![]() October begins with Trump’s claim that he and the first lady have covid. I was skeptical. He now must isolate, which means he will most likely miss the next debate. He will come through this unscathed, because he doesn’t really have it, and his followers will say “Look how strong he is - he was right all along, the virus is fake”. It makes no sense that he isolates, as he has said all along that the virus is fake. It’s the perfect opportunity for him to prove the “experts” wrong, to go about his business as usual. The second scheduled debate was cancelled but they did meet again. Biden by a neck. Mum turned 91 on the 5th. Dad, Peter and I helped her celebrate with a few gifts, cards and a surf and turf dinner. As an internet user, Mum received many birthday wishes on her FB page and by email. The phone rang often throughout the day with best wishes from family. We continue to enjoy the assistance by Jenn (from Amy’s Helping Hands) who arrives at 9:00 am Monday through Thursday and helps Mum and Dad get ready for the day. She and Mum have gone through most of the closets in the house and tossed a lot of stuff out and then she leaves by 10:45. ![]() I’m keeping busy planning for my art exhibition and am in the process of applying for an Ontario Arts Grant. It requires a lot of detail regarding the venue and supporting costs. This is a minor problem as finding a space large enough for 30 paintings at 4” x 4’ is not easy. I’m looking at traditional exhibition halls, but there are also quite a few venues which are normally in use, but due to covid are empty - churches, banquet halls, theatres etc. Updating this, I’ve booked the Art Gallery at MacKenzie Hall (18 paintings) including the Common Ground Art Gallery (4 paintings and the introductory set piece) space. It’s the perfect venue with two dedicated gallery spaces (with the hanging wires and lighting) and a third space which is the long reception hallway (8 paintings). You know how I like noting coincidence, this project started when I volunteered to do a large Mark Rothko reproduction to be used on the set of the play “Red”. The manager who I’m working with at Mackenzie Hall is Joey Ouellette, the actor who played Mark Rothko in that production of “Red”. Dates to be announced. I drove up to Mississauga for Thanksgiving. Had a nice visit with James, John, Laurel and Anthea - and the turkey. As I age I find long drives by myself are more tiring. I think it’s the strain of maintaining a mental focus. We auctioned off a painting online at Heffel’s in Toronto, an interesting and exciting experience. October ends with 46 million cases worldwide and 1.2 million deaths. The US is averaging 100,000 new cases a day. Perhaps we will all get it. 50 kids at the door on Halloween. ![]() Read The Last Successful Voyage of the Harry W. Adams By James Dean Note: I read this in manuscript form, as of this blog post, it has not yet been published. This is a continuation of last months’ post on the Mystery of Vinton Lloyd. Vint was the Captain of the Harry W. Adams for two years under the ownership of John Mosele. From John’s obituary: “In 1971, John and Phyllis bought a 147 ft Nova Scotian fishing schooner (The Harry W. Adams) and took their 11 children, aged 18 years to 18 months, out of school for a year and sailed the ocean and Caribbean. As always, if one were to tell John Mosele “You can’t do that!”, John would reply with an action that said “Oh yeah! Just watch me!” It was after that year’s voyage this book covers, which was the beginning of the end for the ship. James has asked me to contribute some reference pages for the back of the book regarding Vinton Lloyd - his family and their fortunes. A fun read. ![]() Watching the Devil Dance Will Toffan 2020 Will lives three houses down from me. I enjoyed this book even though the subject is tragic. In 1966, 18-year-old Mathew Charles Lamb took a shotgun and killed two people at random and wounded 3 others. It happened a few miles from where I live when I was 12. Will was once an RCMP officer and the book reads like a case file. It was one of the first “not guilty by reason of insanity” defenses in Canada. The story of Lamb gets very bizarre - his incarceration at the Oak Ridges Psychiatric Hospital and after. I believe this book could be the blueprint for a very interesting movie. ![]() Viewed The Queen’s Gambit 2020 (Netflix) A 7 part mini drama starring Anya Taylor-Joy who is wonderful as Beth Harmon. This is about mental illness, addiction, failed marriages, fear of intimacy, young women and chess. One of the best I’ve watched in months - didn’t want it to end. Not a true story, based on the 1983 novel of the same name. Set and costume designers had a ball. Trailer here The Rhythm Section 2020 (Netflix) FTW: “The Rhythm Section was released in the United States on January 31, 2020, by Paramount Pictures. The film received mixed reviews from critics and was a box-office bomb, having the worst wide-opening weekend of all time and the biggest drop in theaters, with Paramount projected to lose $30–40 million.” I didn’t think it was that bad, and it was set up for a sequel - a little like “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest”. It is completely unbelievable but moves along well. Not required viewing. Trailer here. ![]() Mr Church 2016 (Prime) Stars Eddie Murphy as the main character with Britt Robertson, Xavier Samuel, Lucy Fry, Christian Madsen and Natascha McElhone. It’s based on the short story "The Cook Who Came to Live with Us" by Susan McMartin. The film centers around a cook who becomes a caretaker and father figure to three generations of women over the years. I haven’t liked much of Murphy’s work as I find his brand of comedy mindless. This is a well played drama, with Murphy’s character having a devine mystery about him - we never find out what caused his pain, but we know he finds some redemption in taking care of these women. 