The Rockies

Posted on July 31, 2023 by Mama Cormier

…road trip to Banff

The morning started off cool and rainy. My brother-in-law lent us his old pickup truck which he affectionately calls Lucille, and we drove through the foothills of Alberta towards the Rocky Mountains.

As we got closer to Banff we started to see some of the mountains through the clouds but it wasn’t until we returned later that evening that we realized how much of the scenery had been obscured by the clouds. We were in awe.

As we approached Banff:

Throughout the day the weather constantly changed but towards late afternoon the sun started to peak though the clouds.

Not wanting to drive back to Calgary in the dark we left Banff around 7:00. This is when we realized how much of the Rockies we didn’t see in the morning.

Weekly Prompts Wednesday Challenge – Nostalgia

Posted on June 17, 2023 by Mama Cormier

…thanks to Sue W and GC for hosting weekly prompts https://weeklyprompts.com/2023/06/14/weekly-prompts-wednesday-challenge-nostalgia-2/

As I get older I become more and more nostalgic. All kinds of things remind me of my past. Baking bread at the inn reminds me of our first trip to San Francisco where I first tasted sourdough white bread and my box of buttons reminds me of my mom and her button box. I even created a series of paintings called Needle and Thread that brought back memories of my childhood.

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A Trip to the Aberfoyle Antique Market

Posted on June 4, 2023 by Mama Cormier

…48 years ago we bought each other a framed Coca-Cola mirror as a wedding gift to ourselves

The Aberfoyle Market holds many found memories for us. Over the years we have shared this wonderful place with our children and now our grandchildren. On our most recent trip we found some very interesting and fun artefacts. This time we just browsed through the antiques but we also had some very interesting conversations with some of the vendors.

The Aberfoyle Antique Market is located about one hour west of Toronto and is just down the road from the city of Guelph.

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RDP Tuesday – Indefatiguable

Posted on May 23, 2023 by Mama Cormier

….thanks to the Ragtag community for hosting RDP Tuesday https://ragtagcommunity.wordpress.com/2023/05/23/rdp-tuesday-indefatigable/

There are days when I feel like the Energizer Bunny. I can keep going and going but I do eventually crash ….for days after. Kids and animals never seem to get tired or at least that’s what they want us to think. I also have two marathon runners in the family. My husband ran marathons in his 20s and 30s and years later our oldest daughter started running marathons. She gets better with every race. They also never seem to tire during a race.

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6237-E5-EA-26-F2-4-E35-9-B4-D-8-D6-E2-A0-CBD34-1-201-a — *Olive could play all day but we know that she can* *overdo it*

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44-F9-C50-B-B40-F-4-ED5-942-A-93302-FDDFFD8 — *Winnie is constantly on the move*

D86-FC0-A6-3-C76-4606-B518-A28-A081-B9-D73 — *…and so is her younger cousin*

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D83-C6355-AEEF-40-BE-877-D-A4-E05973-F309 — *….but eventually they both crash*

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4342-C11-A-69-F1-4461-93-F1-F8-EF44233-F5-E — *These young athletes never seem to tire either*

More Work in my Needle and Thread Series

Posted on April 28, 2023 by Mama Cormier

…two more small pieces and two larger ones

A while back I told you about wanting to honour my past with art that reflected my family’s influence on my Joy of Making. My great great aunt and her family on my mother’s side used to own a very successful business where they made and sold ladies leather gloves in the early 1900s, in Germany. Old photos of my great, great grandparents clearly depicted how important fashion was to them and of course looking one’s best at all times.

My mother taught me how to hand sew, make clothes, embroider and knit. Later in life I worked for a needlecraft company in my spare time and taught other women the art of needle crafting, like cross-stitch and needlepoint and I worked at the community school teaching people how to knit.

The following works are collage and mixed media with some hand stitching or implied hand stitching.

