CARIBANA IN THE CITY

This weekend Toronto was hopping.. with North America's largest Caribbean Festival ! Caribana... a 40 year tradition in Toronto.. every August Thousand flock to Toronto from all over the world, but mostly the United States to see and take part in this festival. Its full of colours and traditions from the Caribbean.. mostly Trinidad and Tobago.. but now encompasses many other regions of the Caribbean.

1 million attended today parade on Lakeshore.. shutting down the downtown core. The weather was perfect for today's festivities !

ESCAPING THE CITY

I had to escape the city this week.. I rented myself with my sisters, Ineke and Melinda a cottage up north in Muskoka. The most beautiful part of Ontario very close to Huntsville, where I hold many great memories of summer band camps, and playing in the Huntsville Festival for over 10 years with Anne marie Monaco. It took 2 ½ hours to get to the cottage located on a small lake, Ril Lake. The cottage was quite large and fit the 8 of us quite comfortably. We did lots of swimming, boating, fishing, game playing, cooking and Potter reading during the week. Perfect weather was the real plus for us as well, but the bugs were pesky ! I will defiantly do this again next summer, it’s a real treat to enjoy cottage life in Ontario.. I love it !

click here to see more pictures of our week up north !

A VERY PROUD AUNT INDEED !

Today, I was a very proud " stage aunt" .. Caroline performed at City Hall infront of a crowd of hundreds, and did an amazing job. She was selected after an audition to perform at this event, Youth Day 2007 at Toronto's City Hall. We all came out to support her, and in the pictures below you see her close friends, and Maya, Joe and Hali as well as of course her very proud mom, Ineke !

I have also included a video of her performance.
( click on any of the images to enlarge the picture view) ...*click on this links below part 1 or 2 which will take you to YouTube to see a live video of the performance, its in two parts.. Part 1 Part 2

YOUTH DAY IN TORONTO

Today, Caroline will be performing on the main stage at City hall for Toronto's first Youth Day Festival . She auditioned about 1 month ago, and is a finalist, and therefor has been given the opportunity to perform at City Hall on the main stage. She played her song for me last night, to practise and prepare , giving her performance tips that would be helpfull to her and her overall performance.

I'm sure she'll be great ! such a talented family we are !

GREAT FAMILY MEMORIES

This morning I woke up to a great surprise email from my cousin Rutger in Hamburg. He had sent me this great photo that was recently found by his brother Steven, when he was rummaging through some old photos. Taken in the 30's its a picture of my Grandfather sitting outside on the car, and inside the car , sitting on my Grandmothers lap, is my Uncle Bob, at the window my Aunt Hilda, and in the background is my mom ! What a great photo ! very cool!

THOSE SILLY DUTCH!

Today I drove up to Barrie with Ineke to attend the Holland Pavillion, that that Jeff Van Niekerk organized. Jeff is the son of John, the owner of Niemeyers Dutch import store in New Market. He did a great job ! I"m very impressed.. it was like walking into the Amsterdam Pavillion that mom organized for Caravan back in 1977 ! It even made me a bit teary eyed when I walked into the pavillion !

click here to see more pictures of the day

videos from the day:

Dutch pavillion in Barrie

Dutch Carnival Band performs

More of the Dutch Band

Making fresh Stroopwafels

HARRY POTTER HAS ARRIVED IN TORONTO

Tonight was the premier of the newest installment of the Harry Potter films. And of course the kids were all excited and went to see it tonight, including Maya, who as you can see in the this picture even got a great picture with one of the main characters and stars of the film Rupert Grint ( Harry's best friend aka, Ronald Weasley)

( maya with Rupert Grint tonights premier of Harry Potter at the Toronto Scotia Theatre, downtown at Richmond and John)

I too am looking forward to seeing the film! and this weekend.. more excitment as the last Potter books in hitting the shelves... all computers, cell phones and ipod's will be abandoned for about 5 days, as all of Toronto kids and teenages will be silently reading in every corner of the city !

NEW SUMMER LIGHTS HIGH IN THE TORONTO SKY

Toronto main tourist attraction the CN tower has a new look ! LED lights have recently been added to the tower to make it really look spectacular and really stand out. The summer heat, today a balmy 43 degrees adds to the heated colours the tower is able to produce !

here are some CN tower facts and trivia...

