Frank Johnston Sensitive to the Nature of the Hinterland: Toronto and Ste. Marie

1980's watercolour of The Narrows Lighthouse by Frank Johnston

Two watercolours of Ste. Marie Among The Hurons in Midland by Frank Johnston

FRANK JOHNSTON'S TREATMENT OF NATURE SHOWS SENSITIVITY TOWARD THE HINTERLAND

MUSKOKA LAKE LIGHTHOUSE, AT THE NARROWS, HAS BEEN PHOTOGRAPHED AND DEPICTED IN ART, MAYBE A BILLION TIMES?

     I'VE WONDERED ALOUD MANY TIMES, TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY, ABOUT WHAT INSPIRED FRANK JOHNSTON TO PAINT; OUTSIDE OF COURSE, THE OBVIOUS FACT, HE WAS DRAWN TO HERITAGE THEMES, AND THAT INCLUDED NATURAL HERITAGE. HE WAS A PRINT MAKER BY PROFESSION. BEING AN ACCOMPLISHED ARTIST, WHO UNDERSTOOD THE COMMERCIAL VALUE OF HIS TALENT, HE SUCCESSFULLY MERGED THE TWO CRAFTS. I ALSO QUESTION WHAT INFLUENCES ON HIS WORK, IF ANY, HAD BEEN IMPRINTED BY WORKING CLOSELY WITH CONTEMPORARY CANADIAN ARTISTS, LIKE ABSTRACT PAINTER, HAROLD TOWN. THERE IS A PHOTOGRAPH, PUBLISHED IN THE HAROLD TOWN BIOGRAPHY, "HOT BREAKFAST FOR SPARROWS," SHOWING TOWN AND JOHNSTON HOVERING OVER THE PRINTING PRESS, WORKING ON ONE OF HAROLD'S SOON-TO-BE-RELEASED PRINTS. IT IS KNOWN THAT TOWN WAS PERSNICKETY ABOUT THE FINISHED PRINTS, AND IF THERE WAS ANY IMPERFECTION WHATSOEVER, THE PRESS OPERATOR WAS HELD TO ACCOUNT. THERE WERE TENSE OCCASIONS, AND NUMEROUS ARGUMENTS BETWEEN THE TWO, BUT IT WAS ACKNOWLEDGED, REGARDLESS OF NEAR FISTICUFFS, THAT JOHNSTON WAS ONE OF FEW PRINTERS IN CANADA, WHO COULD MAKE THE COPIES OF THE ORIGINAL, NECESSITATE A FINGER TEST, TO CHECK FOR THE PRESENCE OF BRUSH STROKES; WORK AS PERFECT AS TECHNOLOGY, OF THE TIME, WOULD ALLOW. THERE ARE SOME WHO WOULD SAY JOHNSTON MARCHED TO THE BEAT OF HIS OWN DRUM. VERY FEW WHO KNEW HIM, WOULD SAY OTHERWISE. HE WAS THE POSTER BOY, FOR DOING THINGS HIS WAY. TOWN FOUND THIS OUT THE HARD WAY. YOU CAN'T SEE TOWN INFLUENCES, OR ANY TRACE OF THE GROUP OF SEVEN ARTISTS. WHILE MAYBE MORE TRADITIONAL, AND HISTORICAL, IN THAT THEY ARE, IN ESSENCE, OLD SCHOOL WATERCOLORS, AT LEAST TO MODERNISTS, HIS MATE HAROLD TOWN, WOULD CERTAINLY HAVE APPRECIATED, JOHNSTON HAD A MUCH LONG LIST OF CLIENTS WHO ADORED HIS HAUNTING, COLORFUL EFFECTS. IT'S MOST LIKELY THE CASE, JOHNSTON SOLD MANY MORE OF HIS PAINTINGS, DURING HIS LIFETIME, THAN DID TOWN, AND TO SOME DEGREE, THE GROUP OF SEVEN ARTISTS. HE WAS PROLIFIC, BUT GOOD AT THE SAME TIME. HE HAD AUDIENCE APPEAL, EVEN THOUGH HE DIDN'T, AS THEY SAY, PUSH THE ENVELOPE. HE PAINTED WHAT HE LIKED, AND THE ART ADMIRERS OF THE DAY, LIKED WHAT THEY SAW.

