Notes from Spiritwood

ATCs at the RAG: Talking Art with Kathy Tycholis

2011-03-01T12:37:00.002-05:00

Kathy Tycholis admires artists' works at the Richmond Art Gallery.

Kathy Tycholis graduated from the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design. She is Education and Public Program Coordinator at the Richmond Art Gallery (RAG), and organized the RAG’s 5th Annual Artist Trading Card Exhibition. Katharine Fletcher visited the RAG and interviewed Tycholis for AQ last November.

KF: This year’s exhibit was the RAG’s 5th annual. Has participation grown?

KT: The first year, perhaps 80 artists exhibited; more than 400 artists participated in 2010/11.

KF: Can you comment on ATCs regarding the evolution of art movements?

KT: Many people have problems with the ATC concept, particularly with the giving. They’ll only trade certain ones or trade with certain people. But ATCs are exciting: they’re about collaboration and the trade. They’re anti-commercial and all about experimentation. Like performance art, ATCs are collaborative and democratic where artists, actors, musicians, anyone works to create something new.

KF: Please comment about the history of ATCs in the context of democracy and social commentary.

KT: Have you heard of Joseph Beuys [1921-86]? He was a controversial German artist who shook up the art world with avant-garde concepts. Beuys said, “Everyone is an artist.” He worked with community and believed strongly in the democracy of art. He was one of the founding members of the Green Party and in the 1960s joined the Fluxus group.

KF: What is Fluxus?

KT: Fluxus was a Sixties art movement evolving from Dadaism. Artists were from many disciplines: visual artists worked with musicians, dancers, designers, writers, and there was great interaction with their audience. [Wikipedia explains the name is derived from Latin, meaning “to flow.”]

Over time, the Mail Art phenomenon evolved in the late 1960s and 1970s, where artists mailed their work to one another. It can be anything, anything at all. Unlike ATCs, there is no expectation of getting anything back. Mail art is still going and when you think about it, ATCs take Mail Art to a different level. Interestingly, it is male dominated while ATCs are female-dominated.

KF: What’s the difference between these forms?

KT: The significant difference is that with jam cards or sending ATCs through the mail [“Pay it Forward”], ATC artists invite other artists to add something to their cards. That means we artists are willing to see our own creations altered by other artists.

KF: You’re emphasizing the democratization of art?

KT: Precisely. And ATCs bypass galleries. ATCs are about being inclusive and not being part of an elitist gallery system. They’re about sharing and interaction.

Katharine admiring ATCs at the Richmond Art Gallery.

KF: When considering ATCs and certainly while looking around this exhibit, I wonder: how can anyone argue they’re not art?

KT: Let me tell you something. The way ATC cards are hung in their plastic sleeves rather than framing them has an interesting effect upon people. We took one out of its sleeve and framed it a month ago. All of a sudden, the ATC was perceived as art! You know, we are so in our culture: we are so commercial. People (and many artists) think that if you’re a “real” artist you have to make money from your work.

KF: Thanks so much for your time, Kathy: you’ve been extremely inspiring as well as insightful. I hope we can look forward to a 6th ATC exhibit at the RAG.

[Note: Although a 6th ATC RAG exhibit may happen again, it won’t be in 2011/12.]

Back Home in Pontiac

2011-01-05T12:36:00.000-05:00

It’s good to be home. We arrived at Spiritwood on Friday, December 17 after driving across Canada – an amazing, fantastic trip where we eluded all of winter’s wrath and simply enjoyed the magnificence of our country while adventuring east.

Several readers and friends expressed concerns regarding whether Eric and I would return to the Pontiac. Many thought we perhaps wouldn’t come back, posing questions such as: Was our journey driven by a desire to discover a new place to live? Had we found a country which irresistibly beckoned us to emigrate?

These and other comments were e-mailed and “Facebooked” to us during our travels throughout Southeast Asia, Australia and Great Britain. They were asked when we “Skyped” or telephoned friends and family – while others voiced them prior to our departure.

The answer is we have come home to Spiritwood and Pontiac, where we belong.

It was never our intention to leave for good. Canada is my adopted country; it is Eric’s country of birth. And although both of us realize we could easily move to foreign lands – I’m thinking Australia or Great Britain where we have close family and friends – our travels abroad underscored our deep love for the Pontiac, our friends, and for Spiritwood.

What makes a home?

The question is a good one, isn’t it? Answers teem with intangible, subjective reasons as well as (possibly) more objective, “sound” notions.

For immigrants such as myself, the concept of home is multi-faceted and complicated. Many – perhaps most – immigrants choose their new home country with careful deliberation. Now, that’s potentially true if you’re an adult – but choice wasn’t an option for a child like me. I had to accompany my parents when they chose to emigrate. Being torn away from England, then brought up in Canada permits me to understand many immigrants’ deep sense of loss: indeed, loss of one’s roots and home country can mimic physical pain and introduce confusion into concepts of self.

Balancing such issues, however, are the positive challenges and the exhilaration of finding one’s way and making a home in one’s newly adopted culture.

In fact, my parents (and my brother and I) were among the fortunate. Mum and Dad chose to immigrate to Canada after having enjoyed a professionally satisfying year abroad in 1955-56. During this time, my family toured the USA while Dad lectured and conducted research in North American architecture. Two years later, Dad was offered the position of Dean of the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Toronto.

In 1958, we emigrated from England to the land of promise: for that’s what Canada represented to my father and mother. A chance for a fresh, exciting start in a new land.