Is the CN Tower the World’s Tallest Building?Yes, it is recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the World’s Tallest Building. The CN Tower has also been recognized as having the World’s Longest Metal Staircase and World’s Highest Wine Cellar.
How tall is the CN Tower?The CN Tower is 553.33 m (1,815ft, 5 inches) tall or the equivalent of 5 ½ football fields stacked end-to-end.
Why was the CN Tower built?In the 1960s, Toronto’s growing skyline created problems for radio and television transmission because the pre-skyscraper transmission towers were simply not high enough to broadcast over the buildings. The prime function of the Tower is a telecommunications hub and several Canadian radio and television channels broadcast from there.
How much did it cost to build the World’s Tallest Building?The CN Tower was built for $63 million (about $300 million in 1998 dollars).
How long did it take to build the CN Tower?It took approximately 40 months to complete the CN Tower. Construction started on February 6, 1973, and wrapped up in June of 1976.
How many people did it take to build the CN Tower?1,537 courageous workers toiled around the clock, five days a week, 24 hours a day, to build the CN Tower.
Who owns the CN Tower?Canadian National (CN) built the tower in 1976, and retained ownership until 1995 when it became a public company. At that point, ownership of the CN Tower was transferred to Canada Lands Company, along with a number of other real estate properties.

CELEBRATING IN LITTLE ITALY

I went out to dinner last night with Ineke and Nicholas, celebrating Nicholas's High School graduation.. Nice going Nic ! We had a lovely dinner in a Toronto Life recommended Italian restaurant, a bit pricey... but alias.. what do you expect from the Toronto Life ! but it was really tasty !

HAPPY HOT PRIDE

Another Pride week and come and gone.. it was great fun this week with the highlight yesterday being the Pride Parade down Toronto's main street, Yonge Street. It was 2 hours long, and 1 million people attended ! The weather was amazing.. and everyone had a great time !















( in this picture, r-l, Me, Maya, and her friend Hali)

Click here to see more pictures

GIRL TIME !.. PRECIOUS !!

Today I had a really nice time meeting my good friend Sheila Goldman ! Girl talk and a wonderful lunch were the highlight of my day ! Good to see ya girlfriend.. in your great house and gorgeous kitchen ! I left after 3 hours of gabbing, got into my van and the skies opened up, I have never seen so much rain fall in such a short time, there where rivers of water flowing down Spadina Avenue ! and a lake of water under the train overpass at Spadina and Dupont Road !
( you can click on the picture to enlarge view)

START THE CAR !!!... START THE CAR !!!.....

You know, I have never owned a new car before, and with my new van, I also felt I should and could get finally my own personized licence plate ! well.. I did.. it speaks for itself... I think it's cool :-)

Toronto's Newest HTO Park

On Saturday, I went down to Harborfront to view Toronto's newest park.. well beach ! It looks great, and will be a great addition to the Toronto's wonderful Style of living and enjoying the outdoors.. as I was walking along the boardwalk, I was serenaded by Live Carribean music, If I didn't look behind me to see the CN Tower, I'd swear I was really in Barbados!

click here to see a video I took at the beach with sound and all to really get what I mean...

NOT THE MESSIAH!

Tonight, Ineke, Caroline and I went the Roy Thompson hall to see the premier performance of Eric Idel's " Not the Messiah" From Eric Idle and John Du Prez, the sardonic duo that unleashed Spamalot on the world, comes Not The Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy), a comic oratorio inspired by Monty Python's Life of Brian and performed by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and members of the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, featuring soloists and Eric Idle as both soloist and narrator. Co-commissioned by Luminato and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Not The Messiah will be conducted by Peter Oundjian, who is not only the TSOs Music Director but also Eric Idle's cousin.

( this is a picture of Idle back in the 80's at the end of the film, Life of Brian)

We had a howling time.. haven't laughed this much in a long, long time.. Ineke was crying in Laughter ! we had a great night... and boy is the festival amazing... way to go Luminato organizers !

WOW.. IT'S BEAUTIFUL... CRYSTAL CLEAR !

Tonight is a special night in Toronto ! I was at the presentation of the new wing at the ROM ( Royal Ontario Museum) This extraordinary architectural wonder has been 5 years in the making. At first it looked quite unattractive with it bare metal beams exposed to the elements.. but slowly it became the jewel as it is now. This new Michael Lee-Chin Chrystal wing opened tonight with a spectacular free concert and show. With a line up of Canadian musicians and actors, to lead the way.. ending with a impressive light show and fireworks highlighting the structure of the building.


Proceeding the concert I was invited to attend the special VIP reception, where I met lots of great artists and other VIP’s but the biggest STAR of the evening was without a doubt , the Crystal ! ( Me and Jann Arden ! )

click here to see more pictures.

