Canada Day, Burnaby, Laura, Ipad Pro and the One Eyed Dog

“I heard Justin Trudeau left out Alberta in his Canada Day speech.” she said. We were sitting outside at a picnic table in Burnaby. The birds were singing joyfully.  Gilbert was at our feet chewing lazily on a ball and thinking of Fifi, rabbits and roast beef.  He’d had his eye surgically removed because of genetic glaucoma but was now healing very well. His  protective cone had come off when the sutures came out last week. He really did not like bumping into things with that cone.
“It was all over my FaceBook Feed. That beautiful and hilarious Conservative MP from Alberta, Rempel, really did a a great job of roasting him.   Probably a Freudian Slip on Justin’s part.  He hates Alberta.  The Trudeau’s have always feared the west. His old bisexual father taking Justin’s silly stoned little girl mother was more a muslim conquest than a western Christian wedding.  Dennis messaged me that father Pierre  had called BC “the whore of confederation”.  I said.
“They just care about Quebec. Quebec. Quebec. Quebec. That’s all the Liberals give money to, Quebec and foreign countries.  I can’t stand it.”  she said, pouting, seriously.
“I don’t understand because Pierre Trudeau, though communist, had grandparents who were french and scottish.  Maggie Sinclair’s family was scottish.  I just can’t see why all the self loathing of the Scottish side of themselves by the Trudeau’s especially Justin."
“Maybe it’s Sophie’s influence. I think of her as a non entity but she’s French.” Laura said. “ The French are for EU.  Scots aren’t for Brexit.  They wanted to stay in the EU. That’s what Anne was so angry about in Scotland.”
“I realized that I didn’t think of the IRA as my people when I was in London during their terrorist attacks.  I’ve got that Loyalist thing going but really I’d be in favour of Brussels to if it wasn’t so dominated by the old communist guard and the anti Israel Islam world dominance group.  I still don’t even know how Catholic I am because the whole Hay Clan was Catholic at one time. In Ireland my mother’s relatives were all Northern Christians and against the Catholics.” I responded.
“I’m Catholic.”  she said demurely.  Blond, petite, flashing eyes with ample bosom  showing above a black summer sun dress with just a sliver of lace along the top.
Gilbert adores her.
Our friends are every colour, religion and creed.  The story of Babylon though is not only Biblical.  With all the forces that bring us together there are equal forces keeping us apart. We’re not enjoying the divisiveness in Canada today brought on by the Liberal divide and conquer buy votes  campaign with Islamaphobia, government corruption and favouritism.  We were sitting in the backyard drinking soda pop in the heat of mid day.
“I like the history of Canada with confederation and the railway. I remember in 1967 boarding the Canada train, singing the ‘we are Canadian’ song.  I really was proud to be Canadian bicycling across Europe back then.  My father and all the men and women of Canada of our parents generation had fought in the war that vanquished the evil Axis of power, Germany, Italy, and Japan. Then there was the USSR and the break up of that Empire.  The British Empire and the Commonwealth gave way to the American Republic.  The European Union isn’t holding together.  India broke into Pakistan and India over the Muslim Hindu Sik divide.  China and Russia have gone capitalistic. The central control and planning of socialism has broken down everywhere. It’s limited value and mediocrity have failed over and over again despite the counter claims of revolutionaries. .” I said.
Gilbert had succeeded in cozying up to Laura so she would rub his back.  I really did enjoy the birds outside.
“I asked a Romanian man I know what it was like under communism.  He said. “Everyone was poor except the communist leaders. They were rich.  Nobody could speak about anything or they got arrested. No body could go anywhere. Everyone had to do everything as they were told. “
 "What was it like after, “ I asked.   "Much the same," he said, "the communist leaders now called themselves businessmen.  Everyone was even poorer.  But nobody got arrested for talking and you could travel.  But everything is so expensive just like it’s become here.  Canada is becoming what it was like there. he said.”
“Elizabeth, living in Islamic Saudi, didn’t like that women needed to ask permission of a man just to walk outside,” Laura said. “Canada really is a great country when you consider the comparisons."
“Yes, I did love the people I knew when I lived in Britain and in the US but I’ve always come back to Canada. "
The greenery in Burnaby is something very special.  I love the Pacific rain forest for it’s emerald coloured lush greenery.  Emily Carr captured the sacred wonder of the  forests in her incredible paintings.
“There’s a Monet exhibit at the Vancouver Art Gallery,” she said.
“I’d love to go,” I answered.
“I loved the Monet at MONA in New York.”
“I regret I missed the Van Gogh exhibit last year. I love our Art Gallery. They really host some fabulous shows.  I just don’t know why I don’t get to them.” I said.
“Lets get to the Monet. It’s showing till October and the Gallery is open to 8 pm on Tues, We could leave Gilbert at my place. George would enjoy the play date.”  she said.
We’d just been at the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra with organ/pianist Barry and his friend Andrew.  The saxophonist Marsalis had been quite spectacular. I love the Orpheum.
“You know I’d not been to the Orpheum before the VSO since I saw Izzy Izzard there  with Marc and Aim."
“Before she had baby, Paxton.” Laura said.
“Yes, at least we get to the Ballet BC at the Queen Elizabeth each year because I get seasons."
We did go to Bard on the Beach this year. I loved that.” she answered.
We’d been camping at Pemberton and Clinton on the weekends before that. We'd stayed at Harrison Hot Springs in the Bungalow Cabins too.
