Bacchae 2.1

Mike and I had the weekend to ourselves and spent an embarrassing amount of time fiddling with paper mache. Mike said "crafting" in a somewhat derogatory way, but noooo, we are  not crafting. We are creating ART (ha ha!). I will post some pics of what we are doing. I found information online on how to make eyes from Fimo clay. They turned out surprisingly well; though I need to practise a bit. I will do a write up about the paper mache creations. For documentation purposes, of course.

On Friday night we decided to see a play at UBC; Bacchae 2.1 by Charles Mee (based on the play by Euripides. Here's the write-up:

"Expect the unexpected from Charles Mee’s richly poetic creation The Bacchae 2.1. In addition to Euripides’ classic Greek tragedy, the script draws from German literary theorist Klaus Theweleit’s Male Fantasies, Valerie Solanas’ The S.C.U.M. Manifesto and Joan Nestle’s Lesbian Herstory Archives. All find their place in Euripides’ theatrical celebration of the god Dionysus, set in a world both ancient and modern. WARNING EXPLICIT CONTENT"

Sounded kind of interesting and the tickets were cheap and it's fun to go see a play. A couple of weeks ago we went to see a play at the Cultch; "All That Fall" by Samuel Beckett. It was very enjoyable and made us want to see more plays. Something I used to do many years ago in my student theatre days.

So we didn't quite know what to expect, despite the warning of explicit content. It was, well, quite unexpected. Very heavy dialogue and long, complicated soliloquies by the principal actors; Dionysus and Pentheus. It would be difficult for me to go into a long explanation. Children might read this. What was, I suppose, mildly shocking was the long lists of "pleasures" that the actors describe. And what goes on in the Dionysian colony of women. The language was full of explicit sexual fantasy and desire, straight, gay, lesbian etc. you name it, it was in there. I found myself glancing sideways at Mike, who was sitting on my left, and trying to make a kind of apology with my eyes for bringing him along to such a strange production. There were some moments when it was quite funny and even the fact of us sitting there and watching it on our 'night out' seemed a little strange. It wasn't that we were blushing, it was just, well, strange.

There were audience members sitting in the row behind us and we caught snatches of their conversation; obviously two older couples getting together for dinner and theatre. (When I say 'older'...older than us). During the play we heard one man behind us whisper in disbelieve as a character described some male fantasy, "He's sick, that guy". We had to stifle a chuckle. At the end of the play, the same man remained in his seat and was shaking his head saying, "That was disgusting, disgusting!" A woman in their group felt the need to vindicate herself, "Well, I can't take the blame for this one, " she said.

That said it was well acted and all the young cast did a great job and carried along the heavy script which was a little didactic, as Mike mentioned, because he uses words like "didactic". But it did feel like we were supposed garner some moral instruction from the play. I don't think we did. But it was a bit different from the usual and that made for an interesting evening. It took me back to my student days when me, and my fellow Theatre Arts peers would take ourselves (and theatre) incredibly seriously. We worked earnestly on experimental theatre. We even created a play, "The Cry of the Nerve"...which was an experimental ramble about a man going mad (of course!) and feeling alienated and alone in a world in which he didn't feel he belonged. Production involved a sparse set, improvised 'lines', actors all in grey pajamas, masks on sticks, the sound effect of a loud foetal heart beat, and all bathed in red light. I think we used a bit of scaffolding as well. Strangely enough, we didn't sell many tickets and the play was lost and forgotten. For the best, I suppose.

Looking for Dinosaurs - Drumheller and Dinosaur Park

This update is out of sequence. I am recalling a trip to South-western Alberta that Bronwyn and I took back in July. We were fulfilling a life-long (all 8 years) dream of Bronwyn's. It was such a fun trip and Bronwyn has remembered every detail and talks about it often. And so I feel I must record it here. Also, I enjoy recording trips that we have made.

We left for Calgary on July 17, arrived in the morning and went straight to pick up a rental car, ready for a whirlwind tour of South Western Alberta. Bronwyn has always wanted to see the desert and go were the dinosaurs once roamed. So instead of a trip back to the UK, which we couldn't really afford, we decided on a trip to Drumheller to see the Royal Tyrell Museum and the badlands. Not quite desert, but close enough.

