CI Top 8

Yay for the Unplugged theme!  It’s my second favourite, Standards being number one.  So I guess you need to take that into consideration to understand where these reviews are coming from.  Last night there was the good, the bad and the ugly, so yeah.  Something for everyone.  It gets progressively harder for these kids, because everybody’s expectations continue to rise. 

 Martha Joy: (True Colors) The Littlest (Miss Sweet and Smiley) Mermaid does a lovely interpretation of a song made idol-famous by Theresa and Kalan, and it all just kind of falls flat.  In every tehcnical way Martha is practically flawless.  She can hit all the right notes, even in this kind of minor key version, which was weird but well done. She has a beautiful voice and a lovely tone. And it bores me to tears. Will she, as Farley predicts, learn to emote?? If we never get to find out….. oh well.

Dwight: (Every Breath You Take) (the ultimate stalker tune)  Yes, I believe with a little work Dwight has the potential to become a rather convincing stalker. Farley didn’t think it was hot enough to call the fire department, and although I liked it okay, I guess I’ll just agree with that. It didn’t set my pants on fire. (No doubt Dwight would be genuinely relieved to hear that, but still.) When you’re unplugged you have to generate some power. He came close.
 

Jaydee: (Time of Your Life) This kid could turn opera into country. He could probably countrify rap. That was the absolute worst thing I’ve heard him do yet. The Texas twang is getting super annoying, but I don’t think he has any desire whatsoever to try to talk like a normal Albertan. If there even is such a thing. If that was Jaydee trying to get all diversified on us, please, just buy this kid a ticket to Nashville because it ain’t never gonna happen.

Tara: (Heaven) Zack said it started strong and then it just fell apart. Maybe her bare feet got cold. There was an interesting big note at the end there somewhere.  Over all for me it wasn’t horrid, just kind of okay.  The crowd boo’ed the judges comments, but it doesn’t make any difference whatsoever to Tara at this point what the judges think or feel because she knows she is completely invincible right now. The odds of being girl number three to get the boot or not making top seven when you have Newfoundland behind you are approximately thirty gazillion to one. Tara is coasting. Maybe next week she’ll feel a tad more ambitious.

Brain Melo: (She Talks to Angels) Here, on the other hand, is a guy who cannot afford to coast for even a second. He has to be three times as good as anyone else just to dodge the bullets in the bottom three. Very sad, that, but it did make for a killer performance by the poster boy for unplugged.   What I like about Brian is how he gets right into the song and makes you believe that HE believes it. Zack said he uses his flaws as virtues, and Jake called it intense and spectacular. Up to this point, definitely my favourite of the night. 

Matt: (Ain’t No Sunshine) I absolutely love this song, and I love Matt’s beautiful voice. So this should have been a big winner. Sass said it was gorgeous, but the rest of them want Matt to feel the pain, get more angry, stop being so nice, don’t wimp out, step up, kill those notes, show some character and grit and SLAM IT HARDER!!! I think that’s all of it. Matt would be way more comfortable singing “The Sunny Side of the Street”.  He is just your ultimate feel good kind of guy.  Next week he needs to search really hard for something to severely piss him off right before he takes the stage.

Carly Rae: (Torn) The perfect song, and simply the best when it comes to unplugged. She was truly in her element with this one. Sass called it beautiful, unforgetable, vulnerable and wonderful. And as Zack says, she is singular, and a true contender. Jake got all tingly and goosebumpy. Eeewwwwww. Farley called her raw, beautiful and natural. It took Enrique between 10 and 20 seconds to decide to buy her album, and she doesn’t even have one yet. So there ya go. As far as I’m concerned, Carly Rae leaves the other girls ( and several of the guys) in the dust.