So, what is home? My mother would often tell me “Home is wherever my family is.”

Pontiac home

My own family is scattered all over the world: Calgary, as well as Britain, Australia and the USA. So what I say is this: “Home is where my husband and friends are.”

Moreover, Spiritwood, Eric’s and my farm, is home. It is my centre; the countryside here speaks to me, and I love the ways of the wild. I love the fact I can look out of any window of my house and gaze upon a natural scene. There is no congestion of the suburbs here. There are no sounds of taxis blaring their horns, no view into a neighbour’s private space, nor do I have to put up with the electric hum of a city’s urban core.

Instead, now in wintertime here at Spiritwood, I see the soothing, pastoral sights of nature. I see fields blanketed with snow. I see the forested Eardley Escarpment with its craggy outcrops of rocks. I see woodpeckers and nuthatches patrolling tree trunks, searching for food. I see white-tailed deer hesitate, pausing as they emerge from the edge of the woods before stepping out and lowering their heads to graze in the pastures. I see my beautiful mare cantering through her paddock, mane and tail blowing in the wind. And far off to the east I see the friendly looking curl of smoke from my neighbours’ homes.

There is space, fresh air, and for me, a tremendous sense of peace here. I am fortunate.

In fact, we who live here in Pontiac are immeasurably fortunate.

So, what makes a home?

It’s all of the above and more. A home is made by people like you who are reading this column because you care about what goes on in our neighbourhood, the Pontiac.

The quality of what each and every one of us want to call “home” is right here, right in front of us all. Actually, we can make of it precisely what we choose.

Happy New Year, everyone. It’s good to be back home in the Pontiac, here at Spiritwood.

Sunny and … hot?

2009-08-13T02:45:00.000-04:00

Summer has finally arrived.

I know that because for the second time this summer, we turned on the geothermal heat pump’s air conditioning feature. As the outside temperature reached 28+, the house became a cool 20 Celsius.

The forecast calls for sunshine and hot weather until Tuesday, August 18. It’s about time, say most everyone you’d talk to, especially farmers who are mourning the loss of their cornfields.

In some poorly drained fields, corn has been drowned. In others, the usual summertime heat units have stunted the size of ears of corn, or otherwise arrested its development.

Eastern Phoebe fledgling

2009-07-24T18:18:00.004-04:00

Tony Beck, Canadian bird expert and nature guide, is a pal of mine. He's always eager to help people identify birds, and this is what he wrote, regarding my "Bird in the hand" article:

"The bird in your hand (and in the image) is a juvenile Eastern Phoebe, likely fresh from the nest. Note the relatively large, flat-crowned, dark-capped head, mostly all-dark bill and longish tail. The yellow around the gape of the bill is typical of a fledgling.

"What may have thrown you off are the buffy wing bars. Most field guides (even the good ones) don't show this character because it only holds it for an extremely short time after fledgling from the nest. Any of the empidonax flycatchers (Least, Willow, Alder, etc.) would have a shorter tail and paler, more uniformly-coloured crown. Some might have bolder eye-rings and yellowish lower mandibles.

"An Eastern Wood-Pewee also has a shorter tail and a peaked crown. Keep in mind that no field guide, no matter how authoritative, will show all plumages. And, when you have a very difficult bird-identification challenge, noting shape subtleties is critical. It's also important to never rely on only a single character. And, all characters must be considered. I hope this helps!"

Want to learn more about Tony and perhaps go on a birding outing with him? Check out his website, Always an Adventure.

Bird in the hand... fledgling Eastern Phoebe

2009-07-24T11:17:00.000-04:00

So how much is it worth in the bush?
(Fledgling Eastern Phoebe) Photo by Eric Fletcher

Yesterday I found a little flycatcher in the garage here at Spiritwood. It was fluttering from one window to another, desperately trying to get outside. Notwithstanding the garage door being open, birds often are disoriented and don't seem to detect it, even though that's how they gained access to the interior.

As usual when this happens, I slowly approach and ever so gently capture the bird in my hands, then release it. This image shows the relaxed bird ready to take flight -- however, it actually didn't want to leave the warmth of my hand, and I lifted it onto my bird feeder. Then it flew off, seemingly totally unharmed after its experience.

What bird is it? After consulting page 323 & following, of the Sibley Guide to Birds (David Allen Sibley's most excellent book) I thought I had a juvenile (June-October) Eastern Wood-Pewee in my hand.

But my friend, noted bird expert Tony Beck put me right... It's an Eastern Phoebe, a fledgling. See my next blog entry for Tony's details.

New roses at Spiritwood

2009-07-21T14:01:00.000-04:00

Canadian Sunset Hybrid Tea Rose, Entry Rock Garden, Spiritwood

Last week I planted two new roses: Canadian Sunset (cream underneath cherry red petal) and Henry Fonda (brilliant gold). Both are blossoming now... and gorgeous. Because they are not the hardy Explorer series of roses hybridized by Isobella Preston, Canada's first female plant hybridist who worked at the Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa, they will require additional winter care.

In October, I'm told by the nursery rose specialist that they need to be trimmed back to 1 foot above the ground, then these "sticks" piled with peat moss to overwinter. Until then... we'll enjoy!

