(the view outside my office window on a drier day)

I seem to be focusing on weather lately, as is everyone else living in southwest BC. Yesterday’s massive storm topped all previous storms of this stormy month! Powerful winds and heavy rain caused all kinds of havoc. Ferries shut down, highways, houses and powerlines were hit by falling trees. By late Wednesday afternoon, 210,000 BC Hydro customers were without power, including one daughter’s place in Surrey. It even caused a four-storey building under construction in East Vancouver to collapse and has left 125,000 still without power today. Port Alberni on Vancouver Island was hit particularly hard. I think the Hydro crews deserve a huge thank you for the hours and days of dangerous work they are doing to remove fallen trees and restore power.

Thankfully we haven’t been affected in any serious way. The only impact for me has been that the Capilano College campus was shut down yesterday and today because of a water main break, so I haven’t been able to go and work in the studio. Hopefully all will be repaired for tomorrow. Weather-wise it will be a normal damp November with no storms until the next one on Sunday.

November 16th will always be an especially significant day for us, thanks to the birth of our second grandchild and my art opening one year ago. I loved one commenter calling it “an opening act”! We will be at a special little birthday party this afternoon, then we meet dear friends for dinner. Since they moved to Victoria we only see each other once in a while, so it will be a real treat. A special day ahead!

UPDATE NOV.17th: On the way out yesterday, we heard that Greater Vancouver residents have been advised to boil their water or use bottled water! Then this morning’s Vancouver Sun features huge headlines on the front page Two million told: Don’t drink the water. “One of the largest water warnings in the province’s history was issued Thursday for Greater Vancouver’s two million residents after torrential rains triggered dozens of landslides into the region’s reservoirs, turning tap water cloudy and brown.” Now the city of Nanaimo has the same advisory. This may last for a while with Sunday’s expected storm.

At the restaurant last night, we were unable to get our usual glasses of tap water, instead having to purchase bottled water. No tea or coffee either! I wondered if the kitchen did not know how to boil water, heh. Anyway, yes, we had a wonderful time at the birthday and then meeting our friends. Guess what we talked about – the weather!

a fabulous walk in sunshine along the West Vancouver seawall
a stunning Burtynsky exhibition seen
a very enjoyable overnight visit from sister-in-law
a happy grand-daughter’s 6th birthday party
a tour of exceptionally lovely fall colours, fast falling
a strong wind and rain storm
a dusting of snow on our local mountains, soon melted
a first frost of -2C coming tonight
a sound of early fireworks
a clock turned back
a history of daylight saving time
a wonderful quote:

I don’t really care how time is reckoned so long as there is some agreement about it, but I object to being told that I am saving daylight when my reason tells me that I am doing nothing of the kind. I even object to the implication that I am wasting something valuable if I stay in bed after the sun has risen. As an admirer of moonlight I resent the bossy insistence of those who want to reduce my time for enjoying it. At the back of the Daylight Saving scheme I detect the bony, blue-fingered hand of Puritanism, eager to push people into bed earlier, and get them up earlier, to make them healthy, wealthy and wise in spite of themselves. – Robertson Davies: The Diary of Samuel Marchbanks, 1947, XIX, Sunday

As some readers may know, Canadians have been subjected to another election campaign and will be going to the polls on Monday, January 23rd. An issue that has not been discussed by any party is arts and culture. CBC has just published an article ‘Arts groups challenge leaders to put culture on the election agenda’. Here’s an interesting quote:

‘Heather Redfern, executive director of the Vancouver-based umbrella group Alliance for Arts and Culture says that compared to other countries, Canada has failed miserably at supporting its artists. “England’s national arts council funds in the amount of $24.36 per capita. Ireland is at $17.91 and Norway is at $10.97.” Currently, the Canada Council receives $4.73 per Canadian. The promised increase would double that amount.’

If you are a Canadian voter and especially if you are working in the arts, do read the article and the summary of where the parties stand on arts and culture issues.

LATER: I just came across Arts News Canada, an interesting site that appears to have more information on these issues. I have bookmarked it to explore in depth beyond the election period. And the Alliance site also has VoteArts2006.