Bucket List -- 'Music Producer'

I wanted to produce a record (with the video).
What used to be called 'goals' is now called your "Bucket list."
The closest I came to being a record producer occurred when I was teaching high school. A group of the senior students had formed a musical group to enter a local talent contest.
Some of them knew I had done radio production and had some background in music. They asked me if I would help them get their band together.

I proposed one condition: they could submit musical numbers, we would work on them and then I would make all final decisions.
Agreed!
At our first rehearsal, I discovered:
– Many of them could read music (while I had only the basics).
– Their musical choices were rather limited: Two guys, both guitarists, wanted to sing material by (Carlos) Santana, who was quite popular at the time, but were not avid followers of other musical styles.
– The gals were into folk music, and wondered how that style would fit in with the Rock material.
– Our excellent bass guitarist was an "import," a young man in his mid-20s

'Conclave' - A Novel

This book's theme is short: The Pope is dead.
The one hundred twenty members of the College of Cardinals from all over the globe will gather to elect a new pope.
Over the next seventy-two hours one of these holy men -- who also have political and other ambitions -- will become the most powerful spiritual figure on earth.

This process, held behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel, is the world’s most secretive election.
Many of us of an age, Dear Reader, can recall the news coverage in 1978 of the election of Pope John Paul I, his mysterious death only a few weeks later, and the election of John Paul II.
(John Paul's death has never been solved, though many [conspiracy] theories, crime reports and even several books have been advanced.)
One of these, 'The Vatican Murders,' states the case. "The political infighting that goes on when a pope is elected is often fierce. There have been times it has turned to murder ... ."
The most recent papal election led to the global -- almost 'rock-star' -- phenomenon of Pope Francis, who continues to shake the cobwebs around the papacy and the entire Catholic Church.
I first heard about this book a couple of months ago,

Radio and Me ... 38

My Fave Radio Apps:
I am an avid radio listener. (Understatement!)
The local Halifax radio dial ... now all FM ... contains the usual Canadian urban stations: 4 CBC / Radio-Canada, 7 rock, 2 country, 1 news / talk, 4 community (including one in French, and a new one in Arabic), 1 Christian, and 1 easy listening.

But, of course, Dear Reader, that's never enough!
After dark, I seek out some of the big 50,000-watt AM stations on the East Coast, such as WCBC-News 88 and 1010 WINS, both in New \York, or Bloomberg, in Boston.
But the sound quality on those is hit-and-miss most of the time.
So, I've collected a number of radio apps.
You can click on their title for the URL, listen if you wish.

Awesome Autumn Colours

The time has sped by, and we're already in mid-October.
Here in Nova Scotia, that means we're experiencing: farm markets displaying great varieties of fruit and vegetables from a bountiful harvest -- despite a very dry summer -- frosty nights, and spectacular multicoloured forest foliage.
Here is a photo from one of our favourite Autumn scenes in the Musquodoboit Valley, about 50 kilometers east of Halifax:

This year, however, we drove west, to observe the Autumn Colours arrayed along the Annapolis Valley, along routes 1 and 101.
To help celebrate our 37th Wedding Anniversary, we enjoyed a huge Thanksgiving Dinner, at Old Orchard Inn, in Greenwich (near Wolfville).
And once again, the Valley and the chef did not disappoint:

Peter Coade Retires

Folks in the Maritimes, who want to get a comprehensive weather forecast, probably tune in to reports on CBC by Peter Coade.
Or, if you happened to live decades ago in Truro, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, N.L., or even Toronto, chances are you heard him on local radio.
Peter is retiring today, celebrating 54 years of continuous service as a meteorologist.

In 2013, he was awarded the Guinness World Record for the longest career as a weather broadcaster, which of course has continued until today.
His first appearance on CBC television was back in the late 1950s, when one day he job shadowed the legendary Maritimes weatherman, Rube Hornstein. He has been 'hooked on weather' ever since.

Fabulous at 70

If you're from Cape Breton, you have probably taken part in a large 'family reunion,' or a 'class reunion.'
The one I experienced in St. Peter's, a couple of weeks ago was an 'age reunion!'
Let me explain.
During the Christmas holidays, I received a phone call from Ann, a close friend, alerting me that they were planning a party for those of us from River Bourgeois who are celebrating our 70th birthday this year.
She asked: ‘Do you want to attend?’
My reply was quite short: ‘I would be delighted; thank you very much for asking.’

So there we were, on September 3, at Louie's Cozy Corner, a dozen members of our ‘Fabulous at 70’ group, greeting and hugging one another after all these years!
Our respective spouses had also been invited, probably to relate some untold or long-neglected stories of our younger days.

'Africa Called Her Name'

Late last year, Elaine Fougere published what might be called the ultimate travel book, "Africa Calls My Name: Remembering, Not Wondering." (available on Kobo)
Warning: This is not your regular ‘travel book,' but rather her first-person account of moving her family to live in Zambia for a year.
Transparency: Elaine is my cousin-in-law; her husband Roy is my first cousin.

Early in the book, she confesses that she had always wanted to travel and live in Africa, and was getting restless.
By mid-1995, the family had just lived through a grueling five-year bout of chemo therapy against Roy's cancer, and were ready to do something new — and different.
Roy, a mining engineer, signed a contract with copper mine in central Zambia to help improve the skills of local miners.
Their two children, daughter Leah, and son Nicholas, both approaching their teens, were both eager to make the move.
Using a straight-ahead, highly readable style (remeniscent of the lady herself!), Elaine describes their adventures of settling and living in Zambia for a year.