Speaking of the Silverton Country Inn, I wound up there by chance one night. I'd intended to make the much longer drive to Wiley's in Nakusp, hoping for some live music, and Terry convinced me that it was the height of deer-in-the-road time and, in fact, someone had just had a deer-crash the previous night and had their car -- and the deer -- totalled. So I went to Silverton, just a couple kilometres over from New Denver. And, wonder of wonders, serendipity of serendipities, there was live music there! A guy named Shane Philip, from Quadra. He's a one-man band and a constructor of superb didgeridoos. He was a blast, so charismatic and fun. I mean, he overcame the enormously irritating sound of didgeridoos! Highly recommended if he's coming to a folk festival near you.
Speaking of festivals, concurrent with my residency with the high-school students last week was the Valhalla Film Festival, at the Silverton Gallery, where I'd worked with the elementary school kids. It was curated by Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby, two brilliant animators who were working with the younger kids at Lucerne School. The first night was a programme of family-rated animations, including an awesome old black-and-white Popeye episode and the magically bleak The Big Snit. Oh, and a lovely film called The Monk and the Fish. The kids present went crazy.
The next night I wasn't in town, but they showed the Edward Burtynsky documentary Manufactured Landscapes and another one I'm not certain of. Seemed to really make an impact on those who saw it. Thursday was the student films, which I've already talked about, and Friday featured an incredibly inspiring programme of animated films, including Hilary and Village of Idiots, based on an old Russian-Jewish folktale. The night closed off with Dave and Alison's wonderful Bob's Birthday, which sparked their TV series Bob & Margaret. My favourite, though, was a brief animated requiem called Overtime, about puppets keeping their puppetmaster alive. Sort of.
Last night I spent a couple hours at the school, helping Terry lay out this year's yearbook. She gave me the five pages of elementary and high school creative writing to choose, edit, and lay out. It was a blast. It was also nice to help Terry out after all her generosity.
Just packing up my stuff now. Leaving the New Denver cabin for Vancouver and tomorrow night's book launch at Pulp Fiction. Beckham is outside barking.
The cabin still smells faintly of woodsmoke from last night's awesome fire. I'm going to head down to the beach for one last moment of serenity by Slocan Lake.
Over and out.
on the chocolate/lesbian t-shirt:
ReplyDeletei plead the fifth
...a fifth of about anything.
He wants to be the medium for impersonal yet personal contact?
ReplyDeleteHe wants to go to soak in a Hershey's spa but can't bring his inner he-man to agree so he offers the universe a compromise?
He has secret hopes that the magic ingredients in chocolate combined with his own pheromones will be enough to make him famous as being the first man ever to convert a lesbian?
He want to be seen past his physical shell to his true nature as the hollow inside the Easter Bunny?
He wants a to be inclusive all all womynkind since it's only fair to share your goodies equally?
I love "The Big Snit".
ReplyDelete"Stop shaking your teeth at me!"
-Alice