#2466 "Wick's Pick Lodge of Singleton"

This is Wicks Pick Lodge on the western shore of Singleton Lake. The structures were built in 1933 by Bill Shaw for Dr. Bert Wickware of Ottawa. The lodge is located on the shore of Singleton Lake opposite the intersection of Ellisville Rd and the Outlet Road (Highway Number 3). 

The Lodge remains a summer residence for Bert's descendants. Besides the store and gas pump, there were sleeping cabins along the Outlet Road on either side of the lodge. It was a thriving fishing camp for American tourists run by Bill Shaw until 1937. That was the year between the Great Depression and the start of World War 2 when Bill Shaw purchased the Argyle Hotel on Red Horse Lake and renamed it as Shawmere. Those Shawmere Cottages are still in business and the location of a long running Climate Station that collects valuable weather information (www.shawmere.com). 

I would paddle around Singleton Lake whenever the water would call to me. This particular Sunday morning in early June was a memorable paddle. The remembrance was made more tangible by the painting that came out of it. Art is all about making memories for me and this is a good one. The paddle was also taken to check on the welfare of the loon family. They did fine in 2019 and produced two chicks. The older and larger chick even helped to care for the smaller loon late in the season. Nature is inspiring and I continue to learn from it. 

There is a problem with having more time to paint during COVIID isolation. The problem is having more time to paint and the luxury of being free to study and contemplate each brush stroke. The potential for more strokes and dabs of colour can steal the life from the painting and turn it more in a labour than a luxury. I was in danger of over-working Wick's Pick Lodge. I was having lots of fun but had to step away from the easel before I killed it with a hundred too many strokes. I was still using my bright palette of paint that I had squeezed out for #2465 "Chaffey's Homestead Barn". 

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#2465 "Chaffey's Homestead Barn"

I was on my way back after having a meeting at the Opinicon with Fiona, the Owner. She wanted to display the art of local artists at the newly renovated Opinicon. I was the first artist and my art was at the Opinicon for 2018. She and her husband would later purchase one of my larger paintings. A few others works also found permanent homes. Thank you all! 

My history with the Opinicon goes back to the early 1960's when I would paddle from Clear Lake for ice cream and watch the boats lock through at historic Chaffey's. It continued when I was dating my wife and then when we had our two children. The Opinicon is a wholesome family place with a long and proud history. We paddled back and forth from Clear Lake and around Scott Island many times. The kids were taught not to rub their paddle shaft along the gunwales. 

Fiona once explained that her vision for the Opinicon was like "Dirty Dancing" ("Nobody puts Baby in a corner") meeting the "Group of Seven". Wow! And she absolutely did it! I was totally on board and more than honoured to have some of my art at the Opinicon. The place was like home to me anyway. My wife and I dine there frequently fifty years later. The Opinicon remains good Canadian family fun. 

I had always liked the looks of this barn and was waiting for the opportunity to tackle it. That chance came with COVID and extreme cold wind chills outside. The Arctic vortex has spun some cold air over eastern Ontario. I have frozen my hands too many times so it was a great few days to paint in the Singleton Studio. 

I wanted to use some larger brushes and bold strokes to capture the feel of the old barn. The details did not interest me and would have distracted from the fun and the feeling of community that this barn represented to me. 

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#2464 "Singleton Sunrise Morning Cloud"

This is the western sky above Singleton Lake at 8:15 am Tuesday January 26th, 2021. My wife Linda asked what caught my eye. It is not like I have not painted this view before. There are subtleties in the colours and tones of the sky at defy interpretation but I am always up for the challenge. The variations in those colours and tones have a large weather story to tell as well - perhaps as much as the lines and swirls. I used my entire arsenal of blues to recreate what the sky was saying. It was fun and I wonder where the day went looking back at the hours in front of the easel. 

The sky was filled with a classic warm conveyor belt with cirrus Langmuir streaks paralleling the guiding upper jet. The cloud told the weather story. I pointed the fingers of my right hand in the direction of the cloud drift and my thumb pointed downward. My fingers curled anticyclonically. Singleton would be under the anticyclonic companion of the warm conveyor belt. Snow was on the way but it would not be too heavy. The anticyclonic winds were stronger on the dry side of the deformation zone (DZ) and the associated gravity waves were angled downstream. This downstream lateral banding angled along the deformation zone is typically the case. 

