Free pancakes, live entertainment, pony rides and more for adults and kids.
When: 9 to 11 am Where: Douglas Square — 11540 24th Street SE Price: Free
This event was so much fun! YAHOO! A great one for children! Lots of activities going on, including pony rides, Butterfield Acres petting zoo, rope making, sheep roping, the walk through of the Marine and Navy bus and so much more. We were entertained by live music, marching band and Indigenous dancers including explanations for the grand entry, male fancy, female jingle and female fancy. Excellent times and a great breakfast. I didn’t get a snap of our food plates today because my eyes were on Steven who had his mouth dropping open most of the time, for all of the excitement. Such an excellent morning!
No touch piggy.
Sitting in the driver’s seat…Marine and Navy recruitment bus.
Watching the big screen…navy ice breaker!
What a great morning. The food, again, was excellent, this time including those lovely circular shaped sausages, juice boxes and yummy pancakes. Scrambled eggs were also served.
Departing the site, Steven spotted a forklift, so we spent some time also perusing that. Great times with the Grandson!
Words spill out. I use the word beautiful a lot! I mention, too often, how grateful I am or how blessed I feel. Writing helps me to take pause, to slow down and to take real measure of how truly fortunate I am. I seem to be a more positive person when I write. However, in that part of life away from the keyboard, I can become anxious, worrying and temperamental. I thought about this last evening, after an experience of improvisational jazz music that was both rich and compelling. I’ll make a connection between words and jazz in a moment. Readers, bear with me.
I always think of Wendy as a connector, but more than that, a dear friend. Out of the blue, she invited me to join her for an early evening of improvised jazz. The musicians, percussionist Robin Tufts and trumpet player, Andre Wickenheiser, created such magic in musical dialogue, that tonight, even as I write, I get chills.
We entered through the front doorway of the ‘yellow house’ and stepped into the warm light of new friendship. Everywhere, interesting objects told stories of inspiration and the arts. Wonderful aromas wafted from the kitchen. Introductions were made and Pat steered us toward the two pots of stock heating on the stove top. Hanna turned meatballs in the fry pan. I began chopping up beets on a wooden cutting board and the conversations seamlessly wove over and under and through the lovely gathering. The only time the words stopped, was at the invitation to gather for the music.
Words stopped.
Taken from page 107
The Power of Silence: Silent Communication in Daily Life By Colum Kenny
What was about to take place was the ‘touching of a mystery’…a silencing of words.
Andre and Robin took their seats before us and Robin invoked a minute of silence. It was heart breaking, the silence was so beautiful. And…out of that silence was born the most remarkable improvised jazz sound. I was transported or emptied or released…I haven’t decided which. I relaxed. Words left me. I didn’t ‘think’. It was a wonderful experience to focus on a weeping trumpet, a laughing trumpet…a percussive response; a light bell, wood, metal, skin….a cry, a gasp, a retort. So complex, and yet so immediate and natural.
I was a little disappointed when the music came to a peaceful close. Words, again, flowed throughout the room. Conversations. Reactions. Circular sifting through spaces, hot bowls of soup…bread…desserts. A glass of wine. It was a genuinely ‘magical’ experience.
Thank you to Pat, Robin and Andre. It was good to meet you; Hanna and Roberta, Jaqueline, Rayne, Claudia…
This is a beautiful day! I got up early and Max and I headed over to the pond. I made a decision to attend a later Mass again because light will be fading soon and our pond walks will be later in the day…it is time to soak up the beautiful morning light while it’s still possible. It is another golden-blue day as tree branches become more exposed and the leaves move into a warmer shade of yellow.
Mass was inspiring. With my church family, I was able to reconnect with a friend I hadn’t visited with for quite a long time and I felt as though I was able to be really present to her and to the blessed peace of the Mass. I thought a lot about discipleship…and took pause to consider what direction these thoughts might take me in my community.
Once home, I ate a nice lunch and then visited with Dad on Skype. Now, I am sitting in my pyjamas, ready to have an afternoon nap. The sunshine is creating beautiful patterns on the floor near by. This relaxed feeling that pours over me is quite a contrast to the whirlwind of activity that has been filling up my life since Enriquito’s departure and connecting with Dylan last week. A few images as an archive…
Dragon Pearl Dumplings and Hot and Sour Soup…a family favourite and great for an art night.
