Meet the most famous dog in Haliburton County, The Brown Dog Jiggs, when Neil Campbell introduces his new book about their lives together on Sapsucker Ridge.

Neil and Jiggs will hold a book launch for Cell Phones and Sap Buckets at the Minden Hills Cultural Centre on Wednesday, July 28, starting at 7 p.m. The book is a collection of newspaper columns Neil began writing for the Minden Times after he retired from The Globe and Mail to his cabin in the woods.

Snapping turtles, flying squirrels and jumping mice all are fodder for Neil’s prose but the real star of the book is The Brown Dog, who will be at the launch to shake a paw. Also on hand will be illustrator Charlie Teljeur, along with Jerelyn Craden, Rick Lowes and Tim Nicholson, who will read from the book. A special Book Launch Dinner menu will be available beforehand at the Dominion Hotel. Call 705-286-6954 for more information. If you can’t make it to the launch, Cell Phones and Sap Buckets will be available in stores across Haliburton County the next day.

Get a list of stores, or find out how to order direct, by emailing (remove “CPSB” from the beginning of email address) - placed there to slow down spam mail.  CPSBneilcampbell@xplornet.ca

For a mini preview of Cell Phones and Sap Buckets

www.crystalimagestudio.com/preview/cpsb.pdf

As the big day for the Echlin Reunion rolls closer each meeting gets more exciting. Each organizer showing their accomplishments and new donations to the rest of the committee. It is going to be a fun day with enough events to keep people amused, lots of time for catching up and many lucky folk will leave with a prize or two.

The Genealogy Tent will feature not only the book, Over the Rocks of Bathurst - A Genealogical Portrait of the Echlin Family but also a large Family Chart. Everyone who attends will place themselves in the appropriate location on the chart. We have left some room for photos, if not enough on the chart there are other display boards too.

Bring copies of any family photos with you Old or New Family pictures. Please bring copies, not originals.

Trick of the trade - to make a copy of your photo (especially old prescious ones) when you don’t have a scanner. Set your digital camera on Macro (usually a flower symbol) get close to the pic in natural light outdoors (watch that you are not shadowing the photo) and not in direct sun. Inside at a north-facing window sill on a sunny day works too. Level the camera as to not distort the photo (90 degrees to the photo); zoom in to include only the photo and take the shot. Or for that matter you can single in on whatever you want - crop it.

If you have the option of turning the flash off - it is better without it.
print on your printer or wherever you generally print your pics and bring it along - let us all enjoy them.

Come one, come all…Echlins gather ’round
Lookin’ forward to seein’  kin folk from outta’ town
We’ll be roastin’ a pig and servin’ up great pork
Please bring y’o salad, a plate and a fork!!
 
Remember the picnic will be outdoors
We will have tents in case it pours
Bring a chair, umbrella and lotion
Get ready, get set, let’s get this in motion

For the talented ones who can play or sing
We invite you to take the stage and strut y’er thing
We’ll have games for da’ kids and prizes too
Photos, memories and lots more to do
 
Tell your siblings and cuzzins, make a list
It’s gonna’ be a  party you won’t want’a miss!
 

I often receive emails, letters, notes and even thank you cards expressing thanks for a job well done. Thank you to everyone who has ever sent one and I want to start sharing them.

May 25, 2010

Thanks Linda! Great to work with you again. I really do like the logo, your creativeness and ability to come up with unique designs fascinates me!

BF, Haliburton Family Health Team

My two favourite projects are designing books and designing logos and I have been doing lots of both lately. I am just completing the Food Net Haliburton Logo and working on a new logo for Medeba.

As for books, Cell Phones and Sap Buckets by Neil Campbell is growing into a beautiful book. Neil is certainly one of Haliburton County’s special treasures. I am honoured to be the designer of his first book! Neil’s writing combined with illustrations by Charlie Teljeur, edited by Marjorie Ludlow Green and designed by Crystal Image Studio - it cannot help but be a fabulous book!

Neil’s writing is wonderful and witty, so much so, it is hard to stay focussed while designing. Lucky I work by myself as I often break into laughter as reading snippets of his work. I will post more info on availability how and where once it is closer to completion.

Neil Campbell has just been honoured as the best weekly newspaper columnist in Ontario for his musings on life in the Haliburton woods with The Brown Dog Jiggs. Now the best of his writing from the best six years has been collected in Cell Phones and Sap Buckets, to be published this summer. Neil and Jiggs, a smooth collie, live a life off the hydro grid surrounded by 50 acres of sugar maples, about a hundred miles northeast of Toronto. The Ontario Community Newspapers Association award recognizes Neil as columnist of the year for his work for the Minden Times in 2009.

