admin – Page 61 – The Imperceptible Immigrant

Maker of Monsters

June 21, 2018 by admin

Way back in the dim and distant… (before, even, the Kickass Canada Girl and I had landed upon these verdant shores) I posted an item to this blog entitled ‘A Sense of Place‘. Should you care to refresh your memory (hah!) of that inestimable entry you will (re)discover that it included a description of how I came to learn of the wonderful works of Kwakwaka’wakw carver and First Nation chief – Beau Dick.

The piece included a link to a YouTube clip which contained a trailer for an as yet unfinished documentary on Beau Dick which was at that point still in the process of creation by Vancouver gallery owner – LaTiesha Fazakas – and her co-director – Natalia Tudge. I contacted them by email to enquire as to when the film might be completed and was advised that they were hoping so to do later that same year.

That was in January 2015!

The next reference within these pages to Beau was a less happy one, on the occasion of his sad and untimely death in March last year. This was widely reported at the time and many who were not previously aware of his work and achievements may well have been enlightened as a result of that unhappy event.

Finally, late last year I received notice that the documentary had at last been completed and was to be shown in the Vancouver International Film Festival. There were also to be other screenings – in Vancouver and elsewhere – but none that I could readily attend. Then – in the spring of this year – I learned that the documentary was to be released on DVD. Hoorah! When we were in Vancouver last month – on the occasion of the Paul Simon concert to which I have made previous reference – I found my way to the Fazakas Gallery and purchased a copy.

You might well grumble at this point that – even should you be interested – this does not help you very much. This is true. However, last night the documentary was also aired on CBC. Again – my apologies for not having given prior notice of this within these meanderings. I had heard that it was to be aired but not when. I only discovered yesterday that that was indeed to be the day.

The documentary can be found – however – here on the CBC website. Now – I can stream it thence but I’m afraid I have no idea if it will work abroad, or how long it will be available there. Give it a go and let me know.

Needless to say it is well worth viewing. Beautifully crafted and most evocative – not to mention thought-provoking.

Suddenly it’s summer

June 19, 2018 by admin

After a considerable period during which the summer attempted in only a somewhat lacklustre fashion to get properly started… now, suddenly, here it is! Temperatures kicked up by six or seven degrees Celsius almost overnight and the sun is now truly hot.

Nice!

We entertained friends on Saturday evening last and it was the first occasion this year on which we were able comfortably to sit out late on our now year-old deck. Indeed, ’twas so balmy that we stayed out ’til midnight or thereabouts, clad only in t-shirts, shorts and summer dresses (as appropriate to our genders and inclinations!). A splendid evening was had by all even if we were too busy chewing the fat to venture onto the freshly mowed croquet lawn. Oh well – plenty more opportunities now that summer is truly here.

On the Sunday – and only a little worse for wear – I was on Intrepid Theatre board duty. As part of its outreach program the company mans a feature at a number of Victoria public events. On this occasion it was ‘Car Free Day’, for which one of the city’s main thoroughfares – Douglas Street – is closed to vehicular traffic and given over to all manner of stalls and amusements. Next month it will be ‘Pride’ and then in August ‘Fringe Kids’ as part of the Victoria Fringe Festival.

For these events the company creates a 65 sq metre ‘Cardboard Castle’ for youngsters to paint. Those eager to express themselves are given an oversized t-shirt to cover their own clothes, a small container of poster paint in a colour of their choice and a brush, before being set loose inside the castle to cover its walls in any manner that they choose.

They may, of course, return at any point to top up with further colours and some spend a considerable amount of time creating their own masterpieces… either that or just painting each other! Either seems to work and the attraction is hugely popular, not least with parents who can come to rest for a while knowing that their offspring are safely pre-occupied within.

Golly… we are nearly at the solstice already! Now, how did that happen?

Braking news! (sic)

June 15, 2018 by admin

It is that time of year when the good ship Dignity is being prepared for her summer sojourn in one of the local marinas, so that we may enjoy as much as possible the delights of being on the water during the dog days… though it has to be said that the weather has not yet quite made the grade (at least as far as those of us who are decidedly fair-weather sailors are concerned).

