Cathedral Art Festival on 13th Avenue

As I walked through the throngs filling 13th Avenue from Albert Street to Elphinstone Street, a distance of …….well, a long way…. from my vantage of my barely 5 feet tall, I could hardly see the kiosks we passed. It was stop and start, weaving through the crowd at my measured pace, stopping long enough to watch the Salsa Colada troupe of young girls in bright costumes perform for the crowd that blocked the path of those that kept walking. From babies in slings or strollers, teenagers and young families, to those of us several decades past; dogs on leashes, rainbow coloured hair, local musicians established several blocks apart - each one a different genre, garish dress to perfectly acceptable dress, the occasional individual in wheelchair a caregiver in tow, kiosks selling artwork, food, clothes, jewelry, books, wood carving, pottery, ceramics, tarot card reading, massage, quilting, crocheting and food trucks. The food trucks! Ethiopian, Mexican, Indian curry, First Nations, poutine, hot dogs and popcorn. The soaring churches and buildings lining 13th Ave were dwarfed by this strolling, happy crowd. 

The late spring sun was wonderful, thankfully cooled by a light wind. I did sit down several times on my journey, but, in all, I walked from one end to the other. My goal: to visit Pause, an air-conditioned coffee shop, opened just 7 weeks ago, to sit down, have a coffee and just ‘pause’ before my long walk back. On that long walk back, I hoped to get a loaf of sour dough bread that I’d seen at the beginning - but not only was it sold out, but the space where the kiosk had been, was empty - not a crumb left!

This, and other community events are all volunteer driven. In that, I saw my community with amazing potential, participation and great diversity. My photo of the clear sky barely marred by cloud and a beautiful pink quilt draped on the kiosk wall, is only a tiny sliver of it all. 

“Strength lies in differences, not in similarities.”

~ Stephen Covey

Rivalry Series: Team Canada Women vs Team U.S.A. Women Hockey

Canadian Women’s Hockey Team

From sportsnet.ca: “REGINA, Sask. - Natalie Spooner opened the scoring on a power play 58 seconds into the third period and Canada won its third straight to lend the Rivalry Series to a decisive seventh game, beating the United States 3-0 on Friday Night.” This was Game 6 of the Rivalry Series.

It was an exciting evening at the Brandt Centre here in Regina. Accompanied by my son, grandson and great granddaughter, we weaved past the crowd streaming into see the Canadian Women’s Hockey Team vs. The U.S.A. Women’s Hockey Team. The last game I had seen in person was in a much smaller prairie rink about 15 years ago. The Brandt Centre with is its thumping music, cheering and flat screens showing interviews with players was considerably different. I still have a sore throat today from my own cheering. 

Historically, hockey had been deemed a sport for boys and men. However that is definitely changing.There were many families there with young girls who were obviously loving watching these young women skating and winning for Canada. 

First period - no score. 

Second period - the U.S.A. team worked hard to get a goal. Still no score.

Third period: That’s when there was the loudest cheering! Score 3-0

“……..Canadian goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer - who was named the game’s top player - clinched the shutout victory, stopping all 27 shots she faced” (From leaderpost.com)

I’ve always loved watching the skill and precision of a good game of hockey. The goal tending last evening from both teams, especially Canada, was impressive. That’s what we were treated to last evening. The next Rivalry Series game is to be held on Sunday, February 11 in St. Paul Minnesota.  I’ll pay more attention to the Rivalry Series and Canadian Women’s Hockey!

“We won’t stop until we take what’s ours.”

~ Natalie Spooner, Team Canada

International Women’s Day 2023

In the Company of Writers

Yesterday, wasn’t all tea and goodies for me. After leaving Government House, I joined a writing companion at Tuppenny Coffee and Books (@tuppenycoffee) at 1433 Hamilton St. This great little coffee shop is the sister location to The Penny University Book Store on 13th Ave here in Regina. Different members of the Queen City Write Club had been at Tuppenny Coffee since 10am, spelling each other off. The event? A Write In sponsored by Tuppenny Coffee. We were there to answer questions about our little group, and to do what we do on Sunday afternoons ~ work on our various writing projects. We chatted with people interested in our group, in writing or just curious. We provided great fridge magnets that are pictured in this blog post as we visited.

