Memories of 2014
2014 was a memorable year indeed, if for
nothing more than unsettled weather. Winter started during the last week of
November 2013 and the last patches of snow fell to ol' sol at the end of April.
It wasn't an exceptionally cold winter, but it delivered continuous wallops of
heavy wet snow and ice and it was longer than a sled track.
Sue and I bolted from this one horse town
for a short visit to New York City to see the Allman Brothers Band at the
Beacon Theater on March 7. Seeing the ABB (for a second time in a year, I might
add) was a bucket list thang for me, and for it to be a "Beacon"
performance was the stuff of blues dreams. Sue went because we both enjoy NY.
She can take or leave the Allmans. This was the final year of a 23 year spring residency for
the band at the Beacon, and for all accounts, the finale at the Beacon on Oct.
29 was the last time we will see the band play, period. They are finito.
We coasted through the late spring with
great anticipation for the relief of summer. Spring came so late that I chose to
forego planting flowers and my small garden. First time ever for no hanging
flower baskets . . . no annuals . . . no garden . . . zippo . . . nada.
Things were shaping up nicely at the camp,
and the welcome mat was rolled out for summer's arrival. In June I poured a
(long talked about) concrete deck alongside the camp and an octagonal pad close to the lake for our new chiminea
fire place that we ordered from someplace in the states during the Arthur power outage.
At the end of June, Sue and I were more or
less residents of Davidson Lake for the summer . . . and then . . . on July 5,
"sub tropical storm" Arthur came to visit. Don't let the sub
tropical part appear to diminish the intensity of this sob. It was
Saturday, and Wag and I awoke at
the camp to heavy rain and wind. Sue decided to stay
home and not come out as planned. By 9:00 or 10:00 am, our power was out and
trees were leaning. Power went out in Douglas around noon. Wag and I packed up
and headed out in the early afternoon as the trees started falling. It was
surreal. Power was
out in Douglas for seven days, and 11? days at the lake.
We had one humongous spruce fall across the
front veranda roof at the camp. Amazingly, no structural damage, just some
cosmetic scarring. For the remainder of summer, I yarded, blocked, split, and
ranked Arthur wood, almost four cord, finishing on
Thanksgiving. It is to say, summer didn't roll out the way I had envisioned. On a
positive note, the absence of hydro evoked a grand opportunity to hone my skill on the
BBQ, for all three meals many days. Danny arrived home one day with a big bag of chicken
wings that were in need of either a freezer or a recipe. Since we too were sans
freezer, we had two huge feeds of wings, Q’d to perfection by moi.
I tended the generator
each day from about 5AM to about 11PM. Every 4 ½ hours, 6 litres of gas (or
maybe it was 8 litres). It seems strange that the monotony of sourcing gas and tending the generator and BBQ would be so tiring, but when the power came on, I
crashed. The sound of a generator now triggers a whole variety of emotional responses, all negative.
Harvest Jazz & Blues in September is
(and has been for a long time) the highlight of my year. I love music, and I
especially love the blues. We've been so fortunate to have
had many, maybe even most, of the big name blues men and women right here at Harvest. Well done Freddy. I buy a
festival pass, and I make it pay! As
a Harvest side note, it is
common knowledge that musicians have a difficult
time wrapping their heads around the fact that Harvest is made
possible by dedicated volunteers. No corporate
ownership, and no
one profiting a windfall
from its success. This is unheard of in the American market. This is a
world class, big budget, community supported, volunteer run, blues festival.
The weekend after Harvest was the 40th anniversary reunion of my FHS Graduation Class of '74. So many old
acquaintances renewed. The organizing committee did an exceptional job with it all, including
the reception Friday evening, and the dance Saturday evening. Many hugs and
smiles all 'round.
Although it seems
there was hardly enough time to do any
productive, customer-paying work in 2014, I managed
to have another successful year with my custom
carpentry business, RH Schwartz & Company Inc. I am more than
half way through the tenth year of this adventure, and I truly enjoy helping
customers realize their visions. I don’t work every day. When there is work in
the hopper, I sprint through it. When there is no work, I enjoy the camp, or
guitar, or my shop . . . whatever.
2014 is ending on a down note for me,
brother Doug, sisters Marilyn and Charlotte, Dad (Herb), our families, and our
extended families.
Mom has been at the DECRH for two weeks, and in palliative care for almost a
week as of today (Dec. 27), and we have been keeping a bedside vigil here throughout this time.
She has lived 85 good years plus one year of declining health. Life is one big
ball game, and as Mom is in the batter’s
box making her final swing at life, the family that she and dad created moves one step closer to the on-deck circle. Eventually, we all get to bat. I am writing this at her bedside.
