The Draw to Water

Water makes up nearly 60% of our bodies.  Some organs, like our lungs, contain more water than other organs.  We need a hefty amount of fluids a day to replenish this valuable resource.

This is my take on why we humans are inexplicably drawn to rivers, oceans, lakes, ponds, streams, bays, puddles.

I would reflect on this phenomena when I lived near the Mississippi River and would drive on the scenic River Drive.  I would watch the multitudes drawn to the broad, quickly moving river.  Park benches would be filled and the walkway would be traffic like in it's busyness.  All to look at a river.  Granted, it is a pretty phenomenal river, but nonetheless, simple H2O in it's basic form.

 I would smile to myself as I prepared for this trip.
I would think of the different vistas that I would experience.
The ability to feast my eyes on the vastness of the Northern Atlantic Ocean with all it's bays and inlets, was something that my brain had a hard time wrapping around.

 But proceed I did.
And I was not disappointed.
This longing to be near water becomes even more intense when one lives landlocked in the middle of a state forest.  Trees are wonderful, but oh, the water.....

 The Blues. 
 Oh my, the deepness of the blues; the reach from sky to horizon.  The greys of the overcast days.  The wicked darkness of the waves on a foggy morning...The changeable tones making me ache for a paint brush and canvas....

 From the harbor at Halifax to the far coastal reaches on Prince Edward Island, the water, that turbulent, story ridden, blessed creation, was the draw to our spirits and souls...

 And there we were refreshed.......

 Like no other time....

 In our lives.....

' In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.  The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep.  And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.'


~ Genesis 1:1,2

Artisans of the Island

Kindred Spirit friend and I are souvenir snobs.  We eschew the usual convenient offerings for the far away artist's studio.  We enjoy meeting the artisan in her natural habitat.  (I know that their are male artisans as well, but oddly, during this trip we only ran across their female counterparts).  I believe that the 2000 kilometers that we put on our wonderful rental car, will testify to the truth to that statement.  We managed to perplex our Garmin and challenge all the iron nosed people in our car.
But we found the artists and it was worth the excursions.

• Marcela Rosemberg: www.marcelarosemberg.com Amazing glass artist.  A Jewish woman from Argentina, she was invited to come to Prince Edward Island to live and work and share her art form with the locals and the tourists.  A gracious woman who understands how blessed she is, displays with joy her work that includes her Jewish faith;,  menorahs, mezusahs and Seder plates to delicate pieces of jewelry and functional art.  It was a rainy day when we visited her studio but the brilliance of her glass and her warm hospitality made it a glowing encounter.
• Brenda Watts: www.cattailswoodwork.com. Woodworker extraordinaire. KS did not make it out of the studio without a piece.  Brenda's rural studio sits amid the very thing that she repurposes; bountiful trees!  The men in our group were awed by her state of the art equipment and tools and the skill she used to create the wonderful things in her studio.  From cutting boards to decorative items, her creative imagings in wood won us over. Her daughter, a fused glass artist, shares some of her mama's space as well.  A good marriage of crafts. Pandia Glass/Meghan Watts

Naturally, all this oohing and ahhing worked up an appetite 
And wouldn't you know it, in the midst of NOWHERE there was the tiniest Tea Shop.  This convenient little stop came attached to Belfast Mini Millshttp://www.minimills.net/index.php an extremely productive 'little' place, it produces Mini Mills for those involved in wool spinning cottage industries.  This small spot on the island produces the mills as well as an abundance of hand knit and woven items for sale in their showroom.  Not only do they knit and weave the items but most of the wool is from their own sheep.  While we were there, a local sheep farmer dropped by a load of unspun wool.  There was a torrential rainstorm going on while we were in the shop so we had plenty of time to peruse the finished items and the wool.  I came away with a grand gift for all the grandgirls to share and some wool to make Hubby some warm slippers. The shop even had Samoyed Dog Wool.  No kiddin.


Another stop on the Artisan Tour was at Hazel and Bette's home/rug hooking shop.  Not being too friendly with contemporary ways, these two adorable sisters handed out their handmade cards without benefit of websites or Facebook friending.  These two ladies have probably been hooking and designing and selling the accouterments for many years.  They finished each other's sentences and complemented their skills.  One sister was the bookkeeper who kept the other grounded.  The other was the designer and right side of the equation.  While KS received a perfunctory introduction to Rug Hooking 101, I snapped the sign on their door.  'Open at noonish today'.  Somethin tells me that if KS and I had a shop, we would borrow their sign.

