Melbourne Street Art

Kate and I visited Melbourne (Victoria, Australia) for 5 weeks in November and December of 2015. There's lots of street art that caught my eye -- I include some posters. I am not keen on tagging. These are mostly straight up with little editing -- some tuning, some perspective control, some cropping, some stitching, etc. Of the many artists' works I really can't say who is responsible for what. Only that I found these interesting.

Here's an album of street art.

Melbourne, Victoria

Click on photo for Photo Album

We spent a month in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Kate was working with colleagues at La Trobe -- I was there to carry her luggage. There's a small downtown La Trobe campus near the Queen Victoria Markets and we stayed at the City Tempo apartments (a glass and steel high rise unit) just across the street. It was very convenient for Kate's work. We had planned a trip to Roatan (and Caribbean island, part of Honduras) but the trip to Australia was too good to pass up. We had been to Melbourne many times before but never for a long stay like this.

The nearby Queen Victoria Market is quite interesting -- there's a green market, fresh fish and meats, deli's, dry goods and much much more. We developed a taste for fresh mangos found at the market. While we were visiting there were several special events at the market including late openings on Wednesdays. And, as the picture shows, they were ramping up for the Christmas season. The market isn't open every day, but when it is, it's well worth a visit. There were, of course, nearby super markets (eg. Coles and Woolworths are two big Australian chains).

Our apartment was convenient, but sparse and very small. There was a tiny balcony we could sit on with good views of the city to the west but we both agreed we could never live in a high rise like that. Our home in St Marys is more to our liking. Cities are fine to visit but we like our life in a small town.

Melbourne Central (the large mall, the metro stop) was a short few blocks away. The historic circle tram line was just down the street. Getting around in Melbourne's CBD is pretty easy -- there's lots of trams and they're all free within the CBD and not very expensive beyond the city. I understood that there was to be an experiment to try a month where the entire CBD would be car-free and pedestrian friendly. Access to the transit system was with a tap card that you'd recharge when needed. The beauty of the system was that you could go far out of the city by train on the same card.

The Shopping Arcades and Alley's are an interesting feature of the CBD. Fun to explore, loaded with shops and restaurants, connecting the various malls.

Federation Square and the Flinders Train Station on the Yarra River are essentials. There's often events on Federation Square. There's also the ACMI (Australia Center for Moving Images) and The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia to explore. Across the river on St Kilda Rd there's the large NGV (National Gallery of Victoria) which we explored. Across the road is the Shrine of Remembrance and the Royal Botanic Gardens.

We didn't take our bikes with us on this trip (airlines hit you pretty hard for an extra bag). Instead we rented city-bikes and/or road the trams. The city bikes are clunky but convenient and good enough for us. We made it down to St Kilda beach and biked along the shore of Port Phillip Bay but it was too early in the season for swimming. One evening we went out the pier at St Kilda beach to see the "Fairy Penguins" that hide out in the break wall. A rookery has been established there and is fenced off to keep tourists from bothering the birds.

There was a "Noodle Market" one day on the riverbank near Federation Square. We checked it out but could not find any vendor who actually sold noodles! Really! We ended up at the Noodle Kingdom, a Chinese restaurant on Swanston St in Chinatown, to have a dinner with fresh pulled noodles. Later we took some of our Melbourne colleagues there.

I explored the Docklands and beyond to the Bolte Bridge -- you can get there on the Circle Tram line. Melbourne has a modern container port on the Yarra further. The docklands are where the old port used to be -- from the days when ships were loaded and unloaded by stevedores. It's now a pretty posh area of city with some very trendy, modern apartments.

Flagstaff Gardens is a public park just down the street from us. We were lucky to be there when the Jacaranda trees bloomed. Our friends at La Trobe played in a netball league in the park (it's a uniquely Australian game a bit like basketball except there's no travelling with the ball).

RMIT is another university in Melbourne just around the corner from us. We went a punk exhibit at a gallery at RMIT and learned a bit of history of the movement in Germany and Australia.

The State Library of Victoria was nearby and well worth a visit. There's an exhibit of Ned Nelly (famous outlaw of the late 1855-1880) -- his armor and his death mask. And there's a gallery to explore as well. The domed reading room is very impressive.

Outside the city took a train to visit with Kate's colleague Pete in Geelong.  We rented a car and took in the Yarra Valley wineries, Kokoda Memorial Walk (a challenging 1,000 Steps hike through the forest), we rode the Puffing Billy Train and had lunch on it. Our friend Anne-Marie took us out to the McClelland Gallery and Sculpture Park on an overnight trip to see the Fairy Penguins when they return at dusk to their rookery on Phillip Island. We  explored wineries on the Mornington Peninsula with David and Angela. Another time we rented a car and explored wineries on the Bellarine Peninsula. We stayed overnight near Queenscliffe on the Bellarine where the ferry runs across to Sorrento on the other side. We were there for the lighting of a huge Christmas tree on nearby Point Lonsdale. We joined a local Beefsteak and Burgundy wine club for a dinner at Diggers Rest (we used the train system which is integrated with the Melbourne tram system). "Diggers" are miners, this was a "rest" stop on the way to the Gold Fields during the gold Victoria Gold Rush of 1851-60. It's famous for the first manned flight, by Houdini no less, in Australia!

