The latest Slotin Folk Art Auction is happening today and tomorrow down in Buford Georgia. We have the catalogue and the collection being auctioned this weekend is massive. Both Tuffy P and I enjoy folk art and we’ve bought works from previous Slotin auctions. It would be great fun to be there live for an auction like this one, and an opportunity to visit Georgia too. In the past, we’ve bid live on-line. They also do telephone bidding. I think these guys do an auction a couple times each year.
Leger Marketing has released a new study that says Toronto is the city Canadians like the least. Albertans especially don’t like us, apparently. It’s OK though. I still like Albertans. I do. Victoria is the favourite, according to the survey. Really? Well, they do have Mr. Floatie. Are we that bad here in Toronto? Come on, you can tell me. I’ve got a thick skin.
What are the 10 worst things about Toronto?
10 best?
OK, maybe 3 best?
Here’s a video shot by my pal Candy Minx a few years ago. It features some guy who looks a lot like me playing The Star of Logy Bay on triple row button accordion, and it was shot in front of Tom’s Place in Kensington Market in Toronto Canada on a Sunday morning.
The squeezebox is a vintage Hohner Corona II made in Germany. The song is from Newfoundland. The tune has lyrics and if the squeezebox player could sing, he would have….
Ye ladies and ye gentlemen, I pray you lend an ear, While I locate the residence of a lovely charmer fair. The curling of her yellow locks first stole my heart away, And her place of habitation is down in Logy Bay. It was on a summer's evening this little place I found. I met her ag-ed father who did me sore confound, Saying, "If you address my daughter I'll send her far away, And she never will return again while you're in Logy Bay." How could you be so cruel as to part me from my love? Her tender heart beats in her breast as constant as a dove. Oh, Venus was no fairer, nor the lovely month of May. May heaven above shower down its love on the star of Logy Bay. 'Twas on the very next morning he went to St. John's town And engaged for her a passage in a vessel outward bound. He robbed me of my heart's delight and sent her far away, And he left me here downhearted for the star of Logy Bay. Oh, now I'll go a-roaming, I can no longer stay. I'll search the wide world over in every count-er-ie. I'll search in vain through France and Spain, likewise Americay, Till I will sight my heart's delight, the star of Logy Bay. Now to conclude and finish, the truth to you I'll tell. Between Torbay and Outer Cove, 'tis there my love did dwell. The finest girl that graced our Isle, so every one did say. May heaven above send down its love on the star of Logy Bay! May heaven above send down its love on the star of Logy Bay!
Listening to the new Tom Waits recording, Bad as Me. I love this one. Crank up the volume…no, a little louder…hang on tight and hope the roof stays on.
I should say up front that today, I have no interest in boxing or that other popular “ultimate fighting” either. The idea of watching people beating each other senseless just doesn’t do it for me. It wasn’t always that way, though. When I was a boy and Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali fought their battles, I thought it was important. At the time, these guys were major cultural figures for us. Boxing, it seemed to me, had a much different stature then.
I suppose I think of those guys as dinosaurs, engaged in epic dramas that coincided with the sport dying away, at least in my imagination. I know there were other boxers later who became popular figures, or were strong fighters, but in my mind, by the time Ali fought George Forman, it was already over.
When I hear Joe Frazier’s name, it transports me way back to my childhood. I don’t know much about him except that he had a big left hook, a smokin’ nickname and a lasting bitterness toward his fellow dinosaur, Mr. Ali. I remember the excitement my dad shared about the fights. Those were good times in my childhood and so I remember the fights with fondness too. I’m not interested in watching boxing today, but I think I would consider watching those particular fights again. Call me nostalgic.
Several days ago, I posted some pictures of a small group of constructions I’ve been working on. These things have been gnawing at my ever so tiny brain and I can’t keep my hands off them.
Finally, I tore one of them apart and added on another. That’s better. That process of tearing down and rebuilding has haunted my work as long as I can remember. Making a piece sometimes seems like a long series of false starts, that is, until it isn’t a false start anymore.
Over the past month, it seems that fewer and fewer people have been visiting this blog. I’m not sure if comments have dropped off or not, as 27th street has never enjoyed lots of comments. Perhaps this is a blip, an anomaly, part of a cycle. Or perhaps the usual suspects just got bored with my usual humdrum posts, comments, obscure music video clips, fungi photos, rants, pictures of our insanely beautiful Newfoundland dogs, and so on.
Some folks I know who have blogged in the past have recently packed it in. Is this a trend? Are people moving away from blogging? If so, perhaps me and a small circle of friends will have the blog space all to ourselves. I don’t go out of my way to build visitors to this space. The way I see it, those who share my interests will wind up finding me. When I began my first blog, Mister Anchovy, my idea was simply to use it to record things that interested me, or ideas on my mind or whatever. That a bunch of people started actually coming back regularly was quite a surprise.
I just couldn’t help but notice the trend line seems to be driving downward at an alarming angle. Man the lifeboats.
What a pleasant weekend for November! Still, I know winter is very close at hand because they have been hauling the boats out of the water down at the yacht club. Last week I could see the top of the crane beyond the hill and the boats filling up the yard. The clocks have moved back but this morning, it was still dark when I took the dogs out. And with the time change, it’s going to be dark for the evening walk as well. Time to keep a little flashlight in my pocket or clipped to my cap.
Neighbours walking their dogs told us tonight a coyote was active over in Sam Smith Park. We walked through there with Memphis and Ellie Mae but didn’t see the coyote. Memphis picked us some scents she was very interested in but who knows, that could be anything. Another neighbour saw a coyote a couple weeks ago on the filtration plant land. Back in the summer, I saw one trotting along the sidewalk on Lake Prominade. It turned up 25th and by the time I got to the corner, had disappeared. The coyotes are around, but they seem to mind their own business.
With the generally cooler weather, our Newfoundlands have been more active. We see this with Ellie Mae in particular. A couple days ago, she was running around chasing and barking at other dogs in the dog park. Those readers who know Ellie, know that she likes to go out to the park, but normally lies down and simply watches the action, content to wait for people to come over to give her a pat. She was so unusually active, someone was heard to say, “Look at that…is that Ellie Mae?”
27th Street 