tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-140535642024-03-16T03:08:33.008-04:00Steve SaysSteve McLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03547172774005847386noreply@blogger.comBlogger491125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14053564.post-49168821961462340002023-12-31T15:49:00.000-05:002023-12-31T15:49:48.346-05:00Steve McLean’s favourite music of 2023<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I once again listened to hundreds of new records in 2023 and I’d say that it had the most that I really liked — if not loved — since 2019.<br /><br />There was a healthy amount of alternative and more traditional leaning country music, rockabilly, ska and surf along with the power pop and indie rock records that make up the majority of the titles found below.<br /><br />After all was said and done, the Waco Brothers’ <i>The Men That God Forgot</i> was my favourite by a pretty decent margin and the group was a two-time winner as its <i>Doomed To Repeat</i> topped my list of favourite compilations, live albums and reissues.<br /><br />Yes, the Waco Brothers are friends of mine, but their previous albums and records from various other Jon Langford and Deano Schlabowske projects never ranked that high, so I think they were legitimately excellent releases. <i>Doomed To Repeat</i> features several songs that I’ve enjoyed live over the years and, since it’s been a few years since I’ve seen the band, I hope I get a chance to do it again in 2024.<br /><br />On the live front, a recent trend continued where I didn’t go see a lot of touring bands and instead hit club shows by local artists and musician friends. I’ll see if that changes in the new year but, aside from Frank Turner’s four-day Lost Evenings festival in September, I have a hunch that it likely won’t.<br /><br />Below you’ll see my favourite 30 albums in order. I’ve also included: my favourite EPs; my favourite compilations, live albums and reissues; and my favourite concerts.<br /><br />Thanks to everyone who continues to make music or is involved with bringing it to people either in recorded or live formats. Your efforts are much appreciated.<br /><br />With that, here are the recordings and performances that did the most for me in 2023.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixRlfFJI3IJbTV35cnDepKr-IGpUFKrzJVSL0Frp3sGe5erzPFGLrk0AJsGwQ615vnoKKZxjWdDPwEF3-cMNc_0ADuUHqXjgXnBq7wWHelzFxj5bfooed61kAeT8Sjm8X0r2dhp0E71-5qPyNWNVzS-hgw2tW5TX-FbDiG4DegiR7oizTCg0uv/s700/Waco%20Brothers%20-%20The%20Men%20That%20God%20Forgot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixRlfFJI3IJbTV35cnDepKr-IGpUFKrzJVSL0Frp3sGe5erzPFGLrk0AJsGwQ615vnoKKZxjWdDPwEF3-cMNc_0ADuUHqXjgXnBq7wWHelzFxj5bfooed61kAeT8Sjm8X0r2dhp0E71-5qPyNWNVzS-hgw2tW5TX-FbDiG4DegiR7oizTCg0uv/s320/Waco%20Brothers%20-%20The%20Men%20That%20God%20Forgot.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>My favourite 10 albums</b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><br /><b>1. Waco Brothers - <i>The Men That God Forgot</i></b><br />2. Lowest of the Low - <i>Welcome to the Plunderdome</i><br />3. Brian Setzer - <i>The Devil Always Collects</i><br />4. Jesse Ray and The Carolina Catfish - <i>Sick-N-Tired</i><br />5. The Exbats - <i>Song Machine</i><br />6. Lucky 757 - <i>Rockabilly Revival</i><br />7. Who Is She? - <i>Goddess Energy</i><br />8. The Barnestormers - <i>The Barnestormers</i><br />9. The Nude Party - <i>Rides On</i><br />10. Mustard Plug - <i>Where Did All My Friends Go?</i></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i> </i></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJLeb10DV7l-0XobTUmlAww4yGajQ3sKORk04xhJ3BuoQpu7pz2_LgJB7tcjKPG2CNCtxzS2FWd7Bt2dkDm1cYgJ09v6WSLkbwIss6FwIT6rMUX7NIudhbiLQ_WHC6Iz1Ic8mBFF27fdbm5uTlSg6wH98Xyd_0CVDnlNuatCgq87JV7QSu2-__/s700/Glen%20Matlock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJLeb10DV7l-0XobTUmlAww4yGajQ3sKORk04xhJ3BuoQpu7pz2_LgJB7tcjKPG2CNCtxzS2FWd7Bt2dkDm1cYgJ09v6WSLkbwIss6FwIT6rMUX7NIudhbiLQ_WHC6Iz1Ic8mBFF27fdbm5uTlSg6wH98Xyd_0CVDnlNuatCgq87JV7QSu2-__/s320/Glen%20Matlock.jpg" width="320" /></a></i></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The next 10 albums</b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><br />11. Glen Matlock - <i>Consequences Coming</i><br />12. Shorty’s Swingin’ Coconuts - <i>Surf Shack Shindig</i><br />13. Raygun Cowboys - <i>Fortune and Glory, Pleasure and Pain</i><br />14. Geoff Palmer - <i>An Otherwise Negative Situation</i><br />15. The Reseters - <i>Give Me A Blue Beat</i><br />16. Metal Marty - <i>Greatest Hits</i><br />17. Joe Keithley - <i>Stand</i><br />18. Rhoda Dakar - <i>Version Girl</i><br />19. Kitty and The Rooster - <i>Ain’t Pussyfootin’ Around</i><br />20. The Baseball Project - <i>Grand Salami Time!</i></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i> </i></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggQQuqO4USH_1ohl04-vIMv7Z95odZmp1n4S_zIaBZPivxI88Dsb2YWYpo-0RLcFldhU2ZSG4yTekEHQ9fbAquWRV2dEDGD8QVNsiXkcvKc3PVpbflNwJ2-3BMrcfbPIRl7r7cbc090qWle15iKyWxWHYMSIDsESeZv7rkdmY-7MNr2x9ldOdZ/s700/Olivia%20Jean.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggQQuqO4USH_1ohl04-vIMv7Z95odZmp1n4S_zIaBZPivxI88Dsb2YWYpo-0RLcFldhU2ZSG4yTekEHQ9fbAquWRV2dEDGD8QVNsiXkcvKc3PVpbflNwJ2-3BMrcfbPIRl7r7cbc090qWle15iKyWxWHYMSIDsESeZv7rkdmY-7MNr2x9ldOdZ/s320/Olivia%20Jean.jpg" width="320" /></a></i></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The next 10 albums</b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><br />21. Olivia Jean - <i>Raving Ghost</i><br />22. NOBRO - <i>Set Your Pussy Free</i><br />23. Morgan and the Organ Donors - <i>M.O.D.S.</i><br />24. Neil Brogan - <i>Yrs Truly,</i><br />25. Ma’am - <i>Rules 2 Ramblin’</i><br />26. Daddy Long Legs - <i>Street Sermons</i><br />27. The Magnetics - <i>Cocktails and Fairy Tales</i><br />28. The Tripwires - <i>Are Knife, Fork, Spoon and Plate in Good Party Tape</i><br />29. Gringo Star - <i>On and On and Gone</i><br />30. Spiritual Cramp - <i>Spiritual Cramp</i></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i> </i></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDPgh08vrctFs5WHlwfdKLwAy3wKd4Log7pFXANnu8H1hXZW_NX1XHFODfXUqGPNsSUxO-dVp9ONmH-hYekx9SF_KplK50hagNI_0MKr_wrek2A8wkDUIxVEHqLywoMRfKQ44IhFUDP3wlmKbSYLJhaNTq3iUEVCPgQK80IkItiGsT-cBuiXPl/s1180/Mento%20Buru.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1178" data-original-width="1180" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDPgh08vrctFs5WHlwfdKLwAy3wKd4Log7pFXANnu8H1hXZW_NX1XHFODfXUqGPNsSUxO-dVp9ONmH-hYekx9SF_KplK50hagNI_0MKr_wrek2A8wkDUIxVEHqLywoMRfKQ44IhFUDP3wlmKbSYLJhaNTq3iUEVCPgQK80IkItiGsT-cBuiXPl/s320/Mento%20Buru.webp" width="320" /></a></i></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b>My favourite EPs</b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><br /><b>1. Mento Buru - <i>East Bakersfield Christmas II</i></b><br />2. Cinema Hearts - <i>I Want You</i><br />3. The Photocopies - <i>Amateur Dramatics</i><br />4. Ichi-Bons - <i>Ich-I-Bon #1</i><br />5. The Rellies - <i>Monkey EP</i><br />6. Space Cadet - <i>Suede Originals</i><br />7. Dead Billionaires - <i>Disaster Preparedness Coloring Book</i></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i> </i></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj928TcdS_H5HUbRy0YClo6dfUw0f3mi8u8Qd4fSRGeWNG_EMOrqkWByy2BhakgIiiCRFyZIyVj2GJcXS13Vg_oWfKaGPiDBiIlH7jLz5f_1B9-jSSJS_FCSBCbARaxyGR548za5lEGtoFsYaU_3IBkGsGIfONGwRy-hXfpb0UNJalFc2uJhLNq/s700/Waco%20Brothers%20-%20Doomed%20To%20Repeat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj928TcdS_H5HUbRy0YClo6dfUw0f3mi8u8Qd4fSRGeWNG_EMOrqkWByy2BhakgIiiCRFyZIyVj2GJcXS13Vg_oWfKaGPiDBiIlH7jLz5f_1B9-jSSJS_FCSBCbARaxyGR548za5lEGtoFsYaU_3IBkGsGIfONGwRy-hXfpb0UNJalFc2uJhLNq/s320/Waco%20Brothers%20-%20Doomed%20To%20Repeat.jpg" width="320" /></a></i></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b>My favourite compilations, live albums and reissues</b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><br /><b>1. Waco Brothers - <i>Doomed To Repeat</i></b><br />2. The Courettes - <i>Boom! Dynamite</i><br />3. Charley Crockett - <i>Live from the Ryman</i><br />4. The Len Price 3 - <i>Chinese Burn</i><br />5. Mark Malibu and The Wasagas - <i>Haunted Hotrod Beach Party</i><br />6. The Jesus and Mary Chain - <i>Sunset 666</i><br />7. Headcat - <i>Live in Berlin!</i><br />8. Full Time Men - <i>Part Time Job</i><br />9. Shooter Jennings and The Werewolves of Los Angeles - <i>Do Zevon</i><br />10. The Masonics - <i>Outside Looking In</i><br />11. Various artists - <i>Jem Records Celebrates Ray Davies</i><br />12. Johnny’s Uncalled Four - <i>The Lost Album</i><br />13. The Yellow Melodies - <i>Sunshine Pop</i><br />14. Billy Bragg - <i>The Roaring Forty (1983-2023) Deluxe Edition</i><br />15. Jonathan Postal - <i>All The Boys On St. Marks Place</i><br />16. Alex Chilton - <i>Live in Anvers</i><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b>My favourite concerts (chronological order)</b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><br />John Borra Band, The Black Pearls - Jan. 7, The Cameron House, Toronto<br />The Dick Ellis Revival - Jan. 13, Grossman’s Tavern, Toronto<br />Jacques and The Valdanes, Gregory Childs & Heart Lung, Nickola Magnolia - Jan. 21, The Dakota Tavern, Toronto<br />Frankie Foo and the YoYo Smugglers - Jan. 27, Grossman’s Tavern, Toronto<br />The ARC Sound - Jan. 28, The Artful Dodger, Toronto<br />Bob Marley birthday tribute with Reggaddiction, Lazo & Exodus - Feb. 11, Lee’s Palace, Toronto</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Golden Country Classics - Feb. 15, The Cameron House, Toronto<br />Captain Ronzo and Heide, Dr. Ex and the Break-Ups, Hekla - Feb. 17, Otto’s Shrunken Head Tiki Bar & Lounge, Manhattan<br />Racket Squad, The Piggies - Feb. 18, Harefield Road, Brooklyn<br />The Pepperbot Bats, The Hipp Pipps - Feb. 19, Otto’s Shrunken Head Tiki Bar & Lounge, Manhattan<br />Martian Awareness Ball - March 17, Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto<br />Johnny and The Jive Bombers, The Mercenaries, Jacques and The Valdanes - March 18, Handlebar, Toronto<br />Heino - March 20, The Shameful Tiki Room, Toronto<br />Staig and Billings - March 22, DROM Taberna, Toronto<br />Brett Newski - March 31, Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto<br />Frankie Foo and the YoYo Smugglers - March 31, Grossman’s Tavern, Toronto<br />Matt Smith’s Nervous System, Roger Bryan and The Orphans - April 8, Revolution Gallery, Buffalo<br />Breanna Barbara, The Nude Party - April 12, Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto<br />John Borra Band - April 1, The Cameron House, Toronto<br />Parkdale Rebels - April 20, The Mezz, Toronto<br />The Interrupters, Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls - May 3, History, Toronto<br />The Swinging Pussycats, Mark Malibu & The Wasagas - June 9, The Dakota Tavern, Toronto<br />Eyelids - June 11, Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto<br />Donna Trenholm’s birthday party with multiple musicians - June 17, Taco Taco, Toronto<br />Trombone Charlotte’s Tiger Band - June 23, The Painted Lady, Toronto<br />The Enchanters, U.I.C. - June 30, The Monarch Tavern, Toronto<br />Thelonious Hank - July 21, Grossman’s Tavern, Toronto<br />Sound One - Aug. 11, Grossman’s Tavern, Toronto<br />Mark Malibu & The Wasagas, Heino, DJ Swankenstein - Aug. 23, The Shameful Tiki Room, Toronto<br />John Cooper Clarke - Sept. 6, Lee’s Palace, Toronto<br />Kiwi Jr. - Sept. 9, Taste of The Junction Festival, Toronto<br />Spamalot - Sept. 21, Avon Theatre, Stratford<br />Reggaddiction - Sept. 23, Trinity Bellwoods Park, Toronto<br />The ARC Sound - Sept. 30, The Artful Dodger, Toronto<br />The James Clark Institute, The Jukeez, Mark Malibu & The Wasagas - Oct. 7, The Monarch Tavern, Toronto<br />Crocky’s Starband - Nov. 3, The Cameron House, Toronto<br />Golden Country Classics - Nov. 8, The Cameron House, Toronto<br />Mariel Buckley - Nov. 8, Rivoli, Toronto<br />Vox Confidential, Blue Demons, Luau Or Die - Nov. 12, See-Scape, Toronto<br />The Fills - Nov. 18, Sauce on The Danforth, Toronto<br />Doghouse Rose, The Penske File, Raygun Cowboys, Pkew Pkew Pkew - Nov. 25, Lee’s Palace, Toronto<br />Blind Decision, Lonely Fans - Dec. 1, Sneaky Dee’s, Toronto<br />Communism - Dec. 15, The Cameron House, Toronto<br />Irie Vibes - Dec. 15, DROM Taberna, Toronto<br />Christian and The Sinners, The Dorkies, Songs The Crampus Taught Us - Dec. 20, Linsmore Tavern, Toronto<br />The Sadies - Dec. 31, Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto (anticipated)</span><br /></span></p>Steve McLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03547172774005847386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14053564.post-3254858216213708662022-12-29T19:15:00.000-05:002022-12-29T19:15:02.524-05:00Steve McLean’s favourite music of 2022<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I continued to seek out and discover a lot of new recorded music this year and, while I don’t think it will ever excite me the way it did when I was younger and more things seemed fresh, I’m happy to do it. Hopefully I’ll continue to feel that way and previously unfamiliar music will still be able to give me an occasional thrill.<br /><br />Below you’ll see my favourite 22 albums (from the hundreds I listened to) in order. I’ve also included: my favourite EPs; and my favourite compilations, live albums and reissues.<br /><br />Live music by and large returned to normal after two years of COVID-19-related shutdowns and restrictions but, whether it was just me or the acts that came through Toronto, I didn’t return to my pre-pandemic level of concert attendance and many of the shows I did go to were by local artists and musician friends. We’ll see if that changes in 2023, but I’m hopeful that the last two shows I attend this year (Jon Langford and Sally Timms opening for The Sadies for two nights) will give me a boost and that momentum will carry on through the new year.<br /><br />Thanks to everyone who continues to make music or is involved with bringing it to people either in recorded or live formats. Your efforts are much appreciated.<br /><br />With that, here are the recordings and performances that did the most for me in 2022.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglvfvKFo_ZLqHpsUjExA2p5i8tM1YrV-po1qfFBHO-SxIl0kq-dlWmNF_jUe8F0aemCL8JQDrJmpWWSaez34Gos3tvUBLO3dCs-RfRU9l4jxRoEoMLSFxToCftS2azPTQwNDTIRzjrAqWFtw_sJCI35GZvxz6G3KpiryDxtfolj7J_iM2AFQ/s600/Televisionaries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="595" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglvfvKFo_ZLqHpsUjExA2p5i8tM1YrV-po1qfFBHO-SxIl0kq-dlWmNF_jUe8F0aemCL8JQDrJmpWWSaez34Gos3tvUBLO3dCs-RfRU9l4jxRoEoMLSFxToCftS2azPTQwNDTIRzjrAqWFtw_sJCI35GZvxz6G3KpiryDxtfolj7J_iM2AFQ/w396-h400/Televisionaries.jpg" width="396" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>My favourite 10 albums</b></span><br /><br /><b>1. Televisionaries - <i>Mad About You</i></b><br />2. Dropkick Murphys - <i>This Machine Still Kills Fascists</i><br />3. The Len Price 3 - <i>Ip Dip Do</i><br />4. Shanda & The Howlers - <i>It Ain’t Easy</i><br />5. The Interrupters - <i>In The Wild</i><br />6. Robert Gordon with Chris Spedding - <i>Hellafied</i><br />7. The Roughhousers - <i>Princess Mike</i><br />8. The Rumjacks - <i>Brass For Gold</i><br />9. Swami John Reis - <i>Ride the Wild Night</i><br />10. The Step Daughters - <i>The Right Sound </i><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b></b></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvYnEbKju8R_U7FGYk8m86ghAt3lG63-_GinLZeuchLJnBKMW0z1wp8Et4h4nm65-BFZWLhyddZ1cuNy6quBE-bF3NUnw373r1GJ-GkhiLOQ1aSLw_hyzxUX3KLfGIIjuxLEaBlrtFsAacp7ZcuDnxj9TG3RZOl-anEuM7US6BHL56Teb_1w/s500/FTHC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvYnEbKju8R_U7FGYk8m86ghAt3lG63-_GinLZeuchLJnBKMW0z1wp8Et4h4nm65-BFZWLhyddZ1cuNy6quBE-bF3NUnw373r1GJ-GkhiLOQ1aSLw_hyzxUX3KLfGIIjuxLEaBlrtFsAacp7ZcuDnxj9TG3RZOl-anEuM7US6BHL56Teb_1w/w400-h400/FTHC.jpg" width="400" /></a></b></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The next 12 albums</b></span><br /><br />11. Frank Turner - <i>FTHC</i><br />12. Pkew Pkew Pkew - <i>Open Bar</i><br />13. Headstones - <i>Flight Risk</i><br />14. Seatbelt - <i>Gasoline & Tacos</i><br />15. No Monster Club - <i>Deadbeat Effervescent</i><br />16. The Weber Brothers - <i>The Water Street Trilogy Pt. 1: Wild As The Wild Dogs</i><br />17. Young Guv - <i>GUV III</i><br />18. Kyp Harness - <i>Poverty Line</i><br />19. The Surfrajettes - <i>Roller Rink</i><br />20. Night Shop - <i>Forever Night</i><br />21. Sports Team - <i>Gulp!</i><br />22. The Hoodoo Tones - <i>Three Steps to Evil</i><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b></b></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia9dhw1zIgbtT8mIccFKRFFqvTdqXZdSYjG_TcTT7FEkOCw_Gm99fwaS02JMKwFcqt1jvX9vYMRXvkNYCj33lGHvb5vqBTZgjicYFNkRsCE4zOa7su5D_CIzEMtp0RRsrZjb3XZ45RyPrzS4Cag5KTWMfE6s2mu-QMtqT_DBG8rdoWlxiZyQ/s2000/hitsfromthebog_300dpi_2000x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia9dhw1zIgbtT8mIccFKRFFqvTdqXZdSYjG_TcTT7FEkOCw_Gm99fwaS02JMKwFcqt1jvX9vYMRXvkNYCj33lGHvb5vqBTZgjicYFNkRsCE4zOa7su5D_CIzEMtp0RRsrZjb3XZ45RyPrzS4Cag5KTWMfE6s2mu-QMtqT_DBG8rdoWlxiZyQ/w400-h400/hitsfromthebog_300dpi_2000x.jpg" width="400" /></a></b></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>My favourite EPs</b></span><br /><br /><b>1. Mean Jeans - <i>Hits from the Bog (Unreleased Tracks)</i></b><br />2. JD McPherson - <i>The Warm Covers EP, Vol. 2</i><br />3. The Rumjacks and Flatfoot 56 - <i>Split EP</i><br />4. The Ergs! - <i>Time and the Season</i><br />5. Bobby Mahoney and the Seventh Son - <i>We Go On</i><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b></b></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj3xqF2DOygNPrgzjSmuPQJ0Czb5-P_v6RMeSC3t3UVHNDwb21eEHj9Y0v88ME9-iU16gha_J_2rTEKIwPyWKFsGFw8wtL6MwuubbAyv05p_BjyXNcEr2YOHiCmH1rHX3S_zx7vSu39FZCU62kAMBug0x0YjfAlXfweG7cmSkPp3fDxy5PiQ/s750/Dany-Laj-and-the-Looks_RetroSpectacle_Rum-Bar-Records.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="750" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj3xqF2DOygNPrgzjSmuPQJ0Czb5-P_v6RMeSC3t3UVHNDwb21eEHj9Y0v88ME9-iU16gha_J_2rTEKIwPyWKFsGFw8wtL6MwuubbAyv05p_BjyXNcEr2YOHiCmH1rHX3S_zx7vSu39FZCU62kAMBug0x0YjfAlXfweG7cmSkPp3fDxy5PiQ/w400-h400/Dany-Laj-and-the-Looks_RetroSpectacle_Rum-Bar-Records.png" width="400" /></a></b></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>My favourite compilations, live albums and reissues</b></span><br /><br /><b>1. Danny Laj and The Looks - <i>Retro Spectacle</i></b><br />2. Various artists - <i>Mark Malibu presents Surfin’ Kitty X-mas 3</i><br />3. Demolition 23 - <i>Demolition 23</i><br />4. Franz Ferdinand - <i>Hits To The Head</i><br />5. The Dollyrots - <i>Down The Rabbit Hole</i><br />6. Kid Congo & the Near Death Experience - <i>Live in St. Kilda</i><br />7. John Borra - <i>John Borra</i><br />8. NRBQ - <i>The Tour and Other Things: 2022 Tour Sampler</i><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>My favourite concerts (chronological order)</b></span><br /><br />John Borra - Feb. 20, The Communist’s Daughter, Toronto<br />The Real McKenzies, Wine Lips - March 24, Lee’s Palace, Toronto<br />The Cactus Blossoms - March 25, Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto<br />The ARC Sound - March 26, The Artful Dodger, Toronto<br />Ron Hawkins and the Do Good Assassins, Jr. Gone Wild - April 14, The Dakota Tavern, Toronto<br />Belitsky, Dean and Robertson, Corb Lund and the Hurtin’ Albertans - April 15, Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto<br />The ARC Sound - April 23, The Artful Dodger, Toronto<br />The Mooks, Ichi-Bons, The Surfrajettes - April 28, Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto<br />Generator Party - April 28, Cameron House, Toronto<br />Frankie Foo and the YoYo Smugglers - April 29, Grossmans Tavern, Toronto<br />Dehd - May 28, Lee’s Palace, Toronto<br />Mark Malibu & The Wasagas, UIC - June 3, Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto<br />John Borra Band - June 4, Cameron House, Toronto<br />Superchunk - June 8, The Axis Club, Toronto<br />The Forgotten Rebels - June 18, Lee’s Palace, Toronto<br />Ferraro - June 19, Cameron House, Toronto<br />John Borra - July 23, Sauce, Toronto<br />The ARC Sound - July 23, The Dakota Tavern, Toronto<br />The ARC Sound, The Northern Pikes - Aug. 20, Lee’s Palace, Toronto<br />The Shook Boys, Televisionaries - Oct. 15, The Dakota Tavern, Toronto<br />Screamagers, Night Chill, Mark Malibu & The Wasagas - Oct. 27, Hard Luck Bar, Toronto<br />The Enchanters - Oct. 28, Handlebar, Toronto<br />Frankie Foo and the YoYo Smugglers - Oct. 28, Grossmans Tavern, Toronto<br />Teenage Head and guests - Nov. 5, FirstOntario Concert Hall, Hamilton<br />Danger!! Death Ray, The Blue Demons, Luau Or Die - Nov. 10, See-Scape, Toronto<br />Big D and The Kids Table, Mustard Plug, The Planet Smashers - Nov. 11, Lee’s Palace, Toronto<br />Bad Fortunes, Rover Boys Trio - Nov. 12, The Dakota Tavern, Toronto<br />The Fills - Nov. 27, Sauce, Toronto<br />Jon Langford and Sally Timms, The Sadies - Dec. 30, Horseshoe Tavern (anticipated)<br />Jon Langford and Sally Timms, The Sadies - Dec. 31, Horseshoe Tavern (anticipated)</span><br /></span></p>Steve McLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03547172774005847386noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14053564.post-36742922768825929642021-12-31T19:32:00.000-05:002021-12-31T19:32:03.006-05:00Steve McLean’s favourite music of 2021<p><span style="font-size: medium;">I try not to live in the past too much so, as always, I kept searching out new music throughout this past year.<br /><br />While I don’t know if music will ever excite me as much as it did in my youth, one way of trying to maintain a semblance of that youth despite another year turning over and my body reflecting that, is through discovering new music.<br /><br />I wouldn’t call 2021 a great year for music, but a decent one that’s probably about on par with last year. <br /><br />Below you’ll see my favourite 30 albums (from the hundreds I listened to) in order. I’ve also included: my favourite EPs; and my favourite compilations, live albums and reissues.<br /><br />Just like many artists who performed frequent live streams through 2020 got a bit burnt out on them this year, I did too. So my viewing decreased significantly and you’ll see a lot of names repeated in the favourite concert list since I’d return to people I knew I could rely on during those times I found myself without other things to do and a live stream happened to be on. <br /><br />Live music in Toronto was basically shut down through the first seven months of the year and even when it returned there were often restrictions placed on shows and I lost my enthusiasm for attending concerts and only caught three that genuinely entertained me. <br /><br />Hopefully live performances in my hometown will return unfettered at some point in the not too distant future and my appetite for them will also reappear, like I’m sure it would have at the Jon Langford, Sally Timms and The Sadies show I was supposed to see tonight at the Horseshoe Tavern for New Year’s Eve before Omicron threw a wrench that caused it to be cancelled.<br /><br />Thanks to everyone who continues to make music or is involved with bringing it to people either in recorded or live formats. Your work is appreciated and hopefully I’ll be able to convey that in person to some of you this year.<br /><br />With that, here are the recordings and performances that did the most for me in 2021.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4QNpmWEIRHpuSiFf8CpSlxnLMDwUdvbFQDJRO5oAQhwzdQttd738dAy99ZwUeOS0aZNwF_O1MKIShtrbMWAE4ctudv0Djh59fB86nmNqf_f3hpb3XD8eoxnXcq4FWg5oJlH4pcajdXUfFaCmn07IhDpRqqD1dq2I2VOpe4IwlA7tLCqfyVA=s2448" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="2448" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4QNpmWEIRHpuSiFf8CpSlxnLMDwUdvbFQDJRO5oAQhwzdQttd738dAy99ZwUeOS0aZNwF_O1MKIShtrbMWAE4ctudv0Djh59fB86nmNqf_f3hpb3XD8eoxnXcq4FWg5oJlH4pcajdXUfFaCmn07IhDpRqqD1dq2I2VOpe4IwlA7tLCqfyVA=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">My favourite 10 albums</span></b><br /><br /><b>1. Legendary Shack Shakers - <i>Cockadoodledeux</i></b><br />2. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - <i>When God Was Great</i><br />3. Charley Crockett - <i>Music City USA</i><br />4. Together Pangea - <i>Dye</i><br />5. Skegss - <i>Rehearsal</i><br />6. Catbite - <i>Nice One</i><br />7. Dropkick Murphys - <i>Turn Up That Dial</i><br />8. Goodbye Honolulu - <i>Goodbye Honolulu</i><br />9. Jr. Gone Wild - <i>Still Got The Jacket</i><br />10. The Rumjacks - <i>Hestia</i></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i> </i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgKtXqga70iobT56f1EwMJHyTBBAaRjrWkA2_9gIVZ79c_PTomnG0YXeRjMJll-2J2waAiwZPqFV2coFgyr6ISKSsBbTttMYtjoIc6iRhe0yMQciej8DyTxiwr3qLP5x2btsaOebcWAAmOrKlZ-qV5w4CptJXVks9o-5ssLFgR61rysKTgWTw=s2448" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="2448" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgKtXqga70iobT56f1EwMJHyTBBAaRjrWkA2_9gIVZ79c_PTomnG0YXeRjMJll-2J2waAiwZPqFV2coFgyr6ISKSsBbTttMYtjoIc6iRhe0yMQciej8DyTxiwr3qLP5x2btsaOebcWAAmOrKlZ-qV5w4CptJXVks9o-5ssLFgR61rysKTgWTw=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></i></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The next 10 albums</b></span><br /><br /><b>11. Ike Reilly - <i>Because The Angels</i></b><br />12. Bobby Ramone - <i>Rocket to Kingston</i><br />13. Gramps Morgan - <i>Positive Vibration</i><br />14. The Deathray Davies - <i>Time Well Wasted</i><br />15. The Fleshtones - <i>Face of the Screaming Werewolf</i><br />16. Southern Culture On The Skids - <i>At Home With Southern Culture On The Skids</i><br />17. Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band - <i>Dance Songs for Hard Times</i><br />18. The Human Rights - <i>Reggae Strong</i><br />19. Wavves - <i>Hideaway</i><br />20. Nine Pound Hammer - <i>When the Shit Goes Down</i></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i> </i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjvE_dTjAQaNa6-5qt3jgaGWIFO7SvpdkU8ixYGgqcB9IkDV8j4YvSB3pdJeIMVDrK2ujGDdwRow1EUS0c3mLBtobR7G3DgMvHhyPCPqN7XKLwKGR_NmdSnQsUz4OKnFq4me_ngohcHsVNEDBiUCIIrue-zLugHZpttMAR7p4f0J9E-moPZDg=s789" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="789" data-original-width="780" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjvE_dTjAQaNa6-5qt3jgaGWIFO7SvpdkU8ixYGgqcB9IkDV8j4YvSB3pdJeIMVDrK2ujGDdwRow1EUS0c3mLBtobR7G3DgMvHhyPCPqN7XKLwKGR_NmdSnQsUz4OKnFq4me_ngohcHsVNEDBiUCIIrue-zLugHZpttMAR7p4f0J9E-moPZDg=w395-h400" width="395" /></a></i></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">The next 10 albums after that</span><br /><br />21. Dany Laj and The Looks - <i>Ten Easy Pieces</i></b><br />22. Dinosaur Jr. - <i>Sweep It Into Space</i><br />23. U-Roy - <i>Solid Gold U-Roy</i><br />24. Half Past Two - <i>Half Past Two</i><br />25. Whitehorse - <i>Strike Me Down</i><br />26. The Blips - The Blips<br />27. Big Chief Monk Boudreaux - <i>Bloodstains and Teardrops</i><br />28. Jakob Mind - <i>The One Who Got Away</i><br />29. Dean Wareham - <i>I Have Nothing To Say To The Mayor of L.A.</i><br />30. The Weeks - <i>Inside The Covers</i></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i> </i></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAMq0F6zdvulEB3FDy7ed62mOExWdF4g17-5puk4OVW9eU7pkdoVyKdqtFpVl2rhhg2BgaBIui_qw3K2C_B555UgFXor14QqPitHWm2o1sYuDsLQHH7dj6EMcKuxl9mclfk7-lr64Pjd7HMJHYPDZOBfYeuFfRbOkoL15hazB2Npt8y4zgxg=s600" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAMq0F6zdvulEB3FDy7ed62mOExWdF4g17-5puk4OVW9eU7pkdoVyKdqtFpVl2rhhg2BgaBIui_qw3K2C_B555UgFXor14QqPitHWm2o1sYuDsLQHH7dj6EMcKuxl9mclfk7-lr64Pjd7HMJHYPDZOBfYeuFfRbOkoL15hazB2Npt8y4zgxg=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">My favourite EPs</span><br /><br />1. Blacklist Royals - <i>Doomsday Girl</i></b><br />2. Teenage Joans - <i>Taste Of Me</i><br />3, The Tragically Hip - <i>Saskadelphia</i><br />4, Mento Buru - <i>Skalloween</i><br />5, Billy Bragg - <i>Mid-Century Modern</i></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i> </i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgbUJe3Wbghhe_DLUe62nArOJq6-3MsaxneU-6SwI_TEJ9Vcum4lLb0YMztB4a45pFuGteid5PBVVejAsGvB_HC_s_IAnC2V1MOta0A_QcNHKLLeq0tJOVN192GYp9o21sVvsrjqVd_fEO5I3zOJckNIPywlKB3gQ89f29wW7RmXTTFYS7b2w=s2448" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="2448" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgbUJe3Wbghhe_DLUe62nArOJq6-3MsaxneU-6SwI_TEJ9Vcum4lLb0YMztB4a45pFuGteid5PBVVejAsGvB_HC_s_IAnC2V1MOta0A_QcNHKLLeq0tJOVN192GYp9o21sVvsrjqVd_fEO5I3zOJckNIPywlKB3gQ89f29wW7RmXTTFYS7b2w=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></i></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>My favourite compilations, live albums and reissues</b></span><br /><br /><b>1. Lowest of the Low - <i>Taverns and Palaces</i></b><br />2. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band - <i>The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts</i><br />3. Joe Strummer - <i>Assembly</i><br />4. Neil Young - <i>Young Shakespeare</i><br />5. The Palace Guard - <i>All Night Long: An Anthology 1965-1966</i><br />6. Various artists - <i>I’ll Be Your Mirror: A Tribute to The Velvet Underground and Nico</i><br />7. Various artists - <i>Heroes of the Night</i><br />8. Bob Marley and The Wailers - <i>The Capitol Session ’73</i><br />9. Pixies - <i>Live from Coachella, Indio, CA. May 1st, 2004</i><br />10. Scott B. Sympathy - <i>Drinking with the Poet</i></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i> </i><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgzzHNmnvN7BgoAj4D3raHS6i2n80jJ7gcstfJ3XVgxl7reG2ollrfpxC0OzE63mUzji22ob3g0qz8MsWCBhhtuVdxsk5CwdaWIC-FF2w2EkBGi-D9uJK2lr1wJuzdaCkqhSrBlFPFUQXoW675FIb4lY4IzKnHC9A6nIhkuCh7lQ7URd7dIeA=s3264" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgzzHNmnvN7BgoAj4D3raHS6i2n80jJ7gcstfJ3XVgxl7reG2ollrfpxC0OzE63mUzji22ob3g0qz8MsWCBhhtuVdxsk5CwdaWIC-FF2w2EkBGi-D9uJK2lr1wJuzdaCkqhSrBlFPFUQXoW675FIb4lY4IzKnHC9A6nIhkuCh7lQ7URd7dIeA=w480-h640" title="Chixdiggit" width="480" /></a></div><b></b><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b> Chixdiggit</b></span><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>My favourite concerts (chronological order)</b></span><br /><br />Monte Warden - Jan. 1, online concert<br />Frank Turner - Jan. 14, online concert<br />Frank Turner - Jan. 21, online concert<br />Frank Turner - Jan. 28, online concert<br />Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie) - Jan. 30, online concert<br />Dean Schlabowske - Jan. 31, online concert<br />Steve Wynn and Linda Pitmon - Jan. 31, online concert<br />Bruce Smith - Feb. 3, online concert<br />Monte Warden - Feb. 12, online concert<br />Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie) - Feb. 13, online concert<br />Jeff Tweedy and his family - Feb. 15, online concert<br />Frank Turner - Feb. 18, online concert<br />Monte Warden - Feb. 19, online concert<br />Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie) - Feb. 20, online concert<br />Steve Wynn and Linda Pitmon - Feb. 28, online concert<br />Ron Hawkins - March 2, online concert<br />Monte Warden - March 5, online concert<br />Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie) - March 6, online concert<br />Jeff Tweedy, John Stiratt and Glenn Kotche - March 8, online concert<br />Monte Warden - March 12, online concert<br />Ike Reilly & The Holy Family House Band and guests - March 13, online concert<br />Hayes Carll - March 16, online concert<br />Dropkick Murphys - March 17, online concert<br />Micah Schnabel, Frank Turner - March 18, online concert<br />Jeff Tweedy and his family - March 18, online concert<br />Waco Brothers - March 19, online concert<br />Lucky Ron - March 27, online concert<br />Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie) - March 27, online concert<br />Jeff Tweedy and his family and Liam Kazar - March 30, online concert<br />Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie) - June 27, online concert<br />The ARC Sound - Aug. 7, Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto<br />Danny Laj and The Looks, UIC - Sept. 18, online concert<br />Luau Or Die, The Ichi-Bons, Mark Malibu and The Wasagas - Oct. 30, Lee’s Palace, Toronto<br />Chixdiggit - Nov. 4, Bovine Sex Club, Toronto<br />Monte Warden - Nov. 5, online concert<br />Frank Turner - Dec. 21, online concert<br />Lucky Ron - Dec. 26, online concert</span><br /></p>Steve McLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03547172774005847386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14053564.post-38572806298932327962020-12-30T18:27:00.000-05:002020-12-30T18:27:07.423-05:00Steve McLean’s favourite music of 2020<p><span style="font-size: medium;">This year was typical in that I listened to hundreds of new albums. I don’t have to tell you why it was atypical, as COVID-19 impacted all of our lives to some extent.<br /><br />I don’t know if the coronavirus changed how I listened to music or affected my enjoyment of it, or if it played a role in the creation of the music itself, but there was less of it that stuck in a positive way with me. I don’t want to take anything away from any of the artists who released music this year, but there wasn’t as much of it that I enjoyed. Even a lot of what you’ll find on my favourite albums lists probably wouldn’t have ranked as high in past years.<br /><br />Like many others, I insulated myself and very rarely saw friends over the past 10 months. And though it wasn’t conscious, when compiling these lists of my favourite music of 2020 it became apparent that a theme of familiarity ran through them. If I couldn’t see people in person, I seem to have gravitated to music that often provided a bit of that bond.<br /><br />So while I always want to expose myself to new music by new artists, my favourite album was from a rock and roll band that I started buying music from in 1985 — maybe earlier if I check the dates of my What Wave compilation cassettes that UIC contributed to. I’ve seen UIC (and its spinoff band The Chickens) dozens of times over the years, and its members have become friends. And while I’ve always enjoyed the band more live than on record, its first newly recorded album in 27 years struck an immediate chord and I enjoyed it more than any LP that came out this year.<br /><br />Two of the albums in my top 10 are completely comprised of covers, so again I was already familiar with and liked the songs — even if they were different interpretations. I’ve seen four of the top 10 artists live, five of the next 14, and four of the six on the EP list.<br /><br />I keep live albums and compilations separate from newly recorded works but, had I amalgamated them, eight would have cracked the top 10 and knocked others down accordingly. All of the live albums were from groups I’ve seen before, five of them (or variations thereof, as The Minus 5 and The Baseball Project share members that perform together in different incarnations) late last year. I’ve had friendly conversations with all of them after shows, which enhances the concert experience and establishes a stronger connection.<br /><br />And though live streams on my computer replaced live shows in clubs for me in March and through the rest of the year, again I seem to have been drawn to watching artists who I’ve seen several times, and many of whom I consider friends.<br /><br />Going through my favourite online concerts, the only artist I watched more than once and haven’t yet seen in person is Ike Reilly. I hope to remedy that situation as soon as possible.<br /><br />So while 2020 caused largely forced separations from people, music, as always, provided a comfortable fallback during isolation. <br /><br />While I expect my group activities to remain curtailed through much of 2021, I look forward to a better year of personal music appreciation and being able to show my appreciation to musicians in person. Fingers are crossed.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfIKJfcd1ZF5PzQ2WUJN66Fr1zxOpQXUOqSQ4c2NBGRCJN-iyaSMIffJSsULsnMyKj-Stky7S29YdLnEbsETNuUO87sBWqzwu1dnvZi88ruhOGVbDRt0JDObeNW81VLsnXrHGY/s500/UIC+-+FM+Hill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfIKJfcd1ZF5PzQ2WUJN66Fr1zxOpQXUOqSQ4c2NBGRCJN-iyaSMIffJSsULsnMyKj-Stky7S29YdLnEbsETNuUO87sBWqzwu1dnvZi88ruhOGVbDRt0JDObeNW81VLsnXrHGY/w400-h400/UIC+-+FM+Hill.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>My favourite 10 albums</b></span><br /><br /><b>1. UIC - <i>FM Hill</i></b><br />2. The Nude Party - <i>Midnight Manor</i><br />3. Chairmen of the Boards - <i>Surfin’ The Apocalypse</i><br />4. The Pretenders - <i>Hate For Sale</i><br />5. The Exbats - <i>Kicks, Hits and Fits</i><br />6. The Yum Yums - <i>For Those About To Pop</i><br />7. Billie Joe Armstrong - <i>No Fun Mondays</i><br />8. Wank - <i>White Knuckle Ride</i><br />9. Dangereens - <i>Tough Luck</i><br />10. NOFX and Frank Turner - <i>West Coast vs. Wessex </i></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPUW2rMGGlHZ52MjBF1cARr2KvnI5gsQb3iiSnk6zsUtbLckcCwmiAWhy93BCRX3A6nU-3vhaB5yymMJK5eVvLe2aJQNkoC6tINJ3btGrpZRf3YDh5sL45lNvcVMr_aK3LUBIF/s700/RVG+-+Feral.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPUW2rMGGlHZ52MjBF1cARr2KvnI5gsQb3iiSnk6zsUtbLckcCwmiAWhy93BCRX3A6nU-3vhaB5yymMJK5eVvLe2aJQNkoC6tINJ3btGrpZRf3YDh5sL45lNvcVMr_aK3LUBIF/w400-h400/RVG+-+Feral.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">The next 14 albums</span><br /><br />11. RVG - <i>Feral</i></b><br />12. Cornershop - <i>England Is A Garden</i><br />13. Dehd - <i>Flower of Devotion</i><br />14. The Speedways - <i>Radio Sounds</i><br />15. John Borra - <i>Blue Wine</i><br />16. The Homeless Gospel Choir - <i>This Land Is Your Landfill</i><br />17. Cocktails - <i>Catastrophic Entertainment</i><br />18. MAX - <i>Turn It Up</i><br />19. Mark Malibu and The Wasagas - <i>Dance Party a’ Go Go</i><br />20. Kurt Baker - <i>After Party</i><br />21. Scott The Hoople - <i>Rock & Roll Party 66</i><br />22. Ramblin’ Deano and His Enablers - <i>Pills, Puppies and Bacon</i><br />23. Tami Neilson - <i>Chickaboom!</i><br />24. Green Day - <i>Father of All Motherfuckers</i></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i> </i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMPqiqsbjZWw5EVHM-vUwh-ybKMbM3c3-cqQm4BzgGXm9rrtXdk3HV09BOKhWMfPSmhyphenhyphen02p1CkrspwNqpzBvFbY9v9SdAOsy_tY4QdIcdtwX3voXEkhRgrdz9FYlJB6Z0GKe1J/s700/Muck+and+the+Mires.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMPqiqsbjZWw5EVHM-vUwh-ybKMbM3c3-cqQm4BzgGXm9rrtXdk3HV09BOKhWMfPSmhyphenhyphen02p1CkrspwNqpzBvFbY9v9SdAOsy_tY4QdIcdtwX3voXEkhRgrdz9FYlJB6Z0GKe1J/w400-h400/Muck+and+the+Mires.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i><span style="font-size: large;"><b>My favourite EPs</b></span><br /><br /><b>1. Muck and the Mires - <i>Take Me Back To Planet Earth</i></b><br />2. The JetScreams - <i>Escape!</i><br />3. Nick Lowe - <i>Lay It On Me</i><br />4. Bike Club - <i>Find Romance</i><br />5. The Swingin’ Blackjacks - <i>Four Hot Tracks!!</i><br />6. Jack Sledge - <i>Notes of a Drifter</i></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i> </i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSYVw-rQsyO-Bf2T9nmT3d9Uj7ClnUU0DJ-WRQ3czRk06XeTCk8GY0tcqcZdl7CzzovSojZb376UILjFoIm8v6au2OaYlPQ1IYCLvCvfQa-XL42bxvqGbblrLOWeRmWi0cC4nz/s700/The+Minus+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSYVw-rQsyO-Bf2T9nmT3d9Uj7ClnUU0DJ-WRQ3czRk06XeTCk8GY0tcqcZdl7CzzovSojZb376UILjFoIm8v6au2OaYlPQ1IYCLvCvfQa-XL42bxvqGbblrLOWeRmWi0cC4nz/w400-h400/The+Minus+5.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i><b><span style="font-size: large;">My favourite compilations and live albums</span><br /><br />1. The Minus 5 - <i>Live at Yep Roc 15</i></b><br />2. Nick Lowe and Los Straitjackets - <i>Live at Haw River Ballroom</i><br />3. Southern Culture On The Skids - <i>Live at Yep Roc 15</i><br />4. Nick Lowe and Los Straitjackets - <i>Walkabout</i><br />5. The Baseball Project - <i>Live in Space</i><br />6. The Dollyrots - <i>Girl Groups & Punk Beats: The Covers</i><br />7. Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls - <i>Live in Newcastle</i><br />8. Los Straitjackets - <i>Live at Yep Roc 15</i><br />9. Stray Cats - <i>Rocked This Town: From LA to London</i><br />10. Krayolas - <i>Savage Young Krayolas</i><br />11. Various artists - <i>Mark Malibu presents: Surfin’ Kitty X-mas</i><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>My favourite concerts (chronological order)</b></span><br /><br />I generally try to stick to attending live performances I know I’m going to like. While some don’t live up to expectations, I came home satisfied from those listed below that I attended in January and February below.<br /><br />And since I’ve included online shows this year for the first time because of tour cancellations and venue closings due to COVID-19, I had little choice but to already be at home before, during and after shows from mid-March on.<br /><br />Here are those I enjoyed the most:<br /><br />The Beaudelaires, The Classy Wrecks, Skaface - Jan. 10, Lee’s Palace, Toronto<br />Pkew Pkew Pkew - Jan. 10, Horseshoe, Toronto<br />Dodge Fiasco - Jan. 22, Cameron House, Toronto<br />Ichi-Bons, Olivia Jean - Jan. 22, Horseshoe, Toronto</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMOlDQ5PFosB2ZmT-Iu9rqHd4Unkl0KC7idwKln5QQQZZo60LF9PUzlF4-hbF7b3pNFEIrAPpPsbW2hyM-CgBIJauSSRSRlvBzB65yimsslwoHB9rBDUnCMweHeEG6uY6ZN7tp/s960/Ichi-Bons.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMOlDQ5PFosB2ZmT-Iu9rqHd4Unkl0KC7idwKln5QQQZZo60LF9PUzlF4-hbF7b3pNFEIrAPpPsbW2hyM-CgBIJauSSRSRlvBzB65yimsslwoHB9rBDUnCMweHeEG6uY6ZN7tp/w400-h300/Ichi-Bons.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Ichi-Bons</b></td></tr></tbody></table> <br />Ten Feet Tall, Mr. Pharmacist, The ARC Sound - Jan. 23, Dakota Tavern, Toronto<br />Frankie Foo and the Yo-Yo Smugglers - Jan. 31, Grossman’s Tavern, Toronto<br />Lucky Ron - Feb. 15, Chateau Lafayette, Ottawa<br />Dropkick Murphys - March 17, online concert<br />Waco Brothers - March 20, online concert<br />Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie) - March 21, online concert<br />Corb Lund - March 21, online concert<br />Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie) - March 23, online concert<br />Frank Turner - March 26, online concert<br />Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie) - March 26, online concert<br />Jesse Malin - March 28, online concert<br />Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie) - March 28, online concert<br />Ramblin’ Deano - March 29, online concert<br />Dan Bern - March 29, online concert<br />Frank Turner - April 2, online concert<br />Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie) - April 2, online concert<br />Joel Plaskett - April 2, online concert<br />JD McPherson - April 2, online concert<br />Ed Robertson (Barenaked Ladies) - April 3, online concert<br />Frank Turner - April 3, online concert<br />Dan Bern - April 3, online concert<br />Jesse Malin - April 4, online concert<br />Jon Langford - April 4, online concert<br />The Rizdales - April 4, online concert<br />Dan Bern - April 4, online concert<br />The Jimbos (Reverend Horton Heat) - April 6, online concert<br />Frank Turner - April 8, online concert<br />Frank Turner - April 9, online concert<br />Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie) - April 9, online concert<br />Jesse Malin - April 11, online concert<br />Ike Reilly & The Holy Family House Band - April 11, online concert<br />Jeff Tweedy and his family - April 11, online concert<br />Beans On Toast - April 12, online concert<br />Corb Lund - April 13, online concert<br />Ron Hawkins - April 14, online concert<br />Frank Turner - April 16, online concert<br />Joel Plaskett - April 16, online concert<br />Jeff Tweedy and his family - April 16, online concert<br />The Sounds - April 17, online concert<br />Monte Warden - April 17, online concert<br />Johnny Hickman (Cracker) - April 17, online concert<br />Jeff Tweedy and his family - April 17, online concert<br />Jesse Malin - April 18, online concert<br />Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie) - April 18, online concert<br />Pete Donnelly (The Figgs) - April 18, online concert<br />Jeff Tweedy and his family - April 18, online concert<br />Jeff Tweedy and his family - April 22, online concert<br />David Gedge (The Wedding Present) - April 23, online concert<br />The Discarded - April 23, online concert<br />Frank Turner - April 23, online concert<br />Rhett Miller - April 23, online concert<br />Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie) - April 23, online concert<br />Monte Warden - April 24, online concert<br />Jon Langford - April 24, online concert<br />Dan Heptinsall and Lorna Thomas (Skinny Lister) - April 25, online concert<br />catl - April 25, online concert<br />Jesse Malin - April 25, online concert<br />Ike Reilly & The Holy Family House Band - April 25, online concert<br />Jeff Tweedy and his family - April 25, online concert<br />Steve Nieve, Chris Difford, Elvis Costello and Ajuq - April 26, online concert<br />Carolyn Mark, Jon Langford, Kelly Hogan and Washboard Hank - April 26, online concert<br />Stephen Stanley - April 29, online concert<br />Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie) - April 30, online concert<br />Jon Langford - May 1, online concert<br />Jesse Malin - May 2, online concert<br />Bill Janovitz (Buffalo Tom) - May 2, online concert<br />Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie) - May 2, online concert<br />John Szymanski - May 3, online concert<br />Frank Turner - May 5, online concert<br />Jon Langford - May 5, online concert<br />Ron Hawkins - May 5, online concert<br />Jeff Tweedy and his family - May 5, online concert<br />Bruce Smith - May 6, online concert<br />Frank Turner - May 7, online concert<br />Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie) - May 7, online concert<br />John Doe - May 7, online concert<br />Robbie Fulks - May 7, online concert<br />Ali Barter - May 8, online concert<br />Kobo Town - May 8, online concert<br />Monte Warden - May 8, online concert<br />Jeff Tweedy and his family - May 8, online concert<br />Jesse Malin - May 9, online concert<br />Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie) - May 9, online concert<br />Ike Reilly & The Holy Family House Band - May 9, online concert<br />Jeff Tweedy and his family - May 9, online concert<br />John Szymanski - May 10, online concert<br />Jeff Tweedy and his family - May 11, online concert<br />Rhett Miller - May 12, online concert<br />Jeff Tweedy and his family - May 12, online concert<br />Frank Turner - May 14, online concert<br />Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie) - May 14, online concert<br />Frank Turner - May 15, online concert<br />Monte Warden - May 15, online concert<br />Billy Bragg - May 16, online concert<br />Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie) - May 16, online concert<br />Steve Poltz - May 16, online concert<br />Beans On Toast - May 17, online concert<br />John Szymanski - May 17, online concert<br />Josh Kantor - May 19, online concert<br />Bruce Smith - May 20, online concert<br />Frank Turner - May 21, online concert<br />Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie) - May 21, online concert<br />Jesse Malin - May 23, online concert<br />Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie) - May 23, online concert<br />Jon Langford and John Szymanski - May 25, online concert<br />Jeff Tweedy and his family - May 26, online concert<br />Jesse Dayton - May 27, online concert<br />Josh Kantor - May 28, online concert<br />Frank Turner - May 28, online concert<br />Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie) - May 28, online concert<br />Stephen Stanley - May 28, online concert<br />Dropkick Murphys with Bruce Springsteen and Josh Kantor - May 29, online concert<br />Monte Warden - May 29, online concert<br />Josh Kantor - May 30, online concert<br />Jesse Malin - May 30, online concert<br />Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie) - May 30, online concert<br />Ike Reilly & The Holy Family House Band - May 30, online concert<br />Sally Timms - May 31, online concert<br />The Rizdales - May 31, online concert<br />Stephen Stanley - June 3, online concert<br />Ron Hawkins - June 3, online concert<br />Frank Turner and Jess Guise - June 4, online concert<br />Monte Warden - June 5, online concert<br />The Weeks - June 5, online concert<br />Dean Schlabowske and Jo Walston - June 7, online concert<br />Bruce Smith - June 10, online concert<br />Paul Simon with Edie Brickell, Alejandro Escovedo, Augie Myers and Flaco Jimenez with Los Texmaniacs, Bonnie Raitt with Boz Scaggs, Britt Daniel (Spoon), Charlie Sexton with Doyle Bramhall II, Gary Clark Jr., James Taylor, Lukas Nelson, Jerry Douglas, Jimmie Vaughan & The Tiltawhirl Band, Black Pumas, John Hiatt, Lyle Lovett, Norah Jones, Vince Gill, Willie Nelson, Shawn Colvin and Ryan Bingham - June 10, online concert<br />Frank Turner - June 11, online concert<br />Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie) - June 11, online concert<br />Jesse Malin - June 13, online concert<br />Barenaked Ladies - June 13, online concert<br />Ike Reilly & The Holy Family House Band - June 13, online concert<br />The Beths - June 15, online concert<br />Dean Schlabowske - June 16, online concert<br />Bruce Smith - June 17, online concert<br />Dean Schlabowske - June 17, online concert<br />Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie) - June 18, online concert<br />Dean Schlabowske - June 18, online concert<br />Dean Schlabowske - June 19, online concert<br />Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie) - June 20, online concert<br />Dean Schlabowske - June 20, online concert<br />Dean Schlabowske - June 21, online concert<br />Hayes Carll - June 23, online concert<br />Whitehorse - June 24, online concert<br />Alfie Jackson (The Holloways), Gerry del-Guercio (SixNationState), Billy Bragg, Beans On Toast and Frank Turner - June 25, online concert<br />Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie) - June 27, online concert<br />Ike Reilly & The Holy Family House Band - June 27, online concert<br />Frank Turner and Jess Guise - June 29, online concert<br />Junior and Tanya Rae Brown - June 29, online concert<br />Jeff Tweedy and his family - June 29, online concert<br />Hayes Carll - July 7, online concert<br />Bruce Smith - July 8, online concert<br />Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard - July 10, online concert<br />Wussy - July 10, online concert<br />Monte Warden - July 10, online concert<br />The Weeks - July 10, online concert<br />Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie) - July 11, online concert<br />Ike Reilly & The Holy Family House Band - July 11, online concert<br />John Szymanski - July 12, online concert<br />Bruce Smith - July 15, online concert<br />Monte Warden - July 17, online concert<br />Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie) - July 18, online concert<br />John Szymanski - July 19, online concert<br />Monte Warden - July 19, online concert<br />The Sadies - Sept. 12, online concert<br />Monte Warden - Sept. 18, online concert<br />Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie) - Oct. 3, online concert<br />Ike Reilly - Oct. 3, online concert<br />Beans On Toast with Frank Turner, Jess Guise and other guests - Oct. 4, online concert<br />Junior and Tanya Rae Brown - Oct. 19, online concert<br />Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie) - Oct. 24, online concert<br />Amanda Palmer - Nov. 14, online concert<br />Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie) - Nov. 14, online concert<br />Frank Turner - Nov. 19, online concert<br />Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie) - Nov. 21, online concert<br />Bruce Smith - Nov. 25, online concert<br />Ike Reilly Assassination - Nov. 25, online concert<br />Monte Warden - Nov. 27, online concert<br />Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie) - Nov. 28, online concert<br />The Lowest of the Low - Nov. 28, online concert<br />Hayes Carll and Allison Moorer - Dec. 1, online concert<br />Monte Warden - Dec. 4, online concert<br />Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie) - Dec. 5, online concert<br />Jon Langford with John Szymanski - Dec. 6, online concert<br />Bruce Smith - Dec. 16, online concert<br />Ike Reilly & The Holy Family House Band - Dec. 19, online concert</span><br /></p>Steve McLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03547172774005847386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14053564.post-44538025004828048392020-03-29T22:13:00.000-04:002020-03-29T22:13:01.394-04:00The sights and statues of San Agustin, Colombia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">San Agustin is an unassuming small town in the Andes Mountains of western Colombia, but it’s surrounded by what’s said to be the largest complex of megalithic funerary monuments, statues and structures, burial mounds and terraces in Latin America, some of which are estimated to date back to before 1,000 B.C.<br /><br />They’re most concentrated in an area five kilometres outside of town which since 1931 has been the San Agustin Archaeological Park. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site 64 years later. A bus or taxi can get you there easily and economically, and 50,000 pesos (approximately $17.50 Canadian) gets you a two-day entry passport and a guide to take you around and explain what you’re seeing, although little is known about the various monuments.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />The guide spoke very minimal English, but we had a fully bilingual tour leader from Tucan Travel to translate what he said about the history and mystery of the relics. The guide further entertained our group by playing a pan flute and creating a finger painting of various colours derived entirely from different plants he found as we walked.<br /><br />A trail through a scenic and calming cloud forest leads to the archaeological park’s four main sites, which are clustered and within easy walking distance of each other.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />About 20 earthen mounds within the park boundaries, some measuring as much as 30 metres in diameter, covered large stone tombs of the upper and ruling class members of the long gone society. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Many of these tombs feature statues of gods, supernatural beings and animals including jaguars, crocodiles and bats, all carved from volcanic rock. While much is believed to be still buried, there are approximately 200 known statues within the park. The tallest one excavated so far is about seven metres tall, and many others are more than four metres and weigh several tons.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />The ancient San Agustín sites were abandoned around 1350 AD and rediscovered during the 18th and 19th centuries, which led to people looting and disturbing the monumental tombs. There was little in the way of great riches to be found, aside from an archaeological standpoint, which likely aided in the preservation of the carved and painted stones. Much of the paint has worn away, but it’s still evident on some statues. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />One of the most important and impressive sites of the park is the ceremonial Lavapatas fountain, which is comprised of a set of carved rocks on the bed of the creek that bears the same name and is believed to have been related to cults that worshipped water. The channels that carry water up to three ponds are silhouettes of snakes and lizards. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Aside from the tombs, statues and fountain, the elevated location of part of the archaeological park also provides excellent views of the surrounding countryside and mountains. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />After walking around the park for more than three hours, I spent another 30 minutes visiting a small on-site museum to learn more about the area, its significance and the civilization that created the things in the park, as well as to see tools, urns and other objects related to past inhabitants.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />A taxi took me into town, which like most Colombian cities has a main central square dominated by a church and important public buildings. There wasn’t a lot to see, but I walked around for an hour to check out the architecture and pick up snacks and a bottle of rum at a grocery store. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />I caught another taxi to my lovely accommodations outside of town at the rustic Hostela Anacona, which offered green vistas, bright flowers, tasty food and inexpensive cans of cold Club Colombia Dorada beer.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />There are two other archaeological sites, El Tablon and La Chaquira, not far from the hotel. The former offered more statues to look at, but the longer walk to the second one was a nice, light hike that ends with great views of a Magdalena River valley and waterfalls as well as a few small carvings in large rocks.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />The Magdalena, the most important river in Colombia, crosses the country along 1,500 kilometres from south to north before emptying into the Caribbean Sea. I encountered it a few times during my two weeks in the country.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />The walk back to the hotel provided photo opportunities of vividly coloured plants as well as local people, animals and buildings.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />The next day would present the longest and roughest bus ride of my Colombian trip, but I was prepared for it after this relaxing respite in San Agustin.</span></span>Steve McLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03547172774005847386noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14053564.post-80077728467901520872020-03-15T19:39:00.002-04:002020-03-17T12:17:33.874-04:00Zipaquira, Colombia’s Salt Cathedral<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’d heard of Poland’s Wieliczka Salt Mine cathedral and, as long as travel bans are lifted by the end of June, I plan to visit it as part of a summer trip to Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. (Editor's Note: the European trip has been cancelled due to COVID-19.) </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But until I started researching for the trip to Colombia I took this past December, I was unaware of the Catedral de Sal de Zipaquira.<br /><br />Zipaquira is a city of 130,000 people located just 50 kilometres northeast of the Colombian capital of Bogota, though with the heavy traffic in the metropolis of eight million people it took a couple of hours to get there by van. A tourist train also runs between the two cities.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />While Zipaquira has lovely colonial architecture and has gained local notoriety for its boarding school where Nobel Prize in Literature winner Gabriel Garcia Marquez studied during his teen years (and which is now open to visitors to showcase his time there), it’s best known for the Roman Catholic church built within its tunnels 200 metres underground.<br /><br />While the Salt Cathedral isn’t officially recognized by the Catholic Church as a cathedral because it doesn’t have a bishop, it holds regular services and is a functioning church in addition to being a tourist attraction. <br /><br />Salt had been mined from the site for centuries before more modern techniques were introduced in the 20th century to extract it more efficiently. Work on the original cathedral began in the early 1930s and expanded in 1950. It was officially inaugurated in 1954.<br /><br />However, since the cathedral was carved out of an active mine, structural problems and safety concerns arose that led to it being closed in 1992. Work began on another cathedral by making additions to caves created by previous mining operations, and it was inaugurated in 1995.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Upon entering, after paying a U.S. $17.65 admission fee for a one-hour guided tour in English, visitors can stop at 14 small chapels representing the stations of the cross — which illustrate the events of Jesus’ final journey before he was crucified. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />After reaching the entrance ramp to The Dome, there’s a balcony offering views of a bas relief of a large cross. You then descend further to get a closer look and to see three interconnected naves.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />After taking in the cathedral, the site offers other attractions to lengthen your stay. I watched a 15-minute 3D film about the mine and sat through an eight-minute sound and light show that made me think of a low-budget version of Las Vegas’ Fremont Street Experience. I passed on the virtual reality room and gift shops, but walked by a few small exhibits and through a simulated emerald mine since the mineral is quite prominent in Colombia.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Upon returning to the surface and bright sunlight, visitors can also walk through a small maze, take a short zipline ride or check out the Brine Museum to learn more about the extraction process on the grounds of Salt Park.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span><br />Steve McLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03547172774005847386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14053564.post-21162715396024544532020-01-14T03:08:00.001-05:002020-01-14T03:08:23.030-05:00Marvelous Meteora and Delphi<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’ve been fascinated by the clifftop monasteries that balance precariously in the Meteora region of central Greece since seeing them in the 1981 James Bond film, <i>For Your Eyes Only</i>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My previous time in Greece was spent farther south in Athens and on the islands of Ios and Corfu, so the opportunity last July to travel 230 kilometres southwest from Thessaloniki to this wondrous location next to the town of Kalabaka as part of a journey traversing eight Balkan nations was one I couldn’t pass up.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Twenty-four monasteries were built in this area to serve monks and nuns following the teachings of the Eastern Orthodox Church between the 14th and 16th centuries. Six remain functioning, four sparsely occupied by monks and two by nuns, in what was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />It cost three Euros (approximately $4.50 Canadian) to enter the biggest building of the Monastery of Great Meteoron, the largest and highest of the six. Climbing several flights of stairs is required to get to the top, and visitors can enter a church, a small museum and reproductions of an old kitchen and carpenter shop.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />But it’s the spectacular exterior views that are the main draws of Meteora. I only had a few hours to spend here and the monasteries are spaced widely enough apart that there wasn’t time to visit the others: Varlaam; Rousanou; St. Nicholas Anapausas; St. Stephen; and The Holy Trinity.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />However, even if I couldn’t enter these other structures, which at some point I’d like to have the time to do in the future, there were still vistas to be cherished from a distance from the viewpoints I was able to access. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />The concept of building these beautiful places of worship and contemplation on these steep natural pedestals more than 500 years ago, when ladders and rope pulleys were the only way of accessing and transporting materials to the top, boggles my mind.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />It was time to board a bus again, and while its air conditioning was more comfortable than the 40-degree Celsius heat of Meteora, perspiration would have been a small price to pay for wandering around a place that I wanted to experience more than any other on this trip for several more hours.<br /><br />It was another 230 kilometres to Delphi, much of it on winding roads through mountains, and the lovely views out the window lessened the blow of leaving Meteora. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />We arrived at 7 p.m. in Delphi, and I got fine looks of the mountains from the balcony of my room at Hotel Hermes. There are only two commercial streets in the small town, and I walked them both while checking out menus and taking photos of the surrounding landscape.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />I bought a craft pilsner beer from Elixi Microbrewery, which is named after the town and comes in a unique bottle, and drank it on that balcony before heading out again for dinner. <br /><br />I chose to eat at a small place where I was the only customer, perhaps because it was on the other side of the street from the restaurants offering much better views from their terraces. My meal consisted of a Greek salad, homemade bread, a plate of spaghetti, a large pork souvlaki skewer with green peppers, homemade French fries and a plate of different types of melon. It was more than adequate taste-wise, very filling and a good deal at 10 Euros (approximately $15 Canadian). People-watching on my sidewalk table was free.<br /><br />I took another walk to work off some of the food, had another beer, and was in bed by the relatively early hour of 12:30 a.m.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />While the town is quaint, Delphi is on the radar of tourists because of its historical significance and ancient ruins on the southwestern slope of Mount Parnassus. This is another UNESCO World Heritage Site, which is best known as being home to the Oracle of Delphi — an extremely influential priestess through whom the god Apollo is said to have spoken.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />The archaeological site dates back to the eighth century B.C. and includes the remains of the Temple of Apollo, other temples, treasuries, statues, monuments, a theatre, a gymnasium, a stadium, a hippodrome and other structures.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />The Delphi Archaeological Museum has been built at the site to house a collection of artifacts that have been excavated over the years, beginning in earnest with digs by the French Archaeological School in 1893.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />A guided 2.5-hour morning tour allowed enough time to take everything in before it was time to board the bus for the final stop on this journey: Athens. There was one more photo stop near the base of Mount Parnassus ski area, the largest in the country, before the winding mountain roads started to straighten out as the terrain flattened before Athens came into view in mid-afternoon.<br /><br />If you’d like to get a taste of what several countries in this part of the world is like, I’d recommend <a href="https://www.traveltalktours.com/" target="_blank">TravelTalk</a>’s <a href="https://www.traveltalktours.com/ca/tour/all-about-balkans-19/" target="_blank">All About Balkans</a> tour. The regular price is $2,570, but tours from March through November are now on sale for $1,414.</span></span>Steve McLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03547172774005847386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14053564.post-40513047960427071082020-01-04T19:51:00.000-05:002020-01-04T19:51:47.254-05:00North Macedonia’s Ohrid and Skopje<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I passed through Macedonia on an overnight train in July 1991, a couple of months before its referendum vote to gain independence from the former Yugoslavia. On my most recent visit this past July, five months after the country was officially renamed the Republic of North Macedonia after a lengthy dispute with Greece, I didn’t sleep through most of it.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />After leaving the Albanian capital of Tirana and entering North Macedonia after traversing winding roads through beautiful mountain scenery for two-and-a-half hours, my bus dropped me off at the 74-room Hotel Aura on the shore of Lake Ohrid. While the country is landlocked, the lake — one of the deepest in Europe and with a surface area of 388 square kilometres — provides waterfront views that would be the envy of some nations with ocean ports.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />I walked along the stony beach — which was full of bars, restaurants and hotels, though not all were open — for as far as I could go before turning around and stopping for a casual dinner at Grill and Pizza Boni. A basket of bread, a Macedonian salad (comprised of tomatoes, onions and peppers), a large bacon cheeseburger and French fries set me back 330 denars (approximately eight Canadian dollars).<br /><br />After drinking a couple of beers while catching up with emails and social media in my hotel room, I went for another beach walk. I had one end of it all to myself so I was able to listen to the waves lap up against the shore and admire a very clear night sky full of stars. If I can’t be with someone special, I cherish moments like that by myself where I can appreciate the moment and the environment and how lucky I am to be experiencing them.<br /><br />After a nightcap on the hotel terrace with some newfound friends, I went to bed at 1:30 a.m., anticipating getting up in five hours to experience more of the lake and the city that bears its name.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />The first stop the next morning was the Monastery of Saint Naum, which is located on the lake and has a river running behind it. After 45 minutes of walking around the scenic grounds and admiring the architecture of a site that was first established as a monastery in 905, it was time to board the bus again for the drive into Ohrid.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />The city of more than 40,000 people once was home to 365 churches — one for every day of the year — and was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. It’s also said to be where the Cyrillic alphabet has its origins. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />A local guide, who’s also a professor of tourism management and the environment at the local university, was entertaining and informative as he conducted a walking tour of Ohrid’s hilly old town. Stops included St. Sophia Church and the 13th century Church of St. Jovan at Kaneo, which sits on a point overlooking the lake.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />I continued on my own from there up a trail that partially went through a forest to the hilltop Tsar Samuels Fortress. I climbed on top of its walls to get great views of the lake, the city, the mountains and what remains of the of the fortress that acted as the capital of the First Bulgarian Empire at the turn of the 10th century.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />I walked back down into the old town via a different route and explored churches, an ancient theatre that originally dated back to 200 B.C., and several homes and other buildings that are hundreds of years old. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I ended up on a lengthy all-pedestrian street in the newer part of the city and then turned back to walk along a lakefront promenade before it was time to board a bus to continue my journey. <br /><br />There was more exquisite mountain scenery on the drive to Skopje, which included passing through an Albanian-dominated area where ethnic skirmishes early this century resulted in many deaths and almost led to a war between the two countries. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />We stopped at Matka Canyon and had three-and-a-half hours to spend in one of North Macedonia’s most popular outdoor destinations. A 20-minute boat ride up the Treska River passed by sheer cliffs that rose on both sides as well as more gradually inclined tree-covered areas.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />We disembarked at Vrelo Cave, which some have speculated may be the deepest underwater cave in the world. The public is allowed to visit the most easily accessible parts of the cave, which is full of stalactites and interesting formations, and I spent 15 minutes taking it in before having to return to the boat to cruise back to the starting point.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Having seen things from the water, I hiked a trail along the river, the canyon walls and forested areas for 30 minutes before returning along the same route. That still gave me time for a pint at the riverside restaurant before boarding the bus for a 30-minute ride to the modern, four-star Panoramika Design Hotel in Skopje, the capital and largest city of North Macedonia with about one-quarter of the country’s 2.1 million people.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />A group of people took taxis to the city centre for dinner and drinks at St. Patrick’s Irish Pub (not my choice). A chicken Caesar salad, calf’s liver and boiled potatoes set me back 400 denars (approximately $10 Canadian), while several half-litre mugs of beer cost 120 dinars (approximately three dollars Canadian) each. Four shots of rakia, a fruit brandy popular in the Balkans, also appeared in front of me and were quickly downed.