Greg: (I’m Ready) I guess I am just a huge fan of a raspy voice in combination with bedroom eyes. That was without a doubt saving the very best for last. Zack said nobody was in his league tonight. Jake said he has it all. Farley said there’s no contrivance, he does a natural organic kind of performance. I’ve never felt the urge to compare Greg to vegetables, but hey, whatever works. Sass said something about passion and integrity – sorry, I kind of stopped listening and just enjoyed his big lipped smile.

OOOOKAY!! I would LOVE to see Jaydee in the bottom three. He is the only one this time around who truly deserves to be there. Carly Rae, Greg and Brian were my top three. The rest filled the sound void with noise.

What I would like to see – Jaydee, Tara and Martha Joy on the cutting block, with Jaydee being the shocking elimination this time around.  He has shown us that he’s country through and through and nothing much else.  He’s very young and he’s from Alberta, and idol cannot afford to get into a rut with those two things.  We’ve had Kalan, we’ve had Melissa.  I hope we’ve become complacent enough to give it up to another part of the country again this year. 

*************

And the results are in.  Martha Joy, finally showing us that she can indeed emote, is bumped from the competition.  For some reason or other they had only a bottom two this time, with Martha and Matt sharing the stage.  I’m sure this was done to give the fans something to blather about;  so that we can all conjecture endlessly and argumentatively on just who might have been in that dreaded third spot.  MY theory is of course that it was Jaydee.  And they didn’t announce it, because they want to keep his fans safely lulled to sleep and complacent and unalarmed.  So that next week they’ll forget to vote, being in some kind of comatose state of shock after he attempts to sing Queen.  I shudder just thinking about it.  Jaydee doing Queen.  It makes me want to cry.  Or laugh hysterically.  And then cry. 

Camp Erikha-ha

In two days W. leaves for Ontario.  He is picking up his brother and his parents and driving them back to Saskatchewan for our nephew’s wedding.  Already, before he even starts his trip east, I can tell he’s completely antsy and impatient to get to the island.  This time he’ll be there for close to three weeks, and K. and his family will be making the trip to the wedding and the island too, so he’ll get to spend part of that time with his grandchildren.  He is like a kid himself, itching to be there. 

Because of my looming trip to Scotland in the fall,  I won’t make it to camp this year at all.  I hope to make up for that next summer by spending all my holidays and then some (maybe a month or more) there.  I mean, look at the above picture and how much freaking fun I appear to be having and you won’t have to guess at my reasons.  Who in their right mind would not want to sit on an old boat beside the water freezing their ass off and smelling like fish.  Seriously. 

We no longer have that boat and nobody misses the yearly paint and varnish upkeep it required.  That was one of the very first jobs I got to help with when I started going to the island with W. and his family.  It had to be a stupidly hot day so that the varnish would dry, and it’s quite amazing how many bugs you can catch and kill with a bit of sticky strong smelling liquid yellow goo.  Despite the dilligent care and the bug body reinforcement, the boat finally rotted away and was replaced with virtually maintenance free aluminum.  That motor, on the other hand, refuses to die.  The stupid thing is ancient and still runs.  Sort of like the rest of us, who keep hanging around year after year, slowed down and rusty, but still putt-putting along.

We still have this picnic table too, although it rarely gets used for anything other than a work bench.  Or a backdrop for Canada’s First Top Male Model circa 1971.  It’s a nice touch to the outdoor decor, but venturing outside with your food and going across the deck and down under the trees where bugs and twigs drop randomly on your person and your sandwich has just never caught on as a popular pastime. 

And here we are with dinner.  I have never understood the fish pictures and I guess after all this time if I still don’t get it I never will.  I’m wearing bell bottoms!! How cool is that.  And although you can’t tell by these photos, those were W.’s railroad pants.  They were grey with a kind of pin stripe, and he had a railroad hat to go with them that looked something like this:

And that was UBER cool.  I’m not sure how old you have to be to get tired of playing dress up.  W.’s dad still has what he calls “camp clothes” in drawers and hanging in the cabin all over the place.  Most of them don’t even fit him anymore and defy description, except maybe to say they’re things you wouldn’t want to be seen in by anyone other than your immediate family who know you’re a complete nut case and fashion disaster and love you anyway.  His mom still has (and wears) a big white Mickey Mouse hat from a long ago trip to Disney Land that’s all warped out of shape and patched.  Surprisingly enough, no episode of “What Not to Wear” has ever been filmed at camp.  Isolation has it’s perks. 