     FRANK JOHNSTON COULD HAVE PAINTED THE LITTLE LIGHTHOUSE, AT THE NARROWS, OF MUSKOKA BAY, AND LAKE MUSKOKA, MUCH CLOSER THAN HE CHOSE AS HIS FRAMING. AS WAS WELL NOTED OF THE GRAVENHURST ARTIST'S STYLE, HE ROUTINELY INCLUDED THE SEASONAL FLOURISH OF NATURE IN HIS ART PANELS. THE PROFILE OF THE WELL KNOWN LIGHTHOUSE, IS A CASE IN POINT. INSTEAD OF GOING IN TIGHT ON THE LIGHTHOUSE ITSELF, WITH ONLY WATER AS A BACKGROUND, JOHNSTON WANTED TO MAKE A FULL FRAME LANDSCAPE, SHORT OF A PANORAMA (WHICH HE DID TO A MINOR DEGREE WITH THE TWO "SAINTE MARIE AMONG THE HURONS," IMAGES, (MIDLAND, ONTARIO) RE-PUBLISHED ABOVE. THE LIGHTHOUSE IS STILL CENTRAL TO THE PURPOSE OF THE PICTURE; ALTHOUGH SKILLFULLY IMAGED OFF TO THE LEFT SIDE, BY A HALF INCH. SO EVEN THOUGH THE LIGHTHOUSE IS THE MOST PROMINENT REALITY OF THE WATERCOLOR, THE ARTIST HAS MADE A CLEAR DISTINCTION, THAT IN HIS MIND, THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SCENE, IS THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE BEACON, WITHIN THE LAKELAND. NOT AS A STAND-ALONE HISTORIC LANDMARK. SO IT'S NOT A STUDY OF THIS LIGHTHOUSE, BUT AN ATTRACTIVE LAKELAND SCENE FIRST, THAT YOU WOULD ENJOY LOOKING AT EVEN IF YOU HAD NO INTEREST IN THIS PARTICULAR, SMALL SIZE LIGHTHOUSE. THE PAINTING WAS PRINTED IN 1987. IT WAS A POPULAR PRINT TO GET FRAMED FOR HOME AND COTTAGE. JUST LIKE HIS FAMOUS IMAGE OF THE NORTHLANDER TRAIN, AT THE GRAVENHURST STATION, WHICH WAS SOLD IN LOCAL GIFT SHOPS.

     AS I HAVE FOR LONG AND LONG, BEEN HOOKED ON THE JESUIT AND FIRST NATION'S HERITAGE OF "SAINTE MARIE AMONG THE HURONS," ON THE WYE RIVER, I HAVE TO ADMIT, THAT FRANK JOHNSTON'S TWO WATERCOLORS OF THE ONTARIO HISTORIC SITE, ARE MY FAVORITES. MANY YEARS AGO, I HAD ONE OF THESE WATERCOLORS FRAMED, AND HUNG IN MY OFFICE, WHEN WE LIVED ON GOLDEN BEACH ROAD, IN BRACEBRIDGE. ON THE EVENING BEFORE A MAJOR ANTIQUE AND COLLECTABLE SALE, WE WERE SPONSORING IN THE VILLAGE OF WINDERMERE, (WHEN WE USED TO RENT THE COMMUNITY HALL), I HAD ONE OF THOSE MOMENTS OF CHARACTER WEAKNESS, AS AN ANTIQUE DEALER, AND DECIDED TO INCLUDE THE IMAGE IN THE SALE. I WAS SPOT-ON BECAUSE IT SOLD IN THE FIRST HOUR OF THE SALE. THEN, ALL THAT NEXT MONTH, I KEPT LOOKING FOR IT, WHEN I'D LEAN BACK IN MY OFFICE CHAIR, LOOKING TO IT AS AN OFFICE TRADITION, TO REKINDLE MY CREATIVE ENERGY. IN ORDER FOR ME TO WRITE, EVEN A GROCERY LIST THESE DAYS, I NEED THE CREATURE COMFORTS OF ALLURING ART WORK IN THE PLACE I WORK; WHETHER AT BIRCH HOLLOW OR HERE IN THE MUSIC STUDIO AT OUR MUSKOKA ROAD SHOP. AS I LOVED TO VISIT SAINTE MARIE WITH OUR LADS, I COULD LOOK AT THE JOHNSTON PRINT, AND FEEL AS IF I WAS ON THAT OPPOSITE SHORE OF THE PICTURESQUE WYE RIVER, RECALLING VIRTUALLY STEP BY STEP, THE MANY ENJOYABLE HOURS AND STROLLS THROUGH THE HISTORIC SITE. I CAN EVEN VISUALIZE THE TRAVERSE OF BIRCH BARK CANOES UP TO, AND INTO THE FORT, ON SUMMER AFTERNOONS, AND THAT ALWAYS MADE ME FEEL CONNECTED TO THIS PERIOD IN EARLY CANADIAN HISTORY; AND SUBSEQUENTLY INSPIRED TO BECOME A JESUIT, AT LEAST IN MY MIND. AT THE TIME, I WAS PROBABLY WRITING A GENERAL COLUMN, THAT HAD NO CONNECTION TO THE SITE, BUT THIS DIDN'T MATTER. LOOKING UP AT SAINTE MARIE, AS JOHNSTON HAD INTERPRETED IT, WAS LIKE GAWKING OUT AN OPEN WINDOW ONTO THE PAST, AND FEELING REAL GOOD ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO. THE PROVERBIAL BREATH OF FRESH AIR! AFTER A RESPITE, I COULD RETURN TO MY TASK FEELING REJUVENATED. IT'S NOT A VERY THOROUGH DESCRIPTION, I KNOW, AS I FIND IT DIFFICULT TO SUMMARIZE IN A FEW WORDS; AN OPINION THE SOLE PROPERTY OF THE ART PATRON, WHICH IS DIFFERENT FOR ALL WHO VIEWS THE PAINTING(S). I'M HEAVILY INFLUENCED BY MY OWN KEEN INTEREST IN THESE SAINTE MARIE SCENES. ALL I KNOW, AND CAN WRITE ABOUT WITH SOME CERTAINTY, IS THAT HIS PROFILES BRING ME TO THE PLACE I WANT TO BE! HIS IS THE CHRONICLE WORK, THAT HAUNTS ME TO INFILL THE BLANKS. IF THERE WAS EVER AN ARTIST, I WISH I COULD HAVE WRITTEN A BOOK WITH, IT WAS FRANK JOHNSTON.

