Short Pants

Here I am with Mom sometime in the early 1970s. Green short pants and a yellow shirt--a juvenile supervillain in the making. 
 

National Cafe Rooms

 Based on some Internet sleuthing, it's possible that this photo of Grandma was shot in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. 

Thumbs and Suspenders

I like Grandad's pose and grin here. Grandma seems appreciative, too. 
 

Down on the Farm in '73

Here I am with my maternal grandparents during the summer of 1973. Their farm really was a beautiful place . . . in the summer. 

Cat Scratch Near Miss

When I was very young, I pulled Smokey's tail. Smokey was my maternal grandparents' cat, and did not suffer fools. Smokey retaliated by slashing at my face, slicing a shallow groove through skin just barely to the right of my right eyeball. I learned my lesson that day, and I'm grateful that Smokey chose not to half-blind me. 

As far as I know, this is the only photo of Smokey and me. Based on my approximate age here, it may even have been taken right around the time Smokey scratched me. 
 

Bozo Can't Come to the Phone Right Now

Mom looks on as I pretend to answer a phone call at her parents' place. We had that crokinole board for years, and I still have one red disc from the set. Bozo got popped a couple of years after this. Stupid clown. 
 

Granddad at a Log House

 Jaunty hat! 

One Snowy Afternoon

Here's another mystery photo from my paternal grandfather's album. There were no notes written on the back of the print, and I recognize not the truck, nor the woman, nor the dog. I would imagine this is somewhere in southern Saskatchewan or Manitoba. 

All Cars Must Register--RCMP

 

The Enigmatic Ellen Woods

"Ellen Woods" read the backs of these two photos, with no other explanation. I've never heard of Ellen Woods before seeing these photos. We're related in some way, but how? She seems a woman of action. 
 

Grandma at Prince Albert National Park

Here's a picture of my paternal grandmother standing on a car at the entrance to Prince Albert National Park in June, 1941. Can anyone identify the make and model of the car? 

I've been to Prince Albert a few times, but I'm not sure if I've ever been to its namesake national park. Something to add to the list . . . 
 

Hope Woods in a Log House

This log house features in several photos of Dad's parents, so I feel as though they may have lived here for a time. 
 

Mystery Cowboy

Grandad shot a photo of a cowboy sometime in 1940. The costume looks pretty professional, and he seems to be on stage. An actor or musician on a publicity tour? 
 

Paternal Great-Grandmother

According to what's written on the back of this photograph--just one word, "Mother--" this is my paternal great grandmother, mother to William James Woods, grandmother to Robert George Woods, and wife of Robert Stone Woods. This is the only photo I've ever seen of her, and I don't even know her name. It's far too late to ask Dad. 

Based on other photos in close proximity to this one in Granddad's album, I'm going to say this was probably shot in the late summer of 1940, likely near Aylsham, Saskatchewan. 
 

The Longer You Look, the Stranger It Gets . . .

Sometimes I wonder if people will look back and see the early 2020s as the golden age of weird computer-generated art, before it achieves inevitable sterile perfection. 
 

Four IIIIs for Quality SF

Lyp Fingen is well known for his dystopic stories of robot tyranny and the bold people who rise up to rebel against their mechanical overlords. Who can forget Fingen tales such as "Thd Spirin Arcoins," "Puepy," "Amaizing Statred," and "Hrody Teeny, Span Atan?"


 

Ash Takes Flight

My favourite slapstick moment in Sam Raimi's Evil Dead 2 is when Ash drives into a stump and gets flung through the windshield. Obviously car crashes are not funny in real life, but when treated like a Three Stooges moment, well...

I tried several times to recreate the moment with Bing, but this is as close as it got. 
 

8-Track Mind

Mom and Dad had a modest collection of 8-track cartridges. A common way to listen to music in vehicles from the late 60s to the early 80s, 8-tracks weren't the greatest in terms of durability or sound quality, but they were portable and affordable. The family crew cab had a player mounted underneath the dashboard, and the tapes seen above, along with many others, enjoyed heavy rotation on long Woods road trips across the northern and southern prairie provinces. 

Sean and I took these last remnants of the family 8-track collection to the Leduc eco station yesterday. Neither of us has an 8-track player anymore, and these cartridges are so old they probably wouldn't survive more than a few plays, anyway. 

Sean and I spent a lot of time trying to hunt down a more convenient way than the 8-track seen on the lower right, above, for Mom to listen to Russ Gurr, a fellow Manitoban and farmer who enjoyed some local fame as a performer. As far as we can tell, though, Gurr never made the leap to any form of digital media. 

Well, look at that. Before writing this, I'd never thought to look for Russ Gurr on YouTube, and there he is. I'm sorry, Mom. This one's for you. 

I kept the case seen above. Sean realized it would make a great storage space for my external hard drives. I'm going to drill a few holes in the back for cable management. 