I didn’t think it would bother me to miss a summer retreat to the fish and rum capitol of the world, but as the summer wears on I’m realizing I AM a little sad.  Especially knowing this time Kale is old enough to remember it.  I hope he has some good times with ‘pappy’ and that W. takes a gazillion pictures of everybody.  Even if they have to include fish.      

Harry Harry Harry…..

There’s been so much written about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows that anything I say is bound to be repetitious. 

So I guess I could stop right there, couldn’t I?  But of course that’s not going to happen, is it?  And the burning question on everyone’s mind – did I read the last page first??  Well, YEAH!!!  In fact, I read the whole “Nineteen Years Later” chapter in it’s entirety before I went back to the beginning.  And I still thorougly enjoyed it all, so shut up. (hahaha)  I cannot be cured.

There were so many loose ends to be tied up in this book, and so many references to things that had happened before, that I was wishing I had re-read the Half Blood Prince before starting in on this last one.  When you think about it, seven books in a series with so many characters to manage is a lot of stuff to keep straight, and Rowling is the master of dropping obscure hints all over the place about things that happened and things to come.  If you don’t retain them, they’ll come back to haunt you later.   But, despite all my wrinkled brow puzzling over some objects and events, it all came more or less clear in the end.

A lot of characters did not survive the final battle – or even make it into the final book.  I found that extremely sad.  But the lovely thing about stories is how they carry on no matter what horrible or wonderful things happen in them.  The end of one thing is always the beginning of something else.  And there’s a whole new generation of Hogwart’s students who will have their own stories to tell.  Even if they never get written down, it’s comforting to know that the wizarding world goes on.

And now Rowling is promising at some point to give us a Harry Potter encyclopedia, so that we can get all the facts about all the characters whose stories would have seriously bogged down the action if she’d gone into them in any kind of depth before this.  That’s lovely – because in every book I’ve ever read there’s always been some minor character that I’ve found myself wondering whatever became of him or her.  And details are fun.  Albus Severus and Scorpius are such awesome names.  Even Hugo is right up there and begs the answer to the question - where did THAT one come from?  And what are their birthdates, and their interests and who are their friends and THEN what happens????   

This may be the end of the Harry/Voldemort story, but it’s all wide open for endless spin offs, so it’s hard to be unhappy that this part is done.  I hope they carry on with the movies.  I hope many generations of kids are encouraged by these books to sit down and read.  

Three Threesomes

Time for another dose of cute.

My brother, my sister and me, before we moved from the farm beside grandma’s and added sister number three.  My brother is wearing a reindeer sweater and appears to be okay with that.  Happy even, with a big chicklet toothed smile.  I’m in red velvet with white lace, buttons and bows, and sporting precision cut bangs, my signature look for the next ten years.  Baby appears to be wearing a dress and tights too.  In the fifties I guess everyone tried really hard to make sure their children were always hot and uncomfortable.  I mean, think about it.  Cloth diaper, rubber pants, saggy leotard, leather shoes, poofy little sleeves with elastic that left a mark.  Why is that baby smiling??  Maybe she knows life can only get better.  The wall paper is too gruesome for words. 

And now, everybody, look up.  Look wwwaaaaaaaayyyy up!  There’s something hilarious on the ceiling?  I’m guessing here.  This is obviously a different day.  I can’t imagine that we all changed clothes but left the wall paper intact.  I guess this was the photoshoot corner of the living room, and the pose of choice. 

