Summer Stock Sunday - 38

Robin's Summer Stock Sunday meme invites all to post summery photos, and to visit other bloggers who share their feelings and memories about this magical season.












Summer - a perfect time to be silly.

This shot was most likely taken by my mom, while my grandfather took my sister and I for a ride on the lawnmower after a family barbeque. In the 1960s we lived in Michigan. We had both sets of grandparents nearby, and a host of aunts and uncles. So there were lots of family dinners.

There was also a lot of silliness, which was fairly evenly spread by everyone, really. We're a silly bunch.

My dad creeping up on the tricycle was par for the course.

Summer Stock Sunday - 20

A vintage look at summer for Summer Stock Sunday, hosted by Robin at Around the Island.












This picture was taken by my grandfather in the mid-1940's, when my mom and her brother were taken to the travelling circus when it visited Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

I've always thought this shot looks like a still from an old film.

Mama Zen says It does look like a still from an old film. That is so neat!

Patty Reiser says This photograph reminds me of "The Little Rascals." Wishing you a wonderful Summer Stock Sunday! Celebrate Life and Capture It!

Robin says Certainly nothing says summer better than cotton candy at the circus.

Thursday Thirteen - 164 - 13 Creative Works by My Grandfather, Charles Doucet Sr.

As I state over in my sidebar, 'I love to showcase creative works by artists of all stripes.'

Here at A Piece of My Mind, I've had an embarrassment of riches when it comes to my own family. I've posted art shows featuring:

My mom - Paulette Phillips

My uncle - Charles E. Doucet

My sister-in-law - Anna Baccin

My other sister-in-law - Violetta Smith


















For today's Thursday Thirteen, I'm opening my Art Gallery doors to feature my late grandfather, Charles Doucet Sr.

When I was old enough to start noticing what characteristics made up the different members of my family, I knew that one grandfather played the fiddle, and one grandfather painted. Grandpa Doucet was the painting grandfather, and anytime I smell turpentine or oilpaints, I automatically think of him.

He made his living as a portrait photographer, but didn't leave his passion for photography in the studio.

I have very affectionate memories of him constantly sketching in numerous sketchbooks with colored pencils or pastels. I remember being fascinated as he mixed the colors on his artist's palette. I remember all the rags and the brushes in his basement on the shelf outside his darkroom.

His art work graced the walls of his home and of his children's homes. I've never lived anywhere without an art piece of his upon the wall.

So I'm pleased to share a small selection of his work with you, in honor of his birthday, which is coming up on the 27th. Feel free to stroll about the gallery - I'm going to see about that tray of fruit heading this way.




- 1 - A depiction of the Sacred Heart

A very early piece done in colored pencil, dating from his boyhood in Cheticamp, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia












- 2 - Cheticamp rug hooking













The town where he grew up is known for creating fabulous, intricate hooked rugs. In later life, he gave lessons on rug hooking.



- 3 - My circus clown










When I was little, this hung in my bedroom.



- 4 - Yarmouth Harbour










My grandparents moved from Canada to Michigan in the 50's, and back to Canada in the 70's when he retired. They settled in my Gram's hometown of Yarmouth, which has really incredible sunsets. He painted a lot of silhouette landscapes during this period.



- 5 - Moonlight

He also did quite a few snowy scenes, especially set at night.















- 6 - Bluenose II

He did this one especially for my Uncle Warren, who served in the United States Navy.




The Bluenose II has its home port in Nova Scotia, and is featured on the Canadian dime.




















- 7 - Cottage with Birches

This always hung in my grandparents' living room.

It was definitely hanging on the wall beside Gram's rocking chair during her last decade here.






- 8 - Cape Breton scenery

This piece was painted on the outside of the shed at their Yarmouth home. It became a bit of a landmark for awhile.









- 9 - Portrait of Simon Doucet

Grandpa concentrated mainly on landscapes, but he was known to paint figures from time to time. This is a portrait of his father.









It was painted from this photographic portrait, also taken by Grandpa.















This is an amazing shot of my great-grandfather, since Grandpa was very keen on posing his subjects for studio portraits. The naturalism and candid moment is quite atypical for my grandfather's photography.









- 10 - Turkish Coffee

















- 11 - Abstract Autumn Colors













Grandpa didn't create too many abstract pieces, but this one is a favorite of mine.



- 12 - Snow Scene











- 13 - Sunset, Yarmouth











Here's my grandfather with his wife, Juliette - my Gram. This was taken at his portrait studio for their 25th wedding anniversary.










Also here at the gallery, in spirit, is my Aunt Sheila.








Nabbed for a picture are Charles' children, Louis, Warren, Paulette and Charlie.







We'd all like to thank you so much for dropping by my grandfather's art show. ((hugs)) It's been great to see you here!

Shelley Munro says I particularly liked the Turkish man and the snow scenes. Very nice!

Kelly Boyce says What a great show! I love the candid photo of your great grandpa.

Akelamalu says The scenery on the side of the shed is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. no wonder it became a landmark!

Poetry Train Monday - 157 - Simon, What Do You Think Of The Weather?

For Father's Day, I've taken a piece of journal writing from my grandfather and fashioned it into a found poem.

That's my grandfather in the seen-better-days photo, with his father. My mom and I found this on a piece of notepaper, in amongst a box of photos. Since he was a photographer rather than a writer, this memory was an absolute delight to come across.

For more poetry, Ride the Poetry Train!



















Simon, What Do You Think Of The Weather?