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Driving the long lane to Hedwig Koleszar's Gallery/Studio,http://li58-148.members.linode.com/articles/profiles/394 it came to mind that artists, these designers of lovely things, are quite possibly, the glue that holds us together in the midst of our day to day mundane and challenging lives.  The beauty that they bring into our lives in simple and amazing ways overwhelmed me as we entered Hedwig's property.  Gardens carefully and organically cared for, the warm greeting from her puppy and the smiling face of her Summer Assistant, was a mere portent of the lovely pottery that she creates.
It was at Hedwig's Studio that we discovered the true spirit of Prince Edward Island.  We had encountered such lovely people during our stay.  Cars stop in the middle of the road if you are waiting to cross.  Smiles are abundant and greetings are warm.  They seemed genuinely interested in why we would visit their island and where in the states we hailed from.  KS is great at engaging conversation so while she did all the work, I quietly peered into all the areas of the studios and galleries. 
At Hedwig's, we were told that sadly, she was in town but that we were free to wander around.  It was while we were absorbing the vibe in her studio, that we saw the note:.

Need I say anymore?
Book your next vaca..'.Holiday' for next year, late June.  And tell Hedwig that we said thank you for restoring our faith in mankind.....

Kindred Spirits

When Kindred Spirit Friend greeted me at her home at the start of our journey together, she rather wryly commented, 'I shall be on my best behavior on this trip.  You must always be cautious when you travel with a Blogger.'

And right she was.

Not only did most of the square miles of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island get photographed, but a Travel Journal was half filled with the day to day adventures of these traveling, long time friends. Menus were copied and humorous insights noted.  And between the four of us, there was much to note.

 Hubby and I started out early for the start of our vacation. (Heretofore referred to as 'holiday' since that's what the Canadians call it)  'On holiday, are ya, eh?'
Hubby and I felt we needed the extra day and a half to catch up with them and to learn from KS's hubby, all the ins and outs of international travel and packing.
We reveled in each other's company, still finding it hard to believe that the trip was imminent.
Looking back at my notes, I  found such a great contentment just hanging out at KS's cozy,gracious home that I could have called it a vacation. Almost. The colorful cutting garden, the soothing front porch, the tasty, well decorated table that she sets so well, all added up to a joy to my senses and comfort in my soul.  Anytime you can spend time in the company of a Kindred Spirit, you should soak  in the minutes and clamp your brain around the memories.

 It has been thirteen long years since I said good bye to my dear friend and moved six hours south.  Sure, we've had visits and emails and in the early days before I became adept at the computer, we had long, colorful, gift filled letters and postcards that I'm sure confused and amazed our postal carriers.  These letters are bound away, waiting for the day when our children will be rolling on the floor laughing or sobbing into their hankies.  I have warned my kiddos that they need to make the time to read the letters circa 1999-2002 when I have gone onto my reward.  I believe they will get a clear, objective view of their mother through the letters written often and clearly to my Bosom Buddy.

 We are scarily similiar in so many ways but interestingly different to keep us on our toes.  We chastise and encourage.  We critique and give wisdom.  But mostly, it is my goal to get her to laugh.  Love it when tears are rolling from one of  our comments or observations.  We are opinionated yet open minded.  Somewhat.

 I thought it was important for you to see her home so that you can understand just how lovely she is. (And yes, we  have the same color for our bathrooms.)

 Patriotic and political, a flag waves her allegiance.

 Wicker decorates her porch.  Along with a customized pillow by yours truly, made nearly 20 years ago for the occasion of a garden that we made together in her yard.  A harrowing storm was impending and the sky started turning green.  We were in the midst of planting marigolds around our tomatoes, when KS pointed out that we needed to stagger the color of the marigolds so that it would look amazing. (Even though the main point of the marigolds was to keep bugs off the maters)  I began to run for shelter but KS insisted on finishing the planting the colorful way.  As I yelled at her to drop her trowel and to get her....self in the house, she raised her small shovel in the air and yelled, long hair blowing in the tornadic winds, 'Poor weather is no excuse for bad taste!!'  That's how looney she is.

 Kindred Spirit also bows to the need of flora and fauna.  Her home shares a nest with a mourning dove and other unwed mother birds.

 She placed this vintage appliqued linen piece in her window just because she knew I would love it.  She did this with her serving bowls at meals as well.  Beautiful pieces adorning the table only adding to the whole experience of the visit and completely tickling me.  She knows.

 KS is a glass mosaic artist.  The window on the left is mine.  It's called Deb's Garden.  This is publicly stated just in case her daughters are reading and they doubt the ownership.  Sara's is on the right.

 I have a piece of furniture painted this color. Technically, her wonderful daughter, Emily, painted this but you can see how this relationship kindredship is leaking into the next generation....

Here we are prior to our drive to the airport.
Our time together was fun, blissful, full of beautiful images and memorable conversations and dinners.

But truly, when you spend time with your KS, sitting on the porch would have been enough....

Love you Renee.....