Monday, November 23, 2015

A Beautiful Sunrise

A few weeks ago I had the good pleasure of going with a friend to our local central library for an event but haven't had a chance to write about it here.

The occasion was a reading and book launch by local author, Carol Cram.


She was launching her latest book, A Woman of Note.

Here is a summary of the book as provided by the Goodreads site

"Virtuoso pianist Isabette Grüber captivates audiences in the salons and concert halls of early nineteenth-century Vienna. Yet in a profession dominated by men, Isabette longs to compose and play her own music—a secret she keeps from both her lascivious manager and her resentful mother. She meets and loves Amelia Mason, a dazzling American singer with her own secrets, and Josef Hauser, an ambitious young composer. But even they cannot fully comprehend the depths of  Isabette’s talent.

Her ambitions come with a price when Isabette embarks on a journey that delicately balances the line between duty and passion. Amid heartbreak and sacrifice, music remains her one constant."
~~~

What appealed to me about this launch is that the author was going to give a reading and her brother composed a piece of music which was going to be unveiled especially for the book launch. He is the clarinetist in the photo below and travelled all the way from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Vancouver for the performance.  It's an all day journey by plane across Canada.  What a wonderful brother he must be!


The composition was performed by a trio.  The pianist is hidden from view behind the beautiful piano.  The piece very powerful. While I wouldn't say it was my favourite piece of music it was certainly interesting and enjoyable in many ways.  An unexpected bonus in the program is that the author also played a piano piece which was composed by a little known 19th century woman composer.  The piece was very enjoyable.

Of  course there was an opportunity to purchase the book. I paid my $20 (it is less expensive on line) to the author's husband and the author signed it.  If anyone is interested in purchasing a copy, it is easily available on Amazon in digital and paper paper formats. I haven't started reading it yet but it is in my 'to read' pile. It should be very interesting because I'm intrigued by the the subject matter of women composers in early history since there is so little known about them. The author spent time in Italy reviewing documents as the background research for her book.

~~~~
In other news, I had a chance to visit my mom. 
I wanted to go last week but had a cold and didn't want to pass long any germs.
It so happened that there was a major storm last weekend and early week as well as an accident which closed the highway for considerable length of time.  So the delay in travel was a god thing.

There were a lot of things to take on this trip.  Mainly food related items though mom also needed socks and a few other items.

This time mom also requested some fried bread. I made a small batch of it the day before. The best way to eat it is with a bit of butter and jam but you can also use cheese or other spreads or just eat it plain.  This kind of bread has to be eaten when it is relatively fresh so one can't make it too far ahead.


I do not usually fry foods.  But in the case of fried bread, it must be fried. One should also have the grease properly heated so the bread fries very quickly. 

I didn't quite have my oil hot enough but after it was done I let it rest on paper towel to absorb the grease. After sampling I realized I didn't put enough salt in it.  That is okay since too much salt is not good and given the jam topping, the salt wouldn't be missed.

 


On the day's journey we were met with a dazzling sunrise. The colours were out of this world however the phone camera doesn't really do it justice. The following photos were taken on the highway near the City of Chilliwack.


"Sunrise looks spectacular in the nature; sunrise looks spectacular in the photos; sunrise looks spectacular in our dreams; sunrise looks spectacular in the paintings, because it really is spectacular!”
~
Mehmet Murat ildan (Turkish novelist and playwright)






Further along up the mountain highway past the Town of Hope, I captured these clouds above the mountains. I thought they made an interesting pattern.


I'm always in awe at the beauty and majesty of the mountains. 

We were able to enjoy a beautiful, sunny day for most of the journey.



   
The last photo I'm sharing was taken near the approach to the Town of Merritt on the Coquihalla Highway. 
You can see it was starting to cloud over and that it the way it looked for the remainder of the drive (approximately another hour and fifteen minutes).


The weather was nice and brisk. Not too cold. 
We were also fortunate that road conditions were very good for both legs of the journey.  

Thank you for stopping by. 
I'll be joining in with Our World Tuesday this week.
Have a terrific week!

17 comments:

Joanne Noragon said...

A beautiful sky overhead.

Christine said...

Breathtaking sunrise indeed! I always enjoy seeing puffy clouds also!
Have a great week!

Yogi♪♪♪ said...

I love book events like that. I have never been to one where they featured music but so much the better.

I love fry bread, but it is not very good for you. I eat it anyway, sparingly.

What a great sunset.

maryaustria said...

A wonderful sunset! But I also like these cloudy sky!

Powell River Books said...

I like the shot showing the snow in the high country above the road. I sure hope this winter brings us a better snow pack. I don't make a fried bread, but at Christmas I make a fried Norwegian "cookie" called Fattigman Bakkles (poor man's cakes). They are dusted with powdered sugar after frying so they are sweet. All I have of my Norwegian heritage are a few foods my grandmother made at Christmas. - Margy

Red said...

Awesome photos. The Coquihalla is a very scenic piece of road. The last time I went on it it rained heavily all the way so I saw very little.

Linda said...

Gorgeous and breathtaking sky!!!

Rajesh said...

Beautiful sunrise shots.

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Fry bread is a Native American staple and it is sinfully good! We know a few people who make it ... So yummy, I bet your mom was thrilled. Beautiful skies!

Indrani said...

Great narration.
Stunning sunrise shots!

Nancy Chan said...

A lovely launching event and stunning sunrise captures! Have a beautiful day!

Jeanie said...

Glorious photos! And the book launch sounds like a fun and unique event. Finally, I smiled a bit sadly when I read your mom's request. How I miss my mom -- especially at holidays -- and I'd love to be able to bring her fried bread!

Sara - Villa Emilia said...

What a lovely post! The launching event must have been very interesting, the bread looks delicious and the sunrise is indeed spectacular.
Yet my favourite photos were the last ones. I adore mountains and can never see enough photos of mountain views. :)

Debbie said...

Such a nice post, warming to see the support of brother to sister!!

The sunrise is amazing, I find even my Nikon does not capture the beauty I see in sunrises and sets. They have been amazing in New Jersey!!

Stephanie said...

That mountain shot with the snow was spectacular. Quite the drive out to visit your mom. Beautiful scenery!

psychelyn said...

The book must be very interesting to read. I 'm quite intrigued by the music you've described as not your favorite but powerful and enjoyable.

I haven't tried fried bread to be honest. Must that be a special kind of bread or the usual one?

That must have been an amazing roadtrip. The sky is yes, indeed magnificent. How inspiring.

John's Island said...

Hi Joyful, Your photos are always good but these sunrise pics are some of the most dramatic and wonderful I've seen on Snap That. Congrats on the excellent captures. I'm happy to hear that you had a fine trip over to see your mom. Today is Thanksgiving in USA and I'm thankful for having you as a blogging pal. Take good care up there in beautiful British Columbia.

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