2nd Annual Al Purdy Picnic - July 26th

photo credit D.Scott

It's happening again.
The Al Purdy Picnic.
Saturday, July 26, 11:00 - 4:00.
To celebrate Al Purdy and his work, and the home he built with Eurithe.
To celebrate Canadian poetry and poets.

thanks again, Doug!

If you attended last year's First Annual event, you'll recall these scenes (you may even see yourself!)

The 2014 event celebrates the arrival of our first writer in residence at the restored A-frame. Katherine Leyton will be your host this year.

Poets Lynn Crosbie, Phil Hall and Robert Priest will be guest readers, along with a number of local poets and raconteurs.

Music will be provided once again by Station Road.

Station Road

Bring your own picnic to enjoy at the A-frame or pick up something delicious from Rebecca and Trish from PicnicPEC, a local gourmet food truck. Have a look at the menu.

For more information visit the Al Purdy A-frame Association on Facebook.

A'burg town hall - photo courtesy Wellington Times

This is really IMPORTANT:

Al and Eurithe's A-frame is at 45 Gibson Road, south of the village of Ameliasburgh. Gibson Road is a narrow, bumpy cottage road, with NO turnaround. We implore you not to enter the road - we want to befriend our neighbours at this early stage of the writer in residence program!

Purdy Public Library, Ameliasburgh

There is lots of parking at the Town Hall (that's where you will find PicnicPEC and pick up village maps), and an air-conditioned shuttle to take you to Grove cemetery, the Purdy library, and the A-frame.

Or bring your bikes and enjoy the village.


You are also welcome to park along Whitney Road, a left turn at the Purdy Library. Then it's a short walk
in to the A-frame along Gibson Road.

Books and Company 

More scenes from the 2013 First Annual Purdy Picnic...

Purdy titles, A-frame anthologies, apples

Geoff Heinricks

Michele introducing a guest reader

Purdy-fest creator Chris Faiers and Chase

Playwright, editor, actor Richard Turtle and Rita

Big Voices

OPERA! and lots of it

"Dust the rest of Al's records," Eurithe asked as she prepared to leave for the West.

Another dusty day in paradise.

And Paradise it was indeed.

All Russian labelling - a souvenir?

I'd read about Al's prodigious record collection, and his enthusiasm for sharing his favourites.

David Helwig writes in The Years (a chapter in the Al Purdy A-frame Anthology, Harbour Publishing 2009) about Al playing favourite recordings during one of Helwig's and Tom Marshall's visits to Roblin Lake.

so many big voices in the collection - surprised?

He remembers listening to Burns' 'Ae Fond Kiss, Kenneth McKellar singing about the Bonny Earl of Moray.

 In 'Remembering Al' (same anthology) Janet Lunn recalls Al's enthusiasm for Paul Robson and the Soviet Army Chorus "singing as loudly as his record player would play....He'd dance around the room - well, maybe not exactly dance, it was more like leaping - wildly directing the chorus with his arms and demanding of everyone in the room, 'Isn't that wonderful!'"

Isn't that a picture to take home with you?

eclectic! These 3 titles came off the shelf, one after the other 

Acorn's influence?

I checked Al's poetry for reflections of this love of music. Sure, there's 'The Freezing Music', which has to do with the tiny crystalline tinkling of ice crystals forming. No Red Army Chorus grandness there.

The poem 'Orchestra' (from Collected Poems -1986) doesn't suggest a lover of symphonic music (but Al's collection would belie that):

"Hairs of dead horses torturing wood
-the sound remotely equine
reminds me of a dream classroom
of nightmare urchins their fingernails
all at once scraping a blackboard
I listen and go mad...."

Lots more violent imagery and sound pictures. None of it suggests musical passion.

