for almost two months, it was now time to for the flowers to start blooming!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhciDAkCVan8Kncdm_CCfiyJbGFNEFgsBzsdF22tyko99Bog6MhcumSwj8d_4NTLv2QnM4l4ox-2QEKPLnuT7VdJ1rR0WwnB7qIH0RDV6n3Q8lp5auBWoFnWyIUcAIU1wIfJ6gB0T5Hgd-v/s1600/IMG_4593.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 304px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhciDAkCVan8Kncdm_CCfiyJbGFNEFgsBzsdF22tyko99Bog6MhcumSwj8d_4NTLv2QnM4l4ox-2QEKPLnuT7VdJ1rR0WwnB7qIH0RDV6n3Q8lp5auBWoFnWyIUcAIU1wIfJ6gB0T5Hgd-v/s400/IMG_4593.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699471237405564306" border="0" /></a><br />This particular species of Morning Glory produced flowers in baby-blue hues. What a delight! The flower lasted for just one day and then they died… but not before turning an interesting shade of fuscia. As the flowering season continued my jungle of green sparkled with two different colours at the same time.<br /><br />To get these photos I actually had to climb onto my garage roof!!! My neighbours must have thought I was a bit nuts cuz I climbed up there quite often. I’m just showing you a few of my favourite ones.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ3r0IN16qGos89GUwCSye7sXY-kGubxTsTWHFoKE_ZeeeSwmztZqbKN5iVplxgyDI3IehI9L8xQJ3yX2eCpIh0PBpIqHKrFUQNND0ohlQJKSLYoksfw7HVPZs8Gooq-Zf6FJ-RUMV9IOb/s1600/IMG_4580.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 304px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ3r0IN16qGos89GUwCSye7sXY-kGubxTsTWHFoKE_ZeeeSwmztZqbKN5iVplxgyDI3IehI9L8xQJ3yX2eCpIh0PBpIqHKrFUQNND0ohlQJKSLYoksfw7HVPZs8Gooq-Zf6FJ-RUMV9IOb/s400/IMG_4580.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699471216323884994" border="0" /></a><br />I love macro photography! Getting in nice and close to one flower, while the ones in the distance loose their focus to add interesting textures to the composition.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisr9VHuSsjks3l_aXhnqeowqHZMg-q4rvl3g5eqGnvU3ZPF7ZbU8XgwUYEhA561ArBDj9Jqb7rZcfcu7PTd9ifMADKv9X-52A_hNqpuP8hvpXRhWv32-9aFXKn-N4644XZM9-PktOMHty2/s1600/IMG_4594.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 311px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisr9VHuSsjks3l_aXhnqeowqHZMg-q4rvl3g5eqGnvU3ZPF7ZbU8XgwUYEhA561ArBDj9Jqb7rZcfcu7PTd9ifMADKv9X-52A_hNqpuP8hvpXRhWv32-9aFXKn-N4644XZM9-PktOMHty2/s400/IMG_4594.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699471244405208530" border="0" /></a><br />This photo actually took me a while to compose. It was rather difficult cuz I had to climb up a shaky ladder. I was trying to compose an image that delved into the ideals of structured balance between light and dark. I had to think of the shadows in the foreground and balance them using the light on my neighbour’s garage wall in the background . I also spent time placing the loose, curvy vines in such a way as to compliment the rigid lines of the architectural structures in this photo. By fiddling with different applications on my computer an interesting final composition emerges for you to enjoy!!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlM3zFfyMRs-PQVYK3sKoOcpJwAaGCHwpYc3-U5XUtszpK60o3qAvf_TZULExj_pNxDVF5eVDGyOizw-WX08J1IOdmVLJAsZN078D-uMhoN8MGgaoSH52k0FHsyUWbAfQsaxWkHrq_f2vG/s1600/IMG_4589.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlM3zFfyMRs-PQVYK3sKoOcpJwAaGCHwpYc3-U5XUtszpK60o3qAvf_TZULExj_pNxDVF5eVDGyOizw-WX08J1IOdmVLJAsZN078D-uMhoN8MGgaoSH52k0FHsyUWbAfQsaxWkHrq_f2vG/s400/IMG_4589.