The chilly cold conveyor belt at the surface was the other part of the weather puzzle. I could not paint this wind into the oils but I felt it. Northeasterly winds of 10 to 15 knots were moving the minus 7 Celsius air. In spite of the sunshine, the resultant wind chill encouraged me to paint inside with the Singleton Studio wood stove surrounded by my music. The approaching cloud would soon put an end to the sunshine anyway. 

When I was growing up, my Dad told me to “just care about myself” and not worry about the misdeeds of others.  I was taught that one should not profit from crime. Then came Blake Shelton singing from my playlist:

• "Driving down the interstate
• Running thirty minutes late
• Singing Margaritaville and minding my own
• Some foreign car drivin' dude with a road rage attitude
• Pulled up beside me talking on his cell phone
• He started yelling at me like I did something wrong
• He flipped me the bird an' then he was gone
• Some beach Somewhere."

My music playlist is days if not months long but it includes songs like Buffalo Springfield's "Somethings Happening Here", Bruce Cockburn's "People See through You", The Who's " Won't Get Fooled Again", John Mellencamp's "Our Country", Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind" and many more. My music playlist also includes songs about how I wish to live including Valdy's "Simple Life", Billy Joel's "Until the Night" and Buddy Holly's "True Loves Way".  Life is a balance best spent surrounded by nature and immersed in the arts - including music.

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#2463 "Hickory Point"

This is the point of the Singleton Forest that points southwestward that all of the creatures follow to cross the ice of the lake. The marble point of land stretches far out into the bay from the Provincially Significant Wetland. This point is a favourite path for the bobcats and the coyotes. 

The three trees in this painting are the stars of the point on this bright winter day. Shagbark hickories are one of my favourite trees that provide a plentiful supply of nuts to the creatures. The Spruce on Hickory Point provides shelter. The goal was to chronicle more of the simple beauty and nature of the Singleton Sanctuary. 

Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862) had it right in my opinion. Art and science inspired by nature is my personal sanctuary. Although most do not follow the physics of Einstein (1879–1955), Albert's science, even his special and general relativity papers, make a lot more sense than the actions of politicians. At a recent congress, the Conservative Party of Canada voted by 54 percent to 46 to reject adding that "climate change is real" and is "willing to act" to the policy platform. "Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth." ― Henry David Thoreau, Walden. Science and nature provides that truth when all else fails. The laws of science and nature trump all else. 

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#2462 "Singleton Red Oak Crossroads"

The weather was going to turn colder. The cold front had passed through and the northwesterly winds were just starting to increase. I decided that if I was going to do any plein air painting, I had better get out there quickly. 

I took my Kubota Pallet Studio out to the Crossroads. This interchange in the middle of a rather large Provincially Significant Wetland, is very well used by nature. The Singleton ridges run northeast to southwest as remnants of the Laurentian Mountain Belt. 

This ridge of mountains resulted from the collision between the supercontinent Rodinia (1.1 billion years ago) and the ancient continent of Laurentia. The roots of this former mountain belt are known geologically as the Grenville Province which partially explains the name of our county. These ridges cross the walking trail I use to reach Point Paradise. We had watched the female bobcat cross the ice earlier in the morning and she would have followed the path headed toward the southwest. A couple of hours later I used the path that crossed her trail at right angles. There was always something to see at the Crossroads. 

I decided to paint the large red oak. Three large trees are the traffic lights of the Crossroads and the red oak is the probably the largest of those. The oak has a circumference of 114 inches (9.5 feet) at 36 inches above the ground. Simple math gives the diameter of this tree of about 36 inches (3.0 feet). It was old. 

As I painted I heard the trumpeter swans in the open water on Lyndhurst Creek to the northwest. The sound of their conversation carried a great distance. A whitetail doe flagged as she bounded away from me. She must have been startled by my presence although I am very quiet when I paint. I then heard a feline barking sound from a short ways to the northwest. The sound reminded me of the way the family cat will announce that she wants some food or attention. The female bobcat must have been returning from her hunting trip. A flock of chickadees also show up and buzzed around me and landed on the tractor. I will have to remember to pack some bird seed next time. 

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#2461 "Long Reach Sumacs"

 I enjoy sumacs. They are good for nature. We planted them at Watershed Farm and they spread like weeds - which I guess they were. They provided a lot of colour in the fall. The berries were enjoyed by all kinds of creatures and are apparently good for you. They can even be used to brew tea. 