We flew into Calgary, which is a short, easy, hop on the plane. We got our rental car (about half an hour from the airport) and headed out in search of our motel, the Super 8 on Crowchild Trail. Calgary at first glance seemed like a mess of highways and I didn't have a clue where we were going. The GPS on my phone was not helping (and was proving distracting and, well, dangerous) and I am not used to driving a car (we have our VW van). So we lurched every time I tapped on the breaks of the Toyota Corolla...the vehicle that would take us on our next 1000km. After a number of wrong turns, we arrived at our motel - more by accident than good management. The Super 8 motel seemed like something out of a (low budget) movie. I've never stayed in a motel before. It was pretty cheap; holes in the towels, worn out paint and stained covers on the beds. There was a small swimming pool in the parking lot, and this was enough to make it a luxury hotel for Bronwyn. Had breakfast in the small lobby the following morning and overhead an angry guest complaining about the live ammunition he'd found in his bathroom. No live guns or ammunition in our bathroom that I was aware of.

Next stop Drumheller. We stopped off at Horseshoe canyon ...

Horseshoe Canyon

Then headed to the Royal Tyrell Museum. This museum is spectacular. Above and beyond our expectations and deserves all the accolades that one hears about it. It is really one of a kind. So many dinosaurs all in one place. Amazing. I tried to get some good pics, but I neglected to bring my 50mm and it's really low light. Bronwyn was fascinated (as was I) and got to go on a 'dig' with a group of other kids. Then she chased the groundhogs that are scurrying about, diving in and out of holes, everywhere you look. I realised that I had mixed up groundhogs and beavers. I thought groundhogs were the size of beavers and vice-versa...who knew? (Oh, just the rest of the world).

Stayed in the 'bustling' town of Drumheller. Kind of depressing, as were quite a few of the small towns we passed through. I asked the guy in the liquor store (who was from Coquitlam) what it was like to live in Drumheller. "You can make a bit of money and save it," he said, "'cos there's nowhere to spend it." Deserted streets and run-down buildings, seemingly lost in time and stuck in some kind of 50-60s loop. Mind you, I think if you wanted to be a hobo and hop on a train it would be easy to do from one of those small towns. Come to think of, that's probably what the whole town did...the young folk anyway.

Junk cars make homes for cats and kittens; just outside our room. Bronwyn was, of course,
enchanted by the kittens...

After Drumheller, we drove on towards Dinosaur Park. We stopped part way at a couple of small towns. Had a lunch on a bench in the tiny cemetery of a small town named Dorethea. There were an alarming number of graves for infants and  young children. We got to Dinosaur Park at around 6:30 in the evening. We stayed at the Lakeview Inns and Suites in a place called Brooks. Luxury compared to the previous  couple of nights.

Hard to get a good shot of Dinosaur Park that can do justice to the scale and beauty of it. We spent a few hours hiking around and about the trails - it was pretty hot. Anyway, it is well worth a visit. It is spectacular...miles of flat prairie and then an abrupt and amazing change in the landscape. It was the sudden change in the landscape that I liked best and looked forward to (we visited a couple of times).

Lots of driving on long, straight roads with very little traffic. Some of the landscape was reminiscent of Lincolnshire; hilly and green with largely deciduous trees. Long grass and fenced off fields; here and there, large bright yellow patches of rapeseed (Canola oil is the more polite term, I guess).
 
The next day we were due to head to Lethbridge and go to Head-Smashed in Buffalo Jump. But we had such a good time the previous day at Dinosaur Park that we headed back there again. this time we dared to do what other people were doing and explored and climbed the strange peaks. The views from the top were fantastic. We hiked around for a couple of hours and then got in the car to head to Lethbridge.

Head-smashed in..Buffalo Jump. Interesting and Bronwyn liked it...but I think it could be done better. The Blackfoot could use a few tips from other museums and interpretive centres (e.g. the Moa). In fact, it isn't a patch on the MoA. But then...I guess it's not really the same thing. It was very interesting, particularly if you're an ignorant person from Europe who knows little about Canadian history. I did not know about the buffalo jumps; that they didn't even happen every year, but only when perfect conditions existed, or what was necessary to have a successful buffalo jump. The kind of resourcefulness that the people needed. I had no idea that tourist would just shoot buffalo from trains for the fun of it...or the extent to which they were slaughtered just for their hides, while the rest was left to rot. I also had no idea that their bones were then harvested and excavated for fertilizer and fine china so the English could have a cup of tea. Doh...why did I think it was called 'bone china'!

