2 pianos 4 hands - The Belfry, April 27, 2011

After a slightly delayed start (one of the organizers thought it was a 10:30 start instead of the 10:00 start clearly marked on the tickets - mentioning no names of course!*) our large group set off for the Fernwood Inn.  We had a great scenic drive to the inn and a short stop at Mount Tolmie en route.

The inn had a display of art derived from photographs. They looked pretty interesting, and this was before any of us had had a beer!! 

 We liked the food at the Fernwood, and the inn is handily situated right across the street from the Belfry. It's almost as if we had planned it!

After lunch we took our seats for 2 Pianos 4 Hands by Ted Dykstra and Richard Greenblatt. Patrick Burwell and Tom Frey were excellent as the two characters Richard and Ted, and they used their musical and acting skills to take us through their characters' involvement in the piano from childhood to middle age. There were scenes of piano lessons, music festivals, discussions between parent and child, piano exams, and interviews for top academies - all acutely observed and full of humour with some pathos.The music was excellent - those guys can play, and the comedy timing was right-on.  Overall, this was an excellent production, which is why it has been getting rave reviews.

Thanks to everyone who attended the trip and made it a fun day out!

Check out the upcoming season at the Belfry and let us know which of the productions you would be interested in for a Let's Do It Day Trip! The new season at the Belfry starts in September.

*mentioning no names, but it was Chris :-)

April 20 Art Gallery of Greater Victoria

Our select group of art lovers left the centre at 10:30 and enjoyed a scenic drive to the Beagle for lunch.  We stopped off at Saxe Point to take in the ocean views and the spring flowers before heading off to the pub.

We had private tour at the Art Gallery.

First, we visited the Serenity exhibit that featured art depicting aspects of Asian gardens.  We learned that the concept of having a garden was first developed for a few "scholars," or high ranking civil servants in China.  Instead of focusing on flowers and plants, these gardens incorporated high and low ground, flowing water, and caves. Plants were, of course, featured as well with each having a specific meaning or connotation. Gardens were a mega status symbol at that time and the ornate naturally etched "scholars' rocks" featured in the very best Chinese gardens were extremely rare and expensive and were themselves the subject of portraits.

Next we visited the Flora exhibit which focused on flowers and plants with art employing a wide variety of different styles. One section of the exhibit depicted the changing seasons while another showed how different techniques have been used over the years in still life.  Our guide reminded us that the purpose if still life was to remind us that life is fleeting and we should enjoy it while we can.

Next we went "down the garden path" to see a more modern exhibit featuring a split image seventeen minute video loop showing a boulevard in Berlin at dawn and at twilight simultaneously, some interestingly adjusted photographs showing how we alter public and private spaces, and a piece featuring furniture and wallpapers alongside a series of photographs that explored themes of environmental destruction and reality versus artificiality.

The old mansion and other exhibits were ideal for browsing.

Also, we had time to appreciate the Emily Carr: On the Edge of Nowhere exhibit.

Overall an interesting and enjoyable day trip!

April 13, Songs of Spring

The trip started with a scenic and excellently well timed bus ride to the Fernwood Inn for an early lunch.  The food and service were very good, so we are using the Inn again in two weeks' time when we go the Belfry Theatre, which is just across the street, to see 2 Pianos 4 Hands. Several people we met had just seen the dress rehearsal and said that it is an excellent show.

After lunch we browsed a couple of galleries.  We met Harumi Ota at the Collective Works gallery.

He gave us all one of the beautiful ceramic paperweights (shown in the picture above) that he has prepared to promote an event supporting Japan on Saturday, April 16, at the Ecole Victor Brodeur School, 637 Head Street, Esquimalt, 11 am to 4 pm - FREE ADMISSION. The event features Japanese cultural performances including Taiko, Dance, Nagomi Tea Circle tea ceremony and more - cultural activities, children's corner, Japanese food, craft and bake sale, giant garage sale, and silent auction.  Support Japan 2011 Gambare Nippon T-shirts will be on sale. Harumi's ceramics were excellent and very striking!

Next we chatted with Marnie Hueston in the She Said Gallery.  It's an Aladdin's cave filled with art produced by local women artists. We're hoping to see her again when we visit the Belfry.

Next, we drove over to the Royal Theatre to join the other music lovers for a refreshing cup of tea and some cookies.

Victoria Symphony's Songs of Spring was an excellent way to get us in the mood for the new season. Host Duncan Regher's introductions were lugubrious and droll, soprano Melanie Krueger's singing was wonderful, and the concert was a refreshing interlude. Everyone had a great time, and we're looking forward to seeing you on the next Let's Do It Day Trip!

April 6, Birds of Prey

Unfortunately, due to a sudden medical situation, we had to miss the trip to see the Birds of Prey at Duncan.  Thanks to John and Merilee for stepping in at the last moment to host the trip.  I know that several photographers went on the trip and we are hoping to post some of their pictures soon.

Everyone said it was a fun day out!

What is or are the thirty-nine steps....

