AUG 5, 2016

RIP My Beloved Philip John Evett
You heard about him in my Nov calendar of last year when Phoebe and I visited with him at our Trinity University reunion. Evett had been our sculpture prof... and the one whose influence I've felt most profoundly. 

His talent and his encouragement... and his pre-pun pause that was mostly punctuated with a puff from his ever-present pipe. He accepted groans as his just reward. 

As Phoebe said, 93 is a good long run. Memories are flooding in right now, along with tears of gratitude and love.

Sept 2016

 
    Misty Blue Morn
        Sandburg's
        Fog comes
        on little cat feet.
        It sits looking
        over harbor and city
        on silent haunches
        and then moves on.
    ...
    My Toronto misty fog
    Settles in heavily
    And engulfs with
    Endless muffled silence.
    ...
    I greet it with
    Sad, solemn acceptance,
    Return to bed
    Harkening to voices
    That have rendered
    Misty Blue...
    Mostly those women
    Who have taught us
    The Blues:
        Etta James
        Dorothy Moore
        Ella Fitzgerald
        Gladys Knight
    And more recently,
        Jann Arden.
    The saddest I think, though,
    Is this haunting version
        from Van Hunt.
    ...
    Go listen, and see
    If you're not ready to crawl
    Back under your own covers...
    Until the Sun forces it's way
    Through again and demands
    We all return to Ecstatic Joy
    Here: now and for always!

    ....
       If this isn't nice, what is?
               ~Kurt Vonnegut, of course

Aug 2016

My home beyond the veil...
The history of bridges is rife stories of the drive for communication and expansion. In 1911 my mother was being being born in NYC, home to over 2,000 bridges and tunnels... lots of expansive talking going on then and there. At the same time in Toronto citizens were trying to decide whether to build a bridge across the Don River to further their own expansive conversations. Referenda were held each year from 1910 til 1913, with residents voting against its construction in 1912 by 59 votes and finally in favour in 1913 by 9236 votes.

Known officially as the Prince Edward Viaduct, today we mostly now call it the Bloor Viaduct. It's part of a set of three bridges: this big one crosses the Don River (and now the DVP and the train tracks and the Bayview Extension plus a well-used bike path), then there's the bridge that crosses the Rosedale ravine and the other that connects the original terminus of Bloor Street to the Rosedale section.

The three-bridge system was designed by Toronto architect Edmund W. Burke. He also designed Trinity-St. Paul's United Church and the Robert Simpson's Department Store building, now home to The Bay and most recently Sak's Fifth Avenue. Time marches, eh?

But back to the Viaduct. Because it was second only to San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge in attracting suicides, in 2003 a barrier of steel rods was added to shield would-be jumpers. The barrier was designed by architect Dereck Revington and is called the Luminous Veil. Yes, it is. And last year lights were finally added to the veil so it glows in colour at night. Yes, it does.

Edmond Burke's bridges opened in 1918 and just a few months ago a great little pub bearing his name opened near the big bridge and its enlightened veil... and just around the corner from my home in the sky.

You can see that home beyond the veil here... it's that tall building in the background with some lights on, but not mine, because I was standing on the Prince Edward Viaduct taking this picture for you.
....
If this isn't nice, I don't know what is.
                                    ~Kurt Vonnegut, of course

July 2016

Blueberries now and remembered...

Soon after arriving in Canada, we lived in a hidden part of North Vancouver, BC, called Deep Cove. Our backyard there was a mass of brambles and vines. Indeed our yard was a tangle of blueberries and salmonberries with a few raspberries dotted here and there. We spent our first spring clearing paths so we could gather our bounty... and the rest of our time there trying to maintain those paths against nature's rampant power.

Turns out we had some serious competition for our berries. As the last house on a street at the foot of Mt. Seymour, we were a part of The Wild. Visitors included countless raccoons of course, but the most dramatic visitors were bears. We could always tell when they were around because the neighbours' dogs went wild. Guess bears are really smelly. Like our neighbours, we kept our garbage secure in our basement, but those berries! Bears loved our berries... and they loved our easy-access pathways. They came in the night. We never saw them in person, but those barking dogs warned us to stay indoors. We always saw evidence the next day... and those bushes kept creating more berries for all of us.

Many years later, driving on Salt Spring Island, we stopped and picked berries on the sides of the roads. I wondered then, if bears shared those bushes, too.

Now, I get my berries from the grocery store... and when I'm lucky, local markets.