Stayed overnight in Lethbridge. It was the weekend of the International Lethridge Air Show and so the motel was busy. We stayed at another cheap motel "Canada's Best Value Inn, equipped with an extremely suspect swimming pool...lots of random bits floating about. There was also the addition of strange men with large stomachs drinking beer in the pool and radiating 'odd' vibes. Bronwyn didn't want to go to the pool until said men left. Fortunately they soon did. Bronwyn had a good time in the pool. I find it difficult to get used to tiny pools that are in parking lots...beside highways, I am funny that way.

Last pic: Bronwyn annoying the hell out of fellow travellers by repeatedly winding the tin-plane sculpture at the airport gate...crraaaaaackkk, crrraaaccckkk, crrraaaccckkk, as we waited to board our plane. I noticed that people were beginning to twitch and suggested she gave it a rest.

Bronwyn talks about the trip a lot...and it really was memorable. We'll try to do something similar next year - maybe down the Oregon Coast.

Ride to Stanley Park

Bronwyn and I went on a great bike-ride last Saturday. It was our first relatively long bike-ride since we got her new bike. She did so well! Kept up the whole time, her little legs peddling away. Commenting on the flowers and birds that we passed along the way; "Mummy, did you see those pink flowers that looked hollow inside? What are they called? Hey, I think I just saw a humming bird on that bush. Those little white flowers are beautiful; did you see them, mummy?". We crossed the Burrard Street bridge and she pointing out, with requisite "Awwws", every dog poking its head out of a car window, tongue lolling. We made our way over the bridge and down Beach Ave to Stanley Park. It was Bronwyn's first real ride in traffic. Every other bike ride has been along the beach or around our neighbourhood. But she kept up and we made it to Stanley Park in pretty good time. The clouds began to clear and it promised to be a sunny afternoon. Bronwyn didn't want to stop around English Bay, which can get quite crowded. Small crowds of people were already beginning to make their way down to the beach and the traffic was getting heavy at the end of Denman St. She said it was too busy for her and wanted to go to the "other" part of Stanley Park. So we rode further until we reached Second Beach and we stopped there. We shared an over-cooked veggie dog in a stale bun and shook our heads at tourists who were throwing fries to the numerous crows perched and gathered menacingly around the picnic area.

Second Beach

Bronwyn wanted to play at the playground so we walked over while she finished her ice-cream. Aside from a little swinging to and fro on the monkey bars and a bit of a climbing, the playground didn't seem to offer much to Bronwyn, although she did make quite a good attempt to have fun. Parents sat disconsolately around the perimeter, and I joined them there trying, unsuccessfully, to get some decent pictures. After a while I suggested we head down to the beach. The sun was shining and the temperature was warming up. Bronwyn liked that suggestion and we made our way down to the sand. The tide was out a fair way so Bronwyn was able to walk out and look for crabs under various rocks. There was a small group of kids around 8 or 9 years old also looking for crabs. They would shriek and scream loudly in pure excitement and wonder every time they saw one. One would exclaim, "Wow! This crab is huge, it's the biggest I've ever seen!" and there would shrieks from the other kids. Bronwyn was fascinated by their fascination, and comfortable in her 'beach superiority'. (*eye roll* seriously?). It was as if this was their first trip to the beach, or they certainly don't get to the beach often. One young girl complained bitterly when some sea-water got into her small silver sparkling shoes, "Ohhhh...I'm never coming to the beach again!" she cried. Bronwyn thought that was hilarious.

Nearby, a mother walked with her two small kids. Stopped to read her phone while her kids luxuriated, naked and almost naked, in the warm, wet sand. A young man was sitting among the rocks playing Debussy on his violin. He was quite accomplished and the sound carried beautifully. I know it was Debussy because another man, who sat listening nearby; dressed in black and looking like a biker, asked him what he was playing. I wanted to get in close to take a picture, but there were slippery rocks between me and him and I was distracted by the sound of other music coming from along the sea wall. We turned to see a parade rounding the corner and coming towards Second Beach.

