“I need a drink” I said as I walked up the stairs to the opening reception at the gallery.

Tonight was the night. After all the “should I, shouldn’t I’s” this was it. “Congratulations!” my friends said. For what? Having the guts, I think.

I had entered my painting Turmoil. The End into a group exhibit at our town’s art center where it is on display until the end of the month. This is the last (I think) in a series of half a dozen abstract paintings I did called Turmoil, inspired by a particularly memorable crossing of the Strait of Georgia. The first was shown on an earlier posting Show and Tell last March. I’m still not entirely sure why I put it forward in the show, but it certainly was a new experience. Fun, but still I’m a little ambivalent. It was somewhat nerve wracking, which of course is the complete opposite of the feeling I get while in The Bunkie Studio painting – all alone with my tunes, having the time of my life playing with paint, with no thought of anyone else.

Turmoil. The End – Qualicum Winds   Acrylic on Canvas 20″ x 24″

I’m back in there (The Bunkie) now after a great visit with cousins Sharon and Glen who stopped by for a few days on their British Columbia travels. We had a great time. It had been about 8 years or so since our last visit but, as always, with old friends, it was as if no time had passed at all. We’ve had an outstanding spring, summer and now September but the season clearly is changing now as days are much shorter and it gets cold very quickly when the sun sets. Lots of work ahead to put the fuchsias and the rest of the garden to bed. Another set of Bunkie guests to arrive before too long and then a fall road trip in our future.

I’m still in News Blackout mode. It’s been two and a half months since I’ve read a newspaper or listened to the news on the radio or read any news websites. I’ve heard a couple of things along the way but all in all I’m living my life in a state of blissful ignorance as indeed does much of the population of this world. Works for me. I was asked the other day whether I was going to “stop it”. Hadn’t planned to but yesterday I tried turning on the morning news documentary show, The Current, on CBC. Within 60 seconds, there she was, babbling about someone getting beheaded. “Fuck that”, I said out loud, as I lunged for the off switch.

There is one event I did follow last night, as Howard called out the poll results. Half Scottish on my Dad’s side, I was interested in the Scottish independence referendum even though I haven’t really followed the issues nor have I ever set foot in Scotland. Also, I guess, living through the Quebec independence referendum some years ago makes it sort of personally relevant. Once again the aye/non vote prevailed.

Number 2 Son Mike is now living in Cambridge Bay in the high Arctic for the next few months and by all accounts is having a great time. The Canadian government is building a scientific research station up there. Mike is part of the team that put all that together and he is now up there during this construction phase to oversee the project. It sounds like he’s meeting some pretty interesting people, including some bush pilots with tales to tell and scientists doing muskox research surveys, as well as local Inuit. A very long way from urban Ottawa and a wonderful experience.

Here’s a picture of Mike in his new house in Cambridge Bay after his Sealift shipment finally arrived from the south.