Want to Buy a Winery?

Posted on June 18, 2018 by Mama Cormier

….do you ever dream of owning something way beyond your means?

This past week when we were touring the different wineries in Prince Edward County we came across one of the oldest wineries in the region. By Chadsey’s Cairn Winery produces wines only from locally grown grapes, no blending with Niagara grapes here.

We know nothing about growing grapes or making wine but we know what we like and we loved the wines from this old vineyard. The tasting room is a converted apple house with a walk out deck overlooking vines on the west side of the property.

If we won the lottery and if the whole family was willing to pull up roots and move we’d definitely look into purchasing this place. It’s been on the market for awhile so I think that the owners are looking for the right buyer who would maintain the integrity of the place and continue to produce excellent wine. One can only dream…….

The Which Way Photo Challenge – June 15, 2018 – A Road Trip to Wine Country

Posted on June 16, 2018 by Mama Cormier

….thanks to Cee for hosting the Which Way Photo Challenge

This week my husband and I did a three day road trip to Prince Edward County to take in the sites and sample some amazing homegrown wines. We started at the Montrose Inn where we were treated to luxury accommodations in the beautifully restored Montebello style inn. Our hosts Suzette and Roger and their pastry chef, Sabine, spoiled us to the core.

Many of the wineries also displayed some amazing art and some even had their own art galleries. If you love wine, good food and great art you need to check out Prince Edward County, Ontario (not to be confused with Prince Edward Island).

Share Your World – June 11, 2018

Posted on June 12, 2018 by Mama Cormier

….thanks to Cee for hosting Share Your World

If you could choose any person from history to be your imaginary friend, who would it be and why?

This is a tough question. The more I learn about famous people the more I realize that many of them were ruthless and unkind or so narcissistic that they would make terrible friends. I think I would have liked Eleanor Roosevelt. She was politically active and pretty much her own person.

60s, 70s, 80s, 90s: Which decade do you love the most and why?

Another tough question. I loved high school so the 60s hold fond memories of friends, parties and clubs. In the 70s I found my voice. I went to university, moved away from home, travelled to Germany, met my husband and got married. At the end of the 70s I had my first child. In the 80’s my family grew, I went back to teaching and started building our cottage. In the 90s I took on more leadership roles, explored new options in teaching and started to dabble in art. I can’t pick one decade.

When you die, what do you want to be remembered for?

I want to be remembered as a kind, fun loving and creative person who helped others and inspired young people to grow up and be the best person possible.

What did you appreciate or what made you smile this past week? Feel free to use a quote, a photo, a story, or even a combination.

This week I had my first art showing at the WAAC gallery and met some wonderful artists. I also went to the museum and took in an exhibition on fashion design and architectural design.

On Thursday I drove to Hamilton to visit with my daughter and granddaughter. We took a walk to the Workers’ Arts and Heritage Centre. The building used to be the old Customs House where imports coming into Canada were processed before being released into the Canadian market.

My granddaughter loved playing with all the levers, buttons and cranks and climbing up the old staircase.

On Saturday I went to a friend’s 50th birthday party and on Sunday I met my friend Liz at the Trinity St. Paul United Church where we attended a concert of children’s choirs. As you can see it’s been a very busy and joyous week.

Axe Cancer in NOT Spam or a Scam

Posted on June 12, 2018 by Mama Cormier

….this is an authentic fundraiser

CQ Southern Ontario

I don’t normally try to enlist people on this site to sponsor good causes but I wanted to ensure people who received emails from me or saw it on my FaceBook page that this is a legitimate cause. With all the spam on the internet I can understand if you thought that this might be a scam. Trust me it’s NOT.

‘Axe Cancer’ supports Camp Quality which is a camp for children with cancer. My son-in-law is Executive Director for Camp Quality in Canada and he constantly tries to find ways to raise money for these camps that are completely run by volunteers all across this country. Camp Quality also runs camps in the U.S.A. and Australia. Here is the link for Camp Quality in Ontario if you’re interested in knowing more about the organization, the history and the members who run it.

Camp Quality

Next Sunday, my husband, daughter, son-in-law and I will be throwing axes as a team. I’ve never done anything like this in the past but I know some people who have and they love it.