Until the Romans introduced lemons to Europe, sumac was used as a spice to impart foods with a lemony tang and lovely burst of color. Since then, it has been used for medicinal purposes, but most people today turn it into spice mixes, teas, sauces and syrups.

Harvest the drupes between August and October, when they are bright and full and before heavy autumn rains that can wash out their flavor. You can dry them for later use like many autumn spices and herbs or make them into a tart syrup.

Soaking the unwashed berries in faucet-hot water releases the acid. The resulting concoction can be used in drinks. You’ll want to filter the liquid twice to get rid of little, irritating hairs - a coffee filter works fine. You can gently heat it with sugar, maple or honey to preserve it longer. This syrup stores in the fridge for a couple months and can be used in cocktails, teas and more!

These particular sumac plants are on the north side of Long Reach Lane. 

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#2460 "Long Reach Lane"

John Denver and James Taylor both had hit songs about country roads. Those songs and many more about quiet, country living, are on my playlist. I listened to both of them while I painted away on this view of Long reach Lane. Those lyrics brought back wonderful memories of growing up and rambling in the woods. I took the photo the same day that I snapped the image for #2457 "Sumac Tangle". The quiet isolation of living at the end of the lane resonates in both of those songs. I wanted to kept the brush strokes loose and strong. There was no need for any detail. It was snowing outside so I was in the Singleton Studio in front of the wood stove. 

"Country Road" is a song written and performed by James Taylor. It appears on his 1970 second album, Sweet Baby James. The song was inspired by Somerset Street in Belmont, Massachusetts, a wooded road running adjacent to the land owned by McLean Hospital where Taylor had committed himself in 1965 to receive treatment for depression. The re-recorded Country Road single version was recorded and mixed at Crystal-Sound, December 30, 1970. 

"Take Me Home, Country Roads", also known simply as "Take Me Home" or "Country Roads", is a song written by Bill Danoff, Taffy Nivert and John Denver about West Virginia. Inspiration for the song had come while Nivert and Danoff, who were married, were driving along Clopper Road in nearby Montgomery County, Maryland to a Nivert family reunion in Gaithersburg. Country roads, take me home To the place I belong West Virginia, mountain mama Take me home, country roads. The song has a prominent status as an iconic symbol of West Virginia, which it describes as "Almost Heaven". In March 2014, it became one of the four official state anthems of West Virginia. 

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#2459 "Fallen Maple Monarch"

After completing #2458 "Sugar Maple Majesty", I walked a few paces to the east along the ridge of maples. 

This particular sugar maple had already tumbled. A smaller second stem from the original tree was still standing. This maple had a total, two stem circumference of 162 inches (13.5 feet) at 36 inches above the ground. Simple math gives the diameter of this tree of about 51.6 inches - more than 4 feet across. I had cut a trail in the fallen trunk so that I got direct the walking path past a very old ironwood tree which I plan to paint someday. 

The circumference of this fallen stem about 3 feet down from where I cut open the trail was 96 inches (8 feet) with a diameter of 30.6 inches. The nature of the Singleton Sanctuary has used this path a lot. Tracks of deer, coyotes, fox, bobcats and turkeys were clearly written in the fresh snowfall. 

My hands and feet were getting very chilly and I painted with some rapidity. The sun was still on my back although I could see the cloud just to the southwest. 

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#2458 "Sugar Maple Majesty"

I stood out in the Singleton Forest engulfed by nature. This particular sugar maple was old. The tree had already lost some very large limbs and there was a decaying core. 

This maple has a circumference of 161 inches (13.4 feet) at 36 inches above the ground. Simple math gives the diameter of this tree of about 51 inches (4.3 feet). The 500 year old Comfort Sugar Maple tree circa 1492 more or less, has a 20 foot circumference at the base. This particular maple is the largest that I have measured within the Singleton Sanctuary forest. There could be a larger tree but so far, I have not put a measuring tape to that one yet.

The Latin name for the sugar maple tree is Acer saccharum. This tree is sometimes referred to as the sweet maple, curly maple, or rock maple. Sugar maple is not as tolerant of heat as the red maple. While red maple will probably continue to thrive in our warming climate, the sugar maple will have a much harder time. 

