Distractions, reflections

Fort York: Installation of Bruno Billio (2016) Tri-Mirror Sculpture @FortYork, view eastward into quiet downtown on Canada Day. Families and tourists wandering around historic site late afternoon, watch pipe and drum corps with soldiers marching. Rain earlier in the day left the air clean. (Fort York, Garrison Creek, Toronto, Ontario) 20160701

Mill Street Beer Hall: Expected @ESLTrio @MillStBeerHall @TorontoJazzFest, found quartet with the addition of keyboard. Venue full of patrons, but much of audience convened for football game, raising cheers as goals scored. Otherwise, relaxed gig with set list modified for the mood? (Mill Street Beer Hall, Distillery District, Toronto, Ontario) 20160702

Nathan Phillips Square: Under concert tent @JoeJacksonMusic piano Graham Maby bass @TorontoJazzFest @NPSToronto could be the last musicians still touring and recording from days before we had kids. Have seen them many times, once near stage within spitting distance. This time, DY and I opted for stools on the plaza, outside the reserved seats. On the cover song for the day, DY recognized Knowing Me Knowing You by the second line, I didn’t know until the chorus, as I’m not an ABBA fan. (Toronto Jazz Festival, Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto, Ontario) 20160702

Canadian National Exhibition grounds: Shrine Peace Memorial presented in 1930 to Canada by Shriners, with 1958 surrounding fountain and gardens created by Toronto Parks Department. Faces Lake Shore Boulevard, southeast of the Bandshell and southwest of the Better Living Centre. I’ve been going to the CNE since the 1960s, and this fountain was never on the route between sights. The Shell Tower is in the background. CNE is active only in the last 2 weeks of August. (Shrine Peace Memorial, Canadian National Exhibition grounds, Toronto, Ontario) 20160707

McGill Granby Parkette: Tent over @WeAreCairo @DowntownYonge via @CMincubator, but no shelter for audience. Performance cut short after 15 minutes for rain, organizers cautious of water around electrified instruments. Sun came out 30 minutes. Band is writing, not touring, this summer, said next show could be in August. (McGill Granby Parkette, Yonge Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20160709

Toronto Sculpture Garden: An Te Liu (2015) Animal Vegetable (I) on top of Vegetable Mineral (I), part of six bronze castings in the Sold State installation. First installed with Nuit Blanche 2015 last fall. Waterfall on east wall cooling on a warm summer day. (Toronto Sculpture Garden, King Street East, Toronto, Ontario) 20160711

Glorious Chinese Cuisine: Early dim sum, food consumed slowly when I’m the youngest one at the table. Extended family convening on weekday, sister visiting town gives reason for everyone to get together. Our sons have their own lives. (Glorious Chinese Cuisine, Kennedy and Denison Centre, Markham, Ontario) 20160713

College Park: Noon jazz @AllisonAuMusic sax @DowntownYonge @ToddPentney keys @Raj_Maha bass Fabio Ragnelli drums. Morning rain lifted for overcast summer outdoor concert in first of two sets of Massey Hall Band Presents. Workers took break to lounge and relax to music. Construction site behind tent was inactive, so no interference with sound. (Play the Parks, College Park, Toronto, Ontario) 20160714

College Park: Lunch jazz @TaraKannangara trumpet @DowntownYonge @MackLongpre drums Julian Anderson-Bowes bass Chris Pruden keys. Second of two sets of Massey Hall Band Presents. Some in audience stretched their break to hear two bands, will have to schedule a club for a full show. White bandage prominent on Tara’s left hand and wrist, didn’t seem to impact holding the horn. (Play the Parks, College Park, Toronto, Ontario) 20160714

Yonge-Dundas Square: IndieFriday with @MelanieBrulee @YDSquare @FrancoFete tunes en Français, with introductions some in English. Wandered around Ryerson University, Yonge Street and Toronto Eaton Centre with sister who hasn’t lived here for some decades. Points of references are spaces and businesses that have since changed. (Yonge-Dundas Square, Toronto, Ontario) 20160715

Mount Pleasant Cemetery: Additional visit to graves, with brother and sister coming into town. The tree that we stood under on a previous visit has its top either broken off or chopped off. Extra time was spent on removing flowers that had overgrown, hiding the headstone. After a visit to Pine Hills Cemetery earlier, I took a nap in the car. (Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto, Ontario) 20160717

Yonge and Dundas: Scramble crosswalk gives 20 seconds to clear intersection around 10:20pm on a Thursday night in July. City is still active with pedestrians on a weekday, will be busier on the weekend. Heat alert during the day, so a late night bike ride still warm in midsummer. (Yonge Street at Dundas Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20160721

Toronto Pearson Terminal: One destination, two routes. DY on 8 a.m. to New Orleans on way to Denver, I am on 8:30 direct. She’s flying on points, saved enough for another trip to Vancouver. I signed up to defer from overbooked flight to later, but UA doesn’t need that seat for someone else. (Toronto Pearson Airport, Terminal 1) 20160723

Central Park Station: On A line from northeast Denver near UC Anschutz campus to Union Station, on route to Boulder. Got a lift from hotel to train station. Woke up early, still in Eastern Time zone, also breathing harder due to higher altitude. (Central Park Station, Denver, Colorado) 20160724

Visual Arts Complex: Ceremony honouring 60th year of the systems sciences conference, which is one full cycle in the Hindu sequence. Conference in Colorado overlaps with conference in India, so we have the world surrounded. (Visual Arts Complex, University of Colorado, Boulder) 20160724

Pearl Street Mall: Rock waterfall on pedestrian mall has flowers painted on, and a few leaves stuck on. Escaped conference on evening to get off campus and see the town, restaurants and stores open. Relaxed pace for slow stroll back over a big hill onto campus. (Pearl Street Mall, Boulder, Colorado) 20160725

NCAR: Field trip includes trail towards Bear Peak, behind the National Center for Atmospheric Research building designed by I.M. Pei. Boulder regulations didn’t allow building over 8,000 feet, so deal was made to all citizens free access to park, which serves as trail head to Bear Peak and Green Mountain. Winding 2 lane paved road on the way up. (National Center for Atmospheric Research, Table Mesa Drive, Boulder, Colorado) 20160727

Denver Union Station: Routing back from Boulder bus to A Line train for hotel nearer to Denver Airport. Dragging luggage, not much time to see the city. Tired from conference with full agenda. (Denver Union Station, Colorado) 20160729

Denver International Airport: Both from DEN, different destinations before reuniting in 11 days at home. DY flying to Vancouver via San Fran, long layover may be tough to shorten with standby, because carry-on luggage had to be checked. My routing to Moline, for quiet period of writing. Rest welcomed after a hectic conference week. (Denver International Airport, Colorado) 20160730

Quad Cities Airport: Cherry sculpture by Jay Stratton (2016) titled Vortex, in MLI airport terminal, on display by Quad City Arts. Reflects the organic nature of the region. Quad Cities International Airport, Moline, Illinois) 20160730

Costco Coralville: Covered parking lot for big box store is cool for summer, must be convenient for the snows winter. Big shopping trip for groceries, while we’re in town from the farm. (Costco, Coralville. Iowa) 2016032