4/5 Trailer here Totally Under Control 2020 (Prime) Documentary following the Trump administration’s response to the covid-19 pandemic, beginning in January 2020 and ending with Trump’s announcement that he has the virus. Worth the watch. Trailer here Stratton 2017 (Netflix) FTW: “After a failed mission to destroy an Iranian bio weapon, British Special Boat Service operator Sergeant John Stratton, working for the Intelligence Detachment in Northern Ireland, tracks down the terrorist cell who used the mission as cover to steal the weapon for their own purposes. Due to the failed mission Stratton suspects a mole. His boss Sumner recognizes the terrorist leader as Grigory Barovsky, a Russian spy, presumed dead for nearly twenty years. They learn a bomb maker has developed a drone system to disperse the bioweapon, and track the terrorists to Rome”. Just Ok if you need a bit of action. Trailer here Of Note: Amy Coney Barrett appointed to the United States Supreme Court. Returned to Source: Sean Connery - Bond, James Bond (1930) A few photos I took during the month
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![]() Paul Gallagher "Paul passed away on Sept. 16, 2020, surrounded by his wife and three sons in the same hospital he had the joy of witnessing the birth of all three of his children and two grandchildren. Born in Wilkes-Barre on April 5, 1956, Paul was the eighth of nine children of the late Dr. Harry and Eileen Gallagher. Paul's family was as much a joy to him as he was to everyone he met in the 64 years he spent on this earth. Paul was a humble man who would balk at having his lifetime of accomplishments borne by this paper, but it should be noted that he was the fastest thing that ever skied down a mountain, a wonderful father, a doting grandfather and a below average golfer. Paul was loved by many and liked by most; and he seemed to tolerate many of them in kind. Paul is survived by his wife of 37 years, Lizabeth, his sons, Christian, Peter and Alex, his daughter-in-law, Sarah, his grandchildren Althea and Neil; as well as a number of brothers, sisters, cousins, nieces and nephews of such enormity, he had a difficult time recalling all of their names. There will be an empty stool at Three Guys, a vacant chairlift at Elk and an amazing man missing from our lives forever. For those who knew him and mourn his passing, please take solace in the proverb, "Be humble for you are made of earth and be noble for you are made of stars." And remember that he cared for his loved ones until the end." Paul married into the Trescher family, long time friends from the French River. We only see them a few days in the summer, but it has been a life-long relationship. Paul was always up for just about anything - a good sport, warm hearted and he made the best ribs I've ever had. He will be missed. ![]() Covid Deaths World-Wide now over 1,000,000 Covid has (now) been with us for five months. It seems like forever, and maybe that’s the point. It has made us look at everything we do, and we think we have, but maybe we have just brushed the surface. As it returns in waves it is asking us to look harder, look deeper. Maybe it will not loosen its grip until the changes it wants have been made. We begin this wave with “back to school” adjustments - this will be interesting. We are also hearing about the number of restaurants closing - ⅓ of New York’s are expected to close permanently. (they will - most likely, be replaced by new ones at some point) Son John lent me his camera to shoot my paintings, which are now complete. A friend (Marla) guided me through the photographic (camera settings) process. - we are always learning. I’ve begun the next phase of this project which involves grant applications for exhibition funding and venues for a solo show - the business side of art! A link to the images. ![]() A Way-Out Thought We think of things (generally) on the macro level, yet we know there is so much going on at the atomic and subatomic levels. Imagine there is an invisible virus at the super subatomic level which affects our thoughts. We can’t see it or even yet detect it, but like covid it's spreading around the globe and it changes the way we think. Like covid some people get it and there are no symptoms - it comes and goes without notice. Others, with underlying mental conditions or patterns (we could have fun defining these) are seriously affected. Perhaps this mental virus came months ahead of covid, and covid is simply a complication. Perhaps the macro cure (covid vaccine) must first appear in our patterns of thinking before a working one will be found. (I note that Trump is assuring us that a vaccine will be here in “huge” quantities before the end of November 2020.) Idle Thoughts We structure our lives in semi conscious ways. There are the