That takes me up to today. The Queen City Write Club met at our usual time of 1 pm on Sundays at the Penny University Book Store on 13th Ave. We were all focussed on shaping and putting together our writing projects. A writer’s life is pretty solitary when it is just pen to page. Doing the work of corralling all those words is so much better when in the company of other like minded writers. It is too easy to be distracted by food, laundry, going outside……anything. Heads down, fingers tapping away, pauses while stray thoughts are reined in, it can get pretty silent. Doesn’t stop any of us from asking a question of the others - another benefit of working in a group setting. 

It’s been a busy weekend. Ice cream on the way home was my reward!

“We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.”

~ Ernest Hemingway

On the Edge ~ 2

It was just a tomato sandwich. After walking through the Farmer’s Market, smelling all the delicious cooking food aromas, seeing all the wares on display, and moving to the music from the Regina Folk Festival, I spotted a small food truck advertising Bread. Do I remember its name? No, but I do remember the little hand lettered menu that advertised sandwiches. The first on the list was a tomato sandwich on toasted sourdough bread - exactly what I had wanted. 

That sandwich took me to the edge to a table just steps away from the Farmer’s Market, on the edge of the Folk Festival in Victoria Park. From there, I was able to enjoy the atmosphere of both activities but at a distance. I’m not great in crowds, so sitting at the table I could enjoy the music, the kids playing and dancing, parents and families meandering from venue to venue or, blankets spread, sitting on the grass chatting and laughing. I did spot some hula hoops spinning around the hips of a younger crowd at one of the music venues! 

The Farmers Market had been moved from the Pat Fiasco Plaza to up and down the Scarth Street Mall, giving its usual location over to the Folk Festival. A last loop through the Market, there was really nothing I wanted to buy. Or maybe nothing I wanted to spend money on until I spotted the booth for meat from J & J White Farms in Lumsden. Lamb chops! I love lamb chops and these were local. A few booths down, I just about bought some local Feta cheese, but they were sold out of small quantities. 

I did my own meandering then. Past a children’s venue to the bus stop and home with my memories and my package of frozen lamb chops! It was a special treat to be in the midst of all that energy, music and fun, but stay on the edge of it all. 

“When it’s a folk festival, there’s more of an intention on the song and connecting with people,”

~ Jenny O.

Beyond Van Gogh - The Immersive Experience in Regina

There are few words to describe this exhibition. Amazing is too trite. Beautiful is not enough. Awe inspiring? Whatever adjective I could give to Vincent van Gogh’s work does not carry the movement and depth of his paintings. The artists that put together this incredible digital display must have channeled the master, giving life and real movement to his monumental talent. Using their own talents to bring his works to us, they have offered his memory a very lasting legacy when he so often felt lost. From Starry Starry Night, to music of the Beatles,  music accompanied  his paintings covering giant walls. They flowed into one another, colours changed, water rippled and birds flew, colours and shapes spilled over onto the floor. The windmills spun slowly, ‘smoke’ floated from his pipe, sometimes his eyes blinked!  His own words tell only a fraction of his what he believed.

“I want to touch people with my art. 

I want them to say ‘he feels deeply, he feels tenderly,”

~ Vincent Willem van Gogh

RCMP Musical Ride

 Opening this event was a short demonstration of canine handlers. It involved a well trained German shepherd and a much younger German shepherd. A gentleman in the arena was heavily padded on his right arm, in his left hand he held a long padded item. Both dogs were given cues to attack. While the trained dog did exactly that, the youngster seemed to have a more playful manner, but I suppose still lacks maturity and training!

There was a brief introduction to intense threats to public safety. Blue and red lights flashing, a heavily armoured vehicle was driven into the arena showing us one response vehicle. It certainly wasn’t one of the sleek RCMP cruisers we see on the streets of Regina.

A cadet troop, unmounted, gave a marching precision display. Maintaining the same marching pace despite obvious differences in height, was a testament to their commitment. Men and women enter the RCMP for a 26 week Cadet program. Following completion of the program they are offered employment with the RCMP with peace officer status.

Safety Bear, the RCMP Musical Ride mascot, made an appearance at the entrance to the arena. After that it appeared between events. 

