22 August 2008

Mother's Passing

Well, my mother passed away on Thursday morning,
August 14th, at the ripe old age of 93. She had been
gradually declining for some time prior to her
passing. She ate little and her fluid intake had
dropped significantly.

We suspected that the end was near, but we also
wondered whether dehydration was the main cause
of her condition. As a last resort, we sent her to the
hospital for fluids, which did seem to revive her,
but she suddenly passed away the following morning.

I went walking in the moonlight late last night. I spent
much of the walk thinking about my mother, and, how,
in some respects, she is closer to me than ever.

For instance, yesterday afternoon, I sat outside on
the grassy field, when suddenly I felt a warmth on the
back of my head and neck. At the same moment, I
suddenly thought of my mother, and felt very close
to her presence. It was as thought she was offering
support and a comforting solace.

I also had the impression that she was revelling in
her new found freedom, and had returned home to
move freely about the property where she had lived
for so many years of her life.

It was a beautiful experience, indeed!

At some point next week, I intend to visit the
Leipsigaek Gold Fields, to camp and to roam about
for a spell. I'll do it to honour my mother and as a
vision quest of sorts.

Until next time, may the Great Spirit Bless all of you.

Laurie

05 August 2008

A Return to Painting

Hi Everyone,

I'm sorry for the long delay between posts.
However, lots has happened, and one thing
involves painting.

This past weekend, I participated in an
Art Workshop, which was based in Lunenburg,
Nova Scotia, a designated World Heritage
Site.

We painted on location in a couple of small
coastal villages, as well as on the waterfront,
in Lunenburg. Now, I must admit that I'm not
often inspired by fish houses, boats, or cove
scenes. However, the workshop was quite
wonderful, in that I got to interact with
other painters, and with my good friends,
Graham "Buz" Baker and Heather Beaton. I
first took a workshop from them, and the late
Al Riggs, way back in 1982!

So, the workshop was like a home-coming
event! :)


Oh yes, you can visit Graham's homepage,
by Clicking Here.

If you'd like to see some fun, interesting
photos from the workshop, Click Here.
I'm the guy with the Corona beer -- oh yes,
I also won a yellow Corona cap that evening! :)

The workshop showed me how rusty I was,
in terms of painting on location! But, I
felt some skills returning to me, on the
final day of the event. Now, I'm determined
to get out there and paint landscapes on
location. I love to paint, woodsy, landscape
scenes.

Well, all the best for this time. I'll return
soon . . . promise!

Laurie