May 21-24

Drawings to add to my sketch journal to make a small book:

These are 5 drawings I did from my photographs taken on a painting trip to Long Island, Five Islands, up at the head of the Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia in early May 2009.  I drew all 5 Saturday, and coloured three of them yesterday.  They are for connecting the pictures I did while on this trip so they'd make a better narrative.   The ones with their painted versions are below these first ones.  You need to click on Read More >> at the bottom of this post:

Rear (South) Side of Main Lodge

 

Stairs to Top of Island

The Main Lodge

This is the first building one comes to on the island, after climbing 188 steps up the cliff and then another 8 to the boardwalk to the lodge.

A Boardwalk Through the Woods

Boardwalks link all the cabins to the main lodge and the stairs down to the wharf.  They give sure footing and also announce when someone is coming; we already know that the only people on the island are our group of 6 -7 and the caretaker.  It is a wonderfully relaxing and safe feeling to know that one can be out alone and in no danger of predatory people or coyotes.  Many of us commented on this.

The Steps up the Side of the Cliff

When we arrived, we had no idea what this stairway would be like to climb.  As we left, it was a familiar route; it is the only way down from the island to the beach.  Because of the high tides (close to 40 feet vertically, and miles and miles horizontally), it is only safe to be on the beach for a few hours each day, preferably on the outgoing tide and returning shortly after it starts to rise again.  We were urged never to go down there alone.  Good advice!

That doorway part way up the stairs is a gravel shield to protect from rocks breaking off the cliff and tumbling down ontopeople - likely a deadly experience.

That "boardwalk" on the green water is the float for the boats that ferry us back and forth to the mainland.  Everything below the bottom step floats - or rests on the beach at low tide.