Sugar and red maples are quite fast growing and can easily reach five meters in height (15-18 feet) in less than a decade. However, unlike red maples, which start producing seed after just four or five years, the sugar maple doesn't start producing seeds for about thirty years. The leaves of the sugar maple are unlike the red maple which are strongly serrated or indented. Sugar maple leaves do have points on the ends of each lobe. Although the leaf on the Canadian flag is a generic stylized maple, it is very close to the shape of the sugar maple. 

Sugar maples grow to be about the same size as or just slightly larger than red maples. A mature tree can often grow to thirty or even thirty-five meters in height (100-115 feet), and can be a meter (three feet) in diameter near the base of the tree. Sugar maples generally live to be quite a bit older than red maples. It is common for a sugar maple to live 200 years or more. This particular Singleton sugar maple was probably 300 years old meaning that it was a sapling around 1700. The trees and the forests need to be protected. 

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#2457 "Sumac Tangle"

 I enjoy sumacs. They are good for nature. We planted them at Watershed Farm and they spread like weeds - which I guess they were. My Mother and Father transplanted a few sumacs from Centennial Road, Brockville and moved them to the crest of the Oak Ridges Moraine. They provided a lot of colour in the fall. The berries were enjoyed by all kinds of creatures and are apparently good for you. They can even be used to brew tea. 

Until the Romans introduced lemons to Europe, sumac was used as a spice to impart foods with a lemony tang and lovely burst of color. Since then, it has been used for medicinal purposes, but most people today turn it into spice mixes, teas, sauces and syrups. 

Soaking the unwashed berries in faucet-hot water releases the acid. The resulting concoction can be used in drinks. You’ll want to filter the liquid twice to get rid of little, irritating hairs - a coffee filter works fine. You can gently heat it with sugar, maple or honey to preserve it longer. This syrup stores in the fridge for a couple months and can be used in cocktails, teas and more!

These particular sumac plants are on the east side of Red Horse Lake Road. They were growing and spreading in the hydro easement. 

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#2456 "Singleton Sugar Maple Trail"

I enjoyed the best part of the day in the Sanctuary of the Singleton Forest. A winter storm was on the way and the deformation zone and cirrostratus were clearly evident on the western horizon. I decided not to go very far as there was not a moment to lose. 

I positioned the easel in the shadows of the two sugar maples that I had painted earlier in the week as #2453 "January Sugar Maple Siblings". The tracks of deer, turkeys, coyotes and fox were everywhere in the snowy landscape. I liked how the shadows climbed the marble ridge. The thick forest of the provincially significant wetland was beyond that ridge and provided the backdrop . The clear blue of the winter sky was behind that. 

The tapping of a pileated woodpecker kept me in the rhythm of the brush strokes. The turkey flock cackled a few times probably requesting some more corn. The nuthatches were also busy. The forest is never quiet but is bustling with activity. 

The main sugar maple along the trail was smaller than both of my friends which were casting their shadows. The tree measured 86 inches (more than 7 feet) in circumference at 3 feet above the ground. This circumference relates to a diameter of almost 2.3 feet. 

The skies were overcast altostratus by the time I finished the painting. I am very old school when it comes to art. I have seen some beautiful images on the Web. Computer applications can apparently take any photograph and turn them into a Van Gogh or a Monet or whatever the user prefers, with just a click of the mouse. Oh my. I struggle to express myself with the oils and the brush strokes and often, am not successful in doing so. This reminds me of the story of Ada Lovelace, one of the innovators of the computer revolution. Ada was unequivocal: "Only when computers originate things should they be believed to have minds". Alan Turing called this "Ada's Objection". These are important people in the history of computer science and sadly, they are often overlooked. 

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#2455 "Sapling Shadows"

After finishing #2454 "Singleton Sugar Maple", I took a few steps to the west and turned to look northeastward keeping the January sun on my back. The overcast clouds had broken wide open and I decided to paint the resultant lines of shadows across the snow cover. The sun felt good on my back. The break in the clouds did not last long. 

The maple saplings were everywhere struggling to get a bit of sunlight during the growing season. The forest canopy creates an overcast of leaves during the summer. Small trees struggle for a few rays of energy with which to survive. Several deer and a rabbit had left their trails in the snow as well. I thought it would be a fun exercise to paint the scene and I still had some painting energy left. 

Sadly, the hole in the overcast of low cloud was short lived. It lasted maybe 30 minutes but that was long enough to lay in the sketch. There were faint lines of shadows across the snow even after the clouds returned. 

I used my tractor to lift and transport my portable "Art Studio on a Pallet". 

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