Withdrawn

I've been withdrawing. That's never a good sign. Here's to the increasing light on the other side of the winter solstice.

Here's to more writing, more social time, more life.

Double bass lives

The repairs were just about as structurally sound as they could have been. Clean, clear wood to bond to on all surfaces and good mechanical fits where required. Elmer's yellow was deemed the proper adhesive.

I took a couple of hours with sharp chisels to clean up the factory glue and casual fit. I used ratcheting tie down straps to clamp the neck in place until it was set and a more conventional metal clamps to secure the scroll back into place as the glue set there. I felt it all went swimmingly.

I used to be very impatient with wood. Now I'm a little better at taking the time to work with it and enjoy the ride. That same thing could be said for a few other tasks too actually. This repair felt luxuriously rewarding.

There remains a gazillion things to learn about this instrument, not the least of which is how to play it. As always, I'm at least as interested in the set up as I am about the music. I'll continue to dial it in and be grateful for such adventures coming my way.

It tuned up reasonably well and I'm gaining some sense of the scale, but it's very different than anything else I've ever played. The strings are huge and it seems to have a demanding physicality that is unique. This will be another strength training exercise, I think, as I get up to speed with this one.

Garlic 2011

Apparently it was a good year for garlic. I hadn't really noticed, but the numbers got my attention. Last year I planted 2.5kg of seed and saw a 460% return on that investment.

This year I planted that same quantity and reaped a 776% return. The bulbs were not as spectacularly large like they were last year, but there sure was a lot of them. Here's to another hot dry summer next year. The onions were large and plentiful too, but hot as Hades.

The gardens are tilled and looking rich as another growing season closes.

Double bass

I've been feeling shy so haven't written in ages. Life is active and filled with much to be grateful for.

I doubt that another instrument in the house was really called for. Things do tend to click when the fire is hot though and I feel like I'll be saving this from becoming kindling to a less figurative fire. This is of West German manufacturer, but that's about all I know about it.

Eme has suggested the bass line to Pachelbel's canon as a starting point. Any other suggestions?

Yes I have other responsibilities that need attending to. Back to the shop I go.

Fireworks

I enjoy watching fireworks, but I enjoy firing it much more. These clips give a small fraction of the experience. You get nothing of the concussion here of course, which is what is so addictive for me.

I don't know that I've ever met a more wildly diverse crew than the folks that show up to work with pyrotechnics. Recently I've met a military history professor, a stage manager for a major symphony orchestra, a cowboy, an ambitious real estate broker and a broadly skilled surgery room technician accustomed to working in remote hospitals and a senior credit union loans officer.

This was a show Canfire shot for St. Anne Dawson Trail Days on September Labour Day weekend 2011. The show is pretty, but the guns really get me going.


These racks shown in the first video below, have 4-6 inch guns that contribute to the finale and are fired electrically. Bigger shows have bigger guns obviously. Some of the bigger ones have to be dug into the ground to ensure they remain safe if something goes amiss. As it is, I've seen some of these smaller guns be pounded into soft ground a half meter from the recoil. MMmmm... concussion.





Hand lighting still holds a thrill for me. Firing any gun requires a steady hand and some never get use to it. On this night the wind was perfect, in that it took the smoke away. It can be very dirty work. Firing these racks comprise the bulk of the show.

Sweet Grass and Sage

Strong medicine.

I feel surrounded by the sacred here. Death is familiar and life is ever potently speaking to it.