A different 'Orchestra' appears in The Woman on the Shore (1990). It talks about musicians'  experience of performing - of transcendence. A grand poem, with a symphonic structure. Need to be read in its entirety. But I do like these lines especially:

"They do not know where their bodies are
their flesh has fled
inside the blonde cello
into the warm red darkness
of the cherry-coloured violin
-and they are looking for their souls"

There must be more. I must consult George Bowering or Sam Solecki, both waiting on my shelf to edify me.
But for now, must go turn up some very loud music. And direct. And imagine Al doing the same.

interview tapes - I have the Wild Grape Wine copy
Al signed for Ron Bates of CBC Sudbury

'The Grundig' with its fine voice

 Michele says that she and Eurithe once had the Grundig - a fine piece of German sound technology - working. Hope we can do that again sometime. Play some Soviet Army Chorus records. Loud.

recordings were sorted using home-made dividers

Spoken word. Big male choirs. Folk music, from cowboy and roustabout songs to Benjamin Britten and the folk songs of John Donne. Opera and lots of it. Miriam Makeba. Symphonies. Old smarmy standards like John McCormach's 'Come into the Garden Maude'.

Some pretty arcane stuff. Poems of A. Tennyson read by Dame Sybil Thorndike (99 cents).

A lot of Corby Public Library discards.

budget consciousness ran in the family

not a lot of call for spoken word - bargains!

the original record 'album' - old lacquer records
embossed albums, brown paper sleeves, indexes

From the days when owning music was serious stuff. Not for the faint of heart. The collection was sorted, divided by home-made tabs created from over-runs of Purdy's A Handful of Earth book covers.

 New words like 'Stereophonic', 'Long Play 33-1/3'
'Capitol Duophonic - for stereo phonographs only.'

The album art...there's another rainy day exploration.




Oh A-frame dwellers, do have a close look at this astounding relic of an omnivorous music lover.

Never know where a poem might come from.

Writer in Residence!

Duncan and Katherine

This afternoon, a small band of supporters gathered to welcome the Purdy A-frame's first Writer in Residence, Katherine Leyton. Brian Johnson and his crew recorded the event, for eventual sharing via The Purdy Project, a feature-length CBC documentary.

Katherine helped us all remember what it was like to be in Al and Eurithe's long-time home - and the birthplace of Al's prodigious talent- for the first time. Bit of lump in the throat.

Brian, Chris, Casey

Michele and Katherine discussing Ameliasburgh

Thanks to Matti's astonishing achievement, putting into place Duncan's vision for the A-frame, and to the dozens and dozens who have helped over time to maintain and restore the A-frame,  ready the property and clean, sort and equip the cottage - it is now a really nice spot to welcome a young writer. 

Raymond came all the way from Queensborough

A young Canadian writer, in this country of astounding literary talent, on Canada Day. Happy? You bet.

And Jean Baird, the editor and literary activist who, together with Al's publisher Howard White, who began this project and shepherds it still? I hope she's as proud as we are of her.

Tiffany style lamp from where?

Katherine says she will unpack tonight, maybe read some Purdy, explore, get a sense of the place. Take it all in. And tomorrow, she'll sit down at the table at begin to work.

because a house needs a house plant

Earlier, while we waited, adjusting to the heat, there was time for Matti and Duncan to do one more job, for the  A-frame's Battrachian mascot to resume its place, and to tell the story of the refurbished windows, and deck stairs, and screen door repairs made possible by faithful A-framer John from Kingston.

The windows return

Welcome Katherine Leyton

We have a couple of really exciting dates to remind you of. We first announced these events back on May 15...and now they are upon us!


On July 1, our first Al and Eurithe Purdy A-frame writer in residence, Katherine Leyton, arrives at the A-frame for a two-month working residency. Katherine is well-known for her exciting HowPedestrian poetry project. I expect Al's poetry may be making it to a street (or road) near you this summer.

And on Saturday, July 5, at Ameliasburgh's Purdy Library, Library CEO Barb Sweet, and the Friends of the Library will be hosting a welcome reception from 1:30 to 3:00. This will be an informal opportunity for Katherine to meet her neighbours and supporters in the area. An invitation will be circulated shortly, but for now, save the date and plan to drop by for a bit.

