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So, I got close yesterday; here`s the rest.

Several other things absorbed my summer.  One was walking, which I did for two hours on most days.  Before you start looking back on the photos to wonder why I don;t look like I`ve lost weight (and I haven`t), the two hours included three rest stops.  That started when I got back to walking in June, after having been sick all of May, and it has just continued.  I listen to books (mostly, although sometimes the radio) when I`m walking, so I keep listening as I sit on a bench and knit a few rows, to catch my breath.  It has achieved ritual status now, and will probably continue until I head back to the desert.  (You know me and my rituals...)

The other thing that has absorbed my summer has been my relationship with Mariah.  As some of you know, we have known each other for over 40 years, but had a falling out last year.  We always make allowances for our friends, but after her partner left her, I found the need to make allowances greater, and my willingness to do so less.  So, we were civil, but distant.  This year, my financial circumstances having changed, I asked her to repay moneys I had expended on her behalf.  I had always intended that expenditure as a gift, but, well, as I said, circumstances changed.  Rather than paying me back, she called a lawyer.  That has definitely ripped the fabric of friendship beyond repair.  In the end, most of the money was paid back, but it consumed the summer.  And I find the whole thing very sad. 

Well, it`s done now.

Aside from that, I have found myself amazingly content.  Old friendships have developed, and new ones begun.  I never seem to lack company when I want it, for the theater or the opera or the movies, and even the occasional walk, but am fine with my own company the rest of the time.

Oh, and the other thing I have done a lot of this summer is read.  I`ve tried to keep a running list, but I am sure I`ve missed some.  But here`s a partial list anyway, not necessarily in the order read....

Stephen Greenblatt:  The Swerve: How The World Became Modern.  It`s about Poggio, a humanist in the 15th century who found a copy of Lucrecius The Nature of Things mouldering in a library in Germany and brought it back into the world.  I had read a previous book of his, Will in the World (about Shakespeare).  He is a fascinating writer, making the unreadable readable.  Recommended to me by friend Tom, who never steers me wrong. 

Schoenbaum:  Shakespeare`s Lives.  Also recommended by Tom, a book about the many books about Shakespeare and his plays (and, of course, their attribution) since the 16th century.  At 500 plus pages I found it a page-turner, believe it or not.

Michael Wolff:  Siege; Trump Under Fire.  As it sounds.  I am fascinated by this stuff.  A good read.

Veronica Heley: Murder by Suggestion.  A bit lighter fare.  I like this new development; a lot of the publishing houses are dusting off mystery authors from an earlier age and republishing their offerings, putting a new author out there for devouring.

Jared Diamond:  Upheaval.  Don`t bother.  His Guns, Germs and Steel a decade or so ago was great; everything else has been down hill.

Margery Allingham:  The Crime at Black Dudley.  Another new-to me author, to add to my growing list of authors to look for. 

Donna Leon:  Unto Us a Son is Given.  Another author, new to me, who I will be on the lookout for.

Erik Wilson:  Everything Trump Touches Dies.  This book is hilarious.  Written by a life long republican and lobbyist who loathes Trump.  Read it!

Fleishman is in Trouble.  I heard it reviewed on thr radio, but didn`t catch the author`s name.  I then saw it front and center in the library.  I still don`t know the author`s name (as I recall, it had too many consonants) but worth reading if you can find it

T.C.Boyle: Outside Looking in  A previous book, The Tortilla Curtain, was recommended by friend Bill.  In my mind, it is still the best, but Boyle is interested in such weird and wondrous things, all his books have fascinated me.  (He is one of those I would ask to dinner if I could ask 3 people to dinner...)

Ian McEwan:  Machines Like Me.  Another prolific author with an inquiring mind.  He`s the author of Atonement, Chesil Beach, and many, many others.  Considering this was about a robot and artificial intelligence, topics about which I don`t care a whit, I was surprisingly captivated by it. 