Well, you have to admit,  the pose is a good one.  This is fifty years and a couple of generations later – K and J’s kids with the most awesome smiles ever recorded on film – according to grandma, and grandmas are hardly ever wrong.  One day these kids will look back and maybe comment on stuff like the one piece baby jumper thing and the crocs.  But I bet this picture will prompt happy memories of the good times they had on camping trips where mom made them show her all their teeth when they smiled for the camera. 

Looks like we’ve come out of the dark and dingy corner and into a bright new world.  Life does get better!  But best of all, it just goes on and on.

Gator Two Step

Every so often I come across a work of art that holds me spellbound and I don’t know why.

This is another simple Erika Oller print from my page a day calendar.  I’ve been trying to decide what it is about it that makes me like it so much.  Can’t be the swamp green because that’s one of my least favourite colors EVER, although paired with the brown and off white tones it’s sort of soothing in a marshy kind of way.   Maybe it’s the alligator’s serene face, or his little spindly arms.  Or the chunky lady in the ill fitting suit, bowler hat and sensible shoes.  Mostly I guess it’s the fact that she appears to be paying rapt attention to a gator who can dance. Man, I think I need to get back into painting.  When I see something like this I miss it like crazy.

CI Top 9

I was watching idol and finishing up reading the last couple of chapters of Harry Potter during the commercials.  And also thinking about our severe thunderstorm warnings and wondering what were the chances of the tv blowing up before the show was over.  So I guess you could say my concentration was a bit off at times.  Nevertheless, here’s my take on the Sixties show.

Jaydee (Runaway): Does the music world really need an angelic looking, grinning, blonde Elvis impersonator? He sounded okay I guess, except for the beginning when he and the band were on two different planets. But it was Elvis minus the girating, right down to the ‘thank you….thank you very much’. Okay, he didn’t actually say that last part, but man, it didn’t take much of an imagination to hear it. Jake said that although he sang well, he was not in the pocket with the band. Jake has about 16 phrases written out on fortune cookie paper, and he pulls one out of his butt after each performance. Farley said power, but no risk, no adventure. Sass told him to move more. Zack liked the chest hair. This is the first time I didn’t really like Jaydee much. The one trick pony stumbles out of the starting gate.

Tara (Suspicious Minds): And now we get the female version of Elvis, with a lot of stomping around and threatening looks. The vocals were good, and this is the first time Tara actually looked like she was trying hard, feeling the song, and putting it all out there. I missed Farley’s comment but I think he liked it; Sass said it had energy and was her best by far; Zack looked as stunned as Zack ever manages to look and told her it was no nonsense, fierce, and physically strong and he’d like to see more of THAT. Jake said yeah, what he said. And Tara got a little teary eyed and choked. And this is the first time I’ve actually liked Tara’s bit on stage and haven’t felt like she’s just there enjoying her free ride.

Matt (Whipping Post): Well FINALLY. No silly grinning and crooning for Matt. He’s all growly energy and angst, and his powerful voice is a joy to hear. This is so different from the singing raisins thing, that people are on their feet. Sass can only say OMG, OMG, OMG…. Zack, still looking stunned, says this is a whole new game, and Matt has come to PLAY! Jake has had his mind blown. Farley is happy Matt is stepping up. Well, me too. This is the Matt we’ve been looking for. He was so into his song, it even took him a few minutes to get his mad face off and his sweet smile back on. Good good stuff. WOOOOO MATT!!

Dwight (Undone): Major trepidation for me when this one was announced, because Burton Cummings is sacred and his music should not be masacred. But this seems to be a night for firsts – and it’s the first time I’ve truly liked what Dwight does. Not as good as Burton OF COURSE, but wow, damned close. In tune at last. Beautiful voice. Easy to look at. Zack is still pumped and says he was good but come on, more blood, guts and sweat!! Jake says it was a good song choice. Well, yeah, although if he’d bombed Jake would have said it was a bad song choice. Thank you Jake, we hang on your every word. Farley says to push harder and show some passion and true grit. Seriously, this was not a song for true grit. You guys need to calm down. Sass says it’s the most in tune for Dwight yet. I agree, in tune is a very good thing.