What looked like a small procession in the distance, became, as we approached the revelers, a joyous wedding. Jazz musicians dressed in outlandish and colourful suits and dresses played a spirited number on saxophones, trumpets, trombones, while the wedding guests, dressed in their 'sunday best', laughed and danced. What looked to be the bride or bridegroom's mothers or aunts danced in front of the parade, waving bright red feather boas that left pieces of down scattered along the path. The bride and groom were a radiant young couple and the whole entourage was carnivalesque; a sort of throw-back to what I imagine to be an old fashioned New Orleans type of celebration. I thought wouldn't it be wonderful if these people were all fun, creative friends who decided to just sort of throw this wedding together. "Come and join us and bring your instrument!" But I suspect the musicians are paid to play at weddings and everything is carefully choreographed. Still, it was fun to watch. Now that was a wedding I would have liked to be invited to.

Bronwyn and I packed up and headed home, stopping at Segal's for bagels and chocolate and raspberry rugelach (which were sitting irresistibly on the counter). Again, although she was tired, Bronwyn kept up the whole way. It was a really fun outing! Bronwyn was worn out. When Trini and Lorne took her out for pizza that evening I think Bronwyn nearly fell asleep at the table!

Steveston revisted

Happy slightly belated Easter! The bunny has risen! It was a bit of a weird Easter for us. Mark was struck down with a bad flu on Good Friday and was essentially bed-ridden and unable to function for nearly 6 days. We had a bout of glorious sunny weather and it was the first long weekend since Christmas. This did nothing to help his already flagging spirits. Now River has it, poor little guy.

The kids and I made the best of things and got out to enjoy the weather. On Saturday I took them to Steveston (where we used to live). It is a fabulous place to visit. We began at a trail off the dyke that we call "The Coyote Walk". I have mentioned it before it a secluded trail that takes you along the tidal flats past Scotch Pond to where there used to stand an old cannery. Although it the sun was shining, the wind was quite cold. The old couch we found a while back had been moved to another location and this time the tide was way out.

Scotch Pond

 

A disassembled sitting room

Following the Coyote Walk we decided to walk around Garry Point and explore the different beaches along the way. I love when we find adhoc sculptures and balancing structures along the shoreline.

The kids explored rocks, logs, twigs, sand, and water. The only problem with that section of the Fraser inlet is that it is not safe to swim in. The water is quite polluted with the all the industry going on just further up the Fraser Arm. But it is perfect for a Spring day when it is too brisk to want to swim or go in the water anyway.

Later, we toured the village and, of course, had Fish and Chips at Dave's restaurant. Then the kids wanted to go back to the beach and so we did. We ended up hanging out in Steveston for hours and having a lot of fun.

Catching up...

Here are some pics of things we've got up to recently.

I learned to ski! Well...let's just say I can get down a not-too steep hill with skis on my feet. No points for style, that's for sure. But it's a start. I went to Seymour Mountain with my friend Helen (who kindly lent me some of her ski stuff and guided me through the process). It was a lot of fun. If I'd realised just how much fun it was, I would have done it years (and years) ago.

On the 'slopes'...the flat bit

 I went once again on my own to Grouse Mountain. Quite scary, but I was proud of myself for going. When I first moved to Vancouver I would look across at the mountains; in particular at Grouse Mountain and the ski run that is most visible called, 'The Cut'. It felt great to actually ski down the hill. The scenery was absolutely fantastic. A breathtakingly beautiful day that completely showed the  mountains and the coastline at its best. When I say 'ski', I use that term loosely. Mostly, I was going down with not much clue as to what I was doing, but trying to do it a lot slower. Still a lot of fun and I felt proud of myself for going.

The beautiful view from "The Cut"

From the chair life...spectacular!

Then last week Mark took the day off and we went back up to Grouse. Not quite the same. Blizzard conditions; wind and snow whipping across our faces. The fresh snow was built up so that I found it difficult to do anything at first and was quite dismayed. I kept getting stuck and spent quite a bit of the first part of the trip inspecting the snow up close. Eventually the middle section flattened out a bit and I was able to get in some practice. Mark is a good skier...but was very patient!

View from the chair lift...a week later

 

Mark on 'The Cut"...no view this time

We had a couple of snowy days in the city, but it quickly melted. It is always beautiful while it lasts; the city and beaches transformed by the white blanket and the sunshine.

A snowy walk to school

A trip to the Museum of Anthropology on a rainy Sunday is something I really enjoy doing. The kids love it and, aside from trying to pull River out of the displays, it works out well for us. And it is wonderful to be immersed in all of the Native Art. There was a reel-to-reel recording of an old, perhaps no longer spoken, Native language. River was transfixed by it, as he is all recording devices.

