Sympathy Watercolor

I did this watercolor as a sympathy card for a cousin who loss her Dad recently.  He passed away fairly quickly so it will be an adjustment to life without him.

I reused some watercolor paper that had art on the other side.

A simple landscape with a river, trees, hills and birds in the sky.

I used a small Winsor and Newton set I picked up at the ReUse Center recently.

I added definition with a Micron black marker.

Mounted on SU True Thyme A2 card base.

Headed out of town for the funeral today.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I took this shot at the Sturgeon River a few days ago.  

Ice is forming along the edge of the river but we still do not have snow.

We have had some flurries which whitened the ground for a few days and then disappeared.  I have to say that it has made driving wonderful in November.  I am so thankful.

I took a trip to the south this week in search of C7 light bulbs for my Mom's Christmas Light Window Candelabra.  I wanted to make sure that I had replacements when one burned out.

I checked the website which indicated that they had several packages of just yellow bulbs but when I arrived and inquired I was told they don't have any - data error.  So I bought a large box to get the 5 yellow ones.

I have taken photos of these lights many times over the years that Mom had them.  She loved them and it was one of the decorations she took with for her year at the lodge. 

These were in the picture window at the house every year.  She loved them and I loved them.  I just love the halos.

It was the only thing I wanted to inherit of hers when she passed.  They bring me comfort.  It is a little thing but a big deal to me.

I will enjoy them the whole season.

This is a cobalt blue glass bottle made from recycled glass made in Spain.

I love the pattern on the bottom, the texture of the glass and the fact that it is a flat bottle so does not take a lot of space despite it's height.

It will serve as a flower vase when I want flowers on the table and I have the yellow table cloth.

I have some blue linen that I want to make a table runner - the project is on the back burner.

I have been working on Christmas stuff a lot.

V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton.  This is my thirteenth novel in this series.

This one was a bit slow in my reading of it.  I could be my mood.

Kinsey Millhone witnesses a shoplifting incident at a shopping mall. What are the chances.  She so rarely visits department stores so to get embroiled in a conspiracy was a surprise.  Turns out Audrey Vance, the lady Kinsey saw take lingerie from the department store turns up dead a few days later.

This story involves a highly sophisticated fencing operation of stolen goods.  It is well organized where cells don't know all the players, works like a well oiled machine until Audrey is found dead.  She had her cog in the wheel and now there is no one to prepared the stolen goods and the stuff backs in the system. Kinsey is hired by her fiance to investigate and find out why Audrey died.

The mastermind of the operation is a crime boss, financier, "private banker" Lorenzo Dante.  He inherited the family business from his father who got into from his father. They all live on a large compound that Lorenzo supports for the aging members of his family.  He also supports a brother who has not inherited the gift for the business and has been in and out prison.  The should have cut those ties but it's family.  The brother makes a decision that will cost Dante all of it.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

We had been reminded on the Weather Network for days that it would appear so I did remember to aim the camera outside this week to capture the Hunter's Moon.

No, I did not wander outside at - 10C temperatures but I am fortunate to see it from my dining room window.  There was a little bit of cloud but just enough for interest and not enough to blur it out altogether.

On Monday, October 23 2023 we had our first snow fall.  As snowfall goes, it was quite light.

The temperatures have dropped considerably in just a few days so it is taking a bit of adjustment.

I had a eye appointment on Wednesday and it was a challenge to find the tuque, winter gloves and such to head on a trip to the north end of the city.

The streets were wonderful.

I am grateful to have had winter arrive not like a lion.

I have seen Halloweens in the past where we had 2 feet of snow and -20C where the kids were wearing parkas under their costumes.

I have discovered a new reality show from the UK. It is very good fun and a nice watch compared to what the US produces.

There are 16 series so I will have something decent to watch for the next while.

 

I have been watching FBI Files on the TV while I eat my supper since early October.

It does not bother me to watch crime, murder and such over my meal.

Again, there are years of the show and hopefully it does not disappear at the end of October but you never know.

I went to view the fall art show at St. Albert Place on Friday afternoon.  Some wonderful pieces of art to behold.

There was another very large Geode which I learned in the spring is done with styrofoam.

There is an artist there which produces very textured pieces and this fall I learned she uses a lot of recycled items to create the substructure of her trees etc.