Carly Rae (Georgia): This is one of my favourite songs of all time even though it’s been done to death by everyone and his dog. Carly’s version was sweet. I guess Carly is the only one in the group so far who went to anger management classes this week. So this was kind of a nice change of pace from in your face intensity. Jake likes her range, her stylistic approach and her vulnerability. That’s three comments at once Jake – slow down or you’ll run out of things to say before we’re done. Farley says she reminds him of Theresa, because she lets the music make her do things. High praise indeed. Sass likes her signature style. Zack loves that she is a singer who’s voice and visual are instantly recognizable. I’m not a big fan of the gooped up eyes rolling back in her head and think that’s a visual Carly needs to work on. But that was pure sweet Carly and if you like Carly, you had to love that.

Brian (Bold As Love): HOLY JOHN MAYER JIMMY HENDRIX BATMAN!! This is the Brian Melo I’ve been waiting to see and hear! Except for the stupid hat, which needs to be burned immediately. That was pretty close to awesome, right down to throwing the mic, which has also been done to death, but it’s okay as long as you look like you mean it. Brian took an overdose of attitude pills, and the result is WOW. Farley says his phrasing is immaculate, and the performance was solid. Sass says the band loves him. It was excellent. Zack is back to stunned with everybody stepping up and says he has bought into ‘you being you’. Jake echoes Zack. Told you not to use up all your comments on one person Jake. Then he adds that he thinks that was the best yet for Melo. I’m thinking that too.

Khalila (Natural Woman): I got the feeling she’d been watching the others and seeing that a big old mad face would work tonight. So she tried it, but couldn’t really sound the part to make it work. And that maybe wasn’t the best song to do it with either. It was well done for sure, but in a night when everybody has decided to be memorable, that was a little too ho hum. Sass says she was not disappointing. Zack says she has moments when she holds back in a very professional way. Jake says it was a tough song but she lived up to it. Farley says she made him feel like a natural man. Khalila says merci beaucoup to Quebec and Montreal and Canada.

Greg (Long Black Veil): I’m beginning to think that Greg could waltz out onto the stage and sing something like “Here We Go Round The Mullberry Bush” and I’d like it just fine. So YES! I’m completely biased and can no longer be objective as far as Greg is concerned. There’s no explaining it. He’s my favourite. Zack says he sounded up tight, but is Canada’s Next Top Model. Jake says it was smooth, calm, together, and he’s a pro. Farley says it was comfortable and smooth. Sass says he sings gorgeous and IS gorgeous. Greg tries for some brownie points and says Sass is gorgeous too. I hope my liking him is not the kiss of death for Greg. Gawd knows it’s happened in the past with some astounding regularity.

Martha Joy (Love Child): Big fat ICK. I hate that song and felt extremely sorry for Martha all the way through it because she was just so out of her element, trying to be somebody she’s not. I suppose I have to give her a pat on the back for trying something different, because another Celine song would have made me gag. Jake said, don’t sing songs like that. You don’t know how to groove. Farley said it was a tough one to sing and he couldn’t tell her how it made him feel. I guess you can’t utter that many profanities all at once on an idol show. Sass said it was her best energy song so far. Zack said she looked stiff as hell. And that since she’s here in amongst all these serious people ‘I wish you luck, kid’.

The pimp spot this year is looking like it is NOT all it’s cracked up to be. If you seriously suck, people are much more apt to remember you, unfortunately.

I don’t know who is likely to go home. Jaydee and Martha Joy were the most boring. Khalila once again was beautiful but forgetable. Maybe they’ll just get Jake to write down all the names and pull one of them out of his butt.

