Al Purdy, (arguably one of Canada’s top all time poets) was born and raised in Wooler, Ontario, which is not far from here.  In 1957 he and his wife built a cottage on Roblin Lake, Ameliasburgh.  From this location  Al Purdy did his best writing and entertained the who’s who of Canadian literature.  (Milton Acorn, Earle Birney, Michael Ondaatje, Margaret Atwood, Margaret Laurence, Jack McClelland, Anna Porter)

There is a grass-roots movement underway to restore their A-frame cottage.   http://www.purdyhouse.ca/ 

The cottage represents a period of time when we valued our poets and their art.    Now we are all bloggers or on Facebook.  Twittering away our shallow lives.   

 
The Last Picture in the World …   by  Al Purdy

A hunched grey shape
framed by leaves
with lake water behind
standing on our
little point of land
like a small monk
in a green monastery
meditating

almost sculpture
except that it’s alive
brooding immobile permanent
for half an hour
a blue heron
and it occurs to me
that if I were to die at this moment
that picture would accompany me
wherever I am going
for part of the way