Releasing My Inner Jean Michel Jarre

I’m of the age where I grew up to the music of Jean Michel Jarre, a pioneering electronic musician, whose concerts shut down entire cities in the 1980’s. I love his music, and he likely had a strong impact on the music I still listen to today.

I’ve had various electronic keyboards and synthesizers since I was a teenager. And, for a while, I even had dreams of becoming a music engineer. It didn’t last, as producing music that I wasn’t passionate about didn’t do it for me. So, instead, I went to school for accounting. Not sure how that happened.

It’s now more than a few years later, and my interest in music has become a problem. I keep expanding my repertoire of instruments I like to play around on, and have added enough extra instruments lately that it required a full rebuild of my home studio. A new rack, new dedicated computer, more mixers, amplifiers, and guitar stands.

Sitting in my studio, I realize that I do now feel like Jean Michel Jarre - I’m surrounded by noise makers of all varieties, including a couple that I even know how to play. It’s like the cockpit of a rocket ship. Everything lights up, begging me to press buttons. Seriously, it’s a dream from my childhood. From guitars to drum machines to a theremin, many of my electronic music-making tools are within easy reach.

I’m like a kid in an electronic candy-store. Radio Shack, anyone? Can you go back in time? Likely not, but I can have fun along the way.

Now if only I had any musical ability! Which is the start button?

The front view.

The rear view

Winter Camping with Coco

What better way to start the New Year than with a winter truck camp with your amazing and spoiled puppy? Join me on my adventure and enjoy the crackling campfire - check out my YouTube channel for this and more camping adventures.

Being Prepared….

I learned outdoorsmanship from my relatively short time in the Boy Scouts of America. My time was cut short when I left the country, but the memories of hiking, camping, and learning skills linger with me to this day. Strangely, other interests led me to be a city dweller, and I let these outdoor skills atrophy for many years.

I have fond memories of reading The Official Boy Scout Handbook, an illustrated, wide-ranging manual given to scouts. From camping to swimming, knot-tying to first-aid, from life-skills to good citizenship, this book has something on everything. My copy - doodled on, falling apart and fixed with masking tape, water-stained, and dog-eared beyond any other book I own- didn’t look like it would be a safe choice to re-read.

My new to me reprint beside my original, well-loved copy of the Boy Scout Handbook.

I found a replacement reading copy on eBay recently for a very affordable price. And, I’ve started reading through the book yet again. I have resources that cover many of the topics in this Handbook, but the ease of reading, as it was designed for teenage boys, yet the breadth of each subject is super refreshing. It’s hardly Nessmuk, but it’s a refreshing read, even if dated.

I hadn't thought about my time in scouting until I rediscovered my old Handbook tucked into a corner of a bookshelf. Opening it and finding records of some of my hikes took me back many years. I regret not pursuing Scouting in the other countries I lived in after leaving the States. Reading through the “program” again reminded me what a well-rounded person a scout would be if they had grown up following the Boy Scout tenets. The oath, for example:

On my honour, I will do my best

To do my duty to God and to my country

and to obey the Scout Law;

To help other people at all times;

To keep myself physically strong,

mentally awake, and morally straight.

My next thought is, why isn’t there a group like this for grown-ups? Getting outdoors and keeping physically strong, pursuing higher thoughts, and living with good morals through a close network of like-minded people. I’d sign up in a hurry.

Christmas is for the dogs…around here, anyway.

I’ve been working from home with my dog for too long, apparently. We’ve become bonded in a way that may not be normal, as we have developed close communication. She is demanding, and I give in to her needs. I really noticed it this Christmas season when Coco started asking for solo evening drives to see the local Christmas lights.

Coco always loves driving in town - as it means we go for a walk and she gets to see people - my damned extroverted puppy. I installed a semi-permanent raised seat in the back of my Jeep for her - she can sit safely and look out to see the world going by, which she loves.

Our first trip involved a shopping trip into town, choosing the dog-friendly stores to spend my money in. On the way home, I asked the dog if she wanted to go and see the lights in town. She got really excited and enjoyed the drive. However, I’m not sure if Coco prefers the lights or the many inflatable Christmas lawn decorations.

Coco watching the Christmas lights

A few days later, I had to pick up a few things in town, and I told Coco we would go for a ride. My lovely wife picked up what I needed as she drove through town on the way home, so I didn’t have to go there. A couple of hours later, Coco was sulking and staring at the front door. I asked her if she still wanted to go for a car ride, and she jumped up on me immediately.

The Christmas train

I bundled her in her seat, and we drove out to see the Christmas-lit Kettle Valley Railway train. It was beautiful, and Coco absolutely loved watching it. I can tell, as we came home, that she was delighted. Demanding dog.

Prairie Valley #15: Lighting Up The Vines

Our town has a wonderful tradition of Christmas Light Ups. All of the town holiday lights come on at the same time on the last weekend in November/first weekend in December, depending on the calendar. It transforms our quaint Main Street into something out of a romantic Christmas Movie. This year was slightly marred by the fact that the snow-line was above the downtown area - but as our home is higher than the town centre, the snow at home made our own light up much more festive.

Our local vineyards also reopen for a couple of evenings in early December for a tradition called Light Up The Vines - which is hugely popular, and very, very busy.

We stopped by three of our local wineries on Saturday night, for a combination of wine tasting and dinner. At the first, Lightning Rock, I tried out my new camera. The other stops were just full of people having fun and, I suspect, not wanting to be on a camera. We also drove past some of the crazy community lights - everyone gets into the season. Enjoy the short video.

Lighting Up The Vines

Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.<https: data-preserve-html-node="true"//creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/>

Source: <http: data-preserve-html-node="true"//incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100270>

Artist: <http: data-preserve-html-node="true"//incompetech.com/>