Behold, my friends, the spring is come; the earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love!
The Orchard Pruners 11X14
Now that I have temporarily moved back to my hometown after nineteen years of being away I am seeing the place in a whole new light.
First thing: This place has changed. Growing up, kids on bikes ruled the streets. In summer, it was the best place to be and we moaned and groaned when we had to go to Alberta to visit my grandparents. I mean, We were leaving black cherry, apricot, plum and peach trees behind, swimming in the lake everyday, jumping off the train docks, stealing apples from the packing house. Our friends also rode their bikes wearing the uniform of summer, a T-shirt and bathing suit and the ever present towel hanging around one's neck.
The farmer, who wasn't meant to look like anyone in particular, but kind of looks like my Dad's friend in Australia, or my old boss in the UAE.
Nowadays,The packing house is closed, the train docks are long gone. Our orchards are being switched up for vineyards, which meant less blossoms this year. But it also means that the type of tourism had changed as well, with older crowds coming to enjoy the wineries. There are far less kids on bikes than I remember growing up. But there are still some fruit trees so I'll make sure to go sit in an apricot tree in my bathing suit and throw the pits at my sister when apricot season rolls around! Just like old times!
This Golden Lab actually has a name, Nugget! A happy dog that had a penchant for sticks, I'm told!
About The Orchard Pruners
I actually rode my scooter around in the cold weather to stalk pruners to see what they were wearing, and this is pretty much it. I was trying to find something that showed the changing of the seasons, from winter to spring, and this was the best example I could come up with- pruners, still dressed for the cold but no longer in winter jackets, prepping the trees for the coming season.
The French Canadien! A staple of a good summer in Naramata.
You might wonder why the guy on the right is wearing a Montreal Canadiens Jersey. It's true, I painted this when the Canadiens were still in the Stanley Cup, but finished it after they lost. But the real reason that he is wearing the Habs shirt is because keeping with the traditions of my childhood, the orchards are filling up with young French Canadian hippies who come to live in tents and pick the fruit in the summer. Oh yes! They've already arrived. I saw them down at Manitou with their Quebec license plates, blasting French Acadian music across the lawn from their car, playing hacky-sack and drinking beer. Just like the days of my childhood!
xxMelanie