A Quiet Place

[Lines from song: Peace be with you...
Copyright-SOCAN]
"And you hope you'll find a quiet place...
to live a life...peaceful and new...
And time writes upon your hopeful face...
peace be with you.............."
.......................Quester.

Many Paths

[Words from song: Many Paths...
Copyright-SOCAN]
"So many songs of praise and longing...
Like a rainbow rising...
So many paths that lead us to...
Our one place of belonging...
Peace be with you...
Though our paths are many...
We will meet at journey's end...
You and me....................."
........................Quester.

And The Seed Shall Grow

[Words from song: And the seed shall grow...
Copyright SOCAN]
"And the seed shall grow...
as time goes by...
and the tree shall rise...
up to the sky...
That is the way we're meant to be...
seeking the sun that sets us free...
And I hear a whisper...
as I watch the red leaves fall...
Here and Now is all...
don't let it pass you by..."
....................Quester.

Like A Wild Horse

[Words from song: One foot before the other one
from just released cd Autumn Moon. Copyright-SOCAN]
"Like a wild horse...
running through the shadow land...
you run until you reach...
the wide desert sand...
you turn this way...then that way...
seeking your way home...
Then it's one foot before the other one...
You'll walk on 'til the night is done...
And hope you live to see the morning sun..."
....................................Quester.

Big Boats On The Water

Once wrote a poem...about watching ocean going boats...soon to sail for distant places
...and the haunty feeling you get...about you...yourself...just sailing away from the
place where you are at...and leaving any tangles and difficulties...behind. I suspect
...a lot of people get this feeling...but we all know...it's just another kind of day
dream...and where we find ourselves...is where we need to sort our lives out...rather
than yearning for geographical cures. Of course...there are times...when such a dream
...persisting...results one day...in our seeking a new life...elsewhere...many
immigrants...for instance...will attest to that. I guess...it all boils down to...
having the wisdom to know...the difference between...when...we are just escaping...
the messes we keep making...or when a genuine change in our lives...keeps calling us
...from somewhere...deep inside. Still...there's something about big boats on the water...that will keep moving us
...in a special way...............Quester.

West End Oases

For several years I lived in the West End of Vancouver...with its proximity to English
Bay and Stanley Park. I then moved to the East End...with my tremendous view of the mountains...still a reason to continue living there. However...the West End did leave an imprint on me...and I return there whenever I need a centering walk by the water...
or the calming effect...of walking under the tall straight trees of Stanley Park.
But the West End...has other charms...including...its little parkettes...like the one
in this picture...where you can sit for a while...away from the main traffic,,,and be
refreshed. Yes...the West End is still an important part...of my life...in the City of
Flowers...and Bridges...and Stunning Views Across Water...wherever I happen to be
living in it...at the time.................Quester.

Getting Up To Speed

Second warm and sunny day in a row. Took some pictures...and went to my computer store. Among other things...my computer has been slowing down...and wishing to be in full flow creatively...using it...I;ve been thwarted again and again instead. Anyone who creates ...knows that feeling...when you're ready to roll...and you're held back by something or other. After discussions wisth my friendly computer store representative...and asking many questions...which he was patient with...I anticipate...as early as tomorrow ...having three additions to my computer...one of them being more memory...which shoild help to speed up my competer. I see well how we computer customers get caught...between adding a strategic piece of software or two to our existing computer...and being encouraged with the argument..."why not get a new one"...to splurge. There's something old fashioned in me...that feels an expensive machine...should be good for more than two or three years...regardless of what the push from commercial interests is...to keep getting...the latest model. Anyway I hope that soon...my computer will be "up to speed"...with some new creative tools added...and that shortly...I'll be into a new unthwarted creative surge....................Quesater.

Sleepless Early Morning

"On the radio...a piano fugues away.....
a quick counterpoint...
to the slow sliding seconds...
in the sleepless...ragged...early morning...
Why does unbridled misery...
usually coalesce around insomnia...?
Lucky are those who sleep well...
sleep anywhere...
After several wide eyed epochs pass...
the sky lightens...through the shutters...
making parallel golden marks on the wall...
Looks like today is going to be a good one...
for walking by the water...
or catching some winks...
under a rescuing sun..."
................Quester.