Of course we explored the along the Yarra river in the city. The Casino was all decked out for Christmas. One day I took a ferry from the Southbank out to Williamstown. There's a lovely little beach there and the day I visited people were in the water. There's also a lovely botanic gardens to explore. You can get there as easily on the metro system.

I spent a day at the Melbourne Museum (a short tram ride from our place), Kate and I explored the Heide Museum of Modern Art (a much longer tram ride out into the country).

Here's a photo album if you'd care to see some of our adventures.

Mornington Peninsula Wine Tour

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Mornington Peninsula is a wine region south of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. We've toured several times over the years and this year was no exception. Our friends Angela and David took us out for a drive one day to share lunch, sample some wines and see some of the sights.

Lindi Ortega

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Lindi Ortega and her band played at the Aeolian Hall, London, Ontario. October 20, 2015. I attended with my friend David Cullen (Kate couldn't come) and we had very good seats near the front row. We bumped into some other friends there as well who were in the balcony.

It was one of the better concerts I've been to this year. Lindi is a confident performer with a powerful voice and thoughtful lyrics (there were a few covers). I don't know where to put her genre, let's just say it's unique. Her new album, Faded Gloryville, like her previous releases, is well worth a listen -- if you don't know about her work I'd encourage you to take the time to explore her music on Youtube.... and then run out and buy her music!

The Set List that night went like this:

1. Run-down Neighbourhood (from Faded Gloryville 2015)
2. Dying of Another Broken Heart (Little Red Boots 2011)
3. Someday Soon (Faded Gloryville) 
4. When All the Stars Align (Little Red Boots)
5. I Ain’t the Girl (Faded Gloryville)
6. Demons Don’t Get Me Down (Cigarettes & Truck Stops 2012)
7. Ashes (Faded Gloryville)
8. Faded Gloryville (Faded Gloryville)
9. Hard As This (Tin Star 2013)
10. Run Amuck (Faded Gloryville)
11. Tell It Like It Is (Faded Gloryville)
12. The Day You Die (Cigarettes & Truck Stops)
13. Cigarettes & Truck Stops (Cigarettes & Truck Stops)
14. To Love Somebody (Faded Gloryville)
15. All These Cats (Tin Star)

For her encore she sang:

1. Mercedes Benz (not published, see Youtube 2010)
2. Tin Star (Tin Star)
3. Heaven Has No Vacancy (Cigarettes & Truck Stops)
4. Ring of Fire (Single 2013)

Here's some photos from the concert.

Danny Michel & Steve Poltz

Some pictures from the September 22, 2015 show that Danny Michel & Steve Poltz put on at the St Marys town hall. It was an entertaining evening -- good music and lots of humor. Siri on Steve's phone was a hit.

Hilda Margaret Puddicombe – 100 yrs.

The following is a short life history I had prepared for my Aunt Hilda's 100th birthday in January of 2010. Attached also is a short postscript by my brother David when Hilda passed away on September 7 of 2015 (in her 106th year). A version of this document was printed for the visitation and several have asked for copies. I am sharing this here for the many who loved Hilda and want to know a little more about her life story.

For photos from Hilda's long life adventure follow this link. For the brief notes prepared for her 90th birthday follow this link. Finally, here's a link to her obituary.

Hilda Margaret Puddicombe – 100 yrs.

 --- Some notes on the occasion of Hilda’s 100^th birthday (January 2010).

I’ve been given the unenviable task of trying to summarize Hilda’s life.  My inside track, apart from knowing her all my life (but many can say that), is I have a copy of a diary 1930-1999. I would like to get my hands on her scrap book ....

Hilda was born January 18, 1910 to Alberta (Carney) and Richard Quinton on the family farm in Euphrasia township east of Walter’s Falls. Hilda was the fifth of six children – Beatrice (1894), Emerson (1900), Melba (1905), Olive (1907), Hilda (1910) and lastly Maurice (1914).

Context - Edward VII was on the throne, George V (1910-1932) became king on May 6.

World War I in 1914 brought a baby brother. Maurice recalls that, as a child, -- “She picked on me something fierce. When Mother talked to Father he said Hilda would stop as soon as I got big enough to fight back”. The fighting did stop and they have been close through all the years. But Hilda has been close to all her family and their children. Although she has no children of her own, family is a source of strength – strength both given and received.

