A Changing of the Seasons on The Neck

 Fall has arrived on Digby Neck.

It has been months since we faced that dreaded point when the days started getting shorter but at least we had the warmth. Alas, that too has started to wane. We now close the downstairs windows at night and wake up to darkness- a ritual that will be repeated for the next several months. Soon the dehumidifier will be shut off in the old stone walled basement, its hum replaced by that of the infrared heater to the joy of the two cats. 

Outside, the changing of the guard is occurring. The Cormorants are gone, soon to be joined by the Great Blue Herons and their spots on the pier and in the marsh have been filled by ducks and loons. Only the hardy gulls and crows will tough it out through the winter. The starlings are amassing on the telephone wires and we are seeing the odd jay along with the ominous presence of the harrier hawk.

The grass is growing much slower now and some plants are already dying while others, such as the Virginia Creeper, are going out in a splash of brilliant red glory.

Our routine has adapted. Afternoon tea or wine is now taken on the back deck where the sun's now shallow rays linger. It is amazing how important the warmth of the sun becomes as I get older. I feel the cold much more now. One good change is that the stars appear much earlier so on clear nights we are able to bundle up in our tilting deck chairs and search the now dark heavens for shooting stars and passing satellites.

Things are slowing down in The Lap of Lapidary as well. I'll do a few more loads in the tumbler and cut a bit more but the Cab King is now ready to be cleaned for its hibernation. I've recently completed a few pieces that I really like, however.

And I have enough "granite ice" to finally fill my display.

The pace has slowed dramatically, with fewer and fewer cars passing by and only the odd visitor to the shop.

So now the scene will shift indoors where I will take my place, Vickie willing, at my bench in her studio and work on completing some of the beautiful stones I fashioned this year and listing them on our website, The Seawall Emporium. I do cherish this time- feeding off the inspiration from "the real artist", listening to our favourite music and enjoying memories from time now long past. The cats seem to feel the same way as they seem content to spend hours curled up in balls on their beds on Vickie's table.

Soon the gale winds will be howling and the sea ice will be invading our bay, hypnotizing us with its wave driven movement. The cats will be seeking the warmth of the propane fireplace and walks on the beach will be a distant memory. Meanwhile, the oppressive, spirit crushing blanket of covid remains in place with no end in sight. 

However, hope springs eternal and for now, we will enjoy this brief window, this welcome calm before the storm that is fall on Digby Neck. 

The Rewards of Lapidary.

Since the weather has been lousy and we can't really go anywhere because of good ol' Covid 19, I've been able to cut some of the local rock in my shop and have had some pleasant (and in some cases interesting) results. If you want to see amazing detail, just click on the picture.

 Take, for instance this unassuming rock.

This humble little rock was found on the shores of St. Mary's Bay. It appears to be a highly altered granite and its structure suggests that it might have been carried by the ice sheet from just west of Saint John, New Brunswick! If correct, imagine how long that journey took! (Thank you Rob Raeside, Acadia U. for the insight)

Then there's this little gem.

The exterior structure suggested that it might have an interesting core and, voila!

Just imagine the time (and chemistry) needed to make those beautiful linear patterns!

Here's a piece that offers a real contrast- simple on the outside:

And amazingly complex on the inside!

The central band actually changes composition from agate to amethyst (the purple area). Again, the patterning is amazingly complex when looked at in detail.

The following is interesting because of the colour.

The area that appears black is actually an indigo blue and the blue becomes more apparent when it is cut thinner. It is stunning up against the red haematite bands!

This next piece has it all!

The red areas are haematite and there is even a little  bit of fortification agate (white)

Did I save the best for the last? You be the judge. Again. it didn't look all that great on the outside.

But on the inside, oh my!

The patterning is amazingly detailed and I really like the lemon yellow sections!

Agates have to be one of the most interesting types of rock around and we have so many varieties in Nova Scotia. What I like is that all the beauty is really caused by chemical impurities that cause the colour variations. Without that, we would have just plain quartz!

