Friday, August 29, 2008

Yellowknife, NWT... a great place to paint!

Dear friends of Voyages Millefleurs.... especially those with brush in hand,

I had the pleasure of taking a trip to Yellowknife, NT to visit my family and to visit the Great White North, or Rocky Outcropping North as I like to call it. My brother and I were remided of our childhood as we scrambled around on the unique terrain, just for fun!

The north of Canada is a place that is a bit of a mystery to many folks. I had never been north of 60 before and was not sure what to expect myself. I thought at the end of August there may be some snow and cooler temperatures but was met with a sunny week with beautiful colours on the water, some rainbows and of course the unique houses that inspire anyone to paint!



Yes, I expressed in my last blog that I wanted to try to find some wine in the NWT. The truth is that I didn't have any time for that because I was inspired everywhere I looked... let me explain.

There is a large population of people who live in houseboats in Yellowknife Bay. They have a tendency to paint them in different colours which makes the bay brightly dotted with the floating homes. This attracts tourists and there is even a tour boat that takes weaves through the watery "yards" of these folks to get a closer look. Of course, I went out in a canoe, visiting some locals that my Father knew. Camera in hand, I snapped away as the light was just right on the bay at sunset. A rainbow even showed both it's ends as a special bonus. Needless to say, I have enough pictures to be able to paint a whole series of houseboats...it will give me good painting practice in the winter as the bright warm colours will help melt the frozen snow in the spirit.

Painter friends of Voyages Millefleurs, I invite you to visit the north. The eclectic nature of the town of Yellowknife is inviting at first and addictive as it seems that many of it's residents make the trek for a short time and end up spending the rest of their lives there. It is a bustling international community up there, AND they have some good wines available to buy... I should thank my "northern" family for sharing their vino with me - it is my job to keep up the tastings, even though the local stuff is made of birch bark, like the canoes!

There is so much to see in Canada and am glad that I have had the chance to travel in my homeland this past summer!

More soon as I report on the upcoming Harvest Wine Tour of Italy!

Sincerely,
Natascha

Voyages Millefleurs Travel Inc. " Your Window on the World of Wine - and Art"!

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