The Rolling Stones Concert

The concert has come and gone. It was so much fun! My brother bought me the ticket and he also went to the concert but had a ticket in a different section.  The seat mates to my left was a couple from Columbia who are here on vacation. The young woman has lived in British Columbia before and has permanent residency. She was bringing her boyfriend to check it out and they may move here together if he likes it. The seat mates to my right were a mother and son from Parksville on Vancouver Island. The young man sat next to me and we had great conversation throughout the night. He was totally enjoying himself though he didn't grow up with the music like I did.

The first thing that struck me is how many gray haired rock and rollers there were in attendance, many of them wearing merch like t-shirts.  You could see that many of them have been rocking it all their lives. 

This was my section.

This was my view as I ate a snack before the show.

I enjoyed people watching.

I didn't realize the stadium was open air.

The opening act was a group from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania called Ghost Hounds and they were very good.

I uploaded one of my videos to You Tube and I will probably add more later to my channel. First I  have to figure out how to edit the videos a bit.  It's a bit of trial and error. This song is called The Midnight Rambler. I hope you like it.

I think the last time the Rolling Stones were scheduled to come to Vancouver, Covid broke out and the show was cancelled. Mick Jagger announced that it was 19 years ago when the band last came to the city and 59 years ago when they made their first visit. 

The show was excellent and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It took 50 years to the month that I first played the Rolling Stones on my little 8 Track Cassette Player until I finally saw the band in person. I can still see the scenes in my mind from way back then.  Moreover I can still see mom and dad and how they were appreciating the music as much as I did and how they supported me in my love of the music.  (I loved them all the more for their indulgence of me).  I think they were just grateful that I chose to enjoy the music at home rather than running around town like a lot of the other teens we knew.

 The album was called Jumping Jack Flash  and it was the only cassette I owned of the band.  How fitting it was that the band ended their set with the song "Jumping Jack Flash".  It just felt like a very special evening which had come full circle.

Memories & Music

Hello friends,

How are you today?

It is a beautiful sunny day here at last so I intend to catch a few rays before they disappear.

My post is brief today after such a long one last time. I will finish responding to commenters later today or tomorrow.

In the meantime, instead of sharing a photo of a bright sunny day I will share with you some beautiful cowboy art set to one of the best voices I've ever heard for all around soothing music in the country genre.

I was listening to this wonderful singer on Saturday while I cleaned the kitchen cabinets.

It brought back a lot of memories of when I was a teenager and my siblings and I would be babysitting every Saturday night (and more often too). It also brought back lovely memories of Kenya. Believe it or not, the music of Don Williams, Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton is very popular in many parts of Africa, including Kenya.

When I was babysitting, I would also watch television or listen to music as most teenagers do.  Lots of times the parents had a wonderful music collection of all kinds of country artists.  Included in one household was the music of Don Williams. The song I've chosen to share is one of my favourites of his because though the words may depict someone who is on the razor's edge of depression, he is also believing in God and holding on to the promise of a better day coming.  The music itself is fast paced and very upbeat and makes me want to dance for joy. (As an aside, there is also a video on youtube which shows Don Williams' visit to Zimbabwe. If you'd like to see it you can see it here . It is a 1 hour documentary. If you can't watch it all, at least watch the first 3 minutes. It will touch your heart).

This video features some fantastic cowboy art too which I thought might be fun for some of you. I am not a cowgirl but I grew up in cowboy country.  Many of my relatives were rodeo fans. I also have a few cowboys in the family, the youngest being one of my nephews.

Enjoy!

Scenes from Vancouver's Chinatown

Today I had to go downtown for an appointment. I decided to stop off in Chinatown as I wasn't too far from there and I needed to find myself a bamboo steamer (to steam frozen dim sum).

I always enjoy the street scenes and today was no exception.  The array of product in a store in Chinatown is always astounding. There are also a lot of exotic to me things that I don't get to use or see every day. I  still remember my early days in Vancouver and how a trip to Chinatown was always such a delight. Buying simple things like Sandalwood soap (heavenly fragrance) was a true cultural experience.

Truth be told I only walked a square block and a few extra streets in Chinatown.  There is actually much more to see.

I loved the artful tree in front of this traditional looking roof top. There is even a bird perching on top (see side right as you are looking straight at the photo).  The sky looks rather gray. It was actually an overcast day today though it cleared up and became quite warm.

If you look off in the distance of the photo below you will see the sky scrapers. They are located in down town Vancouver just a stone's throw away.

