The Rose Garden in Stanley Park in Vancouver is in full bloom

 By Keith and Heather Nicol

On our visits to Vancouver if we head to Stanley Park it is usually to cycle around the seawall which goes around the perimeter of the park. We rarely head to the interior of the park but on our last visit to Vancouver in mid July 2022 we decided to see the Rose Garden and the surrounding trails in the interior of the park since we suspected the roses might be in their prime. We were joined by our daughter Kristie and who suggested this visit to the garden which was established in 1920 by the Kiwanis Club. The garden boasts over 3500 rose bushes and is set it an open area surrounded by natural west coast forest.  Our timing was good since the roses were in full bloom but note that this year they are quite late due to the cool spring. For more info see: https://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/gardens-in-stanley-park.aspx

 

 

July moon rise from Air Force Beach , Comox

 

By Keith and Heather Nicol

    One of the disadvantages of living in the Comox- Courtenay area is that you don’t get a chance to see the sun dropping off into the horizon in the evening. Sunsets in this area can be nice as the setting sun undercuts any clouds that are in the area but a classic sunset can’t be seen due to the Beaufort Mountains. But we do have moon rises which come up over the Salish Sea and so we have taken to seeing the full moon rise whenever the weather cooperates. Weather hasn’t cooperated much in 2022 since it has been cloudy and cool for much of the year but on July 12 it looked like we might have a clear night. Our favourite place to see the full moon rise is the Air Force Beach Parking area and this gives us a good view of the various Gulf Islands, the Sunshine Coast and the mountains of the BC mainland that lie behind. We often try for the night just before the official full moon since it the moon rises just abit earlier and you can capture  some of the back ground scenery which often won’t occur on the actual night of the full moon. On July 12 the moon rose just over Cape Lazo and unfortunately right in front of some communications towers on the sky line (see photo below).

 

Of course like the sun, the full moon doesn’t always rise in the same place each month so the back drop to your views and pictures will always be different. As well the clouds are often different so this adds another variation to each month’s offering.  To find out the date of the full moon and where it will be in the sky check out this web site: https://www.timeanddate.com/moon/canada/comox. For newcomers to this area , to get to Air Force Beach take Kilmorley Road and be sure to drive past the turn off to Kin Beach.  Turn right on Air Force Beach Road and continue to the end.  See you for the next full moon and bring a tripod and telephoto lens for the best pictures. Another bonus of the Air Force Beach location are the views north which often have nice clouds and colours spreading across the water (see photo below).

 

 

Vancouver Island MusicFest sold out on Sunday, July 10, 2022

By Keith and Heather Nicol

Well despite dealing with changing Covid 19 regulations Vancouver Island residents came out to support their favourite festival again by selling out tickets on the weekend. And on Sunday we have learned that the music usually starts with a “don’t miss it session” in the main concert bowl. This is usually has a gospel flavour and the event this year called “Faith” didn’t disappoint. They stage was packed with great blues and jazz musicians featured John Boutte (New Orleans) and Canadian legend Shakura S’Aide as well as many other very talented performers. Two members even mingled with the enthusiastic hand waving crowd. What a great show and we could have listened to them all day!! 

 

                               Faith had performers out with the audience

We stayed in the main concert bowl for the next group that was a real change of pace. Grace Notes is an all women’s choir from Vancouver Island and they sang a variety of Canadian songs.  They were followed by The Mavens which features Shari Ulrich and 2 other performers but they couldn’t make the show so Shari recruited 2 other musician friends who filled in admirably. Colleen Brown was the next performer in the main concert bowl and she is a real Joni Mitchell fan and performed many of her classic songs. Colleen has a great voice (you have to duplicate Joni Mitchell) and is backed up with a talented band. We then took a break to get ready for the final nights evening concert. 

 

           Colleen Brown performed a Joni Mitchell tribute on the main stage

We arrived back the main concert stage for 6:15 pm to listen to The Old Time Radio Show which featured mostly country music from a variety of artists. The next act up was Matt Anderson who we first heard in Corner Brook, NL at the East Coast Music Awards in 2009. He has gone on to be a power house blues performer with many awards to his name including being the first Canadian to win the International Blues Challenge in Memphis in 2010!! If you get a chance you need see him if you don’t know his music (see photo below).  Our final session was called American South which featured a collaboration of artists which the Vancouver Island MusicFest is known for. We can’t wait to see what Doug Cox has in store for next year’s festival and to stay up to date check out - https://www.islandmusicfest.com/.