However the grandest part of this show was the Musical Ride Troop. The precision and control of scarlet coated riders on black horses was incredible. For the entire demonstration, the officers held the reins with one hand and a lance in the other, never varying. Difficult choreographed patterns took the troop throughout the arena, along the guard rails, criss crossing and never missing a step. 

There was one misstep that could have cause serious injuries. I was not close enough to see what exactly happened. I was told that one horse’s girth strap broke away, leaving the officer in the dirt, the saddle dangling. The horse stood quietly, the officer dusted himself off. A second officer quickly came to assist, as soon as possible leading them out of harms way. In the meantime the troops executing an intricate maneuver did not stop, but completed their maneuver successfully. I was very impressed.

The audience did not completely fill the stands, but we were all enthusiastic, clapping and cheering with each event. At the end of the demonstration, the audience was invited to come to the guard rails to see the horses and have pictures taken with them. Several of the officers guided their beautiful black horses to the guard rails. Little ones petted soft black noses, some children with trepidation and  others with big smiles. It was a lovely afternoon outing with three new friends!

“At its finest, rider and horse are joined not by tack, 

but by trust ... Each is totally reliant upon each other. 

Each is the selfless guardian of each other’s very well-being.”

~ Author Unknown

The Big Book Sale, Regina, Sask.

At the Highland Curling Club:

books, books & more books!

categorized and sorted

trays of books on long tables

trays of books stacked beneath

That’s not all:

Jigsaw puzzles, word games,

children’s games, LP vinyl

categorized and sorted

trays of them on long tables

trays of them stacked beneath

Last year I went without focus,

this year - yesterday - I knew what I wanted:

Louise Penny novels and jigsaw puzzles

weaving and wandering tables stretching the length of the rink,

I found my prizes: $10.00 for the lot!

An added treat:

the rink’s concession was open for business

my business: a bacon cheeseburger, fries and coffee

after all that hard work

I needed a rest…..

But the volunteers need more rest than I!

Cheerful women and men who organized 

thousands of books, games, vinyl recordings,

CD’S, DVD’S and more…….

sorting, stacking, directing traffic ~

the traffic of buyers filling bags and boxes

and happily accepting the few dollars charged.

“Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.”

~ Elizabeth Andrew

The Big Book Sale in Regina, Sask

The major fundraiser for the Seniors’ University Groups

Wednesday, June 21 - 24, 2023

Cathedral Village Art Festival

Families, food and music on

13th Ave closed to traffic 

for at least eight blocks and 

filled with tents for  ~

  artworks, clothes and jewelry

  jams, jellies and baking

Food trucks with a variety of cuisines

Local musicians played at cross walks

The day started out cloudy and cool.

clouds lifted and warm sun 

accompanied Festival goers as

they wandered and browsed,

stopped and purchased,

gathered in small groups

to greet each other,

or line up at food trucks

on this final Festival Day

                                ~~~~~

Later this evening, the street was washed clean

by a prairie thunderstorm complete with hail!

Hope all the tents, people and electronics

had wrapped things up before they were soaked!

“[An arts festival) helps a city to express itself. …

It lets it come into its own.”

 ~ David Binder

Afternoon Outing ~ Regina's Big Book Sale!!

Laundry, make the bed, do my exercises, feed the cat and go to the Big Book Sale. But as the morning wore on, it became afternoon. Afternoon ~ when I get kind of sleepy. My avoidance mechanism threatened. After all I don’t really need any more books. And I don’t have anymore book shelf space. They would be heavy and it’s really hot and I’ve never been there before and…….. listening to all that chatter was really getting annoying. Laundry done, no time to tidy the place ~ but that can wait ~ I’m not expecting company.

I saw the big blue and yellow Big Book Sale sign! I had arrived at the Highland Curling Club. People going inside empty and others coming out ~ bags of books leaving with them. Inside, where once were sheets of curling ice there were long rows and tables of books! Organized by author, categorized by type, children’s books, fiction, history, self help and so much more..… almost overwhelming. I wandered….picked up this book and that book….put them back. Then I thought of cook books. I pulled out the little map I was given when I arrived. Then, like a fridge magnet headed for the fridge door, I headed for its location. Right beside the Tally tables - that’s where they add up how many books you have and send you to the cashier. Do I need more cookbooks - well, these three, I do. I’ve never had one about Mustard, or about Barbecue tips, or about peppers. And they’re only small, I can fit them in …….

