Posted on June 30, 2014 under Monday Morning Musings with no comments yet

Me and Constable Mike McKenna at the Antigonish Art fair

 

 

The picture above was taken just a few minutes before the opening ceremony at the Antigonish Art Fair last Friday at Chisholm Park. It was beautiful evening and a large crowd enjoyed a multi cultural evening of entertainment and food. The star attraction, though, was the local art community. Approximately 30 artists were on hand to showcase their works. There will be four more events in this series. The next one is Friday, July 11^th. during Highland Games week. Come and join us and stop by to say hello. I will once again be the emcee for the show.

I enjoy going to the Farmer’s Market. I rarely buy anything but I like having a coffee and just chatting with folks. It is the quintessential meeting place. I never fail to get a new story idea. So, I was at the Market last Saturday and this lady I know stops by the picnic table where I’m sitting. She’s carrying a large bag of beautiful “fresh from the garden” carrots and an abundance of greens. I was admiring the haul and was surprised to find out that this harvest was not for human consumption. It was for her ”foster rabbit.” I’m not making up this next part. The rabbit lives in her house… in the bathroom. I don’t remember too much more of the conversation as I started to write the story in my head.

I often wonder if I’ll run out of story ideas. I don’t think so.

I need just one more person to sign up to bring me to 500 “likes’ on my Week45 Facebook page. I am told that this is a milestone for a business. I am going to offer to write a story for lucky #500.

Tomorrow is Canada Day and I hope you will take time to think about how lucky you are to live in this great country. It is difficult to watch the atrocities in the Middle East where there seems to be little respect for life,  among the fanatics.

And speaking of being grateful, I, for one, am very grateful to live in Antigonish. I think it is one of the most amazing small towns in Canada.

My “gratitude jar” is officially half full. ( The pessimists would say half empty! ). Every day for the past six months, I have written a small note at the end of the day, expressing my gratefulness for something, and have deposited it in a jar. It doesn’t have to be something profound. I know one entry was expressing gratitude for a lemon meringue pie that was given to me by M.F.

Can you believe that it was 33 years ago on June 28^th. that one of our national heroes died? Terry Fox continues to inspire us. We all know people who are struggling with cancer today.

Please. No whining unless you have something serious to whine about. The weather doesn’t count.

Happy Canada Day to all of you.

Posted on June 28, 2014 under Storytelling with 2 comments

Mark Chisholm and Gerald MacDonald – Enchanting!

 

 

“Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling …”

Frederic Weatherly

When I hear the peepers, I know that spring is here and summer is sure to follow.  When the leaves start falling from the trees, winter can’t be far off.  And when I hear the first three notes of a bagpiper playing outdoors, I realize that The Highland Games are just around the corner.

I grew up on Hillcrest Street, next door to one of the best pipers to ever come out of this province.  We were also within shouting distance of Columbus Field.  You could sit in the back yard during the Games and hear Ray Mac’s voice coming through the loudspeakers, announcing the next group of pipers and drummers.

Besides uttering the words “I do”, being piped in and out of the cathedral by Marilyn on our wedding day was the highlight of the ceremony.

Antigonish has a rich tradition of piping and drumming and has produced world class bands over the decades.  One of the missions of The Antigonish Highland Society is to preserve and perpetuate the music of the Gael.  From 2006-2009, The Antigonish Highland Society had a limited number of pipers and drummers.  In 2009, the band decided that they needed to return to a regular summer schedule and partnered with Old Scotia Pipes and Drums from Great Village.

I stopped in at one of their weekly practices in the town of Pictou.  I saw 14 year old Mark Chisholm practicing with his chanter.  Beside him is 80-something Gerald MacDonald, son of “Jack the Piper”.  There is no “generation gap” here.  Just a group of people plying their craft and preserving the Scottish heritage.

This is a story about collaboration.  According to Pipe Major Lorna MacIsaac, “Old Scotia had Ray Halliday, an experienced lead drummer, who helped us recruit and instruct local Antigonish drummers. What was most important was that our partnership would be an opportunity to continue piping and drumming in our individual communities.”  I noticed the shirts that several band members were wearing.  They bear the logos of both bands in order to maintain their identities as they work together. (This could be a template for municipal reform across the province!)

Several years ago, friends from Toronto travelled east for the first time and accepted our invitation to stay with us.  They just so happened to arrive on my birthday.  That summer, my sister-in-law and her family were also staying with us while their daughters attended theatre camp.  Her husband is an accomplished piper.

It was one of those glorious warm, soft summer evenings and a singsong broke out on the front deck.  At around 10:00 o’clock, I could hear the unmistakable skirl of the pipes as Mike rounded the side of the house.  Our guests had never heard the bagpipes.  The look on their faces was a cross between astonishment and fear.  Good thing that someone wasn’t following behind the piper, brandishing a Claymore.  I fear that they might have thought the world was about to end.  We told them that it was the usual end to a Saturday night in Antigonish.

The storied history of piping and the pipe band continues.  Two very different communities have taken what is best and are making beautiful music together.

Slainte!

Posted on June 26, 2014 under Thursday Tidbits with no comments yet

Someone’s small piece of paradise

 

 

I just returned from a whirlwind trip to Montreal to pick up our granddaughter who is going to spend most of the summer with us. Early Tuesday morning ( 5:00 a.m. ), I was on my way to grab a coffee. Verdun is one of the older neighborhoods in Montreal and the streetscape is very typical of Montreal. Street after street is made up of three story apartments side by side with a spiral staircase reaching the top floor. There is a small plot of grass in front of each building. My guess is that it might be 10 feet square at the most.

It was early daylight when I passed an apartment and saw this lawn display. It is amazing that some people are able to make something out of very little.

The “chase the ace” phenomenon is spreading like wildfire after someone won $289,000 last week in Havre Boucher. Congrats to her and the hard work of the community. But, as you know, sometimes I can’t resist poking a bit of fun about lotteries and games of chance. “Chasing Clouds” is a light hearted look at this latest craze. I hope to publish it soon… after I stand in line for lottery tickets!

How many of you have travelled to Iona? Iona, Cape Breton,  that is. It is one of many beautiful spots in Cape Breton and the subject of my story in this week’s Cape Breton Star. Some of you will remember that my daughter was ( is ) a great baker. She was the “cupcake lady” at the Farmer’s Market in Antigonish , for a few years. She also made amazing wedding cakes. This story is the tale of a harrowing drive we took to Iona a few years ago, with a three tiered wedding cake on the hottest day of the summer. I will be posting this on my website in the next week or so.

And keeping with the Cape Breton theme, I was at it bright and early yesterday morning writing another piece for the Star, highlighting the community of Inverness. Betty’s father was a doctor there for several years and we travelled to visit them on many occasions. “ A Link to Cabot”, a none too subtle reference to the new world class golf course, Cabot Links, is a reflection on my times visiting the area.

Ok. Here’s my last chance to plug “Art in the Park” which launches tomorrow evening at 5:30 in Chisholm Park. It runs until 9:00 p.m so don’t worry if you can’t get there at the beginning. It’s going to be a great evening of art and culture. I will be the emcee and will be wearing my kilt. No peeking! If you want to see some wonderful talent on stage or in the many kiosks dotting the property ( including food ), grab a chair and “come on down.”

And one other thing. Unless my editorial team says otherwise, I will be publishing “Pipe Dreams”  this Saturday on my website. It’s meant as a shout out to the Antigonish Highland Society Pipe Band.

Have a terrific weekend.