jeremyhiebert.com

Kiddos

2012-02-07T11:10:00.000-08:00

My camera hasn't been pointed at people as much lately, but occasionally I remember that nobody (including me) is going to steep in the warm nostalgic glow of old ice photos 20 years from now.

Yesterday I sat at the kitchen table with nice western window light and snapped away as the kids migrated through. Ezra was at low ebb, not sure what was wrong, and I think that is reflected in the shot. Ivy is more self-conscious around the camera these days, and wants to see anything before it goes online (fair enough). Ella is at that age where she loves the lens, and it loves her right back.

Creative Goals for 2012

2012-01-23T21:41:00.000-08:00

Ahh, January, the time to make empty promises to ourselves and try to forget our failings of the previous year. This has become an annual post for me already, going back through 2011, 2010, 2009, and 2008. That first year was a pretty humble collection, which helps me see that my creative goals have gotten completely out of hand. Resolution Number One: dial it down.

Photography

I see that last year was way too ambitious. Looking at the flopped goals, I did not:

...seek a photography mentor or learn to shoot video.
...branch out with my subjects much or take any photographic road trips
...get a fancy camera -- I bought a used body that is one model less obsolete than the one I had, but still obsolete. Decided to repair it when it broke.
...complete three new photo books.

But thankfully, the year wasn't a total write-off. Some good news too:

For that last one (bookmaking), I did manage to finish two books that I was really proud of (Okanagan Orchards and the Trout Creek Ecological Reserve book) and got a good start on an additional one, so that wasn't too far off.
Participated in the C'est La Vie show at the Summerland Art Gallery in January.
The process, presentation and book I did for the Trout Creek Ecological Reserve project was very rewarding and it stretched me in the right ways.
I kept going with my "curating" projects and had good fun with them. Wordpress tells me that I've already done 50 Focus Friday and In Focus articles for Awesome Okanagan -- not bad for just over a year. On Flickr, I Love the Okanagan and Ultimate Ice are still plugging along too.
I also took a LOT of photos this year, which is sort of the point. I kept posting them to my Flickr account regularly, and I see now that I added about a hundred to my most current Faves of Mine set.

So that was last year. What about photography this year?

Finish the black and white book I've been working on -- photos of the kids, tentatively titled something like Growing Up on Jones Flat.
Start (maybe even finish) one more Blurb book on some other topic, preferably more "out there" than the orchards book. Speaking of which, I'd like to get the orchards book out to more people, which will require overcoming my disinterest in selling (or the continued joy and poverty of giving it away).
One solo photo trip, at least out of the valley, but preferably further. The prairies in fall would be just right. Whitehorse and Iceland will likely have to wait.
Keep making time for photos, and don't ignore family snapshots...that likely means remembering to take the camera on more everyday outings.
One presentation or small public showing of some kind.
Successfully teach the one-day photography workshop I was asked to do later in February. This scares the crap out of me, and is also quite exciting.

Music

I took pretty easy with music this year -- still playing regularly, but I was much less goal-oriented. A real highlight was hearing other people play my compositions, both at the Strings the Thing camp in summer, and at Manning Park in fall. Looking at my goals, I think I was a better musical dad, supporting the girls without pushing too much. I should have made more effort to get together to play with others (again). I didn't do much new composing, but succeeded in not buying any new instruments. The ol' bass guitar has worked its way back into the mix, and I played viola most days (but almost no violin). For 2012:

It sounds like I'll have an excellent opportunity to do some composing for Strings the Thing again -- this should give me a chance to compose for string orchestra, something I've never done before.
I will learn to play the cello this year, and learn to compose better parts for it (I've been flying blind, writing for cello without being able to play it).
Be open to different opportunities to play or record with others.

The Web

This poor blog was largely ignored. Facebook has replaced all the "little" stuff, and I don't seem to be getting to the "big" stuff as often as I used to. It will continue to limp along.
I've paid some more attention to my jeremyhiebert.com site over the past year, but feel like it's a bit of a jumble. Need a better vision for it overall.
I'd like to help Martin get his web site up.
I've let my identity (and skills) as a designer lapse these last couple of years. I think I could get excited about design again, but it may take a specific project to rekindle that interest.

I'm also reflecting on the need to recognize and value the things I do outside of my creative pursuits -- my family time, friendships, trail-building, mountain biking, hockey, reading, gardening, work, travel (in theory, anyway)...last spring, I ended up spending most of my free time on Mount Conkle, working on trails -- and that was definitely a worthy (and creative) pursuit that falls outside of these annual goals.

reading watching listening

2012-01-08T08:45:00.000-08:00

Whoa, six months behind on these posts, which means it's a mess...and I've missed tons. But still better than nothing. As usual, I've decorated with some recent photographic experimentation.

Reading

Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive by Jared Diamond is a real monster of a book -- thick and dense and wide-ranging. It took me a couple of months to finally finish it, and I'm so glad I did. This review is a great overview.
I went on a serious Robert Sapolsky kick, knocking off three of his books over several weeks: Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers, The Trouble With Testosterone, and A Primate's Memoir. He's a primate researcher who primarily studies the physiological effects of stress -- yes, super geeky and super fascinating.
I gave local author Don Gayton one of my books as a present, and he gave me a copy of The Wheatgrass Mechanism in return. It's one of the few books of his that I hadn't read, and it totally hooked me. I was pining for the prairies in a big way.
Love Wins by Rob Bell -- I'd never read a book like this if I wasn't connected to believers, and I was thankful for it. His philosophy had me reflecting on how poorly religion was presented to me. All fear and dogma and a totally irrational lack of logic. There would have been a time for me when this approach could have really resonated.
Heart of the Samurai by Margi Preus -- this was a book I got for the girls and ended up enjoying it myself after they showed no interest in it.
The Hobbit -- yes, we've probably read it too many times, and it's still a year till the movie, but it just seemed right. Still always fun.
The Penderwicks at Point Mouette by Jeanne Birdsall -- we've enjoyed all of the Penderwicks books, and this newest one was no exception. Warm, simple storytelling with characters you care about.
This is going back into summer -- we plowed through the whole Percy Jackson series over many weeks. Relentless pacing, great fun, and we were all hooked.
More recently, I cajoled the girls into re-reading the Narnia series (minus The Last Battle) and they didn't dislike it as much as they remembered.
In our last Harry Potter marathon, we had skipped The Goblet of Fire because we had just seen the movie, so we dug into it in December. Not my fave HP, but good fun.
Magic Tree House -- Ez is really into this series right now, so we're plowing through the (many) books. They're his first real chapter books.
Spirit in the Grass by Chris Harris, beautifully reviewed by Don Gayton. Solid landscape photography book.
The Worst Hard Time was not exactly uplifting holiday reading. Fascinating stories of the people who stayed through the Dust Bowl in the '30s.
Introvert Power -- the self-help genre doesn't really appeal to me, but maybe this was the right book at the right time. I'm still working my way through it, but I'm finding myself nodding and chuckling and pondering...usually a good sign.
The Journal of Lady Aberdeen by R.M. Middleton -- this was a pretty dry bit of local history, but I found some of it really interesting -- especially this part about Okanagan optimism in the 1890s:
"It is hard for poor persons to stay and keep their orchards up to the mark. But it is truly wonderful how optimistic everybody is. It must mean a brighter future. People of B.C. are certainly not despondent. I think the climate is so invigorating that it is impossible to be other than cheerful, and the longer one lives in the country the better one likes it, in spite of every drawback from a financial standpoint. Other than those, there are no drawbacks."

Watching

Way back in summer, Tannis and I had a date night and saw the last Harry Potter movie, which was pretty terrible. Still somewhat entertaining, but wow, what a lot of awful decisions they made in adapting the book.
I took the kids and their friend to see Hugo -- our first 3D movie, and overall the 3D part was pretty cool. I thought it got in the way of the story sometimes. The film itself is pretty slow, but visually pretty stunning at times. Decent (if expensive!) entertainment.
Inuit throat singers
Stress, Portrait of a Killer...this was part of my Sapolsky kick.
All the mountain biking videos by an extremely talented local photographer named Matt Butterworth. I was so impressed that I profiled him for Awesome Okanagan.
I pulled Singles off the shelf on a rare night alone -- surprisingly great, and aging reasonably well.
Kids movies: Spirited Away, Megamind and Despicable Me...and Rio at the Dueck's most excellent backyard film festival.
Earth | Time Lapse View from Space, Fly Over | NASA, ISS -- goosebumps!
It was so cool to see Donovan's Echo at the VIFF -- my friends Jim and Melodie wrote the screenplay, and Jim directed the film. Check it out if you get a chance -- it should be playing in Canadian theaters in February.
Avatar: staggeringly beautiful and painfully dumb. I couldn't believe how many Miyazaki elements he ripped off for the visuals...maybe that's why I thought it was so visually amazing. But wow, most predictable plot ever. And yes, as always, I'm at least two years behind the times.
Industrial Revolutions -- Danny Macaskill transcends "riding a bike" and turns it into a new form of performance art. Beautiful cinematography too.
In a similar vein, this segment from All I Can turns the traditional ski video on its head with an incredibly creative athlete and amazing camerawork.

Listening

It's downloading season again as all the music blogs publish their best-of lists for the year. Some standouts: Low Roar, Austra, Brooklyn Rider, Zola Jesus, and Ólafur Arnalds.
I'm not always in the mood for the Beastie Boys, but when I am, Hotsauce Committee Part II has been hitting the spot.
Kronos Quartet plays the string quartets of Philip Glass...I keep coming back to this one.
Marjan Mozetich's Postcards from the Sky...also a favourite.
Faith No More's The Real Thing, a masterpiece that has been in heavy rotation in the car
Andrew and I went to see the St. Lawrence String Quartet in Penticton at the end of November -- wonderful show, thanks to my folks for the tickets.

Sisters

2011-11-25T00:05:00.000-08:00

Ez got his slide feature last week -- guess it's the girls' turn. These two are a real marvel for us these days:

Ezra Slide

2011-11-18T20:09:00.001-08:00

Of course the first big snow of the year is always a hit around here. I thought this sequence captured just a bit of Ezra's joy:

Manning Park

2011-08-22T15:27:00.000-07:00

We made the trip out to Manning Park last week. Liz's quartet was playing four of my songs for an "Art in the Park" event at Lightning Lake, so we booked a cabin and stayed a couple of nights. The music was great, in an epic setting. A highlight for me was hearing a new song I had composed this spring, played for the first time ever (apologies for mediocre audio and video quality):

The kids loved the pool at the resort of course, so we were in there enough to turn our skin to leather. Despite the "no diving" rule, both girls learned to dive with Grandma's expert instruction. Ella did her first flips. They loved their little room, crammed with bunkbeds, and we spent lots of time just lounging and reading.

As usual, we got curry at Sanderson's on the way and ran into our old friend Aimee there. We had a glorious (chilly!) swim at Bromley Rock. At Manning, I spent a few hours wandering in the sub-alpine meadows with my camera, taking advantage of the late-blooming wildflowers. Here's a slideshow of most of the shots, followed by a few favourites below.

Mike Harder

2011-08-15T13:30:00.000-07:00

I played a couple of years of minor hockey with a guy from St. Adolphe named Mike Harder. He was a ringer, imported across the Red River by team manager Stan Plett to help us dominate the Pee-Wee hockey scene in southern Manitoba. Great kid, super scoring skills and a good attitude. He invited me to my first junior high dance at his school -- I remember being terrified of all the cute French girls, thrilled by their accents and giggles, and later being mortified by my fashion choice of a pale yellow sweatshirt with grey faux-collar. But I digress...

Like Rosenort's equivalent Mike (Martens), he was the best player for miles around, and many people thought he was destined for the big league. That must create tons of pressure on a kid, and I've often wondered what became of him, in hockey or otherwise. Turns out he played for Colgate University, ending up as the school's all-time leading scorer with 214 points in 134 games -- enough to get him into their Hall of Honor. By 1997, he was one of the 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award (best U.S. college hockey player) along with some guys who went on to have excellent NHL careers: Martin St. Louis, Jason Blake, Chris Drury, John Madden, and Brendan Morrison. I thought this article about him was pretty fantastic, especially with the focus on his childhood: Harder, Better, Best.

It's fascinating to see his career stats, which mirror the career arc of the vast majority of guys who take a shot at making it to the NHL -- tours of duty in various minor leagues, and some successful European stints. I was most interested in the prime of his career over a couple of seasons in the AHL (farm teams for the NHL). Although he was undrafted, in 1998-99 he scored an impressive 79 points in 79 games for the Rochester Americans, a team that had Brian Campbell and Cory Sarich on defense, with Dwayne Roloson and Martin Biron in net. It looks like most of his teammates got a cup of coffee in the NHL at some point in their careers, but he never got that call.

Somehow I doubt that he'd view his lack of NHL games as a failure. He got a degree from an excellent U.S. university, got paid for a dozen years to play a game he loves, and traveled all over the world. Bet he made great lifelong friends along the way too. I thought of him when reading (and re-reading) Essex County, with those intertwining themes of hockey, memory, choices, opportunity and family -- and wondered what his post-hockey transition might look like, since hockey players our age are now retiring or adopting the "grizzled veteran" label. Maybe I can track him down some day and ask him.

Strings the Thing

2011-07-13T07:48:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, our violin teacher contacted me to ask whether she and the other instructors at their annual strings camp would be able to play some of my Summerland Suite as part of their faculty concert. I've attended the faculty concert the last couple of years and it's always top notch -- high-end performances and an interesting, varied list of music -- so of course I was stoked.

As exciting as it was to be part of the quartet playing the songs at Red Rooster last year, this was an opportunity to simply listen to my music played by professionals. The first thrill was opening the program and seeing J.Hiebert sandwiched between J.S.Bach and L.Beethoven. The second was hearing March, October and May played for an appreciate audience at the Shatford Centre, six minutes of joy for me:

My reaction by song:

March -- Lightning fast! I love intensity of the increased pace, but it was hard for the group to stay in synch at that tempo. My hunch is that pulling it back slower maybe 10% would have great impact and better synchronization. That critique aside, I was euphoric hearing Calvin pour himself into this one.
October -- I wish I'd written a more interesting second-violin part for this, as John didn't have much to work with. This one was the most like our original rendition -- a straight-up version that I enjoyed very much. Nice bassline work with the cello.
May -- Another reinterpretation that turned a rollicking fiddle anthem into a lilting, melodic tune with a richer, mellower vibe than I had envisioned. Loved it!

Special thanks to Liz Lupton, Joel Stobbe, John Suderman, and Calvin Dyck for bringing the music to life!

Grasshead

2011-07-10T15:25:00.001-07:00

I know, I know...grass is not the most compelling photographic subject for normal people, but this set is really coming together. In mosaic form like this, the whole has more impact than the parts. As I found with ice, the more you look, the more you see...even the most mundane, everyday subject yields beauty and wonder. I feel like some of the things I've learned with each new subject are transferable to new subjects, which is really exciting from an artistic perspective. It makes me wonder what the next subject of choice might be.

Ivy the Greek

2011-07-09T15:32:00.000-07:00

Despite a raging thunderstorm, apparently sent by an angry Zeus, Ivy's Greek-gods-themed party was a big hit. One minute of video evidence below:

Ten

2011-06-30T06:19:00.000-07:00

This is from five years ago, while celebrating Ivy's birthday on the beach in Penticton -- I love her little smile as she eyes her cake and listens to us sing. In retrospect, five-year-old Ivy provided plenty of clues about who she'd be at 10, but of course that's difficult to project into the future. Fun to check out past birthday posts with that in mind: nine, seven, five, and four.

Maybe high expectations come with the territory when you speak and read like someone much older. We often have to remind ourselves that she's not simply a miniature adult, especially when she's emotionally distraught about something we'd never worry about. I know the "gifted" label is problematic, but it shows up repeatedly in the literature on high-achieving kids that many have asynchronous development -- often with academic or creative skills far outstripping their ability to process emotional situations that we think they should be able to handle. That was certainly Ivy at five...and at ten. I love seeing her progress through the tough stuff; even more than seeing her thrive in the pursuits that are easy for her.

She goes through times when we frequently remind her to "take off the black hat", a reference to the critical, skeptical, analytical thinking processes from de Bono's six thinking hats. She comes by it honestly, as I occasionally wonder whether my own black hat is sewn onto my scalp. Perhaps we'll share the blessing/curse of the INTP personality type, prizing our mutual independence, creativity and problem-solving while trying to cope with the prickly traits in the package. I already find myself astounded at her personal creative outlets, leaps and projects, mostly hatched and incubated without any outside assistance -- when she gets an idea, she can be a real force of nature.

So now Ivy heads into her 11th year, with plans to keep learning at home -- so far it has not been easy to tempt her to try school again, which is not surprising. She's planned a small (but lavish and high concept) Greek-themed birthday party the week after her official big day. This week we'll celebrate with family, fish 'n chips and a favourite dessert. Last week Ivy finished up her violin season with a summer recital -- it's worth watching the video just to see her come flying in with her fiddle group about 30 seconds in, and then smile...

So we've got an incredible ten-year-old daughter and we're so proud her. What I wrote five years ago still applies perfectly:

"Like all of us, she also has her moments where it's not all good, and we're probably too hard on her sometimes, but overall it's an amazing honour to spend time with this precious creature. Happy Birthday, Ivy Jane."

Update: Birthday party video posted...

Ella Pearl

2011-06-20T14:42:00.000-07:00

Marj used to pester me if it had been a while since I had made a blog post full of pictures of the kids. "Enough with the ice and weeds already! Where are your gorgeous children?" Not that those posts were only for her, but she was a big fan of the kids and reminded me often enough...as a result, I haven't had the heart to post them since November. Time to get back on the horse, and of course there's a treasure trove of photos of the kids since then -- I know she would have heartily approved. Many made it into the book I made for the grandparents for Christmas:

Untitled | Make Your Own Book

I wanted to start with Ella, our fascinating seven-year-old. It's hard to get a read on where she's at these days, as it seems like seven is a transitional year for her. Transition to what? We're not sure yet. On one hand she's still silly and fun-loving and carefree, but there's also been a darker, more intense edge to her personality. Not that's it's necessarily negative -- although it can include anxiety and melancholy, it also shows itself in ambition and focus, maybe even enhanced creativity.