Congratulations Neil on this award and the amazing work you have done for your first book!

Who knew?  Harcourt is booming and has much more to offer! Fabulous Food - Haliburton’s Custom Kitchens & Furniture - Graphic Design for Books, Logos, Business Cards & much more….. and that is only a few from the main street. There is a hairdresser, antique shop, electrician, storage company, custom builder, auto wrecker, store & gas station and if you cannot find what you need there we also have a Tim-Br Mart where you will find darn near anything. Just outside of town there are resorts, cottages for rent, 2 golf courses, riding stables… need I go on?

Harcourt the little village on the Loop is nestled in the centre of two Highlands East communities, Wilberforce and Highland Grove. Maybe it should be part of Highlands East but Harcourt is not. Instead it is Dysart et al so all our municipal services are half an hour or more away including Hi-speed internet,but that will be changing soon! Those of us who must have hi-speed to do business pay dearly for satellite systems. Regardless the village is a busy place these days . . .

The word is out - South Algonquin Cookhouse is back! Chef Wayne Bolger & his wife Cheryl are serving up great food & fun in Downtown Harcourt in eastern Haliburton County. For their hours, contact information and specials follow them on Facebook www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=213815099060 or call 705.448.2322

Cottage Hill Furniture & Cabinets in Harcourt village has just launched their website - check out their gallery of beautiful, custom designed kitchens, bathrooms, furniture designed and made in Haliburton County. Cottage Hill is proud to offer Haliburton County as well as North Hastings custom designed and built kitchens, furniture and more.  www.cottagehill.ca or call 705.448.9610

Crystal Image Studio in Downtown Harcourt is busy Designing & Printing Rack Cards, Business Cards and Brochures for the upcoming Home and Lifestyle Shows in Bancroft & Haliburton. A few local companies are sporting a new level of professionalism with their newly designed logos.  There is another exciting Haliburton County Book in my “Work in Progress” pile which is coming together nicely. I often wonder if one person is supposed to have this much fun working? main website www.crystalimagestudio.com or call 705.448.9397

April has been an exciting month! The book design project for Harcourt Park Inc. returned from the printer and binder. It was an amazing project to design and the finished book is lovely. Rob McConnell, the co-ordinator and Alan Wargo, the writer did an amazing job and were simply wonderful to work with on the project.

Amongst the many logo designs, brochures, rack cards, business cards and much more for clients across Haliburton County, Hastings County and a few others, I was also able to complete a project of my own. A 28 year quest a genealogical study of the Echlin family is in the capable hands of a printer. I expect the proof Friday.

I have also just started designing a book for another client called Cell Phones and Sap Buckets - this one is going to be a lot of fun due to the nature of the writing.

Wow, putting some of my to-do’s in a list tells me “Back to Work”

http://home.cogeco.ca/~reunion/

This Echlin family originally from Ireland,  settled in the military settlement of Perth, Ontario Canada. Thomas Echlin, wife Mary and their children arrived in the settlement in July of 1817. Although Thomas died young his family lived on and spread throughout Lanark County, Algoma District, Windsor, Oshawa and some relocated to the United States - mostly in the state of Michigan.

The first few Reunions were held in Hopetown then it was relocated to the Echlin farm in Dalhousie Twp. Lanark County. For many years the descendants of James Echlin and Lucy Morris enjoyed an Echlin Reunion on that original homestead. James Echlin was a son of Christopher Echlin and grandson to the original settler, Thomas. The Echlin Reunion took place every August from 1970 to 1986. The big events were meeting everyone firstly, the Horseshoe Tournament, kids games, races and prizes.

Due to popular demand we are bringing it back in 2010 style!!

So calling all Thomas Echlin descendants.. please join us  we would love to meet you. Also, if you would like to volunteer to help your offer will be gratefully accepted.

Echlin Reunion 2010 is July 24, 2010 - 1pm - 8pm / Port Elmsley, ON - more details on the website!!

Only a few days left to take advantage of 1000 full colour business cards with Gloss UV coating on 14pt.  coated card for only $75. + design & taxes.  Special ends March 31, 2010

Call 705.448.9397 or email

Welcome to Crystal Image Studio blog. I will be posting the most up-to-date information here. Including printing specials, new products and services as well as fine arts updates.