A Singer Not Really Heard

Met with some friends last night...in a food and liquor serving establishment...to
hear a woman jazz singer. I don't know how the liquor was...as I stuck to my cranberry
juice...but the food was excellent. As for the singer...the background buzz of voices
in unabated conversation...clouded over what she was actually doing with the songs she
sang...and took me back to the nights long ago...when I went through exactly the same
thing...singing in bars with loud backgrounds...and reminded me of why I left all that
behind forever...as quickly as I could...and moved on to singing in places where the artist could be heard...although there were not as many of those venues available...
then and now...as the ones where artist abuse is the norm. Anyway...the warm feelings
present...meeting with friends...salvaged a night when the singer was not really heard.
.................Quester.

Street Preacher

Ever since I came to Vancouver...over twenty years ago...I've seen this woman...at
her spot...at one corner of the Woodward building...preaching...handing out tracts...
sometimes singing. Someone told me she had been doing that for thirty years. Several
weeks ago...I noticed that the sidewalks around the Woodward building....had been
fenced off...for reconstruction. I immediately thought of this woman...and how
dispossessed she must feel...blocked from what had been "her spot" for over thirty
years. I kept looking out for her in the neighbourhood...but for many days there was no
sign of her...and I wondered if I would ever see her again. It must have been about
two weeks later...passing by the Woodward building...I heard myself saying..."there she is!"...as i spotted her...now on the corner...opposite her fenced off corner.
This person who had been like a land mark in Vancouver...had absorbed the blow of losing her spot...and was very much back..."preaching the word"............Quester.

Stories & Pictures Of The Clan

My daughter has arrived at that time in her life...when she wants to know about my
side of her lineage. I welcome her strong interest. Over the years I have not been one to bend anyone's ears...with even family information...if there wasn't first some
indication of interest. Speaking of things that are important to you...to anyone who
hasn't indicated interest...even if it's your offspring...has often struck me as being ...what was likely a fruitless exercise. At the same time...I had the sense...that there would come a time...when the interest would be there...and all I had to do...was be patient with the whole human process. I am happy...that that time has arrived...and I've begun to dig deep in my memory bank...for the stories of my clan. Three email installments have already winged their way to my daughter...and I anticipate there will be more...in the days/weeks to come. Already...in my subjective opinion...many interesting...and even funky stories...have begun to surface...and I know...I'll be having to consult with some of my own siblings...for verifications...or new information on old mysteries. In keeping with all this...today's picture is of three of my uncles ...on the Portuguese side of my heritage. It's good for me to be reminded that smiling automatically for the camera...doesn't run in my clan. Long live "gravitas"!
.................Quester.

At Peace Wherever...?

There was an old folk song I used to sing...before I started writing songs...that had
a most intriguing verse...which I will try to reconstruct as best as I can..."Would
that I were where I would be...Then I would be where I am not...But here I am where I
must be...For where I would be I cannot". In a way...mysterious words...but in another way...very understandable. It speaks to me...of the longing most human beings...I think have experienced...the hankering to be somewhere other...or in some other situation...than the one they find themselves in. In the old song this verse is from...at the centre of the situation...was a lover separated from his love...one of the most ancient themes there is. That...however...is not the only time the feeling expressed in the words quoted...can come upon you. Today...has been one of a string of hot days in a row...we've experienced on the West Coast...and I find myself with a bit of that feeling...i.e. a restless feelimg...with the ocean calling you to go on to its shores...while at the same time telling yourself..."but you can't always run to the ocean"...and staying where you are...but still...with the restlessness hovering. I guess the lesson awaiting under this feeling...is to learn to be perfectly at peace...wherever...or in whatever situation you happen to find yourself in...............Quester.

