I am so thrilled to announce the this project has evolved to a new social project which will be officially launched in the spring of 2026.

Dedicate a Canoe is my new incentive to focus on going forward.

The lilredcanoes were only 1 inch long and only had room on the surface for a number.

These new Dedication canoes are 6 inches long with plenty of room for a personal message (30-40 characters)

This project will be free to the public and the only obligation to have you them set free in the Miskwaa Ziibi 

I will be accepting requests all winter and many ready for the spring.

If you or you know someone that this could be beneficial , reach out to me at miskwaa.art@gmail.com

Update on the "Message in a Bottle Canoe

Hi all , well it has been a few years since I had left off with this project and last winter I had thought about the canoe, did it make it to little bald lake ?, did it get snagged in the lily pads at Oakshores Marina ? or just sink     

Well I was very surprised to receive a message from the blog on May 2 2025, that Frank's dog had found the canoe (see Frank's message)                                                                                                          Since receiving his message it has sparked a fire in me to continue this project with a little twist, I will be creating slightly larger canoes to be designated as "Dedication Canoes" 

Stay tuned on details.      

 

Today was the big day for release.

 

Hey all , I decided to release the "Miskwaa Message in a bottle" canoe on April 3 2022 , I felt the spring run off hit it's peak and wanted to give the canoe a fighting chance to at least make it to Little Bald Lake.

I have never explored the almost 2 km of river heading south from my location , so at this point I don't know what challenges it may have to endure.

Above is a short video of the event , can you spot the canoe ? as it starts it's journey.

Almost ready for release.

 Hi all , the river is almost ready for a epic event.

Today is March 25 2022 and I headed down to the river to check on the conditions to release a Miskwaa Message in a Canoe.

We need a few more days of warm spring weather to enhance the river flow.

My target date will be April 1 2022 and if conditions are correct the 1st of many "Miskwaa Message in a Canoe" will be released and the event will be documented , I am looking forward to it.

The river is not ready for canoe release.

 Hey all , March 17 2022 felt like a beautiful spring day , warm and sunny , so I decided to wander down to the river for conditions for possible canoe release , as you can see by the images there is still lots of ice that needs to melt and the river to be more fast flowing before I release my first of many Miskwaa message in a bottle canoes.

Since they are much larger than the original lil red canoes they may be easier to find and for you read the special message in the bottle.

Stay tuned for the release day , in the meantime feel free to read the prior posts located on the right ,maybe catch up right from the beginning of this blog with lots of images/video's and amazing stories from amazing people that participated in the project.

New Miskwaa project for 2022

This video of the Miskwaa Ziibi was filmed spring 2021 and I suspect it will be the same for spring 2022

I am very happy and excited to announce my new Miskwaa project for 2022

 

This is my miskwaa message in a bottle canoe , it is 12 inches long , stained with red wine , carved out with a message in the bottle.

To be released into the Miskwaa Ziibi during the spring 2022 spring run off , watch for images and video.

The last 2 years seems like a blur

 

Hi friends as the title of this post say's "the last couple of years seems like a blur" and to many of us it was , this pandemic has been very challenging for many.

Well going into 2022 I have been thinking about the lil red canoe project and I have decided to bring back the project with a twist.

I am busy in my studio creating new canoes that still will be stained with red wine to maintain the natural element and safe for the environment.

Stay tuned for more images and my concept , it will be unique and exciting.

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.