Tree Planters Drum Kit

The Geographical Cure

I think I've written before about my idea of spending an entire August camped out in Algonquin Park or some other equally remote place.

A trip like that would be nice in solitude, but not necessarily alone. Solitude to me means no interruptions, and a basic lack of external, cultural, transmitted content. Especially the type that comes through the radio, TV, internet and newspaper. Being alone is not the essence of the Algonquin Park idea; it is media solitude.

You see, beginning in the first week of August, every retailer or any business with something to sell begins to wrap their marketing message in some kind of "back to school" camouflage.

It's true. In our culture, everyone is attuned to the moving of the seasons. But the seasons are no longer characterized by the changing weather; no, they're characterized by what you need to buy based on what needs you and your family might have. For example, when it's winter time, everyone needs to start thinking about buying spring fashions. February brings an onslaught of Valentine's Day stuff. Family Day. Easter. Mother's Day. Father's Day. The tourism ads kick in throughout the springtime as families make their summer plans.

But there is always the biggest wave of cultural season change in mid-summer. After the Civic Holiday long weekend something in the atmosphere changes. You can feel it like a silent, lurking monster standing outside the door and about to barge in at any moment. Or, imagine an entire dance troupe waiting in the wings for their silent cue to rush on stage. Such a potential, and such predictability.

Yes, it's like that. As if on cue, all the media begin to deliver the message: "Back to school this, back to school that, blah,  blah, blah, back to school."

And if there's one thing that really grinds my gears, it's that idiot dad prancing through the Staples store to the tune of "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" with his bored and disgusted kids in tow.

I think I know why the whole back to school season change bugs me so much. It's because I feel robbed of the entire month of August. You see, I don't need to be reminded about my classroom's needs that will be facing me in September. Perhaps fifteen or twenty years ago I would agonize over this and that, and consider going back into work mid-August to pin stuff up or whatever. But not these days. I'll think about school after Labour Day.

So, my plan is to remove myself from the reminders. Take the Geographical Cure, and head off to a place where there is no radio, TV, internet or newspaper. And I'll pick up my companion, my collection of  summer reading, my most comfortable lawn chair, and head out into the wild. That's what will cure me.

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Selkirk Provincial Park

Aug. 25, 11 pm Campfire

Coming to the end of a very, very nice summer. Brenda and Elinor in tents. Olivia in Chippewa with U of T former roommate - partying. Ian - home - alone. What is great about this moment? Life. My beloved Brenda and I are aghast at the prospect of sending our 3 beautiful children off into another school year - let alone life! Elinor - 12 - doesn't even want to "think" about grade 8. Ian doesn't want to be finished high school so quickly. And Olivia is about to become a student of bass-playing! (Mohawk year 1, or maybe year 2 if she's given some credit for her U of T work). Brenda sets off for the first time into a year of teaching ONE THING: kindergarten at J.H. Ballard. Both of us have a battle to join - with our fellow teachers, this week, in a Queen's Park "Rally4Education." Contract strips, trampled laws, ignored rights. No need! We'll get through this - together! Our Education Centre in Hamilton being torn down as we march on Queen's Park for our rights!??

The Campfire

The Campfire 

The campfire
Is where we old codgers come to terms
With our demons and our angels

This meeting place of
Stars and Earth
Love and Ashes

Toss in the temporary
Garbage and Guilt
Wood and Whim
Fuel and Fear

Soak up the eternal
Life and Love
Wind and Warmth
Sky and Stars

Flames consume all
With crackling resolve
Bodies are warmed while
Troubles dissolve

Awaken new men
Renewed and revived
Cleansed by the flames and
More fully alive

The campfire!
The great equalizer
The great servant

- Glen Brown, August 27, 2012, revised December 16, 2012

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Summer With Sudbury's Blue Saints

Yesterday I attended the Welland Rose Festival Parade for the first time in, oh, about 35 years. The last time I was there was with the Teen Tour Band. It was ironic that as my younger daughter, my wife and I walked through the marshalling/staging area we saw the BTTB.

Not only the sight of all the bands and floats brought back a flood of great memories, but the sound too.  Horn players warm up under a tree; flag bearers sit around chatting; bands line up to warm up together with uniform jackets neatly piled with their caps at their feet. Everyone can see everyone else.

The diversity of groups shows up during the "hurry up and wait" period. The Chinese Fulan marching groups are all in perfect uniform standing at ease in formation, and it's thirty minutes until parade time. Other groups are standing in half uniform chatting while others are sitting around on the boulevard. A late-arriving bagpiper runs from his car.

We're looking for Sudbury's Blue Saints. The Blue Saints is Canada's oldest continuously operating community drum and bugle corps, now in its sixtieth year. We mistakenly were looking for formal blue uniforms, but as I phoned the director Mark Ripley, I learned that they were in their summer parade T shirts and were looking much more informal than I expected.

My two daughters are going to spend five weeks in July and August with the Blue Saints. Today we were introduced to Meghan the drumline leader. She looks barely out of high school, but is self-assured and friendly to Elinor. We shake hands all around and meet the show choreographer and band director, whose name escapes me. He too is a young man, university aged. He came up from North Texas State University to work for the Blue Saints this summer. He arranged all the music and the choreography for this year's show.

A half hour later the parade was under way. The Blue Saints marched by, supported by their enthusiastic alumni group marching along behind. What the corps lacks in numbers it makes up in spirit.

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