Heron-ismo In The Shade

Yesterday...I went to the last day of the five day Aboriginal Festival...in front of
the Vancouver Art Gallery. I noticed that the good people facing the stage...were
baking under an unrelenting sun...but on one side of the stage...there was much shade
available. I went and sat there...and in the relative coolness there...it could be
said that I drifted into a "heron mode". A quality of the heron that's interested me
for a long time...is how it stands still...and calmly waits for it's food to come close. This day...instead of running around in the hot sun looking for pictures...I
relaxed in the shade,,,feeling no urgency...and gradually,,,the pictures appeared
right before me...including two delightful twin boys and their family...who clustered
right in front of me...and various Native dancers in their traditional dress. Without exposing myself to too many ultra violet rays...and
wihout any worry about accumulating pictures to show...for my trip out...many pictures came to me this day...illustrating to me once again..."heron-ismo" works...
especially on a hot day...sitting in the shade..............Quester.

Marching For Peace

Went...as I have many times before...to a World Peace march today. There were many enthusiastic people taking part under the hot summer sun. The atmosphere at the
march...was also warm...and friendly...and I felt that it was good to be with these
people for the walk's duration. Like everything else I experience...questions were
never far away...about this aspect...or that aspect...of the interest groups marching
...and I would prefer to see more banners...where people were stating what they were
"for"...rather than the societal tendency...represented here too...to state loudly
what you are "against". I also...for a long time...have liked the slogan "Let Peace
Begin With Me"...I think it goes to the heart of what Peace...is about...a world full
of people who were each letting Peace begin with themselves...would be a most effective way of bringing Peace to our troubled world. All in all...I am glad I went walking...with people who were sometimes rowdy...but certainly peaceful...given what we were all marching for...It was a good day under the West Coast sun..............Quester.

An Almost Perfect Summer Day

It's been a just about perfect summer day...
and the skies at sunset close the day
with an exclamation mark.
Went to the Aboriginal Day Fetival today...
and took several pictures...
including this one................Quester.

Beautiful Or Interesting People Or Things

Today...in downtown Vancouver...this image...of an individual...squatting at ease...
under an umbrella...on a sunny day...with many people passing...on the sidewalk...or
crossing the nearby corner...and cars...almost within arm's reach. I was left with more questions than answers about this striking sight. Was this a man...or...a woman?...was he or she selling something ...or...a monk...involved in some kind of spiritual practice?...Was this an eccentric...or someone simply moved by a higher purpose?. I may return to this spot...to seek answers...to my questions...but this image...definitely falls into a central category for me as I take pictures...the file I call "Beautiful or Interesting People...or Things"....................Quester.

A Loud Night Out

Went to a bistro earlier tonight...where there was music from the stage. Had agreed
to meet some people there...some celebrating their birthdays. The music went on and on
...at a decibel level too high for my ears...so I left early from ear fatigue...having
gotten in my birthday wishes. Hope my next night out won't be as loud as this one was....................Quester.

An Insistent Melody

With my picture making creative preoccupations recently...my melody making tendency...
had been neglected. This afternoon...a persistent melody...kept going through my head.
I attempted unsuccessfully to record it...until...I tried a new piece of recording soft ware...that came with others...recently acquired...but so far,,,had not been utilised. It actually worked...and so...today...there's a new melody...to join the thousands that have already been made...many not yet having been turned into songs. Why bother to do a new one then?...to exercise the melody making potential I have been given...regardless of the outcome of making a new one. I do feel that exercising our creative potentials...in and of itself...is...a healthy thing to do...a parallel thing to jogging...or working out the body. I have a sense...that this most recent melody...may end up jumping the cue...and bloom into a song...in the not too distant future. We shall see..............Quester.

Street Festival

Went to the Commercial Drive Street Festival in Vancouver today...where sixteen blocks of the Drive become a car free zone...and people can amble along it's freed up pathway...and enjoy all kinds of musical...food...dance and festive delights. In the sunshine...thousands of people gathered here...mingling with each other...and sometimes meeting old friends. I went there with two relatives...and stayed on to take pictures...given on this day...there was a wealth of pictures available. As you moved up the Drive ...from time to time...there would be clumps of people coalescing...around a band playing...or people dancing...or some other festive activity. I took a lot of pictures...this day...many...of the dancers...one of which...is today's picture...and returned home...hopeful...after being part of a large...peaceful...and happy...human gathering................Quester.

