Summer activities

We have been doing a fair bit of socializing during our time in Toronto, and the house location and appointments have been ideal. We were able to have a number of guests in for dinner including my sister Emily, my cousins Anne and Patrick, Eric and Kareena, our friend David Cunningham, and Bruce, as well as hosting our more ambitious dinner party. I also managed to get in few swimming sessions, and as I mentioned last post, I discoved to my great delight that my shoulder can handle longer distances again.

Also it was great to work with Bruce on some technical things, taking perhaps half a dozen lessons to rework and tune up a few technical things that he'd been hearing in my singing recently. My voice - like everyone else's - continues to change as I age and mature as a singer, and so needs regular adjustment. I've read that pro golfers need frequent adjustment to their golf swing to compensate for changes in their shoulder flexion, upper body strength, centre of gravity and so forth as they age, and as singing is essentially an athletic activity it makes sense that the same would be true of it as other activities.

We continued our Toronto themed activities with visits to the movies, the public library, the beach, and made sure to go jumping off the five-metre board at the Sutherland pool at Woodbine and Queen. Malcolm and Nicholas had a nice jaunt together, to Centre Island and the amusement park there. It's great for them to have the option to just hop on the subway and buy their own tickets to the ferry; I'm really proud that they are confident and independent kids.m

Then it was off to Belleville for a couple of days of golfing and swimming with the extended family. Malcolm and I were on the same team as Uncle David Costello, and we took the trophy this year with the best score. That's a nice present for him as a first time golfer!

The boys stayed on with my parents, and they enjoyed a week on the road with their cousin, exploring the St. Lawrence seaway region of Ontario by camper/trailer, and even visited Upper Canada Village, a time capsule of settler life in Ontario in years past.

We took advantage of the time by ourselves to clean up the house in preparation for the return of the homeowners, and to move into Bruce's place for the remainder of the week. This of course necessitated regular dining al fresco and the odd visit to Ed's Big Scoop for their fantastic ice cream; I find the espresso and sweet cream a nice combination.

We met up with old friends Tim and Penny Clarke, and they took us to one of their favorite restos, Le Sélect Bistro, which was fantastic. Maggie has the prix fixe menu which was salad, duck confit, and crème brulée, and I had the Os Cro-Magnon and the Bouillabaisse... really lovely.

Bruce and I took some time near the end of last week to drive up to visit with Mark Dubois and his family at their farm. It was a beautiful visit and it was nice to spend some quiet time with Mark again... I haven't really seen him since we did The Merry Widow together several years ago.

This past weekend we've been here at Maggie's parents, doing the usual cottage things. Yesterday I helped Hugh set up his new antenna to boost his 4G cell network reception, since that's the only way to get an internet connection up here in shield country. As they spend many months of the year here, they do need a connection of some sort to do their travel planning, get the daily news, and so on. But we've also had lots of time to socialize with our neighbors, go fishing, swim, and canoe. The weather has been gorgeous, high 20s and mostly clear with light breezes.

Last night Duncan camped out in a tent over at the neighbour's place with their two boys, and Malcolm slept for the second night in a row in the hammock, which hangs outside in the screen porch. I'm actually a little jealous but he did call it first. Maybe I'll get a nap in there at some point...

The Sunshine Boys

  
Willie:   How long have you had that white coat on your tongue?


Al:        Since January.  In the spring I put on a grey sport jacket.


Last night we went down to the distillery district to see Soulpepper's new production of The Sunshine Boys, directed by Ted Dykstra and starring Eric Petersen and Kenneth Welsh as the comedy duo Lewis and Clark.

It's got so many wonderful lines, so many great moments.  Show business is like a family, and as the programme notes indicated, a comedy duo is like a marriage.  Little habits that might have passed unnoticed initially become great through repetition, and people can become resentful and impatient.

Al: "Listen, we're not gonna stop for every little thing, are we?  I don't know how many years I got left, I don't wanna spend it rehearsing."

We happened to meet Ted Dykstra with his kids in the house after the show, and complimented him on a moving and very funny production.  Duncan and Malcolm were captivated, and Duncan has decided to write and ask "Al" and "Willie" for a signed photo.  Since the boys usually only experience french theatre, it's been a big priority for us to take them to see something in english, and given their familiarity with and appreciation for the Marx and Warner Brothers, this was a perfect choice.  It is still in previews, but if you get a chance, go see some masters of the theatre do their thing, in homage to Neil Simon...