If you can sponsor me, for any amount, no matter how small I would be very grateful and happy that another child with cancer will be able to attend this wonderful camp at no cost. The average price for a camp like this is about $1500 per child.

My initial goal was to raise $150.00 and I raised it to $250.00. Now I think I have to raise it again. To the seven people who have already sponsored me, thank you very much. If you’d like to make a donation here is the link for ‘Axe Canada’.

Donate to Camp Quality

My First Gallery Show

Posted on June 7, 2018 by Mama Cormier

…..it all happened so quickly

Last week I was informed that I had won a membership to the Women’s Art Association of Canada (WAAC) and when I went for a tour they asked me if I had a painting to submit for their New Members Art Show. The theme was ‘flowers’ and I knew that I had at least one painting that would fit the bill. I submitted the painting on Monday and the opening happened today.

When I arrived downtown I was greeted by three friends outside the gallery. They were very excited for me and I was touched that they wanted to be there. It’s not a huge show but the work was beautifully curated. I met some of the members and was made to feel very welcome. Here is my submission: Floral Abundance

Here are a few more pieces from some of the artists who are members of the WAAC. I really liked the teapot but it was already sold.

Baking Bread – Using New and Old Methods

Posted on June 6, 2018 by Mama Cormier

….two weeks ago I started volunteering at Montgomery’s Inn

Twice a week I go to Montgomery’s Inn to bake bread. On Tuesday we prepare the dough using an industrial mixer, proof the dough and then store it in the large commercial refrigerators. On the following day we prepare the sourdough bread with a sourdough starter and then shape the dough we made the day before.

Each week we make about six different bread doughs plus two sourdough breads. So far I’ve helped prepare rustic white, whole wheat, light rye, Frankconia, thyme and garlic, rosemary and garlic, oatmeal bread, red wine and walnut bread and date and walnut bread.

We shape the dough into rounds or loaves and some of the sourdough goes into loaf pans. Some have different toppings and each bread has it’s own signature cut on top.

I’ve also helped start the fire in the large outdoor brick oven that can hold up to 50 loaves of bread. Once the oven gets up to about 530 degrees the coals are swept out and then it is quickly swept with a wet mop. In about 25 to 30 minutes delicious hot bread comes out of the oven and is quickly transported to the Farmers’ Market at the Inn.

Each day about 3 to 4 of us work on making the dough and baking the bread. I’m quickly learning the ropes and am thoroughly enjoying the experience. Presently I am the only woman in the group but my fellow bakers are making me feel right at home and allowing me to experience every aspect of this bread making process.

365 Days of Art – Adding Colour and Collage

Posted on June 6, 2018 by Mama Cormier

…..days 109 and 110

Once again I went back to one of my sketchbooks and added colour to one of my one-line drawings of cats and I added some collage detail. For the collage I spent some time creating some colourful art papers with oil pastels and then cut out droplet shapes. On the blank page in front of the cats I created collage piece using this paper.

WPC – All Time Favourites

Posted on May 31, 2018 by Mama Cormier

…..I can’t believe it but this will be the last photo challenge posted by WordPress

How do you choose your all time favourites from over 22 000 photos? I’ve managed to narrow it down to four but I’m sure that I’ll come across others that I like as much.

Cee’s Which Way Photo Challenge – May 25, 2018

Posted on May 27, 2018 by Mama Cormier

…..thanks to Cee for hosting the Which Way Photo Challenge

Which way are we going Winnie? Two days spent with my granddaughter.

Day 1 – At the Purple Park

Which way are the children going?

Day 2 – Walking with Oma through the dandelion field

Down the ramp and along the fence by the church

Through the construction site and past the shops on James St. N.

Finally back home

Mythical Beast and Spooky Tree

Posted on May 26, 2018 by Mama Cormier

…days 98 and 99 of the 365 Days of Art

Over the last two days I’ve gone back to my 500 Daily Drawing Prompts journal to create two more sketches. The first one I did was the spooky tree which was fun to do but I feel like I relied too heavily on an image I found on Google. The second sketch, the mythical beast, was my own creation. I did search the web for some ideas and came up with this flying serpent.