Esker Foundation autumn opening. The snacks, as per usual, were amazing! And it was such a nice thing to visit with Jim and Sue Hill again. I bumped into people I knew, but it was especially good to share the experience with my daughter, Cayley. I have to say that this exhibit is a challenge for me. I’m looking forward to programs that will supplement the visual exhibit over the coming months. I’m guessing I will learn more about art as communication and installation. The programs began on Saturday, with an artist talk, but one needs to pace ones self. Charlotte Moth: living images and Celia Perrin Sidarous: Interiors, Other Chambers will be on exhibit until December 20.
From this gallery setting, we headed over to Pith Gallery, meeting John Will in the center of 9th Ave, where funny enough, he stopped to talk. Comic Con’t by Ryan Statz, had me in stitches. Honestly, the work made me laugh out loud. A great find! Autobiographical in nature, this work was technically astute and in very good humour.
Lifted from the Pith Comic Con’t public share, I hope that Ryan will not mind me sharing this…sort of gives you the back story.
Ryan Statz – Biography
A native of Montréal Québec, Statz completed his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the Alberta College of Art + Design in 2000, and received his Masters of Fine Arts degree at Concordia University in 2008. Currently based in Calgary Alberta, Statz’s work has been exhibited across Canada, The United States, and Europe.
Ryan Statz – Artist Statement
I am an idiot.
Anyone who knows me would likely admit that this is neither a stretch of the truth or the imagination – in fact, if I were a gambling man I’d say it’d be a pretty safe bet. Based on a personal, and experiential reality, my work owns up to this; however, because I also do not lead a life that is altogether interesting or exciting, the subject matter of the work references the mundane.
In the production of my work, I employ strategies from performance, executed with a deadpan fervour that includes elements of humour, wit, and humility – with just a hint of self-deprecation. Any self-flagellation, however, should not be taken as an admission of a lowered self-image; it is used primarily as a comedic device that addresses the notion of hegemonic masculinity.
Art History ubiquitously portrays the male artist as an iconic figure, a genius, and a hero. As I often approach things with a great deal of humility, I present the male artist (myself) as an individual who is not the sharpest tool in the shed, whose social status amongst his peers isn’t the highest, and whose success within the local, Canadian and international art context is virtually non-existent. So for my own purposes, and in the context of the male artist-as-bumbling-idiot, failure is always a viable option.
From Pith Gallery, Cayley and I walked down to the Ironwood Stage and Grill where Steve Coffey and Sheri-D were performing a collaborative piece titled, Tales From the Moonshine Room. Over a glass of wine, a snack of calamari and conversation shared with a writer out of LA, Cayley and I really enjoyed this performance piece. On a few occasions, the spoken poetry brought me to tears.
Nice to see you again, Paul Forestell!
Saturday morning began with an early morning pond walk. Even when life is hectic, having a beautiful border collie (Max-Man) in my circle, causes a connection with nature and required exercise.
From there, I headed up north for an Open Door YYC activity. I had registered to see the warehouse where the City of Calgary stores and cares for the Public Art Collection. It was fabulous! Barb and Quinn did an superb job sharing such a ‘magical’ place with us. Articulate and genuinely passionate, their collaborative presentation was excellent. A staff of two, they manage a beautiful space and collection. I was really glad to have seen this. (No pictures inside…and if you’ve ever attended to such an event, you would understand the logic.)
Had I prior knowledge about the density of population that would attend a Pop Up Etsy event, I would not have committed to the 50 minute line up to get to the 97 vendors inside the Golden Acres venue on Saturday. While I did pick up three Christmas gifts, I find that Market Collective provides a more ‘chill’ experience and as many artisans and creatives. I missed food trucks and live music. The crowds were oppressive. Hmmm…let me see…I’m sure I took a photo of the line up that wove in and out of shelving. Yes, here it is…
Yes, Dad, I DID do this! The best part of the line up was that I met up with one of my fans…just love this girl! Hannah is in one of her dance poses for this photo. :0)
I decided to opt out of the bus tour of the Shepard Land Fill site and headed home to chill out before sharing the evening with my girls, attending Alberta Ballet’s Balletlujah.
From Avenue Magazine: Photo captured of a moment in Jean Grand-Maitre’s choreography for Balletlujah!
Now…it might be that my readers will think that Saturday was over…but, no. What did we do? We stopped at the Blackfoot Diner OF COURSE. We thought we would share a piece of pie. But instead….this.
I have much to be grateful for…I’m offered up so much in the way of opportunity…good food and drink…friendship and family. It was quite a weekend! Late this afternoon, I will drive out to spend time with my dear Ya Yas. But…for now…a snooze!
