27th Street

October 18, 2009

Walking with Memphis

Today I’m starting a new occasional photo-feature called Walking with Memphis. This means I’m taking the camera with me when we go for walks, not much more.

Etobicoke Creek

Toronto has quite a good selection of leash-free dog parks, and its a good thing too, because there are a lot of dogs in this city. I took these photos on a walk with Memphis in one of these parks, which runs along Etobicoke Creek. The area is surrounded by commerce and industry, but along much of this path, you wouldn’t know it. That is not to say the area hasn’t had its share of old fridges and other refuse dumped there over the years – I did see a shopping cart and an old toilet and a tire. Still there is creek and trees and bushes and path and even some poison ivy. Memphis loves it in there. Today she made several friends and romped around with great joy.

Nobody here now, but this is a popular sitting area

An Avenue of Trees

There are coyotes in the valley as the sign warns. I know at least one person who doesn’t bring her dog here because she’s heard you can sometimes see coyotes during the day. I don’t think any good-sized dog would have a problem in there in daylight, but I understand the fear. We’ve just been there twice, but we haven’t seen or heard any wildlife.

October 17, 2009

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Jacques

October 16, 2009

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Up up and Away….

The drive home from work yesterday was punctuated by radio coverage of the home-made helium balloon in Colorado that wasn’t carrying the little boy. The media jumped all over this one. You know, some people have all the luck. If I built an aircraft in my backyard, at some point along the way, some neighbour would complain and the federal aviation authorities would be in my backyard. At the very least, I’m sure they’d make me secure the site. Are we supposed to believe that buddy built an aircraft capable of flying to 10,000 feet, and left it tethered in the backyard so poorly that his 6-year old boy could take off in it? Well, after all, buddy is a storm-chaser, and he has been on Wife Swap twice. That has to account for something.

I have to give credit to the guy for having a sense of flair and excitement. No mundane workaday life for him, oh no, no, no.

October 15, 2009

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Around the World by Button Accordion: Part 4

Let’s go down to Colombia and listen to some Vallenato. One of the greats of this form is Lisandro Mesa. Here he is, wearing an excellent outfit I might add, playing Boquita Colorada. It looks like he’s playing a Hohner Corona II in this video. Great groove. I love the call and response.

Here’s what appears to be an impromptu performance with some hot squeezebox. The video is short but still well worth a look. Did I say hot accordion? Wow, this stuff is getting me all excited. Darwin “El Brujo” Oñate.

Vallenato is happening outside of Colombia as well. Check out Very Be Careful, a great band from Los Angeles. Here are the boys in action….and here’s an interview.

el-ray-del-vallenado-M Hohner has recognized the Vallenato market by introducing a squeezebox designed for the music. Love that yellow! I posted the picture just in case you’re wondering what to send old Mister Anchovy for Christmas this year. Har!

Vallenato is named after the city of Valledupar. It is folk music from the north coast of Colombia. Early bands featured flutes, then diatonic button accordion, guacharaca (like a guiro), a drum called a caja vallenata (like a bongo with an X-ray sheet instead of a leather pad) and vocals. Today, bands often have all kinds of instruments happening. I prefer the smaller bands and the more traditional approach to the music, but that’s just my taste.

16_oct_2009

October 14, 2009

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The last mushroom post of the season

I’ve learned such a tremendous amount this year about mushrooms. It seems hard to believe that I waited until this year without really looking at a mushroom in the forest. I’ve pretty much hung up my baskets for the season. The leaves are falling and it’s hard to see what’s happening on the forest floor, and the hunters are out in the woods shooting things. I was really hoping to pick some shaggy mane mushrooms this year but I guess they’ll have to wait.

Shaggy manes, or Coprinus comatus, are apparently quite common. They’re also known, especially in Britain, as the lawyer’s wig mushroom. They like to grow on lawns. So, what’s the big deal? I’ve picked all kinds of mushrooms this season. What’s one more? Well, this mushroom has a very special characteristic. I didn’t realize it when I first heard about them. I was told they don’t last long, and that when you pick them you have to cook them up quickly. Shaggy manes exemplify deliquescence. Isn’t that a great word? For mushrooms it means to become liquid on maturing. You see, the shaggy mane actually digests itself, turning from a firm (and apparently tasty) mushroom to a puddle of black ink. This ink can be used for writing or drawing with nibs by the way, it is that intense.

The shaggy mane is the most common of the so-called ink cap mushrooms. Another interesting one is Coprinopsis atramentaria. This is a tasty edible as long as it is not consumed with alcohol. If you drink alcohol then eat this mushroom, you will get sick. Hence its nickname, Tippler’s Bane. This mushroom creates an acute sensitivity to alcohol, much like Disulfiram, or Antabuse, a drug used to treat alcoholism.

By the way, my brother the trout, Salvelinas Fontinalis, has a shaggy mane spot on some guy’s lawn, 20 minutes from his house. He reports that they are delicious in soup.

October 14, 2009

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What are you listening to tonight?