It was an excellent art show.  Found out later that my aunt sold one of her paintings. Yeah!

I took a short walk along the Sturgeon River before I headed home.

There are still ducks on that cold water.  I guess their thermal systems allow for such madness.

The clouds were pretty heavy, the temperature quite cool, and the sun was just peeking through.

On Saturday, I dropped off my submissions for the Value of Color show and had visit with my aunt.  We spent some time working on getting pictures from her new phone to the computer.  When things change the process changes and needs some learning of new how tos.

I did fill the car with gas because it was 121.9 a liter.  It's been months since the price was that low.

Sympathy Card - Serene WC

I made a sympathy card for friend's who lost their son unexpectedly a few weeks ago due medical issues.

He was in his 50's and passed way too young.

It has to be a hard thing to deal with - the loss of a child.

I used one of the backgrounds I made ages ago and added a river, trees, and rocks.

I mounted the watercolor onto black card stock then adhered it with 3D foam tape to a Soft Suede A2 card base.

I added a black sentiment punchie in the bottom right hand corner.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I don't do much with Halloween.  

I found this pumpkin when I was out of town to see Mom.

I have added the greeting.

I hope that you had a good day if you celebrate this day.

The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley.  This is a time travel story by this Canadian author.

In present day, Eva returns to her childhood summer place in England following the death of her dear sister Katrina.  There, she is invited to stay with her childhood friends the Halletts at Trelowarth House. Susan and Mark are siblings the Claire is the stepmom. 

Trelowarth House is known for its roses.  They provide rose stock to many gardeners across the world.  

In the past, Eva returns to Trelowarth House who is inhabited by 3 men in the eighteenth century. Daniel Butler, his brother Jack and Fergal O'Cleary a friend.  The cove below the house features strongly in the past as the brothers run a ship name the Sally which transports goods of dubious ownership.

Eva puts Katrina's ashes to rest and decides to stay the summer with the Halletts and does promotional work for the tea house Susan is wanting to open. Research into those who lived here before becomes relevant as Eva spends time with these characters. 

There are several love stories in the present and the past.  I really enjoyed how the stories were entwined and the end of the story was very fitting.  Enjoyed it a lot.

I attended an art show on Friday afternoon when I hoped the number of people attending would not be too high.  

There were many artists represented, with a variety of mediums and skills levels.  I was surprised by the volume of pieces in the show.

I did not take a photo but there was a geode which looked so real I did not even question it.  Later, upon discussion with my sister, the color was gold which likely was not realistic, the size was 24-30 inches tall which if it was real would have weighed many pounds, and a real geode would not be in an art show. Later, I found out it was made of styrofoam but it was beautifully done.  Captured my imagination completely.

While I was downtown I decided I may as well take a walk along the river since it was such a beautiful day.

I walked up to the Children's Bridge and this is the view looking back from where I had come.

The river was moving quite fast, the breeze was touching the water surface, and the water is quite low.  

The fall colors are dropping from the trees and the leaves are mostly on the ground.

I had a wonderful walk in nature and it restored my soul some.

These days are numbered and we have been blessed with an extended fall and it Halloween was a great day with out the need for snow jackets under or over costumes for the little ones.

I did go to the Lois Hole Provincial Park after my visit down town.  

Someone before me had put seeds out several places along the walk so the birds were in numbers feeding. This gave me a wonderful opportunity for photos. Thanks!

I captured Black-capped Chickadees and Chipping Sparrows. It was a good afternoon.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

This is a shot from a long walk I took with my aunt on Sunday.

It was new to me and it was really nice as the number of people around was very few.  That may have been because it was late Sunday afternoon on the Thanksgiving long weekend and folks were eating turkey.

The weather was beautiful. As you can see the colors were gorgeous.  There was enough leaves on the trees to create the nice arch over the trail head.

The sun is dappling through the trees and creating a magical atmosphere on the trail.

Another terrific book by Sue Grafton - U is for Undertow.

Michael Sutton aged 27 appears at Kinsey Millhone's office asking if she could look into a kidnapping he might have witnessed back when he was six years old.  He saw 2 men burying something wrapped up as he was visiting a friends home.  Horton Ravine has a large system of trails which connect several neighbourhoods in the area. 

