Last post on the lil red canoe project.

 Hi friends and thank you for following my blog on the lil red canoe project, it has been a lot of fun , I didn't reach my 999 lil red canoes released goal but went further than originally planned at 99 and that is okay , in total 350 has been released and not one has been reported found.

Stay tuned for another upcoming project planned for 2021 ,

Everyone stay safe .

Paddle On, My Friend

It is with a heavy heart I am posting this today.

On Sunday July 19 2020 a true friend and inspiration to me passed away and I needed to gather my thoughts and the great times we had together , sharing stories of our adventures in our younger years of canoeing the lakes and rivers of Ontario.
Although we only met a few short years ago , we had an instant connection .
I had the fortune to have a art show with Neil Broadfoot a couple of years back and we had dreams of starting a new group of artists , this was not to be.
So , today I released a lil red canoe dedicated to Neil and may he paddle on.

Safe travels and many adventures lil one.

April 19 2020 Jodie

Hi friends I had a request from Pam ,a facebook friend to dedicate a lil red canoe for Jodie

Here is what she wrote:

I would like to dedicate it to Jodie,. Jodie is our fearless leader at Community Care Buckhorn who has organized food shopping and free delivery to 57 area seniors weekly and has a group of volunteers who spend nearly 4 hours daily doing wellness checks on our seniors.

 I have never had the opportunity to met Jodie , however it's the giving for others in need during this time of uncertainty that makes her a friend of mine.

again ,if you can think of someone to dedicate a canoe to be released , all I need is a first name and reason why ?

As you can see Jodie's lil red canoe wasted no time heading down the river to begin its travels and adventures,

April 18 2020 Spring at the Miskwaa

.A good friend of mine named Kellie wished to have a lil red canoe dedication

This is what she wrote :

."let's dedicate this canoe to Spring...to new beginnings...new light and hope. Let's dedicate it to ourselves...for being so strong...and to all those we know...and don't know...for being equally so. Let's send it down river...on a wing and a prayer...that it finds its way...whichever way that may be...because that is life...taking us whichever it may be...and we are there...simply going for the ride...living and learning along the way. Peace out. "

and here are some video of the lil red canoe's journey

🛶💜

April 12 2020 Earth

Hi friends it has been few days since my last post
I have dedicated and released lil red canoes for my Town , my Country and today I dedicated a canoe to our planet Earth.
The turmoil and pain of the world' s population has been really challenging and some days its difficult to cope , the unknown of how the world as we knew it , is transformed.
I try and stay positive,

April 7 2020 , No lil red canoe released today.

Hi friends , no lil red canoe was dedicated or released today

Again if you wish to have a lil red canoe dedicated and released , please leave a comment , I would be happy to do so , this applies to anyone in the world.

 Today I decided to post a short video of the river were the lil red canoes start their journey's  enjoy

April Six 2020 , A proud Canadian

Today I dedicated a lil red canoe to Canada , we are a proud nation from the Atlantic to the Pacific

As we continue to be strong against this horrible virus that is attacking humanity all over the globe.

The lil red canoe will continue on its journey down the Miskwaa Ziibi river and may possibly wash up on a beach anywhere on the planet.

safe travels little one

April 5 2020 Bobcaygeon

Hi friends , I am dedicating a lil red canoe on behalf of what I call my town of Bobcaygeon, even though I wasn't born there and its only been close to 4 years since we moved to Trent Lakes it is just a short 10 minute drive to Bobcaygeon , its the warm friendly people that makes it joy to live in a small town.

Safe travels lil one.

April 4 2020 KLRR

This post is dedicated to the staff and residence's of Kawartha Lakes Retirement Residence.

I had the fortune of bringing the residence's a art show prior to all this craziness in the world

I met a lot of wonderful people , shared stories the show was for 2 days , an experience I will never forget and hoping to bring them another show when it is safe to do so.

Safe travels and many adventures lil one.

April 3 2020 lil red canoe with no name

Today was an emotional day for me.
With the barrage of media constantly throwing numbers in our faces of reported cases and deaths , everyone please take a moment , these are not just numbers , they are people suffering and dying all around the globe every second.
They are Fathers , Mothers , Grandparents , Sons and Daughters , all with a name , if I had my way I would dedicate a lil red canoe for each and everyone , for me one person this would be impossible to achieve .
Therefore I released a lil red canoe with no name , this one represents all the beautiful souls that are no longer with us.
The lil red canoe does not recognize , race , gender and most of all boundaries
All we can do is carry their memories in our hearts as this little piece of wood soaked in red wine begins its journey down a small river located in Trent Lakes Ontario to anywhere in the world.