Now, Dignity is no spring chicken – having been built in 1978 – and thus inevitably usually requires a certain amount of TLC at the start of the season. Her trailer is of an indeterminate age, but has itself clearly been around the block more than once! I have tried very hard over the last couple of years not to look too closely at it; and in particular at the brakes. I had a sneaking suspicion – the which I did not want confirmed – that they were in a condition that rendered them fit only for show (and only just for that!).

The trailer does considerably less miles than does the boat, being limited to a trundle down to the nearby boat launch and back a couple of times a year. I take things very gently and – to be frank – the Lexus has more than enough brake-age for both vehicle and tow-load.

The trailer is however (or was!) fitted with surge brakes. These comprise a hydraulic master cylinder built into the coupling which feeds brake cylinders on two of the the wheel hubs. When the towing vehicle slows the forward momentum of the boat and trailer effectively apply the trailer brakes through this mechanism. One of the big drawbacks of surge brakes, of course, is that the same physics applies when one tries to reverse the trailer, which is less than helpful.

Anyway, I finally figured that it was time to bite the bullet and to make a closer inspection of the trailer brakes. A perfunctory examination revealed that they were indeed non-functional. The hydraulic lines had completely corroded and any remaining fluid therein had seeped away. The brake drums and hubs were also corroded to the point that I doubted the existing brakes could easily be made to function again.

Two possibilities came to mind. I could just strip the brakes out and manage without them. A furtive peak on the InterWebNet (though half-closed eyes and with fingers firmly crossed) sadly confirmed my worst fears. For a boat and trailer of Dignity’s weight brakes are a legal requirement… in BC at any rate. Hmmm!

The next best option – if Dignity was ever to be moved again – was to replace the dead hubs and brakes with shiny new electric brakes. The Lexus has a big advantage in this regard in that its tow-pack already has a controller built in to it and it is simply a case of picking up the necessary pin on the seven-way connector. The legislation – with the sort of overkill that probably does actually have its origins in common-sense – also requires that a breakaway mechanism be fitted. Frankly – if boat and trailer not only break free of the coupling but also destroy the required robust safety chains as well I doubt if a couple of drum brakes are going to stop it causing serious havoc – but the law is the law! A battery based mechanism with a safety strap and switch were duly also acquired.

The illustration above shows the new hubs, bearing, electric brakes and breakaway kit. I’m not saying that installation was straightforward; indeed a fair bit of cussing was involved – not to mention one seriously bruised finger on an occasion on which I was spectacularly careless with a club hammer – but all has been fitted and appears to be functioning.

Fingers crossed (including the damaged one) – all systems go!

Creation from chaos

June 11, 2018June 11, 2018 by admin

“Creation from chaos is natural. We’ve come to a place where we’ve realized that we have this actual physical need to create things. We’ve discovered that we hate people en masse, we’re sick of homogenized culture, and these realizations have left holes in our hearts. We create to fill those holes, to be able to sleep at night knowing we’ve done something, even a small something, to confront the manufactured culture that is currently being churned out.”

Renee Rigdon

Those who touch base on a regular basis with these mildly mischievous meanderings will be in no doubt as to my personal views with regard to the necessity – the urgency even – of the creative process to the health, happiness and fulfillment of our spirits and souls. Whether or not we might – as Renee Rigdon suggests – actually ‘hate people en masse” it is quite clear that our creativity – shared or solo – enables us to connect with one another on a considerably more intimate and joyful level – to come to know each other through that which matters most to us.

We are blessed in this corner of the world to have a burgeoning arts scene and an abundance of those for whom the practice of creation is woven deeply into their existences. In communities such as these the commercialisation of creation – whilst naturally still a factor in some cases – is of considerably less import that it is in the big cities. You might demur – suggesting perhaps that my spectacles have lenses of a rosy hue – but that is how it seems to me.

