Wild in the Summer
What an amazing summer it’s been so far. July has been a colourful month, many festivals celebrating our lives in the city and in the world. We’re traveling, we’re on the road, cycling, sailing, partying, dancing, looking for adventure…and sometimes we’re just enjoying the breezes. Summer is a time to celebrate with friends and a time to make new friends. Friends are anywhere we find them, sometimes in unexpected places.
We see animals when we look out the window, open the door, and on our daily walks. These feathered and furry creatures come out of the sky, from the trees, up from underground, out of bushes, and into our lives. Toronto’s High Park supports a wide variety of wildlife including bats, ducks, hawks and herons, fish and frogs, and numerous insects including butterflies and bees.
We’re in awe of magnificent large exotic animals--tigers, lions, elephants, bears--but they are distant. The chipmunks, squirrels, sparrows, pigeons, blue jays and cardinals are my favourites. Hold a peanut in your hand and you’ve got a friend.
Great Sphinx was created 2500 BC Contemporary sculpture
Through the ages we’ve taken inspiration from animals. They’ve awakened our creativity and inspired us to express our visions and explore connections to the unknown and beyond. All cultures and individuals create their own images, beliefs, hopes and dreams. Animals will always be beside us helping us as we travel along.
At Courage Drifter, we’ve been inspired to include animal graphics on apparel for toddlers, young kids and college kids in the Wild At Heart collection.
Yes Summer! We’re on the road, going to the country, communing with wildlife, looking for a hammock, reading a book, instant travel. If you’re looking for a good read to take with you this summer, here are a few of my favourites:
When Elephants Weep: The Emotional Lives of Animals. Susan McCarthy
The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate—Discoveries from A Secret World. Peter Wohlleben
A Woman Alone: Travel Tales from Around the Globe. Faith Conlon, Ingrid Emerick, Christina Henry de Tessan
25 wonderful books The 25 Best Books for Animal Lovers.
Travel books 15 Travel Books That Will Change the Way You See the World.
This month we’re off to the country, to county fairs and antiquing! We’re in search of fresh produce, jams and preserves, and we have our eye out for some of those rare ‘old-timey’ fonts - think crates and barrels, and old product labels.
See you at the fair,
Courage Drifter