I've been blown away by her drawing lately. Sometimes she draws out of books, but other times the characters are straight out of her head, and they're often hilarious, like this evil genius shown here. A few more:

Monster at the bed...no wonder she has trouble sleeping sometimes.
Two fun male characters from a cartooning book.
An angry old guy with a newspaper, probably a vision of my future.
A mean girl, complete with speech bubble accusing the cat of misdeeds.
Funky owl -- I believe this one was just made up, not out of a book.
Backpack girl, showing some serious flair.

It's been great for Ella to get back into gymnastics after a break. She's back to cartwheeling as transportation, and she seems stronger and more confident. She was flying on her skates this winter, and thrived as we switched to riding bikes. It's fun to see her so busy and confident -- will be great to get her back in the lake as things warm up a bit (my first swim is usually in May...this year, late June!).

Socially, it's been harder for her to plug in with friends. She spends a lot of time with her siblings, which is great, but we'll have to get her together with her buddies more often this summer. Oh, and she loves her new room too. A remarkable kid, this one...few more pics:

Life According to Facebook Part 2

2011-06-19T23:47:00.000-07:00

I tried this back in March, and I like having my own copy of all these little updates from Facebook -- even though they're mostly mundane, they include memory triggers and references I find interesting later. This batch is from about March 20-June 20, 2011, with decorative photos taken from the more recent shots in my Trees set, which I think is coming along quite nicely.

amazing father's day, lots of warmth and fun
Downhill action with bro Ryan...in way over our heads on the Gillard trails, and in the rain...fun like being 10 years old in the mud.
From Richard: "Congrats on winning the pool. I'll do the logistics after school tonight and send you the winnings."
‎6am trail work: best way to start my day
$1500 for one seat in the upper bowl? And the price keeps going up.

The only good news to come out of the Canucks' loss last night was winning a $40 ($80, actually!) gift card at Local Lounge...for predicting that Daniel Sedin would get the most points for Vancouver. I've picked him again for tomorrow, hopefully in a winning effort this time.
Only Myron Dueck can turn pizza night into a relay-sprint grudge match between families, with kids and dads pitted against each other in fierce laps around the house. So fun, and so sore...can't believe I didn't pull out a camera.
Amazing morning ride with Lorne Hildebrand and Andrew Vandersluys, exploring the incredible craftsmanship of the Smith Creek trail in Westbank.
Jeremy Hiebert attended the event Father's Day Mountain Bike Ride.

thumbs up for the new Penticton pool...top-notch
stellar day off with the kids, mellow and fun
Any Canon users out there looking for a good all-purpose lens?
has a blood-chocolate level of 72% cocoa
From Sara Heinrichs: "I was just checking out some pictures of your kids. I completely understand why my mom loved them and ate them up! They are gorgeous!"
five rides in eight days makes for a happy mountain biker (June 6)
Metallica Vs The Prodigy - Battery Thunder This remix rocks...Tannis found it a few weeks ago and I put it in every playlist.
sold his camera
thankful for two nights of hanging out with good guys
Beautiful, simple guide to the trails around Westbank...a good reminder that they're not far from here.

inexplicable morning anxiety/gloom
excellent new trails on Cartwright
beef-barley-lentil stew and peach cherry crisp
Ella's gymnastics performance
pink bitterroot and purple lupins blooming in meadows
Spy Porter
failed photo outing yesterday
has been enjoying Ted Logie's account of growing up on Jones Flat Road a hundred years ago...hilarious and fascinating. (May 28)
didn't expect to have lunch with the pastors of the Summerland Baptist Church
Ivy's fiddle group recorded their first CD last night...pretty cool experience.
For the girls' home-learning program, we make some effort to document their "active living", as if it was something they wouldn't be doing if it wasn't part of the curriculum. I put together these clips from the last few months.

rainy and cool
I just finished Essex County for the second time. Masterpiece of Canadiana!
steve plett in the house
Two firsts for Ezra today: riding his bike on singletrack and helping me build trail.
took the day off
It would have made a better story if the nude hikers I encountered on the trail this morning hadn't been old fat guys.
Metallica at the height of their powers in 1989...credit to cousin Jason for convincing me to go see them on this tour. Tonight's soundtrack.
Pretty amazing to be able to translate easily between dozens of languages...audio pronunciation, entire pages translated, alternate translations...we take it for granted, but this is Star Trek tricorder tech...Google translate
Irma Voth
My kids' favourite musical artist: Weird Al.
pulled the first spinach and chives out of the garden for sauce (May 14)

Fridays after work should always be this nice: a ride up and down Conkle Mountain, supper at Local Lounge (w/Backhand of God Stout) with two special girls, an hour of bed-time reading...
Anyone out there have daughters between six and 12? I highly recommend the Penderwicks series as read-alouds. Classic stuff, warm and wonderful.
accurately predicted the final four in the NHL playoffs...we'll see about my call for a Vancouver-Boston SCF
Ezra goes hard on his bike for a three-year-old. Now I'm pondering upgrades to the bike track to keep up with his desire to do more. We've already put him on a bigger bike since this video was taken, and that's apparently sped him up even more. It's only a matter of time until our first hospital visit.

From Tannis: "Jeremy Hiebert is a bit shy about it but if all goes well, his "Seasons" quartet is going to be played in Manning Park in August, at "Art In The Park", an event to celebrate BC Park's 100th anniversary.(May 10)
Serious bike shuffle for summer...Ezra got Ella's, Ella got Ivy's, and Ivy got a new (to her) blue BMX that she pronounced "the ultimate bike colour". After breakfast I got them all adjusted and set up for their new riders.
Skipped watching the game, but glad to see the Canucks advance. I'm thinking it should be San Jose up next, a team they played well against this year (especially the Sedins; 11 points in 4 games)(May 9)
This event looks fantastic. Tannis Hiebert and Kim Lawrick rode the course on the weekend and loved it. Some generous trail gnomes have been hard at work on Cartwright Mountain connecting and crafting a very fun loop -- almost all singletrack, and nearly 10km. Looks like the race is a worthy cause too -- they're welcoming donations and pledges. Test of Humanity

arrowleaf balsamroot, purple shooting star, sagebrush buttercup...the meadows are alive with colour again
has satisfying calluses from the hoe handle this weekend...first on the Conkle Mountain trails, and then in the garden.
Listening to the new Beasties album; pretty kick-ass.
This week's Focus Friday on Awesome Okanagan -- a few of Andrew's shots from our outing to the observatory south of Penticton.
checked out the BMX racing in Penticton...Ezra was itching to get out there
Any party in power will resist change to our voting system, making change nearly impossible...but awarding seats on the basis of the popular vote would seem to make more sense.
Usually we get bland editorials that appear to be focused entirely on not offending anyone. I wish they let Wolf write more of them...

so thankful for pub nights
My vote for the most awesome invention of the last couple of centuries: the bicycle. So amazing to pedal away from home, ride to the top of Conkle Mountain several kilometers away, fly down on trails through the forest, and then zoom back home; all in 90 mintues after work.
didn't barf during Harper's nauseating victory speech...my tiny personal victory on a frustrating night
This film looks excellent -- can't believe it's playing in Summerland next week. I guess the filmmakers' dad (John Topham) is a local resident.
Why the surge of support for the NDP? I think their platform is pretty smart, covering most of the things I care about most in a way that makes sense. Please vote today, as long as you're not considering a PC vote, in which case I hope you forget to go -- really, we've had enough lies, embarrassing foreign policy, corporate handouts, eroding democracy and the dismantling of our environmental regulations.
Great Saturday: cruising all over Conkle Mountain scouting and buffing trail, sushi from Just Delicious Cafe, hanging with the kids, and now a Canucks game.

couldn't believe the bargains on good microbrew in Penticton...$8 for a six of Spy Porter, $16 for an assorted Phillips 12-pack, and even less for a Tree 12-mix. Stocked up for summer... April 28
needs to spend more time on Conkle Mountain
Oh no. Not sure I can handle the stress of a Game 7. April 24
delectable early easter feaster last night with the Hieberts...thai wraps with peanut sauce (my request), homemade chocolate eclairs (Ryan's request) and good things to sip.
great date with Ivy at Theo's Restaurant before our violin lesson. Liz and I tried out my newest composition, a viola duet to play at a recital in June...exciting to hear it coming alive. April 18
I got this documentary from the library and really enjoyed it this week...didn't realize that I could have just watched it online. RIP! A remix manifesto

Yes, I've had too much time on my hands with the family in Manitoba. Instead of just cleaning up the rink, I did a time-lapse of the process, then decided to turn it into a kids' bike park. April 14
Another month, another photo feature for Awesome Okanagan. This time around I focused on Jason Drury, a local student with an interesting approach. Definitely worth a look (and a Like, if you do).
‎Andrew Vandersluys and I saw this guy a couple of months ago, and he really was fantastic. The next night, they recorded his show in Kelowna -- it sounds great (listen free, download $10) and I'm thinking we may have to go see him again when he rolls through next week. Pat LePoidevin
thanks to Lorne Hildebrand for the bike ride and supper feast
won my hockey pool
Maudite

Sure, the playoffs will be tougher for the Canucks, but no matter what happens, this was a great season to be a fan of the team. President's trophy with 117 points, most goals for, fewest goals against. And Daniel Sedin wins the Art Ross Trophy for scoring the most points. A moment of celebration, and tomorrow we'll see who they face in the first round.
started and finished Swing Low by Miriam Toews last night...a devastating read
Wonderful author, one of my favourites...who also happens to live in Summerland.
pizza and ping-pong extravaganza with Jim Friesen and Myron Dueck
Is this a good photo? No, it is not. But it was a great night, zooming to Kelowna with Myron and hanging out with old school friend Jim.
‎Lorne Hildebrand and I biked over to see the mountain goats this afternoon

Taking a few days off last week got me composing music again. This viola duet was the result, and I'm hoping to talk Liz Lupton into trying it with me. Could be fun to perform at the adult recital in June. (The link goes to the online sheet music, which does let you listen when you hit play, but the sounds are like a crappy old organ...still, enough to get the idea)
What's on my mind? My grandma's not doing so good. March 30
So many amazing things on this planet...this makes me want to take the next few years off to wander.
listening to the new Alela Diane album...more folk/country than my usual tastes, but I think her voice is magic
feels recharged after five days off
thrilled to be out on the trails again with eagles and deer
is happier when he spins pedals
Great night out with Bill, Lorne Hildebrand and Andrew Vandersluys...frosty pints of Crannog's Backhand of God contributed to the joy.
a good strong coffee made in the french press often makes me miss Angelo Eidse
Enjoyed the excellent photo exhibit of black and white portraits by Rick Gray at the Summerland Art Gallery (show runs through April) March 22
Mexican feast with Bill (March 21)

reading watching listening

2011-06-17T05:33:00.000-07:00

Perhaps this is the fate of my blog -- to record my consumption of media five times a year. Better than nothing, I suppose. As usual, decoration provided by some of my recent photos.

Reading

Essex County -- I put it on hold shortly after I finished it the first time, during the later rounds of Canada Reads. Still awesome...a masterpiece of Canadiana, and the best graphic novel I've read.

Irma Voth -- I probably wanted to like this book too much. There was much about it that I loved, and I laughed out loud several times...but unfortunately I just didn't "buy" the voice of the main character. To me it felt like Miriam Toews tried shoehorning her own world-wise, middle-aged, brilliant self (along with her entire vocabulary) into a the shell of a naive, messed up, deprived 19-year-old Mexican Mennonite girl. She continually says (and thinks) things that didn't fit, and it constantly got in the way of my enjoyment. The story itself seemed silly to me at times too, with characters making bizarre decisions I couldn't go along with somehow. I was probably cursed by my adoration for A Complicated Kindness and Swing Low.
Closer -- as with the entire Tunnels series, this is total escapist fluff; a literary guilty pleasure that I very much enjoyed. My expectations for this were very low, and they were wildly exceeded.

Ted Tells (Okanagan) Tales had me howling over and over. Hilarious stories of growing up in Summerland in the early 1900s, and it really couldn't get more local for us, as the author grew up almost exactly where we live right now. This book is a real treasure. I also read Summerland: In Celebration of 100 Years, which was much more of a straight-ahead community history, but also interesting enough.
What the Dog Saw -- I had ignored this book of Gladwell's despite enjoying all his other writing, at least partly because the title and cover was so uninviting. However, it's one of those books that really got its hooks into me, and I keep thinking about the stories. It's a wide-ranging collection of essays previously published in the New Yorker -- very high quality.

Savvy and Scumble -- Excellent bedtime reading with the girls over several weeks. I hadn't read the second book, and although it was entertaining enough, it couldn't really compete with the wonderful first one.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians -- We're not too far into the first book yet, but I'm really enjoying it. Ella had requested it, and Ivy consented to listening, even though she's read the entire series several times already. Should keep us busy well into the summer.

The Pink Refrigerator -- We've had dozens of good picture books for Ezra of the last few months, but I keep taking this out again and again. A simple story of a guy who needs to get off his ass and engage in life, especially creative pursuits.
Some of the best writing about hockey this season came from legendary NHL referee Kerry Fraser, in a regular column on TSN. Fascinating glimpses behind the scenes. Reminded me that reffing hockey was one of the most difficult things I ever attempted...

Watching

Not many people are going to watch an hour-long university lecture about mental illness, but I thought it had terrific impact: Stanford's Sapolsky On Depression. He weaves together the two main threads of brain chemistry and psychology in a way that made sense to me -- one of the most fascinating examples of the interplay of nature/nurture that I've encountered, and with a focus on stress. Thanks to Rob for the pointer.
Liberia '77 -- It was pretty cool to have this documentary screened in Summerland -- the filmmakers grew up here, or we'd never get a chance to see it locally. Very well done; lots of food for thought.

Iron Giant -- Ezra picked this one again, and I ended up getting hooked (yet again). So good.
NHL playoffs -- Despite the loss and the stupid riot, it was a great year to be a Canucks fan. Much of the hockey was incredibly entertaining, especially in the series against the Sharks. Kudos to the Bruins, who totally deserved the cup -- we watched Game 7 at Myron and Tracey's, and the loss didn't ruin a great evening. I managed to correctly predict the final four teams, which gave me the win in cousin Richard's playoff pool. I should probably retire after this season of hockey pool domination.

Listening

David Comes to Life by F***ed Up -- I've shunned this band because of their ridiculous name, but this album just sounds too fantastic to ignore them any longer. They released four songs for free, and I like them all. Thumbs up for rollicking Canadian rock 'n roll.
Lament in the Trampled Garden by Marjan Mozetich -- my fave Canadian composer, and this disc is amazing. I'm especially fond of Angels in Flight...all three songs, but the last one blows me away.

Conkle Mountain Trail

2011-06-03T11:13:00.000-07:00

Tannis and I don't get to ride our bikes together very often, but my folks took the kids last weekend and sent us out. I got to show Tannis the trail on Conkle Mountain that I've been working on this spring, and the balsamroot was still blooming in the meadows up high. Tannis shot this little video of me in my happy place:

It's good for my soul to get up there, and I've probably put in 20-30 hours with the clippers and hoe. The trail work I've been doing isn't really building as much as it is way-finding, connecting, fixing and marking existing deer paths and old trails, which already cover the mountain. It's been really exciting for me to hook up one good route from top to bottom. With another 10 hours of "work", I think it could be an excellent route, with a challenging 45-minute climb, an incredible ridge-line section with 360-degree views at the top, and some really fun, swooping singletrack through the forests and grasslands on the way down. Tannis's smile is a good sign:

Speaking of smiles, the forecast for this weekend has me smiling. We've had so little of this kind of weather so far this spring:

Catch-up

2011-05-04T15:47:00.001-07:00

Also in the category of stuff that happened last year that I never posted about, I've had a draft post about our trip to Vancouver to see The National concert sitting here for about eight months and finally hit "publish" this week: The National in Vancouver.

Tracey's Birthday (Last Year)

2011-05-04T10:22:00.001-07:00

This week Tannis took Tracey out for her birthday -- girls' night out in Kelowna with a nice Mexican feast and then the Sarah McLachlan concert that nobody seemed to have heard about. Sounds like it was excellent. It reminded me that I had never posted about her giant birthday bash LAST year -- a milestone 40th with surprise guests, a live band, and an incredible spread of food and drinks. I'm not a big party guy, but it was pretty fantastic and I had planned to post a few photos at least.

We're so thankful to have old friends like the Duecks here in Summerland -- people who don't require additional explanation when we can throw out old Rosenort references to explain some facet of human nature.

Welcome Warmth

2011-05-01T22:06:00.000-07:00

Here's something we haven't seen too much of through April. It's been a long, cool, slow spring this year, with little hints of warmth that seem to disappear as quickly as they arrive. Not that it's been rotten weather, just lacking those days in early April where shoots up over 20 and we go sit at the beach imagining song summer days. I guess I shouldn't complain, as it's been perfect riding weather and the trails are in prime shape. I tromped all over Conkle Mountain scouting and buffing trails yesterday -- stoked that it's coming together as a legit riding area close to town.

In other news, I've been experimenting with photo manipulation, taking my pictures and mirroring sections of them to create interesting patterns and illusions. It's been fun, but I doubt it's something I'll stick with for long...although there may be potential, the set is growing.

A Case of Consumption

2011-04-17T09:32:00.000-07:00

Apparently it is time for my the every-coupla-months update on what I'm filling my head with. Lots of artsy-fartsy photos to decorate the place with too, and there should be more of those as the land comes alive once again.

