Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you
plant. -Robert Louis Stevenson, novelist, essayist, and poet (1850-1894)
If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head.
If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart. -Nelson
Mandela, activist, South African president, Nobel laureate (1918-2013)
Too, too bad about Dunbar reading but I was in Healdsburg by then and Cora Lee was at a Harbour Terrace Strata Council meeting. I hope it went well. In future, we'd be delighted to help support any readings but probably need to know a bit further in advance. Not a criticism as I know, full well, how times speeds by and/or simply evaporates!
P, we stuck to the regime you suggested (and more) and yet Ms Jane still called in stupid this morning. Not sure it is the cold or the tonic. We will likely will not see you this afternoon. I am back late next week (Thursday) and thru that weekend. Hopefully we can get together sometime then.
Randall Grahm
Dear Poultice Prevaricator! Should we expect you this afternoon? "We will likely will not
see you this afternoon." This is more than cryptic enough even for Alan
Turing! Furthermore I think you are struggling with commitment
avoidance: " I wish I had brought my biking stuff. I had it packed and
then left it at the last minute." Prescription: Three shots of porch
climber and call Matt after second one!Don't know Been Doon So Long but we have visited Boony Doon for quite some time, whenever in vicinty. In hills above Santa Cruz. Great wine and founder Randall Grahm was one of the first, so-called "Rhone Rangers" in California. Funnily enough, I just sent Peter a message talking about one of his wines. All of his labels are simply remarkable. Fell in love with Big House Red first time I came across it but others are no less captivatingly whimsical.
Randall Grahm
Buona Fortuna with your further obscurations/obfuscations and squash game. Cheers, Desperately Seeking The Truth Patrizzio! Pics: Some Boony Doon labels!
Hi Gents, 23 of November or later date is fine with me. However, I can not find the book. Anyone has an electronic version of it. Thanks. Cheers Moe May I suggest we reconvene in January. Let me know if either the 11th or the 18th of January will work for you. Hello Lads: Sunday, January 11th is best for me. Cheers, Patrizzio! January 11th. 18th will be too long of a time away from NRBC and I must get my fix VL January 11th works for me. 8^) cheers, Mark Either would work for me. Guy Either date works for me as well.M
Hi Patrice, Thanks for photos and once again for your hospitality on Sat. and Sun. . I have almost recovered from the rude awakening we endured..however it took copious amounts of rum , beer and wine to dull the residual bells ringing in my ears!!.
Sorry to hear about the bike mishap but I’m sure you have it resolved by now and have been logging the k’s. Busy working away here but will head to the cabin for a break tomorrow afternoon so looking forward to that. I did get a report from my friend Steve that it was down to minus 6 up there ..I thought that I could get a ride in but may get my kohoneighs frozen off. Take care and talk soon, Cheers, Al
Hi Big Al! You should be glad you left when you did as the alarm, much diminished, is still ringing in the utility room in parkade, in spite of being serviced on Monday! Something to do with compressor. Remembrance Day, of course, delayed repairs. Just a few minutes ago Cora Lee left to run a few errands and came back almost immediately. Water was pouring out of a pipe next to utility room, mentioned above! Not sure what this latest issue involves but there is somebody there, as I scribe, trying to do something. Maybe you should come over, after you look at YouTube, and fix problem, once and for all!
Had a call, earlier, from Westpoint, and my Trek is now ready. Apparently they had to order another spoke so changed damaged wheel for a temporary one and it is ready to go. They'll call when new spoke for my wheel is in and they'll replace it then. I'll be suited up and ready to go once Cora Lee is back and she will drop me off. I'll cycle from there. Not sure where I'll head but might try for 100 km, doing the 7 Prospect Point Hill Loop around Stanley park. Cheers, Patrice! Stats for ride:
http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/632579176#.VGWXBduNCWA.email
Up reasonably early, 7:00 am, to enjoy my first java of the day and continue my catch-up with email and the blogosphere, another backlog as a direct result of life on the road. At any rate, after a tasty lunch of pasta loading, (overlefts of tasty Cappelletti left by Ken!), I was ready to face the frosty world.
Once I left Westpoint, I debated which direction to go and quickly decided I might as well make for UBC since I was in that neck of the woods, already, so to speak. However, I wanted to change some of the approaches I usually take so had a bit of fun dipsy-doodling around campus. After about two hours or so I knew I was not going to be able to log 100 km for a number of reasons.
