Red, maple leaves, truly Canadian: A bench makeover.
Previously adorned with a whimsical family of dogs, this bench recently went through a makeover to give it a fresh, new look.
First restored and painted in 2019, (An Old Bench is Given a New Life) the colours were fading away and the painting no longer appealed to me.
Once again, I requested the help of same artist as in 2019. Now 14, she willingly spent a couple of hours with me on a recent Saturday morning sanding the bench and then giving it a first coat of red paint.
2025...Look how much she has grown!
Seat of identity and landmark for friends.
Now revitalized with bold red paint (as close as I could get to the red of the Canadian flag), this bench is ready for duty.
The transformation breathes new life into the bench and sits on the front porch, small as it is. In this area, I briefly sit and supervise Rosie while she steps down to the grass to answer nature’s call. The bench is mostly decorative as it isn’t exactly comfortable for long chats.
But even better, our bench has become a sort of unofficial landmark particularly for out-of-town friends. My new address is quickly forgotten and dare I say, even irrelevant, as they search for the red bench on the porch much as they did when they visited our previous home. All they need to do is look for the most patriotic bench in the neighbourhood.
Who needs GPS when you have a bench that screams Canada Proud!
Happy July 1 to family, friends and Canadian artists and followers! Enjoy the Canada Day festivities.
Looks good Louise. And it is just the thing for unfamiliar visitors to lookout for when they come around. We have a greenhouse out front. Just look for the greenhouse I tell them. It saves a lot of explaining.
Thanks Graham. The bench is not as obvious in the new house as it was in our former home but it will do. It seems we are not yet on GPS so definitely a useful landmark for guests. My friends are all familiar with Canadianisms written on the bench. However, I forgot the “elbows up” which is a recent Canadianism in response to what is happening south of us and stated desire to annex Canada as “the 51st state”. As our PM said “never, never, never”. Cheers.
I love these benches painted in vivid colors . Every one of them is a masterpiece. Simply great!!!!
Thanks Birgit. It’s enjoyable to paint something practical for a change. Have a great week my friend!