Great Concert. Big Fun. Sea of No Cares.

Great Concert. Big Fun. Sea of No Cares.

It was all present during Great Big Sea's outdoor concert at Safari Niagara this past August. The boys sailed into Stevensville, ON and delivered their trademark energy sending waves of elation to wash over the cluster of fans. Anyone who listens to Great Big Sea's music probably wonders if singer and guitarist Alan Doyle is as crazy and spirited in concert as he sounds on CD. And of course, like most multi-talented musically-reared musicians, his passion and energy comes across tenfold live. This is a man who obviously loves to perform and engage the audience. The entire band has always succeeded in doing that. Regardless of how many times I hear Sean McCann belt out General Taylor, with or without the heartbeat drum accompaniment, it always gives me chills.

The name of this tour is XX. Twenty. 2013 marks the band's 20th Anniversary of getting people on their feet and sharing in the craft of traditional and contemporary music. Upon reflection, I realised I've actually been immersed in their artistry for probably that long. The first time I saw them was many years ago - sometime in the  mid-90's. I was visiting my parents for Christmas, and a close friend of mine invited me to a concert at the Delta Hotel Ballroom in St. John's. I didn't recognise the name of the band but he assured me I would enjoy it and he never steers me wrong so I accepted the invitation. Great Big Sea was unlike anything I'd ever experienced before. I wasn't a big concert goer back then, and growing up in a small Labrador community didn't expose me to a whole lot of musical diversity. The concert was standing room only which didn't matter because nobody would have been able to stay seated anyway. I became intoxicated by the exuberance of the crowd and the passion of the performers harmonizing their lyrics and alternating instruments as effortlessly as we alternate cutlery. I was enthralled by the buzz of the crowd who gleefully sang along and somehow knew that the sad introduction to the story of Pat Murphy wasn't really going to be that sad of a song...

I still can't confirm how far back that concert occurred because my original ticket stub doesn't have a year on it!!! It just has Friday, Dec. 27th at 8:30 pm. But that's OK. I'm just glad to have been there as well as many more of their concerts over the years. And following the 2013 concert where I took this picture from the grass of Safari Niagara I was proud to purchase their anniversary tour t-shirt knowing that I was singing along to Mari-Mac long before anyone else in Stevensville, ON was doing it! That is, if they even can!

Buffalo as seen from Crystal Beach

 

 

Like many people, I am usually carrying around a pretty substantial mental list of things I would like to do "if I have the time". You know what I mean: specific little activities that would make me smile and breathe deeply and appreciate the beauty and whimsy of life if only I could make space for them. I'm not talking about the so-called "bucket list" of monumental events that require a passport and a second mortgage. I'm talking about the little pleasures.... activities that are usually pretty easy to make happen, close to home, and completely affordable. We all have them, based on our individual values, our personal preferences... comprised of those undertakings that either provide an escape or enlighten the senses or tickle some talent we have simmering inside.

I'd like to think such wonderful outlets don't become shuffled to the bottom of the To Do List of any given day because they are considered unimportant. It is because they are tasks that don't require immediate attention and don't affect an item high up on someone else's To Do List. As long as we complete our pressing tasks, our lives continue on their courses whether we get to the fun stuff today or next month or eventually. Nobody will nag at us for not indulging in the fun stuff. Except, perhaps, our own hearts!

This picture illustrates something that I have always wanted to do: drive out to the dock at Crystal Beach, ON, and take in the expanse of Lake Erie as well as some pictures of the Buffalo skyline. Crystal Beach is only a half hour's drive from me so it was easily doable. I drove out there this week and drank in the wide open space and gloriously refreshing autumn air while contemplating life from its lakeside collection of quarry rocks. I was snap-happy as well and with the dynamically shifting display of clouds, I was presented a different image every few minutes! It was a well-received escape from my usual landscape and I returned to tend to the other items on my list completely rejuvenated.

Salted View on the Rock

Salted View on the Rock

Cabot Tower, Signal Hill, NL

 

 

This is my latest in an eclectic collection of self-portraits. Never one for symmetrical or sparkly pretty,  I enjoy the natural filters applied by the reflective surface of choice: the abstracted ripples of a stainless steel wine fermenter, a round mirror's distortion, a window's slightly muted weathering... always unique and always inverted!

 

I love the idea of capturing by my own hand a moment in time in a place that intrigues me. They are so personal to me that I never have to write down where or when they were taken, even as they float contently in a sea of thousands of images.

 

This one was taken during a trip to St. John's, NL. I was looking into the exterior of the Cabot Tower while standing atop its roof and my Mom was looking towards the ocean due east! I was visiting in July and in addition to the warm sunshine, there was barely any wind! Another different way to experience the rock.

 

 

 

The spot on which we're standing can be seen in the photo below:

 

 

 

 

 

And for those of you who don't know what the Cabot Tower is, here is my full shot in all its strong, stately glory:

 

 

 

It's funny because I visit St. John's yearly and whenever I'm there, I venture to Signal Hill and I devour the imagery with my camera. Every time. Of course I always add new corners and streets to the list of things I want to see, but Signal Hill is always included. And I always grin when I'm standing there and I imagine that I'm taking the same shots again and again. But today, as I was searching for the specific illustrative shots seen in this post, I had to go through my archives to find them! The first picture is from 2013, the second one 2012, and the third was taken in 2010! So it's gratifying and exciting to learn that I am adding to my collection every time. And that regardless of how many times I see a familiar landscape or building or historic site, there is always something new to discover. After all, it is being experienced through refreshed eyes and another year's worth of experiences and understanding.