Regina, the Queen City

Last month, I attended an uncle's funeral in Regina, Saskatchewan. When I was a kid, I spent a fair amount of time in Regina due to having many relatives living in and around the city, so I consider Regina part of my old stomping grounds.

It's fashionable nowadays in certain quarters to make fun of Regina, but that city takes great pride in staying true to its prairie location and history. I admire that. And Regina has made real strides in the past few years to become a more attractive and urbane city, while still remaining a very down-to-earth kind of place. 

For example, you gotta love a place where the local pro football team's mascot is a gopher, fer gawd's sake! Meet Gainer the Gopher of the Saskatchewan Roughriders --

Its junior pro hockey team, the Regina Pats, is the oldest such hockey franchise in the world. The team was named for Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, the armed forces regiment based in the prairie provinces. (That's the regiment my father served with in World War II.)

On the national scene, Regina is perhaps best known for its police academy, the RCMP Depot Division, where all Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers have been trained since 1885.

While I was in Regina, I spotted a lovely floral and topiary display near the provincial legislature grounds. True to Regina's no-nonsense sensibilities, the topiary was not of some mythological fantasy creature or hoity-toity classical form, but instead celebrated that most humble and ubiquitous presence of rural prairie life, the grasshopper --

[Photo © Debra She Who Seeks, August 2021]

I dedicate this post to my blogging buddy, The Blog Fodder, a retired agricultural consultant who was born, raised and spent his career in Saskatchewan, but who now lives and writes in Ukraine with his wife Tanya. As he once wryly noted in an early post, Tanya is "the only woman in Ukraine who doesn't want to emigrate to Canada," so he moved there instead. He recently spent a couple of years back in Regina undergoing some serious medical treatment, but all is well now and he's back home in Ukraine. His blog is definitely worth checking out!

The Cannonball Tree

In 2013 when My Rare One and I visited Quebec City, we splurged on a ride in a horse-drawn calèche through the streets of the Old City. The tour also went just outside the city's historic stone walls to Battlefields Park, a long, manicured green space now used for sports, relaxation, outdoor concerts and festivals.

However, this green space on top of the steep Quebec escarpment is better known in military history as the Plains of Abraham. It was here that France lost its colony of French Canada to the British following a surprise attack and brief battle in 1759.

Back through the Old City gate, our carriage driver stopped by a particular tree and showed us how it had grown right over a cannonball fired during that famous battle, which had landed inside the city walls. We ooh-ed and aah-ed like good tourists but secretly had our doubts. Does that tree look 250 years old to you?

A CBC news story recently caught my eye about how the old Cannonball Tree, now largely dead, had to be uprooted and removed from the city sidewalk this month where it had subsisted for so many years. The Canadian Armed Forces oversaw extraction of the cannonball, in the unlikely event that it was still live ordnance.

Closer inspection showed that it was not a cannonball at all, but an old-fashioned bomb that originally would have required ignition via a fuse.

On the basis of an old photo of a nearby street, an historian speculated that this (and other) de-activated bombs had been deliberately affixed along the way as wheel guards to protect homes from passing carriages. In time, a tree grew over one of them and voilà! A folk legend was born!

Farewell, Cannonball Tree! I'm glad we got to see you when we did.

[Photos #1-4 © Debra She Who Seeks, June 2013; Photo #5 © Radio-Canada, 2021; Photo #6 is from the Internet; Photo #7 © La Collection Gino Gariépy, 1908]

My Favourite Emily Carr Painting

Emily Carr (1871-1945) is one of my favourite Canadian artists. From her home in British Columbia, she struggled to achieve her artistic vision despite obscurity, poverty and eccentricity. As Wikipedia notes, her art was:

. . . inspired by the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast. One of the first painters in Canada to adopt a Modernist and Post-Impressionist painting style, Carr did not receive widespread recognition for her work until the subject matter of her painting shifted from aboriginal themes to landscapes—forest scenes in particular.

This next image is of my favourite Emily Carr painting. Deeply spiritual in meaning, the painting depicts three trees, sole survivors of a brutal forest clearcutting operation. These trees are meant to remind us of the three crosses of Golgotha, where Christ and the two thieves were crucified. This time, however, the unspeakable crime is committed against Nature and Mother Earth. The clouds filling the sky, suffused with light streaming from heaven, ties into this spiritual theme as well. Carr's use of light in this painting was influenced by the style of her friend and early artistic/spiritual mentor, Lawren Harris of the Group of Seven (another favourite Canadian artist of mine).

Carr entitled this painting: Scorned as Timber, Beloved of the Sky.

An exquisitely poetic title, isn't it! It's essentially a modern, free-form haiku, written long before such zen poetry came to North America.

