Time Again?


Today a retail store in Dunoon purchased six CDs from our CD Baby sales site. Got me to thinking, for the 2n time in as many weeks, that maybe it's time to do it again. Imagine a late spring weekend, where we spend a couple of days doing it in a "live" environment, but with the chance for re-takes when needed. I could see it. Might mean a bit more music work, but the preparation in terms of blowing tone and playing the right notes might be just what we need.

Competitive Challenges
Went to the Winnipeg Scottish Festival for some judging, and also playing with the Conservatory Pipe Band. Very cool to see the kids in the band do so well across the boards in their various solo events, and also the band itself played very well, given that it was the first time for a number of them. Pretty good progress. While there, got to hear the Winnipeg St. Andrew's, which was big and impressive. They will provide good competition for us in Grade 2, and I wouldn't want to compete with them in the tug-of-war...

We have to start making firm travel and accommodation plans for Scotland, which means booking air flights, and we have a whack of stuff to look after in March with the Brier, St Paddys, Glendive...but let's not forget that it's still pretty satisfying to kick ass at home, and no fun at all when you don't.

Another Sad Loss

Learned today about Bruce Cooke's sudden and unexpected death this past Saturday. It's been a bit of a year for things like this. I first met Bruce when I was a teenager. He came to Regina to teach at the university (I think) and he was very proud of his Queen's University pipe band experience. Over the years, Bruce proved himself to be a real student of bagpipes and pipe bands. Although he was no Gold Medallist, he was very keen to discover what makes things work, and his engineering background and piping interest often overlapped with experiments in sound, theories about reeds and tuning, and other items. The photo here was taken last summer when we did the Legion parade. Bruce sent me a very nice colour copy of the photo, showing the massed bands and Legion colour party on parade. As well as being a long-time member of the Wa Wa Shrine Pipe Band, Bruce served a couple of stints as pipe major, and was the P/M at the time of his death. As well, he played in the Regina Police Service P&D, and was a member of the 10th Field Regiment RCA Pipe Band when it was active. He was always supportive of the City of Regina Pipe Band, and just a week back was at the Ceilidh, and in the fall was at the Pub Krawl. I really appreciated Bruce's support of the Summer School here, and his enthusiasm as a student. It was not always easy for a man so accomplished in academic and professional life [Phd in Engineering; Professor; Dean of Engineering; professional credentials] to be a student of piping, and he took it on with passion and energy that I admired. I'll miss Bruce at the school this summer, and whenever the local bands get together to play. Our condolences to his family, and to the members of the bands of which he was such a great member.

Gale Turns 40

Here's a milestone that you don't reach everyday. Forty years old. It doesn't seem like long since you were a teenager Gale, walking around with glazed eyes after summer school with Colin MacLellan, and we had 3 years of "Colin says..." Well, who knows, likely Colin was right. Got him a Gold Medal.

And there you are: still the avid student of bagpipes, learning new tunes, competing, and being the runner-up for the big World Championship CLASP event last summer. If only there were classes for staying cool! Ha. On top of that, you have this whole career thing happening. Math up the ying-yang, the incredible story of "0" and the years of teaching and generally enthusing about math. And then there's the MA thesis, the multiple auto mishaps, and the muffins that would sink a fishing trawler. Tai Chi this Gale, and there you are chopping concrete blocks in half and cutting the ears off opponents with your mighty sword. All that, and we still can't get a friggin' band jacket that makes you happy!

Well here are 40 great wishes for your birthday Gale. You are one special person, and we are all happy to know you, and happy to have journeyed in your odd company these many years. You have brought so much to the band, and that only covers a small corner of the people you reach in your life.

So have a great day, and we look forward to your contented middle age!

Another Ceilidh for the Books
Well, that was one good weekend. Can't say enough about how people pitched in to assist in various ways, whether buying and picking up food, supplies, helping in the kitchen, at the door, setting up, tearing down, working in all those ways. Very cool to have dedicated volunteers doing the bar and silent auction, and on top of it all the music was great. Note for another time: we need a pre-appointed band photographer for these events! Anybody get any pics? That would be good. Good tunes for the most part. We need to get some reed stability, and I'd like to get people's mechanical level (tuning slides that work, etc.) back to the top of the tree. We'll keep picking away at the concert stuff, and put some real energy into getting everyone's sound better. So, thanks for all your energy, cooperation and great companionship over the weekend. And, if you hadn't heard, sounds as though all bets are off for us continuing to use the Legion. In truth, it might be time for us to finally put that behind us, although, it has been a good building for us. Not sure we can count on that in the future, though, and if anyone has hot ideas, now would be the time to explore them.