Yes, more OWH eye candy and some travel shots!

Hi Everyone.  Happy Thursday.

Since, some of you were so encouraging about the travel photos on my last post, I thought I would share a couple more with you.  Before I do that, though, I do want to share some more OWH teaser cards with you.

Many of us who have submitted cards for OWH have a) created them from scratch, b) CASE'd someone's card c) repurposed swap cards d) got friends to provide cards.  It doesn't matter whether they were our own creations or any of the above options, the troops will appreciate them – as will their families. 

When I chose the cards to feature on my blog, I have no way of knowing which of the cards came from which option.  So, if you see a card on my blog that was CASEd from, or inspired by, one of your fabulous works, please understand that the intent isn't to claim the work as my own – or even assume that it is the original work of the wonderful ladies who have contributed to this card drive.  I provide these photographs to showcase beautiful cards and to give credit to the people who submitted them.  If you see a card idea that belongs to you, let me know and I will be happy to give you credit.  🙂

Now, for tonight's fabulous cards.

Let's start with Cam.  I'd also like to especially thank Cam who has supported just about every single card drive I have done.  Whether it was for OWH, sick children or women and children in shelters!  That's a lot of support 🙂

I saw this CAS fabulous card from Cam and it reminded me of walking through a meadow in mid-summer and disturbing butterflies!

I love the repetition and overlay of the butterflies.  What adds more interest and helps to ground the butterflies is the three horizontal panels.  They add to the feel of movement and add horizontal interest.  The rounded corners of these panels echo the rounded corners of the butterflies.  The little flower with the pearl helps to move the eye to the sentiment.  The colors are rich and regal and the composition fabulous.   Gorgeous!

Then we move on to Lynne's fabulous card.  

I love the embossed layer and the black frame pops off it.  The gorgeous stamping underneath the vellum is soft and ethereal.  The vellum adds a layer of mystery to the overall image and softens the bright colors underneath.  This really helps the Miss You sentiment to pop off the page.  The addition of the twine with the vintage faceted button adds an even more tactile feel to the card and the twine complements the woodgrain embossing.  Gorgeous!

I still have a couple more teaser cards to share with you later this week.

On a personal note:

If you my read this post, you will know that I fell in love with Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia.  I wanted to share another shot I took whilst we were there.

This little inlet is so pretty and the water so clear and clean.  The whole village is so picturesque, and yet it is a working fishing village.  People haven't dressed the village as a stage set, it is what it is.  However, it cannot help to be picturesque and camera perfect! 🙂

We left the perfect weather of Peggy's Cove and began our drive back to Halifax.  We turned one corner and suddenly the world went dark.  As we were driving past I managed to capture a couple of photos from the fast moving coach.

I love this shot.  You wouldn't believe that it was around 11.30 in the morning!  The bottom left is the capture of a tree as we drove past.  Everything else is still and serene, just the movement captured in the bottom of the photo.   I love the way the clouds are reflected in the still lake.

A few minutes later, the sun was starting to try to break through, and we saw yet another picturesque spot!

From the picturesque beauty of the beach and lakeside, we went to Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax.  The sun was shining and the day perfect.  It seemed so strange standing reading this sign on such a beautiful day.

It wasn't until we looked at tours to do from our ship that I was even aware of the connection of Halifax with the Titanic.  You can read the story of Halifax and Titanic at this link.  I was struck by how many visitors the cemetery has each year and how quiet and respectful everyone seemed to be.  Most of us listened to the guide, or quietly walked around and looked at the grey granite headstones that reflected a name, if known, and a number; a number that was assigned as the body was recovered.   The Coroner's files contained very detailed notes on each of the bodies recovered.  Those notes have allowed some of the remains to be identified in recent years. 

As I walked up and down the rows of gravestones, I noticed the placement of white carnations.  They had been placed very recently by some unknown person and most of them were placed on gravestones that had no name associated with them.  That quiet act over 100 years later helped me to remember that there are some very caring people in this world.

As I walked away from the area containing the Titanic victims, I saw this very simple rememberance.  It has nothing to do with the Titanic victims, it is just the grave of a man and a woman who, to the rest of us who visit, will always be known simply as:

I found the simplicity of it rather beautiful and it reminded me of a discussion I had with my mother when I was still a young girl, probably around 7 or 8.  We were walking home from town and I asked to go visit the cemetery at a local church.  We walked around and read the gravestones and I remarked on how some of the wording on the gravestones had almost worn off and how hard they were to read.   My mother responded by saying that she thought it totally appropriate that the words should slowly disappear over the passage of time.  It took me a good few years to understand what she meant by that.

The whole visit to the Fairview Lawn cemetery didn't last very long, but it really cemented the stories of those who had died aboard the Titanic.  It also made me think about the three things that had occured near this city, with a population of around 300,000 and how they had been called upon 3 times in the last century to help others that were affected by events over which they had no control.   The recovery of the bodies after the sinking of the Titanic.  The recovery of the bodies after the crash of Swissair flight 111 and then on September 11 2001, they found accommodation for the people on 69 planes that were diverted when all flights in, out and around the US were grounded.   A pretty amazing legacy for a reasonably remote part of North America.  Nova Scotia is definitely on our list of places to revisit. 

As always, thank you for your visits and your comments.  They are always much appreciated.  Warm hugs and prayers for those of you who need a little lift tonight.

Hugs

Jaydee