I always think about the bears... and how generations of both our species keep sharing our treasures.
...
Thank you to David's sister Annie, for this perfect pic of your yummy Portland picks.
...
This month, I invite you to let all your berry feasts
remind you of the bears—and Kurt Vonnegut's urging:
      . . .  please notice when you are happy,
       And exclaim or murmur or think at some point,
      If this isn't nice, I don't know what is.

June 2016

Exploring Esperanto ~ Finding Haiku...

Some link somewhere led me to find out just what Esperanto is. I'm enthralled... mostly because I'm grammar obsessive and this invented language from the late 19th century is constructed with gloriously simple and consistent grammar... and vocabulary... and pronunciation! I found a neat site to learn and explore, lernu!. What it lacks in graphics it makes up for in earnestness. There's even a Toronto bunch who meet and speak Esperanto not far from my home! I'm trying it all out at Duolingo and finding it fun and incredibly easy.

A friend at work is from France. He tells me there's even an Esperanto version of Tintin! This month's pic is the cover of a book of Esperanto haiku. It's called Senokulvitre (which means "without eyeglasses") and it's by Steven D. Brewer. He and his brother learned Esperanto when in school they still write and speak it. Seems people become devotees.

Here's a sample from his book. It's called hajik:

la mondo estas
     mola kaj bonveniga…
          senokulvitre
                     ~
          the world is
soft and inviting…
     without glasses

I'm inspired to try my own tranlation of my email sign-off:
Pri la abelo la floro ne sonĝas. Ĝi floras kaj la abelo venas.
~
The flower doesn't dream of the bee. It blooms and the bee comes.

Luke Skywalker Day 2016

That's it... grab your light sabres today...
y muchas cervezas mañana!!!

May 2016

Sunrise on an elusive spring slides over the Don Valley...

As I've often shown you in these past few years, from my balcony I overlook the western sunset view of our city..The lights of the skyline amaze me still. Every night.

But lo! I also overlook this sunrise in glorious reflection. Every morning. Sometimes it's SO bright I must close the curtains for a little while, just to be able to check my email. Then as the sun rises into the sky it enlightens more and more of the valley's sides and eventually its floor... wherein zooms the morning rush-hour traffic.

From this perch I will be monitoring the green-to-come. It's not here yet, but I share hope with people I meet on the elevator, in the grocery store line-up and on the subway. We are all impatient and we are all filled with hope... and a burning desire to complain about the heat.
...
And again, from Kurt Vonnegut:
       I urge you to please notice when you are happy,
       And exclaim or murmur or think at some point,
      If this isn't nice, I don't know what is.

April 2016

My Balcony Buddha's got cold toes...

Saved this til now.
If I'd sent it on the First
You would have thought
It an April Fool's prank.

We wish it were.
But wishes aren't horses
And we beggars still have a cold,
Wet and snowy walk ahead.

This Buddha doesn't complain.
He sits and steadfastly
Collects alms of flakes.
Cuz he's soooo here now.

My here now is cozy...
Inside looking out,
With a nice cup of
Hot chocolate to sustain.

I'll watch through glass
As our here becomes
The long-awaited now
Of sandals and lemonade.

Then I'll try to learn from
This same balcony Buddha
Not to complain too loudly
About the heat.

Mar 2016

Steam rises as we all seek warmth at sunset on Valentine's Day...

We had snow and winds and the general stay-home-and-watch-Netflix kind of cold. Then we slid into a pseudo spring. Some brave souls even went out this past weekend in shorts! Not I, of course, but I did enjoy walking about my bustling neighbourhood in shoes instead of boots!

In Toronto we know we still have at least another 4 to 6 weeks of Netflix before we can trust the sun again. Now Anwar Knight's telling us to gird ourselves for 6-12 cm of snow... arriving by the time you're reading this.

In like a lion, eh?

Thanks to my new windows, I'm staying cozy this year.

And... thanks to a lovely gift from Peter, these cozy evenings I'm adding Metropolitan Opera On Demand to my Netflix cocooning time.

You?

2016 Feb

Canada Post keeps making history...
too bad most of us have given up on snails.

No broken arm, I'm just late, but I'm including a little Valentine heart for everybody!

This Year of the Fire Monkey portends a time where anything can happen. This cheeky animal bursts with exuberance, bringing a lightening fast pace and fantastical motivation. The Monkey increases communication, humor and wit, helping us get through stressful times with grace and ease. Business flourishes and risks tend to pan out. The Monkey’s gift is the ability to find unconventional solutions to old problems. Daring to be different can lead to success.

Overall advice: be prepared to work hard and stand up for what you deserve.
...
and never, ever forget Vonnegut's request:

I urge you to please notice when you are happy,
And exclaim or murmur or think at some point,

"If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.”

