Souvenir Program Inside

After nearly 2 years my stint with the Western Canada Games is finished.  What a great experience it was, full of opportunity to try new things, meet new people and really get to know my community.

My final project was the production of the Games’ Souvenir Program, a wonderful magazine that we are all proud of.  Kamloops Daily News was absolutely fabulous to work with!  Their Publisher, Tim Shoults is one of the most professional, competent people I have ever worked with.  Our Artistic Designer, Shelley Ackerman was perfect.  It is so seldom that you find a graphic designer that understands exactly what you want and then takes it one step further.  The sales team brought together so many impressive advertisers from every aspect of the community.

I’d like to say the content is interesting and a good representation of  Kamloops, the sports community and the Tournament Capital!  I had such fun writing the stories within the Program, I hope you enjoy reading them.

If you are interested in a hard copy of the Program, please contact me and I will have one sent to you.

http://issuu.com/kdnews/docs/summer_games

There was something about this scene that intrigued me.  Was it the feeling of abandonment?  There was something about the overgrown lot, the trees, the weeds and the tanks that gave me the feeling of something old and forgotten; a quiet, isolated place hidden by the trees from the busy street that ran by it.  Yet there boldly painted on the sides of the tanks were the wild, modern, drawings of someone who had found this place. 

I wanted to take a picture but realized the camera that I almost always carry with me was sitting on the table at home.  As is always the case in these situations, I had looked at it that morning as I was dashing out the door and thought “I should bring it”.  But I was in hurry and my logical mind reasoned that I wouldn’t need it that day.  But of course I did, and in fact more than once.  First here and then later that day when someone I was doing a story on had to change our interview time to that day instead of the next.

So there I was with this unusual, fascinating scene before me and no camera; no pictures to share and that is when I thought “a picture is worth a thousand words”.

But is it really?  A picture is a picture.  No matter how well it is taken, whether it’s black and white or in color, unusual, everyday, whatever the subject matter it is laid out in stark, visual imagery.  No matter how perfect or creative, how beautiful or ugly it is what it is and each individual who looks at it sees more or less the same thing.  It may make each person feel something different but they will see it exactly in the same light, color and content.

Had I taken a picture of the graffiti covered tanks and posted it here, everyone would se them exactly as I had.  But to describe this “picture” in words, here on this page, no two people will see the same image in their minds eye.  A person’s imagination is such a unique and individual thing that no two people will get the same message or paint the same picture.  And like a photograph, no two people will feel the same thing.

So a picture may truly be worth a thousand words, but perhaps a few words are also worth a thousand pictures.

Bleeding Hearts

Gardens are enchanting places of quiet solitude and provide some of the best physical and mental therapy going.  I have a garden of my own, which on our second year in this house, is beginning to look like a real garden.  It has yet to reach the status of my neighbors’ who is an elderly gentleman with 25 + years invested in his. 

I saw him out and about the other day and couldn’t help snapping a photo as he seems to be the epitome of the “gardener”.  Looking at this photo conjured up images, feelings and smells of all the gardens I have experienced in my life.

The Gardener

My grandmother and mother instilled, if not a love for gardening, at least a reverent respect in my sisters and me with my youngest sister definitely inheriting the gene.  My first memories are of the big, backyard garden at my grandparent’s house, where we lived for about 6 years during my formative years.  My grandmother had an amazing green thumb which produced the neighborhood’s most enviable garden and yard each season.  At the time, I took it for granted that you planted something and it just grew.  Now, as an adult, I realize the hours of effort and devotion required to produce a garden of such standards.

Each year, I watched as my grandmother and mother planted rows of seeds that miraculously grew into a swath of vibrant greenery and produce.  They planted, watered and weeded until, in the fall the fragrant, earthy harvest began.  Sometimes we were allowed to sit with them on chairs in the back yard shelling peas or de-stringing beans.  Thinking back on it now I realize it is these small, routine tasks of life that can connect us from generation to generation; these “things” that never change.  My great, great grandmother, I am sure, planted, harvested and prepared her vegetables in much the same way as we did and future generations will.

Columbines

There is a nostalgia associated with gardening, for me.  When I am out there preparing the soil, planting the seeds, weeding and watering, it is a time similar to meditation and I come back from it feeling renewed and rejuvenated and having had a visit with my grandmother who has been gone for 10 years. 

Click to view slideshow.

My kids both have very creative spirits and come from a long line of artists.  Their father sketched and carved.  I was a ballerina for about 14 years and have done some painting and sketching as well.  My grandfather was an artist and sign painter during an era when signs were all still painted by hand.  My mother, grandmother and oldest sister are all quite accomplished pianists…..Josh seems to have gained all the artistic genes that ever existed in our two families.