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699471231257803522" border="0" /></a><br />This image was also created using a computer application. As an artist who takes a long time to create just one painted image, I find it rewarding to use a computer to create an image that could well resemble my style of painting in less than an hour.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDWT9g2MNTUJpsVkAOQmBtVZkcrRjOzbBMQ3KcDSTLwVGKKONl2dr7Q1LreIBGhyDIxru0dn7k0Fp6Reu4um0E4HbUqL1mH02DNryQrTorIdbC4lYW1Spaoj2o5lRP9U3K27XwpSDgt864/s1600/IMG_4581.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 312px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDWT9g2MNTUJpsVkAOQmBtVZkcrRjOzbBMQ3KcDSTLwVGKKONl2dr7Q1LreIBGhyDIxru0dn7k0Fp6Reu4um0E4HbUqL1mH02DNryQrTorIdbC4lYW1Spaoj2o5lRP9U3K27XwpSDgt864/s400/IMG_4581.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699471219668102210" border="0" /></a><br />This final image that I have to share with you, was also created using my computer. I just love the wet metallic feel of this organic lifeform, stretching and yawning in its expanse to grow and evolve!<br /><br />I’ve added a poem that I wrote over a decade ago – inspired by thoughts of Morning Glories (of course) – to complete this image. I know that many of you like to steal (er – I mean share) many of the images that I use in my blogs, so I made this image just for you. An inspirational poem and image to decorate your office wall, to remind us of the summer’s sun as we continue our way through the winter.<br /><br />JimJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17906564130769891598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486758478298250026.post-52816573320026277972012-01-03T14:20:00.000-08:002012-01-03T14:37:10.492-08:00Tallying The ScorecardI began my 2011 blog posts with a story entitled “I Resolve”.<br /><div><a href="http://www.bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.com/2011/01/i-resolve.html">http://www.bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.com/2011/01/i-resolve.html</a><br /><br />In this story I listed over 30 resolutions that I hoped to accomplish over the year that has just past. Let’s take a look and see how I did…<br /><br />I began my list stating that… “In 2011 I resolve to continue to find ways to make this world a better place for future generations.”<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikWEUaErsYadfeXMakCWRQeeA1OxbT6oowMHK5mvJ3QdTHKCc8vXbdLvfy7rpiz9_F-3uSwbabkFKCNOSh2VqRr7CbxLJdTq4KaAocMkEzWQX3wt6DO8hIuTTIYcTm-h8Pk89Ke2J1z3uO/s1600/01.treeplanting.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 304px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikWEUaErsYadfeXMakCWRQeeA1OxbT6oowMHK5mvJ3QdTHKCc8vXbdLvfy7rpiz9_F-3uSwbabkFKCNOSh2VqRr7CbxLJdTq4KaAocMkEzWQX3wt6DO8hIuTTIYcTm-h8Pk89Ke2J1z3uO/s400/01.treeplanting.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693537295869138914" border="0" /></a><br />The best way - that I can think of - to make this world a better place is by sharing positive inspiration that leads to positive actions. In April, I shared the inspirational artworks of The Peacebus at an Earthday event and during the day I planted several trees.<br /><a href="http://www.bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.com/2011/04/earthday-2011.html">http://www.bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.com/2011/04/earthday-2011.html</a><br /><br />Next on my list was this statement… “I resolve to understand where my food comes from so that I can make choices that will protect endangered forestlands.”