Games with bats July 26, 2006
Posted by Dale in Life.add a comment
When I get home from work after 11:00 at night, I take the dog out for her evening ritual, and I’ve gotten in the habit of keeping tabs on her with a one-million-candlepower flashlight purchased on sale at Canadian Tire. Cocoa is a chihuahua – a small one even for that breed – and it is easy to lose track of her in the untended grass. One night while waiting for Cocoa to finish her business, I was looking up into the starlit sky and aiming my flashlight at the heavens – not sure what I thought it would reveal! As I gazed skyward, the beacon of light was broken by the silent, graceful, unmistakable figure of a bat. Very shortly, another bat passed through – this one I tried to follow with the light. It became kind of a game, and after a few tries I became more adept at operating my followspot in illuminating the star of the show. This is as much fun as a video game any day! Bats are amazing creatures, floating through the air then turning on a dime as they sense something in their path. I’ve had some come quite close to me, but they always turn away at the last second, and I don’t worry for a second about them getting caught in my hair – a myth anyway. It is amazing what goes on above and around us. By simply being curious, we are rewarded with the discovery of fascinating things – reminders of the constant ebb and flow of the natural world, and our small place in it. As I finish up my game, I look down, and there is my dog waiting patiently at my feet, herself curious as to what I could possibly be finding so interesting.
The Freedom of Wireless Headphones July 24, 2006
Posted by Dale in Life.1 comment so far
On Saturday I picked up a pair of very slightly used Optimus PRO100 wireless headphones at Cash Converters in Charlottetown. Optimus is an in-store brand for Radio Shack. At $22.73 after taxes and a 25% discount due to store renovations, these headphones were a great bargain. I don’t know what they would have cost originally, but any time I’ve looked at wireless headphones, they have been at least $70. These ones have the ear cups which fit over and around the ears, so they are quite comfortable, and they seem to be of very good quality. They work very similarly to a cordless telephone – the base unit plugs into the wall and into the headphone jack of any stereo, and transmits in the 900 MHz range to the headphones which operate on rechargeable batteries that are recharged by plugging into the base unit. These headphones will allow me to listen to music in private, while giving me the freedom to move throughout the house. Take last night for example – while listening to the late-night CBC new music program Two New Hours, I was able to check email in the office, prepare a snack in the kitchen, eat it in the living room, then go upstairs to get ready for bed, and listen to the remainder of the program in bed, all without disturbing my family or missing a single moment of the broadcast. Ah, freedom!
My kids’ view of their Dad as trombonist July 20, 2006
Posted by Dale in Kids, Life.add a comment
I’ve discovered that if I ever need a morale boost, all I need to do is put on a recording of a great trombonist and my kids invariably ask, “Is that you, Dad?” Then, when I tell them who it is, they will say, “You’re a better trombone player than him, Dad.” Thanks, kids! 
My New Trombone July 7, 2006
Posted by Dale in Trombone.6 comments
Here’s the story about my new trombone. For 18 years I played a Benge 190F and was very happy with it. I have never been that much of a gear geek, so I didn’t really experiment much, and hadn’t really tried out many other horns – and when I did, I never liked them as much as my Benge. Then, in the summer of 2004, just for fun, I tried out three different instruments for three different performances of Anne of Green Gables, and although I wouldn’t have traded my Benge for any of them, each one had something that I liked better. The instruments I tried were a Conn 88H-CL (Lindberg), a Yamaha YSL682B (Bousfield), and a Bach 42BO. The experience made me realize that there was probably a better horn out there for me, and that I should start looking for it. Very soon after, I saw a Shires trombone listed on eBay, and it was located in Canada – in London, Ontario, to be exact. Now, since I had spent a year studying in London, and 7 years living nearby in Toronto, I thought there was a good chance I might know the seller, so I clicked on the button to ask the seller a question, and sent a simple message saying “Do I know you?” A reply came back from one Justin Bartley, who had attended UWO the same year I was there. His reply: “Yes, you do.” This was great for me, as I was able to ask him lots of questions about the instrument, and since I trusted him, I knew I could bid with confidence. Interestingly, he had bought the instrument from David Martin, who was the trombone teacher at UWO when we were there, so I was able to ask him about it as well. Dave had bought the instrument for one of his stints with the Montreal Symphony! Anyway, armed with information and confidence, I took part in a bidding frenzy during the final minutes of the eBay auction, placing my final bid within the last few seconds. Holding my breath, I refreshed the screen… and then spent several days praying I hadn’t just wasted a huge pile of money. I hadn’t. Um, anybody want to buy a Benge?
There have been a couple of people who have visited my website and have emailed me wondering about the specific details of my Shires, so for anyone who is interested, here it is: Bell: 2RVE. Valve: older Greenhoe. Tuning slide: B. Hand slide: TB47. Leadpipe: 1. (Mouthpiece: Greg Black 5G). These numbers may mean nothing to you unless you visit the Shires website. Interestingly, if I were to piece together my perfect horn, or what I imagine would be my perfect horn, I would start with a 1G bell and a T47 slide. Maybe someday I will make it to the factory in Boston to try the dozens of possible combinations that exist. Oh man – is it possible I have become a gearhead? 
First Strawberries of the Season July 4, 2006
Posted by Dale in Food.1 comment so far
There’s nothing like the taste of the first strawberries of the season. You just can’t beat fresh locally grown food, and it’s even better if you’ve picked it yourself. There is no way to describe how incredible food tastes when you eat it straight off the plant. For me, strawberries in particular bring back great memories. My paternal grandmother grew strawberries, and we grandchildren used to help with the harvest this time of year. The berries would be warmed by the sun, and so juicy they would almost explode in your mouth. The first box picked would be very slowly filled, as every second berry needed to be sampled to ensure the customers’ satisfaction – quality control was very important to us! As bellies filled, work would begin to proceed at a slightly quicker pace, building up to a race to see who could fill the most boxes. After our labour, Nannie would somehow manage to whip up an incredible meal, complete with – you guessed it – strawberry shortcake for dessert. Nannie is gone now, but the memory of her is vividly recalled with every fresh strawberry.
First New Potatoes of the Season July 4, 2006
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There’s nothing like the taste of the first new potatoes of the season. And they don’t get any better than here on Prince Edward Island. The only problem is, you can’t stop at your first half dozen!