A bit of history on Josh from the perspective of someone who’s known him forever; I can hardly remember a time when he wasn’t drawing!  He was drawing before he was really walking.  He started clambering around on furniture like babies do when they go from crawling, to standing with aid.  He found a pencil and paper on the coffee table and that was it!  He started drawing.  I suppose his very first attempts at putting pencil to paper were scribbles but it wasn’t long before the scribbles became concentrated lines and it wasn’t long after that these lines started to resemble images. 

I don’t ever remember him holding his pencil or crayon in a fist as most young children do; he always held it the way an adult or artist does.  He never drew stick people or stick creatures, they had form right from the very start.  His early drawings were of his surroundings and things familiar to him such as his family, our dogs and horses.  Then he discovered Stan Lee and Marvel comics!  His fascination with Spider Man and Wolverine had him sitting at a table, hunched over a paper, for hours at a time.  Our house was always full of stacks of papers, strewn across every available surface.  Some had complete drawings, others bits and pieces of half finished, discarded work.  The thing that fascinated me about Josh right from the start was how everything he drew came out of his head.  He didn’t sit with a book or picture next to him for reference.  Every image came right from his own imagination, through his pencil and onto the paper. 

His more recent work has an obvious graffiti, urban art and skate board culture flare to it.  Over the years he has most certainly developed his own unique style that takes elements from all of his influences and combines them with a bold use of color and perception that in my mind even contains hints of Van Gogh.  So here is the article on my son!

So I’ve been doing just that and in doing so have been reviewing the men in my life.  Going down the list and analyzing my history, I realized that ALL of the very important ones have disappointed or hurt me.  Right from the very start of my life beginning with my father who, although he is a good man and is now a big part of my life, was not present while I was growing up.  Then into my teen and young adult life with boyfriends.  Now there was something I wasn’t prepared for!  Then there was my husband of 20 years; well that’s something I could go on for days about or not say a thing about……..I prefer to not say a thing.  And lastly to that one, true love of my life who finally, and completely shattered what was left of my poor heart. 

So there I was feeling very sorry for myself when I came across this picture someone had posted on Facebook!  I took a long, loving, look at the tall, slim, young man in the photo.  His cap put on backwards and pulled tightly down over his red hair, his impish grin, his easy going almost graceful gate, evident even in a photograph and I realized something!  This is one man who could NEVER disappoint me!  My son!

I feel pretty good about the article.  I think it is well written and I so enjoyed meeting this very genuine, nice, young man.  The image I have of him doesn’t do him justice as he has since shed the dreads and looks very clean-cut.  Most importantly he was very happy with the article.  So here it is.  Just thought it is something worth sharing. 

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Drew Venables

Drew Venables is the perfect example of the spirit of sport competition and embodies the Kamloops 2011 Western Canada Summer Games’ motto “The Games begin with YOU!” 

This soft-spoken, impressive, young man has a quiet, charm that instantly puts you at ease despite his 6’7” stature.   He comes across as confident, capable and driven.  It is therefore understandable that he is a natural leader and has aspirations to coach volleyball in his future. 

Born and raised in Kamloops, Drew quickly rose to the top of High School Volleyball competition and was named Athlete of the Year during grade 11 and 12, while maintaining his standing on the Honour Roll.  He attributes his love of sport and desire to compete in volleyball to his two older brothers who influenced him and challenged his skill, as well as his parents who are also avid athletes.  

At sixteen Drew competed at the 2003 Western Canada Summer Games held in Selkirk, Manitoba.  This was his first introduction to multi-sport competition at a high caliber level.   He and his teammates were quite comfortable with their status as top athletes in their hometown of Kamloops, but here they were one of hundreds of others who excelled in their sport; it was an inspiring experience. 

Two years later Drew followed the natural course and competed at the 2005 Canada Games in Regina Saskatchewan.  He notes that the Canada Games were even bigger and athletes got a taste of what it feels like to compete in an event like the Olympics.  The press coverage associated with this level of competition was something that really impressed Drew and his teammates and reinforced the realization of the level they were competing at. 

When talking about his experience at the Western Canada Games and Canada Games Drew recalls, “Competing at this level you learn how to be an athlete.  You realize what it takes to be successful in your sport.  You learn all about nutrition, exercise and the level of physical and mental dedication it takes to be a professional athlete.” 

Drew recently graduated from the University of Manitoba on a scholarship where he completed a four year Bachelor of Arts Degree.  During his time in University he played Setter for the University of Manitoba Bisons where once again he excelled and received many awards.  

An inspiration to young athletes from all sports, Drew has a passion for team sports and clear ideas of how being involved can influence a person’s life.  Coaching appeals to him because he is a strong leader and sees where he can be a positive influence in bringing a professional level of competitive spirit to young athletes without the high stress and pressure that is sometime associated with competitive sports.  His own story is strong support for the importance of and the opportunities that Western Canada Games provide for our country’s aspiring athletes.  

