". Arranged Words: An Ode to Summer

27 Sept 2022

An Ode to Summer


 Hi everyone,

Depending on your location, I hope you all had a lovely summer or winter and are looking forward to a change in season.

Our summer was hot one with a few extremes. For example, one day the temperatures reached 100.8 F/38.22 C, and the next day it was 64.4 F/18C. First time, I've experienced 100F heat here in this part of the world.
                                  
Here, just now, gold, red, and orange colours are busy painting the treetops.

                                                                * * *

Time to say a few words about the Queen Elizabeth II. She has been a constant in the world for such a long time. I am grateful that she was with us for so long, and that she left us at this time and not in 2020 when she would not have had a proper send off. What a remarkable lady she was. And she certainly kept her promise to serve whether her life was long or short. RIP beautiful Queen Elizabeth. You will be sorely missed.

                                                       
                                                             Wonderful cloud formations. 

                       Pictures taken in Brockville in the 1000 Islands, along the St. Lawrence River.




Tall Ships Landing.
                                                                    Tall Ships Landing

 I think you can buy a condo there for a cool million or more. 



Unfortunately, hurricane Fiona has wreaked havoc the whole way along its track and has also decimated parts of the Maritimes. My relatives live in different parts of Nova Scotia. The storm brought heavy rain and 150K winds to Nova Scotia, but it swerved into a different track, and they were spared the brunt of it. But a state of emergency has been declared for other parts of the Maritimes, and the military has been sent to access the situation. The Maritimes have ridden out many a hurricane, but nothing of this magnitude has been seen for several generations. 

In Newfoundland several homes were washed way, and there's widespread damage throughout Cape Breton and PEI. There are hundreds of thousands of people without power; hard working crews have been working fast in N.S. and half of 500,000 customers without power are, as I type, back online. 
My thoughts and prayers and with the people.
Also praying for the people of Puerto Rico and other areas that were devastated along the storm's tract.

* * *


                                           
                                                     Pastels on Pastelmat Archival Paper

                                                            
Unison's Botanical Set.
     
My birthday was in August, and so I was gifted these lovely pastels. Because pastels are so pretty, it takes time for me to remove the wrappers, snap them in half and begin a painting. 



 A swatch of eighteen beautiful Botanicals and the three extra colours I received for good measure.


Abstract acrylics




                                    Sun print/Cyanotype, Watercolour/mixed media, and Sunflowers.


Linking to Link Parties via my link party page. 

                                                   Thank you all for hosting.

                                  Until next time...Stay safe and sound and

       Cultivate Your Dreams



43 comments:

  1. I love Brockville. No visits these days, though.
    I like your pastels!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brockville definitely has many charms.
      Thank you Jenn

      Delete
  2. Beautiful images and creations, as always!
    I like the abstracts and the flowers!
    Thank you for the beauties!
    Have a fine and inspired Autumn!💖

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    Replies
    1. Hi Suzana,
      Thank you very much.
      Enjoy the weekend...

      Delete
  3. Beautiful pastels and all. Yes, was sad to think all okay where I lived while the storms reeked havoc on others. Glad your relatives were okay. Thanks for visiting Pictorial and sharing your lovely photos.

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    Replies
    1. So sad about the devastation of the storms. Praying for a lot of help for people.
      Thank for you lovely comments.

      Delete
  4. Now hurricane Ian is reeking havoc in Florida. Lovely colors. I'm painting a book cover this week.

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  5. Beautiful summer you had. I love the boats. Beautiful.

    Have a fabulous day and rest of the week. ♥

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    Replies
    1. It was fun to see all the boats. Perhaps next year I can go for a sale. :)
      Best Wishes, Sandee

      Delete
  6. I love the pretty pastels!

    Wishing you an autumn that is just as wonderful as your summer 🍁🍂

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Veronica.
      Have a wonderful autumn as well.

      Delete
  7. Beautiful summer. Over here, it is both sunny and rainy but overall warm. Need air con to sleep. Lovely tribute to Queen Elizabeth II. Beautiful pastels. Have a great day.

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    Replies
    1. Sounds like a hot summer. Always nice to have ac.
      Many thanks, Nancy.
      Best wishes to you...

      Delete
  8. Lovely art. So sad about the devastation in the Atlantic provinces - Christine cmlk79.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Christine,
      Yes, it's been a really bad hurricane season. I hope that's it for this year.
      Goodness!
      Thank you...much appreciated.

