Lights at night

Sometime in 1976 or 1977 I was doing field research in rainforests of El Junque on Puerto Rico and four of us drove to the southern shore of the island. The trip took us to Ponce on the Caribbean shore. We stayed in a rustic guest house and I remember a great dinner of local fish. But the highlight of our time away was a night trip on a boat into a bay that was full of bioluminescent plankton. At the time there was a single operator but it seems to have turned into a big tourist attraction. The patterns of light in the water were magical and the experience was made more memorable because it was my first experience of semi-tropical nights.

Many years later my husband and I joined a sea kayak paddle in the waters of Mahone Bay in Nova Scotia on a very dark August night. All of the boats were equipped with a single light which faced both forward and backward. It was so calm that we did not need to keep the boats together. The outlines of the boats were lost as soon as they were a few feet away. All that was left was the light. I remember being entranced by the sight of the lights dancing across the bay. My husband and I have night kayaked many times near our home but we have always been alone so have not been able to reproduce the magic of that group paddle.

I was reminded of those two events when I saw the photos of a new project in the Netherlands.  Daan Roosegaarde has used glow in the dark paint and some LED lights to create a pattern on a kilometre long section of bike path. The pattern references the swirling stars of Van Gogh's Starry Night. Follow some of the links in this article to see some or Roosegarde's other ideas about how to light public spaces.

Happy Birthday Tock

In March 1987 I flew to Toronto and rented a car so that I could visit five Bernese Mountain Dog breeders who lived west, north and east of the city. I had also arranged to stop at the house of a breeder of Bearded Collies. I knew nothing about the breed but there was a very intriguing picture in a magazine just before the Bernese section. I wanted to do some research in case we wanted to add a Beardie our household in the future.


One of the Bernese breeders was to meet me at a dog show she was attending. As I waited for her I wandered around and saw a Bearded Collie being groomed on a table. I took the opportunity to talk to the owners (and breeders). When I described why I was interested in the breed and what life would be like at my house, they told me that Beardies weren't for me. They were especially concerned that the long coat would mat when exposed to rain and ocean swims.


I went to dinner, found a hotel room and thought about everything I had learned that day. I was discouraged but Beardies weren't the real reason for my trip. For that reason I considered cancelling my appointment to see the Beardie breeder the next morning. But manners got the best of me. I thought it would be rude to make a call that late at night.

The following morning I ended up at a small house in downtown Toronto. I went in, sat down on the sofa and my life was transformed. There was one male and three (I think) females in the household. I loved everything about them. As we talked I learned that I hadn't landed in just any Beardie household. Carol Gold was a pioneer in introducing the breed to Canada. She was, for all intents and purposes, the expert. I stayed as long as I could but I had other appointments that afternoon so I said my goodbyes and thought that was that.


A day after I returned home I was offered a puppy by my favorite Bernese breeder. That was exciting but I couldn't stop thinking about the Beardies. So I wrote to Carol and asked her how old the Berner would have to be before I could add a Beardie. She wrote back immediately to say that a six month difference would be fine and that she was expecting a litter of puppies that would be whelped in the state of Washington. She was going to fly out to select one and she could choose one for me at that time. I said Yes immediately.


In early January 1988 we drove to the airport, waited forever in the cargo terminal and finally took possession of a charming ball of black and white fur. That day changed our lives. The puppy, named Milo after the boy in The Phantom Tollbooth, soon took charge of our lives. Over the first few years he had extremely serious health and emotional issues but he never faltered and became more robust as he aged. He and I went on to do very well in competitive obedience, we travelled the country with Real Canadian Superdogs and he became a character in our community.


Milo was the first of ten Beardies to live with us over the years. Every one has been remarkable and memorable. Today we celebrate the first birthday of the latest. Tock (LarksLane Hickory Dickory Tock), named after the dog in The Phantom Tollbooth, turns one year old today. We see echoes of all the past Beardies in him but he is his own dog, with unique behaviours, a look of his own and a special place in our hearts. While the Beardies have been a treasure, I have also valued the fact that Carol has become a dear friend. She no longer owns Beardies but they will never leave her heart. Tock and I stayed with her in Toronto when I picked him up last January and it was great to see a Beardie in her house one more time.


I have more videos than still photos of him but here are a few shots taken from before he arrived up to some photos taken at daycare last month.

Follow-up

A while ago I wrote about a mule that had been invited to the US Equestrian Federation dressage finals. I wondered today how they had done. Here's a link with an interview with the mule's owner and a video of one of their two tests. If you don't want to take the time to follow the link, the answer is - they did well but not well enough to place. I never had a doubt. They were there for the right reasons and that always helps with nerves.

 

Secrets

It is difficult to keep secrets as I work on projects which will be gifts next month. But it is fun to offer teasers.

Ideas collide

Among my various activities I provide physical and emotional support to people who work with dogs. I am in constantly in awe of those who work in rescue and shelter environments. It is a very very difficult world. Recently I became aware of a talented young woman, Jessica Dolce, who has started to address the issue of compassion fatigue in animal care workers. Today a friend sent me to a recent post on Jessica's blog. I think it is valuable reading for everyone, not just those in the small animal care community.

I see ideas which coincide with some thinking I have been doing about my approach to my cancer diagnosis, treatment and recovery. I have just downloaded My Stroke of Insight. I will write more after I have finished reading it

What is an art quilt?

It is difficult to explain to people exactly what an art quilt is and can be. This blog post which reviews a recent SAQA exhibition does a good job of inviting viewers to consider quilts, using the SAQA definition*, as art.

The selection process for the Earth Stories show invited artists to identify a person or organization that "enhance the planet, make a significant difference in restoring and/or protecting the environment, increase sustainability and otherwise improve the earth we all occupy." Artists were selected based on their portfolio and their theme proposal. It appears that each artist made two pieces and that the juror chose one for the show. This selection method offers artists much more freedom to create something that truly conforms to their vision. They need not second guess the juror or be concerned that their excellent work might be rejected because the juror needed to create a balanced show or one that elucidated themes of his or her own.


* ART QUILT: "a creative visual work that is layered and stitched or that references this form of stitched and layered structure."

Inspiration

I have been thinking about inspiration a lot lately. I took a shortcut and checked to see what the Free Dictionary site had to say. Of course, I also had to look up inspire.

I am no farther ahead in my understanding. I am beginning to think that it is a throw-away term that people use in lieu of a more precise statement.