In 1916 Hilda started school at U.S.S. No.1 Holland & Euphrasia. Pictures from that time show Hilda and her older sisters in simple matching dresses made by their mother. Their mom must have been an exceptional woman -- she was a midwife in the community and nursed the entire family through the swine flu epidemic of 1918 – compare with the H1N1 epidemic this year.  Everyone was sick in bed with only their mom to tend them. Fortunately their home had hot and cold running water. That was a clever gravity fed installation by Richard Quinton who had cleared the land and built the home.

In 1926, at 16 years, Hilda was visiting her older sister Melba in Haysville (in 1925 Melba married Lance Vivian, an Anglican minister – there’s a story there about Richard Quinton’s “fondness” for the clergy) and there she met Reginald Thomas Puddicombe (Uncle Reg). She must have made an impression on this older bachelor (he would have been 33 at the time) for this date marks what must be one of the longest courtships in family history. Rivalled only perhaps by that of Beier and Olive.

In 1929, at 19 years, Hilda studied at the Owen Sound Business College and became a book keeper.  She was, and remains, an independent person out to make her own way in the world. For some context:

On October 18, that same year, the British Privy Council declared, on appeal by Mackenzie King and the “Famous Five”, that “women are persons”.  The Privy Council decision also said “that the exclusion of women from all public offices is a relic of days more barbarous than ours. And to those who would ask why the word “persons” should not include females, the obvious answer is, why should it not?”

During the 1930’s, in the years of the “Great Depression”, Hilda applied her trade in Woodstock - first at Smith’s then later at Agnew Surpass Shoes. In 1931 Hilda had surgery for appendicitis. This was well before the days of penicillin, antibiotics, ultra sound, and our nationalized health care. The surgery cost $150 which she paid back at $2/week (that takes a year and a half).  If she had waited a while, until 1966, it would have been covered. Hilda’s mother passed away in 1933 at about the time hydro electricity first arrived in Walter’s Falls. Hilda recalls the first time she heard a radio – a magical moment.

In 1931, the same time as the appendix scare, Hilda had a holiday trip with Reg to Windsor and Detroit, another to Montreal (I am not sure who chaperoned them).  A diary item for Oct 28, 1933 reads simply -- “Reg asked me to marry him.” Hilda recalls the 1933 proposal -- “I don’t think he really meant it. I think he was just kidding me.” But apparently he did mean it for in October of 1938 (some 12 years after their first meeting and 5 years after the proposal) she was given a diamond engagement ring. Hilda’s dad, Richard, had joked that he’d sell her for a nickel to anyone who would take her – Reg paid the nickel and the deal was soon made. On Nov 12, 1938 Hilda and Reg were married at St Phillip’s Church, Walter’s Falls. If you count their courtship back to 1926 it’s a very long one at 12 years, even to the proposal in 1933 that’s 5 years. If you count it from the engagement one month earlier – it’s a very short one. In any case, it seems to have been a very good one. Hilda and Reg had many adventures and 37 happy years together at Fernye Bank in Haysville. Reg, who passed away in 1974 at 81 years of age, is buried at St. James and fondly remembered.

Some context for the time -- Edward VIII was king from 20 January 1936 until his abdication on 11 December 1936. Only months into his reign, Edward caused a constitutional crisis by proposing marriage to the American divorcée Wallis Simpson. Rather than give up Mrs. Simpson, Edward chose to abdicate to his younger brother George VI. Compare with Charles and Camilla today.

After the wedding their car trip to Toronto was interrupted by fog. Their first night as husband and wife was spent at the Grand Central Hotel in Orangeville. Hilda recalls that it was not that grand – “there were no curtains on the windows!” I can only guess why that interesting fact was recorded. They honeymooned Nov 13-22 with a car trip to Fort Henry, Westport, Lake Placid, Sarasota Springs and Buffalo.  On the first night of their return they were surprised with a “chivaree” in Haysville when together they moved into Fernye Bank, the Puddicombe family home.

For those who don’t know -- a chivaree is a noisy, mock-serenade to newlyweds, followed by a party. Newlyweds are not properly accepted as a married couple in some North American communities until they have taken part in their chivaree. I recall only one -- Eva and Gordon.

The location of the chivaree is usually at the home of the newlyweds. The time of the event is always well-kept secret from the newly-married couple. The arrival of the group is usually very noisy, involving beating on pots and pans with wooden spoons, whistles, horns and fire crackers. The newlyweds are often surprised, but usually not disappointed or angry with their friends and family. The bride and groom usually attend the party in what they were wearing at the time (e.g. pajamas or nightgowns). The entertainment, food and drink are all provided by the party guests.

