Contemplative Monday

"Materialistic habits of thought

reduce the mind to matter

and eliminate the soul."

.....Robert Thurman  (click to learn more)

Eclectic Tastes

1964......THAT seems like a long time ago now! I was in grade 10.
But I do remember this piece when it first came out.
It was the longest pop song recorded at that time.

Saturday Morning Post

Breezing through August.......

While at the shop I could watch for hours the different scenarios

that form at this tidal sand-bar across from the shop.

I've been watching this fella for quite some time....never gets tiring.

What did I tell you!

Actually this was taken the other day at the park when I took 

Sophie for a swim while Ron kept on the trail.

Sophie and I found him here in the shade further along.

This is Canada's 150th birthday.

This truck, with a few others, is travelling the country

exploring and enjoying all that Canada has to offer.

They started in British Columbia and are now in the Atlantic Provinces.

In the process of making a few changes at the shop.

Not completed yet but will be soon....I hope.

I liked this little display of colour.

One morning this week we were on the trail and walking through the mist

which afforded plenty of photo opportunities.

This rather rusty object at the shop is a 'horse tether'......

used back in the day as a portable hitching post.

This would be kept in the wagon and used/put on the ground when

the destination was reached and the horse's reins would be attached.

I guess horses don't need too much resistance to stay put.

Here is my collection of irons at the shop.

People use them for vintage-looking door stops.

They are very heavy.

Cool mornings produce this mist down near the shore.

While in the city/Halifax the other day we saw literally

over a hundred of these little 'Sunfish' sailboats

in the Northwest Arm.

We think it may have been graduation day/end of season for the kids.

Something magical about crows....

Pairing lemons (fake) with crystal at the shop.

Walking the Atlantic Trail on Thursday morning....

Sunfish everywhere!!

My 'marine wall' in the MacDonald House where my shop is located.

We 'found' this Daylily paradise way down the Eastern Shore

about a month ago.

Two fellas have made this place into a spectacular haven for garden lovers.

It is built on a cliff with hundreds and hundreds of lily varieties everywhere.

I have recently discovered yet another collectible passion

......paper weights!! oh oh....

Contemplative Monday

"Nothing is permanent: the sun and moon rise and set,

the bright clear day is followed by the deep dark night.

From hour to hour, everything changes."

.....Kalu Rinpoche  (click to learn more)

Eclectic Tastes

A friend, Katharine, shared this on FB recently.
I liked it immediately!
Hope you do too.

Have a wonderful Sunday/Monday everyone!

Saturday Morning Post

It has been a challenging week for my family.

We lost our dear 'double' first cousin, Cheryl.

At times like this it is difficult to find that balance

between overwhelming sorrow

and joy for a life well-lived.

Cheryl's funeral was Wednesday.

The church was packed.

The priest saved the day for us all!

He was sensitive, knew Cheryl well,

had a sense of humour, was very kind,

and even danced at the altar because he knew Cheryl

loved to dance. ( I loved jiving with her over the years)

So....it has been challenging for me this week

to keep 'my glass half full'.

Nonetheless, moving forward is the key, right?

A shot I took the other evening out our living room window....reflections everywhere.

I was very fortunate recently to have acquired 

these three Inuit  (Eskimo) vintage prints.

Wish we had more wall space at home!!

These thistles are abundant this year along the trails and shore.

No wonder they are survivors.....who would go near them!!

One of my favourite views (if you haven't guessed already!!lol)

from MacDonald Hill looking west.

This past week has been 'Acadian Days' in the Maritimes

(which is made up of the provinces of  New Brunswick,

Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia)

In a nutshell, Acadians are/were those French settlers that

settled here back in the 17th and 18th centuries.

The British during the years 1755 to 1764

carried out 'The Great Expulsion' and deported

about 11,500 people to England, France and the Caribbean

and about one third of these died in the process.

A large number finally settled in Louisiana.

I have Acadian blood on both sides of my family.....

my father's g-great grandfather is considered

'late Acadian' as he didn't arrive till 1850.

On my mother's side (MacIsaac) I found French surnames

in her genealogy.

There is an Acadian community just down the road from us.

Their flag is the flag of France with a gold star.

Now here is a guy who has absolutely no French blood.....

I still love him though!

Here is where 'we three amigoes' got a lot of solace this week.....

along the banks of the river.

This part of the river flows in both directions.....

depending on the tide from the Atlantic Ocean

which is right here at it's mouth.

I can't tell you how peaceful it is here.

I hope this photo gives you a hint.

I can tell you that Sophie LOVES the river!

Can you tell? lol

Contentment at its best.....

Saturday Morning Post

Due to the death of my cousin, Cheryl, this past week

I will not be posting this weekend.

I do not have the energy required to do so.

Cheryl was what I have always called my/our 'double first cousin'.

My dad's brother married my mom's sister

and had Cheryl.

So we were very close not only genetically

but also in real life.

When her father left both she and her mother, my dad stepped in

to fill in the 'father figure' role.

He gave her away at her wedding and she attended every 

family function we ever had.

She was like my fifth sister.

She married and had two sons. She had four grandchildren.

Even typing this I can't believe she is gone.

She will be so missed by my whole family.

Funeral services will be this coming Wednesday.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Contemplative Monday

'What we have to learn is to be free of attachment to the good experiences,

and free of aversion to the negative ones."

.....Sogyal Rinpoche (click to learn more)

Eclectic Tastes

Love the energy here!!
Peter Bence doing his 'cover' version of 'Despacito'.

Have a wonderful Sunday everyone.

Saturday Morning Post

From barns to bugs to beaches.......

Are you as intrigued with barns as I am?

This one is just a bit further down the road from us in Seaforth.

This one is still further down the road in West Chezetcook.

This 'friendly' little guy/gal was clinging to screen

on the shop window for most of the afternoon.

Most tourists want their picture taken in front of the Atlantic Ocean

high up on the hill.

Colourful 'kite-surfer' dance down at where the river meets the ocean.

A busy week at the MacDonald House.....shoppers and surfers.

I bought this sleigh from a woman who got it in 1950 on her 2nd birthday.

She was down-sizing and brought in a few things for me to look over.

She went home happy.

Could watch these kite-surfers for hours.....

........as this couple was doing one fine early evening this week......

Did I ever say that I really like crows?