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />The pub was part of a vibrant night-time scene on one side of the Vardar River, which featured impressive government buildings on the other side reachable by bridges adorned with statues. They look more impressive while illuminated at night though, as I found out on a walking tour the next morning, Skopje’s architecture has a lot to offer.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />The tour began at the former train station that was largely destroyed by a 1963 earthquake that killed more than 1,000 people. The earthquake happened at 5:17 a.m. and the clock on the wall of the station, which is now home to the Museum of the City of Skopje, still shows that time to memorialize those who perished in the quake.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />A major rebuilding program began early in the last decade and is still ongoing, although fiscal restraint has stalled or cancelled some projects. There are several statues around the city centre, including one of Mother Teresa, who was born in Skopje. A fortress overlooks the city, as does a large cross on a hill farther out.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />An inclined area in one of the oldest parts of Skopje features its bazaar, a cobblestoned street area of shops, restaurants, bars and a microbrewery that was unfortunately closed that morning. <br /><br />It was time to continue my journey and move on to Greece, but I enjoyed the few days I spent in North Macedonia and recommend it to those looking for a relatively untouristed destination in eastern Europe.<br /><br />If you’d like to get a taste of what several countries in this part of the world is like, I’d recommend <a href="https://www.traveltalktours.com/" target="_blank">TravelTalk</a>’s <a href="https://www.traveltalktours.com/ca/tour/all-about-balkans-19/" target="_blank">All About Balkans</a> tour. The regular price is $2,570, but tours from March through November are now on sale for $1,414.</span></span>Steve McLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03547172774005847386noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14053564.post-79757433811320577182020-01-03T19:35:00.001-05:002020-01-03T19:35:56.090-05:00Visit Kotor, Montenegro before it’s too popular<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Montenegro is an often overlooked country of the eight that comprise southeastern Europe’s Balkan Peninsula and, while I didn’t spent a lot of time there last July, I didn’t need to in order to appreciate its charms.<br /><br />I crossed into Montenegro, a small country of less than a million people that gained its independence from Serbia in 2006, after spending a couple of nights in Trebinje, Bosnia and Herzegovina — about a 30-minute drive from the border. The country’s name translates into “Black Mountain” in English and, while the peaks surrounding us might not have been overly high, they were visually stunning. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Our bus descended and offered beautiful views of the Bay of Kotor (known locally as Boka), which winds its way inland from the Adriatic Sea. The old town of Kotor is walled, not unlike nearby Dubrovnik, Croatia, but is even more compact. And even though two cruise ships were in the port, it hasn’t yet been overrun by tourists or experienced the price hikes of the gorgeous town that gained increased notoriety through its <i>Game of Thrones</i> association.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />A local guide led a 45-minute group walking tour of the old town, talking about its history and showing us some of its more notable structures. To better get my bearings, I walked along the top of the 4.5 kilometres of walls wherever possible, which offered a better perspective and some prime views of the medieval era architecture that has contributed to Kotor being named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Even better vistas could have been had from hiking up a steep hill to the Church of Our Lady of Remedy or even higher to the Castle of St. John, but my time was limited and I had fallen in love with the bay and wanted to get out on the shimmering blue water.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />I paid 15 Euros (approximately $22.50 Canadian) for a 90-minute round trip ride on a speed boat that included two disembarkations. The first was a 30-minute stop in the lovely village of Perast, which has 300 people, beautiful old buildings and overlooks the Verige Strait, the narrowest part of the Bay of Kotor. I snapped several photos in my quick walk along the shoreline before it was time to get back on the boat.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />It took just a couple of minutes to reach the next destination, Our Lady of the Rocks, the only artificial island in the Adriatic that was created hundreds of years ago by sailors through building on top of rocks and sunken ships. A church of the same name, which was renovated in 1722, offered more photo opportunities — as did the nearby St. George, an even smaller island that’s home to a quaint church that can be seen in my current Facebook cover photo.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />The ride back to the Kotor port was exhilarating, where the wind would have been whipping my hair if I had enough for that to happen, while taking in picturesque buildings at the foot of the mountains surrounding the bay.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />With 75 minutes remaining until I had to board a bus to Budva, I walked around parts of the old town I hadn’t earlier and discovered a tiny bar called Hoste that brews its own beer. I wish I could say that the bottle of Smilin’ Goat IPA I had made me smile, but the brewmaster told me that it was made five days earlier and hadn’t yet attained its full character. I can attest.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Budva, a town of 20,000 people on the Adriatic, was a 45-minute drive away. After dropping my bags off at the three-star Hotel Park Budva, I walked a couple of hundred metres to the stony Slovenska Beach, and then passed numerous beach clubs full of partying young people in the 20 minutes it took me to reach the old walled part of the town. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />While I enjoyed my wander, the architecture wasn’t as interesting as in Kotor or Dubrovnik, and it didn’t take long to take in the sights of the town ruled by the Venetians from 1420 to 1797. But it was a hot early July day and I’d worked up a thirst. Luckily, I ran into my friend Ryan, who was equally parched.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />We had a beer in the Old Town Pub and then went just beyond the old town walls to the Akademija Crafthouse brew pub, where we were given three different beers for the price of two on a sunny terrace. My favourite was definitely the Cista Desetka Hefeweizen.<br /><br />After returning to the hotel and having another beer, I had dinner at the beachside and somewhat upscale Restaurant Pivnica, where a good but not great meal of veal soup, spaghetti with seafood and a pint of beer set me back 16.50 Euros (approximately $24.75 Canadian) as musicians walked by serenading my table.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />While the beach was packed with people and sun beds during the day, as the “Budva Riviera” is the centre of Montenegrin tourism, many of the beach clubs were closed at night. But those that were open, as well as other nightclubs set a bit farther back from the water, were pumping out loud Eurodisco dance music that I wanted no part of. <br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was able to find a relatively quiet bar on the beach where I could enjoy a nightcap and reflect on my day. It was number six of the 16 I’d spend in the Balkans and, since I’d visited Dubrovnik years earlier and eliminated this return trip from consideration, I quickly came to the conclusion that Kotor had become my favourite destination of the journey.<br /><br />More people are starting to discover Montenegro, just as they already have Croatia, so </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’d recommend getting there soon</span></span> if any of what I’ve described appeals to you. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />If you’d like to get a taste of several countries in this part of the world, I’d recommend <a href="https://www.traveltalktours.com/" target="_blank">TravelTalk</a>’s <a href="https://www.traveltalktours.com/tour/all-about-balkans-19/" target="_blank">All About Balkans</a> tour. The regular price is $2,570, but tours from March through November are now on sale for $1,414.</span></span>Steve McLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03547172774005847386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14053564.post-12517747877092073812019-12-29T22:05:00.000-05:002020-01-01T08:44:04.939-05:00Steve McLean's favourite music of 2019<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I always try to seek out new music and discover unfamiliar artists, while also catching up with acts I’ve heard before. <br /><br />I listened to a few hundred albums that came out this year. I thought there were several good ones but, for my tastes, not many great ones. However, following an annual tradition, I’ve compiled this list of records that I enjoyed the most in 2019.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">My favourite 10 albums</span></b><br /><b>1. Kitty Kat Fan Club - <i>Dreamy Little You</i></b><br />2. Baby Shakes - <i>Cause A Scene</i><br />3. Daddy Long Legs - <i>Lowdown Ways</i><br />4. The Resonars - <i>No Exit</i><br />5. Tacocat - <i>This Mess Is A Place</i><br />6. Geoff Palmer - <i>Pulling Out All The Stops</i><br />7. Dehd - <i>Water</i><br />8. The Hold Steady - <i>Thrashing Thru The Passion</i><br />9. Vandoliers - <i>Forever</i><br />10. Charlie Faye and the Fayettes - <i>The Whole Shebang</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i> </i><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>The next 10 albums</b></span><br />11. Bleached - <i>Don’t You Think You’ve Had Enough?</i><br />12. Michael Franti and Spearhead - <i>Stay Human Vol. II</i><br />13. Holiday Ghosts - <i>West Bay Playroom</i><br />14. Jason Ringenberg - <i>Stand Tall</i><br />15. Chuck Mead - <i>Close To Home</i><br />16. Redd Kross - <i>Beyond The Door</i><br />17. A Giant Dog - <i>Neon Bible</i><br />18. Pernice Brothers - <i>Spread The Feeling</i><br />19. Stray Cats - <i>40</i><br />20. K-Man & The 45s - <i>Stand With The Youth</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i> </i><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">The next 10 albums after that</span></b><br />21. Raygun Cowboys - <i>Bloodied But Unbroken</i><br />22. The Discarded - <i>Sound Check And Fury</i><br />23. Purple Mountains - <i>Purple Mountains</i><br />24. King Prawn - <i>The Fabulous New Sounds Of …</i><br />25. Screamin’ Rebel Angels - <i>Heel Grinder</i><br />26. 500 Miles To Memphis - <i>Blessed Be The Damned</i><br />27. Graham Parker - <i>Squeezing Out Sparks Solo Acoustic 40th Anniversary</i><br />28. Lowest of the Low - <i>Agitpop</i><br />29. The Planet Smashers - <i>Too Much Information</i><br />30. Bad Religion - <i>Age of Unreason</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i> </i><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>The next 15 albums after that</b></span><br />31. Olivia Jean - <i>Night Owl</i><br />32. The Schizophonics - <i>People In The Sky</i><br />33. The Menzingers - <i>Hello Exile</i><br />34. Mattiel - <i>Satis Factory</i><br />35. Juliana Hatfield - <i>Juliana Hatfield Sings The Police</i><br />36. Shovels and Rope - <i>By Blood</i><br />37. Ex Hex - <i>It’s Real</i><br />38. Chuck Cleaver - <i>Send Aid</i><br />39. Frank Turner - <i>No Man’s Land</i><br />40. Nervus - <i>Tough Crowd</i><br />41. The Tough Shits - <i>Burning In Paradise</i><br />42. Have Gun Will Travel - <i>Strange Chemistry</i><br />43. Foxhall Stacks - <i>The Coming Collapse</i><br />44. David Picco - <i>Out of the Past</i><br />45. David Hasselhoff - <i>Open Your Eyes</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i> </i><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">My favourite EPs</span></b><br /><b>1. Nick Lowe - <i>Love Starvation/Trombone</i></b><br />2. The Hard Toms - <i>Panties Not Included</i><br />3. Sunflower Bean - <i>King of the Dudes</i><br />4. Los Straitjackets - <i>Channel Surfing</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i> </i><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>My favourite compilations, reissues and live albums</b></span><br /><b>1. The Specials - <i>Live at La Bataclan and The Troxy</i> (disc two from the deluxe version of <i>Encore</i>)</b><br />2. Roger C. Reale and Rue Morgue - <i>The Collection</i><br />3. The Beaumonts - <i>This Is Austin</i><br />4. Billy Bragg - <i>Best of Billy Bragg at the BBC 1983-2019</i><br />5. Alex Chilton - <i>From Memphis to New Orleans</i><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>My favourite concerts (chronological order)</b></span><br /><br />I generally try to stick to attending live performances I know I’m going to like. While some don’t live up to expectations, I came home satisfied after these shows:<br /><br />The ARC Sound - Jan. 26, The Artful Dodger, Toronto<br />The ARC Sound - Feb. 23, The Artful Dodger, Toronto<br />The Discarded - March 9, Duggan’s Basement, Toronto<br />The Supersuckers - March 20, Lee’s Palace, Toronto<br />The Interruputers - March 22, Danforth Music Hall, Toronto<br />The Surfrajettes, UIC - March 23, Horseshoe, Toronto</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Hard Toms - April 6, Duggan’s Basement, Toronto<br />Ten Feet Tall - April 11, The Dakota Tavern, Toronto<br />The Hilarious House of Hackenstein - April 19, Horseshoe, Toronto<br />Teenage Head - April 26, Horseshoe, Toronto<br />The Slackers - April 27, Lee’s Palace, Toronto<br />The ARC Sound - May 4, The Artful Dodger, Toronto<br />Television - May 6, The Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto<br />Ferraro - May 11, Cameron House, Toronto<br />Jon Langford with John Szymanski, The Sadies and Burlington Welsh Male Chorus - May 23, Horseshoe, Toronto</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thelonious Hank - Grossman’s Tavern, May 24, Toronto<br />Jon Langford with John Szymanski - May 25, 419 Brunswick, Toronto<br /><a href="http://stevemclean.blogspot.com/2019/05/celebrating-life-of-dave-bookman.html" target="_blank">Dave Bookman memorial with Blue Rodeo, Andy Maize, Andrew Cash, Kate Boothman, The Beaches, Sloan, Ben Kowalewicz with Chris Walla, Tim Mech, Stephen Stanley, Damhnait Doyle, The Inbreds, The Rheostatics, Hayden, Billy Talent, Danny Greaves, , Matt Mays, July Talk, Broken Social Scene, Hollerado, UIC - May 30, Horseshoe, Toronto</a><br />The Jet Screams, The Cliff Divers, The Champions of Justice, Mark Malibu & The Wasagas, Luau or Die - May 31, Cadillac Lounge, Toronto<br />The Specials - June 18, Danforth Music Hall, Toronto<br />Ten Feet Tall - July 18, The Dakota Tavern, Toronto<br />Odds with Steven Page, Moe Berg, Tom Wilson, Chris Murphy, Jay Ferguson - July 19, Horseshoe, Toronto<br />The Dreamboats - July 24, Cameron House, Toronto<br />Zorton & The Cannibals - July 26, Duggan’s Basement, Toronto<br />Mark Malibu & The Wasagas, The Discarded - July 27, Duggan’s Basement, Toronto<br />The Fleshtones - July 28, Horseshoe, Toronto</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Low Cut Connie</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Low Cut Connie - Aug. 6, Horseshoe, Toronto<br />CJ Ramone - Aug. 15, Horseshoe, Toronto<br />New Swears - Aug.16, Monarch Tavern, Toronto<br />Ezra Furman - Sept. 9, Lee’s Palace, Toronto<br />The Quickshifters, Mark Malibu & The Wasagas, The Dreamboats - Sept. 13, Horseshoe, Toronto<br />The Long Ryders - Sept. 14, Horseshoe, Toronto</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Steve McLean with Nick Lowe</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Nick Lowe with Los Straitjackets - Sept.18, Horseshoe, Toronto<br />Pkew Pkew Pkew - Sept. 19, Goose Island Brewhouse, Toronto<br />Waterboys - Sept. 25, Danforth Music Hall, Toronto<br />Ramblin’ Deano and His Enablers - Sept. 28, 419 Brunswick, Toronto<br />Jesse Dayton - Oct. 2, Horseshoe, Toronto<br />Doghouse Rose, Kate Clover, Tiger Army - Oct. 7, Mod Club Theatre, Toronto<br />Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls - Oct. 10, Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Toronto<br />The Hard Toms, The Ad-Ventures, The Members - Oct. 18, The Garrison, Toronto<br />The Sadies - Oct. 26, Lee’s Palace, Toronto<br />Skinny Lister, The Interrupters - Oct. 30, Rebel, Toronto<br />Raygun Cowboys, The Creepshow, The Planet Smashers - Nov. 2, Lee’s Palace, Toronto<br />The Nude Party, White Reaper - Nov. 8, Horseshoe, Toronto<br />The Surfrajettes, Bloodshot Bill - Nov. 9, Horseshoe, Toronto<br />The Painkillers, Ichi-Bons, Champions of Justice, Mark Malibu & The Wasagas - Nov. 16, Baby G, Toronto<br />The Jayhawks - Nov. 20, Horseshoe, Toronto<br />George Westerholm and His Wild Wildcats, The Cliff Divers, UIC - Nov. 22, Duggan’s Basement, Toronto<br />Teenage Head - Nov. 23, Lee’s Palace, Toronto</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgOjjfyThFKEgGLnEPAJ2bvasAGox-Y4o8AX0e97yGOtwe9lHQF9d4mBb9KpvPx8ZjwVYr4EGz73k_Jgp0PuigQMNQfjQ976OqNKmaF5wrX2JCt3OBqZkPxAcPm5nYgc-OCk0D/s1600/Reverend+Horton+Heat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgOjjfyThFKEgGLnEPAJ2bvasAGox-Y4o8AX0e97yGOtwe9lHQF9d4mBb9KpvPx8ZjwVYr4EGz73k_Jgp0PuigQMNQfjQ976OqNKmaF5wrX2JCt3OBqZkPxAcPm5nYgc-OCk0D/s400/Reverend+Horton+Heat.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Reverend Horton Heat</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The 5.6.7.8.s, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Reverend Horton Heat with Dave Alvin - Dec. 3, Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto<br />The ARC Sound - Dec. 21, The Artful Dodger, Toronto</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Minus 5, The Sadies - Dec. 31, Horseshoe, Toronto</span></span>Steve McLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03547172774005847386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14053564.post-69720536333889590472019-11-26T00:08:00.000-05:002019-11-26T00:08:40.825-05:00The best of the 2019 Gourmet Food & Wine Expo<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The downsizing trend of last year’s <a href="https://www.eventbank.com/event/gourmet-food-wine-expo-14235/" target="_blank">Gourmet Food & Wine Expo</a> seemed to continue in this 25th anniversary year of the event at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre from Nov. 21 to 24.<br /><br />However, even though it’s becoming more difficult to find new beverages — especially when it comes to beer — that I haven’t had before, there was enough to keep my palate satisfied and thirst quenched for three days. <br /><br />I largely focused on one beverage type each day, with Friday dedicated to beer, ciders and coolers, Saturday to wine, and Sunday to spirits and cocktails. <br /><br />Here are the highlights:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Beer</b></span><br /><br />Indie Ale House Lemonade Stand includes lactose to add body and smooth out the bitterness of the Meyer lemons in this five-per cent alcohol beer to make it surprisingly mellow in bouquet and easy to drink. It’s probably more appropriate as a summertime brew than it is for November, but I’d have no problems drinking this year-round.<br /><br />Nickel Brook Zap! Sour IPA is made with four malts, Cascade, Centennial and City hops, and California Ale yeast. A fluffy white head sits on top of a cloudy pale gold base. There’s a strong citrus aroma and while the lemony sharpness of a sour beer is evident, there’s still enough hops and a pine finish for IPA fans in this ale that has a 5.5-per cent alcohol content and 28 international bettering units (IBUs).<br /><br />Muskoka Hazed and Confused was originally part of the brewery’s experimental Moonlight Kettle series, but was so popular that it was introduced more widely. This 6.5-per cent alcohol, hazy gold IPA offers a fruity hop aroma and a very juicy citrus flavour that pleases from start to finish.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Here are the other beers I sampled, listed in order of preference:<br /><br />Muskoka Shinnicked Stout (with an apparently new recipe)<br />Nickel Brook Glory and Gold<br />Balderdash Brewing Sneaky Weasel Lager<br />New Standard Original Lager<br />Partake IPA (non-alcoholic beer)<br />Partake Stout (non-alcoholic beer)<br />Partake Ale (non-alcoholic beer)<br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Ciders</b></span><br /><br />Lonetree Dry Cider is a 5.5-per cent alcohol cider made with six different types of apples. It has a low sugar content but still has a degree of well-balanced sweetness to go with a crisp finish.<br /><br />Muskoka Lakes Cliff Jump Cranberry Craft Cider is an off-dry, pinkish cider made in the Canadian cranberry capital of Bala, Ont. Apples and cranberries are well-blended in this 5.6-per cent alcohol cider that offers a tangy, crisp and refreshing taste experience.<br /><br />Here are the other ciders I sampled, listed in order of preference:<br /><br />Duxbury Back 50 Acres Cider Spritzer<br />Liberty Village Extra Dry Cider<br />Duxbury Back 50 Acres Scrumpy<br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Coolers</b></span><br /><br />Crafty Elk Mango and Honey Organic Hard Juice is a 4.5-per cent alcohol vodka beverage from London, Ont. The orange-coloured drink also includes water, cane sugar, carrot concentrate, prickly pear fruit extract, turmeric, goji juice powder, ginger, citric acid and natural flavours. It’s slightly sweet and a lot delicious.<br /><br />Crafty Elk Cranberry, Blueberry and Acai Organic Hard Juice is made with no preservatives or artificial sweeteners and is very berry-forward. This also mixes very well with the Crafty Elk Mango and Honey Organic Hard Juice.<br /><br />Founder’s Original Bourbon Sour isn’t particularly sour, but I wasn’t complaining with this well-balanced and quite citrusy five-per cent alcohol beverage made with bourbon, Seville orange bitters, orange and lemon juice, cane sugar and water.<br /><br />Hey Y’all Southern Style Hard Iced Tea is brewed in Vancouver with black tea. It’s lightly sweetened, non-carbonated and pours dark gold with a five-per cent alcohol content.<br /><br />Here are the other coolers I sampled, listed in order of preference:<br /><br />Hey Y’all Georgia Peach Hard Iced Tea<br />Founder’s Original Tequila Paloma<br />Blue Lobster Lemon Lime Vodka Soda</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Wine</b></span><br /><br />Martin Berdugo Verdejo Rueda is a very fruit-forward, 13-per cent alcohol Spanish wine made with Verdejo grapes. It possesses a rich bouquet with citrus and peach notes and a finish that lingers nicely.<br /><br />Pierre Sparr Grande Reserve Gewurztraminer is a 13.5-per cent alcohol, dry and semi-sweet wine from France’s Alsace region with a rose petal aroma and flavours of lychee, pineapple and grapefruit. <br /><br />Famille Cattin Pinot Gris is a 13.5-per cent alcohol, dry and medium sweet wine from Alsace that’s pale straw in appearance and has apricots and honey in its nose.<br /><br />Ironstone Obsession Symphony is very pale and, while I was warned about its sweetness, it certainly wasn’t cloying. I enjoyed its rich and fruity bouquet, and peach and melon emerged with the strongest flavour profiles in this 12-per cent alcohol wine from California’s Lodi region.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Here are the other wines I sampled, listed in order of preference:<br /><br />Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay <br />Simi Sonoma County Chardonnay <br />J. Lohr Chardonnay <br />Willm Reserve Riesling<br />Gentil Hugel <br />Baron De Ley White <br />Cannonball Chardonnay <br />Pelee Island Bella Sparkling Pinot Noir Rose<br />Vieni Riesling <br />Grand Cru Kessler Pinot Gris Domaines Schlumberger <br />Sterling Chardonnay <br />Josh Rose <br />Lolo Albarino <br />Sprucewood Shores Sweet Select Riesling <br />Vieni Bruce Trail White <br />Josh Sauvignon Blanc <br />In Situ Reserva Chardonnay <br />Josh Chardonnay <br />Lolo Chardonnay <br />Tom of Finland FREEstanding White <br />Beringer Chardonnay <br />Five Stones Sauvignon Blanc Semillon </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Spirits</b></span><br /><br />35 Licor De Pastel De Nata is a 14.5-per cent alcohol Portuguese cream liqueur with a flavour that will remind many of the country’s famous custard tarts. I had it straight up with a dash of cinnamon sprinkled on top and very much enjoyed its sweet flavour that could make it a holiday season favourite.