Today's Reflections

Sean and I drove out to Leduc today to check in on Mom and Dad's house again and to continue wrapping up Mom and Dad's affairs. On the drive to Leduc, Sean noticed this cool reflection of my phone's camera lenses. In person, it looked like a floating, three-dimensional hologram. 

Strange beauty can be found everywhere. 
 

The Wheel Rolls On

This wagon wheel came from the Etsell farm. It's over half a century old, maybe even three-quarters of a century old. Mom and Dad have had it in the back yard for years and years. 

Last weekend, Stephen Fitzpatrick and his older daughter Fenya joined Sean and I in Leduc as part of our effort to wrap up the estate. Mom and Dad were generous to a fault, so I feel good that Steve and Fenya were able to make use of some of their stuff, including this wheel; Stephen's wife, Audrey, was happy to add it to one of their gardens. It looks great, and I know Mom and Dad would be happy that the wheel rolls on; like Sean and me, they were very fond of the Fitzpatricks. 


 

The Price of Fame

 

A little over 40 years ago, I co-hosted If Your Parents Split. It's a half-hour show about children impacted by the divorce of their parents that cuts between dramatic segments and audience interaction. 

Yesterday Jeff noticed my Memory Wall includes a button that says "I'm Nearly Famous." One of the actors on If Your Parents Split gave me that button after we finished shooting the show. Thankfully, I'm not famous, but I value the button nonetheless, and Jeff's comment prompted me to see if the show has any online presence at all. 

Indeed, in a way the show lives on--or at least there's potential for it to do so. Early this morning, I discovered that If Your Parents Split can be licensed for broadcast. Here's the CBC's sample price guide: 

If I'm reading this correctly, if you wanted the rights to screen If Your Parents Split anywhere in the world in perpetuity, you could do so for $105 dollars per second. 60 seconds in a minute times 30 minutes equals 1,800 seconds...1,800 seconds times $105 per second equals a mere CAN $189,000. Of course, the price goes down if you license in a single country or for a shorter time. 

Here's TV Earl wondering if he's going to get residuals. 

During my investigation, I also learned my co-host, Reni Potrebenko, earned a Gemini nomination in 1987 for sound in a documentary for Shooting Stars, about the Edmonton Grads women's basketball team--belated congratulations, Reni! That's Reni to my right. She was cool, and I'm glad she found at least a little more success in the film and television world than I did. 

Memory Wall

I picked up this wall-hanger thing for sixteen bucks and used it to display about 75% of my collection of buttons and pins dating from the 1970s to the 2020s. This saves a little bit of closet space and, more importantly, puts the nostalgia out where I can see it.
 

Dada Comics #16

 

Dada Comics #15

 

Pete and Ellen's Big Fat Greekquinox

 Yesterday Pete and Ellen once again hosted a spectacular multi-course meal, this time themed after Greece, where they spent their late honeymoon earlier this year. The choice may have been on-the-nose for the couple, but speaking only for myself, the menu ranks among my favourites. Check out the Pete-designed menu above and the photos below to see if you agree. 

We began with savoury vegetarian spanakopita--light, flaky, golden brown pastry stuffed with spinach, cheeses, and spices, topped with Pete's homemade tzatziki sauce. (Everything was home-made; forgive the redundant adjective.) Actually, we topped pretty much everything on the menu with tzatziki. "Keep eating this stuff, I have two more litres in the fridge!" Pete entreated us. We were happy to oblige. 

Lemonade with mint leaves and a lemon slice--incredibly tasty, tangy, and refreshing. Even the coasters and napkins were inspired by Grecian art. 

I attempted to look Greek by borrowing a gold necklace from Sylvia and unbuttoning my shirt to expose my hairy chest. Rather risqué for me, but I wanted to support the theme. Sylvia pulled it off more easily, having a wider range of choices. 

The strips of chicken souvlaki and the tangy Greek rice were superb--rich in flavour, perfectly textured, a delight for the palate. 

Jeff, Steve, Audrey, Pete, Ellen, and Mike enjoying the first course. 

Pete's apron was on point. 

A Greek salad worthy of the gods with onion, feta, tomatoes, and a dressing I assume was oil and vinegar. 

Greek potatoes cooked and seasoned to perfection. 

Slow roasted lamb with au jus. I eat lamb very unfrequently, but I'm grateful Pete served this up--so moist, so juicy. 

While attempting to get a shot of Pete framed between the black cupboards, he leaned left just as Stephen was taking a photo of the food. I call this the EyePhone effect. 

The shot I intended to take. 

Galaktabourekos, a honey-sweet pastry custard named for the Milky Way--truly a dessert from and for the stars. 

And here's a lovely shot (courtesy of Steve) of this year's hosts and guests. Thank you all so much again for yet another unforgettable evening of feasting and fellowship!