I love the title as much as the painting. In seven little words, it perfectly expresses that the true value of Nature is never to be measured or judged by its commercial or economic worth.

When we were in Vancouver earlier this month, we spent some time at the Vancouver Art Gallery. Guess what it had on display!

For years, I had a reproduction of this painting in my office. I've seen the original painting only three times in my life -- once on loan to the Winnipeg Art Gallery, once on loan to the National Gallery in Ottawa, and now once again at the Vancouver Art Gallery, which is the painting's permanent home.

Each time I've seen it has been a wonderful gift.

[First 2 photos from the internet; 3rd photo taken by My Rare One, August 2019]

Good Bingo Juju

In Vancouver, we visited My Rare One's Auntie Olga, who is a big fan of bingo. So one evening we tagged along to the Croatian Community Centre and played bingo with her and about 500 other hopefuls. Here we are setting up and waiting to buy our bingo cards. Thank goodness Auntie Olga was well supplied with daubers so she had more than enough to go around.

As you undoubtedly know, all bingo players have little good luck charms and tokens that they set out on the table to attract good bingo juju. So I dug around in my purse and managed to come up with my own little collection -- part of a Moon Card from the Voyager tarot deck, a Thor's hammer pendant, a triple-spiral goddess rock, a key to some long forgotten door, and a rather grimy little quartz chip. You will note that I also hogged the rainbow dauber, of course.

My Rare One and I were comfortable playing up to six bingo cards at a time but more than that did not go well. When playing nine cards, we'd get behind and miss numbers. Auntie Olga played a dozen or more cards with ease, of course.

Alas, the bingo gods did not smile on us that evening. We won nuttin, my friends, NUTTIN. But we had a good time with Auntie Olga and that's the important thing!

[Photos by My Rare One, August 2019]

Birds of Vancouver

So let's start off with a BIRDS-EYE view of Vancouver, British Columbia. My Rare One and I just got back from visiting friends and family there.

While kicking around Chinatown, we saw this lovely CHICKEN mural which I really liked, probably because my Chinese astrological sign is the Rooster.

One of the things we did was to visit the Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art in downtown Vancouver. Bill Reid was the greatest of all Haida Indigenous carvers and artists. This magnificent RAVEN stands at the apex of his huge totem pole in the Gallery.

Like BIRDS OF A FEATHER, My Rare One and I flocked together with more than half a million other people at the Vancouver Pride Parade on the August long weekend. We had a great time! And look at the beautiful bejewelled plumage that I found for myself! Yeah baby yeah, I got my rainbow bling on!

[First photo from the internet; all other photos by My Rare One, August 2019]

Lest We Forget

The National Aboriginal Veterans Monument is located in Ottawa's Confederation Park near Canada's National War Memorial. It commemorates the wartime service and heroism of Canada's indigenous peoples. Many served with valour and distinction in World Wars I and II, the Korean War and most recently in Afghanistan, despite the historical mistreatment and lack of equality which they endure(d) in Canada.

Four warriors from different indigenous cultures stand, one facing each of the four sacred directions, surrounded by the fierce and powerful totems of Eagle, Bear, Wolf, Elk and Bison.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

--From "For the Fallen" by Laurence Binyon

LEST WE FORGET

[Photos #1 and #6 from the internet; photos #2, #3, #4 and #5 © Debra She Who Seeks, 2010]

Christie Biscuits, Part 2

[photo © Debra She Who Seeks, August 2017]

Continuing on from Tuesday's post, here's a few family photos taken over the years that feature the Christie Biscuits ad loitering in the background:

This one probably dates from World War II or very shortly thereafter. That's my Mom leaning against the car, taking a break from waitressing or cooking in the hotel, judging from how she's dressed. She was the chambermaid too!

This is my grandma and me in her flower garden in the mid-1960s. You can just see the "u" and "i" of "Biscuits" peeking out from behind some trees that were growing there at the time.

And finally, here's a great autumnal shot of the ad, probably taken in the early 1980s. That's my grandpa in the red baseball cap, sitting in the garden amidst the empty flower boxes.

During my brief stopover in Saskatchewan this summer, I was so glad to see that Christie Biscuits still faithfully abides all these many years later, like a dear old family friend.

Christie Biscuits, Part 1

During World War II, my maternal grandparents sold the family farm, bought an old country hotel in a small Saskatchewan town and went into the hospitality business. I spent a lot of time at this hotel when I was a kid. I have some good stories and fond memories of those days.

Here's a great photo of the hotel that I found on the internet, looking exactly as I remember it:

[photo by Lawrence Hutchinson, taken in 1981, found here on Flickr ] 

But the topic of my posts today and on Thursday is not actually the Queen's Hotel per se but instead, the brick building in the photo which you can see to the right of the hotel, on the other side of my grandma's flower garden and hedge. This large commercial building was built in 1907 for J.P. Beauchamp & Co. as a store. In later years, it served many other functions, including as a telephone operators building and a community hall. But no matter its purpose, the building's most notable feature was always a huge painted advertisement on one side for Christie Biscuits, Purest of All Pure Foods.