Hilda loved Fernye Bank. In 1983 she held a 100^th Thanksgiving and Blessing of the home with 133 people attending. Quite the “house party” – the guest of honor was the house itself! Many of us have fond memories of Hilda, Reg and visits to that lovely home – from my childhood I recall an old player piano and an equally old crank Victrola (and my mom’s admonition not to touch either).  I was fascinated by a moose head mounted on the veranda, enjoyed lunch in the cozy kitchen, and sometimes formal dining with silver and fine china. And, of course, having a cup of tea. I rode my bike from London to visit one summer day.  Glenda, Albert and their kids were visiting as well – it was a pleasant day with family spent in conversation on the lawn in the shade of the old smoke house. Hilda remained at Fernye Bank until 1992 when, at 82 years, she wisely decided to move on to Nithview.

In those early years Hilda and Reg enjoyed car trips to Quebec and the Gaspe and, on one trip to North Bay, Sudbury and Manitoulin, saw the Dionne Quintuplets (cf. the Octomom of January 2009). They must have liked these car trips for, after the war in 1946, they drove to the West Coast – two months to cross Canada and then back through the US. I understand that they were one of the first to ever drive  across Canada. The “highways” were pretty bad back then.

Context - the highway system was approved by the Trans-Canada Highway Act of 1948, construction commenced in 1950, officially opened in 1962, and was completed in 1971.

1952 saw the 100^th anniversaries of Walter’s Falls and St. James, Haysville.  Hilda has strong ties to both. She has been a faithful Anglican supporting St Phillips, Walter’s Falls (her family church), St. James, Haysville (Reg’s family church) and St George’s, New Hamburg.

Other notable events in 1952 include the passing of George VI, the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, founding of the Stratford Festival, (and the birth of Reginald Emerson Quinton).

In 1963 Hilda attended a garden party at Bishop Strachan (their motto is “Girls can do anything”) for the Archbishops of Canterbury (Ramsey) and York (Coggen).  We wonder if she lobbied for the ordination of women in the clergy of the Anglican Church (as deacons 1969, as priests 1976). Summer of 1968 saw Tom and Jean married.  The first Quinton Thanksgiving reunion (Hilda’s siblings and their families) was held that fall -- Hilda is a much loved and essential anchor at Thanksgiving. For the winter of 1975 the diary shows Hilda in Panama City with Olive and Beier with a return trip via St. Augustine and Myrtle Beach. Spring of 1976 has Hilda attending Dale’s graduation from the RCMP in Regina and his wedding to Sheri at St Phillips that summer. And in those years several trips to England and Europe (she can say she’s been to Italy – but only just). Hilda travelled quite a bit in those years.

Hilda loves the theatre and has been a faithful Stratford supporter since the inception of that company. Many times over the years Ellen has come for a visit and a play. From her diary we read that Handel’s Messiah in London (1948) has “500 voices” and rated 5 stars, the Michelangelo Orchestra from Florence, Italy (1971) is only “very good” and rated 4 stars, she had box seats at the Royal Albert Hall to see The Mousetrap (1976) on a car tour of she describes as “Cathedrals of England”, she travelled to Oberammergau, Austria for The Passion Play (1980). In 1981 it would appear that she saw everything at Stratford, she napped through Handel’s Messiah (1982) with Kate and Reg (but then she’d seen it before), in 1998 Natalie McMaster and Man of La Mancha were both “super” but the Prime of Miss Jean Brodie was “not good at all” – she complained and received a letter of  apology from Stratford. They still call this long time supporter of the performing arts but, with age, her theatre days seem to be over.

Hilda isn’t a drinker (tea doesn’t count) but nevertheless seems to be exceptionally accident prone – there’s a long history of broken hips, knee caps and legs with long periods hobbling about on crutches.  Nevertheless she marches on. She had fall a year ago that took the wind from her sails but seems to have recovered again.  These days she takes walks for exercise and is still strong enough, despite all misadventures, to get into and out of cars on her own to go out for parties to places like the Waterlot. In Hilda’s calendar a birthday celebration is inked in each year with Sue and Don at the Waterlot. There’s even a designated table for her. It’s no surprise we’re here today.

We’re here to celebrate with someone we love very much. In 1991 Hilda was honored as “Citizen of the Year”, in 1992 she received a “Canada 125 Award”, and no doubt there’s a long list of awards and letters for today. She has been a great support for her family, her church, her community and all the friends she’s made along the way. To each of us she is someone very special, I can’t do justice to the honors you might give her so will close, simply, with

Happy birthday Hilda, you have lived a hundred years. Good on you!

2010/01/17 REQ

Postscript 2015/09/07

It's with a deep sense of sorrow that I'm writing to advise you that our beloved Aunt Hilda passed away during the early hours of this morning (Sept 7/2015) while residing at her residence -- St. Peter's Residence at Chedoke, Hamilton, Ontario.

Funeral arrangements are being made with the Mark Jutzi Funeral Home, New Hamburg, Ontario. An update re funeral details, donation information, etc will be posted on their website within a day or so at www.markjutzifuneralhomes.ca  Aunt Hilda's obituary will also be posted within several southern Ontario newspapers including the Kitchener/Waterloo Record and the Hamilton Spectator.