<br /><br />I was referring mostly to the horrors of McDonalds and my goal was to inspire others to boycott this evil franchise. Imagine my surprise when, last summer, I noticed that several of my old Peacebus students had created a Facebook group entitled “McCruelty – We’re Hating It!” and I was invited to join!!! Now, I’m sending this invitation to you to join our group…<br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/#%21/groups/119151744775630/">http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/119151744775630/</a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTPIa8kv1PX_z6Q22mba4Z2jqbsokAB7hDJIf6Kk5sZH6jAbmRZnk2N5ZjqPyVB_OxqnLDfCjoJypTrmMcjw1PWU87H516qpH8IxLbC_he-HaT-UIoYKEM5TyXtx2Ll0fORt00kxnh19oE/s1600/mcd.closes.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 234px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTPIa8kv1PX_z6Q22mba4Z2jqbsokAB7hDJIf6Kk5sZH6jAbmRZnk2N5ZjqPyVB_OxqnLDfCjoJypTrmMcjw1PWU87H516qpH8IxLbC_he-HaT-UIoYKEM5TyXtx2Ll0fORt00kxnh19oE/s400/mcd.closes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693535438787606034" border="0" /></a><br />In this group, we share stories about how to maintain a healthy diet by not eating fast foods and links are shared to news stories about how the McDonalds industry is beginning to crumble in other parts of the world!!!!<br /><br />My next resolution had to do with maintaining my home to make it a better place…<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEMvxzzoBby2130CRc3ZRwzh-8mYtxvpnEVn_1GpgA9HSKCSe8MHmzVytX0H1n3FF56S9U0gppky-9pszsZvV9OTnXQi91t1ooou8DtPblBAD-XP-DrVDnr3GpnJukOwsJzO4aWTXEeRte/s1600/03.roofrepair.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 304px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEMvxzzoBby2130CRc3ZRwzh-8mYtxvpnEVn_1GpgA9HSKCSe8MHmzVytX0H1n3FF56S9U0gppky-9pszsZvV9OTnXQi91t1ooou8DtPblBAD-XP-DrVDnr3GpnJukOwsJzO4aWTXEeRte/s400/03.roofrepair.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693537276414421826" border="0" /></a><br />… and I spent most of the summer doing just that! Now I have a garage roof that doesn’t leak.<br /><a href="http://www.bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.com/2011/08/roof-repair.html">http://www.bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.com/2011/08/roof-repair.html</a><br /><br />Further down on my list I resolved to… “inspire children to be artful and creative.”<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlRiL8SEZ_7g8eO-p9uLG5W1z0RxJwGFQdO5M2kfUqmtTJoYzcoY7aqzGS4wHdw0xMzmeKe8PsCojR96qTs49y7HBtX3QM5XPjw2IayJiGfL6OXkaQKp9yulfs9TKTErMGxYmlmLMPgqVV/s1600/04.LondonFreePress.news.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 347px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlRiL8SEZ_7g8eO-p9uLG5W1z0RxJwGFQdO5M2kfUqmtTJoYzcoY7aqzGS4wHdw0xMzmeKe8PsCojR96qTs49y7HBtX3QM5XPjw2IayJiGfL6OXkaQKp9yulfs9TKTErMGxYmlmLMPgqVV/s400/04.LondonFreePress.news.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693537270733020530" border="0" /></a><br />I think that I have accomplished this in more than just one way! For 3 months the students of The Peacebus and I worked together to create a total of 63 artworks inspired by thoughts of peace, animals and monochromatic colour schemes. The end result was this beautiful collage of the Earth in space surrounded by the Sun and the Universe.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNweUD3mXESstlxKejAPEx3-LNlTAZeSLMFvlYnd6nXZSrN4wMYAKGBsVXZTi86xaI-BV4wREAMbdJScrCf-t8CsZE6aaj8mSRPbcKVUmfUiVhmke3o5uYpAZyJvJKcenGjifLGyYw2Dtu/s1600/05.peacewave.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 304px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNweUD3mXESstlxKejAPEx3-LNlTAZeSLMFvlYnd6nXZSrN4wMYAKGBsVXZTi86xaI-BV4wREAMbdJScrCf-t8CsZE6aaj8mSRPbcKVUmfUiVhmke3o5uYpAZyJvJKcenGjifLGyYw2Dtu/s400/05.peacewave.