From the capital of Nunavut, came a display depicting an old folktale. It seems that a long time ago, people had the power to turn into animals, and animals could turn into people. It was a time of magic - people had only to say what they wanted for it to come true. There was young woman named Tyya who wandered far from home in search of driftwood, bones and caribou antlers. A thick fog rolled in and she became lost. She was rescued by Etasack, a young caribou hunter, who brought her to his home. The next day before he left to go hunting, he warned Tyya not to let anyone enter the tent. But she was tricked by an evil shaman who turned her into a white caribou. Etasack was very sad when he found her gone, but the sprit of his grandmother, another powerful shaman, gave him the magic means to break the spell. The next day, the young man headed out to the tundra. He sought out the white caribou in the herd, recited the magic spell and returned Tyya to her human form. Since then Inuit hunters have been kind to the white caribou, as it might be an enchanted person. From a city in mainland China came a charming display of their most celebrated animal. The Panda is a charming, beautiful and touching creature that makes us fall for them. However these animals are in danger of extinction and are considered a national treasure in China. The Giant panda lives in the mountainous regions of Sichuan province and right up to the eastern edge of the Tibetan plateau. Due to extensive hunting in the past and the destruction of their natural habitat, there are an estimated 1000 pandas left alive, for which only about 100 are in captivity. The live almost exclusively on bamboo. From the First Nations came the mystery of symbols, the evocative power of myths, the influence of spirits. The First Nations (a federation of most of the Indian tribes in Canada) offers the turtle which combines the living forces of water and earth. This peaceful reptile could indeed have emerged from great depths, for legend has it that it was on its shell that the land of humankind was created. It is the emblem of the First nations. When walking through the grounds it is easy to go into vegetation overload and thus miss the details required to maintain such a show. The massive showpieces are made up of thousands of very small plants of different colors stuffed into a screen mesh which is filled with a combination of straw and horse manure and then held up with steel ribs which gives them their shape. Every one is perfect in every detail. And they are on display for months. But what happens when one of those small individual plants dies? Well, it is replaced on a daily basis, as the plants are watered and nurtured by an army of workers who are in evidence everywhere taking care to keep as many plants a possible healthy and looking good. When those ducks that are seen taking off from the lock waters between the two banks of the exhibits need water, they don't just dip down and drink. A girl in a very small round boat paddles out and soaks them down with a sprayer with just the right ingredients to keep the duck flying its brightly colored leaves. As is often the case, we got to see the overall impression without the time necessary to do an in depth story on what it takes to produce such an extravaganza. We have witnessed many great and permanent masterpieces, but I for one cannot think of anything I have seen that has impressed me as much in the area of effort that is temporary. So much of a castle in the sand... until next year?

***THE END***

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