Good morning friends; from my computer screen I raise my eyes to the window, beyond which lies a violet coloured fog. Slightly darker smudges signify Baker Island is still in place across Cramer Pass. Superimposed on this November certainty rise scenes from the summer as my fingers lie idle on the keys. And in my heart …gratitude. In this darker winter season, bright memories of all you brought to me provide warmth, and fuel the solitude necessary to the creation of the winter’s work - whether a book, a painting, a load of porcelain pottery or the more physical garden work, and house projects and repairs.
So thank you, my old friends, and new; thank you all you summer visitors who found SeaRose Studio; who visited and appreciated, who took away with you a small piece of my world, who took art lessons, who shared your interesting life and friends, who came to dinner or had us to dinner, or who helped out with the firewood and the garden. Thank you for coming and please…come again!
Life in the Broughton obeys its own seasonal agenda, which often is dominated by wildlife, a distinct highlight of our days. 2019 was notable for numerous black bear sightings. In previous years we had worried about the low number of bears, however this year the opposite prevailed. Black bears were frequently observed in our yard and the nearby bay, and reported by the neighbours as well. Of more import- grizzly bears were also seen all over. Bill Proctor reported three on Owl Island. These bears were somewhat short of salmon this year and walked and swam their way in search of food.
Our hatchery society’s (Mainland Enhancement of Salmonid Species Society) salmon spawner assessment crew came upon a freshly killed black bear carcass in Viner River, surrounded by grizzly stomps. It is not uncommon for grizzlies to predate on black bears but I suspect it was the unavailability of the generally more easily attained bounty of salmon that made the kill necessary. Our stream walking crew felt small and vulnerable walking down the river counting the few salmon, and requested more support. The bears have finally gone to their rest in caves and hollow logs, but they’ve not gone with full bellies this year.
We were lucky to have hard-working helpers to fill the woodshed once again. In September, Jonathan from Chile got to go to Embley Lagoon with our short-handed crew and saw a mother grizzly and three big juveniles. He graciously shared his photos with me for the painting I’ve long dreamed of doing, as he, unlike me, had not forgotten to replace the chip in his camera; exactly what I had done when a pod of orca passed by our home. The chip was in when another group went by last week and our October helper, Ben, got to see them. In the last eight years I’ve seen a lot of Biggs (Transients) but only one sighting of the fish-eating residents. This group of nine turned out to be the A42 group, with a distinctive dark curve into the white saddle patch.
(Regarding helping Al with the firewood and me in the garden and getting to have exciting wildlife viewing experiences, if you know anyone interested in helping for a couple weeks, please share my contact info!)
Early in the spring I was approached by a Montreal company, Le Galeriste, which issued me an invitation to upload my artwork and have it designed onto garments and pillows. After some thought (why not after all, one of my early ambitions was to be a fabric designer!) I selected some of my favourite paintings and was pleased with the results. I’ve since added a couple more designs which can all be seen here on the website. I love wearing my own and seeing others enjoying theirs, it’s a different kind of satisfaction! Contact me to order or with questions.
Our last, but for Christmas, social event was Billy’s Halloween fireworks. The smallest group ever - Billy, of course, Nikki V.S. and us, enjoyed a good dinner of fish and chips and Nikki’s garden salad and the most exciting and vigorous fireworks. Thanks Harvey Ash, who selects only the best for Billy!
My Hercules and I soldier on; it takes longer to do things, we need more help than we used to, but while we think about the future, we still live very much in our present. Someday, someone else will enjoy this beautiful place, it might be you!
Until next time, Yvonne
So thank you, my old friends, and new; thank you all you summer visitors who found SeaRose Studio; who visited and appreciated, who took away with you a small piece of my world, who took art lessons, who shared your interesting life and friends, who came to dinner or had us to dinner, or who helped out with the firewood and the garden. Thank you for coming and please…come again!
Life in the Broughton obeys its own seasonal agenda, which often is dominated by wildlife, a distinct highlight of our days. 2019 was notable for numerous black bear sightings. In previous years we had worried about the low number of bears, however this year the opposite prevailed. Black bears were frequently observed in our yard and the nearby bay, and reported by the neighbours as well. Of more import- grizzly bears were also seen all over. Bill Proctor reported three on Owl Island. These bears were somewhat short of salmon this year and walked and swam their way in search of food.
Our hatchery society’s (Mainland Enhancement of Salmonid Species Society) salmon spawner assessment crew came upon a freshly killed black bear carcass in Viner River, surrounded by grizzly stomps. It is not uncommon for grizzlies to predate on black bears but I suspect it was the unavailability of the generally more easily attained bounty of salmon that made the kill necessary. Our stream walking crew felt small and vulnerable walking down the river counting the few salmon, and requested more support. The bears have finally gone to their rest in caves and hollow logs, but they’ve not gone with full bellies this year.
We were lucky to have hard-working helpers to fill the woodshed once again. In September, Jonathan from Chile got to go to Embley Lagoon with our short-handed crew and saw a mother grizzly and three big juveniles. He graciously shared his photos with me for the painting I’ve long dreamed of doing, as he, unlike me, had not forgotten to replace the chip in his camera; exactly what I had done when a pod of orca passed by our home. The chip was in when another group went by last week and our October helper, Ben, got to see them. In the last eight years I’ve seen a lot of Biggs (Transients) but only one sighting of the fish-eating residents. This group of nine turned out to be the A42 group, with a distinctive dark curve into the white saddle patch.
(Regarding helping Al with the firewood and me in the garden and getting to have exciting wildlife viewing experiences, if you know anyone interested in helping for a couple weeks, please share my contact info!)
Early in the spring I was approached by a Montreal company, Le Galeriste, which issued me an invitation to upload my artwork and have it designed onto garments and pillows. After some thought (why not after all, one of my early ambitions was to be a fabric designer!) I selected some of my favourite paintings and was pleased with the results. I’ve since added a couple more designs which can all be seen here on the website. I love wearing my own and seeing others enjoying theirs, it’s a different kind of satisfaction! Contact me to order or with questions.
Our last, but for Christmas, social event was Billy’s Halloween fireworks. The smallest group ever - Billy, of course, Nikki V.S. and us, enjoyed a good dinner of fish and chips and Nikki’s garden salad and the most exciting and vigorous fireworks. Thanks Harvey Ash, who selects only the best for Billy!
My Hercules and I soldier on; it takes longer to do things, we need more help than we used to, but while we think about the future, we still live very much in our present. Someday, someone else will enjoy this beautiful place, it might be you!
Until next time, Yvonne
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