Henry Fonda Hybrid Tea Rose, Entry Rock Garden, Spiritwood

City of Ottawa By-laws out of step

2009-07-07T19:01:00.000-04:00

Regarding Hank and Vera Jones' Allbirch Pollinator Garden and the City of Ottawa's demand that they mow down their "weedy" garden, I'm posting my letter to the editor at the Ottawa Citizen here. Go to the Citizen's story (July 7/09) about the Jones' project and their hopes to have the City retract the Bylaw infraction charge.

Hank Jones in Allbirch Pollinator Garden, Constance Bay Village, City of Ottawa. Image by Eric Fletcher

I believe that the City of Ottawa's By-law 2005-208 is out of step with current ecological, habitat-friendly practices and that it ought to be rewritten.

It is exquisitely ironic that in 2009, the City of Ottawa is charging Hank (Henry) and Vera Jones with a By-law infraction because of weeds and unkempt gardens. This is particularly the case in this day and age when we’re all supposedly looking for eco-friendly solutions promoting biodiversity. And at the very time when Ontario has joined Quebec in banning cosmetic use of chemicals!

On the one hand, we the public are encouraged not to use herbicides and pesticides which enter the food chain by contaminating soil, groundwater, wetlands, and air. Yet, on the other hand, people such as the Jones' are penalized for naturalizing their gardens.

Moreover, we are encouraged by scientific research and such worthy organizations as the Canadian Wildlife Federation and Fletcher Wildlife Garden to “go native” by planting native species in our gardens. This is crucial because some native insects, butterflies, moths as well as other pollinators and wildlife depend upon native species when it comes to their food. Consider the Monarch butterfly and its dependency upon milkweed.

Many of us are aware of the international decline in pollinator species. This extremely serious issue which affects world-wide food security has been widely published in all media for a number of years. How do we, as individuals, assist pollinators to thrive? By encouraging native plants, by creating habitat biodiversity – just like the Jones’.

Spiritwood is a biodivese, wildlife-friendly sanctuary. Eric and I don't use chemicals here in our gardens in the hopes that all wildlife can find a haven where they won't be poisoned.

I believe the Jones’ efforts to create a naturalized landscape and to attract pollinators and other wildlife through their garden project ought to be commended and encouraged.

It is my understanding, after taking the time to visit their garden last Saturday and to speak with them, that theirs is a most worthwhile, long-term project. In fact, they intend their Allbirch Pollinator Garden to become a demonstration garden for schoolchildren, garden groups, and indeed, any interested persons.

Therefore, I encourage the City of Ottawa not only to drop their By-law infringement charge against the Jones, but also to consider immediately rewriting such by-laws so that naturalized landscapes in people’s lawns and gardens are encouraged, not threatened by the application of inappropriate by-laws.

Rain showers and 100 mile diet

2009-07-03T15:24:00.000-04:00

More rain… in fact, it’s been raining all week, with the forecast calling for rain tomorrow with sunny breaks. On Sunday we apparently will be getting sunshine – perfect! Will do a few more plantings tomorrow: six fennel plants to go in as well as some cosmos (white) and magenta dahlias.

Hay still not cut: rain has depressed some of the stands of timothy/alfalfa mix. Some of the grasses are more than a metre high – perfect for youngsters to play hide and seek.

I offered my mare Crescent some timothy grass yesterday and she instantly gobbled up the flower/seedheads, which appear to be a sought-after treat in horsedom.

Garlic scapes are almost two weeks early this year. We noted that Rob Wallbridge had harvested his – ours are still producing but we’ll need to be quick.

Chanterelle mushrooms are already out along our Wildflower Trail – so tonight we’ll have scapes and chanterelles as sides for our fish barbeque – friends are bringing strawberries picked nearby, so at least some of our meal will be way less than 100-mile diet.

Canada Day at Spiritwood

2009-07-01T21:58:00.000-04:00

Relaxing at home after picking strawberries at Rob Wallbridge’s organic Songberry Farm was the order of the day.

The National Capital Region is finally getting the rain it so desperately needed. Lovely to be outdoors as the thunderheads boil overhead, then, as the claps of thunder sound, Whiskey and Crescent – our horses – pretend to be alarmed and gallop about. All very picturesque…

Spent several hours in the garden, with Eric, transplanting seedlings, weeding, spreading mulch. This year we’re trying cedar chips as mulch: the vegetable garden paths as well as raised beds look tidy and growth appears unaffected by the cedar (I have wondered whether the plants would like the cedar). We’ll see, over time, whether the cedar chips are nitrogen stealers; that’s our concern.

As we work, the catbirds, brown thrashers, meadowlarks, bobolinks, ovenbirds and hermit thrushes, as well as ravens, kingfishers, and common snipe are making their songs, and – in the latter’s case – whirrings as the snipe performs its aerial displays.

Happy birthday, Canada! A great way to celebrate, picking berries, nurturing our gardens, here at Spiritwood.

Returned to Stalled Vegetable Garden

2009-06-13T14:20:00.000-04:00

Headed out into our veggie garden only to find a disappointing catch of most seeds I so laboriously planted. Only two beets up – and an entire package planted! Only two beans, too; however, the purple haze carrots are doing well. Peas? Hardly any of my two packages are sprouting. So, I planted another two packages. Squash? Only two have come up...

Dismal. Friends tell me that during our trip out west (May 30-June 12) there were low temperatures and wet – I expect, therefore, that the seeds have rotted in the ground.

