Sisters and other Family

Here are two of the new necklaces I made with the raku ceramic pendants created by brother-in-law J., a ceramic artist in Oklahoma. Photoshopping courtesy of same artist. Good thing, too. My photography is crap. The pendants are great! Each one has subtle colour differences. I bow to your talent, little brother-in-law.

Good thing my jewellery-making skills are better. I loooove to sit and create pieces of jewellery. I get into the Zone when I do that. Occasionally I glance up at the mountains or look at the sky over English Bay. I'm so focused I don't notice the sound of construction or time passing. After spending several hours at my worktable (doubles as my dining room table) I suddenly hear my stomach growling in hunger and realize I've missed a meal.

Sister D. who has caught the jewel bug from me was telling me she made 10 pieces last Sunday sitting in her sun room and growled at her hubby when he interrupted her. Yay, D. You go, girl. She has sold more pieces than I have. But who's counting.

We had our last tap class until September. We decided to have a hiatus from dancing for the summer. Our feet will enjoy the rest, to say nothing of the relief of our knees. Tappy, tappy makes me happy.

Dearest daughter and wonderful son-in-law took some prenatal classes this past weekend. She reports it was at the same time exhilarating and overwhelming. It is terrific to remember the experience of being a new parent. I just wanted to spend the rest of my life holding her in my arms and looking at her, my precious little girl. I think she's a little too big for that now. It was so humbling to think that this helpless, tiny creature depended on me and her Dad for survival and more than a little scary. Only 45 days till Granddaughter day!!!

Congratulations to grandniece Cheyenne on her graduation day. Thanks to brother-in-law G. for posting pictures. I wish I could have been there. Hugs and kisses to nephew Mike and Char. and all the kids.

I went to the Air Canada website to make a reservation for a trip to Winnipeg, but it is down. I hope it's up and running tomorrow - that's the last day of the seat sale and I really want to go to Manitoba for a couple of weeks in September. Gotta see some old friends.

Take care, all my sisters and brothers out there.

If sisters were free to express how they really feel, parents would hear this: "Give me all the attention and all the toys and send Rebecca to live with Grandma." ~Linda Sunshine

I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones. ~Author unknown, attributed to a 4-year-old named Lauren

Remembering June 14 and Fathers and Daughters

T Here is a picture of Dennis and his daughter. It's my favourite picture of all time. And the other one is me and my dad. Yesterday was Dennis' birthday. He would have been 61. I spent most of the day with my darling daughter and we focused mostly on the future. We watched a couple of movies and played Trivial Pursuit. He was great at TP. The champion.

My daughter also brought the ultrasound video of my granddaughter. The word awesome is overused these days, but really fits here. The pictures of her gulping fluid, making a fist and holding onto her legs can only be described as awesome. Only 56 days until granddaughter day!!!! Yippee!!!

He would have been a terrific grandfather. I will make sure my grandchildren know how wonderful he was.

I remember some of the June 14 birthdays. We often went out for dinner. Once we had a big backyard barbeque. Many of his co-workers came to that one. It was a surprise for him and everyone had a good time. The last few years we often had combination birthday parties with our "Trivial Friends." That's what we called the two couples with whom we played TP. Oh, happy days, long gone.

I continue to make new forms of jewellery. I have made some new pieces with raku pendants Jack sent me from Oklahoma. I will post some pictures when I have them ready. I hope they sell. I received a request from one of darling daughter's friends for a private showing for her and a few of her friends visiting Vancouver. A private showing! Well, lah-di-dah. Have I arrived? It will be fun, anyway.

Brother-in-law Gary and wife Carolyn have set off on their trip to see their son Michael and his family in the interior. Somewhere near Terrace, BC. And they plan a side trip to Calgary and will also stop in Vancouver at the end of the trip. Happy Trails!!

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there. If you still have your father, make sure you tell him how much you love him. I'm thinking about my father who is in a personal care home in Saint John. I remember going to see the first Pink Panther movie with my father. It was the mid sixties and I felt so grown up at about age 14 to be going to a movie with my Dad. We really enjoyed Peter Sellers doing Inspector Clouseau. All the jokes were so predictable and we laughed like fools anyway. And I remember Dennis introducing our daughter to the joys of Pink Panther humour. It's nice to know the best things never go out of style. Love to all fathers. And fathers-to-be, my dear. I wish you all the joys of the father-daughter bond.

There's something like a line of gold thread running through a man's words when he talks to his daughter, and gradually over the years it gets to be long enough for you to pick up in your hands and weave into a cloth that feels like love itself. ~John Gregory Brown, Decorations in a Ruined Cemetery, 1994

Interruptions, Intrusions, Disruptions, Blockings, Detours, Delays, Reroutings, and a Suspension

I phoned a friend in Manitoba a few days ago and our conversation was interrupted by a siren that was going down Davie Street, then a very loud Harley motorcycle and I know she was thinking: what a noisy place. How can she live there? The West End really is a happening place. And noisy. But I seldom lose sleep because of noise any more. Adapting to the climate here is only part of the challenge.

Speaking of noise, there is construction going on right beside my apartment building. They are building a 20 condo unit next door. The loud noises of construction drive me out of the block often in the daytime. Today there was a concrete pour and they were out there working overtime smoothing it out with those noisy machines that look like gigantic fans on their sides. They were still intruding on "So You Think You Can Dance" right up until it ended at ten PM!! It's not enough that they make enough noise to drive me away all day - they ruined my evening. There oughta be a law. Actually, I think there is, but I'm not sure what hours they have to quit making noise.

And English Bay has already been quite disrupted by the upcoming triathlon. A whole raft of tents and a huge grandstand is blocking my view of the beach. Some streets and sidewalks have already been blocked off. On Sunday, the day of the actual race, the sidewalks and Davie Street will be totally blocked off along with a few other streets. I remember last year getting delayed on the other side of the street and not being able to get back home after my workout.

I have seen some competitors trying out the course on their bikes and some swimmers practising in English Bay. I could never have tried anything like that. You gotta admire the athletes. For me a triathlon might be a workout on the stationary bike at my gym, a walk to Stanley Park and a six-hour shift windexing the showcases at London Drugs. Har har!

The last two days have also seen a film crew working at a restaurant around the corner. This happens often in this city. I remember seeing a crew filming Night for Day on Granville Street once on my way to tap dance class. There was also some filming at the Bus and Train Station. It was for the upcoming X-Files movie. Films are always allowed to disrupt almost anything here. Buses are rerouted, trailers park in non-parking zones and pedestrians are detoured around film crews. I read that tourism is down, so I guess filming must be encouraged to keep the economy afloat. There are always so many people involved in filming (why do they all wear headphones) , but so far I haven't seen any stars working on a film here.

As I got off a bus today I heard a youthful voice singing "Amazing Grace." I looked down the street and there was a young (about 14 years old) person of indeterminate sex sitting on the sidewalk with an empty coffee cup beside her (him). She (he)sported a shaved head and a coverall about two sizes too large. The feet were encased in scruffy sneakers. The voice was not well-trained, but the singer sounded sincere. I figured anybody who actually knew all the words of "Amazing Grace" should be rewarded. So I temporarily suspended my policy of not giving money to panhandlers and dropped a loonie in the cup. I was rewarded with a smile of pure joy. Ya gotta love the West End. In spite of all its disturbances, delays and impediments it's alive and vibrant.

Had a great time in Victoria for three days. It was so quiet I found it hard to get to sleep! Thanks to Gary for posting the pictures on his blog.

The closest you will ever come in this life to an orderly universe is a good library. - Ashleigh Brilliant