Rock Collection, Georgian Bay

 Rock Collection, Georgian Bay

8 x 8"

oil on cradled panel

© Nicki Ault, 2013

available exclusively at Lifestyles By Darrell Bell Gallery

sold

A good photo was hard to get on this one. I find dark images hard to photograph and the colour red is also difficult to accurately capture. Anyway, hopefully the drama comes through. When I delivered the paintings to Lifestyles this was Darrell's favorite. He was immediately drawn to it.

I have stated a few times already that my trip to Georgian Bay was amazing. It really was a dream. What if life afforded a person that kind of unincumbered time to paint day in and day out on a regular basis? Would it be special anymore, or is it made all the sweeter because it is a rare occurrence? All I know is that I am extremely grateful to my family to help me co-ordinate blocks of time to have adventures and focus on my work. My trips this year and my art classes have not been easy on anyone, my kids miss me and my husband has juggled a lot, so I am feeling very fortunate (and a smidge guilty).

So as much as I have raved about the fabulousness of my trip you must be thinking, "But Nicki, was it totally perfect? Surely it couldn't have all gone smoothly." Well, you are right!!! 

At the end of the trip I had made plans to go from Owen Sound to Guelph so I could have a day and night to spend with my sister. I had to transfer buses in Toronto and when we arrived I got my suitcase and headed straight in to the depot to use the facilities. When I came out I began looking for the gate where I was supposed to catch the bus for the trip to Guelph. Nothing. I went to the desk to ask where to go and the man looked at me with shock and panic and said, "You got off at the wrong stop!" I said, "WHAT???"  He said, "You got off one stop too soon, you were supposed to go downtown." I said "WHAT the... what???" He suggested I catch the subway because it would get me downtown in half an hour and I said, "But my bus leaves in half an hour! Should I get a taxi???" He said that was why he thought I should take the subway... it would be quicker than fighting traffic on the streets of TO. He very kindly gave me instructions... verbal and printed out. My first thought was that if they actually have printed out instructions on hand for people like me, this clearly is happening way too often and maybe it is time for the bus drivers to announce their stops!

I hoisted my backpack on my back and whipped out the handle of my rolling suitcase and booked 'er out to the street, across the freeway on the pedestrian over-pass, scrounged $3.00 in change out of the depths of my purse and found the platform where I had to catch the southbound train to St. Patrick. Suddenly, out of desperation, I was the most non-shy person I knew- I was asking random strangers if I was in the right place, which train should get, when would it come and was I going in the right direction. When one girl didn't answer me fast enough I ditched her and asked a business man! Come on people! I had a sister to visit!!! I got on the train and we slowly made the stops leading up to St. Patrick. When we got there I burst out of that tunnel ASAP, but managed to get my suitcase stuck in the turnstile, so I lost a bit of time as I untangled myself. I burst into the daylight with determination- I was not missing this connection! I used all of my intuition and previous Toronto experience to make my best guess as to the direction I was supposed to go and soon enough I was passing a few people that had been on that first bus with me. I felt relief and panic all at once! I appeared to be in the right vicinity, but was I too late? Just to solidify that my internal GPS had me going the right way, I asked another stranger for help; with his confirmation I knew I was hot on the bus depot trail. I wove in and out of the throngs of pedestrians only to bump right into the bus driver who let me get off at the wrong stop!!! I said, "Hi, I clearly got off where I shouldn't have and now I need to know where to go to catch my bus to Guelph." He directed me with absolutely no emotion to the terminal across the street and moved on with his day. I don't know why I was expecting some sort of apology, but he gave me sweet nothin'.

I caught my connection with minutes to spare and now I know what it would be like to be on the Amazing Race!