The Turning Point Workshop

On March , 2010, I had the privelege of delivering a business building workshop to a group of 24 artists, craftspeople and small business owners in Cornwallis. We had a lot of ground to cover in just one day; product pricing, production efficiencies, branding and marketing on the Internet. So I talked fast! A better group of delegates could not be imagined. We had a great day where there was as much to be learned from the exchange among the audience as from the formal presentation.
One of the delegates was Flora Doehler who I regard as the queen of blogging in Nova Scotia.

Her blog is up to about 77,000 readers. Check it out and you’ll see why. http://floramary.wordpress.com  She also created the new site for the Bear River Board of Trade and in it she wrote an article about the workshop.   http://bearriver.ca/2010/03/06/enhancing-your-business-skills-workshop/
On the way home from Cornwallis we stopped in to see Larry Knox’s new Green Willow Studio in Bear River. http://greenwillowstudio.wordpress.com  He’s doing some amazing new metalwork!  A master at his craft. 

 

Next stop was Don Rice’s studio in his new house in Bear River. Don is a potter’s potter. They don’t get much better!

The following day Rob and I headed to Ontario in muh trusty truck with our dog Bronx in the back seat. The mission was to be with my stepfather whose health was declining. En route we made a few stops. First to see Judy Blake at her home and studio just outside of Fredericton. Check out her inviting sign and fabulous work.

The next stop was the Village of Gagetown, home to Maja Padrov, another incredible and inventive potter.

Bronx was a great curiosity for her pet cat…..

and dog.

We stayed the night in a lovely village just before Quebec City called St. Jean de Port Jolie – clearly an artists community with wood sculptures everywhere and some charming architecture. Great room rates too if you’re ever driving through.

We made it to Millgrove, Ontario, my stepfather’s home, on Saturday night where my son Reyn was holding vigil.  Osvald rallied on Sunday but declined on Monday. Sadly he died on Tuesday afternoon, March 9 but happily he was 102, still in his own home and in his own bed. Here’s a picture of Osvald at age 100.

The funeral was a lovely affair with lots of friends and neighbours. The best part was having my daughter Dana come home from the U of Edinburgh where she is presently studying. Reyn is still nearby to here finishing his last year at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo. It was great to all be together again.

I am presently in my stepfather’s home in Millgrove taking care of all the things that need to be dealt with after his passing. The house is a time warp from the early 1960 complete with a rotary phone. But I managed to get an Internet hook up so I am still connected to everyone. I wrote a story about him on my Facebook page for anyone who is interested in knowing more about the life of an amazing centenarian.
To all the Turning Point delegates, please don’t hesitate to contact me if you would like a copy of my business plan guide and if you need to know more about the funding programs I mentioned. It was great to meet so many new faces and to reconnect with familiar ones. Thanks again for making it a great day. And thanks to our sponsors who made it happen and provided us with a tasty lunch; The Centre for Women in Business – Kathleen D’Entremont Mooney, The Annapolis Digby Economic Development Agency – Joy O’Neill and the CBDC. Here you all are! 

 Adios and hope to see you all again soon!

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