I went out
To sleep with my dad
At their fisherman's shack

So we would be ready at five o'clock

We would be ready
To go fishing mackerel
At five o'clock

I could hear the fishermen talking

I could hear outside from different shacks
The fishermen talking about the weather
Then I would hear someone call "Simon (who was my father)

Simon - what do you think of the weather?"

He would answer, "Well,
It doesn't look too good.
Might as well go back to bed."

To bed...I felt very disappointed
I said, "Dad
How come we're not going out this morning?

The stars are all out
The sky is clear
And it is very calm."

He said, "Son,
Do you hear a funny noise?
A noise like the wind blowing.

That's the sea
Making that noise.

And the calmness
The calmness in the air.

That is a sure sign
Of a big southeast wind."

And by gosh

Within the hour
You could feel the wind picking up
You could see the white caps
Forming on the water

- Charles Doucet

Please join me this Thursday when I post an art show of thirteen pieces of my grandfather's art work, in honor of his birthday.

Janet says Brilliant! Loved it Julia :)

Systematic Weasel says Beautifully written!

Charles E. Doucet says Thanks so much, my wonderful niece!! The Found Poem moved me a great deal... I imagined myself standing with my father and grandfather in the darkness, with the fish shacks and sea at Grand Etang, waiting to go fishing for mackerel, listening to both of them talking... you gave me a real moment in their lives...thank you!

Poetry Train Monday - 153 - On Account of My Loneliness

Perhaps because I've been writing about Scorpius for the Weekend Writer's Retreat, I thought about this piece of journal writing by my grandfather.

It's written on a piece of notepaper and was in amongst a box of photographs. My grandfather was a portrait photographer, so there are loads of pictures, but hardly any memories written out like this. Something to treasure.

In the first shot shown below, he's the teenager in the center of the picture, returned from a day hunting and fishing with friends or cousins, perhaps a mixture of both.


















The second photo shows his parents, along with Grandpa's oldest brother. Grandpa's mother Arthemise died when he was only six, and he was farmed out to relatives following the loss of his mom.













He grew up in an Acadian community in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, so a reference to 'Joseph à Jim' means 'Joseph, son of Jim'.

For today's Poetry Train, I'm returning to the found poetry format which I did all last year. I'm using Grandpa's journal snippet to fashion this poem.


On Account of My Loneliness

After Mother died

After Mother died
Went to live at Joseph à Jim

At Joseph à Jim, after...

Met this woman
Who went to live there
At Joseph à Jim

She lived there
After I left

I left from there
On account of my loneliness

- Charles Doucet

Naquillity says These are the truest treasures. The ones where you can use old photographs like these and write poetry, pulling from the past.

Sheila says Oh so true, the truest treasures. I loved to watch my grandmother's old eyes as she looked at a faded photograph and told a story.

Travis says So often I see a bit of prose and the rhythm of the language just begs to be re-ordered into a poem.

Summer Stock Sunday - 4

For Summer Stock Sunday, I've got my lovely peonies which I transported from their original home in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia when we moved to Cole Harbour eight years ago.














This is the greatest amount of blooms we've had so far. There are five in total. The parent plant, which had been planted by my grandfather at my grandparents' home in Yarmouth over 40 years ago, had quite a few blooms when my husband and I lived there from 1999 to 2001.














This is their house on Nova Scotia's southwest tip. My husband and I moved in with my grandmother to help look after her. My grandfather had passed away eight years before we arrived. He was a lifelong gardener, and when I moved in I felt the lure of his garden beckoning to me. I'd never gardened before arriving in Yarmouth, and a grand love affair started that summer of 1999 that continues today.













As you walked around the side of the house, there was a sheltered side garden away from the constant wind from the ocean, which you can see in the distance.














My grandpa installed the weather-beaten white fence above the stone wall in order to give that wind protection. Tucked behind the orange lilies were the peonies.

As we packed up the house to move to Cole Harbour, I dug up the new forsythia bush, the American pillar rose bush I'd started from cuttings, and made sure to take cuttings from Gram's heritage quince bush on the opposite side of the house.

As we made one final walk-around to make sure we had everything, I looked at the garden to make my goodbye - and realized I hadn't dug up the peony plant.

I grabbed a broken, jagged broom handle from the trash and started digging madly for the peony bulbs. I plunged my hands into the earth and felt around until I could grasp the tubers. I yanked as hard as I could until a few broke free and came to the surface. I threw them in a box with some dirt and we slipped them onto the back of the truck.

We moved in October, so once we had unloaded the truck here in Cole Harbour, one of the first things I did was find a spot for the peonies, dig a hole and put them back in the ground before the winter came.














Their new home is in front of the stone wall my mom and I installed from all the rocks our neighbors dug up next door, when they put in a new deck two years ago. We had to snake it in and around the plants we already had growing in the front.

The yellow forsythia is the same tiny plant I'd bought at the Yarmouth Garden Society plant sale, dug up and transported here. And the peonies are hard to see, but they're to the left of the forsythia, and to the left of the rose bush. The peonies are also to the right of the tulips, in front of the stone wall.

For more Summer Stock Sunday, visit Robin at Around the Island.

Kaye says Your peonies are lovely and I have always wanted to visit Novia Scotia.

Robin says I can't grow plastic flowers without killing them.

Jessica the Rock Chick says Last year I planted a whole bunch of different plants without realizing how large they would become in future years. It appears I have grown a small jungle near my front porch!