stark beauty

If you take a walk outside, this is all you will see for a while. But as cold as it is outside, it is very cozy from the inside. And the people... ..are as good as it gets.

Real Winter

It must be -15 outside. I find myself walking through a foot of snow wherever I go. The streets and sidewalks are full of squeak. Snowsuit mode suits me just fine. Big rubber boots, a parka. Double hoodie. Although in my apartment, I need to wear the bare essentials. My orchids revel in the arctic sun.

the leaves have officially fallen. this is the last of them. around moonshine lake alberta. there are beautiful rainbow trout just jumping out of this lake. all you gotta do is give them a hook&line=dinner

The best looking lawn I ever saw. Woke up one morning, frost covered everything. Just when the sun started to melt the crystals, there were prisms, tiny rainbows everywhere. It only lasted for a few minutes. This is the only photo in which it is visible.

EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED

I saw this idea in a bookstore, and thought I don't need a pattern. Its simple. Well it took about 4 tries to really get it tight. Its worth it though. And yes I realize its the same colours as the tapestry.

"Acts of creation are ordinarily reserved for gods and poets, but humbler folk may circumvent this restriction if they know how. To plant a pine, for example, one need be neither god nor poet: one need only own a shovel." Aldo Leopold - A Sand County Almanac

JASPER!

In this one you can see the deep green underground rivers



Camping in cold weather is so worth it if these are the views. Jasper blew me away. As soon as you step away from your vehicle, make sure you're ready, because the wilderness is all encompasing. Interestingly enough, you don't run into people on the trails. There is just so much space. These are photos of a lake very close to Maligne lake that used to be a glacier. The remaining rivers runs very deep down into the earth. On some other photos it is visible, the green being the deepest part of the lake. There are areas that are deep and other areas that are all but dried out. We found a variety of signs of different mammals living there.

The view

Last night, as I was biking back home I noticed two deer grazing below the building we live in.
I just stood there for a while and watched them thinking, "I really need a better lens for my Nikon..." The other photo is the view from my balcony, looking east.
The very same night, just before sunset, I saw a huge furry brown beaver working in the water. He was not intimidated whatsoever. When he saw I was nearby, he kept swimming closer and closer. There's good reason to call this area Peace Country.

the process

weaving

Here's a little something I rigged up with 2 large combs and a cork board. I don't actively work on it every day, but I put a line in whenever I feel like it. Maybe by winter I'll have a nice piece of cloth.

Hello Alberta!

I knew this day would eventually come...but I have officially been here, in Northern Alberta for 10 days. Unlike before, I have the luxury of time. Although I do not find myself in an outwardly interesting part of the country (Grande Prairie), I vow to enjoy all the fruits of the season. Edible or not.
I will find beautiful objects in nature and rework them. I will do this regardless of the amount of snow covering the prairies for most of the year. I will make things by hand that I would usually purchase in a store.
I will make connections with country folk who are unassuming and unpretentious. Am I assuming too much?
Either way it will be a visual journey.