Jan 2016

The Empire State Building Shows Off...

New Year's Day brought snow to my hilltop perch above the Don Valley... and earlier this week Kate's new New Jersey perch showed off NYC's seasonal sparkle. Yes, I spent a happy Christmas week in Union City, hanging with Kate, lazing with Jessica Jones and London Spy and more HGTV than anyone could possibly guess is even possible. Upon David's return from Portland we entrained for the greatest tacos in this Texan's life... at Manhattan's Chelsea Market, followed by memories of Italy with deep chocolate gelato at Eataly on 5th Avenue!

I'm looking forward to a year of creative joy and reflection... and remembering Jack Cheng's entreaty, I wish us all a year that is "restorative, overwhelming, spent with loved ones, quiet with solitude, everything, everything."

Yes, especially everything!

...

and never, ever forget Vonnegut's request:

I urge you to please notice when you are happy,
And exclaim or murmur or think at some point,

"If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.”

 

Dec 2015

Memories of Ponte Vecchio...

Looking over the year past is the task of the month. Our media is filled with lists of the best books, movies, songs, TV shows, news, etc. ad infinitum. On a personal level we try to make sense of how our own memories stack up as a part of the whole. AND this year I have some remarkable memories. Looking through my image files for this month's missive showed me events and adventures that have excited and nurtured my heart.

The end of the month, then, brings us the opportunity to determine what we want from our new year. Like the people crossing the Ponte Vecchico in Florence, we all need to prepare for our journey and to know where we're going... and maybe even why.

Resolutions seem rigid to me and they tend to fail when they confront an obstacle. In my world, determinations are purposeful intentions, giving rise to flexible decisions that enable me to stay in tune with my intentions as Time finds ways to muddy the waters around me. See?

I've been writing some new things recently and I look forward to telling you about them by the time the coming year starts feeling a little old around its edges. In this way my year past is carrying over into my year-to-come. I always relish my New Year's Eve review of last year's determinations and setting my new intentions. I like keeping my list to just a few major notes, to create a workable chord for the whole year. Some years I even choose a theme song to represent my new intentions. Of course, because I obsess, I make my notes to myself with beautiful type and enjoy choosing colours, backgrounds, and textures that enhance my determinations.

I invite you to review your own year past and to prepare your own notes to yourself of determinations all ready for New Year's Eve. Write them by hand on a little cocktail napkin as you raise your glass if you like. See what you think...

and remember Vonnegut's request:
I urge you to please notice when you are happy,
And exclaim or murmur or think at some point 
"If this isn't nice, I don't know what is."

Another November 11th

Remembering Van...

With warmest thanks to Van's son Julian
for this image and more.

It's almost 11:11 of 11-11-11
But this isn't about numbers…
A simple row of ones.
Or maybe it is.

It's about the number 1
Already being too many.

It's about forcing
Sweet innocent children
To become trained killers.
It's about sending them out
To kill and be killed.

The number 1 Is already too many.

I met Arthur Charles VanTowsey
In Sydney. He was already 60.
He told of his youth in Auckland.
House filled with musicians
And singers from afar...
Guests of his
Pianist and organist father Arthur Cyril
And his
Opera singer mother Mamie.
There was always noise
In that home...
Noise of rehearsals,
Noise of friendships,
Noise of children.

In his early work
Van delivered telegrams
First on his push bike
And later on his motorbike.
He carried little tree seedlings
And planted them along is routes.
Go to Auckland and look for them.

It was a time and place
Of quiet confidence 
That each person
Could (and would)
Make a difference
For the benefit of all.

Van and his mates
Felt the distant sting
Of England's raging
Push against the Nazis.
They tried to understand
Why the US was not part.

But knowing their part,
This band of friends
Rushed to join the fight.

They trained together.
They became defenders
Of the just
And killers
Of the unjust.
They eagerly awaited
Their time to get
Over there.
Units trained and were sent out.
Units trained and were sent out.
Units trained and were sent out.
And Van noticed that
Training periods were being
Shortened and each battalion
Was sent out sooner and sooner
Than the one before,
Each training always less.

Van wrote to the prime minister
Protesting that the jewels of
New Zealand's future
Were being sent unprepared
To certain slaughter.
The prime minister
Did not respond.

