1.25.2010

What a Good Boyfriend I Am

So a month and a half ago ago, Steven and I were at a junk shop a few towns over and discovered the strangest thing: a detailed painting of the harbor in Seal Cove, our favorite town on the tiny island of Grand Manan. I mean, this is a tiny town on an even tinier island -- it simply is not known unless you've been there. And Steven was overjoyed.

But the painting is huge. And ugly, I argued. Where was it going to go? We left empty-handed, except I had a grumpy Steven on my hands. So then, how is it that we find it now on the wall of his office?



Well, my soon to be sister-in-law Danielle was kind enough to take me back to the junk store, and we searched the whole place, up and down, but no Seal Cove painting. Dejected, we decided to shop anyway, and then entirely by chance, wedged behind a dresser, there it was:



This is such a pretty little town, and I've even started half not-hating the painting. It was worth suffering through a bad painting to see how pleased Steven was. And besides, I miss the real place, and the painting has a certain Rousseau-charm.

The buildings at water's edge used to be canneries for scallops and mackerel. Today they are empty and rusting away, and look like this:



Almost Shaker, no? So foursquare. A utilitarian Venice:



And the levels of water are similarly variable. The same buildings, a few hours later:



The idea of canned seafood has never appealed, but I would buy anything packaged like this:



These are antique labels from Seal Cove, found stuffed in the walls of an abandoned cannery:



But mostly I will remember Seal cove from the water, getting smaller every moment as we pulled out to sea ...



to visit these fellows:

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great boyfriend, great gift!

Would also LOVE your support on the ELLE DECOR window I did for the Big Window Challenge this year with Apartment Therapy. Check it out at - http://www.bigwindowchallenge com. As we all know, AT doesn’t make it easy, but you can vote TWICE a day, once online and the other by texting “1” to 89800.

Your support means the world to me!!

Xo
Eddie

kiki said...

Wow, this town is pretty dreamy, I would love to move into one of those old canneries and make a studio....!

Nick Heywood said...

Kiki,

I'm right there with you on the desire to settle a little studio into one of the lovely canneries, and it's very possible. It wouldn't even set you back more than maybe 200,00 USD (Atlantic Canada is frightfully cheap, and much less mucked up than Maine).

But shhhhhh, we don't want too many people to figure it out.

Victoria Thorne said...

something about the little (big) painting creeps strangely into heart...

such savory images you have here! a delight, a colorful thrill (with such intellect: joy!)

& thanks

Anonymous said...

What a amazing and beautiful painting. I love sailboat in it.

-Zane of ontario honey

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Thanks for commenting on Nick Haus! I look forward to seeing what you have to say. Unfortunately, I had to stop taking Anonymous comments -- too much spam, too much vituperative. Come out from behind the curtain, ye nasty Anonymous! Everyone else, please, I love to hear from you.

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