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Vodkow is a unique 40-per cent alcohol vodka from Almonte, Ont. made with lactose, which creates a clean and smooth flavour and a full-bodied mouth feel. It’s made without gluten. I preferred it straight up, as those earlier mentioned characteristics took away some of the ginger spiciness that I enjoy in a Moscow Mule.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Cocktails</b></span><br /><br />The Watermelon Palmer is made with Stolichnaya Vodka, Double Dutch Watermelon Cucumber Tonic and Kiju Organic Lemonade. I’m a sucker for most things with a cucumber aroma and flavour, and this smooth-drinking combo was refreshing and excellent. <br /><br />Winter Mule is made with Noxx and Dunn Rum, Kiju Organic Cherry Pomegranate Juice, Fever-Tree Ginger Beer and cara cara orange. It was sweeter than a Moscow Mule since the ginger beer plays a slightly lesser role, but I still found it refreshing and enjoyable.<br /><br />The Cotton Candy Cosmo is made with Stolichnaya Vodka, Kiju Organic Raspberry Lemonade, cotton candy and lime. I’ve never been much of a cotton candy eater, and I was worried that its inclusion in this cocktail would make it sickeningly sweet. But the raspberry lemonade cut that aspect and it was fun to see a drink turn blue when the liquid was poured over the cotton candy of that colour that was stuffed into my glass. <br /><br />Signal Hill Whisky and Fever-Tree Spiced Orange Ginger Ale impressed me with how well the orange and ginger flavours combined with each other. <br /><br />Refresh is made with Nutrl Vodka, lemon juice, ginger cordial, pear rosewater kombucha and limonene terpene, and garnished with a dehydrated lemon. It was subtly gingery and mildly sweet. <br /><br />Lemon Mojito is made with Noxx and Dunn Rum, Double Dutch Double Lemon lemonade, mint and key lime simple syrup, mint and lemon. It was semi-sweet and quite tasty. <br /><br />The Autumn Sour is made with Willibald Gin, lime and cranberry juice and rosemary syrup. The 43-per cent alcohol gin is made in Ayr, Ont. with corn and aged in oak barrels, giving it a distinctive flavour in this sweet cocktail. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Here are the other cocktails I sampled, listed in order of preference:<br /><br />Margarita made with Tromba Reposado<br />Crystal Head Vodka and Mott’s Clamato Pickled Bean Caesar <br />Crystal Head Vodka and Mott’s Clamato Original Caesar <br />Cool As A Cucumber Margarita made with Tromba Blanco Tequila<br />Cucumber Basil Smash made with Stolichnaya Vodka<br />Bombay Sapphire Gin and Fever-Tree Mediterranean Tonic <br />Regenerate made with Bearface Whisky<br />Pink Gin Fizz made with Hyman’s Sloe Gin</span></span>Steve McLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03547172774005847386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14053564.post-79215042125693981322019-06-26T19:36:00.000-04:002019-06-26T19:36:18.512-04:00Highlights of Cape Town, South Africa<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cape Town has long ranked high among the cities I wanted to spend time in and, after a week exploring it and its environs in early 2019, my judgment was proven to be strong.<br /><br />While a future article will deal with sites and sights within a few hours drive of Cape Town, here I’ll focus on the things I enjoyed most in what’s known within the country as the “Mother City” owing to its status of being South Africa’s oldest.<br /><br /><b>Table Mountain</b><br /><br />I had a free ticket for the CitySightSeeing hop-on, hop-off bus that I took through the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront through the heart of Cape Town. It gave me perspective on distances and an idea of what I wanted to return to later on foot.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />The bus eventually let me off at the base of Cape Town’s most famous landmark: Table Mountain. The lineup to get into the cable car to take you to the top of the mountain took more than an hour before the five-minute ride to the summit, but the cost was included in my package. There are different hiking routes to the top of Table Mountain, and I would have preferred that method of ascension, but unfortunately time didn’t permit it.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />There were great views of Cape Town, the ocean and the surrounding landscape all around the perimeter of Table Mountain. I climbed part of the way down and then back up Platteklip Gorge before continuing my walk for another 1.7 kilometres to the far end of the mountain and Maclear’s Beacon, the highest point on Table Mountain at 1,086 metres. I was alone for much of the walk, which was nice since I hate being around crowds while soaking in nature.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />I spent two hours exploring what I could and got in line to go back down in the cable car at 4:30 p.m. It was a process that took 105 minutes due to all of the people sharing that same goal. I had a 6:30 p.m. dinner reservation, which I obviously wasn’t going to make if I took the hop-on, hop-off bus back into the city. Luckily I met a British couple who agreed to split a taxi with me back to Victoria & Alfred Waterfront.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><b>Karibu Restaurant</b><br /><br />I was late for my reservation, but the restaurant thankfully held a balcony table for me, as this was one of the most interesting meals I had during my more than two weeks in South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Dinner started with a biltong salad, featuring slivers of cured meat with lettuce, plum tomatoes, cucumber, onion, pumpkin seeds and peppers topped with a piquant dressing. That was followed by a side order of potatoes as part of a massive main course meat platter featuring ostrich, warthog, kudu, venison, springbok and impala, washed down with a couple of Windhoek Draughts. I hadn’t eaten most of those animals before, and I was impressed with almost all of them.<br /><br /><b>Robben Island</b><br /><br />Robben Island, located 6.9 kilometres off the coast of Cape Town, was used to isolate political prisoners, criminals and lepers from the late 17th century until its use as a prison came to an end in 1996. It’s most famous for holding former South African president Nelson Mandela for 18 of the 27 years he served behind bars before the fall of apartheid.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />A 30-minute ferry ride from Nelson Mandela Gateway on Cape Town’s waterfront and over somewhat rough seas took us to Murray’s Bay Harbour on the east coast of Robben Island. A short walk took us to buses, from where we could see a variety of sites, before a former inmate took us on a walking tour of the prison.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Our guide told us moving stories of his years as a political prisoner at Robben Island that put a lump to my throat. It’s one thing to visit a historical place, it’s another to be able to chat with someone who has experienced that history.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />It was an emotional 2.5 hours taking everything in before it was time to take the ferry back to the mainland. It’s no surprise that Robben Island has become a very popular attraction, and you’re advised to buy tickets well in advance to ensure you don’t miss the opportunity to take it in.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><b>District Six and Langa Township</b><br /><br />A local guide named Nelson from Camissa Travel & Marketing met me at a restaurant near my accommodations at Burgundy Apartments and drove his van to Cape Town’s District Six neighbourhood, which was once home to 60,000 people and is now barren due to the forcible evacuations of its former residents during the apartheid era in the 1970s. The former multi-ethnic area plays an important part in the history of Cape Town and apartheid, and Nelson effectively related its role. District Six was named a national historic area in 1996.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />We drove on to Langa Township, a 487-hectare suburb of Cape Town that was established in 1927 and is now home to 80,000 people. Langa, which translates from the native Xhosa language into English as “sunshine,” was an area designated for Black Africans even before apartheid and is the oldest such suburb in Cape Town.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />A young Langa resident named Simo took me on a walking tour of the area that included a visit to his ramshackle apartment that he shares with several other people. He told me of life in Langa and how he’s hoping to earn enough money from working as a guide to pursue further education. Simo pointed out local businesses, schools and customs during our walk, which ended at a memorial that was unveiled by the government in 2010 to honour those who lost their lives opposing apartheid. Nearby were apartment buildings with colourful murals covering full walls.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />The visit to Langa ended with a lovely lunch in the home of Akila, a professional chef who quit her job to look after her mother and daughter and now earns money by hosting visitors in her home. She made a large meal that included a garden salad, a Thai pasta salad, butternut squash, chicken stuffed with cheese and spinach, roasted potatoes and, for dessert, a pavlova with strawberries and blueberries. It was as good as anything I ate in high-end restaurants in and around Cape Town.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><b>A walk around Cape Town</b><br /><br />I was able to cover quite a bit of ground (and fit in several beers during two pub visits) during an afternoon walk around the city of approximately 450,000 people that covered: </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the very picturesque Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, the most heavily touristed area of the city, with a variety of shops, craft markets, restaurants and attractions; </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the Canal District;</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Grand Parade and City Hall, which features a life-size statue of Nelson Mandela waving from a balcony;</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">St. George’s Cathedral;</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Houses of Parliament and the neighbouring The Company’s Gardens;</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The South African Jewish Museum and Cape Town Holocaust Centre;</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the Bo-Kaap neighbourhood of brightly coloured houses;</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and Long Street, which features a number of lovely vintage buildings housing a variety of restaurants, bars and stores.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Canal District</b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">City Hall</span></span></b></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Bo-Kaap</b></span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Long Street</b></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <b>World of Birds</b><br /><br />The largest bird park in Africa is in the Cape Town suburb of Camps Bay. It features more than 3,000 birds and small animals of 400 different species over four hectares in more than 100 walk-through aviaries. It wasn’t difficult to spend an hour observing the beautiful birds as they flew and walked around the grounds.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><b>Two Oceans Aquarium</b><br /><br />This aquarium is dedicated more to education than entertainment — with no performing dolphins, seals or whales — and is more aimed at children than adults. I’ve been to bigger and better aquariums, but this one had enough interesting things to hold my attention for an hour.</span></span><br />
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<br />Steve McLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03547172774005847386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14053564.post-89268181748834773662019-05-31T17:12:00.000-04:002019-06-02T12:16:56.084-04:00Celebrating the life of Dave Bookman<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thursday would have been Dave Bookman’s 59th birthday. While he passed on nine days before that, the Horseshoe Tavern hosted a celebration of his life that the singer, songwriter, longtime radio personality and part-time club booker who many knew as “Bookie” would have loved.<br /><br />It was a night of music, recollections, hugs, laughs, tears, friendships renewed and started … and a Toronto Raptors victory over the Golden State Warriors in the first game of the National Basketball Association championship final. <br /><br />While several people quickly banded together to organize the event to pay tribute to a lost friend, everything about the evening had Bookie’s fingerprints all over it.<br /><br />Things started with Horseshoe co-owner Jeff Cohen talking about how much of his career he owed to Bookie, and then he played a recording of The Bookmen (Bookie’s ‘80s band with guitarist Tim Mech) covering Nick Lowe’s “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding.”</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Other speakers came to the podium throughout the evening to speak of the impact Bookie had on them, including: </span></span><br />
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<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">representatives of the Bookman family; </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">broadcaster and former Air Canada Centre public address announcer Andy Frost; </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Pursuit of Happiness founder Moe Berg, who emphasized how important it is to tell people how much they mean to you now before it’s too late; </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">CARAS president and CEO Allan Reid, who said that a May 29 Indie88 12-hour radiothon in honour of Bookie had raised a remarkable $68,000 (a figure that’s still rising) for music education charity MusiCounts, smashing through the initial goal of $10,000; </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Phoenix Concert Theatre partner and booker Zeke Myers; music executive Ryan Shepard; </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Bookie’s former 102.1 The Edge and Indie88 colleagues John Davies, Maie Pauts, Josie Dye and Mike Religa; </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">and Horseshoe institution Willie McDonald.</span></span></li>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />And then there was the music. Event emcee Dave Hodge said it was the greatest collection of musicians to ever take the stage of the legendary 72-year-old venue in one night. And who am I to argue with a man who’s gained legendary status of his own through his long sports broadcasting career.<br /><br />All of the musicians who took part in the celebration had a close connection to Bookie, and they reflected on that while also performing songs.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Blue Rodeo with <span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Andy Maize, Andrew Cash, Chris Murphy and Kate Boothman.</span></span></span></b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />When your opening act is Blue Rodeo, you know you’re doing something right. Jim Cuddy, Greg Keelor and Bazil Donovan took the stage for two songs before inviting Andy Maize, Andrew Cash, Chris Murphy and Kate Boothman on stage to join them in a moving rendition of Bob Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released” that caused the first tears of the night to roll down my cheeks.<br /><br />Skydiggers frontman Maize and singer, songwriter, musician and former (and hopefully future) politician Cash included a cover of Oasis’ “Don’t Look Back In Anger” in their two-song set.<br /><br />That duo was followed by The Beaches, the female quartet that won this year’s Juno Award for breakthrough group of the year, who turned up the rock during their two songs.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sloan</span></span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Sloan’s three-song set was highlighted by “The Good in Everyone,” which I believe was something Bookie always saw.<br /><br />Billy Talent frontman Ben Kowalewicz and former Death Cab For Cutie member Chris Walla just met before they walked on stage to perform Death Cab’s “I Will Follow You Into The Dark.” You wouldn’t have known.<br /><br />Bookie’s former Bookmen bandmate Mech performed a song solo, while Sarah Harmer’s solo two-song set opened with a cover of The Replacements’ “I Will Dare.”<br /><br />Former Lowest of the Low member and now longtime solo artist Stephen Stanley performed a song before he was joined by The Rheostatics’ Dave Bidini on drums, Bazil Donovan on bass and UIC’s Dave Robinson on backing vocals to do “The First Saturday In May” by Midi Ogres, a short-lived mid-‘90s band comprised of Stanley, Bidini, bassist John DesLauriers and Bookie on lead vocals.<br /><br />I’m sure Damhnait’s Doyle a cappella version of Willie Nelson’s “Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain” had eyes of all colours crying with its beauty and power.<br /><br />Chris Murphy played tambourine and sang backing vocals on the first of The Inbreds’ two songs, the second of which was a fine “Any Sense of Time.”</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Rheostatics with Stephen Stanley and Tim Mech.</span></span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />The Rheostatics were joined by Stanley and Mech for two more Midi Ogres songs written by Bookie: “Little Mushroom” and “Huggin’ At My Pillow.”<br /><br />Hayden played a song on his own before being joined by Billy Talent for a rousing rendition of Neil Young’s “Powderfinger.”<br /><br />Danny Greaves, lead singer for The Watchmen, performed a solo a cappella version of Billy Bragg’s “Tender Comrade.”<br /><br />Matt Mays joined July Talk to cover Wilco’s “I’m The Man Who Loves You.”</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Broken Social Scene</span></span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />A smaller than usual version of Broken Social Scene ripped through versions of Dinosaur Jr.’s “Feel the Pain” and “The Wagon” that had me thinking there’s a future as a cover band there if the group ever tires of writing and recording its own songs.<br /><br />Hayden and Billy Talent joined up again to play Wilco’s “Jesus, Etc.” and the night’s second performance of Oasis’ “Don’t Look Back In Anger” (with Maize supplying backing vocals) before they delivered the song that helped launch Billy Talent to stardom, “Try Honesty.”<br /><br />Hollerado was up next and the band invited members of The Beaches and July Talk on stage to join in singing Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’.” Mays picked up his guitar and joined them for Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World.”<br /><br />The night closed off with an electrifying four-song performance from UIC that opened with “Our Garage” and closed with “It’s Alright.”<br /><br />It was five hours of great music and memories, and some of us would have been happy if it had continued even further into the next day. There was a special vibe in the bar that I didn’t want to leave behind.<br /><br />But I also know that as long as the people who organized, took part in and attended Bookie’s celebration — and countless others who would have loved to have been there — are sill among us, we’ll forge on with the kind spirit of the evening.<br /><br />There’s nothing funny about peace, love and understanding. They’re beautiful things. Carry them with you and spread them.</span></span>Steve McLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03547172774005847386noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14053564.post-81817209500217210902019-04-03T23:05:00.000-04:002019-04-03T23:05:21.030-04:00Four Chords And A Gun brings back The Ramones<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fans of The Ramones — and shame on you if you don’t count yourself among them — should get to Toronto’s Fleck Dance Theatre to see <a href="https://www.4chordsplay.com/" target="_blank"><i>Four Chords And A Gun</i></a> before it ends on April 28.<br /><br />I was curious when I first read about the play and was pleased to have been invited to Tuesday’s opening night performance. While not without some flaws — just like the four musicians, producer Phil Spector and girlfriend Linda Danielle who are portrayed in <i>Four Chords And A Gun</i> — they’re more than offset by its rough-edged charms.<br /><br />Most deserving of praise is the script, written by John Ross Bowie, who’s best known for playing Barry Kripke on <i>The Big Bang Theory</i>. The dialogue has a sharp and often humorous edge and is frequently delivered in rapid fashion, just as you’d expect from The Ramones. <br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While <i>Four Chords And A Gun</i> is centred around the tension-filled 1979 Los Angeles recording sessions for the <i>End Of The Century</i> album with Spector, it also gives you insights into the quirky personalities of Joey Ramone (Jeffrey Hyman), Johnny Ramone (John Cummings), Dee Dee Ramone (Douglas Colvin) and Marky Ramone (Marc Bell). </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Their particular traits — Joey’s obsessive compulsive disorder, Johhny’s anger and obsession with control, and the respective heroin and alcohol addictions of Dee Dee and Marky — may be overemphasized somewhat for dramatic effect, but that’s to be expected.<br /><br />Sometimes the acting doesn’t live up to the material despite the impressive pedigrees of those delivering the lines. Justin Goodhand (Joey), Cyrus Lane (Johnny), Paolo Santalucia (Dee Dee) and James Smith (Marky) are all young theatre veterans with long resumes. But perhaps because they’re portraying characters who I started listening to in my early teens and have since read about and watched in videos, I sometimes had difficulty imagining them as the four New York musicians who helped introduce the world to punk rock in 1976 and had such an influence that they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.<br /><br />The same can be said for Ron Pederson (Spector), since I was so familiar with his 1960s hits, “wall of sound” production techniques and ever-increasing erratic behaviour, which culminated with him being imprisoned for the 2003 murder of actress Lana Clarkson.<br /><br />While I knew that Danielle ditched Joey for Johnny, which created a conflict between the two men for the rest of their lives, I didn’t have any preconceived ideas about what she was like. So, for that reason, I might have been most impressed with Vanessa Smythe’s performance despite her having the smallest role in the play.<br /><br />While director Richard Ouzonian has served as artistic director of five major Canadian theatres and as an associate director of the Stratford Festival for four seasons, I’m most familiar with him for being the longtime theatre critic for the <i>Toronto Star</i>. From reading his reviews and articles over the years, I never would have thought of him as a Ramones fan or an appropriate choice to helm <i>Four Chords And A Gun</i>. <br /><br />However, I have no issues with Ouzonian’s staging or pacing. And while the set design was relatively simple, it worked -- especially within the intimate confines of the Fleck Dance Theatre, where I was still within a few metres of the action from my fifth row seat.<br /><br /><i>Four Chords And A Gun</i> concludes with an epilogue involving Marky telling the somewhat tragic tales of what happened to all of the players after <i>End Of The Century</i>. <br /><br />While some Ramones songs are played in the background during the play, it should be emphasized that <i>Four Chords And A Gun</i> isn't a musical and no-one sings their lines. However, after the actors took their bows, the stage was quickly rearranged and four musicians came out to play a set of Ramones covers.