Watching:

Capitalism: A Love Story by Michael Moore. As always, I'm a year or two behind the buzz on these things, despite being a big fan of his documentaries. I thought this one was a bit of a mess, which is what I expected given the scope of the topic he tackled...but with lots of poignant moments and his signature touches that mostly still resonate.
Rip: A Remix Manifesto -- Really sharp documentary about intellectual property, mostly focused on music, which suited me fine. Free to watch in HD on the NFB site, although I got my copy at the library.
Mary and Max. I love claymation, and although this was visually compelling, the story was a disaster -- one of those movies with no identity, just a random assortment of scenes cobbled together. I was truly mystified by generally positive reviews and found myself agreeing with the one from the Globe and Mail: "...mixture of artistic sophistication and emotional crudeness cancel each other out...."
NHL Playoffs, which have been pretty exciting so far. We don't have cable, so it's online streaming for me...CBCs feeds have been good. Helps that the Canucks are winning. My predictions (from before the start) for the first round: Vancouver over Chicago in 6, San Jose over LA in 5, Detroit over Phoenix in 5, Anaheim over Nashville in 6 (although I like Nashville, and am enjoying seeing them beat the Ducks). In the East, I'm likely going to be getting slammed for picking upsets in all the wrong ones: NYR over Washington in 7, Boston over Montreal in 5, Tampa Bay over Pittsburgh in 7, Buffalo over Philadelphia in 6.

Reading:

Heaps and piles of picture books with Ezra, cycling through about 20 a week from the library, many times each. It's been fun to get back into picture books.
After our multi-month The Mysterious Benedict Society bedtime-reading marathon (three monster-thick books), we took a break with the rather silly Willoughbys, and have now dug into
The Penderwicks. There are three already written, and they've got a wonderful sense of warmth and innocence -- old-fashioned stories.
My mom has recommended Swing Low by Miriam Toews for years already, and I finally got to it last week, starting after supper and finishing late that same night. I found the father-daughter stuff so poignant, and the dichotomies and tensions between how he felt (trapped in his own head), and how he lived -- so differently at home and at work. Lots of stuff to stew on there from my own past and present. I felt convicted at times, which is good, reflecting on incidents when I feel warmly toward my kids, yet say something critical instead (or saying nothing, more often). I was also reframing my own constructs about what mental health really means in my own life...recognizing ups and downs and coping mechanisms, especially coming through this winter. Lots of good conversations have come out of it already.
This is going back a month or two already, but I got totally into Mennonites Don't Dance by Darcie Friesen Hossack. Andrew and I went to see her do a reading in Penticton, so I crammed the night before -- need to go back to read the favourite stories again. I bought a copy for my mom, which she reviewed, and that led to a fascinating response from the author (who happens to live in Kelowna).
To complete the trifecta on this theme, I've been enjoying The Mennonites by Larry Towell again -- my third time taking it out of the library. Amazing photography...masterful, even.
Earth, a very silly book by Jon Stewart that had me laughing to the point of tears.

Listening To:

Pat Lepoidevin's live album from his last show at the Streaming Cafe...looking forward to seeing him again there this week.
New album from Alela Diane, which I'm lukewarm on so far.
My Canadiana indie-rock playlist, assembled on the amazing CBC Radio 3 site
Canadian composer Marjan Mozetich -- the OSO played his excellent Postcards From the Sky in their last show, and I've been really into Lament in the Trampled Garden as well.

Da Winna

2011-04-11T10:10:00.000-07:00

Let the historical record show that I (The Zambonis) won my hockey pool this year:

Members of the Jerry's Gulf clan in Rosenort have been running this pool for years. It's been a fun crew, with some historical connections and decent rivalries. I joined up three years ago for the first time and finished a respectable 4th after taking half the season to figure out how to make weekly roster changes (I think Myron won that year as an absentee manager). Last year I had a pretty good team and ended up second to runaway winner and eldest Jerry's-Gulf-son Jason.

Now, a quick note about the whole hockey pool thing. It's a dumb game, requiring you to care about irrelevant games like Atlanta vs Florida because you have a useless defenseman playing on one of the teams. I found myself cheering for the Black Hawks and Sharks this year because I had loaded up on players from those teams, even though I would traditionally dislike them strongly. It's my guilty pleasure, and I was fairly addicted to our head-to-head league, meaning that each team faced off against another team each week, competing for points in the usual categories (goals, assists, +/-, etc).

Plett (fc holland above) was in the lead the entire season -- he drafted well, made some smart moves and utterly dominated. I nearly caught up in the last two weeks, having made some decent (umm...lucky) moves of my own, and my goalies (Thomas, Rinne, Niemi) were tops in the league over the last half. Eventual Art Ross Trophy winner Daniel Sedin drove my offense all year, with Marleau, Kane, and Hossa picking things up down the stretch. I got good production out of Lidstrom before trading him for Weber, who scored like a forward mid-season before tailing off. Pronger and Green never did much for me.

Plett and I were in the final matchup this week to determine the winner. It started slow, and I led the week until Saturday, when Plett turned it around and started leading. When I left to go for a bike ride yesterday afternoon, I was down 5-4, having sewn up three goalie categories, but with only Milan Hedjuk still playing on an impotent Avalanche team, while Plett had a couple of better players still in action. Hedjuk was -4 with zero points and one period left in his fourth game of the week. Plett's main man Byfuglien went -1 (in a different game) to tie us on +/- and then suddenly Hedjuk scored on the powerplay with 30 seconds left (tying us for goals and PPP), sending the game into overtime...then he set up the winning goal with a power play assist that gave me the PPP category by one point.

So Plett's 5-4 lead was transformed into a 5-2 win for me over the course of three minutes of playing time. Four categories tied, and three categories settled by a one point difference. So close. Old friend Greg Siemens pulled into third by beating Warren in the other playoff final. Brent somehow fell to 7th after a strong comeback late in the season. Last year's winner (Jason) fell to 9th, providing a cautionary tale in case I feel too cocky next year. As this was a no-money pool, I have only bragging rights to show for it. Hence this irritating post.

Spring Recital

2011-03-18T23:39:00.000-07:00

Ivy played a number of songs at her spring recital this week. I put together a few of the clips in this short video -- a Fiddlekidz song, a duet I wrote and performed with her, and a solo fiddle tune she likes called Sheepskins and Beeswax:

I also asked Liz the day before whether she'd mind playing one of my duets with me, so we gave it a go, even though we had only ever tried it once a month ago. Despite my apparent inability to brush my hair or wear a nicer shirt than the one that came with pajama bottoms, I think it turned out pretty nice:

We were both interviewed for a local radio station, and clips of it played the next morning: http://jeremyhiebert.com/radio-interview.mp3

Life According to Facebook

2011-03-16T17:24:00.000-07:00

Facebook seems to get all of my little updates lately, but I miss having a record of them here. They seem to disappear quickly over there, lost in the shuffle. Just for the heck of it, I pulled out the status updates from the last two months, and decorated with some recent photos.

This song makes me want to hit the open road, and head east with no timetable, no destination in mind...
Once a month, I feature local photographers on Awesome Okanagan -- this month the profile is on Simon and Deborah Kuhl from Penticton. I really admire their portraits.
feeling lucky to have had two dates with my sweetheart this week...excellent pasta at Victoria Rd Deli & Bistro last weekend, and great brunch today at Local Lounge • Grille...nice to get awesome food in our little town.
loved performing with Ivy at her spring recital

spent the day with Ezra: umpteen games of crazy-8s, a teetering pile of picture books, extended spelling bee, Summerland museum and library, multiple errands, Rolly Monster...it was hilarious seeing people chuckling at our identical curly heads in town.
staggered by the coverage coming out of Japan
Jeremy Hiebert was at Boston pizza with Chris Phillips and Jason St. Pierre.
found out that the Ponderosa Pine at the entrance to the Peach Orchard campground was at least 300 years old...our lives are a blip

coyotes howling at ambulances
had a clear breakaway on Tannis Hiebert tonight and couldn't score.
should really play noon-hour hockey more often
Thanks to Andrew Vandersluys for lending me this documentary (My Architect) at least six months ago. I watched it last night and found it mesmerizing.
Colt45 is a very bad beer. I had been avoiding the lone can in the fridge for a month, but finally ran out of everything else tonight when I got in from hockey. Thanks Lorne Hildebrand.
Nice tribute to Marj Heinrichs from Mishkeegogamang, where she had many friends and did great work.

It's interesting how our kids listen to music. They pick one song and put it on repeat so it plays at least five times in a row, then pick another song and repeat...repeat...repeat...
"-13°C Feels like: -20°C" -- Like living in the prairies...and great for making/finding ice. (Feb.25)
I'm excited about this reading on Thursday night -- Adam Lewis Schroeder and Darcie Friesen Hossack at Hooked On Books in Penticton. Two amazing authors, both with books nominated for The Commonwealth Writers' Prize.
February smoothie from August harvest

knows Princeton, BC is not an exotic destination by any measure, but had a great weekend anyway (Feb.20)
immersed in Mendelssohn
off to the Philosopher's Cafe to hear Wolfgang Peter Depner
my apologies if you got spam from my gmail account
This has been an ongoing photography project these last few years, trying to capture our local orchards in all seasons, mostly within a mile or two of our place. I'm particularly drawn to visual patterns formed by the rows and branches.
used up all of the moves and trades in my hockey pool...most of them futile...looks like I'm stuck with what I've got from here on in

got a kick-ass box of CDs from Melodie Krieger Cliffe
No idea how the rink froze solid again...+3 last night and skating in sunny +8 this morning.
morning skate with the kids, then out for library and sushi in town
I profiled local photographer Greg Gaspari for this month's In Focus feature on Awesome Okanagan. He's got some wonderful photos -- definitely worth checking out.
Rare Tuesday-night date with my sweetheart: Mosaic Books, Doc Willoughby's Downtown Pub, and then the Afiara String Quartet ...thanks to Dianne Hiebert and Gerald Hiebert
My cellist-friend Martin adds some wonderful sounds to this beautiful song. Sorry to have missed this performance on Saturday

yesterday :+5, today: snowfall warning in effect, tomorrow: +6
Great birthday. Felt loved.
You say it's your birthday? It's my birthday too. Please feel free to use comments on this post to mock my transition from mid- to late-30s, or to entirely ignore it if that suits you better.
Those of you who know Myron and Tracey might get a kick out this one. Myron takes his backyard rink very seriously, and this weekend's skating session also included a goalie in full gear, a campfire, sausages roasting on the BBQ, and beer chilling in the snow.

Our friends Milt and Carla didn't have an easy time getting out of Egypt -- they're in this video clip from CTV.
I wrote up a quick article about the opening for the Summerland Art Gallery's first show of the year.
was inspired to try some all-star moves tonight at hockey, clearly forgetting that he doesn't have any all-star moves.
Thanks to Chris Phillips, my site is back online: http://www.jeremyhiebert.com/
can't believe how young the NHL all-stars look...even the veterans
tried making sushi for the first time
I've been savoring this beautiful book of prairie photography.
Thanks to CBC's Canada Reads for getting me to read Essex County by Jeff Lemire -- wow, what an incredible book.
- 3 tonight...hopefully cold enough to turn the backyard "pool" back into the backyard rink. Jan.21

Dreaming of Whitehorse and Iceland...why am drawn north while everyone flies south?
My old friend Jean Guy from Niverville has started a new musical project, and it's sounding fantastic -- worth checking out.
inspired by the wonderful violin performance of musician Jasper Meiklejohn
breakfast with the Duecks...French toast, fruit and friends
Rain and +8 in mid-January?
off to find out the theme for the Summerland Art Gallery's 14-day challenge
I profiled local photographer Rick Forgo on Awesome Okanagan this month. He's got a cool style and great outlook -- check it out if you have a minute.

Ezra Speak 'n Spell

2011-03-10T16:31:00.000-08:00

I took this video of Ezra spelling a few weeks ago, then decided not to post it for fear of being the worst kind of bragging parent. But really, the audience for this is the half dozen people (hello grandparents on both sides!) who read this blog and are already card-carrying members of Ezra's fan club. And this is part of his story.

Skating Away the Winter

2011-03-03T17:16:00.000-08:00

It's not over yet, but it's probably safe to say that this has been one of our best seasons for outdoor skating. Although we lacked a long cold snap to freeze the sides of Okanagan Lake, it stayed cold enough to keep freezing the backyard rink through January and February, even after a couple of crazy warm spells that turned it into a backyard pool. I felt like the effort I put into it was well rewarded, both for my own childlike enjoyment and to get the kids flying around out there when we're feeling cooped up inside.

I've added a couple of dozen photos to my skating set on Flickr. A few highlights:

Our most spectacular skate was on Vaseux Lake just after New Year's. It was incredibly beautiful, and of course I geeked out on ice photos. My mom and dad came along, as well as Myron and Raja and their kids later on. We shot the puck around, explored the shoreline, went to see the swans swimming in the open water, and found interesting things on the lake bottom (even some fish swimming!)...but the real thrill was just to be able to skate for miles on smooth, clear ice, surrounded by mountains and sky.
Myron and Tracey hosted a couple of great skating parties, complete with bonfire and sausages on the BBQ. At one, Raja even got fully geared up for goalie duty. Total Canadiana, and the best way to embrace winter.
We did a handful of nighttime skates on our backyard rink with Christmas lights and fires for roasting marshmallows -- always a treat, and usually followed by hot chocolate before bedtime.
Lots of falls, smiles and laughter on the rink. Ivy got a bit burned out on it later in the season, and I had to clear a lot of snow a few times, but overall it has been awesome.
Ezra had started learning to skate last year, but it's been amazing to see him take off this year -- even handling the puck. He's in a few of the little video clips below.

Here's the slideshow for that set of skating photos:

And some of my favourite photos:

2011 Creative Resolutions

2011-01-02T16:34:00.000-08:00

Three years ago I started the tradition (although I didn't know that then) of reflecting on my creative goals and setting some for the new year. I revisited them and set some new ones in 2009, and then again last year. Time for another round, decorated by some recent photos that have turned my crank.

Photography

Reflections on 2010:

This year I flopped on the 365 (taking and posting a photo every day), doing a grand total of 31 days. The show at Red Rooster happened and went well. I did a couple of photo books on Blurb (Okanagan Abstracted and photos of the kids for their grandparents). Gear-wise, I got the Sigma version of that lens and a macro lens, which isn't really an accomplishment, but helps facilitate the other goals. Overall, I'm really proud of what I did with my photography this year...three goals out of four isn't bad, and I feel like I've taken some wonderful photos.

2011 Photography Goals

There's the temptation to keep shooting higher every year, but I'm not sure that's sustainable. I'm feeling somewhat less ambitous this year, yet when I list the things I want to do, I realize that I'm probably overreaching a bit.

Skills

I was remembering the afternoon I spent with Tom a couple of winters ago -- I learned so much in a few hours just by watching and listening. Photography is a solitary pursuit for me, but if I want to improve, I'd be smart to seek out skilled mentors.
I'd like to learn to shoot DSLR video with decent audio.
I picked up a couple of books by photographer Freeman Patterson -- I find his words and photos very inspiring, and feel like I need to re-read Photography & the Art of Seeing again to really assimilate it...immerse myself it. Masterpiece!

Sharing and Projects

I'm participating in a challenge at the Summerland Art Gallery where they reveal the theme at a reception and then 20+ artists have two weeks to produce one piece of art to hang for a month in the gallery. The
I'd like to do another small-scale solo show or presentation (projections) later in the year.
At least three new photo books this year, just for personal momentos and gifts.
Photographer profiles and Focus Fridays on Awesome Okanagan are more of a curating role for me, but it's photography-related I'm finding it to be a lot of fun.
I Love the Okanagan -- this little Flickr group still brings me a lot of pleasure, and I think we'll keep it going like it has been. Maybe we'll try another type of gallery project this year, and I think a get-together of some kind would be fun.
-- Ultimate Ice -- I started this small invite-only group with a few passionate ice shooters, hoping that it can be a showcase and place to connect with people who share our chilly hobby.

Locations and Subjects

I'm in a bit of a rut, I think. Although I like my local sets, I see more growth and variety in sets from trips...so maybe the trick will be to hit the road a few more times this year. I've found that I have to intentionally make time for photography on family trips, and it's not always compatible. Perhaps this year I need to take some solo days to explore with the camera.

For themes and sets, I don't find myself coming to the end of my favourite sets -- I keep finding views of orchards, ice and my kids that are different enough from the past stuff I've shot that I keep seeking them out. I need one new theme to pursue as well.

Gear

My old 30D is starting to show its age in blown pixels, and 8MP has become limiting when attempting to publish books and bigger prints. I'd like better low-light/high-ISO performance too, but don't have the budget for full frame. My lenses lock me in to Canon, so I'm looking at a new body like the 60D, T2i or 7D...any of which would let me explore video.

If video isn't important, I could do what I always do and go for something less new, less cool and noncurrent -- 40D or 50D, perhaps slightly used and discounted. But I really like the idea of shooting video through SLR lenses. I'll need to pick up a good portable audio recorder too, both for video projects and music.

Oh yeah, I have to remember to just have fun with this hobby. Sometimes I take this stuff too seriously.

Music

Reflections on 2010:

Learn to do multi-track recording with my laptop. Success! Not that I'm any good at it, but I learned enough to be able to use the laptop for composing, which was the real spirit of the goal.
Compose and record 10 songs. Well, in rough recordings, I exceeded this goal, but for polished ones I came up a bit short. The Summerland Suite was six songs, recorded reasonably well...better than zero.

Play well with others. I had noted that the previous year's musical highlights involved playing music with people, and this was true again. Learning my songs and playing them the string quartet was the highlight of my creative life, never mind year.
Don't become Ross from Friends ...I was already too late to avoid this fate last year.
Don't buy more stuff. I did ok on this one, spending $100 on a mic for recording and $60 on an old beater baritone horn that hasn't gotten much use.

