Alberta - WOW!

Not so long ago, I found out that  my father, Romeo Girard, was indeed a Romeo. I have a brother I didn't know about and he lives in Alberta. That was the first WOW!  

I had never been to western Canada, but I had always wanted to visit it. Now, I had a great reason to go there, but I needed a companion because I'm not as able bodied as I once was.  My daughter, Nancy, will soon celebrate a milestone birthday so I asked her if she would like to go. She said yes. Hooray!  I began to plan our trip.

My brother is much younger than me and still works full-time so we arranged to meet on a weekend. I did not want to fly on a weekend and I needed to book the days away that would suit my daughter's work schedule so; we flew out to Calgary via West Jet on a Thursday and returned on the following Thursday. We had a rental car and our hotel was near the airport. It turns out that my brother, Lorne, is a man with a warm heart  who gives great hugs and does have some of my father's facial features. There is a lot of history to share as we learn about each other and our families.

While I was planning the trip, I had contacted three fellow writers, two of them were folks I only knew through  my years of posting on Facebook.  The response from all three was amazing. Another WOW! 

My dear friend, Lori Hahnel, offered to drive us to and from Banff, and did. She also joined us for lunch three times. I am very thankful for her friendship, she went not just the extra mile, but many extra miles for us,  and we always had more to say. Her latest novel,  Flicker, is available from University of Calgary Press. It's excellent.

 Lori Roadhouse Haney, who is a poet and educator,  and Ted Haney invited us for supper at their home and delighted Nancy with three Alberta beef choices. They have travelled the world and we especially enjoyed hearing about their years in Burma. Not only did they feed us,  but also,  thanks to Ted's membership in a Scots whisky club, I sampled a lovely smokey one.

Lee Kvern and Paul Rasporich invited us to visit them after our lunch in Okotoks and they offered us fresh pastries from the local French bakery.  Their home is filled with their art it is fascinating to see the contrast in their styles. Both of them are painters, and both write, too. We were given prints of Lee and Paul's work to take home. Lee has another book coming out in 2025. Paul and Lee had a joint art exhibition recently. Paul has a series of how-to-draw videos on YouTube and they are terrific. Look for Art with Raspo    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTZL9k8yKxs   WOW!

One of the highlights of the trip was seeing the mountains in Banff National Park. There were clouds but they simply added to the majesty of the Rockies and made their height and grandeur more evident. While we were there we had lunch in the Vermillion room of the Banff Springs Hotel. If you ever go there, be prepared to spend spend spend, but I would do it again if I could. WOW!

Calgary sprawls over miles and miles - and the road directions can be confusing - Crowfoot Trail South East, North made no sense to us at first but GPS saved us even if we had to loop the loop to find our way, but hey! it's the west and it's a go- big place. I have pictures.

Until next time.

Father's Day Thoughts

 Father's Day Thoughts

My maternal grandfather became my father figure when I was about six years old and he was a wholly admirable substitute. On the other hand, my 'real' father vanished shortly after we, my mother my brother and I, moved in with my mother's parents.  At the time it was a great mystery to me. Why did we have to move and where did he go?  I have a few vivid memories of our life before he left us. 

He had charmed my mother into marrying him. The problem, or at least one of the problems, was that he charmed other young women too. He also enjoyed alcohol and betting on the horses. Unfortunately that meant there was almost no money left over for supporting his wife and two children.  Before long, my grandparents discovered that our living situation was disastrous. Soon after that we moved in with them. 

In the beginning, I believe my mother hoped it would be a short-term situation. She went to work full time. She had graduated from high school but in the late 1940's her low wages didn't enable her to rent a place for herself and her two children.  My brother and I had bedrooms in the basement of my grandparents home. The basement flooded every spring and sometimes in the fall, too.  My mother updated her education and learned bookkeeping skills and we all continued to live with her parents. 

I'm sure it was not a friction-less time for my mother or for my grandparents; but any disagreements took place very quietly.  Truly, my grandfather was a quiet man. I can't recall him ever raising his voice but he never needed to. He could make me feel guilty with a look.  My brother and I were told often not to raise our voices and to respect him. He had served in France in World War One and experienced its horrors,  He was not a church-going man, but if I was singing a solo  or performing in a play at the church he would be there. In his quiet way, he was supportive of anything I tried for.   He also taught us, my brother and me how to shoot a rifle. There was a target range in Woodslee and he took us there to practice. He had learned to shoot as a boy because he grew up in a village in rural Ontario and there was a rifle club. He was an excellent shot and had to use that skill during the war but he never mentioned it, or anything else about his war service.

He had a heart attack and died when I was twenty and still living at home. He loved us as a father should. I honour him and I miss him still.

A Tale of Two Symphonies

The Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony was founded in 1944  and The Windsor Symphony began in 1947. It was a time of optimism and beginnings in both cities. It's worth noting that both cities were primarily focused on industry and most inhabitants were working class. Windsor was producing cars for Ford Chrysler and General Motors while Kitchener had a mix of manufacturers. 

Both symphonies had crises at different times. The Windsor Symphony faced a financial crunch from 1987 to 1990, the musician's pay was cut and they went on strike. However;  the orchestra managed to survive. The solo artists it highlights are Canadian and it commissions new works by Canadian composers.

Back in 2006, the board of Kitchener Waterloo Symphony said it would be forced to declare the organization bankrupt; but a successful fundraising campaign generated 2.5 million and saved it temporarily. Unfortunately and inexplicably, the K-W Symphony was declared bankrupt in late September 2023. Orchestra members were given only twenty-four hours notice  that the season was cancelled. The entire symphony board resigned.  Former orchestra members continue to work on fund raising.

I am still gobsmacked at how this could have happened. How has Windsor managed to continue to support its symphony even though the Detroit Symphony, a major U.S. symphony, is only a mile away across the river; but the Kitchener-Waterloo region which is a tech hub and has many wealthy people has allowed the K-W symphony to die? Yes the pandemic had an effect but it had an effect everywhere.

 Perhaps eventually more will be revealed. In the mean time, the campaign by the musicians continues. You can donate here if you wish.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-your-kwsymphony-musicians