Fall is in the Air

It's already dark at 8 p.m.  The air conditioner is off and there is a cool, but welcome breeze coming through the window.  Summer is fading away.  New pencils and erasers have been purchased.  Binders and notebooks are being sorted. New shoes have been bought.  School will begin next week and the house will be quiet during the day.  Even after all these years I still consider September as the start of a new year for me.  A time for change, a time for new experiences.  An inspired energy is awakening.

This lovely autumn inspired acorn is a new addition in my etsy shop.

Enjoy your last week of summer!



The Moose are Loose in Newfoundland

With an expanding population of over 150,000 moose on the island you wouldn't think it would be too hard to spot one. Funny enough though when you are looking for them you don't see any for miles and miles.  We had to see one - it was on 'the list' - and we had already crossed off whales and icebergs.

Our first moose sighting was on the road into L'anse aux Meadows.  A baby, or perhaps better described as a  teenager moose, was there and he was very active. Running back and forth and playing (which I have never seen).  We were all thinking that his mom must be around and next we spotted her coming out of the brush.  It was quite a sight to see the teen running around and back to his mom and then running back again.  It reminded us of our dog who every now and then gets a spurt of overcharged energy and runs like a maniac around our main level.

Our second sighting was a day or two later in Gros Morne just north of Western Brook Pond.  A mom with twins. Which was quite exciting to see together, however they refused to be in the same picture.  Sibling rivalry already!

In the daytime, and off the road, it's exciting to see them but moose are a real hazard for night time driving. We only drove once at night and it was a tense drive with fog and mist coming off the ocean and no lights on the highway.  Luckily we only spotted one ourselves as his eyes reflected in our headlights and he was safely off to the side of the road...although we did have the feeling that they were lurking in the brush and snickering as we drove past! Mainlanders!

Icebergs in Newfoundland

St. Anthony, Newfoundland

On August 5, 2010, a large piece of the Petermann Glacier in Greenland broke off and became a massive ice island measuring about 251 square km in size. Wow!  I remember hearing about this at the time but didn't think much beyond the news story.  A year later it has worked its way south and is now is visible off of St. Anthony at the northern tip of Newfoundland. Over the last few weeks it has been breaking up producing dozens and dozens of icebergs. 

For our August trip to Newfoundland we didn't expect to see any icebergs as they typically disappear by the end of July. Here it is mid August and there are hundreds for us to see.  A definite once in a lifetime viewing!


 Smaller ones close to shore in St. Anthony.


We spoke to a fisherman from St. Carols who has never seen anything like it.  Pieces of ice much larger than houses drifted into this cove earlier last week. The waves and wind crashed them into each other and the shore breaking them into smaller pieces and also left heavy damage to their docks.







These icebergs in St. Carols immediately reminded me of a Lawren Harris painting.





"Icebergs, Davis Strait", Lawren Harris.

Beautiful and unforgettable experience.

Home, Sweet Home

We arrived home last night from a wonderful week in Newfoundland.

Today is filled with unpacking, laundry, packaging orders, sorting through mail and emails, scrounging through the fridge and cupboards to find some food for a meal, loading photos and walking our dog.  I have a lot of great trip photos and memories to share with you soon.

Up and Away in Paris

Here's the first of my creations from yesterday.

So sweet and charming.  A little bit of Paris to adorn your neck!

You can find it here in my etsy shop.

Charmed Inspirations

I was so happy when I found these gorgeous verdigris patinaed brass balloon charms this morning. I bought them months ago but they somehow managed to evade me in the last while.  As you can imagine I have alot of beads...but that's another story and one I'll share in a future post as I slowly get my studio in order.  After our trip to Paris two years ago you'll find it is a constant source of inspiration for me.

Today I'm working from my kitchen.  With the windows open and a slightly cooler breeze coming in I can hear the songbirds and the inspiration for another necklace.

I should have these new necklaces listed in my etsy shop shortly.  Stay tuned!

What's so Funny?

A little joke between friends.

Wish I knew what was so funny!

Meeko and Mabel.

Mystery in the Garden

The other day I came home to this. Some of my plants in my front containers had been uprooted.

Using my awesome detective skills I learned while reading mysteries when I was younger, watching the original and early years of CSI and of course being a mom I figured this mystery out.

Upon closer inspection and deductive reasoning (well I actually just lifted one of the plants) and look what I found.  A peanut.  Well that narrows it down.  I have never tried to grow peanuts nor do I tend to hide them for future use.

I know who you are.  I believe you're the same fellow that has recently come to enjoy straddling the pole of my birdfeeder.  You haven't quite figured that one out as well as I watch you reach the top, arms and legs fully stretched out slide back slowly down the pole.  You're left with eating what's fallen to the ground. The sparrows win again.  I know you'll be back but just remember I'm watching you!