C6004081-405-C-4-F08-B22-E-6-BDF8980-DE45-1-201-a — *“Stitched With Love”, 8″x10″ matted and framed*

73-B745-EB-59-DA-431-D-AC4-B-333-C66-B9-B8-FD-1-201-a — *“A Stitch in Time…”, 11″x14″ matted and framed*

4-D7-FC0-B4-B601-45-C4-B144-9-ADBEA9-C0-B5-B-1-201-a — “*Tante Paula, 1910″,11″x14″ matted and framed*

0-E6-DD20-B-1710-4891-9-C30-C41-C55-EF31-E8-1-201-a — *“Brocade”, 8″x10″ matted and framed*

Weekly Prompts Weekend Challenge – Frolic

Posted on April 22, 2023 by Mama Cormier

…thanks to Sue W and GC for hosting Weekly Prompts https://weeklyprompts.com/2023/04/22/weekly-prompts-weekend-challenge-frolic/

Nothing says frolic more that young children and dogs playing.

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Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge – Anything Large

Posted on April 18, 2023 by Mama Cormier

…thanks to Cee for hosting CFFC https://ceenphotography.com/2023/04/18/cffc-anything-large/

C82-A6939-AFB6-4-A9-F-B1-AF-19-D954751048 — *Cruise ship outside of Venice*

25992-E93-9-A1-B-43-D1-B6-A0-EBB6-A3-A4-A790-1-201-a — *David looking over Florence, Italy*

54-D977-CB-11-C0-4636-A24-B-6-F8-EAB142122 — *Part of the Colosseum in Rome*

57-F7-A49-D-B405-409-B-A8-DC-BD1-BC0727785 — *Giraffe at the Toronto Zoo*

D9-B9-D973-208-F-4-CC4-AE09-EF8-E40-C9154-B — *Cathedral in Tours, France*

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F7277-D7-D-C5-A1-4274-8111-4-DF9265-BD57-D — *Giant pumpkin*

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RDP Friday – Wonderment

Posted on March 31, 2023 by Mama Cormier

…thanks to the Ragtag community for hosting RDPhttps://ragtagcommunity.wordpress.com/2023/03/31/friday-wonderment/

“The pursuit of truth and beauty is a sphere of activity in which we are permitted to remain children all our lives.”
― Albert Einstein

“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

As I take my daily walks with my camera in hand, I’m alway in the state of wonderment with the beauty that surrounds me every day. I’m saddened by the fact that so many people never see what is right in front of their eyes. Many evenings I have run out of the house with my camera in hand to catch a beautiful sunset or quietly stood by my back door to catch the birds and squirrels come to the feeder.

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Weekly Prompts Weekend Challenge – Two

Posted on March 25, 2023 by Mama Cormier

…thanks to Sue W and GC for hosting Weekly Prompts https://weeklyprompts.com/2023/03/25/weekly-prompts-weekend-challenge-two/

I’m always so focused on finding trios for my Thursday Trios Challenge that I had to really search my archives to find ‘twos’.

C34-E2182-F2-DC-4-A13-B236-86-AFB22468-A1 — *From our recent trip to College Royal – when we got to the barns it was feeding time*

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9449929-F-3-F53-490-C-A90-A-E6487-FD98-F22 — *Cabybaras at High Park Zoo*

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Weekly Prompts Wednesday Challenge – Belonging

Posted on February 2, 2023 by Mama Cormier

…thanks to Sue W and GC for hosting Weekly Prompts https://weeklyprompts.com/2023/02/01/weekly-prompts-wednesday-challenge-belonging/

Before COVID I belonged to a group of bakers. Every week, twice a week, we got together to make dough and bake bread in the wood burning oven at Montgomery’s Inn, one of Toronto’s Historical Museums. When COVID hit in March 2020 all volunteer jobs were eliminated and bread baking ceased to exist for almost three years. I loved belonging to this group of men and women who came together every week and I look forward to the day that we can once again get together to make bread.

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I also belong to an organization of mostly women artists but also some men and that too has reduced it’s in person activities considerably since COVID hit. I love belonging to such a creative group that shares knowledge and ideas so freely and openly. It’s given me the confidence to pursue my art journey and I even hosted my first solo art show in 2022.

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I also belong to a lawn bowling club and this past year we’ve been able to get together in person to play ‘normal’ games where we can have three people per side and use all the lanes at the same time. We were also able to celebrate Canada Day and we had a year end dinner. A great group of people that I’m happy to call friends.

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The most precious of groups that I belong to is that of my family and friends. COVID has been difficult but thanks to ZOOM and WhatsApp, I’ve been able to stay connected. In the past year we’ve been able to travel again to visit family overseas and on the east coast and we’ve even gotten together for celebrations to acknowledge milestone birthdays.