Welcome Sarah

We met Sarah Dearing on Saturday. Sarah is a novelist, the APAFA book-keeper, and a darned good sport. She's spending the week at the A-frame, to test all systems before our first writer-in-residence moves in July 1.

Sarah and Brent (Best of Walrus Readers' choice poet 2013)
who came to mow the lawn and stayed to
talk about writing

Sarah and Pepita

Sarah is working on a novel, and a play at the moment. She is best known for her novel The Art of Sufficient Conclusions, launched in 2012. Here's a link to an interview done for NOW Magazine in Toronto and a great Quill and Quire review. Sarah's earlier novel Courage My Love won the City of Toronto Book Award.

Because Al's workroom won't be ready for this summer's writers, I carved out what I thought might be a spot to work. Of course, there's the front deck, the back deck, the dining room overlooking the lake, that stump right at the water's edge...

Enjoy the week Sarah.

How many steps in a mile?

foundation rebuilt, board and batten replaced, furniture
rehabilitated, deck moved back

A couple of milestones are coming up for the Al and Eurithe Purdy A-frame. This weekend, Sarah Dearing, novelist and A-frame accountant is staying for a week. She will be 'trouble-shooting' the household, and likely pitching in on some last-minute cleaning.

And then, on July 1, Katherine Leyton, the A-frame's first writer-in-residence, will be moving in for a two month stay. (more, much more, on that in future posts.) The historic February 27 announcement of the 2014/15 writers in residence was posted on the Al Purdy website.

Milestones. As we should at these times, it's a good idea to look back and celebrate the small steps that inched us closer. And the people who made those steps - sometimes toiling uphill! A recent post described the poetic carpenters' triumph with the 'back deck' as Eurithe calls the road side of the cottage, and a number of folks who worked on cleaning and sorting.

the sump pump's victory over the basement
 lake celebrated by a single wild aster 

before - the sun sparkling on the waves below the floor

definitely one of the 'before' photos (June 18, 2013)

The photos below show the immense new electrical box, part of an adventure that involved ripping up everything from interior walls to the lawn all the way to the road. Beside it is the elegant solution to this somewhat inelegant modernization. Rick showed me the door created from the original interior panelling. Even the inspector couldn't find it.

at left, the new panel covering the electrical panel

a rather picturesque reminder of so
many people-hours of raking, dragging branches
 piling firewood 

the new back deck-
remove the power tools and bring out some beverages

The June 14/15 weekend (photos on the APAFA website  on June 20) was an astonishing work bee. I received emails from A-frame faithful, all tired yet excited about being part of making a difference. Stalwart Elaine was back, joined in dusting duties by Marni. Eurithe pitched in - it's her way.


Jean Baird  forwarded Brian's account of the beehive of activity "cleaning, painting, hammering, planting, landscaping, wiping down dusty books" of Saturday June 15. No less than seven (according to Brian) of Katherine's family assisted, and made some significant donations. Brian, Ray, and Ron lent a hand. Marie, Paul and Barb have been in touch. Sorta sorry I was camping that week. Sorta. Another time - hope to meet all these fine folk at the Purdy Picnic July  26.

another cottage comfort - a firepit

Brian describes the return of the lakeside deck to its rightful place at the front door, "a spectacular scene the team using shafts of 2x4 lumber as levers to move the rear (sic) deck back into place, like Roman galley slaves". Very Cecil B. Demille. But then, Brian is a film-maker. Great photos on the APAFA website.

As Matti put it, "two days of work got done in one day!"

December 2012

 There are so many other contributors bringing this vision forward. I worry I've forgotten some. One fellow who has been around since early days is John, who used to come mow the lawns. These days he's spending all his free time reconditioning the windows in the living room. I'll post a photo when they return from his Kingston workshop.

June 2014 - wait 'til June 29 for the reveal