Journeying With The Totems - Mar. 29, 2015

Pretty wiped out today. Will try to take some R&R today before diving into the difficult icon commission tomorrow.

It was a tiring day yesterday, especially given that I was already tired before starting it. The pack up in Parksville went well, thanks to everyone's help, and now I have all this stock sitting in my small hallway until I sort out where to put it.

Then had lunch with my friend at the Coombs Cafe in the Coombs Country Market 'Goats on Roof'. No goats yet.

I returned to Nanaimo and stopped at the totem carving site at VIU in case there was someone there. There wasn't but the experience of seeing the totem in progress was very moving. I felt as though I was standing at an observation window, looking at a newborn. It was very special time, as I took in the uncovered killer whale section being carved, laying tranquil while the other sections were covered, and the cedar chips and pieces on the ground. Standing in the drizzling rain, I was happy to have stopped by.

So, very tired, I got in cue for the 3pm ferry. It was a cold rainy crossing.

The other thing that warmed my heart was a message passed on to me during the pack out; from the First Nations storyteller who's event took place the evening prior in the same space as the totem painting series. She liked the series and referred to some during her presentation, but she wanted me to know that she greatly appreciated how each painting acknowledged the carvers, stories, and historical significance of each.

So a full day.