Onward! I feel more planting coming on…

Sad Victoria Visit: May 30 to June 12

2009-05-29T22:48:00.000-04:00

Eric’s mother, Dorothy Mary Elvidge Fletcher passed away on May 25, slipping away in her sleep. Although we will miss her terribly, this passing is a mercy, since she was suffering from very advanced Parkinson’s. Mum had a magnificent enquiring mind, was a genuine Lady, and loved to travel and experience the world. We’ll be in Victoria, assisting in the creation of a wonderful memorial, then helping to pack up the Victoria apartment, the Aria. Then we'll end our trip in Vancouver for our youngest goddaughter's high-school graduation -- a nice bookmark, with time spent celebrating a young life that's full of exciting promise.

Birdlife at Spiritwood: Nesting

2009-05-22T02:54:00.000-04:00

Birds are busy building nests in the surrounding shrubbery, forests, fields, and also, the eaves of our barns. Most spring migrants have returned– although I’m still waiting for the call of the common snipe, which every year makes its whirring aerial display above our paddock.
This evening we went birding with our friend Tony Beck, a well-known birder and naturalist. Together we observed bobolinks and meadowlarks in the front hayfield, and heard the insistent call of the chipping sparrows, chickadees, ravens and crows.

Once inside the veil of the forest, we listened to the flute-like clear call of hermit thrushes, a trill which Tony identified as a black and white warbler, and the insistent Teacher! Teacher! Teacher! call of that other well-loved woodland warbler, the ovenbird. In a clearing, Tony perceived movement, looked up, and we all saw a Merlin darting by above the canopy of mixed hardwood forest. Moments later, we discovered a male Scarlet Tanager in full breeding plumage.

Walking back to the farmhouse, the rattling cry of a Belted Kingfisher arrested us in our tracks and I mentioned how thwarted I was: where, I said, could it find an embankment in which to nest? Kingfishers nest in banks of streams, rivers and so on… but our little spring-fed stream has no such embankment. Where could these frequent visitors to our pond be nesting? Watching its flight, Tony and I saw it disappear – into the side of our large sandpit.

Amazing discovery!

Celebrating Twenty Years at Spiritwood

2009-05-01T12:00:00.000-04:00

On May 1, 1989, Eric and I drove up the lane and took over guardianship of what has become Spiritwood.

What a difference we’ve wrought in the landscape: now the hayfield that was the front yard is a lawn punctuated with oases of trees, shrubs, and perennial beds. The spreading springs and wetlands have been somewhat contained through our creation of a pond – it now contains a geothermal unit that heats and cools our home. Near the pond, our raised-bed vegetable garden yields harvests of early spring peas through to squash, kale and parsnips, throughout the seasons.

Moreover, we’ve restored the farm to its original 100 acres, purchasing more property when it became available.

Who knows what the next twenty years will bring?

Whatever happens, we hope Spiritwood remains a sanctuary for wildlife. From pollinators to amphibians, from migrant birds to year-round residents, from black bear to otters, from native spring ephemerals (hepaticas and trilliums) to stately white pine, we hope this precious spot will remain a refuge for all.

Gardening begins

2009-04-26T16:52:00.000-04:00

Overcast skies with slight drizzle: perfect weather conditions to start preparing our raised-bed vegetable patch here at Spiritwood for this year’s crops.

First job in the raised-bed garden is deciding which bed would be used for edible pod peas. This is because we rotate crops in beds, so as to discourage accumulation of insect pests. In addition, we have a pea vine support system of poles and 4-inch wire mesh (purchased at hardware stores to stabilize and strengthen concrete) which annually needs to be repositioned into its new bed. The peas entwine up the wires and form a dense, tall bush of vines, which is easy to pick because pods dangle down from it rather prettily as well as handily. We’ve used this system successfully for a dozen years or so.

Eric used the post hole auger to dig three holes; then we positioned the wire mesh and lashed its two sections to the poles. After Eric prepared the soil (while I weeded other beds…) I planted two types of edible pod peas along the support system, followed by spicy mesclun mix salad greens, spinach, pak choy, nasturtium, purple haze carrots, and kale. Hooray! One entire bed is now planted.

Meanwhile, Eric rototilled the potato patch in the west field, roughly an hour-and-a-half job. Fortunately, we don’t need to purchase the machine: we’ve got an excellent rapport with our neighbours, with whom we trade various equipment, on an as-needed basis. And so another bed is readied for planting, when the soil warms up a bit.

Next job? I removed the woven plastic sheeting we tie around our small apple orchard and mulberry trees. While storing them for the summer, I cheered Eric who is trying to figure out why our tractor doesn’t start: now that’s a setback. We’d hoped to build a larger compost bin on the north side of the garden wall for weeds today. That will have to wait until the tractor’s running.

Finally, however, it would be remiss not to mention how blossoms are starting to swell, everywhere. Lilac buds are showing which are leaf and which are flower buds. Red maple leaves and blossoms are just blushing the crimson they’ll soon become, and poplars are showing their promise of emerald green.

Of Belted Kingfishers and Blacknose Shiners

2009-04-24T18:32:00.000-04:00

Are Belted kingfishers (Ceryle alcyon) nesting near our pond at Spiritwood?

Stay tuned… Sure sounds as though they are. Their rattling calls greet me every day as they dart about, over its surface and then as they flit into the nearby woods. We wonder how pond denizens such as the Blacknose shiners (Notropis heterolepsis) will relish their presence...

These fish are members of the minnow family. Although we’ve never stocked our pond here at Spiritwood, they are plentiful, darting about amid the pond weeds, where they find nourishment – as well as protection from predators like the kingfishers.

