For every person who has loved and lost. If you are feeling lonely, know that you are not alone.  This episode is in loving memory of Peter Wiwcharyk, my grandpa and our time together, here on earth - on Lake Abernathy in Northwestern Ontario. 

This episode of TABLE TALK with Dee Lysak takes us back in time with a retrospective, centred around the theme of water. It also comments on current events and the calamity and chaos of climate change.  The larger over arching conversation suggests that "art" can invite action, from all of us. Action that seeks uncommon solutions for the common good.

Before I sign off, a special thank you to Bill Stunden and Daniel Jordan.  Bill is a master recorder and editor.  And, the lyrics and music of Daniel Jordan brings everyone, from near and far away, to the eastern shores of Lake of the Woods!

Happy listening...

My years are divided into two seasons: Camping and waiting for camping… For many months, here in Ontario’s North the colour white dominates. White is an achromatic colour, literally a colour without hue, that is a mixture of the frequencies of all the colours of the visible spectrum. Imagine if you will – brilliance, faith, possibility, goodness. 

And, 2-3-4…

The first known music festival was the Pythian Games, a precursor of the Olympics, which was held from the late sixth century BC at the sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi. A general celebration of all things beautiful, it included a day of musical competitions. Fast forward to more modern times and music festivals can be found in small and large centres across the globe – from Glastonbury in Pilton, Somerset to SXSW in Austin, Texas to Osheaga in Montreal, Quebec. Here a little closer to home, you will find the Moose n' Fiddle Music Festival in Nestor Falls, Ontario, Canada at beautiful Caliper Lake Provincial Park...

ALWAYS A RIVER follows the day in the life of a colourful cast of characters in a small town deep in the heart of Ontario's North. Listen to ALWAYS A RIVER to hear Skeleton Woman create the lore and the landscape of the Laurentian Plateau.

The story of ALWAYS A RIVER is streaming online with the permission of ACTRA Winnipeg. This radio play was produced by the Township of Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls with support from Reconnect Ontario. 

In Episode 2 of TABLE TALK with Dee Lysak, we explore the early days and milestones of the global movement, that we know as LITTLE FREE LIBRARIES. In the small communities of Sioux Narrows and Nestor Falls, we have two "Book Trading Posts".

The book trading post in Sioux Narrows was designed and built by Jake Blosser.  In Nestor Falls, a small group of community members came together - to design and build their version of a little free library.  And, every time I see someone who is taking a book or  leaving a book, I smile. I hope you enjoy this story and perhaps, more importantly I hope it inspires you to put up a little free library - somewhere soon!

This music essay is the first episode in Season Two of Table Talk with Dee Lysak. In this episode we hear I NEED ANGELS by the incredible singer-songwriter, Adrian Sutherland. I was first introduced to the soulful wonder that is Adrian Sutherland when Midnight Shine played at the Moose n' Fiddle Music Festival in Nestor Falls, Ontario, Canada.

Music helps us explore our innermost feelings and at times our deepest and darkest thoughts. Music also brings us all together and inspires us to see the world we live and imagine an even better one. Here in the Lake of the Woods region, we are surrounded by a beauty that is unsurpassed. And, in that idyllic landscape the hardships of everyday life can often be overlooked or even denied. If you or someone you know is struggling...with thoughts of suicide or suicide-related behaviour, help is available.

Get support from a local crisis centre. There is also Talk Suicide Canada (1-833-456-4566), Kids Help Phone (kidshelpphone.ca), and the Hope for Wellness Helpline (Chat Online by visiting hopeforwellness.ca or call 1-855-242-3310). You are not alone...

