End of the Main Event [ECCW] | Canon 40D

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I have a bit of a thing for elephants so when I saw a new paper product made of elephant dung in the Opus newsletter I had to check it out. It turns out there are a few companies making papers out of the undigested cellulose material. Here are three of them.

The Great Elephant Poo Paper Company Limited promises environmentally friendly, elephant friendly, sustainable paper products. Made from the fibers that have passed through an elephant’s gut, Elephant Poo Paper is now available at Opus Framing and Art Supplies.

The GEPPCL isn’t the only company making paper from animal processed fibers, The Exotic Paper Company makes paper from both rhino and elephant dung. They also appear to have an interest in rhino and elephant conservation efforts.

Mr. Ellie Pooh operates out of Sri Lanka where shrinking land resources lead to human/elephant conflicts. The website mentions the long term plan of the company’s founder is to introduce a project designed to create an industry that will lessen the conflicts between people and elephants in the rural areas where elephants are often seen as pests who destroy crops and have no economic value.

I have no idea what the paper is actually like as a drawing material, I haven’t tried it yet. Some experimentation may be in order.

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There seems to be a lot of art going on this month. Everywhere I turn there’s another gallery opening happening. With SWARM taking place over the next three days there’s lots to choose from.

Often, work that’s deemed craft, such as jewelry, tends to get a bit forgotten among its canvas cousins, athough, in some cases, it can be visual art as easily as it can be adornment. This evening, I had the pleasure of attending the opening of Dominique Bréchault’s show of her wonderful jewelry inspired by a walk to Santiago, Spain following the Camino Francés, the ancient 800km pilgrimage trail. The pieces are fabulously unique and textural items – cuttlebone cast, fabricated, rolled or fused into uncommon and surprising but very appealing and intriguing shapes. And while they are most definitely wearable, they are pieces of art each and every one – not to mention conversation pieces.

The show is called The Road, and it’s at the Crafthouse Gallery, 1386 Cartwright St, Granville Island, Vancouver BC
September 6 – 30, 2007.

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This was how I spent part of the BC Day long weekend in 2005.

Sometimes I think the idea of conventional camping is weird. Everyone sits in traffic, in the heat, for 3 times as long as it should take to get to a place where they can set up temporary miniature housing units in what is akin to a open air subdivision. There, the basics of life take 3 times as long to do in 3 times as little space with 3 times more insects and 100 times more dirt. Upon returning home it takes 1 whole day of napping to make up for the loss of sleep over the weekend due to heat or cold, bugs or rain, alcohol consumption, marathon Uno games or the location of your tent over a rock/root/pinecone/pebble or any combination of the list.

I enjoy camping. I really do. I just think it that we should stop kidding ourselves that we are doing it to get away and relax and admit we do it to properly appreciate the amenities of home. One of the best parts of camping is the first shower I have at home. The first time I flush the toilet. The first time I flick on the stove. The first time I cook something without blinking furiously to get the stinging smoke out of my eyes. I like, no, love the refrigerator. When I have to fish a tepid carton of milk out of a puddle of water in the bottom of my fridge I know it’s because the damn thing’s broken down not because that’s what coolers do after a day and a half in the sun with two blocks of ice.

There is the whole nature thing. But really, if you’re driving a three tonne RV down the freeway you’re not heading into the backwoods. The boat you’re towing behind that truck with a fuel tank capacity of an above-ground pool is not going to help you enjoy the solitude of nature. There will be no sneaking up on loons or wading moose families with that thing.

And you can forget the promise of relaxation. The mad scramble to get a camping spot in a provincial campground that doesn’t take reservations is not calming to anyone’s nerves. Neither is the stop and go traffic on the way home.

What’s happened to camping? I don’t remember it being like this when I was a kid. When I was a kid I spent the whole day riding bikes around the campground, checking out the other kids. We disappeared for hours down at the lake and took turns pushing each other off the dock. We came back to camp for meals and then left again. And therein lays the solution. The secret to getting away and relaxing while camping is to have someone else do all the work. And I don’t suppose having a tricked out RV hurts either. Some of those things have dishwashers in them.

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Orange Jelly Fungus, Dacrymyces stillatus

It’s been raining for what seems like ages but it’s also really warm out. The moss which was starting to lose ground during the heat of the early days of July has come back with a vengeance and is enveloping the tree trunks. I’m reminded of the 4 years of rain in One Hundred Years of Solitude, and while the City of Vancouver lacks livestock in danger of perishing and hasn’t yet started to omit a palpable odor of decay in general, this may change as the garbage strike continues.

But for now, the air is warm and moist and full of the smell of growing greenery. It is a very strange July.

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We visited the UBC Farm Market today and bought a handful of produce including garlic scapes which I’ve never used before. I had no idea there was a market out there – and I had no idea how large the farm was until we visited today.

Tucked away down a tree-lined road, the farm is complete with chickens (the fresh eggs are popular and sell out fast in the morning). Actually, we got there a bit late for most things but went home with a modest selection and a determination to get there a little earlier next time for the strawberries and eggs.

The market runs Saturdays from June to October from 9 – 1pm. More info on the UBC Farm website.

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In December of 2004 my mum suffered what was initially diagnosed as a stroke. It turned out to be Multiple Sclerosis.

Our family learned a lot that winter – about how quickly things can change, about how healthy people can be brought down by something so unexpected, about where exactly in a house a wheelchair cannot fit, about how the medical system does or does not work at a time when time itself is critical.

MS changed my mum, changed our family dynamics, and changed our outlook on life and perceptions of health. What it did not change was the determination and ability my mum has to be able. It’s been 2 1/2 years and she improves every day. She has been incredibly brave and incredibly resilient throughout this whole ordeal. Her determination to get better, the daily kindness and assistance from friends, members of the small island community where she lives and that of her husband are the reasons why she could leave the wheelchair behind and begin to regain her independence.

Multiple Sclerosis is a disease of the central nervous system that affects the brain and spinal cord. The MS Society of Canada estimates that 55,000-75,000 Canadians have the illness with Canada being the highest risk area in the world. There is no cure for MS and the cause is not known.

On June 9th and 10th I’ll be taking part in the Rona MS Bike tour – riding 180 km from Airdrie to Olds in Alberta to raise money for MS research and services. If you are interested in making a donation to the MS Society of Canada by pledging me, visit this link.

To make a regular donation visit the donations page of the MS Society of Canada website.

To learn more about Multiple Sclerosis and the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, visit their website.

My mum, pictured with me on the jacket flap of Pig in The Middle, a children’s book she authored and I illustrated prior to her illness.

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When you are away
I eat only toast
spicy olives
and strong black tea.

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