Pre-Prairie Departure Packing Blues: Monday, July 21st!

One must be drenched in words, literally soaked in them, to have the right ones form themselves into the proper patterns at the right moment. -Hart Crane, poet (1899-1932) 

Carrot Clarinet Quite Amazing: http://www.youtube.com/embed/BISrGwN-yH4

Why go to the Folk Festival when you can listen to the carrot clarinet in the comfort of your own home? Ray

Nadienka Wyss

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  Patrick James Dunn Wonderful panorama! Sky at Jericho Beach, Main Stage, Vancouver Folk Fest, Saturday evening!

Hi Raymond, et al! Thoroughly enjoyed the Carrot Clarinet! However, in answer to your question, one needed to attend Folk Festival in order to take in session with Dulsori , a Korean percussion ensemble, using kale as the skin for their drums and gongs! Beauty is that you can eat the tenderized kale once skin needs to be replaced!!! Other benefit to attending was all the babes there. Lucky Big Al wasn't around, on his bike, or else he would have probably had a number of serious accidents!

The Bohemian

Art: William-Adolphe Bouguereau, 1890

Saw Mark and Susan Tanner yesterday and had a quick catch-up with Mark. Susan was just back from Nova Scotia, visiting, I presume, the daughter who is in Coast Guard training there. The family leave for Whitehorse in next little while to scatter Mark's father's ashes there, as well as other camping/wilderness activities, I gather. Mark is then off for Nova Scotia himself, once back and probably won't return to Vancouver until late September, early October, if I have the chronology right.

At any rate, he hadn't heard from Giorgio since a day or so before he de-camped to Galiano. Not sure about Internet access there and perhaps Whirlygig hasn't mastered the art of the smoke signal yet! Missed wishing him farewell, ourselves, as I'm sure he was more than busy with frantic last minute packing. Drove by the house on 2nd on Friday afternoon, on way to dropping off Cora Lee at Folk Fest , and a host of items on curb in front of house so either no room for them or no longer wanted. Anyway, trust he will surface at some point.

Ayn P Looks like the parents had fun at the Vancouver Folk Festival...see you in Winnipeg!

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  David Kessler It's wonderful to remember our visit to the Festival with you two years back. I hope you had some fabulous musical groups and no rain!
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  Nadienka Wyss The fittest Host Parentos I've ever had! (The only ones as well..)
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  Douglas Jameson And Joan Baez called in sick to the Vancouver Festival!
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  Bart Fisher Such a cute photo!
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  Patrick James Dunn Actually, this photo was taken in Penticton, after I completed the 160 km Granfondo!

Involved with our own "frantic packing" packing today as hope/plan to leave no later than 6:00 am tomorrow morning, (car fully loaded beforehand), as we want to be in Calgary by 6:00 pm, to stay with friend Jan, as it happens, just around the corner from The Kensington Wine Market! Will stuff wine and malt between all of paintings were are taking to Falcon for Dusty's first international art exhibition! At least an 11 hour drive, all going well.
 

Island of Capri

In case I don't have a chance to send further messages before we hit the road, enjoy the rest of the summer. I'll probably be in touch from Falcon, reporting on the un-winnable war against mosquitoes, as well as rides there. Hoping to do some pre-Whistler Granfondo training there, 100 km-140 km rides, bugs allowing, on mainly flat, quiet roads, although wind can be fiercer than the bears looking for blueberries! Cheers, Patrizzio!

Pics: Amanda Mulholland, Great Lake Swimmers; two hippie chicks from Galiano; Chloe's Grade IV teacher; Sarge "pulling a Raymondo"; Sarika with Cora Lee and Sylvia. We discovered Sylvia and Sarika knew each other. I first me Sarika when she worked as a Student Assistant in Circulation at UBC's Main Library. Sylvia is married to Raymond, friend I used to play squash with. Now we cycle together. Famiglia Keating with friend, Diane.

View from balcony

Hello, I am away and will have intermittent access to email until September 2.
Have a good summer, Cordially, S. 

Hi Patrick, It was great running into you! How nice to see the connections between such different groups of friends. I love your accounts of travels and activities- I remember them from before. Please keep me in the loop. I love your picture of the red- haired musician. Happy travels! Sarika  

Hi Debra and Eric! How delightful to be re-united! Hope former Upper Kits denizens will have a chance to get together once we are back from Manitoba in late August. Fondestos from Cora Lee to you both. Cheers, Patrizzio!
 