May God's love continue to be with Aunt Hilda today and hereafter.

David Quinton

River Rock: St Marys

Kate and I took three friends to the River Rock Music, Art and Food Festival held just outside of St Marys on Saturday August 15. This festival was organized by the folks behind Lucid Musing Photography -- the venue was their farm on the West River Road.

The festival was very well organized and attendance was limited. I understand some 500 or so guests were there. There was lots of space on the grounds so perhaps next year there will be more present. We met several friends who were only able to stop in briefly.

There were lots of vendors set up under the trees; wine, beer and cider vendors; some good food including Graham's corn and The Wicked Pickle. And, of course, as a music festival, some very good music.

The day started low key with an open mic of interesting amateurs who are learning guitar at Deep Water Music. Then we moved on to more professional acts which are documented in this album. We were especially impressed by Mountain of Wolves, Broomsticks and Hammers and the closing act Samantha Martin & the Delta Sugar.

The fiddle player from Broomsticks and Hammers joined the set with Mountain of Wolves. He was an accomplished performer who fit right in even though he didn't know their tunes. Very impressive.

Samantha Martin's band include Danny Nash on drums. I spoke to Danny as I had recognized her from shows she had fronted at the Fred Eaglesmith Summer Picnic (which happened to be the same weekend).

It was a lovely day and a well organized fete. I hope Lucid Musings has turned a bit of a profit and hope to see the show repeated next year.

This photo album is a small sample of the day.

Kasey Chambers: The Ark, Ann Arbor

Click on photo for Photo Album

Kate and I travelled to Ann Arbor Michigan to see Kasey Chambers and her band at "The Ark" on August 12, 2015. Kasey is an Australian singer in the "Americana" style who we have wanted to see for many years. When we've been in her homeland we've missed seeing her because she's just too darn popular -- she sells out large venues over there.  And they're usually sold out well before we find out. The Ark is a more intimate environment with seating for only 400 or so and we got tickets early. It was a powerfully vibrant show in an intimate environment with an audience who held onto every word, every moment.

The show started with Kasey's dad Bill Chambers who sang a few tunes solo as the opening act. He urged us to buy his CD's as he needs the money more than she does. One funny slip up ... he forgot the chorus to a tune he's been singing for 10 years or more!

Kasey's band lineup this tour includes her dad on guitar, Brandon Dodd on guitar and Josh Dufficy on percussion (they're a young duo that go by the name Grizzlee Train) and a bass player (I've lost his name). Kasey played songs from her recent album "Bitttersweet" as well as tunes from her various albums over the last many years and several new tunes that were very well polished.

Brandon Dodd sang with her on "Rattlin' Bones" a song written with her husband Shane Nicholson -- they're no longer a couple. And the Grizzlee Train were able to play a few songs of their own.

As I said, it was an attentive appreciative audience. None of that bar room chatter where people ignore the performance and yell at one another over top of the music. The band, of course, had a standing room encore -- Kasey said we needn't have done so, they'd be out anyway!

Kasey has a powerful voice with quite a range. She tells us she had been off for a while to rest her voice and recover from surgery on her vocal chords. She sounds as good as ever but gosh you worry when she belts out a loud one. That's got to be hard on your voice.

Our friends Deborah and Jerry, who kindly put us up at their place, said it was probably the best live music concert they've ever been too. I'd have to agree, it was indeed!

Here's some photos from the concert.

2015 Home County Music and Arts Festival, London

Here's some photos from the Home County Music and Arts Festival, July 2015. Looking forward to this year again in Victoria Park London.

63 Monroe at the Cedar Lounge

More of 63 Monroe at the Cedar Lounge around 1981. Again, this is a mixed bag of photos from several shows. I see Bob on bass and Pete Lambert on drums in some (that's very early). I see Pete Dekoker in the audience in some and on stage playing bass in others -- that's later. There's some crazy audience photos including Kate and me. At least one show is from August 2, 1980 when Kate and I went dancing with friends after our wedding!

Here's the photo album.

Skagway to Vancouver

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Our land and sea cruise with Holland America back in May ends with the sea portion on the SS Noordam which we caught in Skagway.

We left Skagway in the evening and next morning we were exploring Glacier Bay -- a 65 mile deep fjord lined with many glaciers. The day started damp, foggy and dreary but soon the sun came out and we had a glorious day exploring the glaciers.

The next day was spent in Ketchikan Alaska where our notable adventure was to go snorkelling (really, no kidding!). The water was very cold but we were well prepared in full wet suits covered head to toe and toasty warm. The snorkelling was great in a little cove not too far from town. The water was clear, lots of fish (and slugs and starfish), and interesting sea weeds. I'd highly recommend that adventure.