...but that's very fitting... as the piece itself is Simon's homage to vaudeville performers of the past, in particular comedy duos like Smith and Dale, pictured above.  If you can't get down to the Soulpepper production, then at least rent the 1975 film, starring Walter Matthau and George Burns as Lewis and Clark.

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What else have we been up to?  Lots.  On Tuesday we drove to Niagara Falls, and explored the visitor centre, then walked down the gorge to the Maid of the Mist tour.  I'd visited the falls before as a child, but have never taken the boat tour.  It is an absolutely essential part of the visit, and well worth the price of admission.

The tours start at 9h every morning in the summer, and leave every fifteen minutes or so.  The whole trip is perhaps half an hour, but you get a wonderful clear view of the American falls, and then pass into the misty whirlpool underneath the Canadian horseshoe falls.  No sou'westers were in evidence but they handed out single-use ponchos... it was so hot that no-one minded the soaking...

We had a nice chat with some New Zealanders who were on an extended north american tour, and also helped a large group of Spanish teenagers by taking their picture.  Then we walked back to the car and had a picnic on the lawn next to the falls before heading out.

When we were living in Toronto, Maggie and I made frequent trips to the Niagara area to attend the Shaw Festival or take the odd wine tour, and while we had seen signs advertising the butterfly conservatory and botanical gardens, we never stopped in.  This time we were determined to visit, and are very glad we did.

 

 

 

I think it was even more wondrous for me than the falls... one enters the greenhouse/insectarium, suddenly finds oneself in an eden of towering, flowering plants; the air is filled with the silent, fluttering wings of hundreds of differently species of butterfly, painting the air with their flashes and splashes of colour.  The only sounds are those of falling water and the delighted gasps of the visitors... Absolutely magical.

We stopped off in Mississauga for a dip in the pool with Aunt Gayle and her children, to help cool off from the 38-degree heat, and had a nice BBQ with Lorraine and David and their family before returning to our temporary Toronto home.

Yesterday Malcolm and I shared a golf lesson with Juno, our last this trip, I think. Tonight we have dinner with Eric and Kareena and family, and then tomorrow Malcolm will spend the day exploring Toronto Island with Nicholas, while Maggie and Duncan go to the ROM.  I've started swimming again and am happy to say that I have rediscovered my long-distance rhythm, and so far haven't had a recurrence of the shoulder pain that has limited a return to distance swimming as my main exercise.  We'll have a chance to both golf and swim this weekend as we head to Belleville to spend the weekend in a mini-reunion with our extended family.

I've been having a voice lesson with Bruce every other day, and have learned three new arias with him, and reworked another already in my repertoire.  We should continue this work tomorrow and into next week, which is a marvellous luxury and very much appreciated.  As well I've been reviewing the Nozze di Figaro staging, and have to schedule another coaching with Don Tarnawski; we have two performances in Belgium mid-september and another in early october so it has to be ready.

In other musical news, did I mention that I recently got a call to sing the Carmina Burana this coming spring, this time in the BOZAR, the best concert hall in Brussels?  That means that my schedule this year includes Almaviva in Nozze di Figaro in Flanders, the Bach St. Matthew Passion in Antwerp, and Orff's Carmina Burana in the BOZAR, not to mention a couple of performances of my Schubert recital programme... talk about a dream season!

Today the weather has finally broken and it's only 20 degrees, a welcome relief... I hope you are enjoying the summer!

Further adventures of...

I think the food at Lahore Tikka House is a great strength of our neighborhood, and apparently I am not alone... we met with our friends Heather and Oren, and they very graciously have lent us their car for our time here.  They'll be living in our house in Brussels for the second part of our Canada vacation.

 

I was up early on Saturday morning to go get Duncan from camp, which he was enjoying with the company of his cousins.  I had a pretty good indicator of the amount of fun they all had when twenty minutes into the trip, all sounds from the backseat ceased, and I looked back to see three heads nodding away.

He sure was happy to see his brother and mom, though, and had lots of stories to share about his summer adventure at Quin-mo-lac.  However some of that had to wait a bit, as we needed to get ready for a BBQ that we hosted, to welcome our friends as hosts.  When you are travelling in Canada, being a guest sometimes gets a little old, and one wants to be the host and return the favour.  We love this house, and it's perfectly arranged for entertaining.

Then yesterday we were invited by Uncle Gus to take a spin around the GTA by plane... talk about a cool uncle.  Is there anything this guy can't do?

If we can manage it, he's offered again to take us out for a sail as well, so I hope that we can arrange it.

