Hi Adele
Hope you're able to be out in the County these days cause the lilacs are smelling up the place! I wish this could be a scratch 'n' sniff photo. Thinking of you!
Love from Martha

Dearest Adele

Thinking or you much

the Pacific...

took this 

in 

Montevideo, Uruguay

when 

....absorbed 

in learning

and taking time

to soak in serenity.....

today and often

 I am

thinking of you

with love and wonder

Michelle 

xo

Thinking of you, Adele...with much love, Nicole Arends. I love this poem!

No Words Needed

Adele....thinking of you with much love and affection...and hoping to see you and Alain in our nature garden...in June...Sheila and Joynal xo

Mother Nature will have her way -

Who understands the force of nature?

The beauty of nature

Nature is colour perfect

Nature is delicate

Nature can tame the beast

Natures heart is everywhere

Nature is powerful

Nature loves pink

Nature doesn't need a beauty shop

Cloud spiral in the sky. An Iridescent (Rainbow) Cloud in Himalaya . 

The phenomenon was observed early am October 18, 2009.

 Nature is perfect

Nature is love

Nature's jewelery

Nature's bath

And there is beauty without colour

I'm watching you

Nature knows cuteness

Nature surprises us

Nature is awesome

Nature in the sea

Nature's colour is everywhere

Lake Hiller: Loc West Austrlia

Nature's night performance

Nature is a mystery

Sometimes nature is overly generous

Nature can be scarry

Nature can make us laugh

"Naked Man Orchid" is a flower that looks like...well, a naked man.

Reflection

No words needed

John sends greetings from Algonquin

 Two canoes and the sunset on the eastern shore, Burnt Island Lake

 Beached by the wind for 4 hours at the end of Burnt Island Lake

The morning sun on Burnt Island Lake

Dear Adele,
I took a canoe trip to Algonquin this past weekend with some friends. We went from snow squalls to mosquitoes over the 3 days. It definitely was Canada in the spring. 
The wind was blowing strongly throughout the weekend and the waves were crashing over the bow of our canoes (somehow, the wind was always against us, how is that possible?).  It felt invigorating (and slightly dangerous). When we paddled straight into the waves, it was better. Even if we got a bit wet. Being hit from the side by a strong wave is not good. I thought of you and your journey.
I did take some time to sit in the sun and make a few watercolour paintings of the power and beauty of nature that surrounded us. I hope that you like them.
Good wishes for calm waters and sunny skies,
John
This is a video of the wind in the trees on Burnt Island Lake. We had to sit out our paddling for about 4 hours in hopes that it would calm down slightly. In the end it did. It always does.

Meow

My friend Alex asked me to send you this random joy pic today. 

This is Chauncy, the cat in the hat.

May the purr of Chauncy be with you today!

Nicole

Cherry Blossoms vs Bodybuster Bums

Hi Adele,
I am knee deep in writing reports and curriculum, and admin, adimn, adimn stuff today. 
Ei yi yi!
To counter that feeling, I am taking advantage of virtual-nature as offered to me by my friend Debbie care of her fancy dancey phone. This video is 7 seconds of spring lilac joy.

Speaking of spring joy, a couple weeks ago the cherry blossoms came out in High Park near where I live. Scads of flower-lovers from all across the GTA and beyond descend on high Park with their cameras and picnic baskets at this time. I do Bodybuster Bootcamp classes in the park. We run around and sweat lots and do funny strengthening exercises with giant exercise balls. We do sit ups and push ups in the dirt and are generally unselfconscious about being pretty hardcore. Well, during cherry blossom time you'd think we were as pretty as the fluffy flowers based on the amount of people gawking at us and taking pictures. It was a little self-conscious making.

Are we as lovely as the trees? You decide for yourself!

 

Cherry Blossoms vs Bodybuster Bums

 

Which do you want to take a picture of?

 Thinking of you and sending you love and spring joy today Adele.

Nicole

Creative times at Sagonaska School

I thought that you might like to see the creativity that is flowing in the LTTA project at Sagonaska School. Martha and I lead digital media arts (DMA) teacher professional learning workshops on May 1 and 8. The teachers participated in voice and expressive body movement activities lead by Ann McDougall via Skype. Ann did a fabulous job of engaging the teachers in exploring the possibilities for using their voices and bodies to further enhance the message in the videos that they are creating. Then they recorded video of themselves against and interacting with green screen. Next step was to include still and moving images behind and as part of the their actions. They embraced both the traditional art forms and the digital media arts as ways of promoting their passions. This is the theme that their students will be exploring and creating with in the DMA project with their teachers with Martha's mentorship. 
Good wishes and looking forward to another cup of tea with you soon, 

John

Hi Adele
It's sunny in Consecon today, even if a bit cooler than last week. Here are the answers to the Great Canadian History Challenge...
1. Louis Riel (you got that one!)
2. WWI in the trenches
3. Halifax Explosion
4. Boer War (student named this guy, Taboo, and he's defending a gold mine)

Now something more recent... some snaps of Seneca College illustration students drawing "Live Comics" at the AGO in response to the Emily Carr show. They had just under 3 hours to plan, draw & ink their one page. All the comics can be read at: senecacollege.ca/livecomics or senecalivecomics.tumblr.com

Perhaps tea sometime soon.
xo Martha

Mitts for Madelynne and Evie

 


Hi Adele, This was my January project for my granddaughters…next year “Minion” mittens LOL
Patrica Valenteyn