     I EVENTUALLY REPLACED THE PICTURE WITH AN AUTUMN LANDSCAPE, BUT WHEN I SAW THE TWO HURONIA SCENES, THAT CAME WITH THE WATERCOLOR PRINTS GIVEN TO ME, BY THE JOHNSTON FAMILY LAST WEEK, I WAS SPEECHLESS WHEN THEY HANDED ME THE TWO SAINTE MARIE IMAGES. I WAS THRILLED WITH THE ONE I OWNED PREVIOUSLY, AND NOW I HAVE TWO, AS YOU CAN VIEW ABOVE TODAY'S BLOG. ONE THING'S FOR SURE, THE MAGIC IS STILL THERE, AND I WILL NEVER PART COMPANY AGAIN. AND SUZANNE AND I ARE GOING TO STEAL AWAY ONE DAY SOON, TO VISIT SAINTE MARIE ONCE AGAIN. MAKE A DAY OUT OF THIS HISTORY-LOVING THING.

     ONE OF THE ASPECTS OF THE BROADER PERSPECTIVE, AS PRESENTED BY JOHNSTON, IS THAT IT IS A WINTER SCENE, AND MOST OTHER PROMOTIONAL IMAGES OF SAINTE MARIE, ARE OF SUMMER SCENES. I ALSO VERY MUCH LIKE THE FACT, JOHNSTON HAS MADE IT LOOK LIKE AN ORIGINAL WATERCOLOR, MORE SO THAN A PRINT. THIS TAKES CONSIDERABLE TALENT. THE SECOND IMAGE, OF THE HURON ENCAMPMENT, WITHIN THE WALLS OF SAINTE MARIE, IS ALSO VERY REMINISCENT FOR ME, AS THIS IS THE AREA I'M MOST LIKELY TO DAWDLE, WITH EXCEPTION OF THE BLACKSMITH'S SHOP, WHERE HONESTLY, I COULD SPEND AN ENTIRE DAY, WATCHING RED HOT IRON BEING POUNDED INTO AN EXPLOSION OF SPARKS, TO MAKE USEFUL IMPLEMENTS. I ESPECIALLY ENJOY THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLORE THE LONGHOUSE, PICTURED ON THE RIGHT SIDE, WITH WHAT APPEARS TO BE A JESUIT COMING OUT OF THE STRUCTURE. THIS MIDLAND HERITAGE, OF COURSE, GOES BACK TO THE MIDDLE YEARS OF THE 1600'S, AND DID OUTREACH AS FAR AS THE SOUTHERN REGION, OF THE DISTRICT OF MUSKOKA; AS IT IS SPECULATED THE MUCH SMALLER MISSION, SAINTE ELIZABETH, WAS SITUATED BETWEEN WASHAGO AND SEVERN BRIDGE, AND EXTENSION OF THE OUTREACH OF THE MISSIONARIES, TO THE AREA OCCUPIED IN THE SUMMER MONTHS, BY THE ALGONQUINS. IT'S JUST A COMPELLING AND FASCINATING ASPECT OF OUR REGIONAL HERITAGE, THAT ONLY A SMALL PORTION OF THE PERMANENT POPULATION REALIZE AND CARE ABOUT. I CAN ONLY EXPLAIN, MY OWN RESPECT FOR THIS HISTORY, BY THE FACT I WAS HAULED OFF TO HERITAGE SITES BY MY PARENTS, AT A YOUNG AGE, AND IT IMPRINTED ALL THE WAY INTO MY SOUL. I'M GLAD MY PARENTS DID THIS FOR ME, INCLUDING AN EARLY MOTOR TRIP THEY TOOK, TO SEE SAINTE MARIE AND MARTYRS SHRINE. WHAT A DEBT OF GRATITUDE WE OWE THE HISTORICAL COMMUNITY, FOR BRINGING THIS SITE BACK TO ITS FORMER PROMINENCE, ON THE SHORE OF THE WYE RIVER. AND THANKS SO MUCH TO FRANK JOHNSTON FOR CREATING THESE WATERCOLOR IMAGES, FOR FOLKS LIKE ME TO ENJOY AT HOME. IT SURE PEAKS MY SENSORY PERCEPTION. I CAN