<br /><br />It seemed disjointed and the renditions of “Blitzkrieg Bop,” “We’re A Happy Family,” “Rockaway Beach,” “Pinhead,” “Danny Says,” “Sheena Is A Punk Rocker,” “Beat On The Brat” and “I Wanna Be Sedated” weren’t particularly inspiring. <br /><br />This component of the evening could have easily been left off. Or if the desire to keep it is strong enough, it probably would have been more appropriate at the beginning to get people into the spirit of things as they were taking their seats in anticipation of the main event. <br /><br />And instead of the four musicians who played on Tuesday night, I would have gone with The Gabba Heys. The Toronto Ramones tribute band has been playing the club circuit for years and would have delivered more energy and street credibility.<br /><br />I also noticed a couple of timeline incongruities in <i>Four Chords And A Gun</i>. Johnny mentions the death of John Wayne during his first meeting with Spector, which would have taken place before recording began on May 1, 1979. “The Duke” didn’t pass away until June 11 of that year. Johnny also talks about the new Blondie album including rap music, but <i>Autoamerican</i> — which featured Debbie Harry rapping on “Rapture” — wasn’t released until November 1980.<br /><br />Aside from this nitpicking, I enjoyed <i>Four Chords And A Gun</i> and recommend it to anyone with knowledge of, or an interest in, The Ramones.</span></span>Steve McLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03547172774005847386noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14053564.post-62183893839065200672019-03-02T17:04:00.000-05:002019-03-02T17:04:29.804-05:00March roared in like a lion at Toronto Winter Brewfest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The fourth annual <a href="https://brewfest.ca/toronto/" target="_blank">Toronto Winter Brewfest </a>moved east from the Enercare Centre to Evergreen Brick Works, which also hosts the Cask Days festival every fall, and I was invited to check out what was on tap on opening night.<br /><br />With approximately 40 breweries offering almost 100 beverages, there was a lot to choose from. I narrowed my selections to 14 and, while I definitely enjoyed some more than others, I’m pleased to report that I didn’t have a bad beer.<br /><br />I started with a Pixies-themed Here Comes Your Mango IPA from Brew Revolution. The mango flavour wasn’t as strong as the aroma, but it poured with a nice white head and was both robust and crisp. It registers a 52 on the International Bitterness Units (IBU) scale, and it had a pleasant happiness and clean finish, which isn’t always the case with a seven per cent alcohol by volume (ABV) beer.<br /><br />I hadn’t heard of Brew Revolution, and that’s because I learned that the Stittsville, Ont. brewery won’t officially open until April or May. The folks behind the bar were friendly and told me about their plans, and I was enticed to try the two other beers they were offering.<br /><br />The 6.7 per cent ABV, 38 IBU Lemon Daze Lemongrass IPA had a very evident and pleasant lemongrass flavour. I would have liked more body in the five per cent ABV, 39 IBU Smoke On The Porter porter, but it had all of the other elements I look for in a smoky porter.<br /><br />Muskoka Brewery’s Pair of Wise Guys Weizenbock was my favourite beer at <a href="http://stevemclean.blogspot.com/2018/11/the-best-of-2018-gourmet-food-wine-expo.html" target="_blank">November’s Gourmet Food & Wine Expo</a>, and the brewery came through again with my two favourite beers of this festival.<br /><br />Black Raspberry Thunder was created in collaboration with Kawartha Dairy, and the six per cent ABV milkshake IPA looks like what you’d expect from the first two words in the name. It has a powerful bouquet and lovely raspberry and vanilla flavours, while the lactose infusion provides a rich mouth feel. I was happy to find out that it will be canned and served in LCBO and select grocery stores.<br /><br />Like Pair of Wise Guys, Lunar Haze is part of Muskoka’s Moonlight Kettle Series, which spawns a new recipe every month. The 8.5 per cent ABV, 75 IBU double IPA is made with lupulin powder, a purified concentration of all the resin compounds and essential oils that create hop flavours and aromas in a beer. It has an intense, fruit-forward hop flavour and bouquet, without being too bitter, and that high alcohol content is dangerously unnoticeable.<br /><br />Ranking just behind those two beers was my last one of the evening: Side Launch Getaway. The 6.3 per cent ABV, 55 IBU IPA is just available in the brewery’s Collingwood, Ont. tap room at the moment, but I’m hoping it comes to stores at some point. It’s medium-bodied and has a solid, though not overpowering, hop bite that complements a citrus aroma. It’s bright, easy-drinking and has a clean finish.<br /><br />There were also a few booths offering spirits, wines and ciders, and a handful of food vendors provided more solid sustenance. Judging by the way my notes became more scrawled as the night went on, perhaps I should have eaten something. <br /><br />But I go to beer festivals for beer, and these are the other ones I drank, ranked in rough approximation from most to least favourite:<br /><br />Charlevoix Dominus Vobiscum Lupulus Belgian Strong Golden Ale - 10 per cent ABV, 70 IBU<br />The Exchange Brewery New England IPA - Seven per cent ABV, 71 IBU<br />Orleans Brewing Co. Sid’s Vicious Imperial IPA - 9.3 per cent ABV, 110 IBU<br />Prince Eddy’s Dawn Patrol Raspberry Gose - 3.5 per cent ABV, 4 IBU<br />Prince Eddy’s So Many Friends IPA - Five per cent ABV<br />Double Trouble Brewing Co. Hops & Robbers Sucker Punch IPA - 6.5 per cent ABV, 38 IBU<br />A la Fut Matawin Brett Pale Ale - Five per cent ABV<br />Lowertown Big Wood American IPA - 6.9 per cent ABV, 42 IBU</span></span>Steve McLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03547172774005847386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14053564.post-38385626557942500832019-02-15T18:28:00.000-05:002019-02-15T19:45:59.183-05:00Wine tasting around Cape Town<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Dutch aren’t acknowledged to be among the great winemakers of the world, but we have them to thank for the emergence of South Africa as a nation that’s earned respect for its viticulture and quality wines over the past few decades.<br /><br />South Africa’s first grape harvest took place in 1659 on a farm managed by Dutch navigator, surgeon and colonial administrator Jan van Riebeeck near what’s now known as Cape Town. While wine has been made in this region of the country ever since, it wasn’t until the end of Apartheid in the 1990s that the world started paying attention.<br /><br />The Stellenbosch region east of Cape Town is perhaps South Africa’s most internationally recognized winemaking area and produces about 15 per cent of the nation’s wine. Since I was spending a week in Cape Town, it was a no-brainer to spend a day on a <a href="https://gotouchdown.com/" target="_blank">Go Touch Down</a> wine tour starting in Stellenbosch.<br /><br />The first stop was <a href="https://www.skilpadvlei.co.za/" target="_blank">Skilpadvlei</a>, a 78-hectare farm with accommodations, a restaurant, event venues, a gift shop and a children’s play area. After a breakfast of fresh fruit, yogurt, muesli and honey on the restaurant verandah, the wine tasting began at a picnic table around the corner at 8:45 a.m.<br /><br />I’m a much bigger white wine drinker than red, which was the opposite of the three other people on the tour. This meant that I got to have the majority of the white for the rest of the day, since they just took a small sip and poured the rest into my glass.<br /><br />Skilpadvlei has been in the Joubert family since 1917, and it’s been making wine for four generations. We sampled six bottles: three reds, two whites and a rose. My favourite was the 2018 Chenin Blanc, a mildly sweet wine with a hint of green apple in the flavour. I liked it so much I bought a bottle for 60 rand ($6).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />We got back in the van and drove 10 minutes down the road to <a href="https://neethlingshof.co.za/" target="_blank">Neethlingshof Wine Estate</a>, where wine has been made since 1692. A kilometre-long avenue of pines leads to the large property, which features an impressive manor house and other old buildings, and is flanked by the Bottelary Hills and Papegaaiberg Mountains.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Neethlingshof features a restaurant, tasting centre, event space and a store. Our server was excellent in explaining the history of the estate, the stories behind the wines and the flavour profiles of each of the three whites, one red and one dessert wine I sampled. My favourite was The Jackal’s Dance 2018 Sauvignon Blanc, a rich and full-bodied young wine with a tropical fruit aftertaste.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Franschhoek is another popular wine region in the area, so our next stop took us there and the 19-hectare <a href="http://www.grandeprovence.co.za/" target="_blank">Grande Provence Heritage Wine Estate</a>, which dates back to 1694. This is another impressive property, which includes accommodations, a restaurant and bistro, a tasting room, event spaces, an art gallery, a sculpture garden and a very small cheetah reserve.<br /><br />After sampling two whites, a rose and a Zinfandel, I was most satisfied with the very fruity aroma and flavour of the 2017 rose. I was even more pleased, however, with my lovely open-air, three-course lunch comprised of: a starter of cured beef, mustard, Boland cheddar, shallots and mushrooms; a main of duck leg confit, sweet potato dumplings, sultana and Chinese cabbage, served with an apple chutney; and a desert of chocolate fondant, peanut butter ice cream and apricot.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />With a full belly, it was back in the van to drive to the touristy food and wine town of Franschhoek. I had an hour of free time and spent it walking around, looking at the Huguenot Monument and then sitting down to sample five beers at <a href="https://www.leeucollection.com/SA/dine/tuk-tuk-microbrewery" target="_blank">Tuk Tuk Microbrewery</a>. I wasn’t particularly impressed with any of them, with the golden ale and pale ale being the best of the lot.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />I enjoyed the countryside scenery on the way back to Cape Town and the final stop of the tour, a lovely multi-space restaurant called <a href="https://www.blanko.co.za/" target="_blank">Blanko</a> that’s part of the Alphen Estate in Constantia. The former farm has been converted to a high-end property with a boutique hotel and restaurant.<br /><br />Still full from the large lunch, I ordered a local fish called kingklip that was topped with orange, herbs and pink peppercorns and served with saffron rice. I ate so well during my time in Cape Town and its surroundings that, while there was nothing wrong with the food, it may have been my least favourite meal. At least the glass of Brampton Sauvignon Blanc I had with it was very good.<br /><br />While I didn’t partake in tastings at them, I had two other dinners at wineries. The first was at <a href="https://nitida.co.za/cassia-restaurant/" target="_blank">Cassia Restaurant</a>, which is part of Nitida Wine Farm in the Durbanville Wine Valley. I enjoyed a mildly spicy soup with beef, sausage and vegetables, followed by a swordfish steak and roast potatoes, and accompanied by Nitida’s excellent 2018 Riesling.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />The other dinner was at <a href="https://www.durbanvillehills.co.za/" target="_blank">Durbanville Hills</a>, where the restaurant terrace provided great sunset views of Table Mountain and Table Bay. Duck spring rolls followed by a sirloin steak hit the spot pretty much perfectly. In South Africa you’re allowed to buy a bottle of wine with a meal and take it with you if you don’t finish it, so I purchased a bottle of dry but effervescent Durbanville Hills Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc (which had notes of citrus and tropical fruit) for 85 rand ($8.50) and drank what I didn’t have there when I returned to my condominium.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I bought a few other bottles of cheap and cheerful Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc during my time in South Africa. They were certainly drinkable, if not exceptional, and I have no issue with paying 50 rand ($5) for a bottle of wine to accompany some quiet reading and writing.</span></span>Steve McLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03547172774005847386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14053564.post-31962273338604047332019-02-14T13:55:00.000-05:002019-02-15T15:41:32.560-05:00Kicking off 2019 at Victoria Falls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The five cascades of Africa’s Victoria Falls extend for 1.7 kilometres, combining to create one of the largest waterfalls in the world.<br /><br />I’d <a href="http://stevemclean.blogspot.com/2019/02/new-years-eve-at-victoria-falls.html" target="_blank">viewed the falls from Zambia</a>, where 25 per cent of them can be observed, on Dec. 31. To kick off the new year, I crossed the border to Zimbabwe to see the rest.<br /><br />A free shuttle from my base at <a href="https://backpackzambia.com/" target="_blank">Jollyboys Backpackers</a> took me 10 kilometres and dropped me off where I’d began the previous day’s treks. On this day, I went through immigration, walked down a road, crossed the Victoria Falls Bridge, and continued to walk until reaching the Zimbabwean immigration office.<br /><br />After being processed and a few more minutes of walking, I arrived at the entrance to Victoria Falls National Park and paid the U.S.$30 international visitor entrance fee.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A path takes visitors through a rain forest with clearances leading to 16 observation points to watch the water of the lazily meandering Zambezi River come splashing down. The first falls you’ll see belong to The Devil’s Cataract, the lowest falls at 70 metres in height, and you can climb down stairs into a gorge for a closer view.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Next up is the 93-metre-high Main Falls, the largest of them all with a peak water flow of 700,000 cubic metres per minute. Even with river levels at a relatively low level during my visit, the mist produced by the water and wind felt like a steady rain. With the water at its highest, it’s apparently next to impossible to see the falls due to all of the accompanying spray.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Moving farther along puts you across from Livingstone Island, where guides take visitors for tours when water levels are low enough. Those feeling particularly daring can use this as their jump-off point to take a dip in Devils Pool.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />This deep natural pool has been created by thousands of years of erosion. A rock ledge on the lip of the falls, where the water is very shallow, forms a natural barrier and enables people to peer over the precipice without being swept over the edge. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />The 95-metre Horseshoe Falls, the section with the lowest water flow, is next. It’s followed by Rainbow Falls, the highest point, with a 108-metre vertical drop.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />The last falls you’ll view is the 101-metre Eastern Cataract, which is located completely in Zambia. While the other viewpoints have flimsy wooden fences acting as barriers, when you reach the end of the line here at what’s known as Danger Point, you can climb on the rocks to the edge of the cliff. This spot also provides good vistas of Boiling Pot and the Victoria Falls Bridge.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />I spent three hours in the national park before returning the way I came. On the way back, however, I stopped at the bridge to watch people zipline across the gorge and bungee jump off of the bridge. I’d like to say that the U.S.$160 cost to bungee was the only reason I didn’t do it, but that would be a lie.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />I walked back into Zambia and paid 80 kwacha (U.S.$7.70) for a cab back to Jollyboys, where I spent an hour relaxing in the (not so) hot tub with a couple of beers before it was time to head out again.<br /><br />I’d paid U.S.$65 to see the Zambezi from a different perspective, and a bus took a group of us to another part of Livingstone where we boarded a boat for a sunset cruise that included all the food you could eat and all the alcohol you could drink.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />The sunset wasn’t particularly inspiring, the scenery along the riverbank wasn’t that interesting, and I didn’t see as much wildlife as I’d hoped to. There were several different kinds of birds, two crocodiles and multiple hippos, though only fleetingly when they’d raise their heads out of the river.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />On the plus side, I was well fed on chicken wings, sausage rolls, mini pizzas, barbecued chicken and sausage, cole slaw and a bun. <br /><br />I drank 12 ounces of cane spirit (similar to white rum) with cola and, when that ran out, four ounces of gin with tonic. I was the bartender’s favourite customer so, after we docked after two hours on the river, he gave me a beer even though he was supposed to stop serving so I’d have something to drink on the bus ride back to the hostel.<br /><br />There were people hanging out at the Jollyboys courtyard bar, so conversations and beers flowed until bedtime.<br /><br />I flew out of Zambia and returned to South Africa the next day. With flights, accommodations, activities, visas, food and drinks included, my 48 hours in Livingstone and visiting Victoria Falls cost me about $700. I’m a thrifty guy and that’s more than I’d normally spend, but it was a once in a lifetime experience and the memories from seeing my third of the seven natural wonders of the world in 14 months will be worth more than the money when I look back on it years from now.</span></span>Steve McLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03547172774005847386noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14053564.post-41528636364960056132019-02-10T18:16:00.000-05:002019-02-15T15:40:59.576-05:00New Year’s Eve at Victoria Falls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Waterfalls have always enthralled me, and the bigger the better.<br /><br />I’ve lived within a three-hour drive of Niagara Falls, which separates Canada and the United States, all of my life. In the fall of 2017 I had the pleasure of seeing Iguazu Falls from both the <a href="http://stevemclean.blogspot.com/2017/11/iguazu-falls-from-brazilian-side.html" target="_blank">Brazilian</a> and <a href="http://stevemclean.blogspot.com/2017/11/iguazu-falls-from-argentinian-side.html" target="_blank">Argentinean</a> sides. The last piece in my trifecta of visiting huge waterfalls dividing nations fell into place recently when I viewed Victoria Falls from Zambian and Zimbabwean soil.<br /><br />It’s a less than two-hour flight from Johannesburg, South Africa to Livingstone, the nearest Zambian city to Victoria Falls. I’d purchased a Kaza entry visa, which granted me entry into both Zambia and Zimbabwe, online for U.S.$50.55 before my arrival at Harry Mwanga Nuumbula International Airport. Other travellers didn’t have that foresight, unfortunately, so I still had to wait in line quite a while to be processed while they purchased their visas.<br /><br />Named after David Livingstone, the Scottish explorer and missionary who was the first white man to explore the area in 1855, the city of approximately 140,000 people doesn’t offer a lot to visitors beyond its role as a gateway. So after getting a ride from the airport into town and checking in to my private room at the charming <a href="https://backpackzambia.com/" target="_blank">Jollyboys Backpackers</a> at 2 p.m., I immediately caught a cab for the 10-kilometre ride to Victoria Falls.<br /><br />The driver agreed to a U.S.$16 round-trip price and would pick me up when Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park closed three hours later. The entry fee to the park was U.S.$20, a small price to pay to view one of the seven natural wonders of the world.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mosi-oa-Tunya translates from the Lozi language into English as “The Smoke Which Thunders.” When high water season hits in March and April after heavy rains, that name would certainly make sense due to the thick mists and crashing sounds that can be heard from several kilometres away. But even during my visit at the end of December, when the Zambezi River was still moving pretty slowly a month after the dry season ended, the views of the 1,700-metre long falls were still spectacular.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I wanted to build up to that, however, by first walking down the steep Palm Grove Trail through a rain forest to Boiling Pot, where a small waterfall flows into the Zambezi. It offers good views of a gorge and Victoria Falls Bridge, and some folks opted to climb on to rocks in the falls to cool off. But, knowing I had a timeline to adhere to and the main event still to come, I climbed back up, making it a 30-minute round trip.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />The Knife Edge Island Trail takes you along a ledge, and across a footbridge over a gorge, to face the eastern cataract. This included Armchair Falls, a natural depression on the lip of the falls where those braver than me immersed themselves in the water. The trail ends with a view of Rainbow Falls and the first gorge’s exit to Boiling Pot in the second gorge.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />The third, and least busy, walking option was what I found to be the ironically named Photographic Trail. The views of the falls aren’t as good, or available at all, on this path. About one-third of the way along, I found myself alone amidst a couple of dozen baboons — including some large dominant males. Since I’d had unpleasant experiences with primates in India, I became a bit nervous and turned back.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My driver was true to his word and was there to take me back into town, which has one main commercial street that’s also part of the T1 highway that takes you to the capital city of Lusaka.<br /><br />It was time for dinner and a restaurant called Na Lelo served me a delicious half a piri piri chicken, French fries and two bottles of Zambia’s quite decent national beer, Mosi, for 84 kwacha (U.S.$7). </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jollyboy's is located just off the main street and, after returning and ordering a beer at its outdoor bar, three women invited me to sit at a table with them. It wasn’t long before they invited me to a nearby club called Limpo’s to celebrate New Year’s Eve with them. Four other women, and two men, also joined us.<br /><br />My new friends knew people at the door and we were let in without paying a cover charge. We started at an inside bar where a band was playing a mix of reggae, top 40 hits and local music, including an instrumental reggae version of Europe’s “The Final Countdown” which almost gave me an unironic appreciation of the song.<br /><br />When the band took a break we went to a semi-open-air club with a DJ that was part of the same complex. A bottle of Mosi was just 10 kwacha (U.S.80 cents) and they went down easily in the 30-degree night-time heat.<br /><br />Zambia is a former British colony previously known as Northern Rhodesia before it gained independence in 1964. Most of the white residents left the country at that time and the population was comprised of 98.2 per cent Black Africans in the 2010 census. <br /><br />So perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised that I was the only white man in a club with 1,000 people, and apparently earned novelty status from it. People bought me beers, asked me to pose in photos with them, and a few women offered more intimate proposals.