These plants make a nice, colourful addition to the street. I am not sure if they are on sale or if they are gifts to the store owners for a new business perhaps.

All over Chinatown the evidence of economic decay is present. So many shops have closed up. For many years now Chinatown has been declining and many shop owners have migrated to the suburb of Richmond (near the Vancouver International Airport) where there is a sizeable Asian community.  I admire the business people who stick it out in Chinatown and try to keep things going. I know there have been some efforts over the years to try and revitalize this area. Sadly I think the revitalization is going to change the entire nature of the area.

Already today I saw several businesses that just do not match the historical charm and nature of the businesses here. I also saw evidence of numerous residential building projects that are going to bring in masses of residents and change the nature of the area too.

I know change is always happening but I will personally miss the charm of what was.

It was nice to see some beautiful murals in the area.  The one depicted in the photo below is adjacent to an empty lot which is scheduled for a condo project.

This ruby red lamplight  post with Chinese writing at the bottom is quite beautiful.

This sign alerts the passersby to the coming condo development. There are several other developments in the general area.

This fast food restaurant, Kent's Kitchen is a very well known and highly frequented restaurant. I stopped by for lunch.

I love this charming, yellow building. At the bottom of the building you can see that other ethnic businesses are moving.  There is now a Filipino Restaurant in what used to be a clothing store. In the next block I saw businesses run by Caucasians and Vietnamese people.  Chinatown is losing it's historic and distinctly Chinese ambience and I'm guessing that building owners are giving good incentives to other businesses just to keep things going.

I just hope that in years to come there will still be a distinctly Chinese flavour to this area even if things change.

Linking up with Skywatch Friday today.
My the time does fly!
Have a great weekend everyone :-)

In Flander's Fields

[Caption: Photo from Reuters Pictures, November 4, 2009 - Field of Remembrance, Westminster Abbey]

In Flander's Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
— Lt.-Col. John McCrae (1872 - 1918)

A descendant of Scottish immigrants, Lieutenant Colonel John Alexander McCrae was born in Guelph, Ontario on November 30, 1872. He was a physician and an author, but is best known for "In Flander's Field." During the Second Battle of Ypres in Belgium he served as a surgeon with the Canadian artillery in a field hospital.

Throughout the hellish battle in the Ypres Salient, McCrae treated many injured soldiers and on May 2, 1915, he witnessed the death of a close friend, Lieutenant Alexis Helmer. The next day, after performing the funeral service for his friend in the absence of a chaplain, McCrae sat near the cemetery and, as he watched the poppies blowing between the gravestones, he penned this poem to express his sadness at the devastation. The poem was later published in Punch magazine on December 8, 1915.

I've always loved this poem and remember reciting it as a child with other classmates. We would stand as we articulated the wonderful words to this poem, like a chorale group. The song "Taps" would play over the school intercom. A makeshift cross with a soldier's helmet perched atop would sit in a prominent place at the head of the class and we later stood in silence for a moment to remember the fallen. There was always, always a tinge of sadness and great emotion. Even now when I read the poem, and think of the fallen, tears swell to my eyes and sometimes spill over.

I am grateful I have these memories and grateful that some people still take the time to remember those who sacrificed everything for our freedoms. Most of all, I am grateful to those who went to battle; those who returned, and those who rest in a place far from home and loved ones. May God rest their souls.

November 11 is Remembrance Day, also known as Armistice Day is of course, the anniversary of the end of World War I 91 years ago, and it is a day for remembering those who died in the wars.
On the 11th day of the 11th month at the 11th hour, please remember the war heroes.

Blue

blue, blue, blue.
any shade will do.
out of all the colours in the wheel,
it seems i like this one more,
for real

{Joyful Servant, 27-06-09}

in my walk in the brilliant sunshine yesterday, i happened across this lovely old building, with beautiful, blue, exterior walls and crisp, white trim.

it reminded me very much of fairy tales, my trip to prague and wedgewood china.

the lovely metal gate in black, is also perfectly framed by the lovely blue wall.

the side of the building is in the shade giving the
exterior walls a much fuller body.

as i was snapping these pictures, i was reminded of seeing the writer, frank kafka's house, in prague, czech republic.
the particular house i'm recalling is small and located near the royal palace.

some day i would love to get back and see more of prague!
the city is so alive with coloured buildings, blues, yellows, russets.....
lovely ♥♥♥

[caption: frank kafka's house number 22, credit: prague.net]