Listening

I went to the symphony with my sister; Mahler #2 (Vancouver Symphony Orchestra). It was very moving and beautiful, but by far the most beautiful part comes at the end when the choir joins in. We had to ward off a giggle-fit; you know, the ones you get in places where you know that you CAN NOT possibly have a giggle fit. My shoulders shook as I silently tried to think of terrible things that would distract me from the quiet joke Trini had made. Not easy. Also, for the first time in years, I went to a real, actual play...an adaptation of Dostoyevsky's "The Idiot". I accompanied our friend, Kyle, to the Fredrick Wood Theatre at UBC. I was a bit worried at first when I saw on the programme that the play was 3 and a half hours long...but it really moved along and was incredibly entertaining. I miss going to plays.

River got an attack of bloody headlice. More combing and laundry...(the laundry...the laundry!). I think we have killed them, until the next outbreak.

Oh...a great weekend in Whistler with my Wendy and other writing buddies. Wendy has a great condo there and invited us to join her...thanks Wendy! We didn't get as much writing done as we planned (I was only there overnight), but it was great to meet up. The plan is to go for longer next year and actually get some stuff done. I took the greyhound bus up to Whistler. It was a beautiful clear day and I thoroughly enjoyed the bus ride; relaxed and lost in thought. I think I'd do the bus-ride again...just go there and back and sit and stare out the window. Write-ins with Wendy are continuing and I think it is well worth doing.

Beautiful views just near Wendy's place in Whistler Creekside

 Also...I have been working on a knitting/dyeing project with Helen. I tried different home-based dyes but the results have not been very satisfactory. Got to try it out again.

Oh yeah...I almost forgot. I GOT A JOB!!! I am going to be working part-time at the preschool located at Bronwyn's school. It is not particularly well paid, but there are a lot of fringe benefits, including not needing childcare. Childcare is an issue; expensive and also River needs extra support in any childcare situation. I know that eventually I will have to cross that bridge, but for now I think this job will work out well. It is a bridge between being a stay-at-home-mum and whatever it is that I do next. I am excited to start working again.

So there we are...a bit of catch up. A bit boring, I know. But sometimes it is all you can do to try and get stuff down.

I want to ride my bicycle...

Last week I got it into my head to ride the approximately 50km from Vancouver to Lighthouse Park and back. I have often gazed across at Lighthouse Park from the Spanish Bank/Arcadia Beach shore and wondered how long it would take to bike there (without thinking that I actually would bike there). But I wanted to do something different on a Sunday, something that would take some time and that would be a to challenge myself. "Bike to Lighthouse Park!" I said to myself. It's far but there are quite a few bike paths...and so on Sunday that is what I did.

Stanley Park

A beautiful crisp and sunny Fall day; the perfect day for a ride. And it was a wonderful ride. It took me about 1hr and 45mins of riding to get there (I stopped for coffee at a cute place called the 'The Bakehouse' in Dunderave, West Vancouver). The most difficult, or arduous, part of the journey was the Stanley Park causeway; a long, slow climb to Lion's Gate Bridge.

On the bridge, heading to West Van

Looking East from Lion's Gate Bridge

The last part of Marine Drive, towards Lighthouse Park, is also a slow climb and a very narrow (sometimes scary) road to cycle. But I made it.

Beautiful trails

I walked through a trail (Arbutus Trail, I think) and found myself at Eagle Point, a perfect place to sit quietly, look out over to Vancouver and rest. It was warm and sunny by this time and so I spent some time sitting and thinking.

A beautiful place to sit with a fabulous view

The ride back took about the same time. It was pretty easy going really, aside from the actual distance. The toughest part of the way back was the climb up the first half of Lion's Gate Bridge, but once I reached the top I could basically free-wheel all the way to the end of Stanley Park. There and back I bike past Lost Lagoon in Stanley Park and along the seawall to the Burrard Street bridge. Most of the route consists of bike lanes and paths, with most of the paths being scenic and well away from the busy roads, which is fabulous and way different than I expected.

Lion's Gate from the West Van. seawall

I was a little sore, but mainly because I slipped on a rock and landed on my hip. As well, yesterday, my "iffy" shoulder (the one I previously had calcified tendonitis in) was acting up and I think it could have been due to the ride. Still, I really enjoyed the ride. Lighthouse Park is so beautiful and such a wonderful place to sit on a sunny day. I felt great to have done the ride. Go me..where to next?!

Heading to Stanley Park and home