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693536695016477730" border="0" /></a><br />Jeanne Sauve elementary school allowed me to have an artful celebration in their gymnasium and afterwards the students and I donated this artwork to the London Children’s Health Foundation.<br /><a href="http://www.bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.com/2011/07/their-home-too.html">http://www.bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.com/2011/07/their-home-too.html</a><br /><br />Next, I resolved to… “share inspiration with the friends I have made on Facebook.”<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidEvDnq9SSDf1fe1X2rWwvEp46XPOLmwvnjqPFgniXEw4T8ESjgkAKgMtCFw1GMTDrNcAu-GD4NsC6MVx8V6fqdVfnhTx6_K9KNhlFgg92P-YG347TiL3bsFcC7uMswVoWPWgor6K-OeJ9/s1600/06.erin.tbi.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 191px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidEvDnq9SSDf1fe1X2rWwvEp46XPOLmwvnjqPFgniXEw4T8ESjgkAKgMtCFw1GMTDrNcAu-GD4NsC6MVx8V6fqdVfnhTx6_K9KNhlFgg92P-YG347TiL3bsFcC7uMswVoWPWgor6K-OeJ9/s400/06.erin.tbi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693536692098343506" border="0" /></a><br />I do this all the time, so I have easily accomplished this resolution. My Facebook highlight happened in September, when I started a new, fun, artful and educational group entitled, “Turtle Book Ink”. Again, I’m extending an invitation for all of you to join…<br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/#%21/groups/turtlebookink/">http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/turtlebookink/</a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG3SO8fbfbnG53q7lWMuyBhwT4yq-2nY9aJdlwSSoIpg2uOkXju7ik-aqVgjPj1dDgmhpynqhgYz898zovfUol3tW7t76AkFR6lPW0PHRJApTX8qprchT0O2PUGaG54xZj4ySQ_j89KS96/s1600/07.ava.turtleadventure.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 306px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG3SO8fbfbnG53q7lWMuyBhwT4yq-2nY9aJdlwSSoIpg2uOkXju7ik-aqVgjPj1dDgmhpynqhgYz898zovfUol3tW7t76AkFR6lPW0PHRJApTX8qprchT0O2PUGaG54xZj4ySQ_j89KS96/s400/07.ava.turtleadventure.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693536673516515778" border="0" /></a><br />People from around the world are sharing pictures and stories about the turtles that they love! We’ve had a few fun contests with really cool prizes. People have been posting petitions to save turtles from harm. I even asked the students who ride The Peacebus to share their artistic talents and one young girl was so inspired that she created over 25 turtle drawings. These drawings, in turn, inspired me to create a special story about one courageous turtle who went on a great adventure. You can read the whole story and see the many beautiful artworks by following this link…<br /><a href="http://www.bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.com/2011/10/turtles-great-adventure.html">http://www.bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.com/2011/10/turtles-great-adventure.html</a><br /><br />On my resolution list I also stated that I would… “attend community events that celebrate the diversities of my homeland.”<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI9itBStYlk57knML6vHnbQ6_OwEtCCY9a7Ph5sEd1W0s3JIQG3WCkhe_TnLmv2sIYBntKPjOs6ThJqL4stTORGeV6-HSHnTUudMkeioZVhWKfv8LdMzI7ACXPoVpeW-oCaRHPFV5pWPGC/s1600/08.no.megaquarrysign.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 273px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI9itBStYlk57knML6vHnbQ6_OwEtCCY9a7Ph5sEd1W0s3JIQG3WCkhe_TnLmv2sIYBntKPjOs6ThJqL4stTORGeV6-HSHnTUudMkeioZVhWKfv8LdMzI7ACXPoVpeW-oCaRHPFV5pWPGC/s400/08.no.megaquarrysign.