<br /><br />The stroke of midnight was celebrated with fireworks — not carefully set off by professional technicians providing a show, but by dozens of people who brought their own to the club and set them off freely. <br /><br />This lasted for quite a while and, with the noise and smoke from the fireworks combined with the loud dance music blasting from the speakers, I'd had enough and felt no guilt in calling it an early night and leaving with a Rasta named Eric to accompany a young Korean woman named Uri back to Jollyboy's because it probably wasn’t safe for her to walk alone.<br /><br />I was in bed by 1:30 a.m., the earliest that had happened on New Year’s Eve that I can remember since I was a kid — aside from 2012 when I returned home from Mexico and most of my body broke out into hives and I spent the night hooked up to an intravenous tube in a hospital bed. But that’s a story for another time.</span></span>Steve McLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03547172774005847386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14053564.post-3426811614985402452018-12-26T21:39:00.000-05:002018-12-26T21:39:20.991-05:00Eight hours at the Grand Canyon’s south rim<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Grand Canyon has been named one of the seven natural wonders of the world and, while I enjoyed the views at Bryce Canyon more, walking around and into this massive gorge carved out by the Colorado River was still incredible.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I began my visit at Desert View, which is the highest point on the south rim and provides a good look at the river. There’s a watchtower with Aboriginal decor that was built early in the 20th century that offered some different focal perspectives.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">From there it was on to Mather Point, which was quite crowded because of its close proximity to the visitor centre. I walked west along the Rim Trail to Yavapai Point and then got off the trail and climbed out on to a rock overhanging the canyon to try and get a few more dramatic photos. It was probably stupid, since I learned later that a young man plunged to his death near Mather Point doing something similar that same afternoon, and it was the only time I did that while at the canyon. So kids, let this be a lesson to you: Stay on marked trails.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After dropping off my luggage in my room at Yavapai Lodge, three friends joined me on a free shuttle bus to Bright Angel Trailhead, which takes you down more than 1,300 metres to the canyon floor. It’s a two-day journey if you plan to hike the 30.6-kilometre round trip to the Bright Angel Campground and back, and I only had an afternoon and early evening to spare, so we ventured about two kilometres down before returning.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />We passed through the upper and lower tunnels and stopped short of the first resthouse. With breaks to take photos of the stunning vistas, it took 40 minutes to hike down and 25 to get back up.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The next goal was to walk to Hopi Point to see the sunset, and the 3.2-kilometre route along the Rim Trail took us past Trailview Overlook, Maricopa Point and Powell Point. The rocks seemed to change colour as the sun dropped before it went down for good at 8:49 p.m.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The immensity of the canyon (446 kilometres long and an average of 16 kilometres wide) is jaw-dropping, considering the part I could see only comprised a small part of it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The shuttle bus returned us to where we had picked it up earlier in the day, and a restaurant near the lodge served me a salad, garlic bread and a heaping portion of penne with meat sauce along with a pint of very good locally brewed wheat beer for $21.95. It was a clear night, which made for some great star-watching considering the relative remoteness of the area.</span>Steve McLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03547172774005847386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14053564.post-39326729364410143162018-12-23T16:59:00.000-05:002018-12-23T17:07:08.039-05:00Steve McLean's favourite music of 2018<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I thought a lot of good albums came out this year but, for my tastes, not many great ones. However, I’ve compiled this list of those albums that made the cut and I considered good.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">My favourite 10 albums</span></b><br /><br /><b>1. The Interrupters - <i>Fight The Good Fight</i></b><br />2. Dan P and The Bricks - <i>When We Were Fearless</i><br />3. The Longshot - <i>Love Is For Losers</i><br />4. Bodega - <i>Endless Scroll</i><br />5. The Whips - <i>City Wide Special</i><br />6. Reel Big Fish - <i>Life Sucks … Let’s Dance</i><br />7. The Nude Party - <i>The Nude Party</i><br />8. Hicksville Bombers - <i>Danger Road</i><br />9. Shannon and The Clams - <i>Onion</i><br />10. Mark Sultan - <i>Let Me Out</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i> </i><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The next 10 albums</b></span><br /><br />11. Ike Reilly - <i>Crooked Love</i><br />12. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - <i>Hope Downs</i><br />13. Subsonic - <i>Flesh Colored Paint</i><br />14. Old 97s - <i>Love The Holidays</i><br />15. Jeen - <i>Gift Shop</i><br />16. Superchunk - <i>What A Time To Be Alive</i><br />17. 6 String Drag - <i>Top Of The World</i><br />18. Barrence Whitfield and The Savages - <i>Soul Flowers Of Titan</i><br />19. Brian Fallon - <i>Sleepwalkers</i><br />20. The Mountain Flowers - <i>Bye And Bye</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i> </i><b><span style="font-size: large;">The next 10 albums after that</span></b><br /><br />21. Pete Astor - <i>One For The Ghost</i><br />22. J.D. McPherson - <i>Socks</i><br />23. The Mavericks - <i>Hey! Merry Christmas!</i><br />24. Table Scraps - <i>Autonomy</i><br />25. Frank Turner - <i>Be More Kind</i><br />26. The Reverend Horton Heat - <i>Whole New Life</i><br />27. Sunflower Bean - <i>Twentytwo In Blue</i><br />28. Bad Sports - <i>Constant Stimulation</i><br />29. Born Ruffians - <i>Uncle, Duke And The Chief</i><br />30. The Mercenaries - <i>Mark My Territory</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i> </i></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPQVReSfQRE2iDdSvs9MrPcHWg653s8CscanObXSB5N5vRf9VaGRQi-BQ_X-rUx5WSsH-gJJ65Dpn5hUBZGeCbLdL9wzdKOLZJx544ZV7Wz43DMQevlmIGYk3TIhnIztse4984/s1600/Unlikely+Friends.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPQVReSfQRE2iDdSvs9MrPcHWg653s8CscanObXSB5N5vRf9VaGRQi-BQ_X-rUx5WSsH-gJJ65Dpn5hUBZGeCbLdL9wzdKOLZJx544ZV7Wz43DMQevlmIGYk3TIhnIztse4984/s400/Unlikely+Friends.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The next 11 albums after that</b></span><br /><br />31. Unlikely Friends - <i>Crooked Numbers</i><br />32. The Essex Green - <i>Hardly Electronic</i><br />33. Sloan - <i>12</i><br />34. Ethers - <i>Ethers</i><br />35. Black Uhuru - <i>As The World Turns</i><br />36. The Discarded - <i>Manifesto</i><br />37. Low Cut Connie - <i>Dirty Pictures (Part 2)</i><br />38. Sarah Shook and The Disarmers - <i>Years</i><br />39. Jim James - <i>Uniform Distortion</i><br />40. The James Hunter Six - <i>Whatever It Takes</i><br />41. Miesha and The Spanks - <i>Girls Girls Girls</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i> </i><span style="font-size: large;"><b>My favourite EPs</b></span><br /><br /><b>1. The Pandoras - <i>Hey! It’s The Pandoras</i></b><br />2. The Beths - <i>Warm Blood</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i> </i><b><span style="font-size: large;">My favourite compilations, reissues and live albums</span></b><br /><br /><b>1. Joe Strummer - <i>001</i></b><br />2. R.E.M. - <i>At The BBC</i><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>My favourite concerts <span style="font-size: small;">(chronological order)</span></b></span><br /><br />I generally try to stick to live performances I know I’m going to like. While some don’t live up to expectations, I came home satisfied after these shows:<br /><br />The Holy Gasp - Jan. 14, Horseshoe, Toronto<br />Frankie Foo and the Yo-Yo Smugglers - Jan. 26, Grossman’s Tavern, Toronto<br />Frankie Foo and the Yo-Yo Smugglers - Feb. 2, Lee’s Palace, Toronto<br />Memberz, Mob Barley & The Railers - Feb. 9, Lee’s Palace, Toronto<br />Ferraro - Feb. 23, The Cameron House, Toronto<br />Dwayne Gretzky - Feb. 23, Horseshoe, Toronto<br />The Discarded - Feb. 24, Duggan’s Underground, Toronto<br />Bloodshot Bill & The Hiccups - Feb. 24, Monarch Tavern, Toronto<br />The Real McKenzies - March 9, Horseshoe, Toronto</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC3qPlYV48VTFcbkpk5Mfwvs_IXI7qk9LBOp6k9FkQYR8P9l73w6ehQkKQsivXPPKrVuo3o3teH9MT6iqtykstxcoD6c5BQaEmSzP2z1R1s_1-86D8VLYegoZxrYQrxUwWP_M4/s1600/Real+McKenzies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC3qPlYV48VTFcbkpk5Mfwvs_IXI7qk9LBOp6k9FkQYR8P9l73w6ehQkKQsivXPPKrVuo3o3teH9MT6iqtykstxcoD6c5BQaEmSzP2z1R1s_1-86D8VLYegoZxrYQrxUwWP_M4/s400/Real+McKenzies.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sam Cash - March 14, The Cameron House, Toronto<br />The ARC Sound - March 17, Trinity Common, Toronto<br />George Westerholm, Luau or Die, The King Beez, Senores Calavera, The Cliff Divers - April 5, Cadillac Lounge, Toronto<br />The Slackers - April 6, Horseshoe, Toronto<br />The Harmonauts, The Slackers - April 7, Horseshoe, Toronto<br />KMan and The Radicals, Mustard Plug, The Planet Smashers - April 20, Horseshoe, Toronto<br />Stuart Joliffe memorial with Stuart Cameron, Tom Wilson, Ron Hawkins, Kim Stockwood, The Trews, Leah Fay and Peter Dreimanis from July Talk, Matt Mays, The ARC Sound - April 22, Horseshoe, Toronto<br />The Cactus Blossoms - April 26, Horseshoe, Toronto<br />The Rizdales and guests - April 28, Cadillac Lounge, Toronto<br />The ARC Sound - April 28, The Artful Dodger, Toronto<br />Dream Wife, Sunflower Bean - May 5, Horseshoe, Toronto<br /><a href="https://stevemclean.blogspot.com/2018/05/the-best-of-2018s-canadian-music-week.html" target="_blank">Mad Caddies - May 8, Mod Club, Toronto</a></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3gX3iz9bg3f3HCHmg3pJ6ullX9oG87j5SwUX8LUyRRauEefyMLBfOSNsvk9fo4SfH1hS_xXIFCVBFlakmmFwx_HAIfwpXBAACvPrgNxGXazXRY3l5_mLjryvhIpWArF-07hDD/s1600/Mad+Caddies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3gX3iz9bg3f3HCHmg3pJ6ullX9oG87j5SwUX8LUyRRauEefyMLBfOSNsvk9fo4SfH1hS_xXIFCVBFlakmmFwx_HAIfwpXBAACvPrgNxGXazXRY3l5_mLjryvhIpWArF-07hDD/s400/Mad+Caddies.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Peeling - May 8, The Baby G, Toronto<br /><a href="https://stevemclean.blogspot.com/2018/05/the-best-of-2018s-canadian-music-week.html" target="_blank">Thomas Thomas - May 9, The Cavern Bar, Toronto</a><br /><a href="https://stevemclean.blogspot.com/2018/05/the-best-of-2018s-canadian-music-week.html" target="_blank">Brett Newski - May 10, The Cameron House, Toronto</a><br /><a href="https://stevemclean.blogspot.com/2018/05/the-best-of-2018s-canadian-music-week.html" target="_blank">July Talk, Omni - May 10, Horseshoe, Toronto</a><br /><a href="https://stevemclean.blogspot.com/2018/05/the-best-of-2018s-canadian-music-week.html" target="_blank">Pony, Pkew Pkew Pkew, The Dreamboats - May 11, Horseshoe, Toronto</a><br /><a href="https://stevemclean.blogspot.com/2018/05/the-best-of-2018s-canadian-music-week.html" target="_blank">AntiSocial Surf Club, Miesha & The Spanks, Starcrawler - May 11, Bovine Sex Club, Toronto</a><br /><a href="https://stevemclean.blogspot.com/2018/05/the-best-of-2018s-canadian-music-week.html" target="_blank">Ferraro - May 11, The Cameron House</a><br /><a href="https://stevemclean.blogspot.com/2018/05/the-best-of-2018s-canadian-music-week.html" target="_blank">Starcrawler, Sloan - May 12, Yonge-Dundas Square, Toronto</a><br />Northern Pikes - May 12, Horseshoe, Toronto<br />Hinds - May 13, Horseshoe, Toronto<br />Skating Polly, Charly Bliss - May 19, Horseshoe, Toronto<br />Atomic Beliveaus, The Calrizians, Luau or Die, The Cliff Divers, Mark Malibu and The Wasagas - June 1, Cadillac Lounge, Toronto<br />The Royal Crowns - June 2, Dundas West Fest, Toronto<br />The Hard Toms - June 2, Duggan’s Underground, Toronto<br />The Mighty Swells, The Surfrajettes, Reverb Syndicate, Tsunamibots - June 2, Cadillac Lounge, Toronto<br />Street Dogs - June 10, Horseshoe, Toronto<br />Danielle Duval, Ferraro, Hutch - July 20, Horseshoe, Toronto<br />The Arsenals - July 21, Woodbine Park, Toronto</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Arsenals</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Discarded - July 28, Lazy Daisy Cafe, Toronto<br />Ferraro, C+C Surf Factory - Aug. 16, The Cameron House, Toronto<br />The ARC Sound - Aug. 17, 419 Brunswick, Toronto<br />Sarah Shook and The Disarmers - Aug. 25, Horseshoe, Toronto<br />Frankie Foo and the Yo-Yo Smugglers – Aug. 31, Grossman’s Tavern, Toronto<br />TUNS – Aug. 31, Horseshoe, Toronto<br />The Nude Party, Craig Brown Band – Sept. 7, Horseshoe, Toronto<br />The Black Pearls - Sept. 7, Cameron House, Toronto<br />The Greasemarks, The Surfrajettes, The Dreamboats - Sept. 8, Horseshoe, Toronto<br />Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - Sept. 11, Horseshoe, Toronto<br />Ramblin’ Deano – Sept. 13, 419 Brunswick, Toronto<br />The Hold Steady - Sept. 15, Horseshoe, Toronto<br />U.I.C., MC50 - Sept. 19, The Danforth Music Hall, Toronto</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sam Coffey and The Iron Lungs, Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls - Sept. 20, The Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto<br />Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls - Sept. 21, The Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto<br />The Hard Toms, Mark Malibu and The Wasagas – Oct. 12, The Linsmore Tavern, Toronto<br />Sarah Borges with Eric Ambel, The Bottle Rockets – Oct. 14, Lee’s Palace, Toronto<br />Public Image Limited - Oct. 19, Lee’s Palace, Toronto<br />Jeen - Nov. 1, Horseshoe, Toronto</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">They Might Be Giants</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">They Might Be Giants – Nov. 2, The Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto<br />The Black Pearls – Nov. 2, Cameron House, Toronto<br />The ARC Sound – Nov. 3, The Artful Dodger, Toronto<br />The Mahones, Stiff Little Fingers - Nov. 7, Horseshoe, Toronto<br />Stiff Little Fingers – Nov. 9, Horseshoe, Toronto<br />The Alarm - Nov. 15, Horseshoe, Toronto<br />The Dreadnoughts - Nov. 22, Horseshoe, Toronto<br />Luau Or Die - Nov. 22, Bovine Sex Club Toronto<br />The Green Wasagas – Nov. 24, Cadillac Lounge, Toronto<br />Pony, Charly Bliss - Nov. 28, Horseshoe, Toronto<br />Eddie Angel’s Guitar Party, JD McPherson - Dec. 2, Lee’s Palace, Toronto<br />The ARC Sound – Dec. 15, The Artful Dodger, Toronto<br />Joel Plaskett Emergency – Dec. 21, The Danforth Music Hall, Toronto</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjESW4bloSvG-Dch_E2L7BnfdAmy1zDhOO8H-Qfcm_gMT4c_aSYrzg13iGs0VddMXcoC2y90aTJC8wLX9SA17A_acPy_ZGPWjJQXeEpcUeF0bcgxvU6wQibBIPJWhDg4W__SUjj/s1600/Joel+Plaskett.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjESW4bloSvG-Dch_E2L7BnfdAmy1zDhOO8H-Qfcm_gMT4c_aSYrzg13iGs0VddMXcoC2y90aTJC8wLX9SA17A_acPy_ZGPWjJQXeEpcUeF0bcgxvU6wQibBIPJWhDg4W__SUjj/s400/Joel+Plaskett.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Joel Plaskett Emergency</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Skydiggers – Dec. 22, Horseshoe, Toronto</span>Steve McLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03547172774005847386noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14053564.post-33048782417061575962018-12-21T00:01:00.000-05:002018-12-21T00:01:51.881-05:00Tackling five trails at Zion National Park<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Zion National Park, the middle step in the 525-million-year-old “Grand Staircase” of sedimentary rocks connecting Bryce Canyon at the top and the Grand Canyon at the bottom, offers hiking trails suitable for a variety of fitness levels and height tolerances.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My time was limited at the 99-year-old southwestern Utah park, so I chose to go with five easy and moderate trails while beginning and ending at Zion Lodge. The first was the 1.9-kilometre Lower Emerald Pools Trail that climbs 20 metres to a small water pool and three tepid waterfalls.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That was followed by the steeper and rockier 1.6-kilometre climb to Upper Emerald Pool, which was larger but hardly emerald. The most notable thing about the pool was the abundance of voracious squirrels, some of which I observed chewing through backpacks left on rocks to try and get at food inside.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After coming back the same way, I veered off on to the Kayenta Trail, which connected with The Grotto after 3.2 kilometres of fine views of mountains above and the Virgin River below.<br /><br />A free shuttle connects various points of interest within the park, and I took one a short distance to the Weeping Rock Trail. This 0.6-kilometre paved trail is a little bit steep as it ascends 30 metres and ends at a rock alcove where you can walk under the slowly dripping springs that give the trail its name.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After the walk back down and another short shuttle ride back to The Grotto, I got out and walked along a flat path that roughly followed the nearby road and river. After 135 minutes, I was back at Zion Lodge for lunch.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Given more time, I would have liked to have attempted Zion’s best known and most challenging trail, an 8.7-kilometre, 453-metre ascent to Angels Landing that features long drop-offs and a steep and narrow ledge where climbers are advised to hang on to chains fastened to the rocks to avoid falling. Eight people have fallen to their deaths on the trail. Surprisingly, seven have done the same on the much gentler Emerald Pools trails.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My Cosmos tour bus left the park in the early afternoon and headed further south, with the the Vermillion mountain range on my right and the Grand Staircase range on my left, with Monument Valley further off in the distance. We continued on to Lake Powell for a brief stop and, although there was a sandy beach and the water was reasonably warm, I was surprised to see nobody in it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We drove over the Glen Canyon Dam in the Colorado River and into Page, Ariz., where the Quality Inn would be my resting spot for the night and my embarkation point for the next day’s visit to the last two canyons of my two-week trip.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span>Steve McLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03547172774005847386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14053564.post-60965085584125006062018-12-20T19:07:00.000-05:002018-12-20T19:07:10.062-05:00Navigating Bryce Canyon National Park<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A July 1 hike through southern Utah’s Bryce Canyon was one of the most rewarding I’ve experienced, and the trails you can traverse in its amphitheatre in hours will leave you with memories for a lifetime.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can follow the 90-year-old Bryce Canyon National Park's Rim Trail from Bryce Point, at 2,529 metres above sea level, for 4.4 kilometres to Sunrise Point. The relatively flat route will give you great panoramic views of the unique limestone rock formations that have been formed over more than 60 million years through weathering, frost-wedging and erosion.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />It took me less than two hours, with numerous stops along the way for photos and inspiration. I was particularly fascinated by the windows, which are formed when parts of rock walls break away, and the columns (called hoodoos) that emerge from those when the tops eventually collapse. If you use your imagination, the hoodoos start to look like familiar objects.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I walked less than a kilometre back to Sunset Point, on a paved portion of the Rim Trail, before descending more than 160 metres down the steep Wall Street Trail to the bottom of the canyon. The views are just as spectacular from below, but from a different perspective, and you can get closer to the hoodoos.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I followed the Navajo Loop Trail before making a brief detour to see a formation called The Two Bridges. I returned and continued my journey on the Queen’s Garden Trail, which included a few more trees. It culminated in a rock formation that looks like a statue of Queen Victoria. The trail continued upward until I reached the canyon rim again at Sunrise Point.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Two Bridges</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The 4.6-kilometre Navajo/Queen's Garden loop took me 2.5 hours to hike, with breaks factored in to stand back and soak in the incredible scenery, which reminded me somewhat of the fairy chimneys I’d encountered in Turkey’s Cappadocia region — though without the extensive cave systems -- a year earlier.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Though the temperature was above 30 degrees Celsius and the afternoon sun was blazing, I didn’t feel overly hot. However, I was covered in fine red dirt and was thankful for a free shuttle bus that took me through the park’s forests and meadows — in which I spotted three deer, several prairie dogs and a few small lizards — to just outside its entrance and dropped me off across the road from my Bryce accommodations at Ruby’s Inn. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />The complex offers hotel lodging, a campground, a variety of activities, stores and restaurants. After a long shower, I figured my rewarding day had earned me a large dinner, and the amount and variety of food (salad bar, salmon, chicken, pork, beef, roasted and mashed potatoes, ice cream and fruit) I consumed for $24.99 at the inn’s Cowboy’s Buffet & Steak Room was just what I needed.</span><br />