(Edited to add the results:  Martha Joy, Brian and Khalila in the bottom three with Khalila going home. )

I am an Ox and other Bull

Resolute, Strong-willed, Ambitious, Careful, Patient, Stubborn.The Chinese Astrological Ox is neither slow witted nor clumsy. These powerful, dependable beings were meant to lead. While their approach to fulfilling a task may be slow and methodical, they are capable of great things and never lose sight of their goals. Their stamina is endless and they are detail conscious. They believe in getting things right the first time. To outsiders Oxen may seem to be too serious and unable to “let their hair down.” Being introverts, these are easy assumptions to make about Oxen. Also they are very independent and appear to have no regard for what others think of them. However, hidden behind that distant air shown to the world, is a being that feels pain, loneliness and regret that they do not connect well with others. The Oxen’s comforts and delights are derived from friends and family and work well done. As a friend, lover or family member the Ox makes a reliable and protective ally who is always tender and affectionate. When away from the family and out in the world the Ox can be stubborn and dogmatic. They are not ones to back down or take much guff from anyone. The Ox is a good source of honest advice. The Ox needs to try to be less quick to judge others. When they see the value of those who have qualities different than their own they are well on their way to a warmer social life.

I’ve always found it interesting how well my Chinese horoscope co-incides with my being a taurus.  The whole bovine thing is a bit overpowering but it is what it is.

The Taurean’s characteristics are solidity, practicality, extreme determination and strength of will – no one will ever drive them, but they will willingly and loyally follow a leader they trust. They are stable, balanced, conservative good, law-abiding citizens and lovers of peace, possessing all the best qualities of the bourgeoisie. as they have a sense of material values and physical possessions, respect for property and a horror of falling into debt, they will do everything in their power to maintain the security of the status quo and be somewhat hostile to change.Mentally, they are keen-witted and practical more often than intellectual, but apt to become fixed in their opinions through their preference for following accepted and reliable patterns of experience. Their character is generally dependable, steadfast, prudent, just, firm and unshaken in the face of difficulties. Their vices arise from their virtues, going to extremes on occasion,such as sometimes being too slavish to the conventions they admire.

On rare occasions a Taurean may be obstinately and exasperatingly self-righteous, unoriginal, rigid, ultraconservative, argumentative, querulous bores, stuck in a self-centered rut. They may develop a brooding resentment through nursing a series of injuries received and, whether their characters are positive or negative, they need someone to stroke their egos with a frequent, “Well Done!” Most Taureans are not this extreme though.They are faithful and generous friends with a great capacity for affection, but rarely make friends with anyone outside their social rank, to which they are ordinarily excessively faithful. In the main, they are gentle, even tempered, good natured, modest and slow to anger, disliking quarreling and avoiding ill-feeling. If they are provoked, however, they can explode into violent outbursts of ferocious anger in which they seem to lose all self-control. Equally unexpected are their occasional sallies into humor and exhibitions of fun.Although their physical appearance may belie it, they have a strong aesthetic taste, enjoying art, for which they may have a talent, beauty (womely recoiling from anything sordid or ugly) and music. They may have a strong, sometimes unconventional, religious faith. Allied to their taste for all things beautiful is a love for the good things of life pleasure, comfort, luxury and good food and wine and they may have to resist the temptation to over indulgence, leading to drunkenness, gross sensuality, and covetousness.

In their work, Taureans are industrious and good craftspeople, and are not afraid of getting their hands dirty. They are reliable, practical, methodical and ambitious, within a framework of obedience to superiors. They are at their best in routine positions of trust and responsibility, where there is little need of urgency and even less risk of change, and a pension at the end. Yet they are creative and good founders of enterprises where the rewards of their productiveness come from their own work and not that of others. They can flourish in many different trades and professions: banking, architecture, building, almost any form of bureaucracy, auctioneering, farming, medicine, chemistry, industry Taureans make good managers and foremen surveying, insurance, education and, perhaps surprisingly, music and sculpture. They make an ideal trustee or guardian, and can attain eminence as a chef. Some Taureans are gifted enough in singing to become opera stars or to excel in more popular types of music.They are more than averagely amorous and sensually self-conscious, but sexually straightforward and not given to experiment. They make constant, faithful, home loving spouses and thoughtful, kindly parents, demanding too much of neither their spouses nor children. They can be over possessive and may sometimes play the game of engineering family roles for the pleasure of making up the quarrel. If anyone offends their amour proper they can be a determined enemy, though magnanimous in forgiveness if their opponent makes an effort to meet them halfway.