I ask this question from time to time and almost nobody answers, but what the hell, I’ll throw it out there again. I’m listening to a CD called In a Bad Mood by Geraint Watkins. You may not know Geraint Watkins by name, but if you’ve listened to Nick Lowe, Van Morrison or Dave Edmunds

Geraint+Watkins+In+A+Bad+Mood+cover+lite you’ve likely heard his keyboard work. Watkins has played behind Mr. Lowe for many years. In fact, he was the lone backing musician (and opening act) at the Nick Lowe show I attended just a few short years ago at Lee’s Palace here in Toronto. Some of you may recall his band The Dominators from the late 70’s

In a Bad Mood was released last year, and features Lowe on rhythm guitar on several of the tracks. All but two of the songs were penned by Watkins. One of the covers is the old Nick Lowe and Rockpile rocker, Heart of the City. Overall, I wouldn’t call it a rocking album though. It’s thoughtful, mature, it messes about in a few genres, and it’s beautifully performed. Here’s Mr. Watkins playing Champion, a lovely waltz from the recent album. This is the kind of elegant feel to be heard throughout.

October 14, 2009

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A Walk in the Park

A group of senior citizens were recently walking together in Humber Bay Park, here in Toronto. This was a warm-up for a fitness class at a nearby community centre. However, these folks were controvening Municipal Code Chapter 608 Parks. If a group holds an organized event for profit in a park, they have to ante up a fee of $28.65 per hour + GST for the privilege or face a hefty $250 fine. Fortunately for Torontonians, a by-law officer was skulking around, determined to put a stop to the transgressing seniors. According to an article in the Toronto Star, the group clammed up when approached. In the absence of information, the officer pulled out his camera and started snapping pictures. So far, the group has not been fined.

I wonder if it’s the same by-law officers that hide in the bushes looking for people who let their dogs off-leash in parks? I’ve heard of them taking photos and following people home if the the evil-doers don’t cough up any information.

An article in the Sun this morning suggests that the Mayor’s office is now backing down, as is Mark Grimes, the local Councillor.

I understand where the City is coming from. Someone operating a fitness class in a park has a pretty good business model going – no need to rent a studio – and the City wants a piece of the action, and a significant piece at that. In my view, unless a class in the park draws complaints from the community or causes some other problem, I think the City ought to ignore it. For now, I don’t think we have a problem. I can see some readers saying, well, what if there were so many classes in the park that there was competition for the best spots… Let’s deal with that when and if it becomes a problem. I can imagine if the problem spread. Soon there might be tai chi classes in the park, and a running club and maybe some chess boards and a nice place to play bocce. Just imagine the chaos, all those people using our public spaces to exercize their minds and bodies.

If our by-law officers have nothing better to do than harass groups of seniors walking in the park, maybe we have too many by-law officers. Perhaps the City has other work they can do. Do we have enough food inspectors, building inspectors, waste management people? Maybe we should make them park ambassadors, walking information officers or something like that?

October 13, 2009

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Skating trail destined for Sam Smith Park

The City of Toronto is going to invest $2 Million to build a skating trail in Sam Smith Park, the huge waterfront park located just to the east of Anchovy World Headquarters.

Photo from the Friends of Sam Smith Park website

The location of the trail has been recently shifted to an area Southwest of the Power House building, from the original plan to have it north west of the Powerhouse. It’s going to be a 260-metre linear trail 4.6 metres wide in a figure eight configuration. I’ve never seen a skating trail before, but it looks to me like a novel and interesting facility. If my knee is doing better next year when it opens, I may just have to lace up and try it out first hand.

I’ve heard some residents complain that we already have enough ice space in our area, particularly with the completion of the new Mastercard Centre for Hockey Excellence. There is also a voice for keeping the park as close to a natural environment as possible. Fair comments, but I think there’s a big difference between an outdoor skate on a figure 8 path surrounded by trees and an arena. In the winter, much of Sam Smith is hardly used except by the hardy dog walkers in the area. The park never has been strictly a natural area, although for sure it is an important one, particularly for birds. There are the Humber College buildings on the site, the yacht club, and other buildings around the property.

Weighing the pros and cons, I think this is creative community development, and I think it’s a good thing for the Longbranch and New Toronto neighbourhoods. For more information, visit the Friends of Sam Smith Park.

October 12, 2009

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Around the World by Button Accordion: Part 3

Today I want to feature a curious instrument called the Chemnitzer concertina. This boxy contraption made its mark in Polish-American polka music, fronting bands that often also included an accordion, bass and horns. The predominant style that used this instrument was called Chicago Push. A good place to see a selection of these instruments is to browse the “for sale” pages a concertinamusic.com.

Listen to Jersey Polka Ritchie, and while you’re there, check out his impressive outfit. Here’s one more, the Wandzia Polka. The most famous polka concertina player was L’il Wally. When I was a kid, my mom sometimes listened to L’il Wally records. Here he is on the Lawrence Welk TV show. He was a very charismatic performer.

I think my favourite polka band that features concertina is Scrubby and the Dynatones, from just down the road in Buffalo NY. I would have loved to see those guys back in the 80s. Here’s a fun video from a reunion gig. I confess I’ve posted this video before, but I love it and will likely post it again. Zosia! Here are the Dynatones one more time, from back in the 80s. It looks like Scrubby is playing some kind of sea serpent with a life of its own. Although this is music played by Polish-Americans, and often sung in Polish, I still see it as American music. I don’t think European polkas have anything like this kind of drive.

Polka music doesn’t have anything like the popularity it once had, and it’s too bad, I say. Even the Grammy Awards have scrapped the polka category. There are still some excellent bands out there making this music, but it’s getting harder for them to find gigs. Perhaps the peak of this music coincided with the peak of industry cities like Buffalo, Cleveland, Chicago and so on.