Culturally Modified Tree

, While hiking out to the old Haisla cemetary I came across this particular cedar which had been culturally modified not once, but twice! The Haisla, like other coastal first nations harvested strips of cedar bark from various trees; this did no harm to the tree except to leave it with a rather distinctive vertical scar along the trunk.
Some time later, another individual - young and disgruntled I suspect - added their own, more modern contribution.

She Draws...

TwinB came home for a 2 week recuperation - met us in Fraser Lake. She brought a selection of the pen and ink compositions she's drawn on the backs of cigarette packs. (pen and ink on the devil's parchment ; )
I suggested that she attach these to a canvas, paint it one colour then continue the design in one or two directions. I'm pretty sure that she could find success at least locally with these. People 'round these parts are rather excited about her stuff.

On The Road. Again

A view of the future: the lake side of our lot on Fabulous Fraser Lake. (real estate ads now call our lake popular) We spent 5 days there cutting wood and doing some landscaping. The building site is mostly level and we attacked -nay!- conquered a large brush/root/rock/dirt pile left over from installing the septic system last year.

Black flies love me more than ever and it seems that mosquitoes have joined in enthusiastically.

I Has A Grandkitteh!

Here is the newest addition to our clan - a thricely inbred kitty. The name's Violet - 'Vile' for short. She has an Uncle-Daddy going back at least 3 generations, but who knows? - could be even farther than that.
We bonded. She's attached to TwinB who has a way with children and animals especially those of the maladjusted variety.
TwinA requested that I be in Calgary for mother's day since all 3 of my offspring reside there. It was a good visit though exhausting what with all the cooking, cleaning, laundry and organizing of personal space. I have to admit I haven't felt so darn maternal in a long, long time.

Mad Pride

http://www.sfu.ca/madcitizenship-conference/sponsors.htm

TwinB was pleased to note that Gallery Gachet has used her image 'Scatterbrain' on a website for a conference called Madness, Citizenship & Social Justice that will be held at Simon Fraser University in June.
She says she feels like a legitimate Crazy Artist now.

Near Death Experience

At least that's what I suspect it could have turned into had TwinB followed through on her plan to drag her little friend here downtown on the C Train decked out in this fashion. Even sans make-up and confrontational clothing I think his very presence in Alberta is risky.

On the positive side though -this is the healthiest I've seen him looking in a long, long time - due to a tendancy to keep sticking various poisons in his mouth.

- as TwinB once put it "...it's always such an egg and spoon race with him"

She'll try to be a little more careful with him in future.

Happy Place

So tell me - what does one do when 4 or 5 projects are pending over the next 2 or 3 months? I'll tell you what one does - one works on a completely unrelated painting.
Nothing innovative, nothing important to convey...just a watercolour depicting one of my favorite places to be on a hot August afternoon and that's under the jumping bridge at Hirsch Creek.
The fact that I usually have a favorite person or two with me whenever I'm there doesn't hurt either.