April Singing Out

[I'm relieved that I can do written postings again...
Here's a poem and picture from three days ago]
"Sky and water...pigeon grey...
as five cooing birds seeking sustenance...
peck at the green grass near my resting feet...
The air is April cool around my bench perch...
as I look out on the sea wall path...and beyond...
to the blue mountains across English Bay...
Two light clad gazelles...
long hair bobbing behind them...
jog by as if it were summer...
Pehaps it is for them...
or maybe it's nothing more...
than April singing out...
from their slender dancing frames......."
.................................Quester.

Black Birds Rodeo Ride

Evening Song

Beings From Really Distant Places

No...I wasn't abducted...and sent back to Earth to spread a message...I just took a
picture of what was before me. I have often wondered about the U.F.O. phenomenon...
and my jury is still out...about what lies behind it. One thing I do see...is that
somewhere in our human make up...is a wanting to have relatives...beyond our Earth
home. It is a lonely thing...to think that we are the only "intelligent/not so
intelligent" beings in the universe. In the meantime...I'll check the skies from time
to time...to see if a long lost bunch of cousins are hovering...and waiting my go ahead to land. Until then...I'll let my imagination dance around the mystery of what lies out
there in the deep blue...and listen to the stories of those who are certain about
their encounters with beings from really distant places...........Quester.

Look On The Stones

Look on the stones...
Look on the water...
Leave the chains of
ideologies turned to
lifeless fossils behind...
Let those who have not shaken
their minds out of their prisons
cling to their life rafts...
requiring no more than obedience
and blind clinging...
Look on the stones...
Look on the water...
and finding your answer...
swim to freedom...
..........Quester.

Pictures Of Another Time-8

Years ago...Jimmy Simon...a fine Native painter...from the Wikwemikong Reserve...on
Manitoulin Island...in Lake Huron...offered me a gift of one of his paintings. I told
him I couldn't take something that he had put so much work into...to turn it into an
excellent picture. I have regretted declining his generous offer ever since. What is
it in us that makes us decline a gift?...is it good old ego at work again?...or a host
of other misplaced reasons...that disrupt the flow of good energy when a gift is offered...and refused?...Since that era...I myself became a maker of pictures...and I
know when I offer one as a gift to someone...it is sincerely meant. So far...everyone
I've made such an offer to...has accepted my pictures. Perhaps...they are more liberated...than I was...in that distant era...when...in my "un-knowing-ness"...I
disrupted a beautiful human transaction...a mistake I don't think...I'm likely to
make again. Jimmy is the taller of the two gentlemen in today's picture...........Quester.

New Beginnings

I've used the ovoid shape in many of my paintings...representing for me...the egg...or
the seed...which is about potential...to be delivered on...up ahead...or a beginning place. I have no idea how eggs became associated with Easter...or "bunnies" for that matter. What I see...is that they are now part of a huge commerce fest. One inspiration that I can take from this Easter time...is that it is a time of new beginnings...a good
time to shuck the old and outworn...and start again...with renewed hope. Hope this time
round...my World...finally gets this message..............Quester.

Book Of Love

[Verse and Chorus from song: "Book of Love...
from cd of same name...Copyright SOCAN]
"While writing in the Book of Love...
A tear may fall...a sigh may come...
A dancer in the ancient dance...
Must pay the piper...when he's done...
You're lucky to dance even once...
And share in the sweet mystery...
A man and a woman as one...
A jewel you keep when it's gone..."
...........................Quester.

Pictures of Another Time-7

Don't know if the Reader's Digest still has it's "Most Unforgettable Charater' series
going...but we all have known such people. Today's picture is of one of them I've
known in my life...many years ago when I was singing in a Scandinavian city. His name
was Haffif...and he was from Algeria. When he was young...he was an errand boy around
an American millitary camp in North Africa...part of his growing up the hard way.
When I knew him...he was a bouncer at the bistro I was singing at...six nights a week. He was a prodigious fighter...and incidents involving physical violence...were never far away. One of the legends about this aspect of his life...was that he was the only one known to have thrown six Nordic policemen...up and out of his illegal basement wine cellar. In my company...he was always warm...pleasant...and very helpful...for some reason he seemed to look up to me...and not because of my fighting prowess. At two in the morning...when a group of us were meeting...to wind down...he would be the one...after asking if we were hungry...who would vanish briefly into the night...and after not too long...return and cook us up a spicy feast. Years after I'd left the city we had known each other in...I heard he had been in a fight...with several adversaries...who had given him a terrible beating. I've never heard of him since...but I will always remember his charm...childlikeness...quick laughter...and peacefulness in my presence...along with his legendary bravery. Haffif is the man on the right side of today's picture.................Quester.

