To thine own self be true

–Jason Kodish

in the United States. Messages: Women are not to be trusted with their own bodies, health, and safety. They are not politically fit, able, or capable of deciding their own fates. Trump and Republican politicians (none of them women) are the only ones capable of making abortion decisions. America is now divided in half.

And Margaret Atwood’s vision of agenda-ed political repression of women on the basis of gender seems truer than ever.

Annual fires:
Slave Lake
Fort McMurray
High Level

(You have to feel sympathy for all the people of these towns who have experienced evacuation, helplessness, and destruction of their worlds and lives. 5,000 reported evacuated from High Level today, Wednesday. The guys currently fighting the fires are brave and knowledgeable. But does the province have enough resources for the current and future crises?)

about ordinary people’s lives set at a rodeo during Prescott (Arizona) Family Days. It stars Steve McQueen as Jr./aka JR. One of his best starring roles with plenty of coolness, humor, and physical action. Jr has become a washed-up rodeo cowboy of some note who tries to win a big prize wrestling down a very mean bull that other riders are intimidated by.

His funny, charismatic drunken father who wants to seek his fortune in Australia is expertly played by Robert Preston with a lot of Oklahoma bluster and charm. His mother who is separated from the father is played by veteran actress Ida Lupino and she captures the bitterness of a wife deserted by her n’er-do-well cowboy husband. Ben Johnson has a nice cameo as a somewhat sarcastic, but kindly rodeo announcer and rodeo manager who wants Junior to work for him. Also making an offer of a conventional ‘wages’ job is Joe Don Baker who plays JR’s somewhat sleazy brother.

The storyline shows Junior in search of his father, him fighting with his brother, bar scenes, a humorous amateurish parade, and very tough rodeo scenes, the latter the only violence strangely enough for a Sam Peckinpah film. Peckinpah himself shows he is more than capable of getting the viewers to sympathize with all these characters and their ordinary, identifiable problems and issues.

The music by Jerry Fielding effectively conjures up 1972 western town and rodeo culture. The visually attractive film was shot in Todd AO with some split-screening fashionable at that time. Peckinpah is not afraid to show extended scenes with extras and minor characters to give the atmosphere a realistic homespun feel that I, personally, remember well about life (especially the bar scenes) in small town Grand Centre (now Cold Lake) back in 1972-75.

Junior Bonner is highly recommended for McQueen fans, ’70s movies fans. Peckinpah fans, and ‘modern westerns’ about ordinary folks. I think this is definitely one of McQueen’s and Peckinpah’s best. Lots of fun, likable strong understated scenes, top-notch character acting, and good drama.

and played goal on the grade 6 soccer team, was the captain on the grade 6 baseball team (handpicked by my principal-friend). I played on the grade 7 football team and played on volleyball teams in grades 8-9. In grade 10, I was the sports reporter for the high school newspaper and travelled with the school teams to the Grand Forks, ND.

Spectator-wise, I went to a lot of Winnipeg Warriors games (WHL–minor pro) at the old Winnipeg Arena and the Winnipeg Goldeyes (Northern League farm team of the Cardinals), peaking around 1960. I’ve looked for the above rare 1960 (59 years ago)  pennants on the Internet and find no postings.

On tv, I cheered for the Bud Grant/Kenny Ploen Grey Cup-winning Blue Bombers, the Toe Blake/Richards’ (I identified with the latters’ surnames) Montreal Canadiens, and the New York Yankees (even latch-key-kid skipping gr. 2-3 September afternoons to watch them in the World Series).

(left: 1932 booklet about the Lodge put out by CNR; right: bird’s eye of the lodge

(left: what was then the lounge; right: the main dining room)

(from a 1932 guide: map of the property)

Well, yes, I was and still am something of a historian (2nd U major was history) and I will be including pictures from very old books (some are antiques–over 100 years old) and ephemera in future blog entries. I have also collected vintage material about my hometown Winnipeg, Edmonton, Victoria, the mountains, other parts of Canada, and the railways. I own an olde turn-of-the-century stereoscope with postcards, and know a fair bit about European and English history as well. My U minor was philosophy and that and the majors grounded my background on ideas, themes, and the Arts (I took Aesthetics).

really work nicely. Polarized lenses. One size fits all. Wrap-around protection so you don’t get sun through the side of your glasses. And I must add, they are quite fine as cool, regular sunglasses if you don’t wear glasses at all. The perfect solution for all sun protection for your eyes in all possibilities.

seeking out May trees in full bloom to smell. This is the ultimate spring smell that compliments freshly-cut grass smell.

is that they need to let outside and preferably walked each day. A little ‘pull’ play also makes their day. They are creatures of Nature much like humans so sun, air, and movement are all positive experiences. Even when the elements are not 100% as in windy, rainy, snowy, and cold (if they’re properly dressed: boots for winter as well as sweater).

(on far left as people passed in the downtown mall)

(with olde friend Ken Mitchell on left in audience)

(showtime)

All pics by Heather Davies.