I had neglected to bring along my LED lights and with time change it starts to get dark by 5:00 pm so I knew I needed to be well on the way back to The Heartbreak Terrace before then. Secondly, I hadn't counted on it being as chilly as it actually was and although my core was more than fine, my riding gloves were not insulated so my fingers were pretty cold by 3:00 pm. This being the case I knew I would have to settle for a shorter distance so once I'd reached a point where I 'd clocked about 60 km I headed for home, knowing I'd have 70+ km on my trusty odometer by the end of the ride. Pleased that I'd managed the distance I had ridden but a bit annoyed at myself that I'd not prepared more fully.
That evening, around 7:00 pm, we bundled up and strolled over to the Waterfront Theatre as we had tickets to hear Alan Doyle, Newfoundland singer-songwriter and front man of Great Big Sea, interviewed by CBC host Lisa Christiansen about his new memoir, Where I Belong: " Doyle's story starts with “a rowdy journey through the cod tongues, altars, girls and guitars of my young life in Petty Harbour”, a tiny village where he was surrounded by larger-than-life characters, and continues with the greatest musical adventure of his life as lead singer of the acclaimed folk-rock band Great Big Sea." I had heard Shelagh Rogers interview him on CBC's The Next Chapter a month or so ago and I knew then that I couldn't miss seeing/hearing him in person. To put it mildly, the event was an absolutely stunning delight, moving, wonderfully humourous and refreshingly uncomplicated, based, as the evening was, on his stories about growing up at a special time, '70's and '80', in a very special place, Petty Harbour, in virtual isolation, (no electronic media of any sort, newspapers or bookstores), from the outside world although St John's was but 20 miles away.
By chance we sat next to good friends of good friends, the Keatings, Cecilia and Pat, (We have met them numerous times at large gatherings.), and while waiting for the interview to take place Cecilia mentioned that her grandfather had had to leave Newfoundland to find work and when she heard Alan sing "Where I Belong" on CBC's Playlist, she wept, almost uncontrollably, as his lyrics captured so completely the plight of so many of The Rock's native sons. When it came time for questions from the audience I asked him if he would sing something, a capella, (He didn't have a guitar along. At Cockburn event a fan had one but Bruce declined.), and he was more than delighted to do so. (His discussion about singing in this fashion, relative to the musical tradition in Newfoundland, was fascinating, in and of itself.) Not surprisingly, I suppose, he chose Where I Belong, (The "title track" of his book, as he laughingly said: "Books don't usually have title tracks!" As Alan is quite new, by his own admission, to the book business, so to speak, he mentioned that since he really had no idea how such readings/interviews usually unfolded he stated, from the outset, that he simply did or would do whatever he was told to do. Again, during the audience question period one man said he had a daughter studying at Memorial and he wondered if Alan would deliver the yet to be signed copy of Where I Belong to her in person. Alan was all for doing so, saying it would be great good fun!), and there was hardly a dry eye in the house, I'm sure, certainly not Cecilia's. After the event was over, I thanked her for mentioning the radio episode as I don't think I would have asked him to sing otherwise.
Hadn't actually intended to buy his book but, spurred on by Coriandre, I did so, before the show, so I was ready to have it signed afterwards. Before I left for California, Mr Fixit, (friend of the Sutherlands), was in town and over a malt or two I said we had tickets to Alan's event and he replied that he had taught him in high school, in St John's. When Alan was signing his book, I mentioned the somewhat tangential connection and he immediately remembered Wayne and asked me to pass along his regards. Funnily enough, Prince Valiant, (Sutherland's eldest son), was at the book signing as well. Unfortunately, as he was curling earlier, (Flamin' and Sare are in Maui as I scribe.), he wasn't able to hear the riotous interview, (Lisa did a grand job!), but came in when the signing line was all the way back into the theatre itself. He saw me but couldn't catch my eye and we only knew that he had been there when he popped upstairs afterwards. He told Alan that he had attended his first live concert ever, featuring Great Big Sea, in St John's, when eleven, with his mom! A more than fitting way to end such a remarkable evening of Newfoundland fare!
Michele Darrow-Sutherland Have
a collection of umbrellas to brink back to confirm the number of Mai
Tai drunk!! Pat, what a great night with Alan Doyle would have love to
have been there but you captured the evening beautifully
Greetings from Maui! Enjoying our week with W&M on Maui, lots of good food, wine, and daily beach walks, runs, swims and boogey boarding! Last day here today, and then over to Kauai tomorrow. Will see Barb & Larry there, plus some neighbours from Nanoose.
Great weather, and we saw early Humpbacks yesterday putting on quite a show!! Pics are from Gannon's restaurant- it is Wailea Restaurant Week, and they had a fabulous 3 course meal, Also enjoyed a special discounted 2010 Napa Burgess Merlot with the meal. Hope all is well on the Mainland! Cheers,
Grog & Lurch
No comments:
Post a Comment