Last Saturday, April 16, Tom Armstrong was here with his heavy machinery and one of the jobs we asked him do was deepen the pond. Siltation was happening: it is surprising how much silt settles at the bottom, to create a shallower ecosystem. According to the Canadian Wildlife Federation’s booklet, Shorelines… a festival of Life, (2007) Blacknose shiners are “sensitive to the effects of siltation and acidity on water quality.” So perhaps deepening the pond by half a metre or so will assist this species to flourish.

Next Wave of Spring Bulbs

2009-04-18T19:11:00.000-04:00

One of my favourite spring bulbs is now in blossom: Glory of the Snow (Chionodoxa forbessi) is a scilla-like flower (in the lily, or Liliaceae, family) with a cheerful, bright-white centre. It grows throughout zones 3-8 and is native to western Turkey. I have far too few of them I think (!) – they’re planted amid some pure white scilla (Scilla Siberica)whose blossoms resemble clusters of downward-facing bells. Reminiscent of English bluebells but more delicate.

Puschkinia – (Scilloides libanotica) are nicely spreading alongside the Chionodoxa. Flowerettes resemble a delicate hyacinth, having white scilla-like petals with dainty blue stripes.

Meanwhile, leaves of blue magic grape hyacinth (Muscari aucherii) are just starting to form their grass-like clumps – but I cannot see their clusters of blossoms, yet.

Eastern Bluebird Boxes Reveal Dead Birds

2009-04-16T16:33:00.000-04:00

Every year, Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis) take up residence in bluebird nest boxes we have erected on fenceposts around our property.

And, every spring before they return, we thoroughly clean the boxes. However, when we did so today, we discovered a dead juvenile eastern bluebird in one, while another housed a skeleton of what we believe was a tree swallow, since this species had taken over that particular nest box last year.

Obviously, this is distressing, and we wonder what could have killed them. This year marks our 20th year here at Spiritwood, and we have not experienced such losses in previous years.

We have cleaned the nest boxes, brushed them, and aired them. They are now closed and ready to accept new migrants. We never use bleach or any other cleanser on the untreated wooden boxes, which we constructed ourselves. Therefore, these deaths are inexplicable ... and naturally, very sad.

Any comments/suggestions would be welcome.

Meanwhile, we look forward to seeing the nest boxes full of bluebirds yet again this year.

Art In Hand New Jersey ATC Exhibit reception

2009-04-15T12:57:00.000-04:00

The Burlington County Annex Art Gallery website now has images of the opening reception (vernissage) held on April 7, 2009.

ATCers will be fascinated by the way in which the ATC Cards were hung. Wooden frames were used to frame like cards -- and in order to hang the 2.5 x 3.5 miniatures, wire was strung taughtly inside the frames, then the cards were removed from their plastic sleeves, then attached to the wire by miniature bulldog clips. -- Fascinating idea and, as the website notes, visitors were glad to see the cards without their plastic protective covers (sleeves).

Art In Hand New Jersey ATC Exhibit and award winners

2009-04-15T00:41:00.000-04:00

Burlington County Annex Art Gallery in New Jersey launched its website showcasing samples of 1,300 ATCs created by 143 international artists from 9 countries. One card per artist is shown.

Now progress to the adjoining site where the Gallery depicts 10 cards which are winners in various categories (best painting, best collage, best mixed media, etc).

Easter Sunday: American Woodcocks’ Sound of Spring

2009-04-12T00:20:00.000-04:00

When I stepped outside on Sunday night I was greeted by the American woodcock’s nasal “tzeet! tzeet!” call, which is also described by some as “peenting.” The mottled, “football-shaped” bird is well-camouflaged and has large eyes protruding from the side of its head – all the better to see predators coming in the dark. For the twenty years I’ve lived at Spiritwood, woodcocks have nested in the surrounding forests and to me it’s a miracle that all the cats I’ve had have never captured one.

The male woodcock’s aerial display is one of my favourite sights and sounds of the wild. He flies up into the air in a widening spiral shape until he’s almost out of sight. As he flies, his wings start to emit a “twittering” sound – perhaps better described as a whistle – until he suddenly descends, diving back to earth while sporadically making his “tzeet!” call. Once, my husband Eric and I were straining to glimpse the woodcock in the dusk and it astonished us by zigzagging down to the ground, right between us! I don’t know who was more surprised: it or the two of us. It quickly darted off. I wonder whether the female was impressed…

Kissimmee, Florida: Why sit on that alligator?

2009-04-08T20:11:00.000-04:00

After spending several days in Kissimmee at the Travel South convention and after touring Polk County, I’ve seen examples of tourism where sound initiatives are being taken to preserve natural biodiversity, culture and promote sustainable tourism. I’m thinking of Bok Tower Gardens, Circle B Bar Reserve and Hollis Gardens (see my previous Polk County posts, below).

I’ve also seen some sights which I consider disturbing, particularly when it comes to educating us all about how to deal with wild or captured wild animals.

For instance, when it comes to ’gators, why do we have to watch “handlers” wrestle with them? That’s what I asked the two handlers at Gatorland after the crowds had left the alligator viewing area where they’d “entertained us” by sticking their fingers into an alligator’s eye and wrestling with it. They replied, “Yes ma’am, we do question whether that’s a good idea all the time. We’re concerned about it and we do talk about it.”

And I should think so. If this is “education” then why wouldn’t some children think a wild alligator is equally “approachable”?