2011 Music Goals

I'm not sure why I have this sense of trepidation about setting direction for music this year. It's probably because I was so focused through the summer and fall, and performing the string quartets was such a high point. Now I'm a bit tired. Over the holidays I finished another song for string quartet, but it's exactly like the other ones -- signs of a rut. I've been playing bass more, but to what end? I know that for the sake of my mental health and identity, really doing music is very important, but I'm at a bit of a loss. So these are tentative, even though they're basically duplications of last year's goals:

Compose and record 10 songs. I don't see why I can't repeat this goal. I'd like more variety, playing with different instruments and a variety of collaborators.
Play well with others. Music, like photography, is a solitary pursuit for me, yet I see the huge benefit of collaborating with other interested and talented musicans. I need to make more effort to make these happen -- even just jam sessions with friends.
Perform The Summerland Suite again. It was a lot of work to put into a collection of music that was only heard one time -- need to find the appropriate situation to play it again.
Don't buy more stuff. Martin let me try his cello the other day and I was buzzing with joy to feel it rumble. But I don't think this is the year to buy and learn another instrument.
Improve technique and intonation on viola and violin. This seems to be coming along just by playing every day.
Be a good musical dad. I so badly want my kids to have music available to them throughout their lives that I sometimes push too hard. Other times I overcompensate the other way and ignore the cool stuff they're doing (especially Ella's singing). I also tend to do my music when they're not around, so I'm not modeling it for them.
Just enjoy it. I got very goal-oriented through the last half of the year, and maybe burned out a bit. I need to relax, exist in the moment and enjoy what music brings to me in social engagement, mental stability and joy.

I also had a throwaway note about blogging last year. It keeps limping along, with a measly 42 posts since those last resolutions. I feel the same as I did last year -- it certainly could be better, but I'm thankful for it in any form, even limping. I've also done a lot of my recording of day-to-day life on Facebook this year, so some of it has probably just shifted over there -- apologies to those of you who'd rather see stuff over here.

Red Rooster Show

2010-12-23T22:43:00.000-08:00

I think we opened the photography show at Red Rooster with reasonable flair. It was fun, and very cool to see so many friends and acquaintances there to show their support for my creative efforts. Downstairs, we staged the string quartet in front of the wine-tasting bar. Upstairs, my mom and dad had set up wonderful snacks, wine was being served, and the pictures covered the walls.

Here's the slideshow of the pictures that made the cut, of course not displayed so nicely as in big frames on the wall, but still better than nothing for those of you who are far away:

I had put way more work into the musical component of the afternoon, so that was the highlight for me. What a thrill to hear my compositions come alive in that space, playing with three wonderful musicians. I felt proud and humbled at the same time. We took simple video and recorded it as best we could, and they actually turned out pretty good. Here's the first song, March:

The rest of the videos, recordings and information about the music are over on my project blog, which I updated accordingly: The Summerland Suite. I was particularly proud of March, May, September and October -- June didn't work as well, and although January is probably my favourite composition, I thought we struggled with it at times. It is the most complex of the bunch.

Jason and Andrew took a bunch of photos of the proceedings, for which I'm so grateful, as I didn't have the time/energy/brainpower to take any for myself. The photos are already helpful as memory triggers, reminding me of little mini-highlights and conversations I had throughout the afternoon.

Special thanks to my parents, who continually support my creativity, helped pay for the printing and generously supplied the delicious food. They both also took the time afterward to tell me how proud they were -- who doesn't want to hear that from their parents (even as a grown-up)? Thanks to them, it was a great party.

Here are a few of the photos that Jason graciously took while I was wandering and shmoozing and making music:

Liz Lupton, our wonderful violin teacher.

My mom, generous and proud.

Brothers! A rare shot of me and Ryan.

Cellist and friend Martin.

Ez, standing in front of good friends Richard and Liz.

What a treat to have Tannis's mom Pearl visiting!

This beautiful woman was so taken by the art that she ended up at my place later.

Brain Food

2010-12-22T22:29:00.000-08:00

I haven't been watching much lately in the way of movies or shows. The occasional YouTube videos, I guess. Still been making time for music and reading, of course. As usual, the photos accompanying the writing having no connection other than they're recent pictures I've taken and enjoyed for various reasons.

Listening to:

Interview with Freeman Patterson on Ideas -- I'm enthralled with Patterson's photography books, and I found this interview very enjoyable. It confirms that his voice matches his writing and pictures.

An excellent audio essay by Paolo Pietropaolo for CBC's All Points West about the proposed national park in the Similkameen, just to the southwest of us.
Kronos Quartet Performs Philip Glass -- After one of our early rehearsals of my songs for string quartet, Martin (the cellist) asked if I had ever heard this album (I hadn't) -- he had it in his car and lent it to me for a week. After the performance, I also had an exchange with Canadian composer Marjan Mozetich -- he graciously watched the videos from Red Rooster and offered some wonderful feedback. One recommendation was that I should seek out and listen to the same album Martin had suggested. And I love it -- rich, complex music that gets better with each listen.

Sigur Rós and Jónsi -- reflective, intense music that has been suiting my mood lately. One of the very few musicians I can tolerate hearing sing in a language other than English.

Pantera -- sometimes it feels good to be angry, and our November felt that way a bit too much.

Reading:

Man Facing West by Don Gayton -- this one was a bit of a departure, exploring some fictional elements to go with his usual astute observations about ecology and experience. Still the same warm voice and hilarious parts, so I enjoyed it immensely.

Interwoven Wild, also by Don Gayton. I had borrowed this from my mom months ago, but finally made time to read it on the flights to and from Manitoba last month. For a book about gardening, it is extremely funny and personal -- one of those reads where you're having so much fun you don't realize how much you're learning.

The Ninth: Beethoven and the World in 1824 -- biography of Beethoven, focusing primarily on his ninth symphony, which I should seek out. Although it provided me with several nice evenings of reading on the couch, I didn't finish it after having it out for two months.

Listen to This by Alex Ross -- I read an essay by this guy from the New Yorker and it really resonated with me. It's ambitious and smart, covering the progressions (and regressions) of modern music. I'm diggin' it, and hope to finish it over the holidays.

Understanding Exposure -- straightforward photography manual, good refresher.

Jacob Two-Two and the Hooded Fang -- Classic old favourite that gave us some good bedtime-reading laughs and provided something fun and light after the HP marathon.

The Mad Misadventures of Emmaline and Rubberbones -- this series has been our latest bedtime project, and we're nearly done the second book in the trilogy. The first one started out a bit slow, but since then it's been a great it, with lots of laughs and cliffhanger chapter endings.
Piles -- and I mean piles -- of picture books with Ez. I bet we go through a couple of dozen a week, just so our brains don't implode from repeating them too often.

Dear Marj

2010-12-17T22:26:00.000-08:00

Reading Marj's obituary in Macleans today reminded me that I've had this post sitting here for a month. The author of that one had the daunting task of trying to encompass an entire life in a few hundred words. I thought Tannis captured some of Marj's spirit recently too, but I haven't been able to write yet. All I've got is scraps of memory of shared experience, a bunch of old e-mails from her over the years, some photos, and the hole left behind.

I've been reluctant to post anything about it because there are so many people who were closer to her, people who are hurting more, and will hurt for longer. Yet we all have our own story. I make no effort to capture who Marj was overall, because I've come to see that I have no idea -- she was connected to hundreds of people in unique, often quiet ways, many of which will never be heard.

What a woman -- larger than life, a force of nature and the master of laughter. An inspiration too, in so many areas of life -- someone who wasn't afraid to buck the trends and forge her own path. She was unconventional, and thank goodness for that. I often said, "man, Marj is such a piece of work!" Always as a term of endearment, of course.

Telling stories about Marj should be easy, yet our dynamic tended to center around Marj telling us stories. How to remember properly when the chief storyteller has left? Aunt Helen used to say that my grandma was the best listener, a good foil for her, laughing and exclaiming at her hilarious accounts of everything. I think we're a clan of listeners, laughers and prompters, often dependent on an intense character like Marj to bounce off of. Not that she didn't listen to our feeble attempts at telling her what was going on with us, but she tended to drive the bus, steering into the areas that interested her most. (As an aside, I love this photo on the right -- Ella took the picture with Marj's camera on a walk near our place).

Everyone who knew Marj knows how much she adored babies, no matter how homely or descended from total strangers. She treated our kids like rock stars, like they were the *most* important people in the universe...well, maybe not like rock stars, considering all the tickling, hanging upside down, crazy shrieking and bags and bags of cute little clothes. It boggles the mind to imagine all of the children she must have poured love into over the years.

And of course they adored all the attention. Then after a visit she'd shower us all with praise. From one of those e-mails:

"I should have known to bring the REAL camera to do any kind of justice to your gorgeous children. Wow. They are really something else. Not just gorgeous, but delightful and most, most precious! What good parents you are! Thanks for your warm welcome and for letting me put that little Ezzie to sleep."

She was the best fan to have, someone who never hesitated to say stuff like: "Know that you are one of my favourite people in the whole wide world!" We could all learn from that example and be better supporters and advocates for the ones we love. Of course later I realized that I was one of her 567 favourite people in the world, but that doesn't diminish the memory one bit.

I'd often ask how her kids were doing, knowing that it would trigger a kaleidoscope of hilarious stories and anecdotes. Her pride always bubbled up, even when one of the kids was in a bad space. Not that she'd candy-coat the dark times; but the love was always reflected. I collected a few things she'd written about them over the years:

"Jen is more beautiful and together every day."
Kate: "She's a dear, strong, wonderful woman, that's for sure."
About one of Billy's moves: "I will try to cook something delicious every day till he leaves so he will come back to his mama!"
From an e-mail to Shawna that she shared with me: "My three daughters – Jen, Kate and Sara - have grown up to be fine women with great spirit, heart, hopes and dreams! Their baby bro Billy is also growing into a lovely young man."

And it's true, they have all grown up to be remarkable people. She and Jim have given them to tools to be wonderful, and they are. At the end of one of the updates, she summarized:

"So now I have given you the low-down on all the kids. Not sure why, but I am so full of mothering them and need to spill some of my pride and joy out now and again."

Our connection to Marj over the past decade greatly benefited from her work partnership with my mom. It meant that she'd fly out to the Okanagan once or twice a year and we'd usually get to see her between her frequent, frenzied shopping excursions and bits of work. Mom was often in awe of Marj's energy, incomprehensibly busy social schedule and prodigious schmoozing (sales!) skills. And Marj couldn't believe anyone could be as efficient, detail-oriented and productive as Mom -- she'd say "oh, you always make me look SO SMART!" They were excellent buddies, in daily contact for a decade, and doing amazing, valuable work together.

With a lifetime of friendship, growing up not far apart as cousins, they knew how different their personalities were. When the partnership worked best, their divergent skills complemented each other perfectly -- the flamboyant people-person out in the field and the diligent back-office person keeping things organized, productive and on-track. Yet those differences also caused plenty of strain for both of them -- running a company together several provinces apart would be a challenge for any pair -- and unfortunately the last year of their work together was very difficult. It made it hard to be buddies, and I'm so thankful that they were able to rekindle their friendship in the months before Marj's death.

The picture below is a bad scan of one of my favourite photos of Marj, taken on a glorious fall day at the Shack around 1997. I think it was Jim, her and me for most of the time; a whole afternoon of quiet, beauty and warmth. It's good for me to remember that she wasn't all about crazy stories, maniacal laughter and hurrying to the next thing. Maybe that's why I like the photo so much -- it reminds me of the thoughtful, reflective side of her.

I put a bunch of photos of Marj in this set, and not surprisingly, most of them show her with one of our kids. This is one of my favourites, taken when Ezra was still brand-new:

Whenever we'd see each other she'd hug me long and hard -- she remembered that the first hug she gave me after Tom died reminded her so much of his thin frame, and she'd mention it every time. Great hugger, that Marj. I still can't believe she's really gone.

Haircut

2010-12-12T21:13:00.000-08:00

The kids helped me with a project this afternoon. Out with the old.

Gramps

2010-11-18T00:01:00.001-08:00

Seven

2010-10-27T13:52:00.001-07:00

Our dear Ella turned seven a couple of weeks ago. We celebrated with Tannis's family in Canmore, and she had a party with her buddies the following week. In some ways it seems like she's been seven for a couple of years already, but other times we're reminded that she's still a little girl. She's got a sweet soul, this one -- kind and generous with a dollop of silliness and a love of laughter. She really does brighten our days with her running commentary and willingness to help out.

Ella appears to be thriving this fall -- schoolwork comes fairly easily, she's loving her voice lessons with Rochelle, her HLP and AIM classes seem to be going well, and she's been very social. I'll have to scan some of her recent art, as she's been drawing up a storm. Graphic novels seem to be catching her attention lately -- stuff like Babymouse, Copper, and Amulet.

Happy birthday, Ella Pearl.

Okanagan Abstracted

2010-10-25T15:52:00.001-07:00

I finished my newest photography book a few weeks ago. It could be considered a catalog for my upcoming show at Red Rooster, although I'll only be displaying a subset of them in the gallery (details on the show available on my main site). Even aside from the show, I think the book stands alone pretty well. This is the type of photography I've found most stimulating lately:

OKANAGAN ABSTRACTED by Jeremy Hiebert

The Summerland Suite

2010-09-18T14:48:00.000-07:00

Although I'm sure I will never be really finished tweaking and fixing, I think my summer music project is pretty much done. The Summerland Suite is a set of six original compositions for string quartet. That link takes you to my project blog, where I kept track of my progress over the past couple of months -- the first post has a summary of the project, as well as links to the mp3 recording (hit play beside any mp3 link) and sheet music for each song. I prettied it up with photos just for fun. Thanks to those of you who have been supportive of my humbling, stumbling efforts.

Update: A wonderful trio of musicians has joined me to perform this piece of music: cellist Martin Kratky, violinist Liz Lupton and violinist Jasper Meiklejohn. We've started rehearsing, and I'm very excited to hear the songs coming alive. We'll play the suite at 2pm, during the gallery opening to my next photography show. We're hoping to make a decent live recording as well -- it will be nice to have proper sounds to go with the scores. Details:

2pm on December 5, 2010
Red Rooster Winery
891 Naramata Road
Penticton, BC

Facebook event page
Okanagan Abstracted book
Red Rooster's featured artists

The National in Vancouver

2010-09-12T21:38:00.001-07:00

I started this post the night of the concert, after I got back to our room at the Sylvia, and now I'm finishing it eight months later. This photo commemorates the experience of getting stuck in one of the ancient hotel elevators with our three kids and Sam for nearly an hour, which turned out to be much less awful than it might have been. It was also the trip of the trapped rat in our room early one morning, which Tannis delivered to the front desk in a sand pail. Perhaps unsurprisingly, we have not been back to the Sylvia in eight months.

Barb has a beautiful baby now, but back then, she just had a bump in her tummy. It was great to see her early in her pregnancy, getting her perspective as the mom instead of the midwife (she was our midwife for all three of our home-births). We had breakfast with Angelo and Esther too; always a treat. And hooked up with Bill and Sam for a walk that ended with the elevator incident.

I'm struggling to remember what else we did, as there's not much photographic evidence other than our stop at Bridal Falls on the way (below). The concert was amazing. Andrew and I walked to Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park and had a beer before the show. The National is probably my favourite band right now, and it was a real thrill to experience their live show -- very tight and slick. Highlight songs for me: Mistaken For Strangers, Afraid Of Everyone, Conversation 16, Apartment Story, and Fake Empire.

Reading Watching Listening

2010-09-01T22:20:00.001-07:00

Reading:

Chased by the Light, documenting a photo project by Jim Brandenburg, where he took only one photo per day for three months in the Minnesota forests near his home. Wonderful stuff, with compelling words and stunning beauty.
Photo impressionism and the subjective image -- a bit dated in that it's all for shooting film, but I still found it fascinating and informative. Cool to discover the work of Canadian photographer Freeman Patterson.
Souvenir of Canada by Douglas Coupland. Man, what a masterpiece. I need to get a hold of the sequel and the DVD too, as I enjoyed this (again) disproportionately.
The bedtime Harry Potter marathon continues. Since we had just seen the movie, we unanimously decided to skip The Goblet of Fire, and are now about halfway into The Order of the Phoenix. Very enjoyable, and the girls always complain when it's time to stop (not really a bad thing, despite my low tolerance for complaint).
When it Rains, a novel by co-worker and friend Laura Gabriella. Although she says she'd happily burn every existing copy, I thought it was great -- funny and smart, with a rip-roaring pace.

Watching:

Anvil! The Story of Anvil...so awesome. This is what I wrote to Bill (who initially recommended it, I think) about it: "I felt like I was appreciating the film on a few levels: a more authentic version of Some Kind of Monster without the layer of superstardom (although the desire is there for that), self-actualization and the where-are-they-now angle, and even the Canadian vibe in all those wintery Toronto shots. But I guess it comes down to the Rob/Lips dynamic, and I loved all of the family bits. Painful to watch at times, yet I couldn't take my eyes off of it."
What Remains: The Life and Work of Sally Mann...a wonderful documentary that was ringing true for me all over the place, getting me stewing about art, beauty, family, life and death. Very intense.

Listening To:

I think Andrew got me listening to soundtracks by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis last year, and it was a great gift. Over the last couple of weeks, their soundtrack for The Road has been weaving itself into my brain. Listen here...
Matrix Reloaded Soundtrack -- heavy, dark, intense and surprisingly fun.
Mozart Preludes and Fugues "after Bach" -- these are sort of 300-year-old cover tunes, where Mozart arranged and extended melodies by Bach (actual two Bachs) for small string groups. Gorgeous.
String Quartets and Duets by Gyorgy Ligeti, a composer I had never heard of before. Five of the pieces on the album blew my mind, and those have been in rotation.