The final day was spent at sea, again the with clear skies and lots of sun. For the last part of the day we explored the "Inner Passage" between Vancouver Island and the coast. We arrived in Vancouver in the morning and headed home that day.

All in all it was a fun holiday where we got to see parts of the country we had never explored. Hopefully, in our retirement years, we can go back and explore more at our leisure.

Here's some photos from Skagway and the sea cruise back to Vancouver.

Fairbanks & Yukon

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After Denali our land and sea cruise back in May continued by bus to Fairbanks where we had an evening at the Pioneer Park -- an open air Salmon Bake followed by an old timey show.

We flew from Fairbanks to Dawson City (why it's called a "city" escapes me) where the roads are gravel as is the landing strip! There we caught another old timey show at Diamond Tooth Gert's -- songs and can-can dancers.

From Dawson it's a day on the bus following the Yukon River to Whitehorse (a much bigger city) where we stayed overnight.

From Whitehorse we bussed to Carcross where the gold rush prospectors built their boats to follow the Yukon River down to Dawson and on to Seward British Columbia where we caught the White Pass & Yukon Route RR down through the mountains to Skagway Alaska.

Here's some photos of our adventures in the Yukon

Denali

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In late May Kate and I went on a land and sea cruise with Holland America. The land portion involved a scenic train trip on the McKinley Explorer from Anchorage to Denali (from there on to Fairbanks, the Yukon, .....). We stayed two night in Denali, went on a tundra wilderness tour into the park and a rubber raft tour on the Nenana River. Weather was perfect -- warm and sunny. We saw Mount McKinley (form a distance) and that's apparently good luck on our part as it's often shrouded in clouds. We saw lots of critters in the park including Kodiak bears (four sightings, two with cubs!), mouse, caribou, golden eagles and more.

These photos document some of the highlights of Denali.

Anchorage

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Kate and I spent a couple of days on our own in Anchorage Alaska (the last frontier) in late May of 2015 before our land and sea cruise with Holland America.

Here's some photos in and around Anchorage.

Richard Parker Obit (2015)

I could live my whole life without a phone call the likes of which I had today...

Sunday morning, May 3 2015, Kate and I were awakened to that phone call. Larry, our veterinarian, was calling to bear the sad news that Richard Parker, our buddy and travelling companion, had passed away in the night while in post operative care. Richard had been ill with several emergency interventions over the last month but we were not prepared for this. We were both heartbroken by the news. Richard was in his 4th year and will be missed.

Richard Parker and his sister Piscine Patel (both named after characters from the “Life of Pi”) came into our life in August of 2011 as foundlings from a litter that had been abandoned on the streets of St Marys. We happily adopted these two survivors into our home and our life -- they in turn brought us great joy and comfort.

While all cats are special, Richard was especially special. He was the cat that would greet us (and any visitors) at the door and would cheerfully come when called. He loved to be the centre of attention. He liked to have his tummy scratched and to be told how special he was. He purred on demand and would cuddle in bed with you when you needed it most. He loved people and people loved him -- even people who weren’t fond of cats.

Richard and Piscine have been travel companions on our winter trips to Austin Texas the last three years. While it would not be true to say they were great travellers, they would settle down after a couple of hours and were comfortable with motels and life on the road. They enjoyed their winter vacations in our Austin cottage with a yard to play in away from the snow and cold of Ontario. They became seasoned travellers.

We both miss Richard Parker, our especially special orange tabby, our travelling companion and our buddy.

.... and I feel like Hank Williams tonight.

Follow for more Photos of Richard Parker.

Ps. this was posted to Facebook back in 2015. I've reposted on my blog June, 2018.

Maastricht Street Art

These grafitti paintings were found in Maastricht, Netherlands in 2006. There was a warehouse along the river with lots of pieces like these. I was very impressed. I wonder if they're still there?

[Originally posted to Google+/Street Art]

63 Monroe at the Cedar Lounge

These photos are from a 1983 gig by 63 Monroe at the Cedar Lounge in London Ontario. Band members at this point were Scott Bentley (voice), Pete Dekoker (bass), Markii Burnaway (guitar) and Jeff "Rooster" Roth on drums. It was a fun night -- as always. But I can't figure out why Markii performs in his wool socks. That would have been dangerous (Scott like to jump on beer bottles to smash them to bits) and incongruous with the extreme makeup. Photos are scanned slides, looks like I used a flash and I see the signature fish-eye distortion.

Here's the photo album.

63 Monroe, Firehall

63 Monroe in 1983 at the Firehall on Talbot Street in London around 1983. Scott Bentley (Steven R. Stunning), Markii Burnaway, Peter Dekoker and Jeff (Rooster) Roth. The evolution of NFG but just as crazy.

