Scenic Manitoulin photography
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Only a Few Scenic Manitoulin 2009 Calendars Are Still Available
The Scenic Manitoulin 2009 Calendar is almost sold out! Click on What's New for a list of stores where you can find it. The calendar has twelve new scenes of beautiful Manitoulin, some familiar and some not so familiar, from Meldrum Bay to Little Current to South Baymouth and nine places in between. As last year, it is sprinkled with quotations from Manitoulin authors, including the three winners of the Manitoulin Writers Guild Haiku Contest.
Making the calendar is an adventure. Take the May photo, for example. I really wanted to have a photo of the fields of Manitoulin Gold in Misery Bay. So on Victoria Day, I asked my friend Linda Belton to come with me on a photography hike. Linda is an avid promoter of Heart Health and is always willing to come on a hike with me. Someone from the Friends of Misery Bay had said the best place to see the little Manitoulin Gold flowers was on the west side of the bay, taking the Little Lake Huron Road. It's pretty rough, and parts of it are quite amazing because the road is just natural flat limestone pavement. I don't mean "flat" in the sense of "smooth". It's full of cracks and holes and I did wonder whether walking might be as fast as driving. Anyway, we came to a parking lot where a sign directed us to the trail. Thinking it might be boggy in spots, I had worn my rubber boots, which were too big so I had to remember to pick up my feet with each step. It wasn't boggy, but I didn't bring shoes so the boots had to do. We followed the trail, and sure enough, the Manitoulin Gold wildflowers were in full bloom, in the cracks and holes in the limestone pavement, anywhere there was a bit of soil. This little flower is a threatened species, because it can only grow in this harsh environment, and there are not many spots in the world with a limestone pavement habitat. We had a good walk, with lots of pauses for photos, then on the way back I got careless and forgot to pick up my feet. Suddenly the toe of my big left boot caught on the rock and down I went! The camera was in my hand, so as I fell I twisted sideways so the camera would not hit the limestone pavement. I saved the camera! Unfortunately my knee took the brunt of the fall. Limestone is a soft rock as rock goes, but it's not like falling on a grassy lawn. Linda came to my rescue, helping me up and taking charge of my tripod and backpack. Knowing how protective I am of my camera, she thought it would be better if I continued to carry it. We slowly walked back to the car, and picking up my feet was even harder because of my injured knee. Was it worth it? Take a look at the Manitoulin Gold photo and you be the judge.
More stories to come...
The calendar hangs as 11” x 17”, and folds to 8.5” by 11” with an attractive coil binding. $22.50Scenic Manitoulin Postage Stamps - Canada Post Domestic Rate
Available exclusively directly from McQuay Click & Clay, postage stamps with a photo of a Manitoulin Island sunset. Printed by Canada Post, they can be used in Canada as a regular 52 cent stamp. Available with a notecard, 5.5” x 4.25”, and fine linen paper envelope for $3.50, or as a set of 10 stamps for $12.75.
Scenic Manitoulin at Your Table...
Lake Mindemoya as calm as glass reflecting the setting sun...or waves lapping the beach while you pause along the Providence Bay boardwalk…Relax with a beautiful Manitoulin scene, whether it’s breakfast-time or time for a midnight snack. We also have placemats of the Chi-Cheemaun, Flowerpot Island and the Tobermory Lighthouse. 11” x 17”, easy-to-clean laminated photos, $6.50 each.
Framed Photos
Beautiful photos with double matting framed by Omega Picture Framing in Mindemoya. This sunset at Lake
Mindemoya is approx. 18" x 14.5". $150.
Photos from the slide show are also available on order, in stylish dark wood frames. 8" x 10" frame $36; 11" x 14" frame $75. Double matted photos (no frame) 8" x 10" $17; 11" x 14" $40.
Manitoulin Mousepads and Jigsaw Puzzles
For a reminder of wonderful Manitoulin summers while you work on your computer, treat your mouse to a Manitoulin mousepad, printed by Island Promotional Products in Gore Bay. Approx. 8.5" x 9", $13.50. While you're at the cottage, why not spend an evening together doing a jigsaw puzzle? A winter Lake Mindemoya scene, Mindemoya Pioneer Museum Log Home, the South Baymouth Lighthouse or the MSS Chi-Cheemaun. 10" x 15", 204 pieces can be put together in a few hours. $19.50.
Cushions, Handbags and Tote Bags
Made by My Ol' Blues in Gore Bay from recycled denim, these items are truly Made on Manitoulin. The new cushions give a look of relaxed elegance to a living room. They are zippered for easy cleaning. $40 each. The tote bags, which were introduced last year, are fully lined, and sturdy enough to carry books. This year the design has been modified so they can be rolled up, which is handy while you're shopping. $30 each. The stylish handbags (not shown), have a shoulder strap, a pouch and a zippered pocket. $55.
Scenic Manitoulin Notecards and Flower Thank-you Cards
Say "Hi" with notecards of the South Baymouth Lighthouse, Bridal Veil Falls, Providence Bay beach and a Lake Mindemoya sunset. Cards are 5.5" x 4.25", with fine linen paper envelopes. $8.75 per package of 5.
The old lighthouses fascinate many people. I thinks it's partly the isolation of many of these structures, partly recognition that they are part of our heritage. Last year Jean Hastings wrote and published a book on lighthouses on Manitoulin and nearby islands. Entertaining and informative, it quickly sold out, and the second printing has now also sold out. In Providence Bay there is now a project to rebuild the lighthouse that burnt down in the 1970's, in part due to her efforts. Her book also gave me the idea that people might like notecard packages of various lighthouses, so I now have notecards of the Manitowaning, Janet Head, Mississagi, and Strawberry Island lighthouses as well as South Baymouth. All are accessible by land except the Strawberry Island lighthouse, but only the Mississagi Lighthouse is kept open from May to late September for visitors. Since I don't have a boat, getting a photo of the Strawberry Lighthouse was a challenge until I told one of my Farmers Market customers, a retired teacher at Manitoulin Secondary School, that I'd love to get a photo of it. He told one of his friends in Little Current, and soon afterwards I received a phone call out of the blue from his friend Bill Caesar at about 9 am one morning. He had a small fishing boat, would I like a ride out to take photos of the lighthouse? Wow! Sure! When would be a good time? Bill said the weather was good, so come on out. I was at their place by 11 am! The water on the north channel was as smooth as glass and the reflections in the water fantastic. The photo op couldn't have been better. This Bill Caesar, by the way, is the same person who wrote the book Manitoulin Fossils among others.
Thank-you Cards
An assortment of 4 different thank-you cards, the sunny Manitoulin Gold (that's its name!), a red
Maple Leaf, and the Ladyslipper. 5.5” x 4.25”, $8.75 per package of 5.