Art in the Park ~ Chainsaw Carvings

Today was the annual Art in the Park event in our hometown and it's always lots of fun :) There is live music, face painting, lunch, craft vendors and of course the main highlight... the chainsaw carvers!!

There were three of them this weekend and when we arrived just after lunch they were in full swing. I just loved the carving above with its big rock cod fish swimming around the mountain of rocks. It's amazing that this carving started with a giant cedar log and was transformed into a fantastic statue all with the use of a chainsaw!

Bears are a very popular animal to carve and this one is looking really great.

There's much more to it than just wildly carving away at a log to! This fellow is actually consulting a book with a photo of a bear and using it to mark his next chainsaw cuts :)

Another amazing carving of a river otter.

Just look at the detail in the work. He's using his chainsaw to define the otter's fur. You've got to be awful careful, one slip of those spinning teeth and you might cut off a vital part of your sculpture!

This mother wolf and her pups was one of many carvings that were on site today and available for purchase. They cost a pretty penny but wouldn't you just love one of them in your yard?!

This is one of the chainsaw carvings done in previous years. We love to wander through the park and check out all of the older carvings :)

Campbell River also has a really great chainsaw carving competition that takes place around Canada Day and there are TONS of carvers to watch work. After it is all finished the carvings are placed around the city. It's fun to come across them in different spots throughout the year :)

~ Rosina

2009 Organic Island Festival

Today was the start of the 2009 Organic Island Festival at Glendale Gardens in Victoria and I had been looking forward to attending for quite some time :) Making the trek to our capital city for the 10am opening meant I had to get out of bed by 5am, but it was definitely worth the early start so that we could beat the afternoon heat that hit in full force. It was HOT!

With 150 exhibitors it was jam packed with everything organic, green & natural that you could imagine for a sustainable future :)

There were some really creative displays to like this one giving you a peak into where all of the harmful chemicals that enter our storm sewers go.

The Victoria Natural History Society had a great display on different creatures, their habitats, children in nature programs that they offer and more :) The best though was behind their booth where they had a telescope set up for everyone to have a peak at an eagles nest across the lagoon that had two eaglets in it! It was really neat to see.



As it neared noon we decided to look for some shade to cool down in. Getting the much needed reprieve from the sunshine we found ourselves in the Japanese Garden & Wellness Oasis. Absolutely stunning surroundings :)



After we had cooled down we made our way to 'The Village' where the main stage was located and more fantastic exhibitors. Some of them were really having fun with it to as you can see above *grin*.



I just love this shirt!! Where was this when my babies were little?!



Delicious treats from the Sea Cider Farm. Their rhubarb cordial is fantastic!



What a great day :)
I came home with great information, ideas and renewed enthusiasm to continue making changes to our day to day life to help reduce our eco-footprints and move to being more self sufficient!

Make sure you take a moment to check out the OIF blog!! There are lots of great new entries on conserving water, fermenting food, living foods and more.

~ Rosina

Happy Canada Day

Happy belated Canada Day!!!

This year we decided to skip town and head out to the Quinsam Campground for Canada Day :) I'm just loving all of the great local campsites nearby that teleport you directly into nature. Not just those seaside campgrounds with open fields and cramped quarters amongst the 1oo's....

No, these spots are in densely forested areas with plenty of space between you and your neighbors and plenty of critters to spy on *grin*. And it just happened that this one was a huckleberry goldmine! As soon as the kids spotted them they were running with bowls picking them for their dessert, not to many actually lasted until dessert time though LOL.

On Canada Day we headed into town to take in some of the festivities. There were tons of vendors along the foreshore with crafts, food, face painting and more.

After scorching ourselves in the sun for a couple of hours we found some shade by the fisherman's wharf and waited for the parade to start : )

It's Smokey the Bear! Remember 'Only YOU can prevent forest fires'

These girls were hilarious in their bumper boats! I think they were part of the swimming pool float. You can see more photos of the parade HERE.

Hope everyone had a great Canada Day!

~ Rosina