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Africa calls

I've been in my darkroom printing photos from my trip to Kenya and Uganda in 2005. My colleague Ross Wein and I are planning another trip, but this time we're taking up to 20 Rotarians and friends on a trip to Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania (November 15 to December 7, 2006).
We'll spend a lot of time in game parks and wonderful Four Star lodges and hotels, but will also spend time with Rotarians looking at projects there, including an e-book project that we're leading.
There's still room on the voyage. Check the itinerary and details and send me a note if you're interested. If you can't join us I'll send you a postcard from one of those countries if you send me your address.

The Future of Book Publishing in Alberta

The annual meeting of the Book Publishers Association of Alberta (BPAA) focused on the future of publishing in this province and the type of publishing that we'll see in the future.
We met at the Banff Centre ('...a globally respected arts, cultural and educational institution and conference centre'). The food is great, the atmosphere collegial, and the view is Rocky Mountain High.

The view outside our window, September 16, 2006 (rather early for snow)

We started the conference with a members-only discussion on the challenges to and the probable changes in publishing. It's not the sort of industry that is recommended by MBA grads, but those who are in it tend to persist and succeed.
Using new information technology was a key part of this year's conference.
Roland Lange (Google, Strategic Partner Development) explained Google's work with publishers and libraries. Some BPAA members are already involved with Google and others will likely get involved as the result of Lange's presentation.
Kevin Smokler ('writer, thinker, maker of mischief') told us that technology is now where people spend their time and that content comes to the user, not the other way around. Using the internet to market books is essential, not optional, according to Kevin.
Change happens: and conferences like this help us to learn and adapt. I recommend getting away from the office and spending time with progressive people. But don't leave your laptop at home.

Music: A Lasting Passion

I spent three days last week playing with The Jurelles, band that we formed more than forty years ago. We spent one afternoon in Regina practising and the following evening playing for a wedding dance (for the the daughter and son-in-law of Cecil Werner, one of our band members).
The next day we went to Terry and Della Anderson's farm, near Pense, Saskatchewan where our friends had set up a tent and a shaded bandstand. Approximately 100 friends and neighbors from nearby farms and from Regina gathered for the afternoon.

People enjoyed listening, visiting and dancing. We expected to play from 1:30 to 5:30 PM, but some of us continued playing until nearly 10:00 PM.

Music is a lasting passion. We enjoy playing at least as much as we did when we were in our twenties: and we're now far better musicians than we were forty years ago.
Most musicians play for a lifetime, not for just a few years. Once we have the experience of playing with a group and an audience we want to do it again and again. I think that keeps us young (although, in my case, not young enough to want to play hip-hop).
Music appears to be an integral part of us. It's a communal activity and a way of communicating ideas and emotions. I can't imagine a world without it.
Think about music when you're considering which activities your children or grandchildren should include in their daily lives. Learning to sing, to play an instrument and to appreciate music will give them a lifetime of enjoyment – and another option for a career.

Harvest Time

Merle and I were very fortunate to visit our friends Don and Norma Connick yesterday on what was essentially the last day of harvest. Don and Norma farm near Gull Lake, Saskatchewan.

Norma's brother-in-law Dwight from Ottawa came out to drive the combine while Don hauled grain. At 5:00 PM they had only four rounds left and very little room in the bin so they decided to have dinner with us and finish the field later. I rode in the truck with Don, and we talked about harvests and markets, land and farm families. Being part of harvest – even a very small part – was a privilege for all of us.
Don, Dwight and Norma posed for a harvest photo as we prepared for the next leg of our trip – to Medicine Hat.

My father – a farmer and a wise man – said 'Finishing harvest is not important. What is important is harvesting.' Enjoy the last four rounds, Don.

A Fine Day in Saskatchewan

We stayed at the wonderful Delta Bessborough Hotel in Saskatoon last night, then drove to Regina this morning. While the temperatures in southern Saskatchewan hit the mid-thirties (Celsius) today was rather chilly and rainy. But the clouds were as interesting as the blue skies we saw later in the day.

We had an invitation to visit St. Michael's Retreat at Lumsden, just north of Regina in the Qu'Appelle valley. St. Michael's provides a variety of retreats and programs for individuals and also hosts groups of all faiths and occupations for workshops and seminars. Cyndi Brennan gave us a detailed tour, introduced us to the staff and invited us to join them for lunch. I could see why writers groups and others enjoy the seclusion, the food and the prairie landscape that St. Michael's offers.

Saskatchewan is not all farmland or even agricultural land. The province contains a lot of parkland and wooded areas; more than half of it is covered by forest.
Our band, formed many years ago at the University of Saskatchewan, plays several times a year. Tomorrow night we are playing for a wedding dance at the Hotel Saskatchewan. We practised at the hotel for four hours today, then went to The Willow on Wascana for a set meal of Saskatchewan food. This was a wonderful dining experience, one of the best I've had anywhere.
We're enjoying the hotel and Saskatchewan hospitality. The weekend will bring more music and more photographs.