Singing and playing guitar in Tamarack at The Festival of Friends, early 80s. On the far left, playing mandolin, is Cowboy Junkie Jeff Bird who has recently made some old Tamarack recordings available to listen to if you wish and download if you want.
Hamilton, early 80s
There is a nice amateur video of Madeleine Peyroux on the streets in Paris live singing Billie Holiday's classic with a little petting, we're getting, some fun out of life.
Grey County, August 2008
"When you meet with the young men
Early in Spring,
They court you in song and rhyme.
They woo you with words and a clover ring,.."
You can hear Lotte Lenya's classic rendition of September Song here.
Guelph, September 2008
under the weather and over the hill
nobody knows what tomorrow may bring
a never ending winter, or an early spring
and everyone yearns
to hear the voices of the angels ring
but you've got to go through hell
before they sing
nobody knows what the answer may be
but everyone holds a piece of the key
and everyone learns
to solve that mystery
but they're out of sight
before they see
that time spills like wine
from your laughing mouth to the clover
your love flows through mine
so nothing can freeze over
I'm under the weather and over the hill
I used to have bedroom eyes
now I'm looking tired - still
so wake me in the morning
hold me in the chill
I'll get over the weather - under the hill
Grey County, August 2008
"Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in"
- Leonard Cohen
This photo is from a series done in Toronto in the 70s when I roamed around abandoned buildings taking photos of cracks and pipes. Most of those photos disappeared down cracks that always seem to open up while you're moving from one abode to another. But there's always a new bell to ring.
Toronto, Terminal Building, 1973
Birds make art. And your bird can sing. Something new to me was that birds can dance - here are videos of dancing birds.
Niagara Falls, March 2007
At Carolyn Riddell's studio some years back I met this proudy.
Is it whimsical? Is it quirky? Is it beautiful? All of the above.
Guelph, 200?
Lisa, Meredith Grant, & Greg Denton play with Richard Laviolette at kazoo!fest in downtown Guelph.
Guelph, September 2008
Kazoofest 2008 continued today and included a spoken word performance by Dave Hudson.
You can see videos of this performance on You Tube here.
Guelph, September 2008
This is a totally mechanical music machine, a Victrola, which translates the grooves cut into the plastic record into changes in air pressure, ie. sound. The grooves in the record are an analog copy of what happens to your ear drum when your hear it.
An interesting recent project which uses a similar technique involved cutting grooves into a roadway in California - when you drive over it at 55mph (preferably in a Honda Civic) - you hear Rossini's William Tell Overture (the theme from The Lone Ranger). You can see a video of this here.
Grey County, August 2008
In the 90s Guelph became the focus of the one eyed international media's peeping when a young woman, Gwen Jacobs, walked topfree down the street. The coverage was hysterical with people claiming if this was allowed then the streets would be teeming with naked women within months. After years of legal wrangling she was acquitted of all charges.
Weird. Anyway, here's the song I wrote about it.
99 degrees and getting hotter
there's a quiet and a peaceful city
called Guelph Ontario
where the climate and the folks are mostly temperate
in the sunshine, in the rain, and in the snow
but the summer sun was pounding on the pavement
it was the hottest day in many years they said
and while the tar was getting soft between the sidewalks
other things were getting soft in people's heads
when it's 99 degrees and getting hotter
some people blow their cool and go insane
so I pour myself a lemon ice and water
turn on the fan put up my feet and hope for rain
but some people they got caught out in the open
and one just started taking off her clothes
and another one got hot under the collar
and another put some glasses on his nose
then the one who's getting hot under her collar
starts chilling out by blowing steam out of her mouth
she tells the one without her top to keep her shirt on
or what's facing north would soon be heading south
when the policeman came to look into the matter
she was upfront but still he charged her anyway
and the local paper sent a team down to chat her
but they were hoping they could scoop an expose
when it's 99 degrees and getting hotter
some people blow their cool and go insane
between the policemen and the prudes and the reporters
the real heat was on Godiva with no mane
with pointed arguments the lawyers all debated
whether a breast was a true organ or mere gland
and so uplifting was the strength of our defendant
that with support you know she finally took the stand
now everybody's waiting for the judgement
would he dress her down, well maybe she'd appeal
but as the sun's setting now on our story
well we all got burned that's the way I feel
cause when it's 99 degrees and getting hotter
some people blow their cool and go insane
they'd rather spend a hundred thousand bucks on lawyers
just to be sure that it don't happen here again
o it's a quiet and a peaceful city
when the Mercury is running low
but when it's 99 degrees and getting hotter
I put my wallet in my hands and pray for snow
(it's summertime - don't blush, pretty baby, don't you fry)
This photo may not be as suggestive as this one but I still think it's pretty cool.
Eden Mills, December 2003
A friend of my daughter's went on a foray today with the Mycological Society of Toronto and found some hen of the woods. Also known as Grifola frondosa, Sheep’s Head, Ram’s Head or Maitake it is reputed to be delicious - I haven't verified that yet. NB: don't confuse this with a chicken of the woods.
Guelph, September 2008
What's this Venus de Macondo all about? Hey, that's my photo of Macondo Books in the upper left.
Guelph, August 2008
If you are concerned about the development plans for 'the pits' near Howitt Park you can join the Howitt Park Neighbourhood Residents' Association and help out.
Howitt Park, Guelph, September 2008
If you're up at 7am on Sundays you can catch This Un-Godly Hour - hosted by Greg Denton - an eclectic vintage and contemporary roots music broadcast on CFRU 93.3 FM Campus and Community Radio in Guelph.
If you rose at a godly hour you can still download today's show 'Understanding Colours" here.
Knights Lumber, Guelph, September 2008
Oxytocin might be the 'love' hormone - it promotes comfort, trust, generosity, bonding - and is released during childbirth, sex and group singing.
Someone is adorning trees along the trail to the river, Guelph, September 2008
While biking to work I came across this fire. There's some video here.
Guelph, September 2008
I'll have to see if Ian can identify these beautiful orange mushrooms we found along the Bridal Veil Falls Trail.
Manitoulin Island, August 2008
While waiting in line for the ferry to Manitoulin I noticed a truck with midway horses and couldn't resist taking a photo. I was not alone. During the short wait I saw four or five others who succumbed as well - including this fellow.
Tobermory, August 2008
Friendly Rich and one of The Lollipop People at The Guelph Jazz Festival. It's not every day you see a jazz performance with banjo and a singer who tears his clothes off.
Guelph, September 2008
The Little White Road
Oh the little white road climbs over the hill,
My feet they must follow, they cannot be still,
Must follow and follow though far it may roam.
Oh little white road you will never come home.
Oh, the hills they are patient and steadfast and wise,
They look over the valleys and up to the skies,
But the little white road scrambles up them and over.
Oh, little white road you are ever the rover.
I fain would go with you right down to the sea
Where a ship with white sails would be waiting for me,
Go sailing and sailing to strange lands afar
Where deserts and forests and lost cities are.
But when I grew weary of my gypsying ways
I'd sail home again for to end all my days
In the little grey cottage, beside the grey hill.
But you, little road, would be wandering still
by Thora Stowell
from Herbert Strang's book One Hundred Poems for Children, published in 1925 by Clarendon Press, Oxford
Manitoulin Island, August 2008
View looking south down the 9th line (into the Bighead River valley) from the Bayview Escarpment - part of the Niagara Escarpment.
near Meaford, August 2008
Mmmm. The gum exchange tree on the Cup and Saucer Trail.
Manitoulin Island, August, 2008