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693536668756667234" border="0" /></a><br />Last spring, I became aware of an American company who came to the part of Southern Ontario – where I grew up – to lie to all the farmers in the area. This company bought out many of the farms and soon became the largest potato producer in Canada! That wasn’t the lie. This spring, the company announced their plans to stop farming potatoes so that they could create North America’s 2nd largest open pit mine!!!<br /><br />This story is so detailed that I will insist that you learn more by reading this story…<br /><a href="http://www.bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.com/2011/06/dufferin-county-jobs-and-destruction.html">http://www.bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.com/2011/06/dufferin-county-jobs-and-destruction.html</a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg6dmkGr78WDr2n6pULaM7OBg-2YY4fkKG4b4U5Sk38iluivq4VEE0CKYkypyZZTLitFI99ZnsWvQZJ8nyvhd_QIYFi3XnT3BNMImUCL7LVgfsbz7gAT_OE33k2g7iGJWJXOdAf8CP48rl/s1600/09.5dayprotestwalk.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 281px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg6dmkGr78WDr2n6pULaM7OBg-2YY4fkKG4b4U5Sk38iluivq4VEE0CKYkypyZZTLitFI99ZnsWvQZJ8nyvhd_QIYFi3XnT3BNMImUCL7LVgfsbz7gAT_OE33k2g7iGJWJXOdAf8CP48rl/s400/09.5dayprotestwalk.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693536664807246322" border="0" /></a><br />In July, the community of Orangeville, Ontario hosted an information event in the downtown core, to further raise awareness about this critical issue and to raise funds to fight the Highlands Corporation. I was in attendance!<br /><br />This debate is still in process and I will invite you all to learn more and to support this cause by joining our Facebook group…<br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/#%21/no.mega.quarry">http://www.facebook.com/#!/no.mega.quarry</a><br /><br />One of the easiest resolutions for me to keep was to… “appreciate the beauty of Nature.”<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYCUEbzpVXoAwCjq7XidqcCMVudrvZ5iyL8FSJRK5VBgmTNNiV5ylf59dCqKLN9mmcaZqnDAubeO62vfq2QGCnq2NCU9xkL5eAtnhLgf-AgYg_o-RPYIk0K2pOGzY61cGJ0heek50fZjR-/s1600/10.eyeofthethunderstorm.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 306px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYCUEbzpVXoAwCjq7XidqcCMVudrvZ5iyL8FSJRK5VBgmTNNiV5ylf59dCqKLN9mmcaZqnDAubeO62vfq2QGCnq2NCU9xkL5eAtnhLgf-AgYg_o-RPYIk0K2pOGzY61cGJ0heek50fZjR-/s400/10.eyeofthethunderstorm.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693536091732477330" border="0" /></a><br />I do this every single day!!!! This is just one of the many arted photos that I took to capture the elegance, fury and majesty of our Earth and its ever changing weather patterns.<br /><br />Next on my list was… “I resolve to maintain my sense of humour in response to environmental issues.”<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDqChnn1O4P6kC9VX4xiFBs3simiFmyUHufZxa5jQfbvpZsMbVgA68c-qBWJYqbnRjlmPYYnYCClT6ewD-jL4fNwcwvff0CqAIE9pXqnjRgpxq7PNZooa6ojZBnzKYy7d5WMSPX-xcy72g/s1600/11.for.nothing.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 276px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDqChnn1O4P6kC9VX4xiFBs3simiFmyUHufZxa5jQfbvpZsMbVgA68c-qBWJYqbnRjlmPYYnYCClT6ewD-jL4fNwcwvff0CqAIE9pXqnjRgpxq7PNZooa6ojZBnzKYy7d5WMSPX-xcy72g/s400/11.for.nothing.