au nord de notre vie...

...is the title of a record by a well-known (at least during the mid 1970s and early 1980s) Canadian progressive-folk band, Cano. It can be roughly translated as "our life in the north", or maybe "our northern life". And so, during the last week of August, 2005, I found myself in my northern life, my life in the north.

If you have never been to the Canadian East Coast or North Bay, or Algonquin Park in Northern Ontario, there is nothing that can prepare you for the stark beauty of that region. You can get a glimpse of the wind-shaped trees against the barren vistas and the rock formations carved by the visiting tides from the works of the seminal Canadian artists collectively known as the Group of Seven. These paintings capture the all-too real scenery better than any photograph can, capturing the spirit on the north, and the power hidding in these lands.



A week before Labour Day – actually that last weekend in August - I decided to drive up the coast of Maine and into New Brunswick, with the idea of crossing over, either by boat or by driving around, to Nova Scotia. I managed to get to New Brunswick after passing up couple of opportunities to get to Nova Scotia, the first at Bar Harbour, ME, which would have lasted about 4 hours, the other from St. John, NB and into Digby lasting about couple of hours.

Once I got to St. John I was unable to leave. I was running short of time and there were so many places to visit and see. A trip to Nova Scotia would have required another week at the least to do it justice.

I hope the photographs below, alongside some of the Group of Seven paintings, display, even though poorly, the powerfull beauty of the Great North. One can only imagine the emotions such scenery evoked in these artists to allow them to express their wonder through their eyes.