By the way, all these were cut on my Hi-Tech 10 inch water cooled/lubricated saw. It does an amazing job!

I hope that you have enjoyed looking at these and if you ever want to see them in person, drop by my lapidary shop at The Artist's Mark on Digby Neck!

More From The Lapidary Shop

Like the rest of the world, we are self isolating way out here on Digby Neck with the hope that at some point in the future, "normal" will return and we will actually see some tourists.

I am fortunate to have a hobby (lapidary) to occupy the time and a large amount of rock to cut and polish.

As some of you may know, my wife Vickie, (She who MUST be obeyed) has The Agate Eye and it is because of that that I have such beautiful material to work with. Here is one she demanded be cut this morning and although it was a little big I decided to give it a try on my Hi-Tech 10 inch saw (you try saying no to her!). The results were spectacular! The surface is like glass and includes areas of plume, moss and fortification agate.

If you click on the pic you will see even more detail.

But because there have been no visitors, I have had time to cut a lot more and here are a few of the nicest.

The last one (greenish) is called eclogite and it is formed deep in the earth where one tectonic plate is dipping below another. As such, the pressure is so high that sometimes diamonds can be found associated with this rock.

If you click on the individual pictures you will be able to see even more detail.

I happen to live smack dab in the middle of an amazing geological setting and I hope that you can experience it for yourself sometime. In the meantime, stay safe and healthy!

The Spring of Covid 19

Well, we sure didn't see THAT coming!

Like most of the rest of the world, we have been self isolating. It was a little easier for us because I had my second hip replaced on Feb. 24th and because I had a nasty post op staph infection after #1, I had been told to stay away from people for a while and since I was using a walker, visits to town weren't an issue.

Then we started hearing reports of the effects of the corona virus and it became obvious that this spring would not be "Business as Usual".

On the hip front, things have been going great. Thanks to my loving wife (A.K.A. Nurse Ratchet") I did my rehab faithfully and I hope to be fully cleared to get back to normal activities when I meet with the surgeon by telephone later this week.

That means that I will be able to get back to doing lapidary in my shop!

As per normal here in Nova Scotia, early spring lingers because of the icebergs and cold water temperatures but the weather is slowly improving and Vickie (she with the agate eye) has been able to do a bit of rockhounding. here is her latest find.

This is a great specimen of Bay of Fundy flame agate and I can't wait to cut and polish a face.

But that's not the only thing she has been up to. When you are married to a mixed media artist, you come to realize that, somewhere in your house, there is one of everything! Vickie uses pieces of her art, combined with 50+ years of accumulated "stuff" to create art books and here's her latest.

The little blond in the last pic is the artist herself as a (very) young girl growing up in Norwayand when I look at it I am very jealous of that little boy.

So what happens now?

At some point, life will gradually return to "normal" but what that normal is remains to be seen. The Fundy tides will still come in and go out like clockwork but I suspect many other things will change forever.

Our shop may or may not even open this summer. I doubt we will see many tourists, that's for sure! At the time of this writing, we are still shipping our famous Seawall Fibres hand dyed yarn all over the world and I am selling some jewelry through the Seawall Fibres web site. I will probably put more pieces on the site in the near future.

Digby, and Digby Neck will dearly miss the tourists. For many, the reason will be economic and while that will be a factor here as well, what I will miss most of all is meeting all the wonderfully interesting people from all over the world who pass through our doors- many who have become friends.

If you had hoped or planned to visit us this summer, don't cross us off your list. When you come to Digby Neck- the most interesting part of the most beautiful province in the most beautiful country in the world- you won't be disappointed! And I guarantee that you will leave with memories that will last a lifetime (and possibly a piece from our shop!).

Stay safe. Stay healthy. Let's beat this thing and put it in the rear view mirrors of our lives.
And let's count our blessings.