Then it was time for a little afternoon nap for everyone, in preparation for dinner at their house, and an extended visit with Gus, his wife Barb, and their family.  We had a wonderfully civilized evening with delicious food and conversation; the boys spent time with their cousin James, and we with his parents Adam and Gillian, and we got to know Rachel better in advance of her upcoming marriage with Dan.

Malcolm's set of golf lessons are over but we're planning on meeting up with Juno, his golf instructor once this week to go to the driving range, and then maybe play a par 3 with him.  He's decided he wants to join in with the extended family game this weekend, so I'm glad he's had a chance to quietly learn the basics.  I'm hoping he can show me a few things!

Toronto time

 

It's been a lot of work to get everything organized for this trip but fortunately for us it's paying off in a lot of ways.  The location of our house here on the Danforth is absolutely ideal, and we haven't really needed a car at all so far.  We will be borrowing a friend's car this coming Friday, and that should come in very handy.

Duncan is about halfway through his summer camp with his cousins.  Last week he really enjoyed the proximity to the Pape library, the fact that it is air conditioned, and that it has a large selection of graphic novels aka bandes dessinées aka comic books that he can check out himself.

 

Malcolm has had a number of golf lessons with the pro at Dentonia, which is a ten minute subway ride from the house.  He's liking it a lot, and enjoys working with his teacher, Juno.  Next week maybe we'll golf a few rounds on the par 3.  Today he's on his way up the CN Tower for the first time, to have lunch there as his birthday present.  It is a gorgeous day and perfect visibility for such a visit.

Yesterday he spent a few hours with his oldest friend, Nicholas, who came up for a visit on his bike.  They goofed around on the Nintendo for a bit, then went out for a walk around the neighborhood, paying a visit to the Baskin-Robbins and Suckerz, the candy store just around the corner.  They both had fun and we hope they will be able to arrange something again, perhaps when we go to the Blue Jays game later on in August.  We have other visiting plans scheduled for this weekend, when we're hosting a barbeque drop in, and hope to have a visit with Endean neighbors, musical friends and colleagues, french club people and other friends and relatives.  Then next week we're pizza-ing with another family, hoping to get in a little flying with my uncle, see an english-language play, go see a blowin'-up-stuff movie, hit the Royal Ontario Museum and do other touristy Toronto area things.

We've also been enjoying catching up with David Cunningham who is visiting from Vancouver; the last time we've spent any time together was during our first year in Belgium, about four years ago, and so as you can imagine we've had lots of catching up to do.

Now that the Auction is over, I've been taking the time and opportunity to have a regular singing lesson with Bruce, and have been learning some new arias with him.  It's a fantastic opportunity, and it's always important to keep tuning the voice up, keep bad habits from creeping in, and to help readjust things as my vocal instrument continues to change.  Apart from new material, I am also coaching Le Nozze di Figaro with Don Tarnawski, which I need to keep up with during this vacation, since we have a very short time in August, after I return to Brussels, to finish getting it into shape for performance.

 

The rock band camp across the street is super loud, and this past week played Misty Mountain Hop for about six hours straight every day, beginning at 9:30 am, and that's without the bridge, just the groove.  This week it's Rush's Bastille Day.  GAAAHHH!!!  I'm being punished for my sins as a member of Barking with the Big Dogs, our blues-rock band of my teenage years.  I had to close all the windows yesterday to have some quiet and study up on my Mozart...

Now it's a little bit of rest in the heat of the day before going to pick up some stuff for dinner; David heads off to London on Friday to visit his friends there prior to his return to Vancouver, so we want a little time with him before he leaves.

Hat trick

Two down and one to go... While the official opening was yesterday, the preview was on friday, so as far as the cast is concerned we have already performed the Auction twice for an audience.

My parents attended on friday, and enjoyed the show; my father told me a story afterwards about the week he spent as a teenager helping his grandfather inventory and prepare the family farm for auction, back in the 1960s. It shows that the show has a surprising resonance, and it would seem that audiences respond strongly to it...

There were a number of luminaries and sponsors there for the official opening yesterday, and I was happy to meet composer Charles Wilson, and to renew acquaintance with composer Victor Davies. Eugene Benson reminded me that his is the third Of his librettos that I've performed: the first was Wilson's Summoning of Everyman for Toronto's Opera in Concert, and the second was the premiere of Davies' The Importance of Being Earnest for Stratford Summer Music. Cool, it's a hat trick!

Today Maggie and the boys attend the show; it is always important to reveal to them what dad/husband has been spending his time and energy preparing! Yesterday was cripplyingly hot, and I hope that we get cooler weather today for their visit. Then I expect that everyone will be enjoying the celebratory firework displays tonight...

Happy Canada Day!