Terribly Three

2010-08-29T10:39:00.001-07:00

Ezra was supposed to leave the terrible twos behind him at the beginning of August, but most days it seems like he didn't get the memo. Tantrums, irrational freak-outs, refusing to listen to instructions, running away on busy streets, hurting anyone within reach for no apparent reason -- he brings his unique brand of havoc to our shared life every day. He's alternately hilarious, incredibly sweet, cuddly, bright, and calm, sitting for an hour (when he's supposed to be in bed, mind you) beside a stack of books and leafing through them quietly, one after the other. The result is that we're in a constant state of bewilderment, wondering from moment to moment whether we'll see Jekyll or Hyde next.

We celebrated Ez's birthday a couple of times, once down at the beach in a pretty lavish joint party with his buddy Josh. Naomi made amazing cakes, there were piles of food, and most of our dearest people came to join in (this reminds me that I must have a bunch of photos lurking in one of my folders that I've forgotten to upload). Of course he was very pleased to be the center of attention for a few days, especially with presents emerging from all over the place.

And Now for Something Completely Different...

2010-08-27T11:45:00.000-07:00

I used to subscribe to a dozen or more blogs about educational technology, as that was my area of interest for my masters program and had some crossover with my work. My own ed-tech blog has been shuttered for a while (and the masters long dropped), but I've stayed subscribed to a couple of sites from that old network. One of them is Stephen Downes, who I think of as a brilliant, occasionally curmudgeonly iconoclast, although I've never met him in real life to confirm those virtual impressions. He sometimes links to things that have no obvious application to education, and those tend to ignite my interest in learning in a more authentic way.

Yesterday he posted a pointer to a Lifehacker post about using software called Paul's Extreme Sound Stretch to stretch music (sort of slow it down). I couldn't resist trying it out, which meant that I didn't get nearly as much sleep as I should have last night. You can adjust the default settings to make further changes to the sounds -- things like octaves, harmonics and effects frequencies.

I was totally lost and playing happily, starting with an mp3 of one of my string quartets and stretching it different amounts (3x, 6x, 9x, 12x), tweaking the sounds, and then pasting the interesting bits together in Audacity. I thought the finished result was pretty cool, if a bit eerie...not hard to picture it as the soundtrack to interesting images or film: Geometric-Stretch.mp3. Hit play below for a listen, and if you want it to be even trippier, watch a slideshow of my abstract photos while it's seeping into your brain.

Geometric-Stretch by jeremyhiebert

Flashes of Inspiration

2010-08-10T17:07:00.001-07:00

The title really goes with the photo (taken from the kids' playhouse in a rager thunderstorm last week), which really has little to do with the post, which is actually about music projects I'm working on. Maybe it's a bit tongue-in-cheek, as I can't claim that song ideas hit me fully formed waiting for me to channel them into life. I've found that composing is hard work, but work that I really enjoy.

In the last few weeks, I've composed two short pieces for string quartet, and have three more in various states of disrepair. Here are the two that are furthest along:

31 Knots (mp3), which started as my viola recital piece last summer, and ended up turning out much mellower and more melodic than I had expected once the other three parts were added.
Geometric (mp3), my first attempt at trying to write a quartet from scratch. It definitely has some bugs to work out, but I feel like the guts of it are very close. I also attempted to create the sheet music, which is still in flux.

Aug.25 Update: I've been working hard on these in my limited spare time, and I've now got the notation done on four short quartets. The mp3's are pretty rough, and have been superseded by the scores, but I've left them in nevertheless:

Geometric -- mp3 and score
31 Knots -- mp3 and score
Vienna -- mp3 (two violins) and score...this was my recital duet, with viola and cello parts added.
Cousins -- mp3 and score...I'm actually pretty excited about this one; a simple fiddle tune I wrote after a few months of playing violin, with a happier major-key vibe than most of what I've been working on.

Mediated

2010-07-28T09:30:00.000-07:00

This seems to be just about the only kind of posting I'm doing here lately. The usual: music, books and shows I've encountered over the last couple of weeks, with a random selection of recent photos I've taken.

Listening To:

Victoria-based singer-songwriter Aidan Knight was mentioned on CBC's North By Northwest a couple of weeks ago and I checked out his new album -- fantastic.
What I've heard from the new Arcade Fire album seems a bit mixed to me, but maybe it's a good sign that I didn't immediately listen too much and burn out on it. A few songs sound great, and even the ones I didn't much like were at least interesting.
East Coasters Wintersleep also have a new album out, and I was a bit lukewarm on it at first. The single didn't grab me, but Mirror Matters and Mausoleum stood out as strong tracks. Now the whole thing has been growing on me after multiple listens.
I found a pile of Bach's violin concertos with Itzhak Perlman as the soloist, and they're incredible. Many of the melodies were familiar, although I wouldn't have known they were Bach.
Mendelssohn's violin concerto and octet for strings, both brilliant.

Reading:

I greatly enjoyed two memoirs published by my mom -- her Uncle Henry and Aunt Hilda each wrote one in 2006 and gave them to their kids and grand-kids as gifts. And what a gift, especially since Uncle Henry passed away. I found their stories very compelling.
The Art of Choosing -- this one had to go back to the library before I finished it, but I'll get it again. Some fascinating ideas about why we always assume that more choice would be better, when it's not always the case.
My friend and riding buddy Richard wrote a novel years ago called Holistic Motors, loosely based on his experience working as a mechanic in a local VW repair shop. I had started reading it a while back, but misplaced my copy...a couple of weeks ago he gave me another one and I finished it the next day. Trippy and fun, weird and reflective -- and very cool that he wrote it.
Empress of Asia by local Penticton author Adam Lewis Schroeder, a sweeping tale ranging all over the planet, but rooted in the Okanagan. It's odd to read entirely in the first-person, but the writing is snappy and intense. He's getting some buzz on his latest novel, which I've ordered.

Watching:

I love Miyazaki and really looked forward to Ponyo, but what a piece of junk. Some beautiful scenes couldn't help salvage a stupid plot.
I had lower expectations for 9 after cousin J's non-recommendation, but I actually enjoyed it way more -- incredible visual style and character design. Unfortunately, the original short film was better, not so bogged down in the effort to thrill non-stop for an hour and half.
Andrew and I did an all day seminar about documentary film-making that was really engaging, and gave us the opportunity to sample all kinds of documentaries. It got me excited to see more films this winter, and maybe even to attempt making some simple shorts of my own.

Ivy9

2010-07-27T15:18:00.001-07:00

I'm nearly a month late, but thought I should commemorate the fact that our eldest is nine years old. She had a wonderful wizard-themed birthday party with two close friends (and potions!) and several secondary celebrations (multiple cakes!) with family and other friends. Here's a quick video of some of the party stuff:

What to say about this complex, intense, cerebral nine-year-old? I'd need to write a book about her. We love her so much, and hope this year is her best ever.

World Famous

2010-07-24T23:38:00.001-07:00

The other morning I watched Ezra waking up, which is almost always cute. On that particular day, he had barely opened his eyes when he started talking, and the first words out of his mouth added up to this rather bold statement:

"Daddy, when I'm five, I'm going to be the most famous cooker in the world."

All right, then. Better get him started in the kitchen if he's going to go global within two years.

Journal of My Mental Environment

2010-07-10T13:47:00.000-07:00

Pretentious title ripped off from Adbusters, to head up the usual (and infrequent) record of what I'm filling my brain with these days.

Listening To:

A lot of classical music, almost exclusively. I'm finding that it's the best thing for me to load up my iPod with classical stuff and listen for half an hour before I fall asleep -- pure therapy. A few selections that have stayed in heavy rotation lately: Prokofiev's Dance of the Knights, Mahler's 4th Symphony, 2nd Movement, Shostakovich String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor (III), Khatchaturian's Masquerade Waltz, and Summer from Vivaldi's Four Seasons (Part 1) -- that last one might be one of the most incredible pieces of music ever composed...as in pinnacle of human achievement, although I'm not as into the other seasons for some reason.
Sean Carey's In the Dirt, a wonderful dark, moody pop song.
Sally's Song covered by Fiona Apple -- I love The Nightmare Before Christmas, and this is one of the coolest covers I've heard in many years.
Jonsi, shimmering Icelandic pop discovered while watching this gorgeous time-lapse video of the volcano eruption there earlier this year. The music is more focused than Sigur Ros, tighter and less exploratory...I think with more impact.
Muchuu -- Somebody Tell Me...warning, this is a serious earworm, and could get stuck in your head for weeks. Total pop fluff.

Reading:

Despite the hideous title, NurtureShock is an amazing book about how kids develop, and how parents mess that development up (ok, also what we're doing right). The premise is that there's specific research out there that contradicts "common wisdom" about parenting, and that if we applied more of it, we'd be more successful at raising well adjusted, creative kids. Very smart and practical stuff -- I'll be re-reading this one.
Okanagan Odyssey -- I'm a big fan of local writer Don Gayton. My mom and I went to the book launch in Summerland, enjoying the author's mellow charm and wit. These insightful, humorous stories and chunks of analysis of Okanagan lives and landscapes feel just right to me. I suspect the warmth and depth of this writing would make it compelling and interesting enough for an "outsider", but for those of us living here, it's a real treasure.
Still Alice -- More Alzheimer's reading, this time a novel that feels like very personal, powerful non-fiction. I had some quiet time alone when Tannis took the girls to Nakusp and used a few hours to finish it. It had a disquieting effect on me -- not depressing as much as just feeling off-balance and afraid. Several of my own recent memory troubles popped up, matching scenarios in the book where Alice is recognizing her early-onset Alzheimer's. Might be just normal things that everyone messes up sometimes...I hope. I was also thinking of Grandpa again, of course, and feeling discouraged about the lack of progress in potential treatments.
We're starting at the beginning of the Harry Potter series as bed-time reading for the girls, after being in the doldrums since finishing our LOTR marathon, not finding anything else as compelling or entertaining. Although the girls have already read it repeatedly on their own, we're really enjoying Book 1 together. The series should take us into autumn if we stick with it.

Watching:

Prom Night in Mississippi, an excellent documentary about a little town attempting to have its first integrated (whites and blacks) high school prom. Very intense and well done.
Kung-Fu Panda has been a bit of a hit at our house.
Continuing my fascination with music composition, I've been watching Classical European Composers on DVD, so far covering Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, and Vivaldi. I can't say the series itself is very good, but it's better than nothing.

Today's Forecast

2010-07-07T11:23:00.000-07:00

This is the kind of forecast I like in July, especially when the spring has been wetter and cooler than usual. Of course we'll get get tired of the heat eventually, but for now...bring on the beach.

July 11 Update: Glorious week -- at Powell or Sunoka beach every afternoon and evening, usually with friends and a picnic. Bill and Sam joined us for the last few sessions, and tonight we converged with the Vandersluys and Hildebrand clans as well. Kids running wild, delicious potluck, buckets of cherries, warm swims...good livin'. Tannis left a bit early tonight to pick at least 20 liters of strawberries, some of which went straight into the freezer. This in addition to the 25-ish pounds of cherries I swiped off the Vandersluys tree in the morning -- 'tis the season.

The Violins of June

2010-06-19T10:30:00.001-07:00

Ivy and I have been busy with music over the last few weeks as lessons wrap up for the year. One highlight for me was a duet she and I played together at the spring recital -- a quirky number I had composed specifically for us to try, with her on violin and me with my 5-string viola. I wish I had a video of that one.

I did catch her fiddle tunes at the recital (first and last clips in the first video below). She played with the Fiddlekidz at another recital, and also had a very successful morning busking at the Penticton Farmer's Market, raising a bunch of money for the Academy's bursary fund and some for her pocket as well -- as a bonus, Uncle Mark and Roel got to watch for a bit too.

Last night I got to play at the annual "Adult Recital", hosted at a beautiful home on the Naramata Bench. It's a very supportive crowd, mostly the musicians themselves, and a number of friends we've made, with no hotshot kids or pros to upstage our humble efforts. Our teacher Liz and I had been practicing the violin duet I composed earlier this year, and it was a real thrill to be able to play it and hear it come alive:

Pedal Pusher

2010-06-13T14:39:00.000-07:00

His sisters dressed him to be one of them -- how could I not take a photo? But the real purpose of this post is to brag about...err...I mean, share in a milestone Ezra hit this week. Of course we're pretty geeky about bikes around here, so we probably take this one too seriously, but I was pretty proud of the little guy for learning to pedal. Full credit to the run-bike for teaching him the much more difficult balancing part of the equation -- adding in the pedaling is the easy part. I wish I had a proper shot of his proud face to add to the video.

Blog B-Day

2010-05-29T10:54:00.001-07:00

This insignificant corner of the web had a significant milestone this week -- turning seven years old. I thought it might hit a thousand posts this year, but at a rate of a couple of posts a month it will be well into next year when that goal is met...not that it makes any difference. When I was setting creative goals for this year, blogging was an afterthought:

"And then there's blogging, which should probably be included here. I get regular bouts of blog envy, finding ones with amazing writing, gorgeous layouts, outrageous photos and more authenticity. BUT, I'm mostly just glad that I've kept this one going even if it limps sometimes. Maybe it's not so creative, but at least it's not going away."

Longevity for longevity's sake isn't really a worthy goal, yet the longer this experiment continues, the more value it has to me -- even the lamest posts from a half-dozen years ago make me smile and reflect...and it helps me remember, as this has become a sort of external memory bank. A couple of years ago I collected some of the highlights in one post. Maybe I'll pop a few links at the bottom of this post to collect highlights that have happened since then.

I've been thinking about it this week, as my cousin Nicole has decided to shutter her blog after four years. Most of my friends who have started blogs in the past five years have let them lapse, and the same can be said of most of the blogs ever started by anyone. It's not for everyone, it's not easy, and it doesn't always seem worth the effort -- many have found the quick updates of Twitter or Facebook more to their liking, which is better than nothing in an age when almost nobody writes letters any more, and even personal e-mails seem to have become infrequent. So I salute those who have continued to share bits of their lives online, and thank those of you who have contributed thoughts and encouragement here over the years.

Randomist

2010-05-27T21:52:00.001-07:00

May hasn't been a very good blogging month, apparently. I seem to have fallen into the trap of thinking I need to do a big post, when many short ones would likely be more sustainable and interesting later...especially considering that I have enough trouble remembering what happened today, never mind weeks ago. Anyway, some random thoughts from recent times:

Tannis and I got to go mountain biking on the weekend when my folks took the kids on the Summerland Steam Train, which was a great treat. But my most frequent riding partner lately has been Ezra: "Daddy, I was just thinking that maybe me and you could go for a bike ride around the block sometime." He's been rockin' the runbike, and judging by the long glides he's doing now, he could likely be pedaling happily if I hadn't removed his bike's drivetrain.
Ezra got a haircut, which tempted me to tame my mop too.
We had a rager of a windstorm last week, and Tannis and I heard the big old maple crash down at the corner of the yard. Scary, as it was so loud that we thought a tree had landed on the house where Ezra was sleeping. The next morning, our two closest neighbours Ron and Gil showed up unbidden with chainsaws, and at one point Gil even brought his big loader over to drag stuff away -- within two hours there was nothing left on the yard but a stump and a sense of loss. It had really anchored that front corner of place, providing shade in summer and homes for lots of wildlife.
Our car burnt a couple of exhaust valves. Even with help from a mechanic friend, the repair was $1500, in the same month insurance was due. These things make me wish I lived somewhere where I didn't need a vehicle other than pedal-powered ones.
I composed another short duet, this time for my five-string viola and Ivy on violin -- it's quirky, and minor-key, maybe a bit like the Pink Panther theme song. She's been learning it this week with some success, although it uses a key (and notes) that will be a challenge. Meanwhile, our teacher Liz and I have been practicing my violin duet -- it's been a real thrill to hear it come to life.
Got tickets to see The National in Vancouver in September -- probably my current favourite band, so that's pretty exciting. Also found out that our dear friend Shawna will be visiting us later in July!
A couple of weeks ago, my Facebook update was, " ...balsamroot and bitterroot, lupins and larkspur, woodland stars and shooting stars...our valley's meadows are full of wildflowers." They really have been spectacular, perhaps because of all the rain we've had since Larry and Pearl were here.
We zoomed out to Keremeos on Monday -- we love the Similkameen and always pick up curry at Sanderson's. Loaded up on other goodies there too, but passed on the imported cherries ($4/lb).
My birthday gallery for Jason turned into a cool group project on Flickr where a bunch of members of the group I manage have picked other members to profile with galleries. There are 16 there now, including two more that I did: shyrz landscapes and Trees of G.GASP. Yes, I spend way too much time on Flickr.
Other random tidbits I would have forgotten if not for FB status updates: a picnic at Thornhaven, a happy afternoon finding things to view under the microscope with Ivy, tons of time reading Lord of the Rings with the girls (finally finished!), finally did our taxes for last year, a couple of great pub nights with Andrew, a campfire with Myron and Ben, loving the Milagro Beanfield War movie...oh, and not changing any more diapers. Preferably forever.

Recent Brain Food

2010-05-05T21:30:00.000-07:00

You are what you eat? I think the same applies to stuff that goes into your brain. The flower theme has nothing to do with anything...except spring, maybe. And no, the dandelions in the last photo aren't on our yard.

Listening To:

I went to see violist/fiddler Zav RT at the Penticton Art Gallery last week and picked up her CD. She was accompanied by her brother Daniel Huscroft, and they sort of split the set, combining forces doing each other's songs. They played the first tune on his Myspace page ("Gone"), which reduced me to an embarrassing puddle of tears -- he wrote it about their grandmother who grew up in Kaslo, a woman whose only regret at the end of her long life was that she hadn't become a concert pianist. Anyway, really fun show with our friend Aimee (with hubby) and our violin teacher Liz.
Yo-Yo Ma, a bunch of Vivaldi's cello concertos played with the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra in 2004...amazing stuff.
Jean Pool...Billy Heinrichs sent me a few mp3s from Tom, Mal and Will's old band. So evocative of that era and place, playing music with those guys and feeling like we had all the time in the world.