 

Saturday July 9 -A perfect day to attend the Vancouver Island MusicFest

By Keith and Heather NIcol

Although the forecast called for showers off and on Saturday, July 9 the actual weather for the second day of the 2022 the Vancouver Island MusicFest (VIMF) was a perfect termperature for listening to music.  This day felt very much like pre covid 19 MusicFests with all stages operating and lots of people turned out to see the varied performances. We opted to catch the main concert stage to start with at 10 am and the very first act was The Burying Ground. This Vancouver based plays country blues music and what a great way to start the day. They have a terrific sound and song writing that everyone can relate to. We stayed at the main concert stage for the next group as well – Roots and Grooves which is another local band that had a varied act of sing alongs and catchy music. 

                                     Devora Laye played the washboard with the group The Burying Ground

 As with many performances at MusicFest, you would like to clone yourself since we also wanted to see the collaborative First Nations session being held in a overlapping time slot at the Grierson Stage. This is something the MusicFest is known for and this collection included all of the First Nations musicians at the 2022 VIMF. It was also to include a group from Konatal from Taiwan but they unfortunately got sick with Covid 19 and so couldn’t attend. But this “All Tribes Together” event was well received and the Grierson Stage was standing room only for their performance. 

                                                      All Tribe Together was very well received at the Greirson Stage

We love the Grassy Knoll stage since it is more intimate and we wanted to catch another local band from just up the road in Cumberland called Corwin Fox and Cumberland Brothers. We liked their combo of fiddle, guitar and banjo and were again impressed with what great talent lies in the Comox Valley. Another intimate stage is the Woodland Stage and we wanted to see the only group from Newfoundland at this years VIMF – Quote the Raven. After living on Newfoundland for over 30 years before arriving in the Comox Valley we have come to seek out East Coast Music. Quote the Raven won Newfoundland and Labrador’s 2019 Group of the Year award and the duo is known for their smooth vocal harmonies. Again we wanted to be 2 places at once so part way through their set we headed back to the main stage to catch a group from Chile – Subhira Quintet. We liked their energetic sound which featured flute, cello, violin, drums and piano.  With 19 albums to their credit they symbolized Chile’s World Music genre. 

                                Quote the Raven are from the Newfoundland and played at the Woodland Stage

We then took at break at home for a couple of hours but returned to the main stage to catch John Boutte, Ferron and Taj Mahal. What a treat to see these performers but we especially enjoyed blues legend – Taj Mahal (see photo below).  He is a multi grammy award winner and we loved his varied music that has influences from Africa, the Caribbean, and of course the American South. What a way to end our Saturday at MusicFest!  Congrats to the organizers for putting together such a varied lineup. For more information on the line up for Sunday’s shows see- https://www.islandmusicfest.com/ 

 

 

Vancouver Island MusicFest is back

 By Keith and Heather Nicol

With a 2 year pandemic break we certainly did not know what to expect when we headed down on Friday , July 8 for the first evening of the 2022 Vancouver Island MusicFest (VIMF) . My brother and his wife are avid VIMF goers and so after they arrived Victoria and we had a quick supper, we caught the last few songs of Jr Gone Wild in the Concert Bowl. As we walked in the main concert bowl we realized that with Covid 19 regulations lifted, everyone was interested in getting back to normal- hugging old friends and setting up their chairs for a night of music under the stars (see photo below). The first evening usually has a wide a variety of performers and the same applied to this opening concert. Jr Gone Wild is a rock band out of Edmonton which broke up in 1995 but reunited in 2013 and has been going strong ever since. 

 Next up was William Prince (see photo below) who is an impressive new talent. This Juno Award winner has an amazing voice and was rewarded with a standing ovation when he wrapped up his set. Prince won the Western Canadian Music Award for Aboriginal Artist of the Year in 2016 and is developing a large following who love his soulful folk music.  Then the volume and tempo really picked up with a Nigerian band Femi Kuti and the Positive Force. Femi (see final photo) has performed all over the world and is at the forefront of Afrobeat music. The last group of the evening was called Her Majesty which is a huge gathering of the best blues musicians and singers in North America led by Shakura S’Aida. What a great start to 2022 VIMF.  

 The next 2 days will have all the regular stages going plus the main concert stage. We are looking forward to catching blues legend - Taj Mahal on Saturday evening plus seeing some performers on some of the small stages. So if you haven’t got your tickets there are still some available. And the weather forecast looks perfect for taking in a festival- not too hot and not too cold. Festival  goers are also reminded that there are shuttles available to avoid congestion at the concert site. Shuttles will run from Comox Presbyterian Church at 725 Aspen Road in Comox and from the Driftwood Mall in Courtenay in 25 minute loops. Buses will run from 8:30 am to 1:00 am on both Saturday and Sunday and costs $ 4 one way. Kids under 12 ride free. 

 Also new for this year is an expanded liquor license which means you can buy a beer and take it with you to the various venues. Off limits though are the Woodland and Crossroads Stages since organizers don’t want possible extra litter down by the Tsolum River. So check out the schedule and get other details at https://www.islandmusicfest.com/  See you at the show!!