Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Our World Tuesday (as seen on Monday)

I took the bus yesterday to UBC (University of British Columbia) for my third piano lesson with Bogdan Dulu.  It was a little too cold to ride my bike.  Many would find it strange that a retired music teacher would be taking lessons at all, let alone with someone barely a third her age.  It is a beautiful thing to learn for the sake of learning alone and not for a degree or a job or even for a performance.  Bogdan shares his musical insights and extraordinary talent with generosity, honesty and kindness. The lessons and preparing for them are a joy.

Light through richly coloured glass in the lobby of the music building, bathes.. 
two sculptures.  This one of Bela Bartok (1881-1945) is by Jack Harman.  I found the following information about it at this site:
"Located inside the lobby of the Music Building; this sculpture was presented to UBC and the people of British Columbia by the Hungarian-Canadians of B.C. to mark the centenary of the composer's birth and the twenty-fifth Anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution.
Harman was born in 1927 in Vancouver and studied at the Vancouver School of Art and the Slade School in London from 1952-53. Returning to Canada, Harman worked as an advertising artist in Toronto and Vancouver. In 1955, Harman began to sculpt in bronze using a welding torch. His first solo show was held at the Vancouver Art Gallery in 1962."
 The other sculpture is titled "Artist's Struggle to Reach his Goals" and is by Cliff Vincenzi.
I took the photo below of it a couple of years ago.
I was excited to find a video this morning that gives me a chance to see Cliff Vincenzi with his long-time friend and colleague. I had long wanted to know more about Vincenzi and this video is a treasure.

Loved the red glass, with plant in front of it (the same one, i think, that was there a couple of years ago.
A good feeling for me to walk through these doors.
Walking to the bus stop after the lesson, 
I took a few photos on campus.
The fountain at the entrance to the university caught the trees, lined up for sentry duty.
UBC is in a part of Vancouver that some call "the snow belt" as even a ten-minute drive East will show quite a difference in temperature and precipitation.  I took this photo through the bus window as I returned home after the lesson.
Another bus shot.  I've admired these trees for years and am so ashamed I can't identify them with certainty.  Could they be Tulip Trees?  
Home for lunch and so appreciative of Bill, who listened keenly and attentively to my long, excited narrative of every detail of the piano lesson.  Later, we walked in David Lam Park.  This tree has almost lost its leaves.  I am reminded of Penelope's post this morning about the beauty contained within aging leaves and within the process of maturation. These leaves took on a new identity as they prepared to leave the tree.
Still in David Lam Park, another tree..
and more leaves.
Walking along False Creek's shore, some reflections..
changed in the split second between shots.  Below, a human face (upside down) breaks away from the core of the reflection.
I flipped this shot to find the expression in the face (Mouth at lower left).
Three mallards came around the corner in single file.
 A Seagull flew over my head..
and the Mallards approached.
A young girl talked on her cell phone while..
her dog quietly contemplated life. 
Cormorants soaked up as much sun as they could..
and Bill did too that too, though he helped the sun do its job by staying on the move with Black Jack.
A young girl worked on training her dog not to bark at Black Jack.
Cute little fellow.  The treats were helping to distract him from guard duty..
and perhaps the girl was working on finding her own kind of peace.  We kept our distance but still, the dog exploded at us in the last second.  Bravo to the girl for dealing as best she can with a difficult behaviour, most likely inspired by fear.
The sights along False Creek..
are both the same and different every day.
Pale moon in the sky.
Some American Wigeons.
Colour in the shore plants.

A unicyclist.

At Harrison Galleries, the art was in a stage of transition, some coming down from the walls, other pieces going back up.  This photograph by Steven Friedman had been turned on end and we thought it took on a brand new personality.
I've flipped it to show how it normally looks.
Walking home, we noticed Christmas decorations in lobbies,
and leaves in various states of decomposition on the street..
and resting on hedges.
We stopped at Choices to buy groceries.  Bill did the shopping while I waited with Black Jack by the front door.  Lots of decorations had gone up.. 
since our last visit.
The lobby area has painted sunflowers that have been there for ages.  I love the way flowers for sale rest against that wall.
Black Jack and I were reflected in the Christmas balls.
One more shot of flowers against the wall, 
and the best has been saved for last.  That's Bill in the check-out line with our groceries.  He's a treasure!  Thank you, dear Bill, thank you, much-appreciated readers, and thank you, dedicated hosts of Our World Tuesday for encouraging us to share our worlds.

12 comments:

  1. lovely reflection shots! my country dogs have no manners, so i'm always glad to see others who do (or try to). :)

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  2. I was touched by the two creative gentlemen in the video. What an appreciation they have, not only for art, but for life! And it is very exciting to hear of your current studies. Learning is never ending and youthful teachers can bring fresh perspective to existing knowledge.

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  3. Carol, a little thrill ran through me at the photo of the entrance to the Roy Barnett Recital Hall - Roy is my cousin, my mother's sister's son. Both his father and my father always played the piano at our joint family gatherings - those times were a highlight of my childhood. Roy did not learn to play piano until after he retired, and it was that passion for learning music that promoted him and his wife to donated the money necessary to renovate the old hall. Here's a link to the story: http://music.ubc.ca/research-and-resources/inspiring-spaces/barnett-hall/ . Roy and his wife live in Victoria now.

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  5. (Oops - sorry for the delete - too many typos!) - One other little bit of related trivia: Roy's dad, my uncle, whose given name was Newman, was only ever known to me as Uncle Paddy. He apparently earned the nickname Paddy, after Paderewski the famed Polish pianist, when he played for his fellow troops during WWII, and the nickname stuck. He was an awesome pianist!

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  6. Hello Carol, I think it is always a benefit to learn new things or new "old" things! The reflections are beautiful, especially the Christmas balls! The trees are neat! Love the cute doggies, especially Black Jack! Enjoy the rest of your week!

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  7. I am so pleased that you are enjoying the piano lessons! What a joy to have the time to prepare and appreciate time with another musician! I always love seeing pictures of my brother! Hugs, Phyllis

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  8. What a great selection of photos today!

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  9. A beautiful series of photos. I haven't seen a unicyclist is a long time!!

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  10. Lovely reflection shots and a great post. Have a great day!

    Shantana

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  11. The row of (tulip?) trees is beautiful. I also liked the reflections and the birds. The first dog you showed sitting next to the girl reminds me of a smaller version of a huge mastiff I met yesterday named "Sweetie"--she was 120-something pounds, but so good natured! The pop of color is lovely--so nice to see a flower blooming this time of year!

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  12. Another set of great photos sharing your world. I really loved the photo of the yellow maple leaves on the hedge by the fence. It is striking! Congrats on taking that piano lesson. I'd love to learn to play an instrument, but I don't have the time right now. Writing and photography seem to be all I can manage, but then, they are time-consuming! Take care, Carol!

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