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693536085093518210" border="0" /></a><br />To accomplish this, I continued to post many environmental cartoons in my Facebook album entitled, “The Lighter Side of Doomsday!”<br /><br />One of my favourite resolutions was to… “grow more flowers in my gardens.”<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiObOa4hEnBgPRhUJsrj1IKCHESwxoepIZr2bdBmIS2py3WIiIUASrJv7kHwZ4kxvyfNCSP7vvTGFzgr7-7NJoj-dVhLF497JGuf_pvlrzLebWizQl54crr-2KeLIZ57rgTIjPxN98g5_PM/s1600/12.daylily.04.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 304px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiObOa4hEnBgPRhUJsrj1IKCHESwxoepIZr2bdBmIS2py3WIiIUASrJv7kHwZ4kxvyfNCSP7vvTGFzgr7-7NJoj-dVhLF497JGuf_pvlrzLebWizQl54crr-2KeLIZ57rgTIjPxN98g5_PM/s400/12.daylily.04.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693536068695757618" border="0" /></a><br />Just look at all the flowers filling this photograph!!!! This is my front garden and it is dedicated to flowers. I dug this garden two years ago and last year I had a bumper crop!<br /><br />“I resolve to appreciate and celebrate the accomplishments of others,” was also on my list. A noble resolution indeed!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaEVU8TmZXn-qv2Mtjf-6TRhw0ytmJ5xm_qhTh2K6Ld6IHWvCdx9617bl1SOlMrg4GnC_GLWkvdLhEQuucEY4DPf1PUvTz0CpxD8JMo8varPV9C9cZMVeGmSWI1jXacYd5m0m98RMd82jK/s1600/13.devon.003.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 309px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaEVU8TmZXn-qv2Mtjf-6TRhw0ytmJ5xm_qhTh2K6Ld6IHWvCdx9617bl1SOlMrg4GnC_GLWkvdLhEQuucEY4DPf1PUvTz0CpxD8JMo8varPV9C9cZMVeGmSWI1jXacYd5m0m98RMd82jK/s400/13.devon.003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693537739786075122" border="0" /></a><br />I can think of many instances when I accomplished this goal, but none stand out on my mind more than when my lovely wife of 17 years gave birth to our son, Devon James Kogelheide!!!!<br /><a href="http://www.bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.com/2011/11/let-me-introduce-to-you.html">http://www.bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.com/2011/11/let-me-introduce-to-you.html</a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2K8JVb5rH90csGCPW5Sb4pyweZUV9t1Fh5U4dygf72ifpDHmNMthcQswKqoyIhuZdTrIrZaBFMx260t-0sz28TcK0b4mmpifuR2I2r-KNFJfmR_qL-lCVoio13G5oeoRNeG0q7mL_sZ0T/s1600/13.01devon.winter.wonderland.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 329px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2K8JVb5rH90csGCPW5Sb4pyweZUV9t1Fh5U4dygf72ifpDHmNMthcQswKqoyIhuZdTrIrZaBFMx260t-0sz28TcK0b4mmpifuR2I2r-KNFJfmR_qL-lCVoio13G5oeoRNeG0q7mL_sZ0T/s400/13.01devon.winter.wonderland.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693536069561420306" border="0" /></a><br />Now, I’ll easily be able to accomplish this resolution every single day, as I watch my beautiful boy, grow to wiggle and giggle his way through life!!!!<br /><br />I love music! Especially music that bangs the beat for universal peace!! So, it is fitting that I made this resolution to… “attend great Rock’N’Roll concerts that fill my heart with waves of electric light.”<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi071ENHEu1z_7GGyr4fg4fdNHbtEe7OwpTIYm98aZECnh0NsUcCM6-_DJ-J2soxuJ_Mop7E-yWMDR96tGQvydgnoysV692OCzHFkd4WHABh3USQxygwHJwLU54zKO1SkD9mB-RYYQlb8II/s1600/17.U2.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 303px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi071ENHEu1z_7GGyr4fg4fdNHbtEe7OwpTIYm98aZECnh0NsUcCM6-_DJ-J2soxuJ_Mop7E-yWMDR96tGQvydgnoysV692OCzHFkd4WHABh3USQxygwHJwLU54zKO1SkD9mB-RYYQlb8II/s400/17.U2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693535427552730114" border="0" /></a><br />What better way of keeping my resolution than by going on a 3-day mini-holiday - for my birthday present - to Toronto to see my favourite band U2!!!!