Tunnel Vision

Not owning a cell phone, and not one to watch television, I often refer to myself as a caveman. Others are less generous. They call me a troglodyte. Or a Luddite They're entitled to their opinions, even if they're.....right!

Caves are appealing, and also terrifying. When I wiggle my way into the caves of Dune du Sud, I'm always aware that they could come crashing down on me. My demise could be quick and painless, or slow and suffering.

I can handle slow and suffering. I listen to Weekend Morning on CBC Radio with Stan Carew. Suffering isn't an issue for me anymore. Gawd, what an awful show. Stan's voice is starting to morph into Luke Randall's (Endeavours) in my head, making it that much more grating. Oddly enough I subject myself to this abuse willingly. It's the train wreck mentality. Every weekend I tune in to see if it's as bad as the weekend before. Usually it's worse, but that's only because my tolerance is weakening. At least I haven't heard that damned horse, Duke the pathetic pit pony, in a while.

Suffering.

In today's image you see me stand-up paddling through a sandstone tunnel at Cap Alright (Iles de la Madeleine). I get that cave-like sense of pending demise going through the tunnel, though it's less acute. I guess being able to 'see the light at the end of the tunnel' is comforting. If nothing else, it makes for a good photo.

Qu'est Que C'est?

Semi abstract image of a boat hull and it's reflection in the water. Grande-Entrée harbour, les Iles de la Madeleine.

The Search For Alabaster

Les Iles de la Madeleine are known for many things: wind, sand, Café de la Grave, windsurfing, seafood, art and Jean Gaudet.

Art who? Is he Jean Gaudet's brother?

Yeah, yeah...that's an old joke. There are some tremendously talented artists living in les Iles, some of whom using alabaster to create sculptures. I often wondered what unpolished alabaster looked like. This year I found a chunk.

The 'chunk' happened to be about the size of a mini-van. It had a gun-metal colour and was as hard as a rock. A hard rock.

Note: if someone Googles 'hard rock café', they might just end up on my blog. Stupid beautiful internet.

The alabaster chunk, au naturel, is a work of art. I'll post some textural images later so you can see the many sides of this magnificent poo-like blob. It stood alone. The cliff behind, predominantly sandstone, had eroded away and left the alabaster exposed. I'll be curious to see how it looks in a year's time. Wind and water work slowly but relentlessly, kind of like Ned Bowes.

Sand, Sand, Sand...Everywhere

I wish I could remember the first time that I was introduced to making 'art' in the sand, but I can't. I suspect that it was probably in PEI or Bar Harbor and I suspect that my father might have been involved. Mom would have been too busy making sure her children didn't drown, or feeding us.

What I do know is that I can't go to a beach without attempting some sort of sculpture or art. I can't resist the feeling of sand in my hands. Wet, dry, hot, cold...I love it all!

Today's image was just a random design that I created on Plage du Havre Aubert in les Iles de la Madeleine. The wind and tides would have wiped my art off the beach in no time at all, thus providing a clean canvas for the next crop of budding artists.

The allure of timeless art that will hang for eons (i.e. Picassos, Van Goghs, Monets) is equaled or bettered by art with no time.

What's The Appeal Of Stand Up Paddleboarding?

The appeal of stand up paddleboarding, for me, is the sense of Zen that I get when I'm alone on the water.

Personally I can't see the appeal of stand-up paddleboarding with others. Take a look at this image. Where's the fun in this (for her, anyway)?

Surfs up or Surf SUP?

There can be little doubt that I associate les Iles de la Madeleine with windsurfing, but there's so much more.

Sometimes when there's little or no wind, there's still a swell which brings in waves. Surfable waves! Ranging from barely big enough to OMG, I've seen it all over the years.

The wave you see in this image was caught at Bassin Est beach on Grande-Entrée. It was a small wave but it was enormously fun. Sean and Lisa rode this wave; one on a surfboard and the other on a stand-up paddleboard (though laying down).

Sunshine, warmish water, sand beaches, great friends, and surf. Ahhhhhhhh.

Not All Clubs Are For Seals In The Magdalen Islands

When in Rome, do as the Romans. When in Grande-Entrée, do as the Madelinots. And if you just happen to be 50 or above, then you might as well join the club. I don't know what a group of fifty year old (and above) French fisherman talk about, most likely about the one that 'got away'.

Now, would that be a fish or a woman they'd be talking about? Hmmm.

And what if the members of the club were women...what would they talk about? Probably about the one they had to keep.

Big Wind In Saint John

Overpowered on a 4.2 in New Brunswick?? How very unusual.

We launched at Sagamore Point on the Kennebecasis. I started with a 4.7 and my 106 litre board but both proved to be too big. I went to my 77 litre board and a 4.2...still overpowered in the sustained gusts. Big wind. Big waves. Great jumps.

The wind was delightfully relentless.

La Grave (the Group of Eight)

This image of mine is the closest I'll ever get to creating an A.J.Casson style painting.

A bad pun IS a good pun

Pun aside, it's actually quite a lovely photograph. I took this image on the day that the wind was supposed to be 40-60 km/h. What was I doing? Photography on the beach, and punnery...all downwind of a decomposing fin whale. Life is never what you expect.

Here's How The Mags Party Ended

My visit to les Iles de la Madeleine began with a silly video on the boat and ended with a silly video on the boat. Nothing much changed in the intervening three weeks.

You Know The Party Was Just Beginning When...

You Know The Party Was Just Beginning When... you agreed to vacation with Lisa and Sean. The boat had barely left PEI when the fun began. Sean was tired and needed some rest. Lisa, on the other hand, was ready to party.

We never stopped laughing for two weeks, mostly at each other.