This is my absolute favourite time of year; the leaves have changed and the pine needles have dropped; the sun is warm and the skies bright and clear with only the odd dragon fly and crow passing through.
On days like this I love to walk around our wee little pond and camp out in my fort. When Bryan and I first started dating I claimed a spot for myself right on the edge of the property, hidden down the slop behind the garage and out of sight. I picked a spot surrounded with large rocks, where 3 large fallen trees had been stacked some time ago now, left to decay back into the landscape.
This was to be my special place; all my own, where I could do as I pleased– where I would build my fort! (Bryan wasn’t so keen on the idea at first; he’d only just gotten used to the idea that all this land was his, and here I was trying to stake claim!)
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| Def-Con 4 is now available on DVD! |
When I was 5 years old my family and I were extras in a local film called The Dark Eye - later renamed Def-Con 4 (I remember the graphic on the first run of t-shirts with a dark blue evil eye; I couldn’t wait until I was big enough to fit into it)
My mother and I played peasants in this futuristic town, post world war three. Being only 5 years old no one really told me much about what was going on; it was the future and a space ship had crashed and this was the town where all the survivors lived.
I had no idea what to expect when we wandered into the future, but being the dreamer I am I thought the town was genius in its design. (I later found out this scene was filmed in a junkyard and was owned by my high school boyfriend’s best friend’s family – small world!)
Found rusty pieces and random garbage fitted together seamlessly creating box houses and igloos with pretty pink gingham curtains hanging in the windows. Or at least that has been the picture painted in my memory all these years, driving my inspiration to create my own haven of reclaimed pieces, lost in time.
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These rusty bits & pieces have quite the story
themselves, but that requires another post... |
I’ve built up quite the rust collection over the years; unable to leave any piece behind when found washed up on shore or abandoned in the woods. They all come home with me. When living in the city in apartments I would arrange my collection on my porch along with other found items from nature like my rocks (yes of course I collect rocks - shells, and sticks!)
Once I moved in with Bryan the rust, and everything else, went right down to my little patch in the corner where I began construction of my “rust garden”.
Between two trees, one of which is an absolute sculpture created by nature itself, there was another fallen log placed somewhat like a bench. I laid out my rusty bits along the log wall and made a mosaic with my rocks in the soft ground before my bench. This became by special spot where I could sit and absorb my surroundings and think... or not; none the less - my perfect spot!
Last Spring Bryan and his daughter took a trip for a week away in Florida; to visit the grandparents. I was thankful for the alone time, the first I’d had in ages... just me and the kitties! We spent a great deal of time outdoors taking in the unseasonable warm days, something I’d really missed after the long cold winter trapped inside. As I sat in my spot I realized just how many sticks had fallen throughout the winter and instantly I could envision my woven wall wrapping around my fairy fort! I got right to work finding the largest branches to create my frame and then went nuts! Large pine limbs were everywhere – I strategically placed them so by the time I was finished (luckily Tracey and Gary popped in for a visit and I had a few extra hands for the afternoon) there was a beautiful curved wall concealing my little habitat.
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| My TV may only get one channel, but it's a good one! |
So this past Sunday, after neglecting my fort all season (the fact that the drying pine needles created a nice cool haven for the mosquitoes all summer didn’t really entice me to visit too much) I spent the entire day cleaning and relocating pine needles. Now my fort is finally starting to resemble the one I’d envisioned and I can wait to spend the fall and winter continuing to work on her.
I may have gone a little overboard Sunday though, perhaps stirred up some mouldy leaves, because Monday I work up sneezing and I still haven’t stopped. Since I was obviously sick and unable to work on any of my projects (I make toys; I certainly can’t go near those right now!) I decided to watch Def-con 4 and see if I could catch a glimpse of 5 year old me and get some inspiration for my fort!
The up-cycled town of the future wasn’t quite the same as the one in my memory... obviously I was inspired by the movie and the igloo images in my head are of my own design - that film was nothing like I remembered! First of all I thought my father’s character in the film was that of an alien solider... there was a space craft right? Space craft = alien! At that point my only reference for the future was Star Trek and Doctor Who. No, there were no aliens, he was just a punk and the little recycled town wasn’t much of a town at all.
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| Maury Chaykin as Vinnie in Def-Con 4 |
Labelled as a B sci-fi I wasn't expecting much... but the film wasn’t quite as bad as I thought it was going to be - I mean Maury Chaykin is in it! And the shots of the untouched Nova Scotian landscapes are quite beautiful. But I certainly didn’t get the inspiration I was looking for. That’s ok though, because my own mind seems pretty good at coming up with things on its own and what I’ve already pictured in my head is inspiration enough for me J
So if you’re ever in this neck of the wood and feel like being a kid again and playing in my fort, well come on by! You're always welcome!
A few years ago Joan and Mike McKenzie began building a dream. With a background in real estate Joan has always had a knack for seeing the potential in a building and her vision to create a space for fine art and fine baking to come together wasn’t unrealistic in the least. 