Van and his mates
Were sent to England,
Then onward to Egypt,
And finally to Crete.
They fought.
They died.
In the midst of one battle
Van watched as his boyhood friend
Pushed a trolley of supplies:
A sudden blast
Blew off his head.
His hands remained on the trolley
And his body continued
To walk forward headless...
Before finally collapsing.
At the end of that day
Arthur Charles VanTowsey lived,
Wounded but alive,
One of only five left
Of the original 21st Battalion
Out of New Zealand.
The last of the band.
The last of the hope.

I remember Van's tears
Each Remembrance Day
I spent with him in Oz.

It wasn't abstract for him.
The number 1
IS
Already too many.

Bette Forester
Toronto, about 10:15 am 11 Nov 11

Nov 2015

Sunny & hot in San Antonio...

Yes, Texas. Twas my university reunion... a Big Event.Trinity University is alma mater to a slew of us still around to talk about it. It's mostly perched atop the cliff of an old quarry. From there one can see for miles around, including the San Antonio skyline. That's why it's called the Skyline Campus. That's the upper campus. The lower campus sits at the bottom of that cliff face. All beautiful and dramatic. The school itself started in 1869 and moved to its current campus in 1952 with buildings designed by now-famed architect, O'Neil Ford.

I attended the reunion with Phoebe, the woman I met during my time at Trinity. The woman you've seen on these pages before. She who now lives in Portland. She who weaves. For years Phoebe was among those who wove tapestries for Mark Adams, including these that now hang at the San Francisco airport Terminal 2. We were both sculpture majors at Trinity, under the tutelage of one Philip John Evett. The one and only. He's now retired from teaching. His current work is more vibrant than ever. Go see.

So: top pic shows Phoebe et moi as we wandered about in that 35° C (95° F) sun, Phoebe with Henry Moore (there's a Barbara Hepworth only a short walk away!), me with Evett, and lastly the now-remodelled and expanded art building where we spent so many hours drawing, painting, carving and welding all those years ago. Wandering the hallways and peering into the classroom-studios I felt the lure of The Work and memories of meeting others who also felt that lure then, too.

Evett's show here, was mounted to honour him during our reunion. Lots of us returned to stand with him again, to admire his work and just to remember. Somehow he remembered all of us.

After our reunion weekend, Phoebe and I adjourned to the gracious old Menger Hotel in downtown San Antonio, across the street from the Alamo. There we wandered the old-made-new River Walk and revisited some favourite haunts, including breakfast at Shilo's Delicatessen, a landmark for longer than even we can remember. PLUS, after all these years, I finally met Phoebe's three siblings! They joined us at the Menger and we meandered some more together and celebrated with some perfect Mexican food above the River at Mexican Manhattan.

I returned to a Don Valley that's gradually merging greens into oranges and yellows and daily adding more in preparation for just giving up and dropping everything until the light returns. I do love my Canadian seasons. Snow and ice, not so much.

Have a great Mo/November
And
Be sure to remember
To remember
On the eleventh:
Vonnegut
Et al.
His birthday
And pleas
For humanity.

AND
As former Trinity dean
Coleen Grissom reminded,
I entreat you with some
Always apropos
Kurt Vonnegut words:

I urge you to please notice when you are happy,
And exclaim or murmur or think at some point,

"If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.”

Oct 2015

PDX threads found in New Jersey...

Kate and David (the David from Portland, not last month's David from Florence!) have bought a condo in Union City! Just next to Hoboken. The day they they got their keys they celebrated by planting their little square foot of old PDX carpet, Q.E.D.

Some of you might ask, What? Why? But you others know: originally designed by SRG Architects and installed in the Portland International Airport in 1987, Portlanders have since marked their departures and returns with pictures of their feet planted somewhere on the many acres of this carpet. Or their dog on the carpet. Or their donut on the carpet. These days the PDX carpet even has its own Instagram account where they post their images: https://instagram.com/pdxcarpet/

This year has marked retirement for the iconic carpet—much to the dismay of locals and visitors alike. I was fortunate to have seen the original carpet for myself when in Portland for Thanksgiving 2013. The new design uses similar colours, but it's not the same. Not the same at all. Google it.

The good news is that the old carpet has reappeared in many clever guises. This square, of course, but there are also framed squares and sling back chairs and magazine racks. Google them.

And speaking of Portland... Phoebe, now of Portland, and I are shortly going to our university reunion in San Antonio, Texas. We are all aflutter with excitement and plans. We hope to see friends and profs... in particular our scultpure prof, Philip John Evett: http://www.philipevett.com/

But, back to Kate and David in Union City. They are busy painting and packing and dreading the overwhelming manual labour that is moving... all to come to fruition in these next three weeks... all while they're working full time. I invite all of you to join me in sending them happy and restful vibes.