I love sepia…I mean, I love the colour and I like that it brings up, for me, a sense of nostalgia and memory.
I have used a sepia-like palette in paintings where I wished to provoke that very sensibility…my library club paintings would be an example of this.
Recently, I enjoyed photographs at studio 122 by artist and photographer, Bryce Meyer. The work was yummy because of the warmth and the layering involved in his process. He describes his process this way. “The photos were encaustic using bees wax. They’re inkjet prints which I then treated with the wax. This is the first time I’ve used the process to show work, normally my work is more static and minimal in nature. I chose to use encaustic this time to help communicate the feeling of Varanasi.”
As a result of my encounter with those two photographs, I have read a bit about the toning of photographs. From our favourite dictionary of wonderful things, and in no way, complete…this snapshot from wikipedia…
Sepia toning is a specialized treatment to give a black-and-white photographic print a warmer tone and to enhance its archival qualities. Chemicals are used to convert the metallicsilver in the print to a sulfide compound, which is much more resistant to the effects of environmental pollutants such as atmospheric sulfur compounds. Silver sulfide is at least 50% more stable than silver.[5]
There are three types of sepia toner in modern use;
Thiourea (or ‘thiocarbamide’) toners – these are odorless and the tone can be varied according to the chemical mixture;
Polysulfide or ‘direct’ toners – these do not require a bleaching stage.
Except for polysulfide toners, sepia toning is done in three stages. First the print is soaked in a potassium ferricyanide bleach to re-convert the metallic silver to silver halide. The print is washed to remove excess potassium ferricyanide then immersed into a bath of toner, which converts the silver halides to silver sulfide.
Incomplete bleaching creates a multi-toned image with sepia highlights and gray mid-tones and shadows. This is called split toning. The untoned silver in the print can be treated with a different toner, such as gold or selenium.[6]
And…I’m assuming that contemporary photographers might also use digital techniques…so this…
Digital toning
Toning can be simulated digitally, either in-camera or in post-processing. The in-camera effect, as well as beginner tutorials given for software like Photoshop or GIMP, use a simple tint. More sophisticated software tends to implement sepia tones using the duotone feature. Simpler photo-editing software usually has an option to sepia-tone an image in one step.
On a personal level, one of my favourite family photographs captures my paternal grandmother and grandfather on their wedding day. Gramma wore fresh apple blossoms in her hair.
Just as special is this photograph of my own parents on their wedding day.
Last night, I went out to En Corp Dance Collective’s performance of SEPIA with a group of my dear Ya Yas. Mount Royal’s Wright Theater was host to the performance and I treasured the evening on several levels.
Initially, I felt a blow to my gut at the introductory segments. Beautiful actress, Kelly Medieros, played the role of an aging female widow, suffering and celebrating the memories of times shared with and the loss of her spouse.
Kelly Medeiros: Photo Credit, Red Dot Photography
Her narrative became the thread that connected the choreography that we were to enjoy. I appreciated the objects of her affection…the photographs…the map. I appreciated her subtle gestures and her meetings and greetings of the selves of her self. So beautifully performed.
Childhood Memories: Jordan Wallan and Vanessa Wright.
Having just recently lost my mother, much of the first half was rough on me, emotionally…but, with some self-talk, I managed to enter into the piece and really engage it. I appreciated the interesting technological work, the background and the set as well as the photographs that sprinkled through the program. For me, this performance became everyone’s story. The dancers did an exceptional job of capturing the various phases of a woman’s life…a canvas of strokes that touched each of the audience in a different way, I’m certain. Congratulations, En Corps, especially Kelly, Melanie and Alfi…beautiful creatives!
It was a pleasant surprise, recently, to encounter First Nations dance, singing and drumming at the annual Calgary Spaghetti Western Festival. I found the love song that Morley Redwood sang solo to be both haunting and beautiful. Not typically performed solo, I thought that Morley was courageous to sing with such spirit, in front of an audience at Olympic Plaza. I’m also posting a YouTube where Morley is joined by other drummers and singers so that my readers can see the depth of sound as several drummers and singers join.
Recently a group of First Nations singers has gone viral on YouTube. This particular performance echoes, but is different from a Buffy-Ste-Marie tune that I used to listen to while painting.
Morley Redwood is Assiniboine/Cree from Cowessess First Nation, located in Saskatchewan. He has been singing all of his life and competing extensively. He has his own group called Bear Spirit. Singing is his passion in life and it has taken him across North America as well as Australia and England.