loops. There are the minor repetitive loops of daily habits - waking, grooming, eating, shopping for necessities. Then there are the larger repeating loops - family relationships - birthdays and holidays. I no longer have to participate in the career loop - a significant one which for much of our lives, controls what we do, and within that loop there are a myriad of smaller ones - office politics, travelling to and fro, the job itself. For many years I’ve had the freedom to choose and create some of my own loops and these have concerned the theatre. I have significant choice in which productions I wish to participate and in what manner. Each production is a large loop with many internal ones - whether it be design, construction, rehearsal, load-in, the run and teardown. Covid-19 has interrupted and perhaps permanently changed many of these loops - and given rise to new ones. ![]() The Mystery of Vinton Arnold Lloyd Vinton was my Mother’s first cousin - son of her mother’s brother Vinton Sr. - his obituary from 2018. “Vinton Arnold Lloyd lived his life with unshakable tenacity. Born May 26, 1941, in his family home to the late Hazel and Vinton Lloyd Sr. Vinton, was the youngest of four children: Robert Lewis (deceased), Elizabeth Cahill, and Ronald Lloyd. His childhood in Bournemouth, on the banks of the English Channel, his travels across the continent, followed by a love of the sea led this man to become a Master Mariner and spend years sailing the open waters. The re-creation of the Voyage of Saint Brendan and two years as captain of The Harry W. Adams, with nary a soul lost, were two defining moments of his large life. A black belt in Judo, inventor of Enviroblock, proprietor of Gypsy Spreadums, antique curator, tux-clad shill in a Casino in Soho London, creator of International Star Registry...just a few of the steps along this remarkable journey. Adventures under his belt, Vinton returned to the beloved Lloyd family home in Bridgetown NS. He set up an office and created an international business, Automotive Innovations Inc. While building a company he also spent hours painting; his love affair with the sea never ebbed. A prolific painter, he put oil to canvas creating many accomplished artworks. The most notable among them, his large-scale nautical pieces. In all that Vinton accomplished nothing compared to the love for his children, Charlotte and Justin, and of all titles held his greatest joy was Papa to his cherished granddaughter Eva. His last 10 years were enjoyed with his darling, Cindy, who Vinton described as "the most talented, incredible, and adorable person". ![]() So what is the mystery? As an amateur sailor I found his connection to the Harry W. Adams interesting. In researching the vessel I stumbled across James Dean, who is writing a book about the ship and Vinton as Captain. I started a correspondence with James and he told me that Vinton took charge of the ship without pay, just required his expenses to be covered - which turned out to be substantial. Vinton explained to the owners that he was independently wealthy as an heir to the Havey’s Bristol Cream fortune. This was something of a surprise as Mum had never heard that. However, Vinton’s parents did inherit a substantial sum of money from a relative in England. To claim the money the family had to move to England, where Vinton grew up and learned to sail. So we were curious as to the Briston Cream connection. We learned that Vinton Sr (Vint’s father) had married into the DeWitt family. His wife Hazel, had two sisters. One Alice,married Ronald Whiteway. Ron was the son of the founder of Whiteways Cyder - one of the larger cyder companies in south west England. Ron had come to Canada in the 1930’s to establish a branch of the cyder business in the far reaches of the empire. Though successful, he sold the business (The Evangeline Valley Cider Company was purchased by the M.W. Graves Company, which might still be a going concern under the name Annapolis Cider Company in Wolfville NS) and returned to England to take over the Whiteways when his father passed. Ron greatly expanded the company becoming a household name in England. Later, Whitweays was bought out by Allied Lyons PLC, which coincidentally purchased Hiram Walkers (Canadian Club) in my hometown of Windsor and also - Harvey’s Bristol Cream. Vinton's claim to a family relationship to Harvey's was tenuous at best. Ron and Alice had no children, and when Ron died his estate passed to Alice. When she died she left it all to her sister Hazel, Vint’s mother. I stumbled on a number of coincidences looking into this mystery. I found the 1925 marriage certificate of Hazel DeWitt and Arden Parry Lewis (her first husband whom she divorced - then married Vinton Lloyd Sr.), and one of the witnesses was Noble S. Crowe - my great uncle!. The wedding took place in “Paradise” Nova Scotia. The island to which Saint Bredan sailed and Vinton re-created was called "Paradise" - and there you have it. Watched The Numbers Station Away Ghost in the Shell Bosch (Prime) 3 seasons Returned to Source Diana Rigg (1938) Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933) |
AuthorI believe we are what we think. What we think depends on what we feed our brains. This is a partial record of what my brain has been eating. Archives
February 2023
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