This past weekend we entertained The Girl’s mother – she having driven down from Nanaimo and hopped over on the Mill Bay ferry. It was also the weekend of the ArtSea Spring Studio Tour – a community arts council event for which artists local to the northern reaches of the Saanich peninsula open their studios and processes to visitors. We determined to venture forth to discover what might be on offer.

I have made previous mention of MacTavish Academy of Art – which splendid re-purposing of a redundant elementary school is but a short hop from us. They were hosting an eclectic assemblage of artists and crafts-people for whom opening their own premises was not an option and included in that number were friends of ours; a mother and daughter – Wendy and Sarah Simpson – who are both jewellery designers and fabricators. We spend a most happy half-hour with them chewing the fat and investigating the wares on show at the various booths before moving on.

Crossing the peninsula to the west side we visited Jerry Anderson’s wood carving studio, where up to a dozen carvers regularly assemble to create life-size wooden replicas of birds and wildfowl. Mr Anderson had been a boat builder by trade before retirement and he showed us a number of wonderful scale models that he had built – including that of a 45 foot ketch upon which he and his wife had at one time lived.

The Girl’s parents were themselves great sailors and it amused – though not surprised – us to discover that Mr Anderson was well acquainted with the builder of their last traditional wooden sailboat. Like them he and his wife had also been residents for a period on one of the Gulf Islands and we enjoyed a most pleasant conversation that covered birds, boats, island life, shoes, ships and sealing wax – and all manner of other things.

If this gently meandering post can actually be said to have a point I feel sure that it is this: there is something about corners of the world such as these that attract those for whom creativity is a key part of the process of discovering themselves and their relationships with others. For the most part these explorations are carried out with the utmost gentleness and lightness of touch… all of which makes community life is such parts most rewarding and enjoyable.

Much more than this one cannot not reasonably ask…

Swiftsure

June 5, 2018 by admin

“For years, sailing bound us. We were racers, builders and cruisers. It was our family business, our sport, our drug of choice. Yet eventually, sailing blew us apart, too.”

Jim Lynch – ‘Before the Wind’

Should you have any interest in sailing – or in this particular (pacific northwest) neck of the woods – then I heartily recommend Jim Lynch’s novel – “Before the Wind”. Indeed, if you have not yet encountered Mr Lynch’s oeuvre I encourage you to take a look. I don’t read anywhere near as much fiction as I would like (my fault – too much fascinating non-fiction to cover) but I really admire what he does and how he does it. The characters, the situations… just speak to me somehow.

Anyway – the centre-piece of “Before the wind” is set at the annual Swiftsure International Yacht Race – the seventy-fifth running of which took place here in Victoria a couple of weekends back. The Swiftsure is actually no less than six different races run contemporaneously. The staggered starts are on Saturday mid-morning at Clover Point in Victoria, with the courses then following a variety of different circular tracks westwards through the Strait of Juan de Fuca before returning to Victoria. The biggest and fastest boats complete the course by early evening the same day; this year the slowest yacht finished sometime after 4:00 am on the Monday morning!

The image above gives an idea of the rolling starts. Close inspection should reveal HMCS Nanaimo in the midst of the flurry of yachts, with the tell-tale puff of smoke from the blank round just fired to start one of the sections. (As ever, double-clicking on the image will give you a better idea).

Now – I love the sea (what – you hadn’t noticed?!) and I have greatly enjoyed what sailing I have done – but… I would be the first to admit that this just isn’t a spectator sport. Whereas at the serious end of the Americas Cup only two (massive!) yachts are involved (whilst at Cowes there are other distractions altogether) with a complex ocean race like this is is well nigh impossible to tell at any moment what is going on. For those who really must know the race organisers helpfully provide a splendid race-tracker on their website, but that’s not really spectating – is it? It is impossible not to to be reminded of this splendid spoof Irish commentary from the 2012 Olympics.

Whilst on the subject of sailing – this rather lovely schooner was maneuvering out in our bay on the same weekend as the race:

What a splendid sight!