No other sign in the zodiac is closer to earth then Taurus. The main objective in leading a Taurean life is primarily (though not entirely) to maintain stability and physical concerns. Your inner spiritual sense longs for earthly harmony and wholesomeness. When you fully understand this, and work toward this end, you will no longer need to blindly reassure yourself with external possessions and comforts. A realization that finding this inner peace will cause all of the above mentioned positive things will overtake you and your life will be very full.

Ultimately the Taurean needs to discover their truest, deepest and highest values. When they know what is truly valuable, they are no longer chained to people and to things that have to do with lesser values. The greatest indication of value to a Taurean is beauty, which cannot be owned, only appreciated.

And another completely odd thing is how numberology calculations and interpretations sometimes ring so true.  

Your Life Path will be composed of many paths. Change will be a recurring event throughout your life, and you will welcome these changes as gateways to new opportunities and the development of free will. With time you will become a defender of freedom. You will most likely champion the causes of the world’s underdogs.  (Number 5)

Yeah, I know it’s all a load of BS, or OS (Oxshit – hahahaha) but it’s fun to peruse nonetheless. 

SS Norisle

This is the SS Norisle on a picture postcard circa 1970. It’s a ferry that carried travellers and their vehicles from Tobermory to South Bay Mouth, thus cutting off a huge amount of road travel.  This trip didn’t save much time when you factor in loading and off loading, and waiting for departure times.  But it was a nice change from all that driving around the lake, and of course made for great photo ops.  And a boring story to tell the grandchildren.

The Norisle was built specifically for the Tobermory/South Baymouth passenger ferry service and made its first run in 1947. The impressive ship could carry 200 passengers and up to 50 vehicles, doubling the capacity of prior vessels. In 1975 the ship was sold to Manitouaning, Ontario and converted into a floating museum/restaurant.

Now I would have been happy to stay inside somewhere staring at a nice durable and stable wall or something, but W. of course needs to be out there practically dragging his feet in the water. 

As you can see, he’s wearing his high water pants and his Brock leather jacket.  I loved his beard.  All his biologist friends had beards.  I can still remember being totally dismayed when he decided to shave it off.  Now I’m wondering why I had such strong feelings about facial hair - there’s just no explaining some things.   

And this would be me sticking close to the life boats just in case, looking like Eyore, with a cloud of doom hanging over my head.

And here I am proving that I am not a complete wuss.  My indented hand prints are probably still visible on that railing.  I had on my high water pants too!!!  HAHA!!  And clogs!  Gawd.  Moving right along…..

This is obviously a picture I took, making sure I got the flag in there.  I have never professed to be a brilliant photographer.  I’m just happy that cameras continue to improve despite who operates them. 

Stretching 365 feet in length at a weight of nearly 7,000 tons, the Chi-Cheemaun is the largest ship of its kind on the Great Lakes. In operation since 1974, the Chi-Cheemaun, meaning ‘Big Canoe’, can carry 143 cars and 638 passengers between Tobermory and South Baymouth. The ferry can make the 30-mile trip in less than two hours at an average speed of 18 miles per hour.

 This is the one we went on years later with my parents and our kids.  It’s still going strong, and they even have dinner cruises on it now. 

And that’s my little Ontario ferry history lesson for today.  (Not very well disguised as just another excuse to dredge up some old pictures and some ancient memories.)