These are high contrast (push processed) black and white photos and most were taken with a very wide angle lens which explains the bent instruments. There's some nice photos of Markii as a guitar god, Pete on bass and Scott in full voice but what I really like is the photos of Rooster on drums. We miss Rooster.

I was a little tipsy that night and felt no compunction about jumping up on stage and sticking my camera right into everyones' faces. Usually I'm too shy for such silliness but it seems to have paid off with some in your face photos!

Here's the photo album.

NFG at the Polish Hall

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NFG was a notorious punk riot on three chords in London, Ontario. These photos are from a 1979 gig at the Polish Hall. Peter Lambert thinks they were probably opening for the Demics, or it might have been the Sidewinders.
This is the original version of the band -- pre Mark Deroux on bass, pre Markii Burnaway on guitar, pre Rooster on drums. There's Simon Lewis and Larry Gifford (he's wearing a beret) on guitars, Bob Gliddon on bass, Pete Lambert on drums and Scott Bentley on voice.

Put your big boy panties on now.

Here's some photos from the show.

The Forgotten Rebels

The Forgotten Rebels are/were a Hamilton punk band who sometimes played in London. These photos are from a couple of gigs in 1982 at the Cedar Lounge and at Fryfogles -- both bars are long since gone.

Mikey DeSadist (the pimply faced wastrel in the photos) was the singer and wrote their tunes .... "Bomb the Boats and Feed the Fish", "Elvis is Dead", "No Beatles Reunion", etc. We often wondered if these outlandish sentiments were in jest or not and we did ask -- the band sometimes stayed with us when they played the Cedar Lounge.

While I can take credit for some of these photos my school chum Neil Farnsworth (who shot our wedding photos) was involved as well. You can find him in a few photos with one of my Canons and a 16mm lens. So he takes credit for some of these photos.

In those days we'd buy 50' rolls of TriX film, wind it onto canisters and then Kate and I would develop it weeks if not months later in our kitchen. 

Some of the negatives in this collection are in awful condition -- dusty, scratched, etc. But they're historically interesting for some of us.

Here's an album of photos and another from a different gig from back in the day.

NFG at the Cedar Lounge

NFG at the Cedar Lounge, 1980. Scott, Markii, Bob and Pete (and do I see Mark Deroux). Another wild night, many a wild night ...

Here's a photo album.

Hey Loretta!

Last Wednesday we went to see Hey Loretta (Blair and Tara) at the Blackshire in London where the burger special is actually pretty special. Kate had a veggie burger and it too was pretty special.

These photos suffer from the abysmal lighting. Nevertheless they're here to share.

The Enemas

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The Enemas were a college band from Guelph who played a few times at the Cedar Lounge in London (where these photos were taken). I think they scattered on graduation. The Enemas were one of my favorite bands of that time — circa 1980. I recall seeing them "before Kate (BK)" as I was discovering the punk scene and avoiding my Ph.D. work.

 
The group was Greg Jarvie (drums), Oliver Kellhammer (vocals), Derek Graham (guitar), Blaine White (guitar) and Brian Lambert (bass). Brian Lambert (on bass) was a London native who we made friends with. His brother Pete drummed with NFG/63 Monroe.

Here's some of my photos, B/W and color as well, from back in the day.

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If you liked my previous color album of the Enemas you might like these B/W photos from a concert around Christmas of 1980. Again, at the Cedar Lounge. Joe Wyatt (why'd you do it?), Picture yourself (at Guelph!) Redneck Teenagers, and more...

The group was Greg Jarvie (drums), Oliver Kellhammer (vocals), Derek Graham (guitar), Blaine White (guitar) and Brian Lambert (bass).

I have a very rough C90 cassette of some of their music that Brian gave me. He has recently posted a couple of their tunes, using some of these pictures, as YouTube videos. See The Enemas - Joe Wyatt (2020) and The Enemas - Gang War (2020) both from the same 1979 "Living Room Session" (1979).

See also more of my blog on the Enemas (2020) and the Graphic London Underground (2012).

The Polish Hall

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The Polish Hall, on Ann Street in London, Ontario, was sometimes a venue for all age punk shows in the early 1980's. This is from a concert I attended with my chum Sandy from UWO -- this must have been the spring of 1980 before Kate and I met. I recall two bands shown here -- the Stoves and the Regulators. And several in the audience who attended in costume. I enjoyed the music immensely but I have vivid memories of a ringing in my ears that lasted for hours. It was a fun time.

These photos are to share with those who can recall those exciting times. This was a punk concert at the Polish Hall in London, Ontario. It's either 1979 or early 1980 (definitely "Before Kate"). There were several bands playing to an enthusiastic all ages audience.

Photos are of two bands -- the Stoves and the Regulators. It was loud, really loud. I recall my ears ringing for hours afterwards and not knowing what the hell had gone on! I don't recall ever seeing either band again...

Here's some photos from the event.