Reading:

The Ecstasy of Rita Joe...after having read about Ryga a few weeks ago, and sampling his writing, I dug into his most famous play. Trippy and intense, even terrifying at times...but overall confusing and scattered.
The Forgetting: Alzheimer's: A Portrait of an Epidemic. Fascinating and heartbreaking reading, with personal stories, historical accounts of senile dementia and Alzheimers, research efforts and approaches to coping with it...highly recommended for anyone curious about the disease.
LOTR...almost done Two Towers now as the bedtime project continues. The girls are finding the Frodo-Sam-Gollum stuff less interesting, perhaps because the pace is plodding compared to previous parts.
The Black Pearl...a YA novel I read in an hour the other night; bit morbid but cool.

Watching:

The Iron Giant -- such a great movie. We own the old VHS tape, but our VCR finally died, so luckily the library has the DVD. I don't get tired of watching it, and always tear up at the end.
Star Trek -- despite the buzz last year, I never did go see it in the theater, but I'm seeing that it was a mistake. Exciting, funny, intense movie with some serious plot holes I was happy to ignore. It's been a long time since I felt like a Trekkie.
Still catching bits of the NHL playoffs, including an excellent get-together with the Duecks last night that ended in an ugly defeat for the Canucks.

Scrapped

2010-05-01T16:57:00.000-07:00

I added another 120 photos to my main ice set this winter, at least after my December cutoff for the gallery show. Safe to say that season is over now. I've been adding orchard photos again too, but I'm not really finding new views of that subject any more. My hunt for another subject has turned up an unlikely candidate: scrap metal.

Yes, my tetanus shots are up to date. Poking around piles of rusted junk isn't much safer or more comfortable than the ice obsession, and in some ways the approach is similar -- I'm using the same strategies and techniques in an attempt to find beauty where nobody expects to find it. It's another odd one, and I understand if people don't really get it.

Special Guests

2010-04-25T16:22:00.000-07:00

Tannis's parents had a window of time between returning from the Dominican and heading back to work, so they hopped in their car and hightailed it to the Okanagan for a quick trip. As always, they were perfect guests, helping with the food and cleanups, entertaining the kids and making us all wish we lived closer together. Larry did some of the urgent fix-up things around the house that we (ok, I) had been neglecting -- handyman gifts. I realized the day before they were leaving that I hadn't really taken any photos, so quickly snapped a few:

One evening's project was to make butter from whipping cream, mostly by running around and shaking it in the backyard.
Breakfast at the Elite one morning...Ella Pearl and Grandma Pearl, Ezra and Larry
No Friesens pictured, but taken in the same sessions: radiant Ella (also below, busting out the gymnastics moves), and running Ezra

Jason : Nightwalker

2010-04-23T11:49:00.001-07:00

Happy birthday to cousin Jason today. He really dove into night photography this winter, and it's been inspiring to see the images emerge. I thought I'd create a gallery of my favourites of those, to honour the birthday boy in a small way and show off some of the coolest stuff he captured over the last few months: Jason : Nightwalker.

Actionella

2010-04-21T22:24:00.000-07:00

(I was summarizing what was going on in The Two Towers the other night...)

Me: Our friends have met Gandalf, and they know Merry and Pippin are going to be ok hanging out with the Ents, so now they're going to go visit the king of Rohan.
Ella: Are we finally going to meet Eowyn?
Me: Yes, she's sort of like a princess of Rohan, a niece of the king.
Ella: Is she more of an action princess, or more of a sleepy princess?
Me: (laughing) Oh, you can be sure that she's an action princess -- she causes some serious havoc later in the story.
Ella: Thank goodness -- Galadriel seemed like too much of a sleepy princess to me.

Filmish

2010-04-20T22:35:00.000-07:00

I got a roll of film developed a couple of weeks ago and added to my set of film photos taken with my beloved old Minolta. I'm embarrassed to note that the first photo showed Ella on our skating loop from two winters ago, which means I have been sadly neglecting the film kit. My first impression was that the developing sucked, but as I look at them more, they're growing on me. This happens every time because my expectations are always too high when I'm waiting to get photos back, leading to initial disappointment and then a slow realization that there is something special about them after all.

This one was a very happy addition to the sisters set -- I hope these two can always appreciate their great luck in having each other. Of course most of the shots I liked best were taken with Pappy's old 16mm fisheye lens, including another one of Tannis teaching Ivy to use the wheel in our recent clay session. I'm not sure it's any better than the ones I took with my other camera, but I love the print.

Easter With Esther (and Family)

2010-04-19T22:51:00.000-07:00

Honoured guests joined us for Easter weekend this year: the Vancouver Eidses. Dear Imogene and Ezra played like mad, and were great buddies with very few exceptions -- they both seemed to run out of gas a bit as the weekend progressed, but generally kept it together for a couple of two-year-olds.

My folks came and watched all the kids Saturday night (and mom brought eclairs!) so we could go on a double-date that was marred only by my own pigheadedness in trying to "win" a conversation that should have had no winners or losers. Esther showed great patience with me. Local Lounge put on good eats and beverages, the lake listened in, and we delved into a wide range of topics before it was time to bolt back to the little ones.

Angelo and I got to do our favourite thing together -- spinning pedals on singletrack -- on a ride up and down Giant's Head and then a long cross-country trek out past the trestle the next day. Plenty of laughter and analyzing and beer-drinking followed. Tannis also managed to fit in a hockey tournament (the kids got to be rink rats), And then just like that, the long weekend felt too short.

All-Consuming

2010-04-18T10:51:00.000-07:00

My media intake over the past month or so...and no, these photos have nothing to do with the words -- just some eye candy.

Reading:

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell -- fascinating studies debunking the idea of inborn genius, showing that success is largely a result of hard work and being at the right place at the right time. Some blind spots too, but very engaging reading.
Summerland by George Ryga -- apparently Ryga was one of Canada's best-known playwrights in the '60s and '70s when he wrote The Ecstasy of Rita Joe. He moved his family to Summerland because it was cheap to live here back then! I need to read more of his history and writings.
Living with Intensity: understanding the sensitivity, excitability, and emotional development of gifted children, adolescents, and adults -- a collection of essays that were an real eye-opener for me.
The Everything Music Theory Book -- I'm not starting from scratch with music theory, but the basic bits I learned as a kid are not serving me very well.
Lord of the Rings -- I've been reading this to the girls at bedtime each night, and we're maybe a third of the way into Two Towers now. So fun to hear them absorbing it and begging for more.
The Hundred Dresses -- wonderful short chapter book that Ella and I enjoyed together.
Piles of picture books -- we're back in the stage of cycling through 15-20 picture books from the library every week in addition to our own collection. Ezra has a pretty good attention span for reading so far.

Listening:

Camino by Oliver Schroer -- this guy doesn't just tug my heartstrings; he bows them into life.
Vivaldi -- as much as I can get my hands on...amazing stuff.
Pantha Du Prince -- this was a recommendation from Andrew, and I've been really into it...moody electronic instrumental music, smart and powerful.
Scratch My Back by Peter Gabriel -- I've always had a soft spot for PG, and when I heard a couple of the songs off this album of covers I thought I'd love it, but it's weak...ponderous and dull, even. However, three or four of the songs seem to have stayed with me, so it's still in rotation.
New preview songs from Tokyo Police Club and The National, both from upcoming new albums that I'm anticipating with some excitement.

Watching:

NHL Playoffs -- no further comment.
The Incredibles -- After seeing this one a few times, we finally bought a copy for $10 and watched it again last week. Not sure why I like it so much.
Howl's Moving Castle -- not my favourite Miyazaki film, but it's the only one our library has, so we've got it a couple of times. Wonderful art, clunky storyline.
The Man Who Planted Trees -- the DVD finally came from the library, and it was gorgeous on a bigger screen. The kids weren't enthralled, unfortunately.

NHL Playoffs 2010

2010-04-13T21:56:00.000-07:00

Ahh, the annual fool's game -- trying to guess where the upsets might happen, who might fall apart, and which teams will shine. These posts always make it look like I'm a much more passionate fan than I really am. We don't even have cable TV, so my exposure to the NHL is all through online highlights, blogs and the occasional streamed game.

That said, I do love hockey, both playing and following the pros. I joined an eclectic bunch again for our hockey pool this season, including Plett, Brent F., and old classmate Warren (Mino) -- ended up in second place on the strength of Art Ross winner Henrik Sedin. I wasn't even close to catching Brent's older brother Jason, who ran away with it -- for all I know, he spent all those decades at U of M researching advanced statistical analysis solely so it could be applied to fantasy hockey. My "methodology" is more...umm...random than that.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Washington (1) vs. Montreal (8)

I don't think I've heard of anyone who has given the Habs even the tiniest chance of an upset here. It would be fine by me if they could win it -- not that I hate the Capitals, but Myron's lifelong Montreal fandom must have rubbed off on me just a bit. At least a Washington win will set up more exciting later rounds: Washington in 5.

New Jersey (2) vs. Philadelphia (7)

I always lose when I bet against Brodeur, but I've never been able to like the Devils. My preferred outcome would be a win for the Flyers, and although I have little conviction, I've gotta have at least one upset in my picks: Philadelphia in 7.

Pittsburgh (3) vs. Ottawa (6)

Ottawa has traditionally been my third-favourite team. They were weird this season, with outrageous winning streaks and horrific slumps, and somehow limped into the playoffs matched up against the defending champs. It doesn't look good for them, and I'll hope for their sake that my prediction is awful: Pittsburgh in 4.

Buffalo (4) vs. Boston (5)

Two teams I don't really follow. Apologies to my cousin-in-law and Bruins superfan Shane -- this is a coin toss: Buffalo in 6.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

San Jose (1) vs. Colorado (8)

I've always liked the Sharks better than the Avalanche, and it sure looks like they'll pound the lower seed in this case. If they Canucks can survive their first two rounds, they'll likely face these guys...so I'd be happy if someone at least tires them out a bit, but I don't see that happening: San Jose in 4.

Chicago (2) vs. Nashville (7)

The Blackhawks knocked the Canucks out last year, and look to be more of a powerhouse this year, so I'd love to see them go out in the first round. I doubt it'll happen, and I think they'll be exciting to watch in later rounds. Sadly, I suspect that last year's second-round match-up will be repeated with the same result (a loss for the Canucks). For this round, Nashville's toast: Chicago in 6.

Vancouver (3) vs. Los Angeles (6)

This is a rare one where what I hope for and what I think will transpire are perfectly aligned. Luongo just has to be good enough, which is what he was all season. If Willie Mitchell was back, bolstering a shaky Canuck defense, this could be a sweep. Not that I'm taking the Kings lightly -- they look like a very fast, smart team this year and I think every game will be close. Cousin Richard will be disappointed: Vancouver in 5.

Phoenix (4) vs. Detroit (5)

Nobody wanted their team facing Detroit the way they were winning down the stretch. And despite Phoenix finishing ahead of them, it would seem to be considered an upset if the Coyotes won. I know there isn't much connecting them to the Jets of olden times, but here's hoping: Phoenix in 7.

I'll extend this exercise in futility by predicting the second-rounders as well (subject to change before that round, adjusted for my inevitable misses from this round):

Chicago vs Vancouver: Chicago in 7
San Jose vs Phoenix: San Jose in 6
Washington vs Pittsburgh: Washington in 7
Buffalo vs Philadelphia: Buffalo in 6

And since this is already in the realm of ridiculous, I'll say San Jose vs Washington in the final, with San Jose finally ending their playoff curse and taking the cup. Yes, I've made this mistake before, and no, I haven't learned from history.

As always, please feel free to leave your own predictions in the comments section, if this is your sort of thing.

Update After 1st Round: Well, 5 outta 8 ain't great, but not embarrassing either. Can't believe the Habs pulled off that upset, and my hopes for Phoenix almost came to fruition...Boston and Buffalo was a coin toss, with Boston sounding stronger than I thought. Time to update the second-round crystal-ball gazing:

Chicago vs Vancouver: Chicago in 7 (unchanged)
San Jose vs Detroit: San Jose in 6 (different opponent than I thought, but same result...interestingly, all three CBC commentators are picking Detroit for this one)
Montreal vs Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh in 5 (I probably shouldn't bet against a Canadiens team that whipped Washington)
Boston vs Philadelphia: Boston in 6 (Boucher was lucky in Round 1)

I had Washington in the final, but Pittsburgh seems a better bet at this point, with San Jose still taking home the cup.

The Hairy Potters

2010-04-01T15:10:00.001-07:00

I suppose nearly everyone who checks this space also visits Tannis's blog occasionally, but if not, she's got a great post on our family pottery session on the weekend: Mud Madness.

She was an excellent teacher, and we all started to figure out why she's been so passionate about working with clay. It's so tactile and tangible. Ezra loved the motion and feel of the stuff spinning on the wheel, and the girls even got serviceable bowls out of their efforts. My result was a shapeless, sloppy lump -- it's not easy, but I guess you gotta start somewhere.

Apologies for the terrible title pun.

The Man Who Planted Trees

2010-03-22T10:24:00.000-07:00

I was blown away by the beauty, simplicity and earnestness of The Man Who Planted Trees by Frédéric Back, a Canadian animator who won his second Adademy Award for this short film in 1987. The half-hour short can be seen on YouTube (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), and our library had a couple of copies as well.

This is probably another one that Steve told me a decade ago that I *had* to watch ASAP. Just for the beauty of the animation alone it's worth watching, but the story is inspiring as well.

Little 'berts

2010-03-21T16:14:00.000-07:00

Yes, the kids look exactly the same as the last time I did a post like this. Yet I've taken some flack recently for only pointing my camera at inanimate objects, so this is partly pandering. They've been spending more time outside again, which makes for better photo ops. We try to go for a couple of walks each week, usually at our favourite spots: Sunoka, Ornamental Gardens, Peach Orchard (including the bird sanctuary and creek walk), etc...so some of these are from those excursions. Oh, and I still do get the occasional photo of my beautiful wife too.

In milestone news, Ezra is wearing big-boy undies full-time now. Yes, I just cursed the entire process by saying that out loud.

Happy Birthday Uncle Mark

2010-03-11T22:17:00.000-08:00

Tannis's bro is gallivanting all over the world right now and we're missing him. I'm not sure how old he is today, but his main man Roel had the cool idea to pass along the kids' birthday wishes in a quick video -- of course they loved the idea:

Creativity Update

2010-03-01T22:34:00.001-08:00

Remember those creative resolutions? Well, I promptly failed on the photo-a-day project. My 365 stalled permanently at 31, even after being quoted in the Penticton Herald saying that I was planning to complete a year's worth of photos. Sigh.

However, I did find a bargain on a good macro lens, and the guy threw in an old bellows kit for a pittance. So I've been playing with that and much enjoying seeing the world from a bug's eye view: Eye of Providence, funky grass fuzz, and the wispy seed strands at the top of this post. The lens is a 100mm f/2.8 macro, and it's been fun to explore too: colourful lichen (just for Plett), spring buds, scrap metal coil, and of course my go-to subject, ice. Yes, the set of ice photos is still growing every week. My folks got me a nice tripod for my birthday too, which has been helpful.

On the music front, I'm seeing that my recording goals were likely too optimistic, but I'm plugging away. Ivy and I performed a fiddle-tune duet at a couple of recitals, which was really fun. I've been composing a bit too. Last summer I wrote a classical solo violin piece, and over the last few weeks I worked out a harmonized duet part for it -- our violin teacher has agreed to learn it and accompany me at our recital in June. The sound quality and synchronization of the playing is not very good, but I think this rough recording gives a sense of where I'm at right now: Vienna (both parts) (2mb mp3).

Da Kids: Part 18

2010-02-17T15:05:00.001-08:00

I used to do kid updates more often, I think. This one's been overdue for a while, as the photos are piling up in my flickr stream. This first one is a fairly typical morning scene at our house -- a slow start around eight, breakfast together, then I head downstairs and Tannis gets the girls going on their learning projects while trying to keep Ezra from causing too much damage.

I could have used more winter this year. Ezra loved the brief bits of snow we got around Christmas, as well as skating in the backyard. He's a curious, hilarious little guy with two occasional not-so-good streaks: stubborn and mean. He's slowly getting the hang of using his potty, but only when he feels like it. Loves the library, pool, coffee shop, museums and Grandma and Grandpa's place...quite bored of our house, it seems.

In the sunshine on Saturday, our thermometer said 21 degrees -- when I moved it into the shade and let it sit a bit, it settled on 17. So we had a picnic and marveled at the weird, warm weather for mid-February. Ella has also been stoked on skating, and her art has really taken off the last few months. She's still game for anything, but seems to be more getting more discerning and independent. Loves gymnastics, play dates, and pumpkin soup. She's beautiful inside and out.

Ivy reads and reads these days, happy until we interrupt her. She's always got projects on the go; so many that it's hard to keep track of them all. She enjoys connecting with her friends at Brownies and play dates, and we've noticed that she often likes helping around the house as long as we don't ask her while she's reading. A few photos from the last couple of months: with her fiddle group, drawing date with me, violin lesson with Liz and tending to her grass-head creature.

View From the Trenches

2010-02-16T09:46:00.000-08:00

In general, I don't seem to have caught the bug that causes Olympic Fever. However, my old boss Don Phillips took a month off work to be a volunteer in Vancouver, and his blog offers a fascinating look into what it's like to be part of the action: My Olympics Volunteer Experience.

Mini-Trip

2010-02-13T10:17:00.000-08:00

Myron had a speaking engagement in Golden, BC last week and offered that I could tag along if I wanted to. As it sounded like a nice break from routine and a chance to hang out with him more than usual, I took a day off and accepted. In theory it's about four hours each way, but took more like five. We blabbed pretty much non-stop and the time went really quickly, reminiscent of a few legendary all-nighter cross-country trips we took in the '90s.

