Friday, July 5, 2013

Focus on Life Wk 27~Texture

Here we already are more than halfway through our 52 week challenge! This week, Sally's challenge was:

"This week focus on how things feel...then snap a shot of that texture!"

I love living in Ontario...I'm a major history nerd, and the proximity to opportunities to learn about our earlier days is something I really appreciate. We decided to celebrate Canada Day by going to Sainte Marie among the Hurons

Texture! Texture everywhere!

We weren't even in the gates before I noticed this:



It's just a rock...but what a cool rock! It felt reassuringly solid, and as if it had withstood many storms in its home on the shores of Georgian Bay. Chances are it's been there since 1639 when the community was established. Its layers show many years of changing climates and tides. 

Just inside the gates was a display of these.....


Now, you must remember, this is historic fur-trading country; one of the original purposes for the colonization of the area, was because of the fur trade, and the demand for beaver pelts in particular to make the beaver hats which were fashionable at the time. 
This is a fox pelt...it felt soft and warm and at the same time rugged. Quite a contrast to that rock!

When we arrived, we hurried off to a demonstration about to take place in one of the Long Houses. 
Here's the door leading into the Long House....you can see the hand-chiseled planks which make it up, and also the authentic square head nails which hold it together. 


Surprisingly, it felt quite soft and welcoming...not rough at all, not even the nails. 

Outside the Long House was a Tipi set up for lunch, with a campfire and water in birch bark buckets, hand shaped and sewn and decorated with reed lacing:


The birch bark is tough, and much thicker than I imagined...it held water very well!

Hope you enjoyed YOUR texture journey to Sainte-Marie! Let's see the textures the others found HERE.

19 comments:

  1. I love rocks. I take photos of them all the time. Drive my hubby crazy

    ReplyDelete
  2. fantastic photos! your day trip was inspired for texture gathering!
    have a blessed week :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Fabulous photos - that rock is amazing, what great texture.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great pics, the old planks are my fave call me mad but I do love old wood and rusty nails!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Visiting from The Studio Sublime - Oh what a treat to have been on that tour, so many textures for you to enjoy but the sights, smells & sounds must have been inspiring too :0)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I loved it! We're still living with one of the smells LOL...we spent about half an hour inside one of the Long Houses listening to an interpreter talk about daily living for the Wendat. We still smell of smoke!!

      Delete
  6. Interesting textures, and well done pictures to capture them!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Looks like you had fun... I love looking at rocks and taking their pictures too but them my first Uni degree was in Geology!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Great post Lori! I love that so many of these textures held a surprise

    ReplyDelete
  9. What fabulous textures! I love history too, and we always try to fit it in when we travel. What fun to see this bit of history.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I can almost feel that fox pelt - what a beauty. You captured a terrific variety of textures this week!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Fabulous day trip with great photo's!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Oh how I love all the different places I get to visit every week! I love old rustic things like that door!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Wonderful photos. That rock has amazing texture.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I enjoyed this post a lot! You made me wish I could touch and feel each one of the items in the photos!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Some wonderful shotsof textures and it sound ike a place I would visit.

    ReplyDelete
  16. What great photos you took this week. I love going to places like Sainte-Maria among the Hurons and seeing how things were in times gone by. It really makes you appreciate those that came before us and the life they led.

    ReplyDelete
  17. What cool texture pics this week!! I especially love the wood door. I happened to notice your beads at the top of your blog have the most wonderful textures, too! ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  18. What lovely textures! Great images of them as well. Sounds like a great way to celebrate the day.

    ReplyDelete

I love your comments! Thanks for visiting.