Emily Carr What A Dame

Book Review:

Growning Pains: Autobiography of Emily Carr - by Emily Carr

The Heart of a Peacock - by Emily Carr

Klee Wyck - by Emily Carr

Yes Ladies and Gentlemen ( or my Imaginary Readers) I went on a bender last week. An Emily Carr book bender. With pleasent results.

I read these books in reverse order that I have them listed above and I am rather glad that I did it that way. Explination to follow individual recaps.

Klee Wyck

This was a nice small comprihensive book of a few short stories recalling Emily's frequent trips exploring the West Coast and her native population. On these trips she would take any means of transportation she could get in order to visit the most out of the way abandoned villages and draw/ record some lost totem poles. Along with Ginger Pop her small dog Emily manages to totally transport you to the sea smelling coast with the dark dense rainforest of Canada's West coast looming behind you. Overall a good read, not terrifically uplifting or depressing but honest.

Heart of a Peacock

Much more up-beat this book is full of quaint little stories of Ms. Carr's many many pets and her wonderful interactions with them all. Imagine a lady with two parrots and a monkey (though not all at the same time)!

Growning Pains

A terrifically determined and dedicated artist Emily Carr revisits her life. Accross the sea and back again she doggedly works despite (because of?) strong disapproval from her family and Victorian (Victoria BC that is) society. Some may question Carr's actual dedication because of the 15 year hiatus she took from painting after loosing hope and recieving too many years of harsh feedback. Unlike the Group of Seven who had one another to bond, encourage and work with, Emily was very much alone as a female painter of non-traditional wild landscapes. But ya know she pulled through and is pretty happy about it all now.

I am happy that I happened to read them in the above order because I fear that if I had read Klee Wyck and Growning Pains together I would have been overwhelmed by Emily Carr's life and may not have been as satisfied with the works.

Cheers Emily - I hope you are painting with your monkey someplace.

*up next group of seven and Canadian patriotism.

thanks for being.

Hot Child in the (new) City

Ontario will you remember me when the weather turns cold?

Keep finding my head in the clouds and fail to center myself until I fall into a lightening storm and end up fried. Need to find something to ground me, to draw me inward. Top of the To Do List.

Growing up Ain't so tough but loving you Ain't so easy to do.

Focused post on it's way.

thanks for being.

Canada

I miss you.

keep on being rad.


because I will return.


Love Mary

I was gone - now I am back. My easter post

Long has it been since I have posted.

I blame overstimulation leading to annoyance. Roommates, school work, relationships, people, volunteering. it took over my life. and i grew to be annoyed.

however I also delved into yoga - and loved it. there is a hot yoga place really near my place of residence. however i am a student with no job - and money is not growing on my dear little bonsai tree.

*sidenote: the bonsai was a surprise valentines gift from my wonderful boyfriend. *

tomorrow i am having a launch party for Mary's Vegan Treats - a vegan baking company. pretty pumped. baking gives me the most pleasure and now i will get money for it and not eat all of my products.

sickk.

thanks for being man

Recovery Review

I'm back with a review of Where The Mountain Casts Its Shadow: the dark side of extreme adventure. by Maria Coffey

One word summary: intense.
This book was about how death due to extreme mountain climbing affects the loved ones (mothers, fathers, wives, children)

I like the variety of writing styles - where the first person changes and its not just Maria telling the stories. She herself was dating a climber when he died on one of the largest climbs in the world.

Crazy. Recommend - though not if you are sad or in a crummy relationship.

Book Review

Late Nights On Air
Elizabeth Hay

This book did a great job of making me want to move to Yellowknife and/or work in a small radio station.
Great descriptions of the radio station, being on air and the experiences of the people on air.
Not sure what the book led to. Removed the inconsistant characters - left the consistant characters to find one another or their purpose.
Good read.
Soft review.

keep on enjoying those quite mornings,

cheers

I like to think that the only thing stronger or more prevailent in our relationship than our resistance of long distance, of allowing ourselves to become so stupidly involved, to be in something heavy
is that neither wants to miss out on the other. something special.

it is so particular to be in a relationship where i never really feel the need to say " i miss you" and yet make the commitment to be in a long distance relationship. to deal with caring for someone who you hold once or twice a month.

stuck between not wanting to acknowledge missing you but not wanting to be apart.

what a fellow