Vancouver Public Art-2

These recurring faces are to be found in a garden with many such faces...in the grounds
of the Pacific National Exhibition...in Vancouver. A good place to head for...when you
need a pause...during the Exhibition...away from its crowded thoroughfares...or any
other time..............Quester.

Faces

I have often marvelled at how in a world of vast oceans and towering mountains...so
much of the time...our human lives revolve around the reference points...of tiny
areas by comparison...that make up...the faces of us Earthlings. Was it of Helen of
Troy...someone once said..."Is this the face that launched a thousand ships?"...[not
to be taken literally]. This statement highlights the potency of a face. It is true
that different parts of the human anatomy...are deemed atractive in the human mating
game...but wide shoulders...or copious bosoms...accompanied by the face of an iguana...
or hyppopotamus...are not likely to promote human beings rushing like lemmings towards
each other...although...you never ultimately know. It is usually the faces of your
loved ones that come to mind...when your thoughts turn to them...although there may
be exceptions to this too...given our human complexity. Perhaps...this is why we tend
to see faces...where they are not supposed to be...like in today's picture...of a face
on the trunk of a tree.................Quester.

Spring Will Return

Imagine...it's hardly the middle of April and the petals are falling. Snow drops and
crocusses are long gone...and now it's the turn of cherry and magnolia to go. They are
all great teachers about the impermanence of even that which is most beautiful on this
Earth. I guess...the thing is...to drink them in when they appear...and fondly kiss
them goodbye when they go...knowing that in the midst of all that comes and goes in
our lives...one thing we know about Spring...is that it will return........Quester.

The Wonder Bug

Three days ago...I was having brunch in a West End restaurant...when I couldn't help
but notice a gloriously decorated Volkswagen beetle parked outside. I immediately
thought...I must get a picture of that...and turned away...to read something of interest...in the day's newspaper. When I looked up again...the "wonder bug" had
disappeared...and I gave myself a reminder...to not postpone the taking of a picture
when it presented itself. About a half an hour later...I was walking close to English
Bay...when I saw that on this occasion I'd been given a reprieve...there were a cluster of people up ahead...chatting and taking pictures of the said piece of "mobile art". The first noticeable thing...was the smiles on people's faces as they talked...having obviously been affected by this wondrous entity on wheels. When you first see it...covered with so much detail...it is too much to take in. It's when you focus in on a particular spot...that is when you begin to appreciate the exquisite detail...and the time and motivation...it must have taken...to create it...from front to back...and top to bottom. The person who created this...is obviously on a mission...spreading a message...and leaving a calling card...everywhere it rests...that cannot be ignored..........Quester.

Vancouver Public Art-1

With my eyes seeing more than they did pre-camera...I'm noticing how beautifully
endowed Vancouver is with public art. You could live in a city for a long time and not
really see the murals or other pieces of work...others in your city have contributed
to making it a more human place...in the midst of all the traffic...and clash...clang
...and hurrying. Today's picture...is part of a time to time series...I hope to do...
of some of the visual expressions...exposed to rain...and all kinds of weather...or
even vandalism...heaven forbid...but present on some of our public walls...or other locations. This one...is part of a mural on Nanaimo Street...at Hastings...about a block away from where I live. I remember not too long ago seeing the youth group involved...at work on it...and now it's part and parcel of my neighbourhood...which is the better...for having it painted high on a wide wall...calling out to passersby...to stop...and take a good look.......
.............Quester.

Places For Our Restoration

I've been browsing through my pictures for quite some time this morning...and ready or
not...it's time for me to choose one...and write. Most of the pictures I looked through
...are candidates for making a post around...but on another occasion...I heard myself
deciding...not today. It's a very arbitrary decision...this choosing of a picture to
post...the truth is...I now have a raft of pictures to choose from...which makes choice
a bit more difficult. Anyway...fortunately among them...are pictures that would go
with just about anything you write...like today's. A thought for today...that might go
with this peaceful picture?...I think everyone knows this one...but it bears repeating
...when the clash and clang of city living gets to you...seek out one of the natural
places...and spend some quiet time there...it'll bring you back to your centre. We are
very fortunate in Vancouver...to have all kinds of places available...when we are in
need of "restoration"...................Quester.