We checked in to the hotel later in the evening, so really I only had about eight hours to kill in Golden the next day. Rare for me to have that amount of uninterrupted free time, and it was pure joy. It's been colder up there, so I went ice hunting with my camera first thing in the morning. Back to the hotel for a hot tub and a nap, then up to Kicking Horse Resort for sushi and more exploration.

Unlike home, which has mostly been too warm this winter for ice photos in the wild, I found all kinds of cool ice shapes on the Columbia River: bubbles, curves, lattice, filaments, embossed metal, leaf veins and curtains. This week I ordered a new macro lens, which theoretically could be even better for shots like this -- looking forward to playing with it a bit and seeing if I can push the envelope...but may need to drive north again to find some ice. The backyard rink has still been yielding some interesting ice photos, but not for much longer.

The Glade

2010-02-04T22:04:00.000-08:00

My bro is out from Ottawa right now, and we celebrated my birthday in style -- hitting our old stomping grounds off the Powder Chair at Big White for the day. He and I have a fairly volatile history together, but one that includes much shared joy on snowboards and bikes. We connect well while having fun.

Although our aging bodies threatened mutiny most of the day, we relished better-than-expected snow conditions and managed to ride trees most of the day with no permanent damage. The camera did not behave, but I did get a minute of shaky video -- consider it a sort of game to try to follow Ryan through the trees as I tried to.

Showy

2010-02-02T23:31:00.000-08:00

So my first gallery show was opened successfully, and what fun! The gallery looked great, over a hundred people materialized throughout the evening, and we even sold a few things -- thanks to my mom, the food was excellent and we sold out of wine. Special guests included Ryan from Ottawa, Bill and Sam from Vancouver, and lots of dear friends from nearby. Also, pretty cool to meet some online friends I had never seen in person.

The editor from the Penticton Herald interviewed me first thing (story should be in Friday's paper), and the curator (whom I greatly admire) of the Penticton Art Gallery showed up and said hi. It looks like I may have another show lined up for later in the year at Red Rooster Winery, which is pretty exciting.

Huge thanks to my mom for heavily subsidizing the printing costs for the pictures -- the show wouldn't have happened without her. Hopefully we'll sell a few and recoup the costs. If anyone is interested in buying a print from the gallery, peruse the pictures online and send me an e-mail for prices and availability on any you like -- they can be shipped anywhere. The ones on the walls range from $30 for smaller prints mounted on foamcore to $200 for canvas prints wrapped on wood frames. The show runs till mid-March.

I was talking all night, and didn't get a chance to take any photos, but thankfully Andrew and Jason got a bunch of good ones.

Summerland Review

2010-01-27T00:38:00.000-08:00

In a sort of local media blitz (for sleepy Slumberland), our local paper has been generous in their coverage of the gallery show: last week they previewed it with Snow and Ice Abstracts Featured and this week it was Ice Photos Fill Gallery Walls.

Update: Also, the Penticton Herald coverage of opening, a Southern Exposure photo feature, and a repeat of the second Summerland Review article in the Penticton Western. I think people on the streets of Penticton are starting to recognize me...

CBC Interview

2010-01-22T19:15:00.001-08:00

For anyone who isn't entirely sick of hearing me talk about this gallery show, the CBC North By Northwest interview was aired Saturday morning on CBC Radio One (in BC). The archived show (11MB MP3) is also available online -- my bit starts at 15:52 and runs through to the end at 23:31.

I think it went pretty well. Thankfully they edited out some of my umms and uhhs, and I thought the part with me reading from the book intro sounded ok. Thanks to those of you who called and wrote with encouragement!

For anybody arriving here looking for the ice photos, here are the pertinent links:

Full Set of Ice Photos
Slideshow of Gallery Pictures
Facebook Event Page
Video Preview
Looking Into Ice books: first edition and second edition

Christmas Past

2010-01-18T23:35:00.001-08:00

Yikes, almost a month since my last post, and no mention of Christmas as mid-January comes and goes. Words of concern have started to pop up from my three-to-five loyal blog readers. It was an excellent holiday season and things have been going well since -- I didn't take much time off, but work was fairly mellow and it felt like I had lots of time with the family. A few photos and notes:

My grandma was out from Winnipeg and it was great to see her again. She's slowed down a fair bit, even since we were out there in June, and it was weird not having Grandpa around for this visit. Despite those melancholy notes, she seemed to really enjoy herself; puzzling with me and J, watching her great-grandchildren (with their parents), feasting, resting and being surrounded by loved ones. As an aside, Cousin Nicole had some insightful reflections about Grandma this week too.
On Christmas Day, we headed to my mom and dad's for brunch and opening presents. Later Jason and Karen and the boys hung out for a while, and eventually Lucy, Dave and Mel's family arrived for the big supper feast. Great warm vibe all day, fun and surprisingly mellow considering the number of people (many of them kids) in the house. My parents were perfect hosts, as usual.
We did our own stockings and presents on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. Lots of time cozy by the fire, with good things to eat and drink. Very nice, and quite quiet. The backyard rink got us outside a few times to burn off some steam.

Tegan Und Sara

2010-01-08T10:17:00.001-08:00

We saw Tegan and Sara for the first time in 2007. It might have been too soon to see them again. Not that they weren't good this time -- I found them very entertaining, funny and sharp -- but the novelty had sort of worn off, I guess. Like I said way too many times in my bloated U2 review, seeing any band twice in a few years involves the hazard of repeats: the bad songs are still bad, and the good ones are still good.

Anyway, I won't burden anyone (myself especially) with the same ridiculous level of painstaking analysis this time. Lots of middle-of-the-road performances, but here are the ones that stood out for me:

Wow

Arrow, Hell, and Someday were real standouts from the new album -- On Directing wasn't one of my favourites from Sainthood, but they really kicked it live. They played pretty much the whole rest of the album, which fell flat as far as I was concerned. I thought Burn Your Life Down and Nineteen were the lone highlights from the last album (they didn't play Floorplan, my fave). Walking With A Ghost, I Bet It Stung, Where Does The Good Go and Speak Slow represented So Jealous with aplomb (the title track, not so much) -- of course I would have liked to have heard more of that one. They closed with a rousing rendition of Living Room, one of the few older songs -- great closer, energetic and fun.

Weak

As I really do like this band, it pains me a bit to list the real stinkers, but these ones were pretty awful: Don’t Rush, Red Belt, The Cure, Night Watch, Soil, Soil, and Alligator.

The acoustic encore mini-set was anticlimactic, although I loved that they mocked the ritual of encores...and their harmonies for Feel it in My Bones were outstanding. Very young crowd, although with a sprinkling of oldsters (like us), definitely skewed female. All in all, a fun night out.

Revisiting Creative Goals...2010 Edition

2010-01-04T10:11:00.000-08:00

Two years ago I started the tradition (although I didn't know that then) of reflecting on my creative goals and setting some for the new year. I didn't do too hot on that first set of goals when I looked at them again last year.

I might have set more realistic goals at that point, because it seems like I did slightly better -- probably helped to limit the goals to two areas, and I think I'll stick with that again. I'd love to paint, but it's not going to happen.

Music

2009: "This year I'd love to learn some fiddle music, in Irish and gypsy styles. I may also spring for a new violin, having found some limitations in this rental of mine."

It seems bizarre to me that last year at this time the viola wasn't even on my radar yet. I did learn a few fiddle tunes on the violin last year, but I became much more absorbed in the viola as the year progressed, and almost exclusively composing my own stuff. I largely ignored the second Suzuki book I thought I'd dig into. Gear-wise, I got that nice violin (which I enjoyed a lot over the holidays again) for my birthday, an electric 5-string and a couple of violas, one of which is now for sale.

Musical highlights for me last year included surviving my recital, playing on Robin's album (and performing at the CD release party), playing with Ivy and my mom at our summer party in August, the Leir House fiddle jam, and getting ever-so-slightly better as the months tick by.

2010 Music Goals

Learn to do multi-track recording with my laptop. Our new keyboard should be helpful for this project, at least for basic percussion...maybe I can even brush up on my long-atrophied junior-high piano "skills" to help that along.
Compose and record 10 songs. This number is arbitrary, but not unrealistic -- I'm envisioning an instrumental album that will likely sound as bad as any first attempt. I've started playing bass again as part of this goal too, resurrecting some old songs I'd like to experiment with.
Play well with others. Or even just play with others, well or not. No coincidence that last year's musical highlights involved playing music with people, and I want to do more of that.
Don't become Ross from Friends -- sadly this may have already happened.
Don't buy more stuff. I don't anticipate the need for more instruments...perhaps fewer would be better. However, I would love to get a baritone horn. I bought an inexpensive mic and audio interface to start with -- if it doesn't do the trick, I may need to upgrade it as the months pass.

Photography

2009: "Gear-wise...the only thing to covet being a nice wide angle lens and my first tripod. I'd like to strive for two somewhat opposite goals: more variety in my choice of subjects, and one or two themes that I start to build a sort of collection around."

Something to be said for setting good goals -- my two chosen themes were ice and orchards, and I was very happy with those projects. The Blurb book came out of the ice project, which led to the art show, which could lead to other things as well -- so far a very successful undertaking. I've learned things about that process that I should be able to apply to other areas as well.

The second part of that goal -- more variety in my subjects -- I did ok on, I think. Still lots of family snapshots, but I was proud of my other new sets: wild horses, trees, abstracts, prairie trip, music, wild things, Vancouver trip, etc. I also got the sweet wide angle, and it facilitated many good shots this year. Never got the tripod.

2010 Photography Goals

I'm hoping that the show at the art gallery goes well, but most of the work for that happened last year already. I'm feeling more ambitious and focused on photography than I was this time last year, which may mean I take it up a notch or get burnt out and take up basket weaving. More specific:

Take a photo every day. I hope this doesn't feel like flossing or taking multivitamins, but I joined a Flickr group with a bunch of online friends who are all attempting to take (and post)a photo a day this year. So far I've felt a bit manic about it as my 365 set emerges...not entirely sure it will be as good for my health as flossing and vitamins.
Initiate another gallery show. Unless the first one flops...actually then I should definitely try another one.
Self-publish at least two more Blurb books this year. I've already done one in the first few days of 2010, a revised (and smaller/cheaper) version of my original ice book: preview here.
I know what my next lens will be, but if I save up properly for it, I won't be able to afford it this year: 100-400mm. An excellent macro lens and a new body will also be on the wish list as long as I keep making this my primary hobby and potential side business.

And then there's blogging, which should probably be included here. I get regular bouts of blog envy, finding ones with amazing writing, gorgeous layouts, outrageous photos and more authenticity. BUT, I'm mostly just glad that I've kept this one going even if it limps sometimes. Maybe it's not so creative, but at least it's not going away.

Affairs of the Heart

2009-12-30T10:33:00.000-08:00

This piece of classical music has enthralled me for a month now: Affairs of the Heart. That's just a five-minute excerpt taken from the entire 23-minute song from a wonderful Canadian composer, Marjan Mozetich. The complete piece can be purchased on a CD or downloaded for a couple of bucks.

Solstice Ride

2009-12-21T22:44:00.001-08:00

What a gift to be able ride up high on the shortest day of the year, celebrating the start of winter by spinning pedals. I relished my solitude today after several days of single parenthood -- my parents picked up the kids at noon, setting me free to do as I pleased. I rekindled my love affair with my violin (nearly sold it!), ate well, and played with photos, but what pleased me most was two hours in the woods; getting dirty and tired and very happy. 47 seconds of it to help me remember in a week or two when these trails are under a foot of snow:

What Else, Dad?

2009-12-20T23:34:00.000-08:00

Ezra is pretty funny right now. A handful, yes, but he makes us laugh every day. I put together a few of the recent video clips to give a bit of a picture of where he's at these days.

"play trains with Dad!"
learning to skate on the backyard rink
helping mom blow out her birthday candles
composing a song
stretching with his sisters
covering ears as the pipes and drums enter
creative counting during exercise
talking about breakfast

Earth, Observed

2009-12-05T15:31:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I spent an hour in Google Earth collecting a set of images that struck me as beautiful or fascinating. I could seriously do that for hours...days, even. It felt much like doing photography, only virtually. It boggles the mind to imagine all the beauty of our planet at every scale. Some of my favourite finds: delta near Portland, BC's coastal mountains, farmland in California, and the Pembina Hills near Walhalla, ND. None of these are as cool as the stuff NASA's been seeing, though: Earth, Observed.

Da Kids

2009-12-04T10:51:00.001-08:00

Marj descended on us like a crazy prairie Santa Claus this week, showering the kids with presents and adoration. As you can see from the photo at the bottom of this post, Ezra was in love. Anyway, Marj and my mom both let me have it for not posting any pictures of the kids lately. Enough with the orchards and ice already! So, here's a bunch...

Ezra has been in disguise, santa's elf and looking suspiciously like my Grandpa Stoesz. Ivy reads and reads these days, so that's what she's doing in the photos -- right now it's a book called The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate. I also caught her working on one of her ongoing projects. Ella's been drawing like crazy lately, and had a very successful gymnastics show last week:

Autumn Beauty

2009-11-27T21:56:00.001-08:00

I keep forgetting to put my fall photos up here -- or just procrastinating, I guess. It's been a real source of happiness for me to get out and take photos of beautiful things, and I'm at least a month behind in posting the results. Orchards (slideshow here) have been the most frequent target, as they've been putting on the most spectacular displays as the seasons change again. I've been noticing shadows (and here) and tunnels lately, but colour is getting elusive as it drains away into winter.

Skytrain to the Airport

2009-11-26T21:32:00.000-08:00

I finally downloaded the photos from our point-n-shoot, unearthing some neat pictures from summer. Also on there were some video clips and shots of our skytrain adventure to the Vancouver airport -- I cobbled them into a quick video. There's a bigger version in the original post below, and I'm pretty happy with it. The outing had a profound effect on Ezra, and he brings it up several times a day (weeks later): "Daddy, someday I wanna go onna skytrain again yesterday."

Big thanks to Angelo and Imogene for hosting one of the highlights of our trip.

Early Ice

2009-11-22T23:17:00.001-08:00

We haven't seen too much winter yet, but a few cold mornings have yielded some interesting ice. On one of my days in Kelowna, I grabbed sushi and went down to Mission Creek Park -- just beneath the main bridge, there were some shaded puddles that were frozen over, so I spent a few minutes taking photos. The creek down to Peach Orchard has had some great icicles too. Yes, I'm such an ice geek. (...or a nice geek, as Tannis says)

Newest Member of the Family

2009-11-11T11:20:00.001-08:00

Did I need another stringed instrument? No. It's almost embarrassing already, as the total including guitars is now approaching 10. I've decided to sell my beloved violin because it's just not getting any use. If this new viola pans out, I can let go of my first viola too.

This is an interesting one. As part of my discovery of Oliver Schroer, I found out that he primarily played a five-string violin. My curiosity piqued, I picked up a cheap-o 5-string electric from a company in China that was listing on eBay. As I had my eye on five-string violas as well, I asked them if they'd be able to make an acoustic one to my specs, and they gave me a very reasonable price. After some back 'n forth, fits and starts, they finally got it built and sent it out across the planet. It blows my mind that I can exchange some e-mails with someone in China and have a custom-made instrument shipped here in a few weeks.

It arrived on Monday -- the woodwork is beautiful, exactly like I had hoped. As expected, the fittings and setup are poor -- this is apparently the story with nearly every instrument imported from China, as if they've figured out the wood part, but not much else. By the time I put good strings on, get it adjusted and set up properly, it won't be such a bargain any more, but hopefully the sound will make it worthwhile. My plan is to string it with a low F, giving it a range nudging into the cello world...or if that doesn't work out, the standard tuning plus a high E string to cover the range of the violin.

Dec.7 Update: I've been playing this beast daily for a few weeks now, and it's getting better. Different strings improved the sound a lot, especially a very expensive (rare) F string. I wouldn't say it's better than my old one, but not worse either. I've been working on a half-dozen songs lately, and recorded them with the camera, since I don't have a proper audio recorder yet. So this isn't compelling viewing, but if you're curious about the kind of music I'm composing right now, this gives a pretty good overview. My challenge now is to envision how other instruments might join these tunes, ideally meaning that the viola could fade into accompaniment at times -- I'm thinking that these could be arranged for a small group of three-four instruments, and crafted into 2-4 minute instrumental songs. Some percussion would be great, some plucked strings, and something to fill in the bass end.

Vancouvered

2009-11-07T21:54:00.001-08:00

When a guy doesn't post for a couple of weeks, then busts out a thousand words on the minutest details of a rock concert, you know he doesn't have much else going on. Work's been blah, the weather's feeling like late fall, and I think I've been wallowing in a shallow pool of self-pity over my stupid thumb, which should finally have its last foreign objects (bone stitches and button) removed on Monday. I've regained a few millimeters of movement in it too, which is better than the zero I had last week. I've really missed riding my bike. Thankfully I've still been able to play viola and take some pictures.

So now I'll bust out another 1000 words on our five days in Vancouver, an adventure for us that would barely register as a real trip for normal people, never mind something worth taking 400 photos of and rambling on about online for imaginary audiences. Nevertheless, we needed a getaway, and the highs outweighed the lows by a longshot.

