That Itch

That Itch

Bronze Dibatsu in Kamakura

I have that old familiar itch. So does my husband. It's not what you think, not that 7 year itch, but the kind one gets when you are bitten by the travel bug. Before we were married we had both travelled to places in and around Australia and Europe separately. The places we travelled after we were married you could count on one hand.

Then last year Mike and I stumbled upon a seat sale to Japan - $420 round trip/each + taxes for two weeks. It was an incredible deal - if I had not been on the trip myself, I would have said it was too good to believe! Add to this spectacular price the fact that Mike's brother lives in Tokyo and we had a place to stay I bought the tickets pretty much on the spot.

Our mothers graciously flew from Alberta to Vancouver and lived in our home with our kids for one week each. A huge blessing. Though, I was fairly reluctant to leave Isla. At the time she could have flown for free, but we weren't sure how easy or difficult travelling with a 22month old in Tokyo would have been. In the end it was really nice to spend two weeks of one on one time together, something we hadn't done as a couple in over 5 years!

Matsumoto Castle

Japan was AMAZING! We travelled as far and wide as was possible in two weeks. From Tokyo to the Sea of Japan, Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Nigata, Endoshima, Hakone and many more. The country and cities are breathtaking at the best of times, but it was fall, and especially beautiful. We saw Mt. Fuji twice in the distance on separate trips, apparently quite a feat. Ironically on the day we went to see the volcano it remained shrouded behind the cloud cover!  

Now a year later I am dying to go back. My desire possibly exacerbated by the knowledge that I cannot go right now. I am actively resisting looking up seat sales on Flight Centre's website as my little family is on the cusp of a new adventure, (one I will tell you about later) and I know it will be a while before we can spend our time or our money in such a way again.

Tokyo Tower at Dusk

Homage Monday - Sara Bynoe

This Monday marks a new feature on ag.gray.gate. It is the start of my weekly homage to the artists I know.  These artists appear in no particular order but have touched my life in one way or another, I love and admire these people and the capacity they have to follow their passion.

Sara Bynoe - www.sarabynoe.com:

I first met Sara-without-an-H when we began theatre school together in Calgary. She has a killer smile, beautiful bright eyes, a laugh that makes you feel better about the world and enough talent to knock you right on your ass. Oh, and she has a Master's Degree. She has been featured in news and magazine articles across the country, from BC' s own Tyee to The Globe and Mail (not at all for the same thing) and nominated for a literary award in New York. Sara is truly an ecclectic artist and her passions have served her well. She is an actor, a writer, a painter, a singer, a dancer, a comedian, and a producer. 

After graduating from Mount Royal, Sara attended/graduated from the presitgious Studio 58 in Vancouver, then it was off to merry old England and when she came home to Canada she sported an MA in Creative and Life Writing from Goldsmiths, University of London. Yeowzah!!! Those are the broad strokes. In there somewhere she also wrote and performed her own pieces at The Fringe (Vancouver/Victoria), The High Performance Rodeo (Calgary), and had Teen Angst (a collective of contributions from those courageous enough to go digging through the recesses of their painful, terrible teenage repetoire) published, hosting readings both nationally and internationally.  

More recently Sara has brought the popular phenomenon known as Dance, Dance, Party, Party to Vancouver.

Currently Sara is hosting "Say Wha?! - Readings of Deliciously Rotten Writing"

From her website:

EVENT INFO

Upcoming shows: Wed Sept 22, Wed Oct 13, 

Wed Nov 17 and Wed Dec 15.

Cottage Bistro – 4470 Main Street @ 29 Ave

Cost: $5 minimum suggested $10

FACEBOOK GROUP PAGE HERE

VANCOUVER COURIER ARTICLE HERE

Want to read at Say Wha?! READ THIS

I am sure I am missing a heap, the girl is busy! So there it is my first artist homage; celebrating a woman who has an incredible knack for taking "fun" and turning it into a career! 

****If you are an artist and I know you I will most likely be contacting you to ask your permission for a Monday Homage. However if you want to be featured sooner than later or that you have fallen through the cracks email me: aggraygate@gmail.com  There is no shame in self promotion!

Return of the Rainy Day

When I was a girl growing up in Alberta rain was always so romantic. First there was this amazing smell. Then smell of ozone my parents would always say. Giant towers of cumulus clouds would roll in, usually with a breathtaking thunderstorm in tow, and the sky would open up in a spectacular fashion to unload its heavy burden. Then as quickly as the storm came it would be gone. Making Rainy Day plans is a tradition I have cherished since childhood. Saving up ideas for rainy day art and games, staying inside to snuggle up with a snacks and a movie. Bliss.

I travelled to Europe as a teenager and in France I was thrilled to feel truly warm rain for the first time. Later I visited Bali in the rainy season (at 99% humidity being dry was a relative concept) and the sudden rain would fill the streets, careening between raised sidewalks designed to channel the deluge. And despite its coastal perch, Perth Australia  reminded me of my Alberta home, hot and dry with spectacular summer storms.

In the fantastically green, fertile and lush city of Vancouver rain is different still. There is, except on the rarest of occasions, a distinct lack of that fantastic rain smell. There is no fanfare to herald the arriving wet. Thick dark clouds crawl across the city lingering for hours, days and at times even weeks. The winter Isla was born I swear it was 6 months before she felt the sun on her face. A lifetime. As much as I adored the Rainy Day ritual from my childhood, implementing it in Vancouver would be a great way to become a fat hermit (instead, Vancouver grinds to a halt to celebrate the snow day!). There were mornings that Jack would wakeup in the looming darkness and wonder out loud at the breakfast table if it were night time already. It would seem that, despite being native Vancouverites, my poppets were never thrilled by the Pineapple Express.

Shortly after landing in Rossland there was a sun shower. A sun shower! It was brief, it smelled fantastic and the sun shone the whole time.  Jack just about had a panic attack, "Mommy you told me it didn't rain in Rossland!". "Jack" I said, "I never said it wouldn't rain here, but the rain here is not like Vancouver and it'll be over soon." And like that it was gone. On Friday we had our first rainy day, and even that didn't last the whole day. I told the kids about why rain smells the way it does, just as it was explained to me by my parents, and I am so looking forward to finally passing along the legacy of the Rainy Day.