We started out at Slocan Park where community and home garden harvests were on display. Contests like the “largest tomato” were balanced by the contest for the “smallest tomato” (tiny red ball about the size of a rice krispie).  Music and entertainment, a couple people on stilts and a bunch of lanterns rounded out the Harvest portion of the event. Then the large and beautiful full moon lantern and a brass band (playing, predictably, a cheery rendition of “autumn leaves”) led our procession from Slocan Park to Renfrew Park via Still Creek and the Renfrew Ravine.  Along the way, we saw a labyrinth formed in crop-circle style in the grass, children dancing with chiffon and hula hoops, and many very, very nice lanterns set into the forest. It was truly the city and nature in harmony.

At Renfrew Park/Community Centre, the concentration and artistry of lanterns in the trees and water transported us to another, magical world.  We wandered in the crowd yet it never felt claustrophobic. It just felt like we were in our community.

The children played at the Renfrew playground for hours. It was sheer anarchy. The full moon and lanterns were the only lighting, and they were racing around the play parks going down slides and climbing and shrieking. After all, usually when it’s dark they have to come inside. They were beside themselves with joy, running independent under the clear night sky.

A band/orchestra played excellent east-meets-west music, we saw fire dancing (and we actually saw it, because there weren’t crazy, poorly managed crowds like at illuminaires!), and we heard First Nations and Chinese storytelling.

We didn’t stay for fireworks. The Small One fell asleep during the Lion Dances and the Bigger Small One was ready to pass out by the time the storytelling began. Overall, this event was a well-executed and personal community experience that connected us to both our roots and the collective cultural history of Harvest and Equinox.

Today: we are going to Pacific Spirit Park for a StoryTelling Walk.

So how fitting that on this Father’s Day weekend, you can head out to Vanier Park for the Pacific Rim Kite Festival! They have all kinds of events but really the cool part is being able to watch master kite flyers in action, wielding their graceful ripstop monsters in the sky for everyone to see. 10am-5pm Today and Tomorrow.

Then there’s a flurry of sales on the may 4th weekend (see http://www.brags.ca/ for a list)- New Westminster, Lynn Valley, and Fraser Valley. There’s also the BC Orchid Show and Sale on May 3-4th at VanDusen. Don’t miss the always spectacular Burnaby Rhododenron Festival on May 4th (Free Admission).

Or, get inspired during the Dunbar in Bloom festival, self-guided tours through usually-locked Dunbar gardens on May 4th and May 30th from 10am-3pm. There’s a bunch of other events associated with the Dunbar community event: “Salmonberry Days” – find a schedule at http://www.dunbar-vancouver.org/DRANews/.

But I’m holding out for the “big one” – the Mother’s Day (May 11) plant sale at the UBC Botanical Gardens – this sale is killer- amazing plants sold by master gardeners at great prices. Line up early, bring water (it’s hot and there’s no shade) and your pocketbook, and get ready to buy.

Where’ve I been? well, I’ve heard the VSO three times – once “VSO Pops”, once “Musically Speaking” – both of these at the Orpheum, and also to hear a baroque piece at the Chan Centre. Here’s what I can tell you: don’t be late for VSO Pops or Musically Speaking. The conductors/show leaders will take time out of their busy schedules to publicly ridicule you for your lateness, to the amusement of the greyhaired masses. Musically Speaking featured huge flatscreens and live closeups of the musicians, which really I found insulting (the implication being that modern audiences of the type to go to this performance are clearly incapable of paying attention to something that is not tv). The baroque piece at the Chan, on the other hand, was sublimely beautiful – a rich and glorious experience.

We hit the st. patrick’s day parade in March and a variety of public community centre events for kids, too…

I’ve also been to hear the Pacific Baroque Orchestra do “thoroughly modern mozart”, and just on friday night I saw the first half of the Rubbandance’s “Elastic Perspective” dance performance. Unfortunately the Cultch did not post a sign advising of extensive use of a smoke machine in their very small (“intimate”) space which already lacks ventilation. I had an asthma attack and had to leave at intermission. Rubberbandance really didn’t need the smoke effect – their ballet/breakdance fusion is powerful enough to sustain the most functional of environments.

Whew! Well at least I got out a few times in the year! Hopefully I can get out more this summer.

This event is one of the few temporary autonomous zone events that happens in Vancouver.  By nature it resists organization.

The next day we went to the Gastown Motorcycle Show N Shine to view lots of really cool bikes. We scored a free pink “Bitchin Gear” cap for the elder daughter from some scantily dressed women dancing to cock rock a la “Coyote Ugly”. We also got some free Harley orange balloons from the Harley Davidson tent. The highlight has got to be the Motorcross tho, trick bikes somersaulting through Gastown – VERY cool. I’ve got to say there was such a strong sense of community, as all kinds of people wandered down Water Street admiring the bikes. From Bikers to Yuppies to tourists to local junkies, we all sure liked those bikes. And we all thrilled to hear the engines roar.