It turns out there were 2 kidnappings the summer of 1967 within a few days of each other. It was the summer of love. There were wayward children into free love, baffled parents, drugs and illegal activities all involved in the warm months of that year.

Kinsey does her best and there is a revisiting of the site in question but only the remains of a dog were found.  Interesting but not the little girl in question.

I really liked this story.  Not too many characters to keep track of. A good story and an interesting conclusion.

I was very grateful to be invited to my aunt's for supper on Sunday.  It was pork loin and veggies with blueberries and yogurt for dessert.  Bengal spice tea afterwards.

I had been to see Mom this week on Wednesday and we had a really good day.  I spent the night at my sister's and had a great visit with her has well.  My other sister was away seeing her daughter for the long weekend. My family time had been good. 

My aunt and I talked photography and art and good time was had by all. 

Supper was delicious.

Here's another shot from Sunday's walk.  The Sturgeon river in this area just meanders with a lot of curves in and out.

The river was very low and there were only a few ducks in the vacinity.  I had seen Snow Geese on a lake on my drive back on Thursday but with nowhere to stop and take pictures.  Very disappointing.

Here, I caught the dried wild grasses along the shore while getting the sparkle on the water in the river a distance away in the background.

Really happy with the bokeh background.

I read this small book this week as well.  Old Songs in a New Cafe by Robert James Waller.   An interesting collection of stories.

I have read a couple more of his books.  Of course, Bridges of Madison County is one of my favorites and I own the book and the movie.

I may decide to keep this book as well.

I will keep an eye out for this author in my travels of thrift stores.  I was lucky on Friday to find I could find a shopping basket with books for just $10.   I believe I came away with 12-15 books so my reading bookshelf is full for a while.

I have did visit several stores on Friday looking for unique vessels for my oil diffusers.  You can check out Set 1 and Set 2 with these links.

Here's a set of gems I found at the third thrift store last week.

These are Sloane Tea Company double walled hand blown tea cups. They match perfectly with my Primula blown glass fluted clear teapot which you can see in the background.

The price was just over $2.50 for 4 cups in their original box so they will be safe when I move.

I am so blessed.

Looking forward to serving tea in these to friends and family in the days to come. Have a great week.

Sharing with Mersad - Through my Lens #358

Sylvia's Simple Shots

A nice walk in nature on a Saturday morning with my aunt. We walked along the Sturgeon River.  The wildlife was mostly missing from this day.  A few ducks on the river, no insects to photograph and a few flowers along the path.

I did get a wicked bite on my hand when we walked through a couple hundred feet of bush to get from one parking lot to the other. 

We stopped at the Farmer's Market for fruit.  I picked up some freestone peaches and her some blueberries.

Of course, the main event was the Rock'n August car show.  I wanted to go before the festivities started so I could be gone before the crowds got too large and the noise was at a fever's pitch.

Car show participants were setting up early so we saw a lot of beautiful vehicles.

]This one reminds me of a car my Dad had in the early 70s.  Ours was white and we piled 8 kids and Mom and Dad into it.  No seat belts in those days.

There were hundreds of vehicles on display, a lot of loud music, fundraising and generally a good time being had by most.

We walked out at about 10:30 am which was half hour after it opened.  We only saw about 1/4 of the cars on display.

My sister and I were joined by my cousin this year on our annual Saskatoon picking adventure.

The price was very good as it was nearing the end of the season.  It must be a different variety than we have picked at other farms. 

I picked 2 ice cream pails which gave me 4 bags of frozen berries for this winter.

I have purchased cultured blueberries at the grocery store.  They were 2 lbs for just under $4 which was a great price.  I have 3 bags of those in the freezer.  I did manage to defrost the freezer so that is all in hand.

I read this book this week - The story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski.  The story is of a mute book growing up in Wisconsin on a farm where his parents Gar and Trudy, raise "Sawtelle Dogs". 

They use signing to communicate which is a hybrid of the traditional and a bit of their own unique way of doing things. 

Things are going very well until the Dad's brother Claude comes to stay a while after being released from prison. The brothers still don't see life in any way the same so discord rules the day.

The day comes when Gar is killed, Edgar knows more than he is aware and when the work load is too much for the two of them the brother Claude comes in to fill in the gap in more ways than one.

