Highrock Park

I've visited and photographed many of Victoria's Parks but I think Highrock is my favorite. A main reason is because it is close to where I live. But it also has an surprising number of environments in a very small area. There's some nice bits of Garry Oak Ecosystem but there is a little forest area as well, all this in a park you can walk across in ten minutes.

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About a month ago I mentioned I was learning some new video edting software. I'm still learning, but here is my latest attempt - a montage of, you guessed it...Highrock Park. Come enjoy a three minute walk with me.

"No Regrets" - New Music from Dave Harris

I am pleased today to bring you some new music, a new original song from Victoria's best-known busker and One Man Band, Dave Harris. Sit back and enjoy "No Regrets".

Who Needs Meerkats...

...when you've got otters?

Watch the video below to see this little guy do his Meerkat imitation (stand on his hind legs and look unbelievably cute)(at 1:10 of the video). Take five minutes and play with the otters. This trio seems to have taken up permanent residence on the West Bay Walkway. I see them now almost every morning.

One Bright Morning

Now that summer's here the Inner Harbour Causeway is once again a venue for some great local musicians. Here's a pair called "One Bright Morning" consisting of Tad Ruszel and Miki Klaver. Take a listen to the short video I made of them playing earlier this week to get an idea of the high quality performance they offer, something that is characteristic of all the Causeway entertainers.

Kitesurfing at Clover Point Park

Last week I mentioned that because Clover Point Park gets a lot of wind, it is popular with wind-driven sports. Today's photo and video is of an extreme sport with growing popularity called Kitesurfing.

Swan Song

			The musicians pictured here gathered together on Thursday afternoon to hold a concert on Victoria's Inner Harbour Causeway. The concert was to bid farewell to a long-time musician on the Causeway, Swan Walker. Swan is moving to Toronto and the proceeds of the concert were aimed at helping to defray his moving expenses. Swan's energetic reggae and calypso influenced music will be much missed here.

The video below captures some of the session, which ran for two hours.

Landen Shaw - Guitarist

Way back in May of this year I posted a photo of this young performer and promised a video of his playing "when the weather warms up a bit". Here is the video as promised. I invite you to take five minutes to enjoy a musical medley from Landen Shaw, Victoria's youngest busker.

Filmed on Location

I am pleased to introduce you to Arion rufus, commonly known as the Giant (or European) Red Slug. Though it is now common here it is an introduced species not native to this area. In the video below you may notice it appears to be dragging something from its tail. This not an accident. This is the site of its caudal mucous pit, a cunning anatomical structure that re-absorbs the slime that the slug secretes to make its passage smoother.

John McCallum

If you look carefully just left of center in the photo above you'll see one of my favorite Causeway Artists, singer/songwriter John McCallum. I've enjoyed John's music for years now both on the Inner Harbor Causeway and on Fisherman's Wharf where this photo was taken. As well as tuneful, his songs are thoughtful and often wryly humorous. If you get a chance to hear him, sit down and listen closely. You won't be disappointed. Below is a clip of John's version of Folsom Prison Blues. The audio doesn't do justice to John's sound, which is much better in person, but the video may give you some idea of what Fisherman's Wharf looks like from a busker's perspective.

Gotcha!

I see these Great Blue Herons catching their food almost every day and I am always impressed by how seldom they miss. When they make that stab into the water they usually come up with something wriggling. However, until recently I haven't had a camera that could capture video as well as still photos. The Sony a55 I am now using does both. If you want to watch a Great Blue Heron catching his breakfast in High Definition video, the clip below is only 20 seconds long. Often the waiting and watching is five or ten minutes of concentrated immobility.

Young Violinists - Bastion Square

Bastion Square seems to attract violinists. These two, while providing excellent entertainment, were probably not licensed because of their youth. However, it seems a good and harmless way for young performers to earn a little spare change and gain some experience in the challenges of playing for the public (see short video below).
Below is a 40 second sample of the music these kids were playing. It seemed particularly appropriate for the nautical flavour of Bastion Square (that's an old light house light beside them and the Maritime Museum behind them on their right.)

Jean Bedard - Musician

The Inner Harbour Causeway has become such popular (and lucrative) venue for buskers and musicians that performers must now audition before they are granted licenses. This musician's name is Jean Bedard. You can get some idea of his music from the video below, although the sound quality is poor (I'm working on it!) I take this opportunity to thank Jean for his permission to use this photo. I hope he gets his license because I'd like to hear more.

Metro - Ukrainian Dulcimer

Today I had the pleasure of meeting Metro, a street musician playing on the Inner Harbour causeway. He plays the Ukrainian Dulcimer, an instrument I had never heard before. Below is a video I took to give you some idea of what a dulcimer sounds like and how it is played.