      Delete
  9. Such beautiful water photos, and your pastel piece is amazing also. hugs-Erika

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  10. ...Happy belated 29th birthday!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So happy to have completed another 29th trip around the sun. :)
      Thank you, Tom.

      Delete
  11. Wonderful sky shots, I really like how clouds changes, they never look the same day to day. Lovely artworks. I like the use of colors, so bright and cheerful.

    Have a lovely day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am a fan of clouds. Like you say always changing. I love to watch them sail alond.
      Thank you, Lissa

      Delete
  12. Beautiful sky photos. Our summer has been very hot, and really looking forward to a change of seasons with some cooler temps!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Definitely cooler here now, but not too, too cool. Just lovely.
      Enjoy autumn.

      Delete
  13. Happy Belated Birthday! A perfect gift for yourself. Pastels are your calling for a change. We are enjoying cooler temperatures. We had first frost yesterday along the sides of rural roads. It was gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Frost this time of year are something to see. I haven't been up early enough to catch one. :)
      Even though they are rather messy, I do love pastels. Many thanks.
      Best Wishes

      Delete
  14. Luv these abstracts.
    Happy Friday

    Much💛love

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  15. I am really glad that your family stayed unharmed from the hurricane. That must have been really scary. Both your photos and paintings are beautiful. A fabulous birthday gift and botanical colours too! Have fun!

    -Soma

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  16. I'm just south of you, sort of, but we never got close to 100F thank goodness. A couple of awful days, but mostly cold and wet. Colder and wetter now. The first pastel on the river took my breath away. Brilliant.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Andree
      Have a lovely weekend...

      Delete
  17. I like the lighting in your area. From your photos, that is. One day I’d like to see it in person. It’s different from anything I’ve ever seen. I love your pastels, the colors and your paintings?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was a very bright beautiful day. Love those ideal days. Such a blessing.
      Thank you.

      Delete
  18. Hi, again. I meant to press the exclamation point, not the question mark. 🙂

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  19. Your pastel is beautiful as are your abstracts. Love your photos and sorry about Fiona ... and now Ian is headed that way. Hope all is well and no more damage is done. All of us in the western hemisphere will miss Queen Elizabeth ... I remember her Coronation when I was in Grade School. It seems unreal that she ruled as long as she did and she was a kind and wise ruler who will be sorely missed. Wishing King Charles the strength of his ancestry. Like you, I love cloud formations. I find myself stopping to snap pictures of the sky all of the time. That would be a good prompt for Rain someday. Be well, Dixie ...

    Andrea @ From the Sol

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  20. Thanks for your kind words about Queen Elizabeth, Dixie. I'm beginning to accept that she really is gone. I'm rooting for King Charles to be a wise and effective king. Thanks also for your comments on the impact of Hurricane Fiona on the Atlantic provinces. I have friends and relatives from one end of Nova Scotia to the other and in PEI and in New Brunswick. My heart goes out to the people of Port aux Basques in Newfoundland. I've taken the ferry to and from there a number of times. It's heartbreaking to think of what happened there. I have good friends on other parts of the Rock. So many people have suffered from the weather effects of climate change in recent weeks: Puerto Rico, Cuba, the USA, Eastern Canada. The destruction in Florida is mind boggling. Especially tragic are the deaths. Your cloud formations are wonderful and I love your art pieces. Have a good week! Take care!

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  21. Your photos are truly an ode to summer - lovely!

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  22. Dixie - your photos are so pretty. There is something so attractive about pictures with boats ... And then came your art work. Lovely pieces!

    It is hard to fathom the destruction that is happening in so many places ... Thanks for linking to Mosaic Monday!

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  23. As you are welcoming cooler weather we are welcoming spring. My favourite time of year - the wildflowers of course! We watched on TV the tributes and funeral of Queen Elizabeth. She really did commit her life to service and will be long admired and missed. Enjoy your week and your pastels, and stay safe. I am joining you at Mosaic Monday.

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  24. Happy Monday. I am at 11 on the mosaic linky.

    Much💛love

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  25. I love summer very much, pretty photos <3

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  26. I am afraid that we will have to learn to live with weather phenomena such as great heat or devastating storms... Fortunately, your maritime photos all look very peaceful and beautiful.
    Your pastel colors are gorgeous!
    I wish you a wonderful November!
    All the best from Austria
    Traude
    https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2022/10/lebenszeichen-herbstimpressionen.html

    ReplyDelete

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Thank you for visiting my spot on the map.
Enjoy your day!

~ Dixie ❤️