Pebbles and Light

In the gloom of this afternoon, I had an urge to put a tealight in an old glass jar.  I knew exactly which jar I wanted to use.   I found the jar perhaps ten years ago in a little consignment shop in Guelph, Ontario but have since lost its glass lid.   I love this jar.  The only problem is it is a fairly tall jar, too tall and thin to reach your hand into and light a candle.  Fortunately, i collect stones and pebbles, most of which I keep in a large bowl all together.  I like having them in the bowl because it makes them accessible when you just want to play with them or look at them.  However, all of my small stones fall to the bottom and are overlooked.  Those overlooked pebbles, shells and bits of sea glass have become the focal points, the stars, of my new lantern.

I'm looking forward to the darkness tonight.

Beachcombing with Pirates

Good day today.  The sun is shining and warm and both boys are home today.  To the beach we go.

Upon reaching the lake shore, the boys decided that they were pirates and the big rocks were their ship.

being a boy after my own heart, K immediately started a collection of rocks.  For what is a pirate if he has no treasure?

Don't they look sweet.  You can't hear what they were saying.  They were deciding what each rock is.  This one, a piece of meat.  Well okay, a pirate's gotta eat.  This one is a knife.  "Quinn, you use this rock to scare people towards me and then I'll hit them on the head with this rock and push them in the water."  Ahem.  They really are sweet boys, I swear.  I only got attacked by the little one once.

As promised, here's a few photos of my treasure from yesterday.

My first heart shaped rocks

And some sea glass

Have a great weekend!

Just Call Me Relic

Today was the first warm sunny day in quite a while so I decided to head to the shores of Lake Ontario and do a little beachcombing.

Normally I have no qualms about putting things I find at the beach in my pocket or bag.  This beach, however, is a little different.  Burlington is on the shores of Lake Ontario and the area that runs along the lake tends to be quite an upscale neighbourhood, if that makes sense.  I can visit but I don't live there.  Paletta Park is the site of a restored 1930's mansion on the shores of Lake Ontario.  It's quite stunning and I always find great things on the shore -- rocks, sea glass, bits of pottery.  But I'm always afraid that someone is going to tell me I can't take rocks from the shore.  This morning, there was a couple sitting on a bench quite a distance from me.  He had binoculars and every time I saw him looking through them, I felt sure he was watching me, observing.  Paranoid, I know.  Don't worry.  I didn't let this stop me.  Even the fear of being reprimanded didn't stop me from collecting.  I was just very subtle, sneaky.  Pick a rock up, bend down, slip it in my purposely oversized bag.  Smooth, I was, very smooth.   I felt a little like Relic from The Beachcombers except much cleaner.  (Excuse the reference to a classic Canadian TV series.  It's part of our psyche.)

Tomorrow I'll show you my new treasures.