At another venue, Boggy Creek Airboat Rides, tourists such as me were asked to come sit on a ’gator to have our pictures taken. I don’t think so…

Poor alligators. Watching the supersized “Spandex crowd” squash a ’gator with their butt seems outright bad practice to me.

What do you think? Sustainable tourism? Not.

Sustainable tip: When you travel, when you bear witness to activities you think are questionable, ask: why are you doing this? The positive outcome? People think about what they are doing and consider this: you may encourage sustainable, eco-friendly change.

Florida’s Polk County: Historic Bock Tower’s Sanctuary Gardens

2009-04-04T02:41:00.000-04:00

Day 3 of my tour of Polk County…

Gardening is a special interest – particularly when it comes to preservation of native species. “Going native” as we introduce plants to our home gardens is crucial for the sake of pollinators which, world-wide, are in severe decline.

So I was delighted that Bok Tower Gardens – a national historic landmark at Lake Wales – has an active endangered plant program. Just as at Circle B Bar Reserve, where guide Benny Bindschadler pointed out plantings of longleaf pines and paw-paws, here at Bok Tower Gardens several native plants are being reintroduced – and nurtured.

Rare and endangered Florida natives such as Indian pumpkin (Okeechobee Gourd), Lakela’s mint and Florida jujube (ancient ziziphus) can all be found here.

Bok Gardens was designed by Frederick Law Olmstead Jr. for humanitarian and philanthropist Edward W. Bok. It is located on the highest elevation of Florida’s peninsula – a modest height of some 225 feet. Go there if you like birds, wandering exquisitely meandering, shaded paths – and viewing its art-deco “singing tower” which houses a fine 60-bell carillon.

Florida’s Polk County: Circle B Bar Reserve

2009-04-03T01:30:00.000-04:00

Day two of my April 1-4 exploration of Polk County, Florida.

I am a keen birdwatcher so it was great to explore Circle B Bar Reserve, a 1,267 acre property designated as a reserve in December, 2000. Until that time, it was a cattle ranch – hence its name.

Volunteer guide Benny Bindschadler led our group through the live oak hammock draped with Spanish moss to a freshwater marsh. Here we found roseate spoonbills, great and little blue herons, tricoloured herons, osprey, bald eagles (mature and immature), Caspian tern, limpkins, blue-winged teal, red-shouldered hawks, boat-tailed grackles, black-necked stilts, black buzzards, turkey vultures, sandhill cranes (with bronze-coloured, fluffy chicks), eastern meadowlarks, northern cardinals, glossy ibis, wood ibis, cattle egrets (in mating finery), northern shovellers, mallards – and more.

Benny also pointed out “hog rootings” – areas where the earth had been overturned by wild hogs. Anyone seeing these clumps of exposed roots can well imagine how gardeners and landscapers must consider the feral pigs real pests. “They’re ornery, too,” said Benny.

Unfortunately we couldn’t linger – such is the hassle of travelling in a group at times! However, Circle B Bar Reserve is firmly on my list of places to revisit: I’d like to bike and hike its trails so as to discover more.

Oh, and did I mention Benny introduced us to “Bubba” the extremely large alligator?

Florida’s Polk County: Hollis Gardens

2009-04-02T02:06:00.000-04:00

I’m one of two travel journalists exploring this county’s farmlands, heritage gardens, ranches and nature reserves along with 20 tour operators – professionals who organize bus tours – from April 1-4. All of us are attending the Travel South Showcase conference in nearby Kissimmee April 5-7.

Located in Central Florida, I’m told that Polk County was named after James Knox Polk, the eleventh president of the USA.

Today we visited tidy Hollis Gardens, a 1.2 acre formal neo-classical garden overlooking Lake Mirror in downtown Lakeland. It’s pretty – but more than that, is particularly fascinating to gardeners because of its heritage tree section known as Trees of Americana.

Gardening foreman Stacy Smith explained that the tiny arboretum of perhaps ten trees showcases species which are direct descendants of famous American’s trees, all grown from seed or cuttings. I found Abraham Lincoln’s Overcup oak [Quercus lyrata], and Helen Keller’s Water oak [Quercus nigra].

Trees of Americana is inspiring: it’s a great concept that I’ve not hitherto noticed in any other arboretum. Have you?

March... out like a lamb

2009-03-31T17:19:00.000-04:00

Last day of March... In like a lion, out like a lamb. Weather is mild, sunny -- and most of the snow has disappeared. Soon, we'll be riding throughout the property.

More migrants are returning: this morning I saw the first American sparrow hawk perched on an overhead wire looking for movement of prey like voles or mice in the meadow. Yesterday, Eric and I spied the first great blue heron flying overhead.

Meanwhile, for the past week or so we've been seeing increasing numbers of Canada geese in straggling Vs honk as they descend onto our neighbour's field or while doing their fly-past. It's a true sight and sound of spring and we particularly love lying on the [dry] grass, gazing up as they fly overhead. That way, we can hear the "whoosh, whoosh, whoosh" of their wingbeats.

Whiskey, Eric's palomino gelding and Crescent, my red chestnut mare are still shaggy with their winter hair. They rub their butts energetically on the posts we built in their pasture: great clumps of blonde and chestnut hair lie about in the field! When the swallows and other migrants return, we'll see them collecting this as well as mane and tail hair, which they'll weave into their nests.

We're discouraged about all the muskrat damage around the pond: the worst yet. Repair work is needed... again.