Sofia Loren's villa. Almalfi Coast

Pics: I first met Sarika when she worked as a Student Assistant in Circulation at UBC's Main Library.  Officious Volunteers! Friends, Fionna and Adrian, with his two sons, from Cortez. Adrian mentioned that he had driven by 2882 on way to FF that morning. He sat beside me at Stage 5 and I didn't realize it was him at first until Fionna joined him and I recognized his profile. Initially, I was concentrating on Oh My Darling, (all Winnipeg female group, Ayn!), performing at the time; Chloë this past Thursday. She popped by to pick up inflatable mattresses for weekend on Saturna. No wonder Corinne celebrated her 67th this past Saturday! "Where did all my baby chicks go?"

wow - our resident photographer taking advantage of any op with great pics!  off to Hornby but will keep in touch when we get there.  Have an amazing time at the reunion - hug the adult kids and let them know we would love more news! we'll get together for sure after August vacations. Stay well and enjoy! Deb

Gayle enjoying local delicacy in town of Almalfi

Hi Corrine. So we are in Manitoba having so much fun already. Bruno would like to be heading out on Monday the 28th. Would it work to come on the 27th to falcon lake?  If that is the day of the big party, no worries. We could just skip the visit this time. If we do come would you have a place for us to sleep for one night?  We have sleeping bags and pillows. Hope we can see you! Bye. Thanks, Carol.  

Hi Carol, that would be fine. The party is the following weekend. We have a wedding shower (mom and me) in Winnipeg but will be back for dinner. Patrick will be there. Come around 5 for dinner and night. Love to see the two of you and return your socks! Hugs Corinne

Greek Steps Capri

Hi Adrian! Terrific to see you and meet Fionna and see the sleeping babes! Just a quick note as we've scads of things to do to get ready for tomorrow's trip. Fondestos to you both. Cheers, Patrizzio!

Picks: Folk Fest; pre-training malt in Naramata; Before/After Granfondo! 

Hi Karen: Trust you are well. I apologize for taking so long to send these readings along. Have listed them in attachment. I would also like to say a few words about my Mother and Father during the service. I'll let you suggest the order of the readings and when might be best to speak. A very close, life-long friend of both my parents, Vera Keys, will attend ceremony. I might ask her to share the reading with Chloë if she would like to do so. I'll be in touch with her once we first arrive in Winnipeg and see how she feels about this. I assume we can always make this slight change to the order of service, at the time of the reading in question.
 

On the Terrace of Hotel

Please let me know if everything, as outlined, seems fine. Will be in touch, obviously, before ceremony, as to where to meet at Chapel Lawn, etc. I hope to stop by at the cemetery on Friday, July 25th, en route to Falcon, to finalize these details. Thanks again. Fondestos from Cora Lee. Cheers, Patrizzio!

Hi Cora Lee: If these are not suitable, I'll take a few more! Cheers, Patrizzio! 

Dear ICBC: On Monday, July 14th, my vehicle, (2007 Ford Escape, 4DRSW, Gas-Electric Hybrid, 512 AEN), suffered a major electrical system failure necessitating a tow from Princeton to Coastal Ford in Vancouver. I would like to know if I am eligible for any coverage under my Roadstar package. My BCAA coverage only allowed a hook-up/loading and 5 km of towing distance. The remaining towing charges amounted to $804.38. Let me thank you, in advance, for any help/information you can provide. Cheers, Patrick Dunn. Stats for ride:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/546767084#.U9RcE2xG5KQ.email

Hi Patrick! So how did the bike race go? I hope you did us oldies proud!! We have just returned from a fabulous week in Italy. I do like their chaotic way of life where laws and rues are considered mere suggestions and European health and safety legislation is more or less ignored. Life used to be like this in England in my youth but we have become such a nanny state over the years!

We were based in Sorrento. A very nice hotel (Hotel Aminta) about a 15 minute walk with terrific views over Sorrento and the bay of Naples. It was a busy week with tours each day to Capri (quite lovely) a drive along the Almalfi coast to the town of Almalfi and Revello and, of course visit to Hurculaneum, Pompei and the archeological museum at Naples. We also walked to the top of Vesuvius. A very busy but enjoyable week. The weather was typically Mediterranean, hot and sunny.
 

We met two  very nice couples at the hotel, also from the west country, Chris and Linda from Torquay and Alan and Margaret from Bristol. We ended up having dinner with them most evenings after cocktails on the hotel terrace!

We are now back home for a couple of weeks before heading to Southampton to look after Tris for a week while Marnie spends the week on research for her Phd.

Gayle and I will be taking the bikes up to the Camel Valley tomorrow. Hopefully this time we can finish the complete trail without getting any punctures. Im sure we will still manage a stop off at Camel Valley winery for a glass of wine and some olives!
 

Meeting up with the sisters on Wednesday for coffee at Trellisick to catch up and a walk around the gardens. Brian can't manage long walks these days because of his emphysema. We will then have a bit of lunch at the restaurant.

Steve and Gudrun are heading off to Switzerland shortly for a holiday so doubt if we will have time to see them before they leave. Will have to catch up with them when they return.

Do hope all is well in Vancouver. Looks like you have been enjoying a good bit of hot weather so far this summer. Hope it continues into September.