Not the best drive in, with Ezra cranky and high-maintenance, but he did sleep for about an hour (small mercies). Highlights included fancy bread and coffee from Bliss in Peachland, then fries and milkshakes in Hope, because we're all about the healthy living on vacation. Snow on the connector, but not enough to slow us down much. We squeaked across the Port Mann before the traffic got too insane (bigger mercy).
Checking in at The Sylvia is the best. It is totally our home away from home in Vancouver. We love starting our days there with breakfasts overlooking English Bay.
Esther and Imogene kindly dropped me and Angelo off near GM Place where we proceeded to wrangle a couple of beers and burgers at one of the packed pubs. I've already said too much about the U2 concert, but I'll repeat how great it was to meet my old friend for a couple hours of merriment.
The next morning Ezra and I walked across downtown to meet Angelo and Imogene at the Roundhouse, where we explored the old steam engine, then got on the Skytrain. Ezra had been talking about riding the Skytrain ever since the girls reported on their experience a few weeks ago. Many times a day: "Daddy, I wanna go on the Skytrain sometimes". So we did, and it was quite a thrill. Better yet, we took the new line to the airport and watched giant planes taking off from the new observation deck. Planes and trains in the same outing = Ezra in his glory. It was outstanding to hang out with Angelo and Imogene.
Dear friend (and midwife) Barb hosted our clan for supper that night, which was brave and generous of her. Salmon and squash feast with stir-fried greens and pasta...yum. The kids were a total gongshow, so I whisked them back to the hotel so Tannis and Barb could hang out a bit like normal people. No photos, sadly.
The next morning Tannis and the girls went for breakfast while Ezra and I went to see Cass and her new (8 months old) little Luke. Very nice to see her in her element and catch up a bit. Also forgot to take any photos...duh.
We had some gloomy clouds and rain, but a few stretches of nicer weather. We did a few great walks along the seawall that yielded a whack of photos. Fantastic to spend time by the ocean.
I snuck out to the art gallery later in the afternoon. I love being there. The main floor exhibit was devoted to landscape photography and painting. I haven't tended to pay much attention to this genre, but it was beautifully displayed and I felt like I was studying and learning. There was an interesting photography exhibit and some great Group of Seven stuff, but it was the Emily Carr/Jack Shadbolt exhibit that really rocked me. I was familiar with both artists, and had seen most of the Carr paintings before...but the Shadbolt stuff blew me away. Incredible energy and evocative images. I resorted to arguing with a tired security guard to let me get one more look before they closed.
Bill hosted our traveling gongshow Friday night. We hadn't seen his apartment before -- he had made it out to be a dump, but we thought it was fantastic. Unfortunately, traffic woes and Ezra's screaming had us arriving in mental tatters. Thankfully, Bill saved the day by busting out a killer train set that kept Ezra mostly occupied for pretty much the whole visit. Excellent pizza, some beers and hanging out. Our breakfast plans for the next morning didn't pan out, but perhaps we can lure the Baker Boys over here once more before winter begins in earnest.
After checking out of the hotel, we hooked up with the Eidse crew again, descending on their lovely home in East Vancouver. Great welcoming vibe there, and everyone was pretty happy and mellow. We ramped things up for Halloween later, getting everyone (well, except humbug me) costumed and geared up for trick 'r treat action. We couldn't have asked for a better evening -- warm, calm, a bright moon, good old friends, and a great neighbourhood for the kids. There was definitely some Halloween magic floating around. I put a few photos here.
We checked into a Super8 in Langley that night; a decent place with a nice pool that everyone enjoyed after breakfast the next morning. Then out on the open road, with no real stops until Sanderson's in Keremeos for veggies and curry. Ezra slept even less and solidified his status as the worst roommate ever.

Me2

2009-10-29T15:28:00.000-07:00

It's difficult to describe this week's U2 show without referencing and comparing to the last time we saw them three-and-a-half years ago. Not much has changed since then: Bono looks a bit more like Gene Hackman but his voice is still magic, the mid-tempo and up-tempo songs blow the roof off in concert, the band never makes a mistake, and their shows are always full-on, over-the-top spectacles.

Angelo and I hit a pub on the way, enjoying a few beers and burgers. Keeners Myron and Ben apparently crashed a line and raced to the front of the stage when the doors opened at 5:30. We cruised in just as the Black Eyed Peas finished their odd set, sometime after 7:30 -- what a terrible match for U2. The crowd on the floor was still pretty loosely packed until maybe 15 meters from the front runway thingie, so that's where we stopped and spent the rest of the show. Close enough to get a good view of everything, especially when band members came around the runway.

The space-station-claw stage apparatus was truly massive -- watching a time-lapse movie of the setup-show-teardown cycle is unreal. This was a real stadium-sized show, and I enjoyed turning around and watching the sea of 60,000 people surrounding us. The sound definitely wasn't as good as the arena show last time, with shrieking treble that physically hurt at times, but most of the time it was ok and very LOUD. I'm getting old, obviously, and standing in one spot for three hours had me questioning the wisdom of floor tickets. It was weird seeing half the people watching most of the show through their cameras and cell phones, and I got plenty sick of having people "singing" off-key loudly in my ear the entire concert -- why can't fans just listen and leave the terrible singing for karaoke nights?

It's fascinating to watch the nearly identical live show from LA on YouTube taped a few days before -- same setlist, same unreal stage, same band. I don't know how interesting it would be to someone who hadn't seen the tour, but I love having a virtual record of it like that. Great visuals and sound for streaming video, too.

But anyway, it's about the songs...so here's the setlist with my pithy (pissy?) commentary attached:

Breathe, Get On Your Boots, Magnificent -- I'm not a big fan of the new album, so this opening trio didn't really get me fired up. The performances were solid, of course, and the first two songs sounded way better live than they do on the album -- Get On Your Boots was downright bombastic.
Mysterious Ways -- As glad as I was to hear some Achtung this early in the set, I've never really liked this song. Everyone else seemed pretty stoked up, with the crowd hollering every word.
Beautiful Day -- This one was fantastic in 2005, and identical this time. A straight-ahead rock anthem that could just as easily be a Green Day song.
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For -- I was disappointed when they didn't play this classic last time, so I was very pleased to hear it now. Beautifully performed with that throbbing, melancholy bassline and Bono's voice cutting through like a beacon. Top notch.
Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of -- I felt stuck in this terrible song for hours -- just a total dud, even worse than Sometimes You Cant Make it On Your Own, the total stinker from last time.

So at this point we were seven songs in and I had heard two songs I really liked, one of which I already heard at the last concert. The initial buzz of the huge spectacle had worn off, the amazing visuals were becoming less amazing and I wished I had brought some water. Thankfully, they really ramped things up, reeling off a bunch of great songs with real energy and intensity.

No Line On The Horizon -- My favourite song off the new album, and the performance rocked -- I didn't expect it to be so great.
Elevation -- Another intense anthem that sounded exactly the same as the last show, and the crowd chanting along with the bridge/chorus was deafening. Good stuff.
In A Little While -- I had forgotten that this was one of my favourite mellow songs on an album I didn't much like. Peaceful and warm, with a slinky guitar line a lot like the better-known One. Wonderful vocal performance too -- this was a nice surprise.
Unknown Caller -- I thought this new song was terrible on the album (actually I still do), but somehow they totally made it work live -- very entertaining and fun, with tons of crowd participation.
Until The End Of The World (1:01:25 on the video) -- This was amazing, with a dark, intense performance of a song I never thought they would play. Definite highlight of the night.
The Unforgettable Fire -- In 2005 they played Pride and Bad, two of my fave songs off that album. This time it was the title track and MLK -- nice that they mixed it up, and this song was great, but I preferred their previous picks.
City Of Blinding Lights and Vertigo -- Carbon copies from the last show, and City of Blinding Lights was again a real standout, with Vertigo feeling a bit over the top to me.
I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight -- Another odd new song that was much better in concert than the album. It's like they were specifically written for live shows.
Sunday Bloody Sunday -- Still awesome; maybe even beyond awesome. I bow down before Bono on songs like this where he can still let 'er rip.
MLK -- I sure never expected to hear this hymn off The Unforgettable Fire. Putting one of their mellowest songs right after Sunday Bloody Sunday shouldn't really work, but it was beautiful.
Walk On -- Ok song, and a fine performance. It's worth mentioning that Bono didn't preach or blather nearly as much as I expected, more gracefully letting the music speak for itself. The political bits they did seemed more powerful for their subtlety.

And so they walked off the stage for the obligatory break before encores. I can hardly wait for a band to do away with this stupid ritual, and I wish it was U2 -- simply publicize it beforehand that there will be no encores, tell people when there are a few songs left, say goodbye after the last song and turn on the lights. But I digress...

One (1:43:15 in the video) -- Angelo said this was a highlight for him, and I had to agree. Gorgeous performance, with Bono and the Edge really in synch and squeezing every bit of emotion out of those simple lines.
Where The Streets Have No Name (1:50:00 in the video) -- I named this as my main highlight last time, and it was right up there again, partly because of how strongly people react to it. As far as I could tell, everyone was standing, even in the furthest, darkest, highest corners of BC Place. Wonderful experience. It would have been my favourite moment if not for...
Ultra Violet (Light My Way) -- This was #1 on my list of songs I had wished they'd played last time, so I was thrilled to hear it now. I don't know why any song with "Baby, baby, baby, light my way" as the chorus should be one I even tolerate, never mind love so much...but there it is. Pinnacle of the night for me, powerful and perfect.
With Or Without You -- Also greatness, and probably the biggest hit they didn't play on the last tour -- I was very happy. Goosebumply good, and among the best three or four songs of the night.
Moment of Surrender -- Weak song, lackluster performance -- a real downer way to end the show. This would have been a major addition by subtraction. It was hard for me not to spend the duration of the song cataloging the dozens of better ones they could have used to close the thing in style.

And then it was over, and we wandered out into the Vancouver rain. I'm not sure I'll go again if they come in another four years, but who knows? Although this was the primary reason for our trip, we had other adventures too -- more on that later.

All Consuming

2009-10-20T10:20:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I recapped what's been going into my body and mind. I realize that these things are only interesting to me a year or more later. It also helps me see that I'm not reading anything again. And no, the photos have nothing to do with these words.

Eating

Tomatoes as they ripen from the ones we picked green. For the first time in my life, I'm eating raw tomatoes without wincing...at least the tiny cherry versions that hardly qualify as tomatoes.
Root vegetables by the pound: beets, sweet potatoes, and potatoes, mostly. 'Tis the season.
Soup season! Squash, pumpkin, minestrone, random vegetables, potato-broccoli...we loves our soups around here.

Drinking

Backyard Beans decaf. I know decaf is blasphemy for true coffee drinkers, but seriously, Richard's decaf is amazing, and I've come to realize that caffeine makes me weird.
Shaftebury Coastal Cream Ale -- I guess Sleeman's has owned this microbrewery for a while, and they seem to be positioning this excellent brew as a sort of budget beer, because they inexplicably dropped the price to $8.35/six-pack. But it's just as good (to me) as most of the standard $11 six-packs out there. This is looking like my winter beer of choice.
In more adventurous moments, I've recently enjoyed La Fin Du Monde and Sasquatch Stout, both excellent and shared with my kindred-beer-spirit Andrew.

Watching

Yo-Yo Ma, Inspired by Bach -- I've got all of these on hold at the library, and have seen one before, but started with Volume 2 this time. Fascinating stuff, including an hour-long film by Atom Egoyan that I thought was great.
Music for a New World -- a Vancouver documentary about musicians from different cultural and musical backgrounds who got together to compose and perform a piece of music that reflected all of their diverse instruments and ideas. I was entranced by both the process and product. More background here...(pdf)
I continue to be enthralled by the work of cinematographer Ron Fricke, this week digging into his incredible first film Koyaanisqatsi. It's vaguely disturbing and very trippy, with an intense, abstract soundtrack by Phillip Glass. You can watch the entire film here in decent quality, although I wouldn't blame anyone for losing interest quickly -- these films move very slowly, have no dialogue and no plot. Very much like Baraka and Chronos, two of my favourite films of all time for sheer visual beauty. I'm very much looking forward to his next one, Samsara, although it tends to take many years to make these things, so I'm not holding my breath.
Nightmare Before Christmas, which has become an annual tradition for us at this time of year. I love this movie disproportionately, and surprisingly it's one of the very few musicals I can even tolerate. The Elfman soundtrack is amazing, and the imagination in the animation never gets old for me.

Listening To

Tegan and Sara's new album is streaming on their MySpace page, and it sounds outstanding to me. Maybe a bit more of a So Jealous vibe than the quirky-prog feel of the last one. Gotta decide whether to go see them again later in fall in Kelowna.
Other that, I haven't been listening to albums, just my usual flow of new songs, endlessly downloaded, sorted, enjoyed or deleted. Standouts over the last few weeks include Avett Brothers, Sprengjuhollin, Brasstronaut, and going back to old favourites Radiohead and the National. Andrew and I have continued our gmail music exchange, which has been great fun and a source of good tunes.

Ezra Play

2009-10-18T09:48:00.001-07:00

Ezra was playing behind me in the living room moments ago when he started barking out numbers with authority:

1...3...9...4...5...1...3...9...4...5

I wasn't sure what was going on, but after the second five it became clear as he called out:

LIFTOFF!

And the spaceship blasted off into space.

Ella The Pearl

2009-10-16T13:58:00.001-07:00

Our dear Ella turned six today. We often think of her as much older, and have had to remind ourselves that if she was in school, she'd just be starting Grade 1. Seems like about six weeks ago that she turned five. She was plowing into the first Harry Potter book this week, so proud that she was able to do it and keeping us entertained with running commentary about how far she was in the story. Some of her easy-going nature has seemed to harden into a more stubborn, independent streak lately, yet she's still got that little-girl innocence and quiet beauty too.

The Hiebert grandparents returned from Manitoba in time to take us out for fish 'n chips and celebrate last night. This morning she had a big breakfast and opened some presents, including fantastic goodies from the Friesen clan. This afternoon she celebrates with a pack of friends at the pool; swimming and cake and chaos. Happy birthday, beloved daughter. A few favourite photos, starting with a classic from half her lifetime ago:

The Iceman Cometh

2009-10-10T22:45:00.001-07:00

I wasn't convinced that I was going to dive back in to ice photos as the weather got colder, but when Tannis came in from a trip uptown with reports of an orchard filled with icicles this morning, I was out the door in a flash. I guess the orchardist hadn't paid attention to the frost warnings and left his sprinklers on all night. His loss, my gain. Lots of interesting formations and literally thousands of icicles, which gave me a couple of hours of fun. I should probably institute a moratorium on new ice pictures until I've completed the preparations for the gallery show in the new year...but it felt great to be back at it.

Duly Noted

2009-10-03T23:34:00.001-07:00

A few notes on the week:

I got my first cast off on Friday, and got the sutures removed. I go into shock at the least pinprick (very embarrassing), and somehow even just getting x-rays had me nearly passing out. My poor thumb looks decidedly Frankensteinian, with a jagged, scabbed incision on top, weird button on the bottom holding pins in place, bruising, and a large pin sticking out of the tip. On the bright side, I got a much lighter fiberglass cast that lets me sort of play viola. Unfortunately, I'm back there on Tuesday so the surgeon can take a closer look.
Three days off with Ezra was excellent. The girls had a great Vancouver field trip, and we held the fort here, with our own side trip to stay over at my folks' place. I even got a free afternoon in Kelowna to take photos and wander through art galleries -- as a bonus I ran into Andrew by the library, so we grabbed a quick coffee.
I never properly posted about Pearl's excellent visit here the week before -- the perfect guest.
It's been over two weeks since I've seen Myron. He landed a pretty sweet new job as a vice principal at Penn High, and this is always a super-busy time of year for him.
Great feast at the Vandersluys residence last weekend, and we hosted them here tonight. Also met Andrew at the Perch one night; excellent as always.
The freezer is almost full after Tannis chopped and froze the huge bag of red peppers I picked up at Blossom for a song. The last peaches of the season are disappearing now, and with frost warnings we'll have to pick the last tomatoes green.

looking into ice

2009-09-25T11:42:00.000-07:00

Blurb added a cool new feature today. Now you can preview my entire looking into ice book -- if you click the "Full Screen" button, it looks fantastic, and it's fun to turn the pages virtually.

In other book news, I gave away all my copies. If anyone's interested in buying one, let me know so I can order a few more. I still had one left for Jason's Christmas present, but lent it to the local art gallery as part of an "artist's proposal" to see if they wanted to display the photos next year (fingers crossed).

Update: The Summerland Art Gallery wants to show my photos as their first show of the year (out of six), running from late January into March. So I've got a few months to do some curating of my own work -- selecting, printing, mounting/framing and finally deciding how to display them in the gallery. What fun!

Thumbs Up

2009-09-21T19:42:00.001-07:00

I crashed on my bike yesterday. Just a little wooden ramp that I must have misjudged, or it flipped sideways as I hit it too fast, dropping my front wheel into a large wooden block that stopped the bike as my body continued moving forward very quickly.

I got a bit banged up, and the doctor riding with us could tell right away that my thumb was broken. I had surgery later to insert several pins to stabilize it...so most of my Sunday was spent in the hospital. And yes, the cast looks ridiculously large considering that it's just a broken thumb. No viola or mountain biking for me for at least a month, maybe two.

So why the smile? I’m extremely thankful that it wasn’t much, much worse, considering the speed and how I went tumbling through rocks. At least I can still use my camera...

November 9th Update: The pin running the length of my thumb came out almost three weeks ago (or a month after the break) -- I was expecting it to be painful, but the doctor just clicked his pliers with a grin and pulled it out slowly without any pain meds or anything. At that point I got a removable cast, which I promptly removed, but kept the tensor bandage on for a week or so. Eventually I was down to a bandage, but I still had the bone stitches and button in until this morning. He cut the button off, then pulled on the stitches quite hard as he pushed down on the skin around the threads, then snipped them one at a time -- four times -- not at all comfortable.

EllaStyle

2009-09-15T17:10:00.001-07:00

Oh, this dear middle child of ours. A couple of weeks ago she made up her mind that it was time for a legit haircut, and I think the result just ramps up her usual flair. Free spirit, fun and sharp. I snapped these two pics the moment she got home, proud as punch.

Today she headed off to Kelowna to pick up her middle-namesake, Grandma Pearl, at the airport. She was so excited. The kids always love having her here as the most enthusiastic playmate and buddy. We're feeling lucky that she can scoot over here for a week. Speaking of which, I'm done work for the day with an empty house that needs tidying, and supper to be made...better get on it.