Drew’s future plans include coaching Men’s Volleyball in Kamloops along with Pat Hennelly, the men’s coach at TRU.  Drew will very likely be coaching Team BC’s men’s volleyball team for the Kamloops 2011 Western Canada Summer Games, meaning he will have come full circle.

We have had a beautiful spring.  In fact an amazing winter too.  I think I shoveled snow twice this year and that was all before the end of December!  But all the same, between the warm, sunny days of this pre-spring there have been others that were very cool and winter like.  Even the warm days, you could feel that underlying ice in the air.  

But today spring definitely and permanently arrived!  I knew it the moment I woke up even before I opened my eyes.  I could see the sun shining in through my bedroom window and hear a bird, cheerfully singing in the tree on our front lawn.  That one, small bird was announcing the arrival of spring TODAY! 

I recall another time, about 6 years ago when I had this very same feeling….. an actual time, date and moment when I felt/saw/heard spring “arrive”.  I was walking down the street of the neighborhood I lived in at that time, one early evening, talking to someone I love very much on my cell phone; I stopped for a moment and sat down on a step on the side of the street and there is was.  In the air all around me, the smell of everything fresh and new, the feel of a warm breeze caressing my cheek and the taste of it in my mouth…… what a wonderful year that turned out to be for me!  Every aspect of my life grew and blossomed along with that first “hello” of spring.

 My grandmother loved spring, I believe it was her favorite time of year and she came alive with everything around her.  She was the most inventive, avid gardener I have ever known and anywhere she lived turned into a Garden of Eden at her hand.  She died ten years ago in spring and I miss her still.  But every spring I think of her and everything she has brought to my life and the lives of many others in my family.

 This morning on my walk to work this phrase came to mind amongst the beauty of this wonderful first real day of spring “savor every moment of life”!

I found myself comparing my own carefree childhood full of play and wandering to my own children’s rigid, somewhat fear filled childhood.  My kids probably had more freedom and independance than most in this day as they grew up in the country where the worries of abduction, gangs, drugs, etc. were not nearly as prevelant, so for that I’m glad.  But it wasn’t like my own childhood that is so aptly outlined in this email.

I remember vividly those hot summer days; getting up bright and early in the morning, eating breakfast and then dashing out the door, barefoot, bare headed and with no sunscreen.  We played ALL day, literally until the “street lights” came on and sometimes even later if we were close to home.  We never got bored, we wandered freely around the neighborhood and we didn’t get into any trouble.  Everyone knew you and everyone watched out for each other.

However, I must say in defence of the current generation; perhaps they do spend more time in front of TV’s, Game systems, ipods, cell phones, etc. but not ALL kids are consumed by these distractions.  Just as not ALL kids of my generation were so great or turned out so wonderful.  I admire our children and in some ways pity them.  They become adults far too soon.  They deal with problems at an age we couldn’t even comprehend yet they have found the balance and use these marvelous inventions to their benefit, to be smarter, more productive, but still enjoy being a kid.  Afterall they ARE the product of their parents…… my generation.  So here it is:

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No matter what our kids and the new generation think about us, WE ARE AWESOME !!!!  OUR LIFE IS LIVING PROOF !!!!  To Those of  Us  Born  between 1930 – 1979:

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED THE 1930′s, 40′s, 50′s, 60′s and 70′s!!
 
First, we survived being born to mothers who may have smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant.   They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can and didn’t get tested for diabetes.
 
Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-base paints.   We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, locks on doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had baseball caps not helmets on our heads.
 
As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, no booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and sometimes no brakes.  Riding in the back of a pick- up truck on a warm day was always a special treat.
 
We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle.   We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and no one actually died from this.
 
We ate cupcakes made with Lard, white bread, real butter and bacon. We drank FLAV- OR- AID made with real white sugar. And, we weren’t overweight.   WHY?
 
Because we were always outside playing….that’s why!
 
We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on……No one was able to reach us all day. And, we were OKAY.
 
 We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride them down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem
 
 We did not have Play stations, Nintendo’s and X-boxes. There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD’s,
no surround-sound or CD’s,
no cell phones,
no personal computers,
no Internet and no chat rooms.
   
WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!
 
We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.

We would get spankings with wooden spoons, switches, ping pong paddles, or just a bare hand and no one would call child services to report abuse.
 We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.
 
We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.
 
We rode bikes or walked to a friend’s house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them.
 
 Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team.   Those who didn’t had to learn to deal with disappointment.   Imagine that!!  

 The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!  
These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever.
 
The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. What can kids today do besides push buttons.
 
We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all.
 
If YOU are one of them, CONGRATULATIONS!  
 
You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good.
 
While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave and lucky their parents were.
 
Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn’t it ?