Later, another death occurs at the farm when Edgar is about 14 years old. Trudy sends Edgar away to keep him safe.  He takes some of his litter with him.

He roams the Chequamegon National Forest with the dogs.  Scavenging food from summer cabins along the lakes, eating berries that grow wild, and making do with very little some days.  He decides to head for Canada. When one of the dogs get hurt he receives help from a man Larry who lives in one of the cottages.  He exchanges labour for food and a place to lay his head.

The story has a very sad ending.  There are mystical aspects to the story which are intriguing.  

The story does leave some questions though for me.  

Edgar goes to school but I don't know how he manages communication there.  There are several times in the story where he is unable to communicate with those outside the family which causes problems.  There is a lot of written about raising dogs in the book. Processes, procedures, documentation, etc which at times becomes a bit long. 

Forte is a mystery dog in the story - Edgar has seen him, there is a connection with Claude. He plays a vital part but we don't know much about him.  Was he a Sawtelle dog? 

Again, Claude is clouded in mystery.  He has been in the navy.  Is that related to the bottle with oriental writing on it? 

For me the time Edgar spending in the forest and with Larry was the best part of the story.  The early part of the book was good as well. Edgar's relationship with the dogs is so good.

There were birds at the car show.  A lady brought her exotic birds to interact with the public.  I don't believe they were restrained in any way.  They sat on their perches, walked around on the ground and returned to perches as they wanted to.

She had African Grey Parrots, Cockatoos and Blue and Yellow Macaws.

On the left, are African Grey parrots who live from 40-60 years in captivity.  Often a succession plan is needed to ensure their care beyond the life of their owners.  Love the red tails.

The Macaws are huge birds.  

I have seen them at zoos before but to see them sitting outside along the river was wonderful.

It's been a good week with a bit of very hot weather but not overwhelming.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

My aunt and I took a walk along the river with our cameras recently.

It was very nice temperature wise and the sun was shining.  A great time.

As you can see, though the river is frozen but we still have no snow.

Love the fall grasses in the foreground with the reflection of the sun on the river.

Gorgeous blue skies which are typical for Alberta.

We heard geese which I was surprised were still here despite the frozen water.  Who knows what they are thinking!

I joined another aunt for a visit to the Art Gallery.  The weather was still nice and I was tasked with driving us downtown and finding parking.  That went well.  It was really weird to be out and about.

First time, I used my vaccination record to visit a non essential place of business in 20 months.

There were 2 exhibitions I was interested which both featured colorful art.  Mostly abstract as well.

The blue and pink piece was about the how color can be dispatched to for social control.  The pink color which is used in institutional settings was studied in 1978 and was found to make inmates violent.  The barn is a piece about our abandoned farm buildings.  Love the abstracts.

Our first snow arrived on Sunday Nov 14th.  

It continued to come down for a few days in varying degrees.

I had to go out on Wednesday and the roads were like slushy soup as they had not been ploughed yet.  Yuck!

I had several places to stop and it was a bit harried but I managed to keep the car and myself intact.

I made roasted vegetables yesterday.  I used the large roaster so I could keep them to one layer.

Yams, red onions, brussel sprouts, rutabaga, turnip, garlic and carrots.  A bit of olive oil and seasonings.

I added fresh oregano in the last bit of its time in the oven.

They were yummy.

That means its time to head for groceries as I am completely out of veggies in the fridge.

An Irish Cottage by Patrick Taylor is the book I finished this week.

Love this author and his stories of a medical practice in rural Ireland in the 1960's.  

In this book the Donnelly's looks their cottage to fire and the community rallies to find the family a temporary place to live.   Then further efforts are made to rebuild the burned out cottage.

The civil unrest with north and south regions plays a part which I don't really understand well.  

Another theme is women's reproductive rights in the 60's where one women is not wanting another child and another woman desperately wants one and is having difficulty conceiving.

The doctors and their house keeper and neighbours provide wonderful stories!

The Perfect Christmas - Debbie Macomber revolves around a young woman who wants to be in a relationship.

She finally decides to hire a matchmaker for $30,000 to find the perfect match for her by Christmas.

The matchmaker gives her several tasks to prepare for her first date with John, her perfect match.  She stands outside a mall ringing bells to raise funds for a charity, dressing up as an elf with Santa at the mall, and prepare Christmas dinner for her neighbors in the apartment building.