Chloe Alexis Dunn

I Saturna Island. — with Strips O. Bacon, Dani Lee, Mark Cothey, Mathew Levenson, Krissy Seymour and Lillie Greenwood.LikeLike 

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  Patrick James Dunn Lovely, lovely snaps! Did you enjoy the weekend? We certainly had a blast at the Folk Fest!

  
  
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  Chloe Alexis Dunn Yes it was great. Just about to dock on the mainland will call you. Weather was hot and water was chilly but gorgeous!!! Great time and crazy good food, booze and friends!!

Have been catching up with the Tour. Both our British hopefuls, Froome and Cavendish are out. Froome had three crashes very early in the tour and Cav crashed and dislocated his shoulder. The unpredictability of the Tour de France! I guess thats what makes it so exciting.

Have attached a few pictures from the trip. Best wishes Derek


Hi Folks, Hope this finds you both in good health and sipping on a glass of chilled wine as you cope with the heat and smoke?  And just now the news talked about the massive shut down of the train system again today.   Sure glad I went to Alaska when I did. The Rocky Mountaineer will have a hard time running this summer.

I have just returned from a 2 week Baltic cruise. What a fantastic trip. I sure do miss Aunty Mary now. It would have been so nice to hear her Russian stories now that I have been. It has been a year already that she passed away. How quickly time passes the older we get.

Looks like I went to St Petersburg at the right time. With all the trouble in the Ukraine with this downed airliner one never knows when our govt will restrict travel to Russia.

I am back to work at Shanna 's farm as the minister of agriculture.   A fancy title and little to no pay but oh how good the beans taste right from plant to pot!  They have about 20 sheep, 5 vows and 6 Peking ducks. 30 chickens have already gone to slaughter last week with the biggest weighing in at 9 lbs.   This particular type of chicken has no personality and just eats and eats. They have to be watched closely as they are susceptible to heart attacks so the goal is to send them off to slaughter in 8 weeks. The raccoons are showing their presence by eating a few bites of a cob of corn then moving on to another. Will have to put up fencing tomorrow before they destroy the entire crop. Broccoli and cauliflower have not done well but oh my do we have turnip. I draw the line at sitting at a veg stand at the end of the driveway.

Ken's niece from New Westminster came with her husband to Toronto for Michael's celebration of life.   She is married to a judge living in Bellingham Washington.  She managed to come to Toronto and visit her parents in Oakville which is an hr from a Toronto.  Her mother (Ken's sister)  has been in a nursing home for the past 6 years confined to bed unable to move or talk with a very debilitating brain disease.  She will be 65 in sept.  For now, the niece has to be content with travelling to and from Bellingham and keeping track of how often she crosses the border. If she were to apply and get a green card there is an idiotic rule that she is unable to come back to Canada for 18 months,  this is certainly not practical given the unstable condition of her mom.

Have you been away lately? Well I should head off to bed shortly. Take care and thanks for your e-cards from time to time. They are most enjoyable. Simone
 
Stats for today's ride: 

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/546767084#.U82tXj2VKxk.email/546767084#.U82tXj2VKxk.email 

Sitting with some cheese and a 2007 L'Ecole 41 Merlot. Delicious, and reminiscing about our trips in the 90's and beyond..What a change in the area.
Already found some great new wines, so will look forward to sharing with you down the road. At a great B&B in the hills about 10 Kms from Woodward Canyon for 2 nights.

Dinner here tomorrow, but had to fend for ourselves tonight. Found a great store (Yokes) in Richland after tasting at Barnard Griffin and Bookwalter.
Picked up an organic roasted chicken and a few salads and cheeses from their amazing deli ( recommended by tasting rooms). Also a fabulous NW wine section. Lurch in the shower after our swim in the pool. Next up, a mainly Cab Franc from Woodward Canyon, $20.00 , and stunning. Like the old days with their " table wine" at $12.00.

2 more days here, then off to Yakima via Prosser etc before heading home. Say hello to everyone, and we'll see you again soon!Thanks again for the night at the Island Inn- lot's of fun!! Cheers, Grog & Lurch

Hello Patrick, As you know I am very easy with how we go about the service.  Please give me a call as well once you in the province and we can over how it will work.  I think you intend this to be graveside, so our biggest problem might well be weather.  It sound to me like there may be quite a few people to gather.  Clara and Dusty gave me the material from your mother's funeral service, so I have met her in that way, and I will continue to come to know her through you as we share in this.  Thanks, Patrick, take care, Karen 

http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2014/jul/21/the-10-best-books-of-the-year-so-far1

Pat, I knew you'd have a rejoinder to the carrot clarinet. Thanks for the photos. Good to see everybody looking so well and obviously enjoying the entertainment. Enjoy your trip and drive carefully. Ray