Skipper, my canine friend is getting old and older....


Skipper in 2008

Skipper is not my dog, but he belongs to best friends and neighbours. I 'borrow' him ever so often. Skipper and I have a dog-whisperer relationship: I love him, and he loves me in return. Despite his advanced age, he runs all the way to my house from his, despite defunct rear end and all. This year, there is a little more gray in his features.



Skipper in 2009

And a little more resignation it seems. He is hanging in there, sweetly, gently as ever. Trying his utmost to act less than his age. His eyes are getting a little opaque, his whiskers increasingly white, and his back-end increasingly weaker. Only his love and devotion remain as strong as they were in his youth.

Leonard Cohen in Victoria



I saw and heard the Canadian Legend on Tuesday, 21 April 09, here in Victoria.

And it was a pure fluke. I won tickets to the sold out performance by entering a CBC contest. The challenge was to 'fill in' the missing lyrics of a song, and warble them via phone onto the radio station's message line.
The contest song turned out to be 'Tower of Song', I sang the missing bit about sticking pins into a voodoo doll, immediately forgetting the whole business as soon as I hung up. It was - after all - a once in a lifetime ridiculous impromptu exposure to the Canadian public via CBC Radio. Lo and behold, CBC called that same afternoon - I was the winner of two very good tickets.
Leonard Cohen is now 74 years old, and not only does he still sing well, but the interpretation of his very well known and loved songs was deeper, more sensitive and more touching than ever. He is as thin, that one fears for his well being, but skipped onto the stage with youthful vigor, clad in a nappy suit and a fedora.



He stepped onto the stage to a standing ovation before ever singing a single note, he sang most of his best known ballads to an appreciative packed house, gave half a dozen encores, and finally left after more than three and a half hours of giving his best, his very best of his career.
His back up band was fabulous, with special kudos to his Spanish Guitarist, who seemed to have an intimate musical dialog with Leonard's gravelly baritone voice, his wind instrument player, who launched into the jazziest solos, and his back up vocalists whose harmonies complemented Leonard's own singing.

The mostly over 50 crowd sighed and listened in silence (except for the odd appreciative whistle) to each new rendition of the old songs: There is no cure for Love, Hallelujah, Susanna, I'm your man, First we take Manhattan, and on and on, each better than the previous and all rendered unforgettably.

Leonard Cohen, singer, writer, poet, Buddhist, monk, lover....humble man....is continuing his successful tour to the rest of Canada and Europe this year. A definitely must see and hear for anyone fortunate enough to garner a ticket to this incomparable performance. May he live and sing for a long, long time to come.


Vancouver Island Dawn

Whenever I am in my home in Vancouver Island I am fortunate to wake up to an ever changing vista of sunrise over the Saanich Inlet and Satellite Channel. It is utterly beautiful, even when fogs rolls in and the snow capped peaks of the coastal ranges of mainland British Columbia and the USA hide in the distance.

The Real Millennium Dragon







Millennium Dragon is a sailboat, a Contessa 32. She is of British design, built to take just about anything the sea can throw at her.


She was built in Toronto by Taylor, under license from Jeremy Rogers in Britain, in 1989, then shipped to Maple Bay, where she stayed until 1992.


I bought her in BC and brought her back to Toronto, where I lived at the time. There I raced (long distance) and cruised her on Lake Ontario, visiting the Thousand Islands, Niagara on the Lake, the 'western' Ports, the 'eastern' Ports such as Kingston, anchored many times at Toronto Island and behind Leslie Spit and visited many, many other Lake Ontario harbours, both in the US and Canada .


In 1997 I sailed her as part of a flotilla of 75 boats of all sizes and shapes from Toronto, Ontario, to Bonavista, Newfoundland. It was an epic journey of five chilly weeks down the St. Lawrence, across to Magdalen Islands and onto the south coast of Newfoundland, around Cape Race and up the East Coast to Bonavista. Dodging icebergs was the least of the challenges. We braved everything from storms to fogs and broken down gear. However, we were rewarded daily for our hardships by having the opportunity to be hosted by the most loving, hospitable and warm people on the entire North American continent - the Newfoundlanders. They have lived off the sea for generations, and Newfoundland has never been one of the places where the dollar rules everything in life, there just aren't too many dollars to play with. The people still live all the basic values, we allegedly all subscribe to. But - in times of need, the Newfoundlander comes through with all he has to give to help and comfort.


The flotilla commemorated the 500th anniversary of Giovanni Caboto's landing his vessel Matthew in NFL. He had crossed the Atlantic during May 1497 under atrocious conditions and is said to have shouted 'oh buena vista' when he finally glimpsed land on the 21. June of the same year and 'discovered' North America once again. Cabot went to school with Christopher Columbus, but he worked for the English Crown, who wanted a slice of the action across the ocean in the New Found Lande.


Eric the Red had already made camp there much earlier in the year 1000, up at the north end of Newfoundland, at Anse de Meadows...but John Cabot (as he is known in English) was not aware of that historic event.

I wrote "the book" about this journey, a wild and crazy undertaking for all the captains and crews who took part in it. The title is 'The Millennium Arrives'. It was published and is still for sale.




In 2000, Millennium Dragon went again to British Columbia. She was moored in Maple Bay again. I sailed the Gulf Islands, a year later Desolation Sound, and then the Broughton Archipelago. This year - who knows. The little red boat may just head 'up north' again. She is being single-handed.

