A special visitor

The Governor General of Canada, David Johnston, was here last week to help celebrate The Sault's 100 years.  Also visiting was Dr. Roberta Bondar the first Canadian female astronaut in space.  I was very honoured to be able to shake her hand and briefly chat with her.  What a delightful lady.  (She is the one with the medals.)

You know I am always talking about "The Queen's Cupboard", well, through our acquaintance with Pat and our constant visits and volunteering at her store, we Carol, Gary and myself (her faithful volunteers) have decided to rent a space in the same building as Pat and take our "stuff" out of her store and put it into our own space.  We are quite excited but also apprehensive as to what the future may hold and will be quite happy if we are able to make enough from our work to at least pay for the rent.  More than that will be a big bonus and exceedingly welcome.  This is what it looks like now and of course I will update as we get it ready for moving in..........

We will share the space and the responsibilites as equally as possible and as you can see from the above photos, our work is cut out for us.  It is afterall, a warehouse and as such, there are things that we will not be able to change and we are hoping that with a good coat of paint, it will come alive and be a splendid place for us to display our "creations".  We are thinking of calling it "Church Street Boutique" featuring, etc. etc. but that could change of course.  As they say, "Nothing is written in stone".  I, for one, will be so happy to find a new home for all the crafts I have been making over the years, including my jewelry and artwork.  Please wish us success and perhaps those who live here in the city can come and visit when we open.

Anyway, enough about that.  Here are some of my latest projects.....

I tried my hand at painting a crow on a jute shopping bag.  So far I have only done two as I want to see if anyone will buy them before I make more.  They did take a long time to carefully, but lovingly paint.

Here are some more primitive items I found at the local thrift stores, lucky me.......

I also put together some jars of cotton balls and added a water-slide decal which I bought from "The Polka Dot Closet", you can check this fabulous blog out here.....    http://thepolkadotcloset.blogspot.ca/    and hope to sell these in the Boutique once we get it going....

Here are a few more sets of cushion covers I have made - I must stop now until I sell some more - have only sold a few sets but am hoping that once we are in the boutique and we can display things properly, they will sell better.

Carol does a wonderful job on refinishing old chairs and giving them a bright new look - they are perfect livening up a corner or in a sunroom.  She is having so much fun with this and has also tackled revamping and revitalizing old lamps and making them superb.  You will just have to come and see for yourself.....

Here's a sneak preview.....

Gary has been at this for a lot longer than we have and is experienced in antiques as well as refinishing tables and bookcases.  He really is very good at what he does.  He will have a variety of things old and new for you to browse around and hopefully, when everything is in place, you will happily leave us clutching some delightful new acquisition.  We can only hope!!  'Til next time.

The end of the tour

I thought it was time that I finished off writing about my environment.  We are so very fortunate that we live on the river.

St. Marys River is rated one of the best trout rivers in the world. It offers wadeable river conditions that will challenge your angling creativity.  The Rapids have a resident population of rainbow trout and whitefish as well as migratory Atlantic, Chinook, pink and coho Salmon, steelhead and brown trout.  You may even catch the occasional walleye, small-mouth bass or lake trout.  Personally I don't fish, but on any given day you can find a number of people fishing from the Boardwalk or even out in their little boats.......................  As you can see, this isn't a little boat, but one of our tourist attractions, the Norgoma.

The MS Norgoma was a Canadian package freighter and passenger ferry, that could also transport automobiles on a limited basis. Originally constructed as a steam powered ship, the SS Norgoma primarily sailed the route from her home port of Owen Sound to Sault Ste. Marie,  providing a five day round trip, once a week, serving isolated communities along the north shore of Lake Huron. This route was previously served by the SS Manitoulin, retired in 1949.  After conversion to a Motor Ship, the Norgoma was transferred to the popular Manitoulan Island ferry route between Tobermory and South Baymouth along with her sister ship the SS Norisle replacing the smaller ferry, MS Normac on that route.

Along the waterfront, close to the Norgoma, is a bust of Roberta Bondar.  She is the first Canadian woman astronaut in Space, and hails from Sault Ste. Marie and we claim her as our Canadian Hero.  This pavilion was erected in her honour........

The Roberta Bondar Park Tent Pavilion is an outdoor venue that can accommodate a variety of special events including concerts, festivals, fundraising activities, ceremonies and wedding receptions. This facility can be booked on a part-day or full-day basis by individuals and not-for-profit and commercial groups.  This is where I will be partaking in the yearly "Art in the Park", where I will endeavour to sell lots of my handcrafted jewelry, etc.  People come from all over, including Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan for this, which is not surprising because there will be quite a few well-known artists exhibiting their beautiful paintings, etc.......................Another nautical picture I find quite interesting, not sure what it's all about though, LOL



I should mention another local "hero" who made Sault Ste. Marie his home,  Billy Orazietti..............

Billy "O" was a well known citizen, musher and legend in this area. Over the years he entered many dog sled races, including the 1992 Alaskan Iditarod, not to win, but to compete for himself and his dogs. Born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, October 13, 1943, Bill met his untimely death February 19, 1994, doing what he loved best. Bill went through the ice in Little Bay De Noe in Escanaba, Michigan, attempting to save his 9 beloved dogs. He managed to save 2 before he succumbed to the icy waters of Lake Michigan.

To end my blog this evening, here are a few fun pics of the three bears fishing along the Boardwalk......................



Good night, have a wonderful week.  TTFN.