Olympic Mountains

Olympic Mountains, originally uploaded by canoe too.

One of the many pleasures of living in Victoria, British Columbia is the views of Washington State and the Olympic Mountains to the south. Often, especially during the winter, the views are obscurred by fog and heavy, low lying cloud. But around the this time of year, a walk to the Dallas Road area is rewarded with views like this.

Bikes and the Blue Bridge

The city of Victoria has a beautiful natural harbour. At a narrow gap, there are two bridges crossing the harbour to Vic West and the city of Esquimalt. (You'd never know you were in a separate city but that's a story for another post.)

These two bridges are side by side. One is for vehicles and pedestrians and the other is a rail bridge that also has a path for bicycles and pedestrians. A short while ago the city decided that the rail bridge was unsafe for the single car passenger train that used the bridge a couple of times a day. At the same time they decided it was no longer safe for bicycles and pedestrians.

I find it fascinating that within a few days a bridge can go from being able to support a many ton train to being unsafe for a few pounds of pedestrians and cyclists. But that's what's happened. I'm sure the bridge IS unsafe. However, it seems a bit over the top to restrict commuter use by cyclists and folk on foot. Couldn't city engineers have checked the bridge every few days to make certain it wasn't about to fall into the harbour suddenly?

And so the rail bridge sits in its fully raised position until it's torn down sometime in 2012 to make way for a new bridge that won't include rail.

Joaquin (Joaco) Teran - Slow Down

A video from the talented guy noted below.

Busker from Argenina

Busker from Argenina, originally uploaded by canoe too.

Accordion and Piano, you say

A whole album of music for accordion and piano. A bit of a tough sell I suppose. And I wasn't sure that it could be taken all in one sitting. But this collection of pieces by the comtemporary Italian composer Nicola Campogrande is a delight. There's plenty of variety among the pieces—various dance like pieces often with a latin feel—that it never becomes tiresome. The two performers play with great musicality. Another great find (for me) at emusic.

Dog Goggles

dog goggles, originally uploaded by fuffer.

This couldn't be more true. I meet many people when I'm out with the dog who know HIS name but I'm sure don't know mine.

 

Earlier this week I watched the 80th birthday celebration for Stephen Sonheim. It was a concert with the New York Philharmonic and a who's who of broadway stars that took place last March and was broadcast earlier this month.

There were some marvellous performances. Perhaps the highlight of the concert was the set with Bernadette Peters, Patti LuPone, Audra MacDonald, Marin Mazzi, Donna Murphy and Elaine Stritch. All six sat on stage while the others performed classic Sondheim songs. It was interesting to watch their apparent enjoyment of their colleagues' work.

I have not always been a great fan of Patti Lupone but her performance of The Ladies Who Lunch was stunning. And Donna Murphy aced Leave You starting quietly still seated and gradually increasing the intensity until the last word when a single strand of hair came loose and fell over her face. Every time I see her perform I wonder how Audra MacDonald can bear acting on that insipid soap opera of a TV show The Practice (I suppose it pays very well). She is a marvel and sang the complicated The Glamourous Life from A Little Night Music flawlessly. When I first saw 85 year old Elaine Stritch I was a bit alarmed at how frail she looked (we're all getting older). But when she sang I'm Still Here she seemed to summon reserves of strength and it was clear that her ability to put a song across, even if mostly spoken, was still there.

But one of the great pleasures for me was discovering baritone Nathan Gunn. Having googled him I see that he has a long list of opera credits. He has a beautiful voice with perfect enunciation. It doesn't hurt that he's quite handsome.

All this Sondheim brought back a swath of memories of 1970's Toronto where I discovered this music for the first time. My friends and I were mad about these scores eagerly awaiting each new Sondheim recording and buying the music scores for singing around the piano.