Such An Ancient Story

Went with a visiting relative to a movie tonight. It was a love story...and I confess
to at times being moved by it. This wasn't always the case...I remember kidding female
friends about their "passing of the Kleenex"...in these situations...as two young
women...sitting close by were doing tonight. Just goes to show that...things change...and you yourself change...as time goes by. I was telling my relative after...
about how much an integral part of life...the love story thing is. I guess it's a
hopeful sign...when...although you've lived many chapters in your life...you find
yourself being touched by "such an ancient story"...as one of my songs calls it.....
............Quester.

A Meeting By The Ocean

Shared a lovely interlude of conversation...touching common ground...with two friends
earlier tonight..and sang a few songs...by the ocean. The skies were overcast...
but it sprinkled a few drops...then desisted...there was even a very muted sunset.
Still a beautiful time...with a few pictures to remember it by........Quester.

Making Room For New Creations

Yesterday...I acquired an external hard drive...after getting many notices that my current one...was almost full...and immediately began putting files into it...then
deleting them in my "old" one. After recent difficulties with another installation...
I was pleasantly surprised with how easy this was...to hook up...and use. So...I'm
feeling freed up tonignt...to get into new creations...knowing I have room to store them. This last while...installing new soft ware...and learning to use it...plus the
obstacles that have arisen...using my new dvd burner...has offered me...more than one
steep learning curve...but because of them...I think my computer literacy...while by
no means being at geek level...has taken a large step forward. There is great
empowerment...in using some of the incredible creative tools...that are available
these days...and despite the obstacles I am having to overcome...with them...I've
been enjoying using them...and perhaps making myself...not so eager to return to the slower forms of creativity I've engaged in previously...although...I'll never close the door on them..........Quester.

Comfort Of A Trusty Dog

At sidewalk level...
a symphony of hurrying legs...
trusty dog...
depending on you
for sustenance...
And you?...
wondering where
the next quarter
will come from...
as you wait for
a sea change to come
in your young life...
or to find a perch somewhere
up from this low lying place...
.......................Quester.

Southern Arts

An evening of repeated and for the most part...unsuccessful dvd burnings...extending
my patience way beyond where I thought it would ever stretch. The afternoon by
English Bay...on the other hand...was pleasant...watching some people go through their capoeira flips and graceful somewhat martial movements. So far as I know...capoiera...is from Brazil. The story I once heard about it...was that the slaves wanted to pracise a form of martial arts...for when it might be needed...and disguised it...so that to the slave owners...it looked like dancing...or...tumbling. The moves made...certainly keep your attention...and time flew. I prefer to do...rather than to
watch...but this was one occasion...when I was glad no one asked me to spring through
the air with the greatest of ease. For me...these days...those kinds of delusions of
grandeur and grace...are absent from my life...and I am at peace...once in a while,,,
just being an observer....................Quester.

Beach Lovers All

Vancouver...among its umpteen charms
...is a city of many beaches...
You can observe people...
and their dogs too...
luxuriating in their beach time...
What is it about beaches...
that call us to come to them?
Is it a memory of our ancient beginnings?
A knowing the waves coming into the shore
will comfort us...or that facing out
to the ocean...for a time...we will
leave the city hub bub behind?
Whatever the deep down reasons may be...
heading for the beach...is a natural thing...
another gift to be thankful for...
..........................Quester.

Old Songs And Inversions

Today my mountains have vanished behind a grey blanket...and the roof tops are
glistening with wetness...was it only yesterday I was taking pictures of flowers and other objects gleaming in the sun?. Today I answered another email query about a song
I wrote and sang...many moons ago when I was singing in Britain. It's called "Slightly
Faded"...but it seems this song hasn't faded from people's memories...some have
actually quoted lines of it back to me. As a songwriter...doing his work far away from
the hyping and huckstering that goes on...it is these grass roots...person to person
pieces of encouragement that help the creative work to continue...although you do it
because it's an organic part of who you are...and continue with it...on and on. Am having creative fun too...messing with some of the many pictures I've taken in the
last few months. This is one of a group of "inversions" I've dome.........Quester.