Drawing lessons in Todos Santos



After taking drawing lessons in Todos Santos for three months and having an opportunity to practise under the guidance and critique of dear artist friends, I dare to dream, or better, draw.
This is a portrait of one of the Vaqueros, who have visited Todos Santos from the Sierras. He looked content and serene, but the hardship of his life shows in his weatherbeaten face.




Punta Lobos is a treasure trove for drawing subjects. Dramatic background of steep rocks, the ocean, a little chapel, pelicans by the thousand, and last but not least, the life of Punta Lobos: the fishermen.
Here is a Pescadero leaving his panga, carrying the 'knock-them-dead' weapons he needs to subdue some of the large sized and lively catch. He seemed happy with the results of his day's work.
Poor fish, but, they are absolutely delicious when cooked (or carpacio-ed) at home a few minutes after having purchased one from these intrepid men.



This Ranchero walked among the exhibition tents during the Strawberry Festival in Pescadero. He looked a little pensive...

Drawing these subjects here back home in the Pacific Northwest, lets me re-live the encounters I had in Baja California.

More Todos Santos People and Animals

Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter. The whole Pueblo turns out carrying braided palmfronds, bouquets of hisbiscus and bougainvillae, participates in a short procession from the plaza into the church, buys Virgens of Guadalupe made of bleached straws and commemorates Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem. The rest, as they say, is biblical history. However, Todos Santenians know, that just in a week's time all the sacrifices will be over, and the resurrection will occur, at least here in church.

This is Palomo, Jorge's dog. Jorge lives in a shack located beside bean, squash and cilantro fields. His job is to keep cows and horses away from the crop.

Jorge owns Palomo. Palomo has the body of a white German Shepherd dog and the legs of a Dachshund. He is most charming, and adopts any neighbour, who offers food or shelter. Overall he lives a charmed life. Apart from that, he is gentleness, kindness and gratefulness all rolled into one sweet package.

At Punta Lobos, where the fishermen bring their catch ashore, landing their pangas charging through crashing surf.

Pelicans wait for offal, gulls scream fighting over a share of the spoils. And there are the beach dogs. Their number has diminished, many of them have been 'adopted' by Todos Santos expatriats, tourists, and long term visitors. Now they are enjoying a life of domestic bliss. These two are still on the beach. They are shy and wait their turn for the fish left-overs.

The fishermen all pile into the bed of open half-ton trucks after finishing their day. No seat-belts here, not even seats. However, this is the first year that I have seen 'enclosures' made of steel pipes, to give the passengers something to hold onto, and anyway, keep them inside the truck-bed. Definitely a neccessity, as Baja potholes and bumps in the sand roads can catapult riders into the great beyond quite easily. The fishermen wear kerchiefs over their nose and mouth, because nothing can keep the dust down, especially given the way these people thunder through the desert.

Strawberry Festival in Pescadero saw people from the pueblo, from the mountains and the ranches and farms, all enjoying delicious, sweet, fresh, aromatic, delightful strawberries fresh from the Pescadero fields. What can be better?

People and Animals in Todos Santos, Baja California Sur





Negro, the little dog, who lives in Casa Abuela, and waits for me to bring him treats.

This lady prepared Chicken Mole beside the Mission Church during the Arts Festival 2009

A jewelry vendor advertising 'Girlfriend needed urgently' on the yellow sign

Turtle kindergarten caretaker liberating freshly hatched turles

Janet of the Tecolote Bookstore in Todos Santos

Camino Pacifico afternoon traffic

Musician at the arts festival of Todos Santos

Dressed up for a Paseo

Getting the fishgutting table ready at Punta Lobos Fishermen's Beach

A Handful of hatchling turtles

Fieldworker and her young baby on her day in town

Young girl at the Strawberry Festival in Pescadero

Playing at the Strawberry Festival in Pescadero

Euva, the most exotic person in Todos Santos

Public transport home from Punta Lobos, after a day of fishing

Cucu of Rancho Pilar manning his tienda at the Strawberry Festival

Disinterested Festival visitor

The most spectacular bigote (mustache) in all of Todos Santos

The Blind Ranchero, a wonderful man, who sometimes sat near the church, holding up his blue cup. He was so quiet, most people did not even notice him.

Corn cook off, Baja Style

Dressed up for Fiesta Fun with madre y padre y toda la familia

Ranchero Boy with dad's cowboy hat

A distant memory now, December 2008 on Vancouver Island. Christmas and New Year under a record breaking layer of snow. Bought myself an ergonomic snowshovel for a Christmas present.

This was getting better, January in Todos Santos, Baja California. It is balmy, sunny and desert dry. But - the hibiscus, bougainvillae, cacti, African tulips bloom. The garden has papaya, lemons, limes, bananas, figs and tomatoes ready for picking.

Sitting under an African Tulip tree, watching the play of sunlight on fiery orange blossoms, and glimpsing the intense blue sky through the foliage, winter is forgotten.

After three month of subtropical/desert paradise I am back in the Pacific Northwest, to find this in the garden I left in the deep of snowy winter. I am proud of myself. These daffodils were planted by my very own non green thumbs last fall, and they actually GREW!

Lights, Camera, Action....

I am entering the Bloggerworld, with curiosity, anxiety and not a clue of what I am doing here, or how to start.

But....one will learn....soon.