Then on to the Mini Train – a well-kept secret of Burnaby is the Burnaby Central Railway. $2.50 gets you a just-long-enough ride on a mini train run by model train enthusiasts in striped overalls. There’s a variety of model engines including a replica steam engine, a 1940s deco engine and a more modern tram style. Something wonderful happens when you’re balancing on a tiny train rattling through the forest: you can’t help but wave at the other grownups on passing trains, at the perplexed bystanders just discovering the place for the first time, and at the birthday party celebrants in the midst of musical chairs. The amazing thing is that they all wave back.

On Saturday night, the Royal Astronomical Society is joining the Fraser Valley Astronomers to watch the meteor showers at Aldergrove Lake Regional Park between 730 and 11pm – head down there for hot cocoa and some sky experts – sometimes they bring telescopes too!

Here’s a link to help you learn more about viewing meteor showers, and here’s a link to free star charts for the month so while you’re waiting for a shooting star you can identify some other astral phenomena. Don’t forget some red film for your flashlight!

Here’s what was going on last weekend in the area:

Peace Arch Park – One Oat Sea Music Festival – Free – if it hadn’t taken us so long to get through the border we definitely would have gone

Bellingham – Sand in the City Sandcastle competition – 5$ suggested donation – we did go, and it was modest, humourous, and just plain neat

But here’s the real treasure: Whatcom Museum! It’s Free!! It’s four buildings – Old City Hall (1892) boasts a really good, clever, ironic, funny, and genuine art installation on the main floor called “Site Specific” and some fascinating window exhibits on the floors above – mainly Victoriana like clocks shaped like homicidal pug dogs and collections of old carpentry tools and creepy dolls with dead eyes. There was also some kind of Teachers past and present exhibit but a ragtime band seemed to be practising in there so we didn’t pop in.

The Arco Exhibition Hall used to be a Ford dealership back in 1908 but now it’s home to 42 works on paper from the Washington Consortium of Art – American Abstractionists like Jasper Johns, Hans Hoffman, and a great representation of female artists such as Helen Frankenthaler. A strange, dark setting for an art gallery but it worked, and at a cost of $3.00 suggested donation with complementary poster, this can’t be beat.

We didn’t go into the other two buildings – there’s a hand’s on kids museum and a building that according to the website contains all kinds of First Nations artefacts, taxidermied animals and set-ups of old living quarters, but we’ll wait to take the progeny with us next time we go down.

You can see my photos from the trip on this public album on facebook.

Heh – was I wrong or what? Almost all the performances bottom out around 19$ for adults. Blast. After ticket fees and taxes the man and I would be looking at over 40$ for the show alone.  Factor in transportation and babysitting and it’s way over. So I scoured the pamphlet in hopes of finding something we can afford to see. Oh, there it is: FREE concerts. And, my heart sinks, they’re all downtown concerts in the middle of the working day. If only I was a stay at home mom, or unemployed, or a student, or someone with a night job…. I too could enjoy three days of free jazz in midsummer.

Here’s something strange, too, if I wanted to see the Asian Music weekend, on August 5 & 6, it would be completely affordable. Each concert is 10$ but if you see four in a day it works out to be only 7$ each concert. I’ve discovered that European and North American sourced music is costlier than its Eastern cousin. Sublime, powerful and traditional asian music is, apparently, cheap cheap cheap.

If anyone who reads this does get the opportunity to see any of the Festival Programme despite venue changes due to strike etc etc, I’d love to know how it was.

All our lanterns

Originally uploaded by zakira rose
It’s exactly one week to go before the Illuminaires lantern festival – I’ve dug out the old lanterns from last year and they’re in disrepair. I’ll patch the ones that are worth keeping but this is a great excuse to build something new.

Lantern making requires some simple supplies: Tissue or decorative Paper, Glue (I like wood glue because it dries strong with a nice sheen), thin pieces of wood for supports, wire and tin foil for candle supports, and ubiquitous tea lights. My system is to build the frame for the lanterns out of bamboo barbecuing skewers (100 for $1.00 at the dollar store) glued together with my trusty glue gun. I burn myself numerous times throughout this process, then put a woodglue/water mix along the supports and attach paper one side at a time. I paint over the paper with water and wood glue, then watch it contract and harden as it dries.

There are really neat decorative papers at Paper-Ya on Granville Island that would be ideal for basic but beautiful geometric lanterns. Last year I also made a flower lantern using shaped crepe paper for the petals, and that turned out really nicely, if I do say so myself. For children, we make Glow-Stick compatible, small and strong lanterns using cheap bamboo chopsticks and lots of glue.

Also, last year we constructed a simple trestle-style lantern hanger out of bamboo stakes. It becomes necessary to elevate your lanterns in early evening as the dew settles. You wouldn’t want all your hard work to be destroyed from just a little condensation! This year we’re making a lantern intended to sit on the ‘ground’ – it’ll require some kind of base, either a tarp or legs to keep it from touching the grass and turning soggy.

With only 7 days to go, it’s time to start gluing!

Update: We went to the Illuminaires – check out my review and pics on NowPublic.