We really do enjoy Canada.   I like Vancouver but it’s not as real a city as Toronto or Winnipeg.  It’s more like San Francisco than Portland or Seattle.  What Vancouver has is it’s in the middle of God’s Country.  The Pacific Northwest with is ocean coastline, Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands,  then the interior high country with sage and the Coastal Mountain range is something altogether spectacular in a different way.
 We really do love our home and Canada.
“I’ve enjoyed the cross country views of Canada people have been posting on Face book,” she said.
“Yes, my friend Wes has put up some great ones, commercials, really, but showing what an immense and glorious country we live in. JJ McCullogh’s summary clip was the best though."
“That was funny,” she agreed.
.While I ‘d been talking to her I’d been gearing up for riding my Harley into the city.  I wanted to go to the Apple Store to pick up the new Apple Pro. I’d given my Surface tablet to the nephews because they really love PC and I’ve got to accept I really just enjoy Apple.  It is a work purchase but it gives me as much pleasure as if it were just a purchase for myself.
I kissed Laura on her pink lips then donned my helmut and straddled the big bike.  When I cranked up the engine the Lead Zeppelin cd I had in the stereo blasted just as loud as the engine.  I was off. The day was so hot I was only wearing an armoured shell, helmut and gloves.  I loved the wind on my face. Being Sunday the free way wasn’t at all packed like it was during the week.
It was  great ride.  Page and Plant are unsurpassable but I really enjoyed the drums on the ride.  Carolyn is drumming in a band and her sharing clips of her playing has increased my appreciation for drummers the unsung heroes of Rock and Roll.  Joy’s son is probably still bashing skins.  Laura and I had really enjoyed Munford and Sons and U2 at the Roger’s Arena. I’d been playing Mumford and Sons cd’s in the truck since the concert and only changed out the U2 on the motorcycle for the Lead Zeppelin this week. My favourite motorcycling music to date has been Steppenwolf. Which is why though we do love U2 , Laura and I couldn’t understand why Justin Trudeau would not have a Canadian band play at the 150th Anniversary of Canada.
“If he likes Sophie’s singing, it explains why he wouldn’t appreciate Sarah McLaughlin, Bryan Adams, Loverboy,  or Burton Cummings.”  Laura said.
“I Just can’t figure why he rented a $100,000 yellow duck for the 150th Canada  Anniversary when Tom Greene could at least get a huge duck taped  Canada Goose for his show.” I said.
 I loved downtown Vancouver without the crowds or the rain. It really is a pretty city with all the glass architecture.  Lots of folk about just not the traffic jams that go with all the construction these days.
I love the Apple store in Pacific Centre. A young man from Brazil and a girl from Paris helped get set me up with their latest technology.  I really just use the iPad for reading Kindle, looking up medical material, blogging and having this lighter weight smaller back up to my old Apple Pro lap top.  I like the technology that changes my cursive writing to typed print.  I’ve also got a lot of medical research data on the iPads and like that with me when I go to different clinics.  I mostly use my iPhone. If anything I could get along with the I phone but older like the bigger platform.  No longer having the eyes to squint at little writing. I have even bought a large print Bible  for comfort in reading.
Back on the motorcycle with a new Ipad Pro and stylus in my saddlebag,  my  Canada gift to myself for the work I do, I felt pretty darned good.  Lead Zeppelin screaming, pipes blasting I headed back to the burbs. .
When I stopped the motorcycle outside my place Gilbert was ecstatic, jumping up and down, barking crazily. My one eyed dog buddy and the beautiful Laura with him. When he finally settled down and let me un-gear back into shorts and t-shirt and sandals, I actually got it together to barbecue some hot dogs for dinner. Laura had brought potato salad and beans.  So we ate outside, a little Canada day weekend picnic, much like we’d had as kids. .  The birds were singing.  We didn’t get to the fire works or go anywhere for crowds and celebration.  It was a cozy Canada Day weekend.  Lawnchairs, chatting, walking the dog.  Glorious sunshine and summer heat..
 I’d first stayed in Burnaby in 1971 but I’d first visited Vancouver in the early 60’s.   I was born in Canada but an eastern transplanted west.  Laura has lived in Vancouver her whole life. Her father was a tug boat captain on the coast.
“I love the bird song here ” she said as we sat reading novels.
“I do too. I especially love the green forest, ” I said.
About 9 pm, still very light out, we gathered up our books and cups to go inside.  As the sun was  going down the refreshing breeze that had come up now seemed a bit cool for shorts and t shirts.  During the day the sun had been hot and I’d got a red tummy despite sunscreen.  We’d enjoyed being able to go inside to air conditioning this weekend. Last weekend when it was even hotter the air conditioning had packed it in.  I  loved that when I’d called Eric he had  been able to come by and install a new one.  Now it was nice to be inside in the warm.  The indoor temperature was just right so we didn’t put on sweaters to go outside again but settled in to watch a Netflix movie on the television.   Laura and I went to bed early Canada Day.  Gilbert begrudgingly gave up his place close beside her when I crawled in under the covers. He prefers sleeping at the foot of the bed.  He’s least likely to be disturbed by big people thrashing about in the night.  I expect if he could talk he’d say he’s got a pretty good life for a dog.
Truth is, reincarnation folk joke that they want to come back in their next life as a Canadian dog.  Canada is good that way.