TORONTO'S NEWEST CRYSTAL!

Today is The Dawn of the Crystal Age, the ROM is holding its official Architectural Opening and Building Dedication of the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal. As one of the most important architectural projects of our time and a distinctive new symbol of Toronto for the 21st century, the Lee-Chin Crystal marks the beginning of a new age for the ROM. The Crystal Age announces the Museum as the country’s premier cultural and social destination and is ushered in by a series of unforgettable events. This city is getting better and better.. and it's so exciting.. I look forward to seeing the new wing. soon !

NEW HOUSE GUEST

This is the painting I purchased on Saturday from Nadina. I think it's great. It's called Spring Phoenix, and fits right into my penthouse with class !

Nadina you sure are one talented women!!!!!!!!!

SPRING PHOENIX

Today, I was the whole day at Nadina's place. She asked me to help out with her Art Exhibit/fundraiser. She was going to sell her art, and hopefully raise some more money to help pay for her recent CD project that she just did with Guy Few. In this picture, on Nadina's left, is the painting I purchased from her today. I love it, and it's called Spring Phoenix, she was inspired to paint it, shortly after completing the recording session with Guy last March...

Me, Nadina and Guy Few in Nadina's kitchen..

SINGING, A GREAT WAY TO RELEASE STRESS !

Tonight after Amici's last concert of this season, and a very successful one I might add, Caroline went to a local bar close to my office to have a beer and do some much loved Karaoki... I sang 4 songs, including my Bette Mildler fav.. " you are the wind beneath my wings.. " I felt much better after singing, and just letting lose... Singing at the top of your lungs infront of complete strangers, strangely releases alot of my tension...

Happy Victoria Day

Today was the last day of our 3 day well needed weekend... tonight I went over with my 28 cm long sparklers to Ineke's... here's some pictures from our enjoyment of the festivities...

The Sovereign's birthday has been celebrated in Canada since the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901).

May 24, Queen Victoria's birthday, was declared a holiday by the Legislature of the Province of Canada in 1845.

After Confederation, the Queen's birthday was celebrated every year on May 24 unless that date was a Sunday, in which case a proclamation was issued providing for the celebration on May 25.

An amendment to the Statutes of Canada in 1952 established the celebration of Victoria Day on the Monday preceding May 25.

From 1953 to 1956, the Queen's birthday was celebrated in Canada on Victoria Day, by proclamation of the Governor General, with Her Majesty's approval. In 1957, Victoria Day was permanently appointed as the Queen's birthday in Canada. In the United Kingdom, the Queen's birthday is celebrated in June.

In 2007 Victoria Day will be celebrated on Monday, May 21st.

SPEAKING OF GADGETS ...

I wanted to share my newest gadget, handy phone extraordinaire ! the newest Smartphone the HTC S621 .. I love it ! worth every penny.. for much less I might add than the comparative Blackberry of Palm Treo...

I'm not doing an ad for Rogers.. but for those who know me.. I am always on top of the newest techy tools to help me in my many jobs..

Features
Wireless Phone: complete wireless phone features Speakerphone: 5 way conference calling and enhanced music listening E-mail: Windows Mobile 5, Outlook Exchange, Personal and Corporate Email, Instant Messaging Integrated QWERTY keyboard: combines a phone keypad with a QWERTY keyboard for easy letter and number entry Internet: EDGE enabled for faster downloading of e-mail, attachments, content and surfing the Internet. Bluetooth-enabled: wirelessly connects to a stereo Bluetooth headset (using A2DP) and other Bluetooth devices Embedded ring tunes: 33 polyphonics ring tunes Music Player: Bring your music with you on the road. Support for MP3, AAC and eAAC.
Connectivity
USB Cable (included) Bluetooth WiFi 802.11 b/g Compliant

COOL NEW GADGET !

First came the Coca Cola machine, then came the ATM, money machine, now as I discovered tonight at the Loblaws down by the lake..( Queens Quay) a DVD dispensing machine... ( the DVD, that is spit out of the machine comes in a simple thin plastic cover) very cool... as long as you have a Credit Card you can rent a newly released DVD for only $1.99.. whats.. the catch ? well.. you must bring back to this machine the next evening before 12 midnight the next day.. or your credit card get charged another $1.99 .. and so on and so.. on.. as long as you bring it back.. you're fine.. ! very cool...

CONGRATS NICHOLAS!

Tonight, I took Ineke and Nicholas up to the Science Centre in Don Mills, to attend a Scouting awards ceremony, to which Nicholas is receiving a Silver Award of Excellence from a very distinguished guest!

