Happy Halloween everyone!

When we had our own place in Palm Springs we made a point of missing Halloween. We're expecting fewer fireworks in the university area. So many people liked to light off fireworks over the water so being near English Bay wasn't a good place to be for peace and quiet. Fireworks are banned in Palm Springs and also in all of Greater Victoria. Perhaps Metro Vancouver might get smart one of these days.

We're off to Palm Springs tomorrow. Looks like the weather will be sunny and in the mid 80's. They had a couple of cool days this week...low 70's and even into the 40's in the evening. That's pretty unusual for late October in Palm Springs. Usually it's a little too hot for me and we have to wait until the last part of November before we can comfortably light the fireplace in the evening.

We've avoided being in Vancouver at Halloween because of the fireworks but our rental doesn't start until Nov.1. It will be interesting to see how it is tonight. So far this week we haven't heard anything in the way of fireworks. The West End was a different matter for sure. One of the city counsellors has proposed banning fireworks in Vancouver. I sent an email in support of that. I hope it happens.

AND THE WASHINGTON NATIONALS WON THE WORLD SERIES!!!!

From Linda's blog. Her daughter really goes all out for the kids...good on her!

Cheryl and Dave have a blow up ghost in their front yard along with a lot of other decorations.  Their doorbell rings like a haunted house.  She will put speakers on the porch and play spooky music.  Their yard it covered in yellow police tape!  She gives out full size chocolate bars and it's fun to hear the kids when they see what she gives out!   There are a lot of little children in her neighbourhood. 

Susan's Art Deco roses....love them!

"Last week at the Westcoast Calligraphy Society meeting we learned how to paint watercolor art deco roses, inspired by Mackintosh and Hunter.   They are fun and meditative to paint.  These were done with a very small brush - 2/0."

Well, maybe I will bring some art supplies to Palm Springs. I enjoyed seeing Mackintosh's work in Glasgow. Some of it is almost Mondrian like.

Itty Bitty Book Review: "Jude the Obscure"

"Jude the Obscure" by Thomas Hardy

I wasn't particularly thrilled with this bookclub choice as I remember Hardy being a pretty depressing writer. I hadn't actually read Jude but had seen the 1971 BBC in 1971. It is a sad tragic story but I was impressed by the rather advanced commentary on social issues given the time Hardy was writing in. He was very critical of class differences and lack of equal opportunities and also very critical of religion and institutions like universities. He is referred to as a civil libertarian by some and an anarchist by others. Probably closer to an anarchist in his time...now just a liberal.

I'm not sure the novel completely works and the character of Sue stretches credulity. We did have an excellent discussion and the food was excellent as usual. This is Liz's bookclub. I missed the Brock House bookclub this month as they were reading Tess of the D'Urbervilles. Reading and discussing two depressing novels within a couple of days was a bit much.

I enjoyed Catfé's Sketch and Purr twitter video

Looks like a lot of fun for cats and artists!

https://twitter.com/catfe_vancouver/status/1188174231923638272?cn=ZmxleGlibGVfcmVjc18y&refsrc=email

Quite the windstorm in Vancouver Friday

We didn't lose power...good thing as we were watching the World Series game:) but it was quite a loud storm around here. Donna and I had lunch at Biercraft in the Wesbrook Village and unbelievable  number of leaves blowing around. She had quite the  drive home.

"As I was driving home from your place, there was a huge fallen tree on west 10th about two blocks east of Alma.  It fell on top of a red mini car which was crushed! Cars were able to drive around it, single file. I kept looking up at the trees as I drove wondering if one would fall on me!"

Someone posted that they could barely stand up in the wind and saw someone trying to windsurf. This wind wouldn't deter the folks who come from all over France to windsurf in Almanerre.

Homemade is always better...

Oxymorons I got a particular laugh from.

Well, of course ,I don't agree with the last one but it is funny.

Modernism Week in October in Palm Springs

We will miss this but I thought some of the photos were cool to share. Soon to be back into the world of mid-century modern and palm trees.