EVEN SMELL THE SMOKE COMING FROM THAT BLACKSMITH'S SHOP. YUP, I WISH I WAS THERE RIGHT NOT. I ALSO FEEL THE TELL TALE TUGGING OF SUZANNE ON MY ARM, WHICH I HAVE GROWN ACCUSTOMED, WHEN I DWELL TOO LONG AT A PLACE, OR ON A SUBJECT. RIGHT NOW, FOR EXAMPLE, SHE IS TELLING ME TO FOLD UP MY LAPTOP, BECAUSE A STUDENT LESSON HAS NOW ARRIVED AT THE DOOR OF THE STUDIO. OOPS. I HAVE OVERSTAYED MY WELCOME ONCE AGAIN.

     I FEEL RELAXED IN THE COMPANY OF FRANK JOHNSTON'S ART WORK. SOME ARTISTS WOULD BE INSULTED, TO RECEIVE SUCH A BLAND CRITIQUE, AS THEY MIGHT WELL PREFER, HAVING THEIR PATRONS, CLAIMING TO BE MORE PROFOUNDLY IMPACTED BY THE SUBJECT ART. I APOLOGIZE TO THE MEMORY OF MR. JOHNSTON, BUT HIS WORK MAKES ME FEEL GOOD, AND CHERISH THE HERITAGE AROUND US. I FEEL PARTICULARLY MOVED BY THE WAY HE INCORPORATES THE NATURAL WORLD INTO HIS HERITAGE STUDIES. IT'S THE PRECISE WAY I VIEW HISTORY, AND HOW I HAVE ALWAYS WORKED IN THIS FIELD. WHEN I USED TO VISIT SOME OF MUSKOKA OLDEST HOMESTEADS, AND THE LOG RUINS OF COLLAPSED SHANTIES, IT WAS THE LANDSCAPE THAT REPRESENTED AT LEAST HALF OF EVERY OVERVIEW I WROTE. THE HOMESTEAD FARM WAS THE FUSION OF HINTERLAND AND THE PIONEER WILL TO TRANSFORM FOREST INTO ARABLE LAND, FOR THE PURPOSES OF AGRICULTURE. SO EACH TIME I VIEW ONE OF THE GRAVENHURST ARTIST'S PANELS, I'M REMINDED OF MY OWN VALUES AS A REGIONAL HISTORIAN. A TIGHT PROFILE OF THE LOG CABIN, OR THE WOOD FRAME FARMHOUSE OR BARN, WOULDN'T APPEAL TO ME, IN THE SAME WAY. THE HINTERLAND, AS ROUGH AND ISOLATED AS IT WAS, HERE IN THE MUSKOKA WILDS, WAS AN INTEGRAL COMPONENT OF THE PYSCHE, FOR THOSE EARLY SETTLERS; SEEING AGRICULTURE AS THE ONLY AFFORDABLE MEANS TO SUSTENANCE; AND THEN REALIZING, THAT BY A FICKLE TWIST OF FATE, A WICKED WINTER STORM COULD FREEZE THEM TO DEATH, IF THEY'D BEEN CAUGHT LOW ON FIREWOOD. AS NATURE COULD PROVE DEADLY, IT WAS THE SOURCE OF SUSTENANCE. THIS, IN MY OPINION, IS WHAT I ADMIRE MOST ABOUT FRANK JOHNSTON'S TRADITION, OF BRINGING ALL THE ELEMENTS TOGETHER, TO MAKE A MORE HISTORIC, NATURAL, HONEST, AND INTERESTING DEPICTION; SHORT ON EMBELLISHMENT, BIG ON ENCOMPASSING REALITIES. SO WHEN I ADMIT TO BEING RELAXED BY HIS ART WORK, THIS BY ALL MEANS, IS THE HIGHEST COMPLIMENT I CAN PAY; BECAUSE I AM SURROUNDED BY ART AND NATURE EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE, THANKS TO ARTISTS LIKE FRANK JOHNSTON. I KNOW WHAT I LIKE, AND WHAT MAKES ME WORK THROUGH TOUGH PATCHES, WHEN CREATIVE ENTERPRISE IS DRAINED. I NEED THE COMPANY OF ARTISTS. THAT'S ALL THERE IS TO IT!

