Mighty Colourful Pavilion at the Museum

Edmonton Silver Skate Festival 2009

An Update On the Horn

I took the inherited trumpet (to two separate places) to see if I could get it fixed. Both had similar diagnoses. The first thing I learned is that it is not a trumpet at all but rather a coronet. Secondly it would take upwards of $300 to get it in playable condition. In some types of instruments, this is well worth it. As the coronet in my possession is not a well known maker, it is simply not worth it. Another thing I learned is that it is from earlier than 1930. One fellow said it mimics styles more commonly found on a coronet from the 1880s. In the process of inspection, the mouthpiece was removed, so at least enjoyment can be had by "buzzing" away on it. I think it will make a good bit of artwork one day!

See the Sky??

A note to all mighty Albertans... these photos were taken in Victoria BC.  Yes, it was indeed sunny. As a matter of fact it did not rain once the entire time I was there.

The Valentimes Day Spectacular!

Last Saturday Gones, Quinn, Zoe, and Shanna made the trek to the land of the rich hippies- Saltspring Island. It started with a blustery ferry ride, in which Quinn drank coffee to stay warm, the girls took shelter in the car, and I attempted to take a picture of a sleeping hippie...

We arrived safely at the harbour and drove across the island to Mount Maxwell. Ol' Max was covered in snow and the roads proved too treacherous and we had to back down. In Ganges, we stopped to eat at Barb's Buns. It was the most delicious smoked salmon alfredo I had ever had. Q however was not impressed...We wandered around the shops, shooting photos and perusing the goods. I stooped to take a picture of some scrumptious looking organic apples and was informed by a passerby that "they're just apples!" The free things we obtained on our journey were a vinyl record/frisbee and some tasty tea (Gones and I both bought some later). At the wharf, we took in the blue and red rowboat and the naked mermaid statue. Q and Z attempted to make it PG by promoting peace. Unfortunately Q placed his boot in some brown sticky stinky stuff in the process. Uncomfortable moments followed...

After the mess was cleaned up we headed off to Ruckle Park for the rocky beach experience. We saw a tide pool that had collected a great deal of sea life, including a huge yellow (painted?) anemone, an red beaded anemone, a sea star and plenty of rosy bryozoan.

After we made it back to Victoria, we drove to the top of Mount Douglas. Halfway up, a very creepy character was standing in the bushes, his hands up as if grasping a steering wheel. So spooked were we that we all agreed that if he was standing in the road when we came down, we weren't stopping. Thankfully he wasn't, because I would hate to have a hit and run on my conscience. We then had a lovely dinner at Il Terrazzo, which was only tainted by the homeless guy urinating right where we had to walk. All in all it was a very enjoyable day.

I Inherited a Trumpet?

So I have an interesting story to share before I go to bed. I was in Victoria this weekend and I happened to enter a antique store. This one specializes in WWI and WWII artifacts. Some marching drums (see Coldplay's latest music videos) caught my eye, and since I am somewhat a collector of odd and interesting musical and percussion instruments, I inquired inside. Upon my announcement of my collection, I was presented with a broken trumpet. Engraved on the horn is "The Marine Band Model -B&J N.Y." I could not find an obvious date any where on the instrument. It is in very rough shape and it appears as if it was dropped from a ten story window. Two of the plunger things are seized and there are several dents. I am going to attempt to get it working and if I can't it shall become artwork.

Photographs of Course!

on Homeless People Sleeping in the Bank

Tonight after a failed attempt to go to the rock climbing gym (it was filled with a birthday party, climbing class and everyone else) I went to the bank. Low and behold, the banker was snoring right next to the ATM! Now that is juxtaposition! 

On The Book I Am Reading (Part Dos)

Obama. As mentioned previously, I am reading his latest book. My motivation for this has been my curiosity surrounding his policies. My opinion of him is largely geographical. Him being the president of the United States, spells relief. However, if he was a Canadian Prime Minister, I would be upset. I shall attempt to assess some of his policies and how they will influence the world. 

First of all it is very obvious that he is a socialist. Everyone knows that. Socialism is so un-American! If Obama lasts eight years in office, the wonderful U.S. of A. as we know it will no longer exist. Oh no! What will we ever do? Now if a socialist (think Jack Layton, NDP) was in the P.M. seat, I would move out of this country! From my observations, socialism destroys market economies. However, if the economy is already a train wreck, what the hey! Give it a try! It can't get much worse! 

If Obama has one good thing going for him, it's that he is concerned about the well-being of his people and the people of this world. He is appalled with atrocities and injustices committed against humanity. This is a nice change from the last guys who didn't seem to care about the well-being of anybody except themselves. He promises education, healthcare, and good union jobs in America. Fair enough. These are all things we take for granted here in Canada. Our back-wards friends to the south are not so lucky.

Over-all, if President Obama can live up to the extremely high standards that everyone expects of him, it will do the world good. Heck, Americans may even realize that there is other nations in this world, not just lands to plunder.

I believe that Obama is a necessity at this point in history. He has the vision of change, which the entire world wants. His socialism should add some stability to the tumultuous American emotion-based economy. I just hope that he remembers (as Leon Trotsky and I discussed one night as I lay dreaming) that the best way to govern a nation is through a healthy mix of socialist and capitalist policies.