On Saturday March 28 -- a glorious sunny day -- we pruned our black currant bushes. They've become extremely vigorous and excellent producers. However, they were growing like Topsy -- and difficult to mow around. Harvesting was getting awkward, too. So, we've trimmed them back. We did the apple trees a while ago, and now we're realizing we ought to prune the grapes.

Happily, all this garden work is just one aspect of what we love about being here at Spiritwood.

First spring bulbs blossom

2009-03-27T19:02:00.000-04:00

Winter Aconite (Eranthis hyemalis) is blossoming in the west bed defining the vegetable garden. It’s glossy, buttercup-yellow blossoms greet me cheerfully. I’ve planted them purposefully here: they make a beautiful welcome to the garden space, which represents so much work as well as glory.

Meanwhile, snowdrops (Galanthus) are also blooming – they’re sheltering beneath the lilac shrubs west of the kitchen window. I can see them while working on food preparation. They always remind me of my mother, Edna Marland, from whom I get my love of nature.

Crocus are about to blossom: my favourites are the dense purple ones with golden stamens. I must review their names!

Eastern Bluebird visits Spiritwood!

2009-03-26T14:01:00.000-04:00

How thrilling... a male Eastern Bluebird just perched right outside my office window, on the roof!! Eric and I were transfixed, getting an incredible up-close-and-personal look at its neon blue back and rusty breast tapering to white. In moments, it had gone.

We hope it will take up residence at one of our several bluebird boxes dotted about Spiritwood.

Oh, happy spring!

Spring migrants

2009-03-26T12:58:00.000-04:00

Nature is on the move at Spiritwood!

Today the first V of Canada Geese did a fly-past, honking as they flew overhead. It's a sure sign of spring which Eric and I look forward to every year. Soon there will be hundreds in the farmer's field just south of us.

Eric heard a phoebe a week ago -- and this morning we heard and saw a killdeer flying overhead. (Let's hope it doesn't nest on our driveway again this year!) Redwing blackbirds are calling their "choke-cherreee" sound.

In contrast, northern birds such as the common and hoary redpolls have already left for their northern summer homes. Yesterday, however, I spied a rough-winged hawk -- so not all of our northern visitors have left. Yet...

And although I didn't have my binoculars and couldn't, therefore, tell whether it was a Northern or a Loggerhead (probably the former), three days ago I saw a shrike in our jack pine, in front of our farmhouse. Exciting.

Meanwhile, the pastures are starting to adopt their mottled look, where patches of earth and last year's brown and flattened crop of hay are starting to emerge, like islands in the expanse of white.

Two days ago, we rode Whiskey and Crescent for the first time this year... A long haul of not riding because Whiskey has had a sore leg. All went well for our first all-too-short-ride -- he didn't suffer any setbacks. Bring on the spring days of riding!

ATC Trade Saturday March 28

2009-03-25T13:18:00.000-04:00

I'm heading to Shawville, Quebec's Café 349 at 10:00 a.m. this Saturday March 28, to meet and trade with my group of up to 16 or so ATCers.

Anyone is welcome to drop by and check out what ATCs are, join the group, or trade ATCs you already have. Usually there are at least half a dozen of us regulars who chat, enjoy Ruth's most excellent coffee, scones and fruit -- and, of course, trade ATCs.

Report 2: Jonathan B. Tourtellot on Sustainable Tourism

2009-03-18T22:10:00.000-04:00

Jonathan Tourtellot is director of Mission Programs at National Geographic’s Center for Sustainable Destinations. He spoke to conference attendees about geotourism, another type of sustainable tourism.

National Geographic’s Center for Sustainable Destinations explains the concept thoroughly, but briefly, “Geotourism is tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place—its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being of its residents.”

Call it what you will, Tourtellot said, geotourism speaks to embracing the concept of place and moreover, he suggests it is wise tourism where destinations themselves are sustained and enhanced.

However, Tourtellot doesn’t simply deliver definitions. With a nod to how environmentalists are deemed too earnest to enjoy life, he dryly added, “We don’t all have to start being puritanical. Yes you can have fun – just recycle your rum bottles.”

Tourtellot emphasized travellers can help protect authentic tourism products – including protecting the destination itself. “We need to communicate to visitors how they can make a difference, how they can aid sustainable tourism by making what are sometimes very simple choices. If a culinary supply – I’m thinking of a species of fish – is at risk, then we can choose not to eat it.”

I believe this is where we travel and environment writers can make a significant difference, by alerting readers to choices they can intelligently make – and not only about nuts and bolts travel issues such as carbon offsets or green lodgings. Writers can affect intelligent change and authentic sustainability by informing readers about Audubon golf courses, for example, or AZA Zoos and Aquariums.

Giving a nod to Quebec, Tourtellot said, “Quebec does a very good job as does all of Canada in measures of excellence and particularly in destination stewardship in the travel industry.”

But no travel destination can rest on its laurels.

He asked Quebec Tourism to consider the future implications of mass tourism. What will happen, for instance, to historic rue Petit Champlain if cruise ships are allowed to visit and discharge thousands of people into this charming street of the Old City? “No-one will like it,” Tourtellot predicted.

Change can be for the better. But as Tourtellot reminds us, without realistic analysis of known consequences (let alone those challenging unknowns...) tourism development can create unsustainable, undesirable consequences.

And, that’s precisely what we all want to avoid. Isn’t it?