Axiom Desert House on view looks particularly interesting and what a great setting it's in.

After first debuting as a Modernism Week Featured Home in February 2019, Axiom Desert House by Turkel Design is a stunning, net-zero energy, systems-built jewel that serves as the private residence of designers Joel and Meelena Turkel, as well as a Living Lab for design professionals and enthusiasts alike. 

The panelized prefabricated home’s open plan, indoor/outdoor flow, and innovative use of materials and space are a testament to modern prefab, celebrating transformative desert design that is simple, elegant, and replicable. Marvin Windows Ultimate Lift-and-Slide Doors provide a seamless connection between indoors and out, while flexible, multifunctional furniture systems from Resource Furniture transform its rooms from one purpose to another. Signature fixtures and finishes allow an array of gorgeous high-end products from Corian, Dacor, Dunn-Edwards, and more to sing in their environs.   

Tour the modern oasis that provided an opportunity for Joel and Meelena Turkel to turn the lens upon themselves, creating a transformative, fossil fuel-free design that fuses process with collaboration into one creative ecosystem.

My views during my morning swim...trees everywhere!

Vancouver House

I've been intrigued by this development from the beginning and I'm a fan.  Is there anything cooler than this?  

Official website for Vancouver House.
vancouverhouse.ca

Story in the Vancouver Sun:

Vancouver House is more than just another condo highrise, it’s become a building that almost everyone has an opinion about. Some love it for standing out in a sea of rectangular cuboid towers; others hate it as a symbol of the city’s real estate mania.

The first residential move-ins are expected next month, four years after construction began in 2015.

From the start, the 60-storey Vancouver House hasn’t been a typical condo project.

The differences that set it apart include how the unique challenges of the site were solved by a Danish architect and the contradiction between looking unsteady but being built to withstand double the most extreme earthquake predicted for Vancouver.

The site is one of a handful singled out by the City of Vancouver for special treatment. Situated by the southbound Howe Street on-ramp to the Granville Street Bridge, it was designated for a tall, distinct building at a gateway to downtown.

But the parcel of land at 1480 Howe St. had one big drawback: Its rectangular shape was reduced to a triangle because of a 30-metre safety setback from the bridge.

Architect James KM Cheng worked on a design for almost a year-and-a-half for Westbank Corp., the Vancouver-based international property developer behind Vancouver House.

“We were thinking what could be done as a triangle building,” he said. “You need a bigger building to make it financially economical. By the time you finish the elevators and exit stairs, you have nothing left to build condos.

Rest of the article here:

https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/vancouver-houses-elegant-expanding-form-dramatically-adds-to-city-skyline

Well, the Eiffel Tower wasn't very well received either.

November 20, 2015 Christian Science Monitor

• By Randy Dotinga

High-minded critics in France attacked the Eiffel Tower as it was being built, lobbing the most excruciating insult they could come up with. It was, they sputtered, positively awful, something even those uncouth Americans wouldn’t embrace.

Sacre bleu, mon dieu, and zut alors!

But it didn’t take long for the landmark, by far the tallest building in the world, to win over the critics. Well more than a century after its creation, the Eiffel Tower stands for “glamour, modernity, romance,” as historian Jill Jonnes puts it. In other words, she says, “Frenchiness.”

Forever Marilyn

We really enjoyed the Forever Marilyn statue when it was in PS and Roger and Kerry enjoyed it as well. There are plans to bring it back to PS and I was all for it.This article in the Desert Sun made me rethink that. While one could argue it's political correctness gone amuck, there is something to be said for spending the money showcasing local comtemporary artists. It will be interesting to see what happens in the end. We may just be left with these photos of folks enjoying Forever Marilyn.

From The Desert Sun:
"When a 26-foot-tall statue of Marilyn Monroe first came to Palm Springs in 2012 for a two-year stay, some saw a tasteless tourist attraction. They criticized the public art — depicting the blonde actress posing over a blustery New York subway gate — as a magnet for photos of people peeking under Monroe's upturned skirt.

