SINFONIA and Concert in the Park

The Harmony Arts Festival continued today in West Vancouver and what a treat to have a free concert!

Each day of the festival, brought a different outdoor concert, and today, what a treat to hear the Symphony by the Sea with the professional orchestra of classical music by Sinfonia.

You can’t beat an outdoor concert by the water on a beautiful afternoon, with beautiful classical pieces by Chopin, Mozart and Beethoven and many more of the great composers. Tom, is really the one who loves classical music, and I’m discovering that me, the great lover of ZZ Top, and Bob Segar and Rolling Stones, is developing a great love of  classical music as well. How could I not, when you have a fantastic conductor, Clyde Mitchell, who draws the audience in with little tidbits of interesting information about who wrote these great pieces, and makes the concert fun with his sense of humour as well.

Did you know that Fryderyk Chopin wasn’t French, like most everyone thought? He was Polish, but lived and died in France and when he died, they brought some Polish soil to cover his casket, so he’d have a little of his homeland with him. This year also commemorates his birth which is 1810. Little stories like this gave the concert an extra wonderful touch.

The little girl who is in the production of Annie, began the show with “OH CANADA” and what a beautiful voice!! Then she came out dressed as Annie with her little dog and sang “Tomorrow”.

What a treat this was!

 

Quite a large crowd! Lot’s of things going on in John Larson Park. It looked like rain all day, but not a drop fell.

I went up to ask the Conductor who displayed a very good knowledge and love of the composers and the music he directed, if the story, I just read about Henry VIII, who claimed to have written, Greensleeves was true or false!

Now, I know….it’s False!

A nice fellow took my picture with him!

SINFONIA, the Orchestra of the North Shore, has a concert series beginning in October, and I’m going to go to the website later and get tickets. I think it’s an evening out, we’d both enjoy.

www.sinfonia.ca

 

  This is my Honey, waiting for me!

 I can never get past a beautiful flower display without taking a shot with my camera!

Another picture I took the other day, as we got gas, was this one of a car rally, and I thought I’d remember the names of these little cars, and I think they are called TIGERS, old as 1963 to 65. Made by ?….my memory is SHOT!!

MOVING AT A SNAILS PACE

Sorry, everyone that I haven’t been blogging lately.Some day’s are just not really exciting ones and I have nothing to blog about, no new pictures to show you, and I’ve been just plain old lazy!

Last week….more doctor appointments for Tom. Same old problem, but now with different antibiotics. So far, no sign of the infection in one of the tubes in his groin, leaving at all. It’s a wait and see until he finished the prescription and then the next step…possible surgery…if there is no improvement. It’s slowing down a little but wakes with the pain through the night.

Another visit to the Cardiologist, and it was all thumbs up there! Wonderful news. He doesn’t have the shortness of breath, he’s outdoing me with his walking, and raring and ready to go!

A wonderful change!!

We went to Memphis Blues in North Van for ribs right after the heart doctors appointment, and wondered with shame what the doctor would think if he saw us in there eating. We ordered 1 order of ribs and when it came, it looked like half a pig! The portion was heaping and we ended up taking it home with it in a doggy bag, and have had two more meals with it since! Delicious!

The Harmony Festival continues just down the street and will go until Aug. 9th with lots of entertainment going on. Sarah McLaughlin is in concert in the Park as well as a few other’s with big names and talent. We’ll have to see that!!

I got new runner’s today…how’s that for a news flash? My other one’s are still wearable, but because of my long ONE toe, next to the big toe, I have a horrible time with a proper fit, and vanity made me not go that one extra size, as my feet looked like clodhoppers, so I thought I could manage. I couldn’t! Every step hurt like heck once I got into a fast trot, as my toe rammed up against the shoe. I’d be left with such sore toes after, that even the bed sheets touch them, made me winch! So, now, I have no excuse to get out there walking. If you see me…no fair laughing at my big feet!!

Happy 60th birthday to Kass!! I think there is a big birthday party going on in St. Catharines, either tonight or tomorrow! Wish I could be there!!! Have a good one Kass!!

To John, Eva and Christina

Saying goodbye to their wonderful dog Koko!

Having lost our 17 year old cat last year, I know what all of you are feeling now.

Our Sympathies!!!

Well, that’s the blog for tonight. I’ll try to take more pictures on our travels tomorrow. It’s suppose to rain here tomorrow, which is REALLY needed! I have never seen dead grass in Vancouver since I’ve been here! The forest fires are still raging, and the news tonight is they may burn until the snow comes….if it comes….the weather is really weird!

GAY PRIDE PARADE,HARMONY ARTS FESTIVAL, & MORE

It has been a very busy long weekend in Vancouver and area this past few days, with events galore going on everywhere.

The Vancouver Gay Pride 09 parade, apparently had more then 530,000 people watching the brightly coloured 165 floats.

It was a very HOT, HOT, HOT weekend!!

The Festival of Lights wrapped up it’s fourth and final night of fireworks, that luckily, we can watch from our balcony. The paper said that 1.4 million gathered to watch the performance at English Bay and other viewing points along the nearby beaches.The Festival of Lights is a competition between 4 Countries, Canada, South Africa, UK, and China over a two week period. China won this years competition. The competition is judged on general concept of originality, quality of production, correlation of music and how well the the fireworks are synchronized to the music. Also, how well they fill up the sky like a painting and also use the bottom part by the water. They work with 50 different colours of good quality and long lasting as they explode in the sky. Apparently the bright blue is the most difficult to produce. One that holds the colour and stays in the sky the longest. These are the most expensive to make. We get to see the huge explosions and of course can’t hear the music, but it’s a great trade-off not to have to join the crowds and traffic.

The 2009 World Police and Fireman Games, also filled up the city this weekend, with various sport events and competitions that promotes physical fitness and camaraderie from teams around the world.

No, Tom did not participate!

Then Ambleside’s “Harmony Of The Arts”, is being held, and ends this evening.

This is held down at the end of our street, with many tents set up, full of wonderful crafts to the hearts delight of shoppers. Lot’s of entertainment and an outdoor concert in the evening.

This morning, Tom and I went for breakfast then a walk along the waterfront, and of course, I took the usual pictures, just different day!

Salmon Fishing

I just like the look of this old tree!

People in the water cooling off, and the beach beginning to get crowded with sunbather’s. It was only noon, when these where taken, so I imagine, there will hardly be a bare spot left by dinner time when the picnic people arrive.

Just thought these flowers looked pretty!

What DUD’S these tomato’s are!!! Full of mites or trips or whatever they are called. I’ve sprayed and they just get worse. I had pull out and destroy the nasturtium plants and geraniums and just trying to get enough nerve to get rid of these darn things, that I gave so much tender loving care to! I guess a big garbage bag right over the top and then yank them out, and then go buy some tomato’s elsewhere! John our friend, gives me some from his garden now and then and what a treat they are. So unlike those hard tasteless ones from the grocery stores.

I think next year, my plants will be bought at Michaels Craft Store!!