<br /><a href="http://www.bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.com/2011/08/our-summer-vacation.html">http://www.bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.com/2011/08/our-summer-vacation.html</a><br /><br />I like to make my resolutions fun to accomplish. Like… “I resolve to drink locally manufactured beer with old high school friends around a bon-fire.”<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUnEtRsMjOZtzYbQZOfw5bKpUiOpSy8euU_YrtrNQDXnwO2VUAgKDkVSwmarru_SLbIZV2FOcKledzvW28ayIiqmjZm9O_ByXtSrY1dM3kkVLjrbT-RTDU0Z_0wd3XeTd7wOExt9mykWsa/s1600/14.kym.party.01.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 304px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUnEtRsMjOZtzYbQZOfw5bKpUiOpSy8euU_YrtrNQDXnwO2VUAgKDkVSwmarru_SLbIZV2FOcKledzvW28ayIiqmjZm9O_ByXtSrY1dM3kkVLjrbT-RTDU0Z_0wd3XeTd7wOExt9mykWsa/s400/14.kym.party.01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693535426119973458" border="0" /></a><br />Well… this resolution fell a little short. Yes, I was able to drink locally manufactured beer with old high school friends, but this year our gathering was at home where we couldn’t have a bon-fire. Almost got this one! Better luck this summer!<br /><br />Also on my list was… “I resolve to take a picture of you taking a picture of me taking a picture of you.”<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEp2an5Kerv8Use2Fbiuo3p9BV9JilmBpqoNxTSPb2XoGge03lRWVV9wzxRHvrgalm1MIQOwfcdVoNpwKpTRfoKupsSNZTVAfv8rYNB90qiowolMGCsIt5RY16SSrjRhwx37GcGjk0CPKA/s1600/15.helper.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 303px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEp2an5Kerv8Use2Fbiuo3p9BV9JilmBpqoNxTSPb2XoGge03lRWVV9wzxRHvrgalm1MIQOwfcdVoNpwKpTRfoKupsSNZTVAfv8rYNB90qiowolMGCsIt5RY16SSrjRhwx37GcGjk0CPKA/s400/15.helper.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693535408450204930" border="0" /></a><br />Again… I fell a little short of accomplishing this goal, but I almost got it! In the end I got a picture of my dad looking into my camera as I got ready to take a photo…<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ufCf9RStExo9CNr4BS9HAZ3vPQ2CZAY-KTSiXInWKaGHQvx7xnpeQaB8VnR44r70wRQuVexEgozlyZRdrW2hIZWRVL9KSSXGBk8NKhf-XX85ohyA4x6YCVFwUaNe5SoKBCcj7p2uxk7G/s1600/16.portrait.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 355px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ufCf9RStExo9CNr4BS9HAZ3vPQ2CZAY-KTSiXInWKaGHQvx7xnpeQaB8VnR44r70wRQuVexEgozlyZRdrW2hIZWRVL9KSSXGBk8NKhf-XX85ohyA4x6YCVFwUaNe5SoKBCcj7p2uxk7G/s400/16.portrait.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693535403387992226" border="0" /></a><br />… of my whole family sitting by the Christmas tree!<br /><br />Well… that about covers most of the resolutions from my 2011 list and you can see that I was able to accomplish almost all of my goals. Although many of my resolutions were created in fun and were quite easy to realize, I’m most proud of the ones that were hard to define, yet were the most satisfying to be a small part of… even when that small part was a lot of hard work!!!<br /><br />All in all, it would be hard for me not to say that 2011 was the greatest year of my life… and even though that is a very bold statement I am confident that the best is still to come!<br /><br />Yeah!!!!! It’s here!!!! Bring on 2012!!!!<br /><br />Jim</div>Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17906564130769891598noreply@blogger.com4