....It depends whether you read the novel or watch the Hitchcock movie.   The Patrick  Barlow Adaptation that our Let's Do It Day Trippers enjoyed today at Chemainus Festival Theatre follows the Hitchcock version.  "Am I right, Sir," as Mr. Memory might say.

The four (and a tiny bit) member cast managed to juggle all the parts including, the music hall, Hannay's apartment and milkman assisted escape, the Forth Rail Bridge escape, the crofter's cottage, the reluctant public address at the election meeting, the airplane chase on the moors, the bedroom scene involving handcuffs, and the final denouement at the London Palladium, among others. The humour was physical, extremely well timed, clever, and hilarious! Overall we laughed and applauded all through the performance.

Coupled with a scenic drive to Chemainus via Shawnigan Lake, a mini browse of Chemainus, and a feast of a buffet, it's clear why we really like our trips to the Chemainus Festival Teeatre. Next up is Steel Magnolias:

 - keep watching out in Expressions and the web page to find out the details.

Also, don't forget there are still a few tickets left for 2 Pianos 4 Hands.

April 27: 2 Pianos 4 Hands, Belfry Theatre

An unstoppable juggernaut – back in the Belfry after touring five continents and 150 cities. “Funny, clever, insightful and touching, full of music, humour, story, and character.” Globe and Mail

BY TED DYKSTRA & RICHARD GREENBLATT

From Chopsticks to Bach, the boys play it all in their quest to become concert pianists. Through their trials and tribulations with music festivals, unusual teachers and demanding parents, they learn what it means to be good, but not quite good enough to follow their dreams.

Depart: 10:00 am Cost: $38.50 + lunch (includes group rate entry)

No refunds after 12:00 pm April 11, 2011

Craigdarroch Castle and view art gallery March 23, 2011

Our select and intrepid group of Let's Do It Day Trippers arrived at the wonderful and somewhat dotty Craigdarroch Castle on a beautiful spring morning.  Looks like something out of The Addams Family in this shot.
.

Beautiful fireplace - shades of  Citizen Kane's Xanadu

Stained glass...

"Art" shot of a detail of the white oak panelling to be found all over the house.

Dance dress....

 ...and mess uniform worn in the dance hall on the fourth floor.

 Speaking tube to summon the groom to bring tea to the tower and read the newspaper aloud to you.

 She may not have been amused...

.... but we were by this fascinating place.  Great to see the first of the tourists in Victoria and families taking advantage of spring break.

After a great lunch at the Beagle Pub, we headed off to view art gallery of modern art to see the new "Wild Things" exhibition and have brief talk by the owner, Maureen Flanagan.  We just missed the Channnel 12 team who were filming a feature on the exhibition for tonight's news.You may have seen it already!

Some of Jennifer's work...

Dave Barnes' pieces were a combination of wood carving using reclaimed wood mainly, covered with mixed media - drawing, painting, and collage.  Most of his pieces contained detailed narrative.

  He has also started producing three-dimensional pieces using the same techniques.

 Not part of the Wild Things exhibit, but on display in the gallery, Lara Scarr's work combined fibre art and other media in her Thread&Paint Revolution series.

Centre of the Universe and The Hive

Our full bus of Let's Do It Day Trippers arrived at the Centre of the Universe to appreciate the spectacular views and the rather chilling wind reminding us that it's not quite spring yet!

We toured the 1.8 metre Plaskett Telescope first. It was amazing to learn that this telescope was completed in 1918, and was supplied with its 1.8 metre mirror from  Belgium just before the outbreak of WW1.  At getting on for 100 years old, this is an impressive facility - still being used to carry out research today, but with the addition of computer controls to orientate the telescope and digital output for photography. The telescope is named after John Stanley Plaskett, as you can just make out on the plaque.

The skeletal model was built at the same time as the telescope and shows the giant concrete archway supporting the telescope. The dome rotates, and the shutters open to make observations.  The telescope itself is about 1.8 metres wide, and it was one of the largest in the world at the time.  Today, the observatory's large telescopes in Hawaii are 8 metres wide!

In the main building we had a planetarium show in the small domed planetarium that holds about 20 people.  There we learned about the night sky, galaxies, and star clusters, as well as nebula which are the nurseries of stars.  Our guide was very friendly and knowledgeable .  For example she, informed us that there are approximately 100 billion to 400 billion stars like our sun in our galaxy alone and that "shooting stars" are actually meteorites falling to earth and burning up in the atmosphere.

After an excellent lunch at Romeo's in Broadmead, we headed off to the Hive for a quick stop on the way back to the centre. The coordinator gave a brief presentation indicating that the Hive was a combination of information resource centre for business, residents, and consumers, an historical archive, and a location for display and sale of locally produced craft items.

A couple of our day tippers were particularly interested in the old telephone exchange having had personal experience in operating similar equipment in the past! These things have much more substance than cell phones!!

Check the web page for information on upcoming trips, and join the Let's Do It Day Trippers!!