Montreal melange

June 1, 2018 by admin

A few final thoughts on our rapidly receding trip to Montreal and Vancouver…

Ask anyone with what they most associate the city of Montreal and you will get a variety of answers – the French – the culture (jazz, comedy) – the Olympics – the Canadiens! One thing on which all would doubtless agree – however – is the food. One simply cannot go to Montreal and not take advantage of the city’s French heritage in matters of cuisine.

Montreal – of course – famously gave Canada (and thus the world) both Poutine and the Montreal Smoked Meat Sandwich… the which latter should (when in town) be purchased from the legendary ‘Schwartz’s Deli‘.

Well – we sampled neither – and nor did we make it to Schwartz’s. There is just too much good food to be had and – pining for the delights of a springtime visit to ‘Gay Paree’ – we determined to get our fill of fine French fare instead.

For one particularly special evening out we chose a visit to ‘Le Club Chasse et Pêche‘ (for the non French-linguists out there that means “Huntin’ and Fishin‘”). The dinner entrées commence with the wonderfully titled ‘Oysters with Charisma‘ but one should eschew such delights and head straight for the epic ‘Braised Piglet Risotto with Fois Gras Shavings‘. I will describe no further the goodies on offer on this lavish menu to protect the gentle readers sensibilities and for fear of provoking extreme fits of jealousy.

I will – however – just mention how wonderful it was too find a truly extensive (not to mention expensive) French wine list this side of the pond – and to encounter a young Sommelier who knows his stuff. The Chambolle-Musigny was his recommendation and he was not wrong!

After dinner we strolled through the old town to the Champs de Mars. Much of Vieux Montreal is illuminated at night with projections illustrating the city’s history. This extended Son et Lumière is titled ‘Cité Mémoire’ and was established in 2016 as part of the city’s 375 anniversary celebrations. It will remain in place for a further couple of years and is worth seeing for the fascinating eventide atmosphere that it engenders.

I just liked this chap. Seemed to capture Montreal quite well for me!

All too soon it was time to head back to Vancouver Island. When one sees Mount Baker aglow on the port side when flying into Vancouver one knows one is nearly home. What a place we lucky souls inhabit…

Angels in the architecture

May 28, 2018 by admin

“He looks around, around
He sees angels in the architecture
Spinning in infinity
He says, ‘Amen!’ and ‘Hallelujah!'”

Paul Simon – “You can call me Al”

The west coast of Canada – in ‘architectural’ terms – is jejune. The British settlement in Victoria – for example – dates only from 1843 and Victoria is one of the oldest cities in the Pacific Northwest. ‘Heritage’ houses are thus mostly (and appropriately) Victorian.

Montreal is considerably older – though still youthful in European terms – with buildings dating all the way back to 1671! The old town is a fascinating mixture of architectural styles. Wikipedia tells us:

“The architecture of Montreal is characterized by the juxtaposition of the old and the new and a wide variety of architectural styles, the legacy of two successive colonisations by the French and the British. Much like Quebec, the city of Montreal had fortifications but they were destroyed between 1804 and 1817.

For over a century and a half, Montreal was the industrial and financial centre of Canada. The variety of buildings included factories, warehouses, mills and refineries which today provide a legacy of historic and architectural interest, especially in the downtown area and in Old Montreal. Many historical buildings in Old Montreal retain their original form, notably the impressive 19th century headquarters of all of the major Canadian banks.”

Leaving aside for now the abundance of modern architecture on display, these images give a good idea of the variety of styles – ranging from nineteenth century European to early twentieth century North American – that may be found in Vieux-Montréal:

Notre-Dame

May 24, 2018 by admin

It has taken a few days since returning from our trip to Montreal and Vancouver to upload and to organise the photographic images which it has become my habit to capture when traveling – particularly to places that are new to me. Naturally I am now keen to share same with any gentle reader imbued with a sufficiency of patience and indulgence.