One of the small prairie towns in which I found myself this summer was precisely my old Saskatchewan stomping grounds. The Queen's Hotel is gone now, an empty lot all that remains. The hotel burnt down in a 2003 fire that occurred about 15 years after my grandparents ceased owning the business. And of course, my grandma's flower garden is long gone now too. But look what's still standing!

[photo © Debra She Who Seeks, August 2017]

And on the side of the building, the antique painted ad still proudly proclaims its Christie Biscuits slogan. Okay, so maybe it's faded now and has seen better days but then again, haven't we all?

I assume that ad was painted in 1907 when J.P. Beauchamp had the building constructed. Given that his corporate name was painted right above it, this theory seems plausible. So now in 2017, the building and the ad are both 110 years old.

In Thursday's post, I'm going to share some old family photos of the Christie Biscuits ad that were taken over the years.

Lady of the Lake Teacup Truck

Whenever I'm in Brandon, Manitoba, I stop at one of my favourite places -- the Lady of the Lake Shop, Cafe and Pub. It has been a beloved gathering-place in that small prairie city for at least 20 years. My Mom, sister and I have enjoyed many happy times together at this store and restaurant in days gone by.

A couple of years ago or so, this marvelously whimsical "Teacup Truck" first appeared outside its doors . . . .

As you can see, every square inch of this old flatbed truck is covered with broken china mosaics, cups, saucers, teapots, decorative plates, china figurines, doodads, baubles and junky gewgaws!

This is my favourite side of the Teacup Truck. I hate to think of how many hours of work with a glue gun it took to create this!

Here's a couple of closeups of the driver's side fender and hood. I can make out six teapots (I think) and one pitcher . . . .

. . . and a teeny-tiny rack of billiard balls, which I love!

The Teacup Truck sits outdoors all year long in the sun, rain and snow. I'm pretty sure the vehicle doesn't run and was towed to its current location. From the Lady of the Lake website, here's a "before" photo of the Teacup Truck prior to its artistic rebirth. I believe that the woman who is waving while standing on the running board is the store owner.

[All photos © Debra She Who Seeks, July 2017, except for the last photo © Lady of the Lake]

NEVER Let Anyone Tell You . . .

. . . that there is NO JUSTICE in this world.

It is, in fact, located in southwestern Manitoba, Canada.

[Photo © Debra She Who Seeks, July 2017]

Shaw Festival

Over the Labour Day weekend, my theatre buddy and I went to the Shaw Festival at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. This annual event is designed to celebrate the plays and legacy of the great Irish playwright, George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950).

We took in two of Shaw's plays. Pygmalion, which of course later served as the inspiration for the musical My Fair Lady, was in this production set in modern-day London rather than in Victorian times. So no more evening clothes and top hat for Professor Higgins -- imagine him instead in shorts, t-shirt and a bicycle helmet! Eliza Doolittle's famous swear word was also updated to more suitably shock a contemporary audience, LOL!

The other Shaw play we attended was You Never Can Tell. Look at that sumptuous set and extravagant costumes! These distractions offset the fact that the play's feminist attitudes (so radical and shocking in Victorian times) are today absolutely mainstream and ho-hum. Nothing outrageous anymore about this play!

The Shaw Festival also stages plays by other playwrights who were contemporaries of Shaw. We went to The Lady from the Sea by Henrik Ibsen. Not surprisingly, it was about an unhappy wife trapped in a stultifying marriage, as were so many of his plays.

And we also went to a very enjoyable and atmospheric Kurt Weill musical cabaret called The Next Whisky Bar. Oh, so many sailors, pimps and prostitutes!

Modern playwrights who deal with themes that were close to Shaw's heart also get staged at the Shaw Festival. We really enjoyed seeing Tony Kushner's play The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures. It was four hours of radical politics, queer sensibilities, lingering religiosity and family dysfunction. Good times!

George Bernard Shaw was most decidedly not a fan of the famous actress Sarah Bernhardt, who figures prominently in Canadian playwright Michel Marc Bouchard's new play The Divine. A 1905 tour appearance in Quebec City brought The Divine Sarah into conflict with the rigid Roman Catholic Church.

The scenes alternate between a Catholic seminary, Bernhardt's dressing room and a shoe factory employing child labour. The seminary is pictured below -- and if that set doesn't strike a chill in your heart, I don't know what will.

All in all, some great plays and an enjoyable visit to one of Canada's pre-eminent theatre festivals!