Many, however, embraced "Forever Marilyn."

Beloved by locals and tourists alike, it captured Monroe's beauty, they said, and celebrated the city's history as a desert playground for Hollywood elite like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and, of course, Monroe.

The statue became a sort of downtown community gathering point, with the city and partners hosting a "Forever Marilyn" look-alike contest and a "Forever Marilyn" film series. The Knitting Guild of the Desert even stitched leg warmers for the statue.

Now city officials and business leaders are preparing to bring "Forever Marilyn" back to Palm Springs permanently.

But much has changed in the national zeitgeist since her first stay. The #MeToo era has shaken the foundation of Hollywood — and the nation — exposing the widespread prevalence of sexual harassment and abuse in the film industry and beyond.

The movement has brought new awareness to the legacies of movie insiders and actors like Monroe, who was open about being sexually abused as a child and hounded by men in Hollywood, and also used sex to advance her career."

The full article here:

https://www.desertsun.com/story/life/2019/10/18/metoo-era-does-marilyn-monroe-statue-belong-palm-springs/3910700002/?utm_source=desertsun-Daily%20Briefing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_briefing&utm_term=hero

Banner Art in Palm Springs

Over 800 Palm Springs area students from Kindergarten to 12th grade have submitted original drawings hoping to be among those chosen to have their artwork become one of the 50 newly created and hand painted holiday banners that line Palm Canyon Drive during the winter holiday season according to Main Street Palm Springs President Joy Brown Meredith. 

Seeing this makes me miss the daily examples of children's art with the weather forecast in the Victoria Times-Colonist. I remember that the art  seemed to be from school classes but I guess they have parents submit it. This makes more sense than teachers choosing it. 

 I picked this up when I googled it:

Want a chance to see your kids' weather art on the Times Colonist weather page and on our website?

Send an email to localnews@timescolonist.com with "weather art" in the subject line, or mail it to:
Times Colonist (Weather Art)
2621 Douglas St.
Victoria, B.C.
V8T 4M2

Art should be by a school-age artist and on a weather theme, and on letter-sized paper (8.5 by 11 inches) with a landscape or horizontal orientation.
Some examples:

Politicians aren't soley to blame for the nastiness

Finally, something I can relate to in this wretched election. This is really worth a read. A major reason why I will never join a political party is the idea that one party has all the right answers and the others are all wrong. I can never view the world like that.

An excerpt:

"What if citizens contribute to building a different model of collaborative governance where we hold each other with esteem and share power – even amidst disagreement?

Canadians have relationships with everyone and everything, despite our geographic or social differences. Our successes hinge on the collective efforts found in our diversity. Instead of hindering change by competing, our politics could adopt a relational approach.

For a parliamentary democracy to succeed, relationships must first develop with the party in power and then across party lines — including institutions, communities and citizens. If power remains relational, it could sustain a form of government that collaborates effectively.

Change comes when we actively engage, including all citizens, and particularly those who have different world views. Difference creates strength and balance in society, similar to how diversity allows cities to flourish. Our country depends on everyone’s participation.

Participation is foundational to a collaborative governance model. Trusted governments will listen to and engage with citizens long after elections. Collaborative governance means being in a relationship with one another as co-creators of our futures rather than fighting as warring factions in a winner-take-all game."

https://www.thechronicleherald.ca/opinion/national-perspectives/gladwin-and-harris-politicians-arent-solely-to-blame-for-nasty-election-discourse-364549/

And now for a bit of humour...

Ain't libraries grand!

From the FB British Bookclub.

This reminds me of my very first experience going into our local Collingwood Library on my own. I was only in Grade 2 so seven years old and it was about a mile walk from our home. I was deemed old enough to do this on my own. Things were a lot different then.

I immediately went to the Adult non-fiction section and picked out a book in the Science section. When I went to check it out the clerk commented it might be a little difficult for me to read and I very haughtily replied, "I can read really well!". She checked it out for me without any more comments.