This batch of images are of the Notre-Dame Basilica in the old town of Montreal. This impressive edifice – construction of which started in 1824 on the site of a considerably older place of worship – can accommodate 8000 souls! What I like about it – particularly by comparison with many Roman churches in Paris and elsewhere – is that instead of the interior being gloomy and oppressive (with an atmosphere reeking of sin!) it is instead full of light and colour. Apparently the model in this case was that of the Parisian exception to the rule – Sainte-Chapelle.

Less guilt – more gilt!

Homeward bound

May 19, 2018 by admin

There came a moment – just over an hour and twenty minutes into the opening night of Paul Simon’s ‘Homeward Bound‘ farewell tour in Vancouver on Wednesday last – when the most excellent fifteen piece band brought an exuberant rendition of ‘You Can Call me Al‘ to a juddering close and the great man himself stepped forward to acknowledge and bask in the applause of the devoted crowd – when a sudden startled stir rippled through the arena. Was that it? Had a mere sixteen songs from Simon’s extraordinarily extensive back-catalogue been all that we would be left to remember him by?

It was not enough. Not by a long chalk…

Three extended encores (featuring ten further songs and lasting for a full fifty minutes) later we reluctantly let the man go. He is – after all – seventy five years of age and this was the first night of a long tour. Perhaps he was testing the water – investigating what was possible and seeing how far he could push a voice that – whilst it sounded a little tenuous at the start – warmed up more and more as the evening progressed.

Were we satisfied? Well – of course we were – though much of the talk afterwards was of classic tracks that had not been included. There was no ‘Kodachrome‘ – no ‘Train in the Distance‘ – no ‘Only Living Boy in New York‘… but I guess that is the inevitable side-effect of having such a voluminous inventory of classic compositions from which to choose.

Simon ended alone on stage singing – along, it seemed, with the entire crowd – ‘The Sound of Silence‘. My view (widely shared of course) that the man is a complete genius was again borne out by the recognition anew that his music – even that dating from the mid-sixties – has really not aged at all – neither in its poetry nor its melodies. This is surely a true mark of the enduring legacy that this great artist has gifted to us. He makes us sing – he makes us happy – he makes us dance – he moves us to tears (at least three times during Wednesday night’s show).

More than this we cannot ask – though should his tease that he had only billed the tour as his farewell so as to be able to push up the ticket prices turn out to be true – I have no doubt at all that he would be welcomed back to the West Coast with open arms.

Genius! ‘Nuff said!

Innocents abroad

May 14, 2018May 13, 2018 by admin

“In Paris they just simply opened their eyes and stared when we spoke to them in French! We never did succeed in making those idiots understand their own language.”

Mark Twain – The Innocents Abroad

Let it be said at once that in Montreal there is no need at all to try to make anyone understand their own language. The locals will – in a nanosecond – detect that French is not your native tongue, from which point on they simply abjure its use – effortlessly showing up your linguistic shortcomings and contriving so to do without effecting the distainful air that one so often encounters in Paris.

Should you, like us, have transported your existence to the paradise that is the west coast of Canada (some five and a half thousand miles distant from the European continent) but still on occasion find yourself assailed by yearnings for the sophistication and epicurean delights of the French capital… then Montreal is the perfect halfway house in which just such a fix may be obtained.

This is specifically so of the old town, in which we are currently staying in a perfectly decent Air-B’n’B apartment. Unlike much else in Canada Vieux Montreal is properly old and has a strong European heritage. On our first day here we ventured forth looking for a suitable bistro. In the ‘Modavie’ we found one that was so French that we might easily have been in the backstreets of Paris itself.

The fare was excellent French bistro cooking, with a truly authentic Soupe a l’Oignon followed by a lamb burger made with pulled lamb for me and sea bass (really hard to find on the west coast) for The Girl. We wrapped up with a Pouding Chômeur which reminded The Girl of her childhood.

The evening was made, however, by the wonderful hospitality of our server – Caroline – and the larger than life maître d’ – Lorenzo Baldassarre – who went out of his way to make the occasion memorable.

Now – Canadians (and those who have visited) will need no convincing of the ‘Frenchness’ of Montreal. To others, have a look at the photos in this (and subsequent) posts and see what you think.

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