Magda Szabo:  Iza`s Ballad.  I am making a concerted effort to read writers from countries I do not know much about (broadening my horizons and all of that).  This one came my way by means of an airport bookstore - a surprisingly good one - and, being about old age as well as other things, was a good read. 

Barbara Kingsolver:  Unsettled.  An author I no doubt don`t need to introduce.  Her usual good read.

Ian Rankin:  In a House of Lies.

Peter Robinson:  Careless Love

Louise Penny:  One Eyes Man

The above three are no doubt also well known to you mystery fans out there.  I am a great fan of all three, and am trying to read them all.

Susanna Gregory:  Intrigue in Covent Garden.  Also a familiar name, and a good read (you can imagine why the name caught my attention).

Nathan Englander:  Kaddish.Com  As many of you know, I have given up my Jewish card.  That normally extends to not reading about Jews (Lord knows, I have done enough of that in my lifetime anyway).  But the title fascinated me, and I was not disappointed.

J. Jefferson Farjeon:  Thirteen Guests.  Another one of those revived authors (see above).  I enjoyed it.

Rohynton Mystery:  Such a Long Journey.  I od`d on Indian authors for a while, but I was due, and this was a good one.

Edward Lue:  The Retreat of Western Liberalism

David Goodhart:  The Road to Somewhere: The Populist Revolt and the Future of Politics

As noted above, I am fascinated as to how we got where we are, and these are two well written explanations.

Kieran Setiya:  Midlife; A Philosophical Guide.  A bit late for me, and not terribly profound in any event.  Give it a pass.  And, finally,

Avon Willsmore, Under The Table: The Case Against the Blue Team.  About cheating by the Italians at the world championship bridge games in the fifties.  It was way over my head in many ways, but fascinating nonetheless.

So. pretty eclectic, no.

Just a little bit more.  Went to Seattle last week for a bridge tournament last week (some of the - few - most expensive points I have ever earned).  But while I was there, I did go to the Seattle Opera`s performance of Rigoletto.  It is certainly in my top 10 favourite operas.  The music was, as always, glorious, and the singing and acting very fine.  I could have done without the feminist slant the director put on it, though. 

So, there you have it.  My life up to the present.  I have unearthed my camera, and will start carrying it around again, so I can document the glorious weather in the remains of the summer.  I`ll be back anon.

She's Baaaaak - again

At this point, I'm not sure anyone cares.  Oh, well, I always said I did this for me, and not for anyone else.  And I do want to put some late breaking pictures of the Gallapagos up (if I can), and to record the summer before it is totally gone.

So.  Here goes.  First, the pictures.

In Quito, we visited Sunamune, a music school for developmentally disabled supported by Grand Circle Travel, the group sponsoring our trip.  I was skeptical, but was won over by the joy, and the music.  This site doesn't let me download the video we received - and in which we participated.  I am so sorry, because it is so much fun.  Even though I could barely breath because of the altitude, you couldn't say no to these kids when they asked you to dance. Here are a few still pictures....

One of my fellow travelers caught a few pictures of me snorkling and on the zodiak....

I am afraid the rest are videos, and the site is rejecting them - no doubt because they take up too much space.  Oh, well, they are on my computer, and in the effort to download them, I saw them again, which was nice.

Sorry, not very much that I was able to share - hardly worth waiting four months over.  Well the four months haven't been earth shattering in any event.   I was dreadfully sick for just about all of May.  Nothing life threatening, just some respiratory stuff, but it felled me - it is one way I know that age is catching up to me.  It took me pretty much the whole month of June to recover, and I don`t think I am walking up to speed yet. 

There was no work for April or May or June, and only about a third as much as usual for July and August.  I really did think I would expire of boredom, but managed to amuse myself in the end.  Lots of lunches with colleagues, with or without work - Bea, Randy, Paul, and, of course, the pho gang, and former colleagues - Mickey and of course Eric.

 Some opera outings with Jack, both live at the Vancouver opera (Traviata and Cenerentola) and Metropolitan Opera in the Movies (Romeo and Juliet, Dialogue of the Carmelites), and bridge, lots of bridge, both at the club and at tournaments, and, of course, home with the boys.  (You would think with all of this playing, I would get better, but it certainly doesn't seem like it.)