Here you see him with his award and the presenter.. ( Jim Creeggan of the Barenaked Ladies)

Ineke and I are very proud of Nic !

nice job !

SUNNY DAYS...

Milo and I went out for a nice walk to Ramsden Park today..

just north of Bloor, off Yonge Street.

SPRING 07 IN TORONTO

Well so far.... so good.. spring has been nice this year in Toronto.. I always still have to get used to the fact that spring is so much later with starting than in Amsterdam.. like at least 6 cold weeks later ! .. I took this picture on my walk yesterday at the local city park just up the street from my office. This is St. James park at the corner of King and Jarvis Streets.. as you can see the tulips are perfect right now.. next week they may be gone already ! I just love the spring, because summer is right on it's heels !

GOOD MUSIC ... GOOD FRIENDS !

Today, once again, I was playing with my orchestra, the Oshawa Durham Symphony. The program is really nice ! Beethoven Symphony no. 1, and the 3rd and 5th Beethoven Piano Concertos.

Anton Kuerti is the piano soloist. Amazing pianist, and amazing that he is playing 2 concertos in one night !

Leslie Newman, the flutist in our quintet, Network Winds, is playing this program as well. This picture was taken tonight at the hall in Oshawa...

NADINA'S AMAZING NEW CD

I am proud to be friends and colleagues with such an amazing creative person as Nadina Mackie Jackson or as we know her.. NADIVA...!!.. she just released her latest CD.. and it's a keeper.. it should and will win all sorts of praise and awards.. very inovative and just superb playing !

click on the picture to take you to the CD purchase page !

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

Yesterday, Sunday, I had the whole family over for nice pre-mothers day dinner. Although my mom is no longer around, the room was of course filled with 3 other moms and their kids ( 9 in all ) !

It was a nice day... to bad it was to cool to be out on the deck...

THE CELTIC TENORS

I had fun today playing in the Niagara Symphony tonight with the Celtic Tenors. A wonderful group of guys from Ireland, singing the top ten tenor hits of today, with the Niagara Symphony. It was a nice drive to Niagara today.. didn't mind one bit... it was just great fun... and some great singing did happen tonight.. !

A NICE SUNNY SUNDAY !

Ahhh! just lov'in it !... the sun that is... again a great day.. finally.. nice and warm.. Milo is basking in the sun on the patio... just keep coming with those summer days !!! :-)

PLAYING BEETHOVEN IN SPRING!

Yesterday, Saturday April 21, was a simply beautiful day ! Not only did I perform a great work, Beethoven's 9th Symphony with the Oshawa Durham Symphony to a full house, but had the added bonus of finally enjoying Ontario spring weather. ( sunny and 25 degrees). James McDonald, that played 2/3rd horn with us, lives quite close to Oshawa in Port Perry... and in the break he invited myself, and a few other musicians from the orchestra to his GRAND house for dinner. Here we are sitting on his HUGE patio ! amazing house... what a great place to have large parties and get togethers..! I hope to visit James one day again very soon..... !

California Day 8- Last Day !

Tuesday April 10, 2007

Today is the last day.. ! Boo Hoo.. man am I stressed today, I hardly slept last night.. Having all sorts of scary thoughts about how Milo is going to handle the plane trip back to Toronto. Remembering the United Airways guy on the phone earlier in the week saying to me.. “ Oh your dog will be just fine in Cargo, rest assured you will not be receiving a PUPSICLE in Toronto ! “ We got up at 6:00am, I’m all packed and ready to go. We stopped at the local coffee shop to pick up some much needed coffee and egg sandwiches. My flight leaves at 9:30am. We arrive at the airport in time to check in.. I am very worried about Milo.. the plane is sooooo small..

( you can see Milo crate waiting to be loaded)

I said my tearful goodbyes to Brynn.. thanked her for the most wonderful vacation.. and hopefully we will see each other very soon again in the near future.. ! I had never flown in a propeller plane.. but it worked out, this plane I took San Luis Obispo, and had to transfer to a much larger aircraft in San Francisco, a 50 minute plane trip from San Luis. The plane in San Francisco was much more comfortable, especially since I decided to upgrade myself, pay a little extra, and fly 1st class the rest of the way back to Toronto. I’m glad I did !... Milo arrived in Toronto all happy to see me.. all my worries for nothing.. !! she did just fine.. ! but this will be the last time I travel with a dog.. way to much worry.. and stress for me.. that’s for sure !