     THANKS FOR JOINING ME TODAY, FOR ANOTHER GLIMPSE AT THE ART WORK OF FORMER GRAVENHURST ARTIST, FRANK JOHNSTON. TOMORROW, WE'LL TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT HIS LANDSCAPE PAINTINGS, SOMETHING HE WAS NOT AS WELL KNOWN FOR, BUT STILL, HIGHLY ACCOMPLISHED.

Original Works By Frank Johnston

I am so pleased that the family of former Gravenhurst resident, Frank Johnston, has contacted me in the past few months, to lend support to a project biography, to showcase the late artist's work. I have been working on this biography for some time now, and I've received several generous offers of assistance from members of the artist's family, bolstered with many samples of his art work, and remembrances of times spent with him, at his Gravenhurst home / studio. Most recently, a grandson contacted me, with the offer of information for the biography, currently in progress, and two watercolor paintings Frank did of Toronto quite a few years ago. He was known in Gravenhurst, as the painter who had created the fabulous heritage studies of the steamship industry operating from Muskoka Wharf on Muskoka Bay…..that hung in the former Sloan's Restaurant on Muskoka Road. For the Sloan family, Frank Johnston did all their art work for advertisements, their menus, beverage list, and place mats. I believe he did the same for Ascona Place, and other Muskoka area businesses. He was a prolific commercial artist, and was well known for his greeting cards, he printed on his home press, and I have a special one, for Christmas, sent to me, as editor of The Herald-Gazette, from the then Treasurer of Ontario, Frank Miller, MPP for Muskoka-Parry Sound.

     What so many people, including his friends, didn't know at the time, was that Frank Johnston had worked as a print-maker for quite a few accomplished Canadian artists, first from his home in Picton, Ontario, where he was associated with Group of Eleven abstract artist, Harold Town. Town was immensely fussy about his art prints, and he knew Johnston was the master at his trade. As I mentioned previously, his work is mentioned in the book, "Hot Breakfast for Sparrows," the biography of Harold Town, as written by Iris Nowell. There is a photograph in the book of Town and Johnston laboring over the presses, late in the night, trying to get Town's perfect copies. Nothing else would do. There are also numerous references to the trips with Town and David Silcox aboard his cherished sailboat, the "Cara Mia," which was for years, tarped at the side of Johnston's house. As a biographer…..I would love to have been on that boat's deck for those get-togethers of Canadian art experts. Silcox, one of Canada's well known art historians, wrote the book, "Tom Thomson; The Silence of the Storm," with Harold Town. I have been promised a portrait of Frank Johnston done by Town, now in the possession of family. As a matter of minor irony, Johnston did my portrait for Hugh Clairmont, when the publication known as "Muskoka Today" was launched, that was used for my twice monthly column entitled, "Hometown Advantage." Hugh and Frank were good friends; and with his power of persuasion, Hugh was also able to get all the columnists illustrated this way……..and we were all honored to have this talented artist depict us for this new regional publication.

