Wednesday, 12 October 2016

If You Build It, They Will Come

Everybody knows the bold Hollywood proverb from Kevin Costner's hit film, "Field of Dreams".  It goes something like this: "If you build it, they will come."  The spirit behind this guiding principle is that when you are inspired to create a destination which is beautiful, authentic, valuable, and good for the community, then you do not need to promote it, people will simply find it, and love it...  They will come.

On the shores of Georgian Bay, at Concession Road 18 West, in Tiny Township, that is exactly what has happened.  I dreamed up a paradise beach area for the community, where a squalid and neglected shoreline used to be, then I rolled up my sleeves to build it with my bare hands.  After seven full time years of focused creative effort, and building the crane I invented from scratch, to the tune of tens of thousands of hours of custom fabrication and heavy manual labour...  They have come...  Below, you will see 2 photos taken in the autumn of 2007, and then 2 photos taken from the same locations showing the local community as they gather on the beach, to celebrate the Canada Day long weekend in 2016. Was this transformation a criminal undertaking, or is it a work of art which ought to be completed? You do the math.

Before (2007)

After (2016)