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Steve McLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03547172774005847386noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14053564.post-61721830900788014132018-11-25T20:18:00.000-05:002018-11-25T20:18:52.492-05:00The best of the 2018 Gourmet Food & Wine Expo <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This year’s Gourmet Food & Wine Expo seemed to have fewer exhibitors than in the past, but there was still more than enough to sample over three evenings at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.<br /><br />I largely focused on one beverage type each night, with Thursday dedicated to beer, Friday to wine and Saturday to spirits and cocktails. Drinking was more of a priority than eating, but I also tried a bit of food to soak up all of the alcohol.<br /><br />Here are the highlights:<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Beer</b></span><br /><br />Muskoka Pair of Wise Guys Weizenbock, part of Muskoka Brewery’s Moonlight Kettle Series, was the clear winner. Germany’s Schneider Weisse Aventinus is one of my favourite beers, and this dark amber brew reminded me of it. The 7.5 per cent alcohol content isn’t evident and there’s a pleasant banana aspect to the flavour.<br /><br />Goose Island’s Even Weissbiers Get The Blues is billed as a pilsner, though it’s not as crisp as most good pilsners. The 4.5-per cent alcohol beer is brewed with magnum and kolibri hops and has a floral aroma with banana bread notes in the flavour. It has a smooth finish.<br /><br />While the above two beers stood out from the pack, of the 15 other beers I sampled, I’ll also give honourable mentions to BrewDog Clockwork Tangerine Citrus Session IPA and BrewDog Vagabond Gluten-Free American Pale Ale.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Cider</b></span><br /><br />Don’t Poke The Bear Cider is made in Caledon with seven types of Ontario apples. It’s semi-sweet and refreshing and has an alcohol content of 5.8 per cent. A 500-millilitre can sells for $3.25 and a portion of the proceeds from each one goes to an anti-bullying campaign.<br /><br />McAuslan Brewing’s McAdam Urban Cider pours pale gold and has a rich apple aroma. It’s primarily made with McIntosh apples and is somewhat dry, with just the right amount of sweetness. With an alcohol content of 4.7 per cent, it’s quite sessionable.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Wine</b></span><br /><br />I much prefer white wines over reds, so that was my focus for the 20 wines I sampled. My favourites are described below.<br /><br />Baden Gewurtztraminer has a nice floral bouquet and pours pale yellow. It’s slightly sweet and off-dry, with elements of melon in the flavour and a pleasant finish.<br /><br />Pelee Island Lola Gewurtztraminer is semi-sweet with a rich mouth feel. It was my favourite of the four wines I sampled from the winery.<br /><br />Thierry Delaunay 2017 Sauvignon Blanc from Loire, France is an extra dry, pale gold-coloured wine with a complex citrus aroma and a fresh and fruity flavour. It has an alcohol content of 12.5 per cent.<br /><br />The 2016 Clarendelle White from Bordeaux, France is a blend of 70 per cent sauvignon blanc, 25 per cent semillon and five per cent muscadelle grapes. It’s very pale in colour but rich in its fruity aroma and flavour. It has an alcohol content of 12.5 per cent.<br /><br />Cornerstone Strawberry Festival is in your face as soon as you see the rich red liquid pouring out of the bottle. It has a very big strawberry aroma and flavour, and there was even a strawberry seed in the glass I sampled. It may be too sweet for some people, but I liked it. I also liked Cornerstone Estate Peach, which is even sweeter, but not sugary. Both of these fruit wines from Beamsville, Ont. have an alcohol content of 12 per cent and sell for $16.<br /><br />Don’t Poke The Bear Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc presents a nice blend. It’s mellow and medium-bodied and sells for $14.95.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Coolers</b></span><br /><br />Muskoka Gin and Tonic Docker is a very pale straw-coloured cooler with a very fresh cucumber aroma and flavour profile. It’s very easy drinking with a four-per cent alcohol content and has no added sugar, so a 500-millilitre can has 160 calories.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Spirits</b></span><br /><br />The most interesting spirit I had was Von Schoultz Vodka from King’s Lock Craft Distillery, which is made with garlic. It’s bold and very evident in both the aroma and flavour. I also enjoyed King’s Lock’s Smugglers Gold Rum, which had a nice vanilla element to smooth it.<br /><br />Murphy’s Law Apple Pie Moonshine, made with apple cider, is delicious on its own served over ice. It’s also excellent mixed with cranberry juice. The Elmira, Ont. distillery makes other moonshines as well, and I enjoyed its White Lightin’ mixed with grape juice and its root beer mixed with A&W root beer.<br /><br />Kavi is a cold-brewed, coffee-blended Canadian whisky that sells for $29.95 a bottle. It includes vanilla from Madagascar and that’s the flavour you get up front before the coffee kicks in. I enjoyed its smoothness when I drank it straight over ice and particularly liked it mixed with egg nog. It has an alcohol content of 36.2 per cent.<br /><br />Rheault Distillery’s 24-per cent alcohol Sinful Cherry liqueur is very good on its own and excellent when mixed with San Pellegrino Clementina.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Cocktails</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Don Julio Grapefruit Ginger Margarita made with Don Julio Blanco Tequila, grapefruit syrup, lime juice, ginger beer and Inferno Bitters was spicy and excellent.<br /><br />The Tanqueray Ten and Tea made with Tanqueray No. Ten Gin, green tea simple syrup, lemon juice and soda water was light, fruity, refreshing and very good.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mojitos Lounge served me a blueberry and raspberry tropical mojito that was divine. It’s a fruit and rum explosion in a glass.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>A chocolate martini made with E.T. 51 Premium Vodka and McGuinness Creme de Cacao, and served in a chocolate-rimmed glass, was lovely.<br /><br />A whisky sour made with two ounces of Collingwood Whisky, a half ounce of simple syrup and a half ounce of lemon juice, and served at the Good In Every Grain booth, was good.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Food</b></span><br /><br />The pulled pork parfait from Pig Out layered creamy garlic mashed potatoes, pulled pork and barbecue sauce and was topped with crispy onions. It was delicious.<br /><br />JP’s Barbeque served me pulled pork, beef brisket, salmon and egg rolls with three sauces. I was pleased.<br /><br />The Fancy Franks Frankie Goes to Buffalo hot dog featured a panko-fried wiener, chicken bacon, blue cheese dressing, carrots, celery and Buffalo wing sauce. It might seem like an odd combination, but it’s great.</span>Steve McLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03547172774005847386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14053564.post-67419508983662723592018-10-28T23:30:00.000-04:002018-10-28T23:30:20.588-04:00Wyoming: Grand Teton, Jackson and Alpine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.nps.gov/grte/index.htm" target="_blank">Grand Teton National Park</a>, while one-seventh the size and less famous than <a href="https://www.nps.gov/yell/index.htm" target="_blank">Yellowstone National Park</a> to the north, still has much to offer visitors.<br /><br />The Teton Mountain Range, topped off by Grand Teton at 13,770 feet, offers a dramatic backdrop for hiking, boating and other outdoor activities. My visit just scratched the surface as I arrived in late June via the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway from Yellowstone.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Trail near Jackson Lake Lodge.</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first stop on my <a href="https://www.cosmos.com/" target="_blank">Cosmos </a>tour was the recently renovated <a href="https://www.gtlc.com/lodges/jackson-lake-lodge" target="_blank">Jackson Lake Lodge</a>. I had time for a short hike, which unfortunately was made shorter by bear activity shutting down the trail I was on, but that gave me time to take in the beautiful vista with a pint of <a href="https://www.snakeriverbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Snake River Brewing</a>’s fine Hoback Hefeweizen on the lodge's terrace.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A beer and a view. It doesn't get much more relaxing than that.</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After moving on and crossing over Jackson Lake Dam, a 30-minute break at Jenny Lake offered more great mountain and water views during a brief walk.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jenny Lake</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next up was time spent at the <a href="https://www.stjohnsjackson.org/chapel-of-the-transfiguration/" target="_blank">Chapel of the Transfiguration</a>, a small log chapel in the community of Moose, Wyo. that was built in 1925. The site also featured a former non-motorized Snake River ferry and Maud Noble Cabin, which provided more information about the history of Grand Teton National Park, which was created in 1929 and expanded in 1950.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Chapel of the Transfiguration</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From there, it was a relatively short drive to Jackson, the biggest town in the area at just under 10,000 people, at an elevation of about 6,200 feet. <a href="https://mountainmodernmotel.com/" target="_blank">Mountain Modern Motel</a> would be home for the night, and its convenient location made for easy walking access to the rest of the town.<br /><br />Snake River Brewing was around the corner, and the microbrewery has an impressive facility inside and out to cater to visitors. After imbibing a St. Stephen’s Saison, I walked to Town Square, where the entrance at each corner has an arch made of approximately 2,000 elk antlers.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An elk antler arch at Jackson Town Square.</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.milliondollarcowboybar.com/" target="_blank">Million Dollar Cowboy Bar</a> has an iconic neon sign on its roof and saddles on its barstools inside. The bar had a wild west vibe, country-rock covers courtesy of The Winford Band and a decent selection of locally brewed beers sold only in bottles and cans.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Million Dollar Cowboy Bar</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’d worked up both a hunger and a thirst by this time and decided on <a href="https://melvinbrewing.com/locate/thai-me-up/" target="_blank">Thai Me Up</a>, a Thai restaurant that had 16 beers on tap from <a href="https://melvinbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Melvin Brewing</a>. A big $15 plate of “Drunken Noodles” (made with noodles, green onion, green cabbage, red bell pepper, tomato, Thai basil, egg and spicy oyster sauce) acted as a great base for the two flights of four five-ounce beers I consumed as I ate and and drank at the bar.<br /><br />The locals were conversational and friendly, and one man even insisted on paying for one of my $12 flights just because I moved two spots over so he could sit beside his friend. There wasn’t a bad beer among the eight, as I rated them all between 8.1 and 8.9 out of 10. <br /><br />I didn’t want to leave, but figured I should check out one more bar before closing time. I had a can of <a href="http://wildlifebrewing.com/" target="_blank">Wildlife Brewing</a>’s Hopstafarian IPA as a nightcap while listening to another cover band at <a href="https://www.worthotel.com/silver-dollar-bar/" target="_blank">Silver Dollar Bar & Grill</a> before heading back to the motel.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dave Hansen Whitewater & Scenic River Trips office</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After about three hours of sleep, I got up at 6:15 a.m. and took a school bus to the outskirts of Jackson to a Snake River public access point, where 10 of us paid $77 to get into a rubber raft for a 13-mile, two-hour trip down the river with <a href="https://www.davehansenwhitewater.com/" target="_blank">Dave Hansen Whitewater & Scenic River Trips</a>.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A bald eagle on Snake River.</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our guide, Lily Shipley, rowed to steer the raft. It was strenuous even though the current did much of the work. She also provided a lot of information, answered questions and stayed on the lookout for wildlife. She briefly caught glimpse of a moose, but I didn’t, and animals seemed to be shy about showing themselves. There were several bird spottings, however, the most impressive of which were bald eagles.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA69An8CBeZTkjU_OdJDifG1WsdzHKY8yQQosHrmK8ebzDD47TqiyL0PdwqvMfTE9L3YvHAAbzalFzDdSzK0UvfiO_hTrC0DZUeUyiZSrj19UPqpq0Zm-djzgFPpBgkbETqyfM/s1600/P1000115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA69An8CBeZTkjU_OdJDifG1WsdzHKY8yQQosHrmK8ebzDD47TqiyL0PdwqvMfTE9L3YvHAAbzalFzDdSzK0UvfiO_hTrC0DZUeUyiZSrj19UPqpq0Zm-djzgFPpBgkbETqyfM/s400/P1000115.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A view of Jackson from Snow King Mountain.</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The early start still left time to explore more of Jackson before the bus pulled out at 3:30 p.m. My friend Inken and I elected to hike up <a href="https://snowkingmountain.com/" target="_blank">Snow King Mountain</a>, a ski hill overlooking the town. The strenuous trail had some steep sections, but we stopped at plateaus when needed to catch our breath. It took 75 minutes to reach the top, and we were rewarded with some great views.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzaDgjxhkxiLqw0ZStZlAzJp6xmulXaujKDyyzLHFwgZEnDH-qNnVwBOI02nu2K_4yL8rjmlo6a2N44hmpKoiYtGIgUPKHcsE6zFTiGmnpLTTf7Oy8Uy2SmgI3aG8POUkPrU4X/s1600/P1000116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzaDgjxhkxiLqw0ZStZlAzJp6xmulXaujKDyyzLHFwgZEnDH-qNnVwBOI02nu2K_4yL8rjmlo6a2N44hmpKoiYtGIgUPKHcsE6zFTiGmnpLTTf7Oy8Uy2SmgI3aG8POUkPrU4X/s400/P1000116.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another view of Jackson from Snow King Mountain.</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We walked about two-thirds of the way back down, then took another trail to where there was a bobsled-like track where you go down the hill on wheeled sleds. You’re supposed to buy tickets at the bottom of the hill and take a cable car up. But the operator said that since we’d hiked and didn’t have tickets, he’d let us go down for free. It took about two minutes to navigate the banks and speed down the straightaways to the bottom.<br /><br />We still had time before departure and spent two hours walking around and checking out some of Jackson's high-priced art stores and boutiques. Part of Broadway, the main street, has a covered wooden boardwalk not unlike the one I’d trod over in Keystone, S.D. earlier in the trip.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisXWUEIrvCe5qQhHT_cBXctFuRMFVL7pDUS0AihOO1g_xe4Oj4l-0TGzqVX5aELXKPQZLTsfJl0DMXn9Ohq2B9RCu6wI7noZxdi8lmRIBLdV1voO2CPguf0OvEY7eT6hBNjQee/s1600/P1000117.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisXWUEIrvCe5qQhHT_cBXctFuRMFVL7pDUS0AihOO1g_xe4Oj4l-0TGzqVX5aELXKPQZLTsfJl0DMXn9Ohq2B9RCu6wI7noZxdi8lmRIBLdV1voO2CPguf0OvEY7eT6hBNjQee/s400/P1000117.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The view from the trail in Alpine.</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was back on the bus for an hour drive south, through a valley along the Snake River that's surrounded by dark green mountains on both sides, to the <a href="http://www.flyingsaddleresort.com/" target="_blank">Flying Saddle Resort</a> on the outskirts of Alpine, Wyo. Alpine has about 825 people, so it doesn’t offer much in the way of nightlife, but I headed down the highway towards town and then found a trail that provided nice views of the river and mountains and cut my walking time down to 40 minutes before I reached my destination: Melvin Brewing.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBcyNLlL3ttV1SMB2FdROcJe51bZ1ZqgYZaexkibNyV_KVAHhA7CkdIi14d7COgDgSobDDEyfyuGxtddQy0MZgMvCQbVOT9mk6imG8xHvqkbklBPZcivb2HHt3S7pYFHZL8NbO/s1600/IMG_3249.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBcyNLlL3ttV1SMB2FdROcJe51bZ1ZqgYZaexkibNyV_KVAHhA7CkdIi14d7COgDgSobDDEyfyuGxtddQy0MZgMvCQbVOT9mk6imG8xHvqkbklBPZcivb2HHt3S7pYFHZL8NbO/s400/IMG_3249.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Melvin Brewing's exterior.</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The eight Melvin beers I’d had the night before at Thai Me Up made the idea of trying more of the brewery’s beers at its flagship location too much to pass up. A mouth-watering $16, 12-ounce bacon cheeseburger and French fries filled the spot in a big way after the day’s early walks. The beers once again didn’t disappoint, and a half-price special meant that I sampled eight more five-ounce glasses of varieties I hadn’t yet had for $12. Melvin specializes in highly hopped and strong IPAs, and those I enjoyed ranged in alcohol content from eight to 13 per cent. I rated all of them at least an eight out of 10.<br /><br />And as good as the beer and food was, the friendly staff was just as impressive. A waiter gave me two iron-on patches and a waitress took me on a private brewery tour, gave me a baseball cap and offered me 24 free cans of beer. I told her I was on a backpacking trip and couldn’t carry that much, and they might be difficult to carry on the unmarked trail back to the hotel in the dark, so she gave me eight instead.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg75kPJ-HxxNPz2DeqdF4Dd2MBy3_bNoJW1tpYMQdmKEzP7m9NQyFxOB1HczSoz3zQnF5R95eVS6rIfJTKM5S_wf35Mxvc4VC72r3p_6PASkURknehGWh8pQfugiS39MmU02wYa/s1600/IMG_3251.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg75kPJ-HxxNPz2DeqdF4Dd2MBy3_bNoJW1tpYMQdmKEzP7m9NQyFxOB1HczSoz3zQnF5R95eVS6rIfJTKM5S_wf35Mxvc4VC72r3p_6PASkURknehGWh8pQfugiS39MmU02wYa/s400/IMG_3251.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Melvin Brewing's interior.</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I found the trail and, since Alpine is in the middle of nowhere population-wise, I enjoyed the best night sky for star-watching since staying on a small island with villagers on the Mekong River in Laos 18 months earlier.<br /><br />These two days in Wyoming treated me well.</span>Steve McLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03547172774005847386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14053564.post-49949954536495143122018-09-03T20:43:00.000-04:002018-09-03T20:43:48.079-04:00Making the most of three days in Yellowstone<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPr8gWiG2hUOll47h9elcfn-oq1ZtKZvIw0M8O7yD_YLSl9iDbRmY9JzuXcC-Maq-CVclxHLeqt6AWMTGtz8D10wR-dyfCCdBCXTaD0ZsoTzImb6nqEv8qwvT_yYf2CnShhXUK/s1600/P1000078.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPr8gWiG2hUOll47h9elcfn-oq1ZtKZvIw0M8O7yD_YLSl9iDbRmY9JzuXcC-Maq-CVclxHLeqt6AWMTGtz8D10wR-dyfCCdBCXTaD0ZsoTzImb6nqEv8qwvT_yYf2CnShhXUK/s400/P1000078.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yellowstone National Park — which covers 2.2 million acres in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho — became the first national park in the United States when it opened in 1872.<br /><br />It attracted more than four million visitors last year, and I added my name to its guest list for three days in June as part of a Cosmos bus tour. We arrived through the east entrance in Wyoming and crossed through the 8,530-foot Sylvan Pass and along the small Sylvan Lake before stopping at Lake Village on the shore of the much larger Yellowstone Lake.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yellowstone Lake has 110 miles of shoreline and is approximately 400 feet deep. Its depth, altitude and northern latitude ensure that the water temperature doesn’t exceed 60 degrees Fahrenheit. While others ate lunch at the restaurant, I walked through a meadow to the shore, dipped my hand in and instantly realized it was too chilly to go in any further. However, it did offer a good view of the lake and mountains in the distance. A few bison even cooperated by grazing nearby.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yellowstone Lake at Lake Village</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Back on the bus, we followed the course of the Yellowstone River and passed more bison as well as Mud Volcano, Sulphur Caldron and Hayden Valley before stopping at the Upper Falls 35 minutes later.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Upper Falls</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We got up close for a good look at rapids and the brink of the falls before continuing on to Artist Point, which provided lovely perspective of the higher Lower Falls in the distance. It also gave us access to look at what’s known as the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and its multiple-coloured rock face. After taking in all of the beauty, we were dropped off at Grant Village’s Antelope Lodge in the heart of the park near the shore of the West Thumb section of Yellowstone Lake.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lower Falls</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I walked to the nearby general store and purchased seven different pale ales, two sandwiches for dinner and a muffin for tomorrow’s breakfast. A trail along the lake was closed due to bear activity, so I returned to my room to eat and have a beer before meeting two new friends at Grant Village’s small bar for another pint.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Continental Divide</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An elk was crossing through the parking lot when our bus set out the next morning. We passed the Continental Divide of the Americas, where some of the water heads toward the Pacific Ocean and the rest heads toward the Atlantic, for the first of five times during our time in Yellowstone.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gibbon Falls</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />We walked around Fountain Paint Pot — a collection of red, yellow and brown mud pots boiling and bubbling up from underground — in the Lower Geyser Basin. We then took some time around the Madison River, where a few people were fly-fishing, before moving on to Gibbon Falls, which weren’t as breathtaking as those from yesterday but were still impressive.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The next stop was the Upper Geyser Basin, which includes the majority of the world’s active geysers — the most famous of which is Old Faithful. A friend and I climbed a trail up to Observation Point to see Beehive Geyser erupt to a height of more than 150 feet for five minutes. Old Faithful went off a few minutes later for about the same amount of time, but it didn’t go as high.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Upper Geyser Basin</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />We walked back down and traversed a variety of paths and boardwalks, covering several miles and seeing dozens of geysers, hot springs, fumaroles and mud pots over three hours. The most impressive was Grand Geyser, the tallest predictable geyser in the world, reaching about 200 feet during the 10-minute eruption we witnessed.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Grand Geyser</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />I had a quick walk around the charming and historic Old Faithful Inn before boarding the bus back to Antelope Lodge. I walked down to the lake again and had an enjoyable conversation with a local family that lives and works in Yellowstone, before having an OK $17 dinner of lemon and pepper trout, mashed potatoes and carrots at the nearby Lake House Restaurant.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCh1E1B1fiPXCnhbrDxFh8Su0rBHZOIj_8NAY-tfS-n229s510DFwGr74elJvLZTaRy5B9LqI0MjetPzDPdOASQ4JMfwlBP5ZqGICS8bH-e6nIB2eci9U7HXjIOvZCQZeBQgCS/s1600/IMG_3240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCh1E1B1fiPXCnhbrDxFh8Su0rBHZOIj_8NAY-tfS-n229s510DFwGr74elJvLZTaRy5B9LqI0MjetPzDPdOASQ4JMfwlBP5ZqGICS8bH-e6nIB2eci9U7HXjIOvZCQZeBQgCS/s400/IMG_3240.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Old Faithful Inn interior</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our final morning in Yellowstone started with a short drive to the West Thumb Geyser Basin, on Yellowstone Lake, and a walk around more small geysers and hot springs for 40 minutes.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiedgOGiUPp7XcNotUSNk9nYWwR41sdImZy1eakoqgoOWnEtYaE5v4wNMTyudt0B076QYt9HHHG3ieAfgDu32rJXNZce273VAQWXAGymPPEt6htEA2bzI8p3yZlqSLXuU8Hwl4j/s1600/P1000102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiedgOGiUPp7XcNotUSNk9nYWwR41sdImZy1eakoqgoOWnEtYaE5v4wNMTyudt0B076QYt9HHHG3ieAfgDu32rJXNZce273VAQWXAGymPPEt6htEA2bzI8p3yZlqSLXuU8Hwl4j/s400/P1000102.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">West Thumb Geyser Basin</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />We watched a video on the bus about Yellowstone’s massive 1988 wildfires, which affected more than 40 per cent of the park and became the greatest firefighting effort in the history of the U.S. to that point. We passed Lewis Lake, the third largest lake in Yellowstone, and Lewis Falls, along with deep ravines and forest before leaving through the park’s south entrance.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnj16fKsy3GACL9nqSzx10uK_N1uGcCtyrAK8oI1VkEdmC3YSdHqTz79WRdGiIygPzUvoaIsZ-KDrdLYmtMlBp4STcZ-5Jxowsc8-kuTsaLMikqNFRRHHvwzChImq5mRsaNRoh/s1600/P1000103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnj16fKsy3GACL9nqSzx10uK_N1uGcCtyrAK8oI1VkEdmC3YSdHqTz79WRdGiIygPzUvoaIsZ-KDrdLYmtMlBp4STcZ-5Jxowsc8-kuTsaLMikqNFRRHHvwzChImq5mRsaNRoh/s400/P1000103.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Yellowstone's south entrance</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Yellowstone is massive, and there were large swaths of it that we didn’t have time to visit, but I credit our Cosmos tour director Bruce Fritzges and our bus driver for coming up with an itinerary that covered quite a bit of ground and enabled us to see a good cross-section of the natural beauty and wildlife that the park is known for.</span>Steve McLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03547172774005847386noreply@blogger.com0