White Oak Shadows - at Leith

The white oak was planted by the Grade One or Grade Two class of the Leith School. Donald Gordon McKay (1899-2000) was in the class and remembered planting the tree (or acorn - I am not certain which it was). Gordon told this story to the Secretary of the Friends of Leith Church and my Tour Guide. Thus this particular white oak was planted around 1904 or 1905. It cast magnificent shadows toward Tom Thomson's grave stone. It is not that important that Tom wasn't buried there. Visitor's need a "touch stone" and the grave stone satisfies this purpose. People had left aluminum roofing nails, crow feathers, coins and even paint brushes. I left behind a very tired paint brush filled with cobalt blue paint - the same colour that Tom used to tint the "dove blue" colour of his canoe. I felt that it was appropriate. This is another slippery surface so the paint is lathered on rather thick. It was finished on location then I headed for home...