Each of these provide opportunities to learn things about herself and ensures visits from the matchmaker to monitor her progress.

In the end, she finds the man of her dreams but it was not exactly as the matchmaker had planned.

It was okay for a light read.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I headed out during the golden hour on Christmas Eve.

This is the grounds where our Government House is located.

I loved this face highlighted with the setting sun.

Ksan Totem Pole
Master carver Earl Muldoe with Chester MacLean and Victor Mowat

At the bottom of the pole is the Strong Man, who holds all the world's peoples united on his shoulders.

We are all in this together and things will be OK.

This is the North Saskatchewan River just west of Groat Bridge.

I love the reflection of the trees in the open water of the river.

It's been pretty warm here which explains the water still running in December.

My latest choice in snacks. Salted sunflower seeds in the shell.  A quarter cup takes 1/2 hour to eat and the calories are minimal but I feel I have had a treat.  Win Win.

I have to say that my cooking skills have improved during the COVID isolation.  There is a lot less take out food so I am doing steak, hamburger, chicken, shrimp, and fish.

With being home alone for Christmas I decided I would have turkey.  I baked a large turkey drumstick, put yam and brussel sprouts in the cast iron in the oven, and napa cabbage coleslaw. 

I had a butter tart for dessert which I was gifted. 

It was pretty nice!

My mosaic includes a candle bubble ornament, a red with swirl pattern hanging in a tree outside, and a silver with hexagonal pattern reflecting the colors surrounding it.

The challenge at Flickr Macro Monday was Redux 2020 which means we can choose any of the theme of the year.  I missed 3 challenges this year.  I chose "hook" which is the one I missed when I was not feeling well.  The photo on the right was for "one color".  Check my photostream (SMDPics) to see the shot I submitted.

Sharing with Angie who hosts Mosaic Monday #111 and Mersad who hosts Through My Lens #272

Looking forward to 2021!

Mosaic Monday - This Week

I have a collection of odd photos this week.
Top Left:  I took a picture of this seabreeze fan which has helped to keep my place cool for many years.  I bought it second hand and I`ve had it for 15 years or so.  It`s mostly metal which I came to appreciate when I did some shopping to replace it and most of what is available these days are plastic. It was small and it oscillated which was great bang for the buck.  My research tells me it was built in the 1970s. It quit working a while back but it`s so iconic I kept it to see if I could translate it into something else.  No project has emerged so far. 

Top Right: I made new kitchen towels this week as well.  The ones I was using I made many years ago, they were tattered and worn through and needed to be replaced.  I still had the ball of yarn I used on the original ones which I made when I moved this place nearly 20 years ago.  I had determined a navy and golden yellow color scheme for this kitchen.  So, this week I took up crocheting again.  I upcycled a navy golf towel I bought at the second store. It was brand new.  I removed the bit of embroidery on it, cut it in half, sewed a line of stitching on the raw edge and added a golden yellow yarn hanger.  I now have 2 new towels with the vintage buttons I used on the original towels. 
Bottom: I took a picture of the train and the river on my walk on Sunday.  The ice is breaking up nicely and soon the river will be ice free.

Mosaic Monday - The Canada Geese

I took some shots the other on my walk.  The signs of spring are here. 
The Canada Geese have arrived.  I took the shot without knowing if I had got them in the picture. When I took a look there they were in a great V formation! 
The birch trees were shining bright in the morning sun.  You can see their structure without the leaves.
There are green buds on some trees which is a welcome sign. 
There is very little ice on the river.  I love that I got the reflection of the buildings in the water.
The pine cones are looking a little rough having hung in there all winter! 

Mosaic Monday - Canada Geese Story

Here's a few pics from my walk this morning.  I was up with the birds you might say.  I can see that the river is starting to break up and it will soon be flowing freely.  Magpies are one of the only birds here that are familar with people so they don't scatter like the others.  Happy with this shot.  Crab apples from last year dangling against the clear blue sky.  These last for shots of the Canada tell a story.  I heard them before I saw them.  The first quickly landed on the roof of the building but the other made several turns around the area.  The second picture you can barely see it through trees as it makes still another fly by.  Once it had committed to the roof they greeted each other.  Then they sat on the roof surveying the neighborhood.  Are they planning to settle in?  Who knows.