Sunday, June 29, 2008

Beaches

I'm slightly behind on this blog but honest I've been busy and now I'm being a total sloth and enjoying a much needed vacation on Vancouver Island...Fred and I are doing a tour of beaches. Not the kind where you kick off your sandals and flop onto a towel ready to settle in for the long haul with good book. These beaches are mostly sandstone and slate...well the first four were. We're going to Port Hardy where we'll overnight and then drive to the trail head todo a day hike to San Josef Bay. After that it's down to Campbell River where we'll catch the ferry to Quadra Island, race across the island to catch the ferry to Cortez.

So what do beaches have to do with the adventures of making jewellery? Inspiration, silly! I love walking along a beach that has for the most part escaped the popular vote. Although I have to admit that I prefer the ones that don’t involve an uphill climb in either direction. But in the endless search for inspiration what’s a little sweat…and a lot of whining? J Okay I’ve been accused of being a bit of a princess but then isn’t there a little bit of that in all of us…go on admit it…please!
My favourite part is the beachcombing...some very ordinary finds...and some very extraordinary finds. Anywhere from simple pebbles that will serve as a backdrop to jewellery photos to pieces that might find their way into a piece of jewellery.

I'm keeping notes and taking photos of places and things that inspire me. Next holiday is going to be for just making jewellery. Someone mentioned to me that they knew someone who took a two week creative vacation just to make jewellery. I love that idea!!

Stay tuned for updates! This time I won't wait so long...honest.
By the way...a crow was looking at me the wrong way at one of the beaches and the first thing I did was remove my earrings...felt much safer after that. :-)

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

To Crow or Not to Crow?

Monday morning, a potentially difficult time for many people, turned out to be a strange one for me. My car, George (yes that's his name), is in the shop waiting for a new transmission so I'm using the transit system to make my way to work. I got off the bus, walked a few steps when a crow comes from behind and flies so close that I can almost feel the hair, short as it is, on my head move. Thinking that it was a one-off experience I didn't spend too much time thinking about it. I had to run to the bank before I went to work and then couldn't resist the lure of treats at Starbucks as I walked by. As I was tucking the treat into my purse planning on eating it later I was buzzed again by a crow...just as close as the first time. Thinking that it must have seen my treat I thought that now it was out of sight I would be okay...not so! It happened again!! Then a fourth time, only this time my hair didn't just move because of the breeze...the crow made contact. Never having been attacked by a crow I wasn't too sure what was happening. I started walking to work looking behind me with my hands close to my head. I was actually scared. I didn't know what to do...the thought occured to me to run or to duck into the nearest business that was open but I needed to get to work. So I kept walking to work constantly checking behind me to see if any crows were following me. I didn't get buzzed again by a crow but I was crossing the street and a driver checking for traffic neglected to check for pedestrians. She came within spitting distance of hitting me and then kept driving after I moved away. I began to think that I should get back on the bus and go home but before I left the house I was testing a torch that was acting up during a class and it became a flame thrower which I couldn't turn off! So going home didn't seem like a much better solution. One of the first customers in the store that morning mentioned that she thought the crows were after my earrings to decorate their nest with. Someone else told me that they like blonds and redheads! I decided it was time to stop mentioning the story...I was getting worried about going home. Thankfully it was an uneventful trip. Today I was meeting some friends at Starbucks and before I got off the bus I put my earrings in my pocket...no sense in taking any unnecessary chances! :-)