As I've told you, Julia is getting her Masters in Music in Sound Recording at McGill. At Christmas she announced to me that she needed/wanted me to be the subject of her next term's project which was to record a CD for an artist. At first the idea of coming up with a full crop of songs in a month filled my heart with fear and loathing. Once I recovered and realized what a fantastic opportunity it would be on so many levels I eagerly said "let's do it!". The following weeks were spent in a creative zone closely resembling a semi-psychotic state - usually taking the form of walking in the woods muttering into my iphone recording ideas. The truth is, I have spent my entire professional life as a closet Reluctant Songwriter, with an unexplained penchant for putting all other tasks ahead of the most important - writing songs. I'm sure some therapy is in order.
Read MoreI'm pleased to be writing you on this week after the end of the world. After so many similar predictions have come and gone, we're never really surprised, but it's always slight relief to still be here. I kind of like the world. Granted, it does have a few problems thanks to the humans who have taken it over. They truly wreak havoc and can be pretty annoying. I wish they'd stop doing that, but alas, I don't think they're going to. We all try to take solace in our little worlds - find ways to escape and soothe and avoid the madness. In fact, this annual Festivus is my favourite part where everything feels like it goes on hiatus for a week or so. It doesn't matter if the official occasion is unrelated to my own sensibilities. I just like that there's a brief window where it's agreed - we're all going to take a breath, feel like it's okay to stop working, step off the machine, do something special together, and show a little love.
Read MoreHi!
I'm just rushing off to Bluebird North and realized I had a half written newsletter to you that I hadn't yet sent. And now I don't even have time to read and edit what I wrote.
So I'm just going to send the sucker - mistakes, out of date weather and all. I'll write more in the next few weeks. I just wanted to make sure I've done due diligence in letting Vancouver folks know about tonight's Bluebird.
On to the words previously written early in the morning, in bed with a cup of tea....
My first day off - in what seems like 3 months. Oh wait, it HAS been 3 months! I am sitting in a window seat overlooking Rick and Valley's luscious garden in their island paradise near Nanaimo. Oh, the thwarted plans I had for writing you a travelogue about it all. Lucky you....spared!
How about Cole's Notes version?: Last we spoke was about half way through the Ontario tour before Julia's graduation from McGill. Her Dad & Stepmom, and brother Mike all joined us in Julia's little studio apartment for 4 days of slumber partying and sight seeing. Oh, and of course the grad itself. Julia was on the Dean's Honour List (top 10% of the class), or as her Dad liked to say "Dean's on her list". Oh, we're just a wee bit proud. A few days later Julia, Ted and I boarded the train back to Vancouver and two days after arriving home started up our BC tour.
We're halfway through the the six week run of ON and QC. The weather and humidity is escalating daily. Yesterday Toronto was 40 degrees. Even now at 9 am I'm melting - enhanced by this lap top baking my lap. OMG, I miss the west coast...and the dog...and riding bikes with Bill.
But really, the trip has been fantastic so far. We even took a little detour to Quebec City for a couple of days of being total tourists. SUCH a great adventure. Until yesterday, this has been a perfect time of year to tour these parts. We try to take the back roads instead of the terminally boring major routes and have seen some gorgeous countryside. We even played in a barn in Perth! We've met so many remarkable folks and the phrase "I rely on the kindness of strangers" comes to mind daily. "The kids" are playing and singing stunningly well and there's lots of silliness in the van.
I'm writing you from the train - somewhere in the middle of Manitoba en route from Vancouver to Montreal. Now, I have hopped from coast to coast across this country so many times, but never traveled from the coast of BC to points east via the ground. It's a whole different experience to watch the topography change - from the Fraser Valley through BC and the Rocky Mountains and the fields of Saskatchewan to the rolling green plains of Manitoba. Well, that's as far as I've gone so I have no flowery descriptive words for the rest. All I can tell you is - I'm feelin' the love for Canada! Cue the emotional patriotic music. Truly. As a person who chose this country, to experience it in this way is very moving.
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