This Crazy World

[Verse & Chorus of song: This Crazy World from cd "Flowers From The Ashes".
Copyright-SOCAN All Rights Reserved]
"This world is not meant for me...
Far as I see...far too much cruelty...
It's a good thing I see...the beauty between...
the sad and the mean...all around you and me...
This crazy world...spinning round and round and round...
This crazy world...tumbling to tomorrow...upside down..."
..............Quester.

Anniversary Picture

Today is the one year anniversary of this blog...feel someone should bake me a cake...
or something. I've been pretty well daily about it...I'm happy to report...except for
a few days of tecnical difficulties. I think what has happened is that it has become a
good daily habit...at least from my perspective...one that helps to marshal the mind...
at least to some extent...when it could be going the other way...fast. I was casting around for which pisture I should use today...then a little while ago the answer came.
In an earlier post I mentioned that...the pictures of our lives are always of the past
...from the moment after they have been taken...and in my "Pictures of Another Time"
...from time to time series..I've posted some from the distant...or fairly distant past. Today's picture...is also from the past...but this time...the six weeks ago past.
I've been meaning to post a current picture for some time...and what better time...
than anniversary day.............Quester.

Ducks And Cherry Blossoms

As I take pictures I am always on the look out for interesting juxtapositions...
entities...perhaps...you don't often see together. Victoria and Vancouver...are just
about at the peak of their..."florescence"...there are flowers...indeed...everywhere...adding to the beauty of a day like today...with sun...and blue skies...and a warm temperature
...also well represented. It was lovely to stand...on a little bridge in Beacon Hill Park...in Victoria...and through cherry blossooms reaching down to the water...to take
pictures of ducks...gliding by just below me. There's something about the "duck and
cherry blossoms" juxtaposition that I like...and looking closely at ducks...over this
last little while...has increased my affection...for their good looks and friendly
appeal. Here's to this magical time of the year on the West Coast...and here's to
"ducks and cherry blossoms".............Quester.

Wakes On The Water

In my paintings...on canvas...swerving lines are often present...suggesting movement
in a still picture...in a way everything nicely squared away...usually doesn't.
The ferry leaving Tsawwassen...on the mainland...with its backing out...and turning
...painted on the water beautifully...on a lovely day. What is it about "wakes" left
by boats...that draw us in...and fascinate us?. Perhaps...our own journey in life...
and what we leave behind...is somewhere in there. In this picture...the boat that
wrote on the water...is nowhere to be seen...only the mark it left on the water. In a
little while...that will be gone too...but...while it lasts...it stirs the soul......
..........Quester.

Gorse Beach

This is the beach I've been raving about all week. I asked several locals what it
was called but no one seemed to know. I "discovered" it in all its glory...with the
strong yellow of the gorse...painting the clffs above it...and I think I will always remember it that way...so I'm going to call it..."Gorse Beach". Just arrived
back home this afternoon...very refreshed and uplifted by my jaunt to Vancouver Island
...think I'll be going back there more frequently than I have in the last while.
Hope to catch up with posting some of the many pictures I took in the days to come.
..................Quester.

Someone Similarly Beguiled

Just returned from the beach...about eight blocks from where I'm
staying. It was clouded over...with the sun struggling to come through
...but no rain. The air was noticeably fresh from the cleansing power
of the ocean. The mountains in Washington...U.S.A....were very visible
across the Straits. A blonde young woman asked me to take her picture
with the waves...which were really rolling in today...and the headland
in the distance... behind her. She very pointedly mentioned that the
two pictures taken...she asked for a second one in which she really
let her light shine...were for her boyfriend. I smiled inwardly having
run into this syndrome before. I'm sure the pictures were for her boy friend
...but what I'm pointing at here...is the need to mention that...
twice. Anyway...she also said...that she had been on the West Coast
for a while...but she was still in awe...I told her I was happy to
hear her say that...being someone similarly beguiled....Quester.

Walking In Beauty

It's been grey skied this morning...and raining. Went out for
morning "decaff"...but my camera remained safe from the wet...in
my zip pocket. On the West Coast there is a weather pattern that
happens often...of clouded over mornings...but sunny afternoons...
I hope that's the pattern that will unfold today. I am scheduled to
meet a friend at 1 p.m. today...hope the sun arrives in time for that...
Was thinking this morning...it's hard for me to write about any of
the other subjects I write about...when I am in a picture maker's
heaven...but so be it...some of the pictures I've gotten so far...
have been uplifting for me...taking me strongly to "walking in beauty"
which is the path I like to be on...without letting the materialism
or the worrying side of life around me intrude...if I can help it...so here's to "walking in
beauty"...................Quester.