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Postscript: this event was in fact a Halloween Party on November 2 of 1979 with NFG, The Sinners and The Regulators on the billing. The event is better documented by Various Artists (Brent Wootton) in his My Life in Concerts blog (2020).

An Austin Hodge Podge

2015-02 - Austin: This is a hodge podge collection of photos from our stay in Austin during February and March of 2015. There's pictures of our road trip with the cats (we drove to Austin). Some of the cottage we rented in the Bouldin Creek area of town. Biking on the trail around Lady Bird Lake (aka Town Lake). Lots of restaurant shots (our guests, Kate and me too). I am posting several albums of different events/topics which you might find interesting as well.

Strange Brew

2015-02 - Strange Brew: Strange Brew Loungeside is a great place in south Austin to see live music. It's a large coffee shop in a non-descript mall with an attached lounge for live music which might hold 150 people at most. Each night they'll have three or more different performers with an hour and a half for each. We like it because the acts are often people we follow or of a type that we ought to follow. And we can go to early shows which is important for geezers like us.

It's a place where people listen to music -- there's even a “Silence” sign to encourage patrons to be quiet. While you can get a drink here it's not the noisy bar scene.

This year we saw Jimmie Dale Gilmore of Flatlanders fame (with Chris Gage and David Carrol supporting); The Hems (a talented pair in the style of Gillian Welch and David Rawlings) who I'd really recommend; Chris Gage has a regular gig and we went a couple of times when his guests were Danny Britt and Jeff Tveraas; Matt the Electrician has a regular gig and we caught Slaid Cleaves who I'd really recommend; we saw Butch Hancock of Flatlanders fame (with Bob Livingston and Richard Bowden supporting); caught a CD release party for Stephen Doster; and bumped into James McMurtry one night when his son Curtis was playing.

There are lots of places in Austin to see good live music. This is one of the best. HIghly recommended.

KDRP Larry Monroe Tribute

2015-03-11 - KDRP Larry Monroe Tribute: On our last night in Austin we went to a KDRP Sun Radio Live Broadcast a Guero's under the live oaks. The live radio show is a regular Wednesday event for the last three years -- last year we luckily caught a Joe Ely show on our last night. This show was a special all star tribute and another stroke of luck for us.

The show is to become an annual tribute to Larry Monroe, a DJ at Sun Radio who died in January of 2014. Sun Radio is an independent station funded by the community and very supportive of local music. You can find them on the Internet and stream all their shows. Larry Monroe, who we knew nothing about, was a mentor to many of the DJ's and a free spirit who refused to be bound by corporate playlists. He carved his own path and is much admired by performers, listeners and fellow DJ's at KDRP and other stations.

The first hour of the show you might recognize Butch Hancock who was the first performer (with his son Rory), then Jimmie Dale Gilmore (with his son Colin). We were very impressed with Guy Forsyth with his band (and very young daughter joining in). We had caught Guy at a Saxon pub show one Monday night and were well entertained both times. Butch, well, can you ever get too much of Butch.

The second hour had Bill Carter with Gabe Rose (we saw Bill last year at Strange Brew), then an older fellow Tex Thomas (aka Harvey Young?) and ended with Van Wilkes (an amazing guitarist).

The last hour (yes this was a three hour free/donation show) had Two Tons of Steel from San Antonio (we had seen them here earlier in our trip), Eve and the Exiles (she looks like a young Chrissy Hynde) and the Le Roi Brothers. This set was really rocking.

The show closed with the ensemble singing "I'll Fly Away". Quite the show and a wonderful ending to our Winter Escape to Austin Texas.

Townes Van Zandt Birthday Bash

2015/03/08 17th Annual Townes Van Zandt Birthday Bash at the Cactus Cafe: Butch Hancock organized the 17th Annual Townes Van Zandt Birthday Bash at the Cactus Cafe on the UT Campus in Austin on Saturday March 7 -- Townes' birthday. This was a sold out event with a large cast of characters including Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Jimmie Lafave and many more who were new to me. This is an annual event that Butch organizes to celebrate the music of one of Texas most gifted writers who lived hard, wrote and performed well and, unfortunately, died young.

We (Kate, Cindy and I) had good seats up front where we chatted quite a bit with Rory Hancock, Butch's son on electric Fender. And we made friends while waiting to get in with a couple of very pleasant young men who work at the Mohawk (a bar on Red River) and are rabid fans of Townes' music. They bought me a beer -- Firemans No 4!

So many of our music adventures are vicarious adventures for our friend Pat who introduced us to this music many years ago. Pat loved Texas music but would never have travelled to experience it for himself. Instead we do that for him. It would be wonderful to return home and tell Pat about this show, seeing these performers and learning to love Townes many tunes. That cannot be.

Anyways, some pictures from the event... and, as I've said before, can you really get too much of Butch Hancock?