Safe travels lil one.

April 2 2020 Pinecrest

H friends , wishing everyone to stay Safe and Positive , I am

With the world in so much pain and unknown what tomorrow may bring all we can do as the human race is to reflect on how surreal life has become and how it will be in the future.

Today I set another lil red canoe free in the river and this one was dedicated to P.N.H.  Pinecrest Nursing Home located in Bobcaygeon (I call home) which has been and continues to be affected with this Covid19 indiscriminate virus , and what hurts the most is we can't even begin to heal as the world is ravaged hourly.

Above is a series of images as I released the lil red canoe for all the beautiful souls lost at Pinecrest , R.I.P.

April 1 2020 Jean P.

Hi friends ,  I post this with a heavy heart.

As the world tries to cope with the ongoing pandemic from the Corona Covid 19 virus it has touched my life.

I will be sending lil red canoes down the river in dedication of people that have touched my life one way or another.

I will also  welcome anyone that wants me to set one free on their behalf.

again I respect privacy.

So today I dedicated and released a lil red canoe for Jean P , a beautiful caring person I had the fortune of meeting in Jan 2020 , as you may not know I also create Mini Miskwaa Canoes that are 5 inches long , stained and some have landscapes burned on the sides and are for sale , however the lil red canoes are not.

Jean P. commissioned me to create one that resembled her fathers canoe with many fond childhood memories and she has since donated the canoe to the Canadian Canoe Museum many years ago.

When it was completed she visited my studio , spent time by the river and was overwhelmed by its beauty , fell in love with the canoe I had made for her and said she will treasure it.

                                          Here is a image of Jean's Mini Miskwaa Canoe

I never had the opportunity to really get to know Jean , but what I do know it that she was an amazing artist.

so now her lil red canoe has been set free to explore the Miskwaa Ziibi river 

March 27 2020

Hi friends hoping everyone is staying safe and healthy , we will prevail.

I have been thinking about how to approach  the project starting April 1 2020.

I am thinking of start naming and releasing canoes with a story , at first I will release canoes about people and pets that have impacted my life .

In the meantime please enjoy a few images of the last remaining ice at the river.

March 24 2020

Hi everyone , hope all is well with everyone.
I took a few moments to review prior posts from last summer and it made me smile

I have been busy in my studio creating new "lil red canoes"
they are now 3" long , having more room on the bottom to burn names only
they are still soaked in red wine to be environmentally friendly and give them the unique red colour

Here is a updated image and as you can see the fleet is growing daily.

Again wishing everyone good health in this very difficult time.

March 21 2020

As the world is under a lot of pressure in these trying times , now is the time to reflect and evolve the new normal , this pandemic will pass , and a new one may evolve and be more prepared.

My lil red canoe is a social project and will continue to be just that with precautions.

Like the world has evolved so has the lil red canoe.

They are slightly larger , 3 inches , they are still hand crafted in pine , soaked in red wine and burned.

The reason I decided to make them larger is to have the space on the bottom available to burn a first name only and no number , ( I will continue to compile statistics on the numbers) again this project will remain free for anyone the requests one to be set free.

So Starting April 1 2020 , I will have plenty of them ready to begin their journey's down the Miskwaa ziibi river to anywhere in the world through the Trent system.

Here is the 1st new "Lil Red Canoe"

March 19 2020

Hey everyone , it has been a long winter, I will be starting up the lil red canoe project again this spring

Starting April 1 2020 , I will be releasing little canoes with a new twist going into 2020

The canoes will be a little larger at 3 inches long , still will be soaked in red wine , however not numbered , the visitors can have a name burned on the bottom , and this will be done upon request.

Stay tuned for more interesting stories and images.

January 1 2020 Day 169

It has been a few days since my last post
Its a new year and I had some time to head down to the river and release lil red canoe #232

The project will be suspended over the winter months , it is very dangerous for me to get to close to the river to release a lil canoe.

In the meantime peruse the prior posts and the project will resume in the spring and summer and many more lil red canoes will be released and maybe some will be found