Bear Spirit Painting Borrowed from Morley Redwood.
Chief Cowessess (Ka-wezauce, “Little Boy”) adhered to Treaty 4 on September 15, 1874, on the Hudson’s Bay Company reserve, at the southeastern end of Echo Lake, with his Saulteaux, Cree, and Métis followers. They remained nomadic until 1878–79, when they began Farming near Maple Creek in the Cypress Hills, and in 1880 a reserve was surveyed for them at Crooked Lake. While several band members settled there under O’Soup, Cowessess and his followers remained in the Hills until the spring of 1883. Education was always a priority: the first log school house was built in 1880 by the Oblate fathers; Cowessess Indian residential school opened in 1898; and Lakeside Day School was built in 1934. The Roman Catholic Mission was called Crooked Lake Mission until the community was granted a post office under the name Marieval in 1908. The 21,488-ha Cowessess Reserve is 13 km northwest of Broadview, and an additional 257.1-ha reserve (73A) is situated 31 km west of Esterhazy. There are 3,266 band members, 597 of whom live on reserve.
We had just stepped out of the M. C. Escher exhibit and Buzz Elroy was entertaining the crowd down at the Olympic Plaza. It was the weekend for the 6th Annual Spaghetti Western Festival. Sitting under the awning, the three of us were just taking in the goings-on when I was certain I recognized a man, dressed in First Nations dance regalia. I spoke out loud to my friends, “I think that’s a former student of Holy Cross, Craig First Rider.”
Sure enough, once introduced by the MC, I heard his name.
I met Craig back in the days when I taught at Holy Cross School in Calgary. I saw him as a young boy, dancing the Fancy Dance for our school population and community. I was big on coordinating huge festivals in the day, given our huge multicultural population.
When I met him down at Calgary’s sixth annual Spaghetti Western Festival, I was in awe of the man he has become and impressed that he has now danced for over 35 years. This was a fantastic addition to Calgary’s Spaghetti Western Festival and we enjoyed three demonstrations after Maddison Krebs (excellent and very entertaining for a sixteen year old) and Buzz Elroy (dawning a great hat) and before Angela Harris.
I’m very proud of you, Craig and hope that we can speak again and I can be updated on your accomplishments over the years.
It’s been over a week and I am only now sitting down to write about Balletlujah! It was a brilliant collaboration between Artistic Director of the Alberta Ballet, Jean Grand-Maitre and k. d. lang. My friend told me that she began to cry during the second half…I cried from the time I saw the magical prairie landscape open up during the first number, Inglewood. Suddenly, I was flooded with memories of times shared with my grandfather, miles traveled on Alberta roads and my years of painting the landscape I’ve treasured so much the past thirty years.
I can not possibly capture for my readers, the gist of the performance. The dancers were exquisite. The costumes were perfect. The lights and video effects were spectacular and the music created for me, a narrative that moved me beyond belief. The images of buffalo, crows, fish and star studded nights were dreamy. The contrast of prairie and city experiences was so well-developed through the music and the ballet. I definitely felt that the piece was encompassing themes of place, home and identity…of what it feels like to love completely and without holding back. A spectacular night! The second last tune resonates with me personally and so I am going to link to it here.
If given the opportunity to see this ballet in the future, please do.
I met Ramona in 1971. With a friendship as dear as this, I learned about how much fun life could be! Ramona had a boyfriend. I learned about and anticipated life experiences through the sharing of her experiences. We walked for miles and miles together and while we did, Ramona would recount many adventures and amazed, I would rattle off my stories to her. Ramona was one of the dearest and truest people in my life during those years.
She and I would dance in her bedroom. I always compared her to Janis Joplin. She called me Sky and I called her Sunshine. She strung mismatched printed handkerchiefs on strands of trim and from this, created clothing. She would dance with her arms completely free and open, spinning in circles to Black Sabbath. We would laugh and talk as we wandered Lakeside in the dark. We had no need of alcohol because we were both always so ‘high’ on life. I felt free through her…her experience of music…her freedom to dance…her story.
She wore bangles and beads and her copper hair hung well past her bum, as her mother’s always did. Ramona sang like a bird. I whistled, because I rarely knew the words. We made pancakes whenever I slept over and her Mom hugged and loved me. The last time I visited Mona in Manistee, Michigan, I treasured the fact that she made us pancakes…just like old times.