The other night I said out loud, to no one in particular. You are a very cute platypus.  To which Mary Anne replied.  What platypus?  I said, “the one hanging on my laptop”.  She looked at me, perplexed and said: That is a parrot. Look at the beak.  “Oh, well the feet – they look like a platypus”.  Either way – parrot or platypus.  It is still hangin’ on my laptop and there it will stay. So here we go from Parrot or Platypus to PORCUPINES AND PONIES…

The place I call home is…Black Lake and it is north of Sioux Narrows. Some of the lakes that surround our waters include Mac Lake, Bug Lake, and Lost Lake. And, the dirt roads take you to much loved places: jumping off points for adventures of all sorts. 

This natural corridor, a winding, scenic stretch of waterways, islands, peninsulas and more… we call this place the Township of Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls.  Dotting the landscape are fly-in fishing camps, outposts, working mines, logging operations, mills, brewhouses, specialty shoppes and so, much more.  If you have always called rural and remote northwestern ON – your home: you have a lived experience that is curated by the great outdoors.  Your ancestors may have been loggers or miners or fishing guides.  Did they work on the steamships that carried passengers and cargo up from the mid-west to destinations on Lake of the Woods?  Were your aunts and cousins, cooks and cleaners – seasonal workers who came to be summertime friends as holidaymakers came to stay and play, right here on the eastern shores of Lake of the Woods? Are your family camps down old logging roads, standing as sentinels in the timber of tall pines? 

When you are canoeing, camping or cooking over an open fire, do you ever wonder – who is watching?  Who else walks with us?  Well, porcupines and ponies…of course. 

This episode is inspired by wild things and for those who know me, that is truly where my heart lies.  And, I wish to give a shout-out to Possums & Allsorts who kindly and generously gave me permission to share one of their poems on this episode. You can find “Possums & Allsorts” on Facebook.

In the wilds of northwestern Ontario, creative residencies dot the landscape with hundreds of miles in betwixt and between. Rural and remote places are creating new pathways for discovery and exploration as artists travel from near and far away to take deep dives into their artistic practices. Old logging roads are now being used by nemophilists and in these deep, dark woods – artists are finding themselves inspired by the great outdoors: Surrounded by lakes, canopied forests, and rocks that have been here for millions of years.

In 2016, the Bridge & Falls Creative Residency (BFCR) set down new roots in the Township of Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls. Since its inception, more than 20 artists have explored their artistic disciplines with time and space away from their usual environment and everyday life. Kindred spirits and soul friends best describe the artist-in-residency (AIR) programs that form a loop, a point of convergence with Whiteshell Provincial Park bordering the west, Quetico Provincial Park marking the southern border, Lake Superior demarcating the eastern end, and the programs in between are the AIRs in the Township of Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls, the City of Kenora, and the Experimental Lakes Area. 

These artist-in-residencies provide a time for reflection, research, presentation and, when possible - production and community engagement.  AIR programs are not cookie cutter in nature.  Some of the residencies are housed within larger institutions, others are part of museums, while some [like the Bridge & Falls Creative Residency] are hosted by municipalities.  What the programs all have in common is that they exist in rural spaces, remote villages and small cities – deep in the heart of our natural environs. 

To learn more, I encourage you to visit these sites:

Bridge & Falls Creative Residency

https://www.clls.ca/programs/artist-in-residence

Quetico Foundation

Last week, I found the most incredible piece of art.  It is a painting of a black bear cub on a tree, on a live edge wood plank. It is rustic and whimsical all at the same time.  The colours of yellow, green and blue – simply pop!  Thank you... April Jones for sharing your art with the world. This painting will bring joy to our home, for many years to come!

In Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls, we invite you to come for the summer and stay for the winter.  Shopping local is sustainable. Shopping local is a circular economy.  It has huge ripple effects.  The dollars that stay in the community – do good things.  Astrophotographers can pay home heating bills.  Craft brewers can be philanthropic, giving back to well deserving charities and not for profits.  Potters can host workshops with school aged children, making pinch pots that are filled with soup – made from locally sourced meat and vegetables.  Farmers can buy more seed for spring and the list goes on and on. 

If you can, support local businesses and shoppes with your words and your wallets.