Everybody’s Working For (Most Of) The Weekend

Since I started my new career as a school bus driver, I’ve found that I really look forward to my weekends off -even if it means that this time is filled with a million chores!!!

I spent my Saturday with five young artists. It was time for my monthly art workshop for children and we all had a wonderful time. I was really disappointed when I got my camera out and realized that my batteries were dead – thus not one photo was taken. All the paintings that were created were well done and the parents were more than shocked (in a great way) when they arrived at 5:00pm to pick up their children.

Joanne and I both woke up on Sunday feeling a bit lazy. After our morning tea with our dog Koly, in the back garden, Jo’ began to get breakfast ready.


While she was doing this, I was catching up on getting some of my art prints ready for the post office. I have fun contests on my facebook page and the winners get my art prints as prizes. Today I prepared three packages… one is going to Malaysia, another is going to California and the third is travelling to British Columbia. I love it when my artwork goes on permanent vacations to far away lands!!!

I spend quite a bit of time getting these packages ready. I use scrap bits of cardboard to build custom boxes for the artworks, to ensure that it won’t get bent during its delivery.


Of course, Elly was there to help me!!! She likes to play with the little cardboard ends that I cut off. She began to play and I asked Jo’ to take Elly’s photo, cuz it was kinda funny to watch her. Just then, Elly decided that it was time to rest, so her little show was over.


Joanne decided to take matters into her own hands…


…and soon we had Elly jumping around again!!!!

Whenever I send a package containing an art print, to a friend, I always include surprises. When the package arrives, my friends will find my print along with a nice handful of my peace stik-ers, a poem or two, a newspaper article and sometimes a CD, with one of my animation films on it. These packages are always well received!


After the packages are sealed up and the address is written on it, I’ll fill the rest of the space with a few more of my peace stik-ers. By doing this, everyone that handles this package will get to see some of my artwork, too!

While Jo’ and I were eating our breakfast, we were deciding on what we should do for the rest of the day. We were talking about some of the chores that needed gettin’ done, in our garden… and then the phone rang. Joanne’s mom had invited us over for dinner that evening.


Jo’ reminded me that the last three weekends we had spent in the garden and that she wanted to go somewhere to relax and enjoy the sun. We got out our map and soon found a nice beach that we had never been to before.


The winds were crisp and cool and I was beginning to wonder how we would enjoy ourselves while we shivered. I went over to a log and sat down, noticing that the wind wasn’t as fierce when I was closer to the ground. Then I learned that if we were lying down on the sand that it was quite warm.


So, that’s just what I did. I stretched out on the sand that had been warmed by the sun, low enough to not feel the cool breeze.


Joanne spent a little while, throwing sticks into the lake, for Koly, but soon she joined me for a bit of quite time on the sand.

Later, Jo’s mom had a few little laughs when our pinkish faces showed up at her doorstep looking for a free meal! LOL!!!

Jim

Old Dog – New Tricks

Joanne and I know how to have a great time without spending the lots of cash that we don’t have! Monday was such a beautiful day – and hot – so since it was a holiday weekend we decided to go to the beach. We packed a little cooler with fruits, crackers and cheese and made an afternoon of it.

In Southern Ontario, when someone says they are going ‘to the beach’ it could mean one of many. We have Lake Erie to our south, Lake Huron to our west and Georgian Bay to our north. Grand Bend is a very popular place but Jo’ and I have found a few smaller, lesser known beaches that are not swarming with people and condominiums.

The beach, to Koly, means just one thing – rocks! I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, about my dogs desire to clear all rocks out of any water and today was no different. Joanne and I have tried to stop him but it is no use…

After about half and hour, the beach was covered in many piles of rocks.


I challenged Koly and asked him if he could spell his name with the rocks from the lake… and he went straight to work.

Who says, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks”?

Jim

Beach Pizza

In 1996 I was organizing an environmental campaign to educate and raise awareness about the issues surrounding the Temagami forestlands.

http://www.bitsandpeaces.com/Tttbeginning.htm

It was a few days before the ‘kick-off’ – I guess I should really say ‘walk-off’ – and I was trying to get people to come to my event. With a small handful of invitations I walked up and down Richmond Street handing them out to people. That is how I met Chrissy and James.

We talked about the upcoming walk and they both told me that they thought what I was doing was a great thing and that they would support my effort. And they did!

Twelve years have passed, since that time, and we continue to enjoy our friendship. James and Chrissy are known as our ‘hippy friends in the straw house’. They live near Lake Erie in a beautiful stuccoed straw-bale house. This type of construction is more environmentally friendly than traditional timber framing. Joanne and I have witnessed the growth of their family as Noah was born to be followed soon after with their daughter Zoe.

We chat on the phone every few months and we usually see each other a few times a year. They have visited us, here in London, but Jo’ and I really like to go to their house – to get away from the city for an afternoon.

The beach is about a two minute walk from their house and we spent most of last evening there, with a few of our friend’s neighbours. Chrissy was very excited to show us how to make ‘Beach Pizza’. It’s really easy and yummy! A new camping favourite of mine. All you need is a bunch of chopped up vegetables, a little cheese, pizza sauce, pita bread and a fry pan with a lid – oh yeah: you might want a plate cuz the pizza is hot! And that’s it.

The neighbours that joined us had a great set up for dinners on the beach. They came with a table that had two big wheels attached. This gave us a place to put all our ingredients for the pizzas and when it was time to go the table easily followed. I felt like I was on the ‘Red Green’ TV show.

Jim