On January 11th, Ramona retired from her role with the forestry service. Through all of her years and various locations, Ramona always kept in touch with me. I have compiled a full memory book of her wanderings and achievements and treasure her cards and letters, holding them always dear to my heart. I am so proud of you, Ramona, and know that we’ll be connecting to do some traveling. Congratulations, dear friend!
The following autobiographical information was shared by Ramona as a part of her retirement invitation. I only regret that I couldn’t be by her side as she celebrated such a milestone.
Friends, Forest Service family, volunteers and project partners; I am retiring on January 12, 2013. After 34 years, and 5 months of employment with the Federal Government (on the Beaverhead, Clearwater, Flathead, Los Padres, Lolo, Nicolet and Huron Manistee National Forests and as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Temuco, Southern Chile.) New adventures are calling. Here are a few career highlights, besides meeting and working with you:
® Wildfire and emergency assignments, especially as an Information Officer- for Hurricane Katrina in San Antonio, the Chicken Fire in Alaska and The Wesley Fire Complex on the Payette NF this fall…
® Details with Wilderness; to The Aldo Leopold Center in Missoula, and Training for Line Officers at Ninemile Station, to Guatemala with The Sister Forest Program and to the White Mountain NF -to enter trails data after Hurricane Irene
® Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness data collection, and kayaking recreation patrols on the Pine and Manistee rivers
® Working with and training volunteers and interns, from clubs and universities, and sharing information and ideas
® Monitoring Recreation Special Use Events and working with the event organizers, photographing participants
® Our partnership with “Explore the Shores” for improving Universal access to Manistee County river access sites
® Speaking to outdoor, school and youth groups, and representing the Forest Service at conventions and meetings
® Brainstorming with colleagues at Forest Service trainings, such as The Eastern and Southern Region University and at Clemson University as part of the 3-week intensive Outdoor Recreation Planner Course
® Organizing, planning for and conducting National Visitor Use Monitoring surveys with our forest visitors
® Leading trail hikes for The Forest Festival in Manistee and coordinating National Trails Day Events, as well as
® My Peace Corps assignment with the Ministry of Education in Chile, designing 5th grade environmental education curriculum, making a National Park slide program for schools and organizing youth conservation summer camps
Reflections
Scents of pine, crunchy leaves, crystal snow, nose-hair freeze, I’ll still walk the forest trails, but without badges or uniforms regales.
Glistening shores, swift flash of fish, turtle’s splash, water’s itch, paddling onward fast and slow, I’ll be there too, don’tcha know.
Singing sand, fossil stones, bits of glass, pockets full, but a chorus of friends harmonize too, “come couch surf please; we’ve places new to travel and explore with you”.
Memories newly made or old, you’ll be with me too- minus blanket hogs or snores.
Reading, beading, polishing stones…, resale shop treasure hunts, volunteering, learning to teach English to non-native speakers, or even how to do computer Webpage Design, pottery creations, water color painting, writing and music listening too; oh my… “There is so much to do”!
Re-invention, re-tirement, waking with the sun, looking forward not back, perhaps I’ll even relax.
My daughter, Cayley, and her friend, Crystal, performed a magical piece at the Untitled Arts Society on Friday night. Fortunate were those who had opportunity to attend the performance, in addition to taking in the visual art exhibit because it was so fleeting and yet so intense. I’m very proud of my daughter for this collaboration. It was courageous.
As six inches of my daughter’s hair was cut off toward the conclusion of the performance, the audience members gasped in unison. It was a stunning moment, leaving some observers quietly emotional and shocked…others, uttering their amazement in a whole number of ways.
The images, on their own, may not convey the narrative or the emotion expressed and the drawings and sculptural pieces that remain feel to be a mere residue to the experience.
1 / 17
Following the performance piece, the Haggard Beat performed in gallery and so there was an extension of magical energy and we all celebrated with great conversation and excellent music.
…provided the next couple of photographs from LIVE ART August 22, 2012 at the Gorilla House. You can’t tell I’m having fun! (nah!)
Wednesday, August 22, 2012…a particularly awesome evening at the Gorilla House. LIVE ART included the appearance of my own daughter and two of her dancing friends. It added yet another dimension to a consistently amazing experience. Thank you, Vincent. It was wonderful getting to know you over this summer’s painting. Rich and the Gorilla House have brought many very cool people together. Sometimes I wonder if our lives would have intersected otherwise. For you and your talents, I’m grateful. Enjoy this Vincent Varga/Rich Theroux video happening!