     While I probably repeat myself a lot in these blogs, I really do need to reiterate the connections I've made because of my assorted professions. The fact that I'm a writer most of the time, an historian some of the time, and an antique dealer wedged in between the other two, means that I am exposed to history, the arts, and antiquities, sometimes in the same conversation with a customer standing in our shop. I've been enjoying this connectedness for the past three and a half decades, and it certainly hasn't done me any harm. It has broadened my awareness of regional history especially. One of my very good customers, for about five years, at Birch Hollow Antiques, in Bracebridge, was Miss Audrey Judd, a former nurse, but best known as a member of the family, who were proprietors of the famous Lake Rosseau resort, known as Juddhaven. Audrey was a hobby historian herself, and I was a Muskoka history buff who readily admitted he didn't know it all. She was so incredibly patient, explaining how the resort developed and operated over the years, and characterized the regular customers, who stayed there year after year over the summer months. I never got bored of her stories. I benefitted from her knowledge, of what it was like growing up so intimate to the tourist industry, and identifying the differences between then and the modern era of the tourism economy. I was so happy to introduce her to my many Muskoka collector friends and customers, who were also spellbound by her charming personality, and insightful reminiscences. There were times we'd have four collectors at the same time, being regaled by Miss Judd, and we all benefitted from her generosity of information. This was never put into a book but should have been.

     The antique shop sales counter attracts a lot of elbows, a fair amount of posturing, historical banter, societal gossip, and collecting updates. We used to have so many entertaining conversations about our latest foibles, our best finds that week or month, and of course the tall, tall tales. I have made reference to the "LIARS CLUB," from a column once written by Toronto Sun columnist, Paul Rimstead, about his frequent visits to a favorite bar in Mexico, where he had travelled to, in order to work on his first novel. He had other assignments there as well, but largely, it was to explore his creative side……and we already knew how good he was as a daily columnist. He had one of the largest audiences of any columnist in Canada at the time. The LIAR'S Club, was really just a name for the afternoon debating society, and the folks who got in on the discussions daily…..good friends, trying to figure out the meaning of life. In the next few blogs, I'd like to share some memories, and even a few current events, where for me, the "LIARS club" of Rimstead's time, was replicated and paralleled for me, in whatever antique shop location I had at the time. Part of each day, for each week and each month, was spent in conversation with some pretty interesting folks…..who I dare say did know the meaning of life…….and now many of them are deceased. Did they leave this mortal coil knowing these truths? I hope so. They left me with a lot of wisdom, so I hope they put me on the right track for hitting those pearly gates with pomp and ceremony. I can't really explain, just how those friendships in the antique trade influenced my life thus far…..other than to say, profoundly so! Mine was not a bar, and the only beverage we had on the go, would have been coffee and soda pop. So we didn't get drunk and slobber on each other, about love lost and missed opportunity. Instead, we talked about history, particularly the Second World War, because we had numerous military collectors who used to visit and hang-out. It as like a history lesson every time they showed up…..individually, or by happenstance, as a group. I didn't like history lessons at school, but I sure enjoyed them over the counter of my antique shop. I also had the opportunity to handle hundreds of rare pieces of military history, including medals and uniforms, and it was the kind of hands-on experience, that was making a curator out of me by immersion. But we also debated and that was good sport. 

     It was great to have you drop by again for a visit. I hope you like the Frank Johnston paintings published at the top of today's blog. There are lots more to come in the future. I appreciate your ongoing support, and believe it or not, I'm always trying to improve this blog for your entertainment. It's been a hell of an adventure, since the first of November, 2012, when I began writing daily and with only a few exceptions, have been at this keyboard every day of the week ever since. I will be re-starting my "Muskoka as Walden" site by the Ist of April, with the assistance of the fine photographic work of Fred Schulz, a life-long resident of Kilworthy and Gravenhurst, one of the media veterans I trust most to represent the character of this magnificent region of Ontario. When we commence the writing / photographic partnership in early April, I will let you know via this blogsite. This is my own creative outlet, as it was for several years previous. I had to defer from it for awhile, in order to get this blog up and running successfully. It has now surpassed 70,000 hits since I began, with six hundred hits per evening. I am truly humbled. With monthly readership for my other columns, in "Curious; The Tourist Guide," (online as well as newsstands), and "The Great North Arrow," I am feeling honored but a tad overwhelmed by all the attention and emails…..and a little scared by the responsibilities of coming up with fresh and interesting material every day of the week. I appreciate your patience with a veteran writer, trying to gather up all the poop of a lifetime spent in good and stimulating company……in a fabulously exciting profession….or three. See you again soon. It looks to be a warm and wet week. Get out there and welcome the preamble to spring…….before we have a late season snow…..which is, of course, a tradition in Muskoka.