“Some books should be tasted, some devoured, 

but only a few should be chewed and digested thoroughly.”

~ Sir Francis Bacon

Winter’s Reprieve

Imagining all the things in the world. A throne carved from ice - still

standing when all the others had melted in an unseasonably warm sun. A colourful trip through nations and cultures of the world in brilliant lights and colours. Regina presented families and friends with a winter reprieve at Frost Regina. Three friends spent late afternoon enjoying it all, including hot chocolate in an inflatable igloo!

One of many - the Orient, Mexico, the U.K.,
the Netherlands, and India

“How many lessons of 

faith and beauty we should lose, 

if there were 

no winter in our year.”

~ Thomas Wentworth Higginson

Walking the Tracks

In my blog from October 6th, I wrote about what I called a Whirligig Weekend. The annual Victoria Festival of Authors, held from October 02 - 06, 2019, set my head spinning. And I only attended five of the eighteen scheduled events! Earlier in the week, I had other commitments which probably saved my poor brain from absolute overload.  I’ve titled this blog post ‘Walking the Tracks’ because of the photo on the front of the event booklet. My experience truly was ‘walking the tracks’ laid down by the authors that I was able to listen to. 

Starting Friday morning, all morning, I attended the Art of Storytelling to listen to author Richard Van Camp. Our small group, gathered around a long plank table, was all ready, pen in hand and lots of paper. Ready to hear the structure of storytelling that has won him success. Instead, we listened Richard’s stories and the wave that he took them through. Throughout he asked us for stories of our own which several of us shared. Was I disappointed that my ‘class room persona’ had not had a good work out? Maybe a little bit, but by listening to the flow of story I heard the Art of Storytelling.

Saturday was full. First on the schedule Riel Work: In Conversation with Jean Teillet & Gregory Scofield. Jean Teillet, the author of The North West is our Mother is an amazing speaker, is the grand niece of Louis Riel. She has an accurate story of Louis Riel and explained so much Canadian history from that time. 

The next event, before lunch and moderated by Robert Wiersema, was Immaculate History shared by graphic novelist Sarah Leavitt, poet Erin Mouré, and author Steven Price.The inspiration for their works were figures ~ legendary or real ~ taken from written history or personal experience. The crafting of these works in these diverse genres is quite amazing to me. 

Walking outside in the fresh air between events for lunch was to take a deep breath and revive some energy before diving into the afternoon’s event moderated by Marita Daschel: In the Beginning……with authors Carla Funk, Yasuko Thanh, Meenal Shrivastava, and Samra Zafar. Each author brought us works about the changes they had wrought in their lives. From various rigid childhood experiences to articulate and confident writers, each story was the same in the strength of character that they each found and developed. Different only in details and geography.

Sunday morning, the final event that we attended, was moderated by Robert Wiersema. Titled Wayfinding: Is that a path there? ‘The quest is one of the oldest plot devices going…….’ and is the focus for novelist Cherie Dimaline, poet Pauline Holdstock and debut novelist Karen McBride. Discussion about character development was the most interesting to me.

So, did I buy one of their books ~ some set for awards? Have you ever heard the phrase: ‘So many books, so little time?’ Well, I restrained myself and did not purchase any books in favour of the books I’m already reading. However I have the list of these books as the ‘next to read’ for me. The list is below so you can also add to your own ‘so many books’ list.  

“You can never get a cup of tea large enough 

or a book long enough to suit me.”

~ C.S.Lewis

Authors and Book List

Richard Van Camp: We Sang You Home - children’s book in Cree and English

Jean Teillet:  The North-West is Our Mother - accurate history of Louis Riel

Sarah Leavitt:  Agnes, Murderess - graphic novel

Erin Mouré:  The Elements - poetry

Steven Price:  Lampedusa - novel

Yasuko Thanh: Mistakes to Run With

Carla Funk: Every Little Scrap and Wonder

Meenal Shrivastava: Amma’s Daughters

Samra Zafar: A Good Wife

Cherie Dimaline: Empire of the Wild

Pauline Holdstock: Here I Am!

Karen McBride: Crow Winter