A Signed Original

This is a work of art that Kenzie gave to me.  Another treasure.

It’s the two of us, winking at eachother.  I LOVE this picture. 

CI Top Ten

I’m extremely sorry to say I missed the first show featuring our illustrious top ten.  We had guests.  Obviously if they go visiting on Idol night they can’t be big fans, so I didn’t ask them if they wanted to watch it with me.  Plus W. freaks out at the mere mention of the show.  And we hadn’t seen these people in over twenty years.  So all in all it seemed like a good idea to just shut up about missing Canadian Idol. 

Now normally not seeing something would stop me from doing a recap of what went on, but I thought it might be fun to see what other people had to say and then come up with a conglomerated mess of a recap, rather than no recap at all.  So here goes.  Comments picked at random from the opinions of others. 

And these were supposed to be number one hits, by the way. 

Dwight D’Eon (Unwell):  Competent.  Nervous.  Good song choice.  Straight jacket brought back memories of Jacob, but hotter, and minus the annoying ADD.  I could live without the piercings.  His performance was not something to drive you to drink, but not something to make you sit up and take notice, either. 

(Isn’t this fun?  I’m sounding completely scatterbrained.)

Khalila (Killing Me Softly):  Not as good as Eva.  Sweet, but dull as dishwater.  Girl is in big trouble if she can’t find some way to interest the audience.  Great singing, lovely rich tone, but over all not memorable.

Carly Rae Jepsen (Inside and Out): She needs to focus less on the visual aspects and more on her singing. Racoons are envious of her makeup.  Some good moments and some out of tune moments.  Playful, interesting and entertaining.  Did that song really make it to number one?

Brian Melo (If you could only see):  He didn’t blow me away.  He never blows me away.  Forgetable.  I can’t remember his performance.  Lacking that special spark.  I hate the hats.

Mila Miller (Signed Sealed Delivered):  Dull.  Snoozer song.  Weakest performance to date.  Much less mesmerizing than usual.  Her big fro and skinny high waisted jeans made her look like a lollipop. 

Greg Neufeld (All These Things):  Just barely okay.  Could have picked a better song and killed it.  Not as boring as usual.  Frantic.  Seizure inducing stage lights.  Prefer him more sedate.

Tara Oram (You Win my love):  Why this Shania Twain ’hit’?  Totally forgetable song.  Off key and pitchy.  Holiday Inn singer.  Boring.  Good background noise.  Not as annoying as her previous performances but I tuned out.

Jaydee Bixby (It’s Only Make Believe):  A Conway Twitty song.  From what century was that??  Had problems getting the full ‘oomph’ out of the big notes.  Do we really need another teenaged, fresh scrubbed blonde Albertan with a killer voice for Idol?  Senior citizens are big fans.  He’s a star. 

Martha Joy (The Power of Love):  Thinks she’s Celine.  Pure, strong and consistent.  But completely and utterly emotionless. Yeah, she can sing, but so what?  No sparks from Marthine.

Matt Rapley (Heard it Through the Grapevine):  Big pipes. No jam.  Too restrained.  No glory notes.  BAD song choice, worst version ever.  This is not a happy song Matt!!  Stop smiling like an idiot.  Most cheerful version of this song ever heard.  Pimp spot wasted alert.

So, all in all I guess I didn’t miss much.  The song choices continue to be brutal for almost everyone.  This is the one thing they don’t get help with, and it can be their downfall.  As one poster put it,  “who peed in the water? Well my advice to the Idols is….Quit Drinking It! “  

The over all concensus seems to be Uninspired.  Bottom three this time around – Khalila, Mila and Carly Rae. 

Sadly it’s Mila who is the first to go.  One so-so performance and the absence of a regional voting group backing you up spells the end for one of the most talented singers in this group.  I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Mila though.  She’s very young – only 17 – with miles to go.  I hope this experience has given her a jump start to bigger and better things.