It was pretty hard to read but I could read part of it. I think it was about evolution as I remember reading about how animals were very small in the sea, then grew, and then crawled up onto the land. It was pretty fascinating to me.

There seems to be quite a controversy about preserving its unique modernist architecture.

This was the first example of Modernist architecture in the Vancouver Public Library system and has been serving the Collingwood community for 60 years. Too many tasteless exterior and interior changes as well as poor maintenance, have marred the open and inviting character of this unique architectural landmark.

This is how it looks now.

And then...

Happy Birthday, Richard!

It's hard to imagine it was 42 years ago today. Have a great day, Richard!

Grace sent me this photo from when they were in Kauai in February.

Hi Janice! We’re sitting on a bench waiting for the sunset on our last night in Kauai. :) Here is your photogenic son:

Atwood wins the Booker Prize!

I'm so pleased for her and also her co-winner.  Great for them both and a new author for me to try.

Margaret Atwood with Bernardine Evaristo.

The short list of novels this year.

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-50014906

And it seems The Booker has had quite a few contentious decisions. I enjoyed this article:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/news/booker-prize-winner-decided-coin-toss-archive-reveals/

A wonderful evening chez Naomi and Ray

We had a super Thanksgiving dinner yesterday.  Wow...Grace and Naomi are such wonderful cooks and Richard is an excellent carver of turkey. Lots of laughs and stories. Thank you so much!

The star of the show...cooked to perfection.

Grace and Naomi...les chefs extraordinaire.

Richard getting ready to do his wonderful carving.

Richard and Grace

Ray, who feels very lucky to have two wonderful cooks in the family.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Looking forward to I know what will be a wonderful dinner at Naomi and Ray's with Grace and Richard.

Itty Bitty Book Review: "Chop Suey Nation"

"Chop Suey Nation" by Ann Hui

I really enjoyed this book. Hui drove across Canada to try to answer two questions: Why is there a Chinese restaurant in every small town? And who are the families who run them? She ended up learning about that her own family had run a Chinese restaurant and weaves her own family story into  the book. She begins at Don Mee's in Victoria and ends up with a woman who runs a restaurant alone on the very remote Fogo Island in Newfoundland.

It was mainly necessity as the Chinese weren't welcome in many jobs so had to create their own work. The long hours and sacrifices weren't a surprise to me but I had no idea how adaptable these restaurants became in creating their "fake" Chinese food. It wasn't real Chinese food but adapted to the tastes of Canadians and very local tastes like the "Chinese pierogi" of Alberta and "Newfoundland chow mein" made with strips of cabbage since that was what was available.

We still enjoy our fake Chinese food that is available at the Food Court nearby. One thing that remains the same about this Chinese food is the value. We share one three item plus noodles or rice for $10 and it's more than enough. In the 80's, Jim''s parents frequented a Chinese restaurant on Victoria Drive called Seto's and often took us there when we were visiting Vancouver. Like many Chinese restaurants, they had a lot of "Western" food. They always got liver and onions for $1.95, I got the Chinese buffet which I think was around $4, and Jim got a T-Bone steak dinner which was about $10 or possibly less.

And the best deal of all was the On On Garden in Vancouver's Chinatown. In the mid 60's when I was at UBC, I would go there with my friend, Judy (who was Japanese), and her Chinese friends. You would pretty much have to go with someone who spoke Chinese since the menus were in Chinese and I never did hear English being spoken. Her friends would order all these different dishes and the bill would be $3.00 for the four of us...75 cents each. It was "fake" Chinese food. It was a while before authentic Chinese food came to Vancouver.

Photos from all sides of our balcony yesterday morning.

I do love Autumn!  It's always a pleaure to drive into our special little oasis in Vancouver along the University Golf Course or Pacific Spirit Park but so special now with all the leaves turning on the trees.

 And of course, I never tire of the mountains and ocean as much as I love the desert as well. We'll be in Palm Springs before we know it...just a couple of weeks.

The low rise developments around us have these wonderful trees that go lovely reds and yellows.