Friendships and Fascinations

Two link-ups for this post: 

Our World Tuesday (thanks to Arija, Gattina, Lady Fi, Sylvia, Sandy and Jennifer)  

ABC Wednesday - letter "F" (thanks to Mrs. Nesbitt, Roger, Reader Wil, Leslie and Trubes)  

The Friendly and Fascinating people who work hard to keep these memes Functioning smoothly are worth their weight in gold in my book.

Perhaps, Friends and Fascinations might be a theme of this post.

ChrisJ, a Friend met through blogging, would welcome a few extra prayers and/or positive thoughts these days.  I am hoping the power of caring hearts added to her already very strong Faith will bring strength to her and to two members of her Family who are seriously ill. Her niece (daughter of her beloved sister, Kaybee) and granddaughter (Haley) are both in hospital in completely separate situations.  On top of those worries, Chris has recently lost her dear cat, Scruffy, to sudden illness. Know that we are feeling for you right now, Chris.  Thank you for reaching out for your loved ones, and for giving Scruffy such a beautiful life!  This music composed by César Franck always brings me a sense of peace and I hope it will do the same for you.

Fragrant roses were displayed at Harrison Galleries on Saturday.  Knowing that ChrisJ's granddaughter, Haley, especially loves these Flowers, it seems they were meant for her.

Our Vancouver outings lately have included a Robin Williams tribute (Good Morning Vietnam) with a pre-movie talk by three stand-up comedians, each of whom suffer from some form of mental illness.  The talks were open and Frank, but also extremely humorous. Joey Commisso,

Dana Gould,

Simon King,

and Mike Greenwood (to the right of Dana Gould) are performing with Vancouver's Comedy Festival, and each had words of wisdom tucked between many laughs.  They were not only Funny but Fearlessly eloquent and their words reconfirmed for me that empathy and laughter go hand in hand to make us feel better.  Perhaps, they even save lives. 

As for the movie, it brought me to a greater understanding of both the talent and the plight of Robin Williams.  Though I hadn't seen the movie in its heyday, certain scenes were a part of my consciousness, and it was good to finally Fit all of the pieces together.  All in all, a most enjoyable and memorable evening.

Crocuses have been popping up for a Few weeks now in Vancouver.  These were growing outside St. Andrew's Wesley when we attended Jazz Vespers almost two weeks ago.

I learned a few Facts about St. Andrew's this morning.  It was built between 1927 and 1933.  The web site states that the building was originally designed by Twizel and Twizel, and constructed from Nelson Island granite and Haddington Island stone.  The interplay of window design and Twigs catches my eye every time we make our way to the side door.   

The Jazz Vespers series has brought us a lot of pleasure over the past few years.  This particular concert Featured trumpeter..

and pianist, Alan Matheson,

and Finnish acoustic bassist, Wade Mikkola.

This dog attends regularly and is Famed for joining in during applause.

Alan Matheson can carry a musical phrase so smoothly and sweetly, and for such a distance, one wonders sometimes whether he ever runs out of breath.  The sound seems to Float as a Feather might traverse a Field before settling lightly on a Flower.

As many times as we have visited St. Andrew's, I had never really Focused on the beautiful expressions in the etchings..

of the glass doors and windows between the Foyer and the sanctuary.

Colors, shapes, music, art, wildlife, people..  it seems the older I become, the more I am Fascinated with the world around me.  Perhaps, if you found time to listen to César Franck's music, you may be ready for a change of pace, and Connie Francis singing "Fascination" Fits rather nicely into my mood so I hope you will enjoy it as well.

 

On Valentine's Day, we walked along False Creek's shore, observing..

the Flora..

and Feasting our eyes on..

the Flashes of color amid the greenery.

Our Fauna viewings were limited to this lovely couple with bright eyes and Fulgent hues.

I have photographed this Fence more times than I can count, but as with the flowers, its reflections appear new to me every day.  Theresa (speaking of blogger Friends), I have other fences for your Good Fences meme.  I'm Falling behind with posts and comments, but consider this a start. 

As we walked, the sky to our right was blue, but a contrasting darkness Fell over the Cambie Bridge ahead of us,

accenting the Flawless paint job of the play structure..

and highlighting the Fetching tones of the cherry blossoms.

Bill checked them out, loving the aroma but Failing to keep his..

eyes open with the sun on his Face. Or perhaps that was pure Felicity in his expression :)

Much better with the sun behind him and love the Friendly couple in the background here :)

Coming across a bike polo game was Fun.

As someone who spends many hours on a bicycle, but would never dare to try the Fabulous stunts these skilled athletes perform in the course of a game,

I can only say, "Fantastic balance and nerve!" 

Bill's Favor of retrieving an escaped ball..

resulted in a big smile from the organizer of the tournament and that is when we learned that this was more than just a lot of people having a good time together.  In Fact, they were raising Funds for a variety of excellent causes including contributions to a wish list of items needed for some less Fortunate people of the Downtown Eastside.  Called 2V2 Kiss to Make it Count, we learned that each participant had paid a Fee to enter,

and by the size of the crowd, a significant amount was raised to encourage a healthy lifestyle and happier life for many.  The Festive atmosphere (scorers had to kiss their teammate for the goal to count)..

and Valentine Fervor seemed to Follow us as walked past this Camellia (?) bush,

and up the street to the café at Harrison Galleries to enjoy treats and Full-on..

  enthusiasm for the Fundamental spirit of the day.  

 

Haley is another of our Favorite baristas, whose kind smile and hard work brighten our visits.

When we left the gallery, we did a little grocery shopping. Bill and I sometimes Fight to carry the goods, each of us hoping to lighten the load for the other.  In these shots, I've won the..

bag, but Bill has nabbed my camera and is taking photos.  Black Jack gets her treat,   

and then I turn back as he asks me to do.  I'm happy to do that small Favor..  

 for the privilege of carrying the goods.  The small details of our Fascinating Friendship :)  Many thanks for stopping by.  Wishing you a day of discovery and Fulfillment.