When I was a kid, I used to play in an old shed in the bush behind our house. I called it "Spooky Hollow" and spent time there building forts, making up imaginative stories, and generally rambling about and enjoying myself. Over the years Spooky Hollow became more and more decrepit, and eventually a tree fell on it, crushing it to the ground. Then, to add insult to injury, a bunch of stinging nettle grew all around the area as if to say, "this spot will never be a place of fun and imagination ever again!"
Spooky Hollow's Rebirth
It felt so wrong to me that Spooky Hollow was brought to this sad and desolate state. I began imagining what it might look like to bring new life to the space. This year, I asked mom and dad if the Spooky Hollow site might not become a lovely off-grid camping zone; even a place to park our campers, or to host woodland campfire parties. My mom, being true to her take-an-idea-and-run-with-it nature, developed Spooky Hollow into a beautiful hidden gem of a campsite, with a creekside beach, a troll bridge, hidden "spooky" artifacts to find in the trees, and a couple of relaxing swings on which a person can kick back and enjoy the view of the oak canopy above. She also spearheaded the idea for hosting an artist retreat there, as she had purchased a bunch of canvas tiles from the Canada Connects Mural Mosaic Global Roots International Arts Project: a perfect platform on which to plan an art retreat.
(Photo credit: Stan Wiebe)
So, we did two art retreats this summer. Participants strolled through the woods, enjoying the beautiful trees and trails and creekside. They learned basic drawing skills, and immediately put them to practice on the Canada Connects Mural canvases. To end each art retreat we ate an artisanal meal around the fire.
I'm so happy to see new life brought to this old beloved place. Spooky Hollow lives on! Maybe next year I should host more of these kinds of events. What do you think?
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