Report #1: Costas Christ on Sustainable Tourism

2009-03-18T02:06:00.000-04:00

It was a thrill for me to hear and then interview Costas Christ (pronounced Krist), well-regarded international expert on sustainable tourism (ST) who delivered a thorough synopsis on the development of ST as a world-wide initiative.

Even though he is Global Travel Editor of National Geographic Adventure’s blog Beyond Green Travel, and was one of the founding members of TIES who helped coin “ecotourism” in 1990, Christ remains appealingly modest – and dedicated to authentic green travel.

“Sustainable tourism is no longer an experiment,” Christ said. “The thing is, how far can we take it to be a catalyst for change within a profitable business model?”

Regarding whether or not people ought to travel, he explained, “A fundamental environmental reason for travelling is actually counter-intuitive.” Without the travel industry, the Serengeti would face immense pressure from development overnight. Believe it: tourism there prevents destruction.”

Therefore, he said the questions we really should be asking ourselves are, “How do we travel? And, how can we fly right?” A main consideration is buying carbon offsets – but only from Gold Standard companies, he advised.

It’s appropriate to be considering the authentic greening of travel. Look at Toyota’s green company strategy, Christ suggests. In the late 1980s/early 1990s Toyota’s design team researched the consumer market and recognized there was a vertical niche sector interested in buying environmental products – by 2000 the company launched the first Prius.

Meanwhile, he observed, “As we know, GM ignored this strategy one hundred per cent. Instead, they said ‘That’s not us! We’re tough guys in tough trucks!’”

Therefore, GM corporation missed an immense opportunity. CEOs failed to embrace a massive, global sea change and because of it, declined to lead the automotive sector into a sustainable direction on the North American front.

As a result of this strategic error, said Christ, “For the first time in the history of car manufacturing, the United States is not making the most cars in the world. Now, GM is in catch-up mode. Such deliberate corporate decisions as theirs, about not pursuing environmentally sustainable cars, are game-changing scenarios.”

Later, during my interview with him, Christ explained, “There is a lot to be hopeful for in the travel industry, but the risks of failure are huge. Any companies that don’t embrace sustainability will go down – look at the difference between Toyota’s vision and GM’s.”

Regardless of the challenges ahead, Christ remains optimistic about the future of travel. “I believe travel is a fundamental human right; it’s the same right as education and freedom of speech.”

International Symposium on Sustainable Tourism

2009-03-17T11:00:00.000-04:00

I'm in Quebec City for the second time in 5 weeks (last time to cover Quebec's Winter Carnival on assignment for a travel mag).

Now I'm attending the International Symposium on Sustainable Tourism and am looking forward to hearing some key issues presented by international specialists on ST.

Okay, but what is ST? Here is the oft-quoted United Nations World Tourism Organization's definition:

"Sustainable tourism development guidelines and management practices are applicable to all forms of tourism in all types of destinations, including mass tourism and the various niche tourism segments. Sustainability principles refer to the environmental, economic, and socio-cultural aspects of tourism development, and a suitable balance must be established between these three dimensions to guarantee its long-term sustainability."

An associated term is Ecotourism and its definition, according to The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), is:

"Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people."

In October 2008, I was one of seven international journalists selected to cover TIES' Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference held in Vancouver. I'm intrigued to discover how this Quebec City symposium will deal with the similar issues...

Stay tuned...

Katharine’s ATCs to be exhibited in New Jersey

2009-03-09T23:57:00.000-04:00

Eighteen of my ATCs will be exhibited as part of the Art in Hand: The World of Artist Trading Cards show at the historic Smithville Mansion Annex Art Gallery in Eastampton, New Jersey, USA April 4-29, 2009. It's my first international exhibit!

This Artist Trading Card (ATC), Japanese dreams, will be part of the show. I made it from textured acrylic paint swirled onto ordinary acrylic painted thickly on paper. After it dried (2 days) I peeled the paint off the paper, sticking onto fibrous “paper”. The two “chopsticks” are acrylic squiggles painted onto paper, then simply cut and woven into the fibrous backing. I brushed Mod Podge onto ATCs edges to stabilize them.

A prize of $100 per category will be awarded to “best mixed media”, “best abstract” etc. What fun! May the best cards win!

What is an ATC?

2009-03-08T13:41:00.000-04:00

Artist Trading Cards are miniature 2.5 x 3.5 inch original works of art which ATC creators swap at trading sessions, by mail, by exhibiting our work at art galleries and trading with fellow exhibitors — or however we can!

ATCs were started in 1997 by a Swiss artist who, while visiting Calgary, was intrigued when he saw Canadian children trading baseball cards. He mused, “Why don't artists create and trade their works, for free?” The international movement was born where creators make, meet and trade ATCs.

I started making ATCs in 2003 after some of my artist pals started an ATC group in Shawville, Quebec. I was hooked. Ever-searching for new opportunities to meet and trade with ATCers, in 2008 I discovered a Calgary, Alberta exhibit of ATCs at The New Gallery... and arranged for Shawville members to exhibit there.

As a travel writer, I try to arrange my trips so I can visit other cities where ATCers are meeting, making and trading cards. In 2008 I visited a Victoria, BC group of traders who have introduced me to many different techniques and mediums.

Want to know more? Editor Ronna Mogelon designs/publishes the ATC Quarterly, a magazine all about ATCs published four times/year. I subscribe because there are inspiring stories, a quarterly challenge (where we can make cards on a theme and submit them for publication), and step-by-step techniques.

Want to trade? Use my profile to contact me!