A number of theater outings, both with Tom and Jack, both live and National Theater Live in the movies, some good, some not so good.  I went to Jerusalem, put on by United Players.  Everyone raved about it; I walked out at the first intermission. Saw Once upon a Mattress with Tom at the North Vancouver Light Opera Society.  I actually love these old musicals-operettas.  Went to all three offerings by the Ensemble Theatre Company - Born Yesterday, Superior Donuts and Drawer Boy - all were wonderful, but they are always wonderful. And I am always saddened to see that they don't sell out.  I don't know how people can live without the theater - I can't.  Maybe they actually have lives, as opposed to me, who has to live vicariously through the theater and the opera.  Jack and I saw All about Eve at NTLive; neither one of us was impressed.  It is one of those old movies that doesn't age well.  On the other hand, we also saw Kinky Boots - filmed live on Broadway and played in movie theaters around the world - and it was fabulous, although I must say that a musical is one thing that you miss the electricity of a live performance.  And I mustn`t forget to mention The Audience with Helen Mirren.  This was an encore production, but I hadn't seen it the first time around, and was glad to catch it.  Very good!

They always make a big fuss over Canada Day at the bridge club...

....even yours truly got into the swing of things...

(that`s my bridge partner Alex in front of me...)

....and our traditional visit from ``the Queen`` , and her Mounty escort

July 18 was my birthday, and it seemed as if there were lunches and dinners for two weeks.  I loved it, I have to say.  A sampling...

Jen and Joyce and I at Fisherman`s Terrace, our usual dim sum joint...

.....and colleague Paul and I enjoying a celebratory Japanese meal...

Bea and I had our by now traditional outing to Bard on the Beach to celebrate our mutual birthdays, this year a reprise of Taming of the Shrew done as a spaghetti western.  Yes, I know, it sounds dreadful, but it worked the last time they did it - it is hardly surprising that they tried it again. 

It didn`t work quite so well this time, but dinner at Oddfish, a local restaurant, was fun.  

Of course, Robin, Debbie and I had our annual joint birthday dinner too, this time at a new venue, called Savio Volpe, an Italian small-plates restaurant.  I must say, I wasn`t as impressed with it is as Robin was - a bit too gourmand for me - but we did have a good time, as always.  Forty five years and counting.

Can`t forget the traditional dim sum at Kirin with Richard and Linda, dinner party at Sue`s (lucky you - since I wasn`t blogging, I rarely remembered my camera),  Even friend John got into the act, offering up a sushi birthday dinner, as did Gerry (also known as the Juke Box Man, who added a new Greek restaurant to my list (named New York, New York, of all things, but worth going to again, in spite of being out in Surrey). 

New friend Lou got a boat which is moored close by, so invitations for wine in the cockpit were forthcoming.......

Friends from Palm Springs Scott, Suzie and Nan stopped in Vancouver for a few days on their way back from a bridge cruise to Alaska, and it was great to get a desert ``hit`` in the middle of the summer.  

Those of you who know me know that, but for playing Scrabble, I would never be on Facebook.  Twice this year, I felt compelled to go on Facebook.  In the spring, it was to find that old friend (and I mean old - Alison from New York from 50 years ago - had died, and her son was trying to contact his Auntie Nora.  A few weeks ago, it was Kim, the daughter of friend Carolyn, trying to reach me to tell me that Carolyn had been found dead in her house in California, cause of death thus far unknown.  It is creepy, I tell you.  (Carolyn was David`s assistant in the Bank; she, husband George, David and I used to go skiing in the old days; then, later, sailing).  Although I haven`t seen much of her in recent years, it was still a blow.

Well, I realize I haven`t spoken much about feelings, or about my reading list, or about recent weeks.  But it is a start, and I am bound to be caught up in days.  For those of you still out there in cyberspace, thank you for sticking with me.  I`ll be back shortly.