Shopping And Running

Shopping and running...something so prevalent in our lives. Looking at this picture
I get the impression...that the person shown here...hasn't bought into it
completely...but is just getting it out of the way...so he can get into something
more measured...or down to earth. Perhaps that's the way most people feel about those
two things. What can we tell about someone from looking at a
picture?...we should guard against thinking we can tell a lot...because that's the way
stereotypes are born...but we can speculate in benign ways...endlessly...if we like...and let the identity of who we're speculating about remain a secret..............Quester.

Creative Accidents

Tried to post this photo last night but my blog site was not available. One of my
creative tenets is...be open to accidents or the unexpected...as you create.
Once wrote a song..."Totem Pole of Kitsilano"...about the pole in this picture...one
of the tallest I've ever seen in British Columbia. Yesterday...in a ramble through
Kitsilano...I was standing out in the road...just about to take my totem pole picture
...when this young woman on a bicycle...came into the shot...as if on some sort of cue.
I snapped the picture...although it wasn't the one I'd planned. After...looking at it
...I saw that instead of being a choice for deletion...to me...it had a surreal aspect
to it...[and I tend to like "surreal"]. i.e. I had "accidented" into a picture...I
ended up liking. So...here's to "creative accidents"...that take you away from
predictable places...as you create..................Quester.

Something About Sundown

Couldn't get to my blog site last night...my computer kept saying I wasn't connected
to the internet...this morning...I am mysteriously reconnected. A friend of mine used
to talk about "the innate malice of inanimate objects"...sometimes I think it might
not be malice...but instead...the objects in question...asserting themselves...letting
you know they are not your slaves...and don't have to do your bidding all the time.
Of course...when it comes to computers...i am not sure...the term "inanimate"...
necessarily applies. Anyway...from my windows on sky and mountains...I can't help but
notice if something interesting is going on in the skies...and these days...if there is
my trusty camera...is brought out...to catch what it is. Last night...was a time of
beautiful colours and cloud shapes...and I took many pictures. Once wrote a song called
"Something About Sundown"...last evening was a reminder...that there really is.....
..........Quester.

Pictures From The Hood 3

Have never as an adult owned a pet of any kind...although as a child...there were
creatures aplenty...in our house on the banks of a tropical river. Some were pets...
like our monkey "Jack"...who would sometimes...at dinner time...from some region above
us...drop a raw egg in our midst...and on one occasion...may have showered us with
his blessings. There was at least one dog that I can remember...his name was "eighteen
cents"...named after the princely sum that was payed for him. There were other pets...
and some uninvited creatures...that from time...payed our house a visit...like...
believe it or not...snakes. I have a great real snake story that I'll tell here another
time. You would have thought that with all this "creature action" around me...that I
would have been a natural...for a house full of pets...but that never came to pass.
People...and their dogs...so much could be said about that...but...another time......
.............Quester.

What Lies At Your Feet

A few years ago...walking on a beach...in Vancouver...I happened to turn over a piece
of bark on the shore...and saw on its inside...what looked like heiroglyphics...etched
there...as if someone was trying to send me...or humankind...a message. I later
found many pieces of bark on the shore...marked this way. The explanation of who etched
these interesting markings on bark...is likely...that it was the "lowly termite"...
carving away at material that was to hand...tidyly injesting...the carved out bits...
combining artistry...with sustenance. But why such intriguing patterns?...who knows...
but I...for one...am glad...if they are indeed the ones responsible...that termites
do this work that pleasures my eyes. Anyway...these carvings...on bark...were another
reminder...that there is beauty everywhere in Creation...you just have to open your
eyes long enough to receive...even what is lying at your feet..........Quester.