Or you're welcome to just drop by their Brooklyn apartment and help them carry heavy boxes down the stairs!

Happy October ya'll.

Sept 2015

 KIDNAPPED AT BILLY BISHOP AIRPORT

I thought I was off to visit Kate in Brooklyn... but that all changed very quickly when she and David met me at Billy Bishop Airport as I emerged from the new 10-stories-deep tunnel.

I didn't find out where we were going until we arrived in Rome about 7 hours later!

We visited the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel, where a kind guard suggested I might be more comfortable in a wheelchair. Yes! David was my pusher and I was able to see everything with no compromises. There were no photos permitted in the Sistine Chapel, but it looks like they each grabbed one of all the necks craning upwards and Kate took one of the floor, which she proclaimed to be underrated.

That afternoon we took a fast (250 km/h !) train to Florence where another surprise awaited: Peter and Lisl joined us! The next day we ALL visited my obsessively favourite sculpture, Michelangelo's David. And later, the Uffizi Gallery, home to lots of art including Botticelli's Birth of Venus. Peter became my wheelchair pusher there and we accidentally exited the gallery. He had to find a way back in to return the chair after the entrance closing time!

We relaxed and chatted over wine on our airbnb apt’s rooftop terrace then ate another fabulous meal nearby.

Peter and Lisl were off to Athens to a wedding the next morning. We hung out in Florence another day then returned to Rome and visited the Vatican again: this time to see Michelangelo's Pietà, along with St. Peter's Basilica.

I’ve made a slideshow to show you some highlights, including the St. Peter's Piazza lady's lav and the Pope's chair collection and poetry pasted to Florentine walls.

We ate glorious food, especially gnocchi and gelato. We wandered cobblestoned streets and gawked. We saw lots of art, some with bees found with David’s eagle-eyes in the Vatican Museum. In Florence Kate spotted some Gucci fashion windows featuring bee details. Kate and her David even found a cat sanctuary on the site of Caesar's assassination!

Go watch my little slideshow… it’s only 2.5 minutes and you can see us all smiling a lot. OK I also cried from time to time. It was obviously my party and I wanted to.
https://youtu.be/jI-FqBDoh38

AND for those of you inclined to poetry, here’s a sonnet from the master himself:

for Tommasco de’Cavalieri
by Michelangelo Buonarroti

With your fair eyes a charming light I see,
    For which my own blind eyes would peer in vain;
    Stayed by your feet the burden I sustain
    Which my lame feet find all too strong for me;
Wingless upon your pinions forth I fly;
    Heavenward your spirit started me to strain;
    E’en as you will, I blush and blanch again,
    Freeze in the sun, burn ‘neath a frosty sky.
Your will includes and is the lord of mine;
    Life to my thoughts within your heart is given;
    My words begin to breathe upon your breath:
Like to the moon am I, that cannot shine
    Alone; for lo! our eyes see nought in heaven
    Save what the living sun illuminated.

Aug 2015

It's not all about the storm...

Yesterday we Torontonians (and beyond) were entranced by a dramatic wall of storm that rolled in suddenly and made a lot of light and noise. I watched from my balcony, then rushed inside as the cloud totally engulfed me. The rain beat against my windows... then it was all over. The clouds retreated overhead taking their lights and noises east with them. Dark time was all clear, then later another line of rain and lights and noises. Our morning brought another glorious sunrise... facing west I see it all in reflection of the city skyline.

I'll admit, I took this partic sunrise a couple of days ago, just to catch that blue moon!

July 2015

Batman & Petunia:
a tale of 2 cats & 1 pizza box

Kate and David met in California over 3 years ago now.
When they moved to Brooklyn together their respective cats
came with them. Batman & Petunia have been mostly
less enthusiastic than their people about sharing their spaces.
They have found common ground in watching out the window
for squirrels on the fire escape. They sit at full attention,
side-by-side perhaps even forgetting about each other!
Their latest dispute, however, is over this pizza box.
Could it be that each recognizes how perfectly the box graphics
echo the arch of furry sleeping back? After all,
they are cats and vain.

Thank you to Kate for the on-going updates!

June 2015

Discovering Ethopian delights...
warm friendship and a spice-laden adventure.
~to be continued.

Thank you to Nancy (Hoochie's mama) for introducing me
to more of what our city has to offer...
and welcome to Nancy's wife Katherine
who will be joining the Toronto adventure later this month.
June is indeed the month of brides!   

May 2015

Sands of Time... 
Waiting patiently for our footprints
To delight with our dance!
from Kate on Coney Island
when it was spring
for that one day last month