My Westy (aka Helmut)

Brooks Memorial State Park, WA, originally uploaded by pinkcanoe.

When I first moved to the west coast of Canada I had a lovely Subaru Impreza. But since I live close to work and shopping, it sat in the rain the first winter I lived here. I ended up selling and buying a 1984 Volkswagen Westfalia camper van.

It's a wonderful piece of design .. at least the camper part of it. There's a small refrigerator and propane stove as well as lots of storage. Plus an upper and a lower bed. I sleep like a log in the camper. I occasionally wonder if there's a carbon monoxide leak somewhere but since I never sleep with the engine running I'm probably safe.

Living with a 1984 piece automobile can be challenging. I've had a number of things repaired and one breakdown where the water pump died and the engine overheated quite quickly. Still, one is always left wondering what might happen next. Last week I tried to open the side door and nothing happened. The handle moved up and down but the door remained shut. It wouldn't open from the inside either. However, a little while later when I was driving through downtown the door opened and slid all the way back all on its own. Yesterday afternoon I decided it was time to take the thing apart and see if I could figure out what was wrong. When I tried to open the door, it opened easily as if nothing had ever been wrong. Another Westy mystery.

Matt Alber

Clearly I have been less than obsessive about posting to this 'blog'.

But yesterday I came across a video by a singer from California named Matt Alber. He used to sing with the all-men choir, Chanticleer but now appears to be pursuing a solo career. He writes most of his own songs which are tender and personal. As a 'pop' singer he still occasionally makes good use of his countertenor voice. His album "Hide Nothing" contains a lovely acoustic version of the song from this video with just guitar and trumpet (flugelhorn?) accompaniment.

Bicycle

Bicycle, originally uploaded by pinkcanoe.

Bicycle

Bicycle, originally uploaded by pinkcanoe.

It occurred to me the other day that I've been riding a bicycle for over 50 years now. I've never not used my bicycle for getting around. (I didn't buy my first car until I was 40.) It's always been a natural thing to get on my bike to go to work, run errands or just enjoy the outdoors.

This particular bike has been with me for over 20 years. I bought it in Toronto in the 1980s. Occasionally I've thought of trading it in but all it needs is a tune-up every two or three years and it just keeps going and going.

Saturday Morning Walk

Saturday Morning Walk, originally uploaded by pinkcanoe.

When I looked out the window this morning, there was brilliant sunshine everywhere. But when the dog and I stepped out for our morning walk we discovered (well, me more than him) a brisk breeze off the water. We had a brisk (chilly and fast) walk and then headed away from the water for wind protection on the side streets leading towards home.

Environmental Concerns

Sign 2, originally uploaded by pinkcanoe.

OK, a steel balloon. But as we know, steel balloons are easily punctured.

Lunar Eclipse - Feb 20-08

Lunar Eclipse - Feb 20-08, originally uploaded by pinkcanoe.

I almost missed last night's lunar eclipse. I thought it was cloudy outside but when I took the dog for his evening walk I discovered there wasn't a single cloud in the sky (unusual for Victoria in February). Lots of people alone or in little groups all around the neighbourhood. I saw one guy taking a picture with his cell phone. This was the best I could do with a 10X zoom ... the moon was probably just a dot on his photo.