Friday, November 2nd, the day before the opening... I don't remember exactly how the day started. With the arrival of relatives and friends - some people I hadn't seen in years - my perception of what happened when was getting a bit hazy...like the weather.
And I still had things to do...such as getting the music together for the opening. But that could wait. I wanted to take some time out to show Ellie the city where I shot Badfinger, right after I dropped one more print off for framing. And that's when it happened. We were driving away from the framers when I suddenly thought I heard part of the title of my book...on the radio. I grabbed at the volume knob...yes...the DJ was talking about the book. Then a segment of my interview came streaming through the air.
"Hey, my song's on the radio." Well, okay, it wasn't my song but I can only guess the feeling was the same as a band hearing a song on the radio for the first time. The segment was followed by a song and then another bit from the interview, a mention of the show and then another song. Very cool. Thank you, Robin Larose! (the DJ that interviewed me and did a great job assembling my blabber so I didn't suck on the radio)
Then the mini tour started. I found out that Ellie had an aversion to heights when she walked into her 10th floor room and had a problem walking out on the balcony. As we drove across downtown toward Stanley Park, she told me all heights were a problem...including bridges. Imagine how she felt as I took this picture (and others) while I was maneuvering the rental car across the Lions Gate Bridge. Yup, I can be evil, even to my friends.
We did a quick tour of the North Shore, up the side of the mountain so Ellie could get some pictures of the amazing view. I drove her by my friend Gary Switlo's house which is a historic landmark (he's one of the people I dedicated the book to, so you can learn more about him there). We ran into Tyler - he had hit the North Shore to show his girlfriend where he went to school in the third grade and his very own secret forest where he used to play. they let us know they heard a promo about the show on the radio while they were looking at cameras in a local pawnshop. Nice.
We took the Second Narrows Bridge back to Vancouver proper, which gave us the opportunity to stop at the PNE grounds...where many of the concerts I shot took place. On my way up to Vancouver I had already decided that I wanted to stop and take photos of the places I shot back in the day. I was really happy that the stop happened with Ellie. We parked in the lot next to the Coliseum, where I shot everybody from John Denver to Led Zeppelin. We got out of the car to take pictures...
That big grey roll-up door is the very same spot where I exited the building after the Led Zeppelin concert...in a limo...sitting next to a half-naked...Robert Plant! (you can read more about it in the book).
After taking this picture we decided to walk around the building. I was looking for the Gardens where I shot Badfinger, 'cause I wanted Ellie to see where her husband played... wishing he was still around and could have come to Vancouver with Ellie to honor Pete Ham and Tom Evans, instead of Ellie coming alone.
By the time we made it halfway around the building we were both complaining about the bitter cold. Okay, maybe it wasn't all that "bitter" but it felt bitter to us, probably because we were under-dressed. Our trek was rewarded with this next building...
...the Agrodome...where I shot Frank Zappa.
I knew the Gardens was around there someplace but I couldn't remember exactly where it was in relationship to the Coliseum and the Agrodome so we mutually decided to round the Coliseum and head back to the warmth of the car. In looking at an online map of the park, turns out we were only a few hundred yards from the Gardens and drove right by it. Figures.
We headed back toward our downtown hotel with a quick touristy detour through Gastown...
and that's when Ellie espied this pub...
...where we couldn't resist stopping in for a half-pint...
...and then decided to have lunch, since I hadn't even had breakfast. We shared a scrump-de-le-icious order of fish & chips that came with a very yummy curry sauce dip for the chips. Look how at home and happy Ellie is in the pub. Guess that's what happens after many years of marriage to a Welshman. After we had the fish & chips a server walked by us with a pot pie order that looked so good we were tempted to stay for dinner.
But alas, there were more relatives arriving and we had to make our way back to the hotel. The late arrivals also managed to get the deluxe rooms on the 27th floor. One of their rooms was on the front of the hotel with an incredible view. So incredible, in fact, that I fetched Ellie from the tenth floor to check it out. Here are the pictures I took...
Off the balcony, looking left.
Panning right.
Looking straight ahead...the ships in the bay.
Closer on the ships.
Looking right.
Impressive, no?
So, I made Ellie check out the view from inside the room and I took these same pictures with her camera from the balcony. Truth be told, I actually was not all that comfortable on the balcony. I had my own struggle with vertigo.
And finally, from inside the room...meet my very favorite relative, Zach...
Behind Zach is my sister, Pam and brother-in-law, Pat who all arrived from Vancouver Island. The guy on the floor who you can't see is Zach's dad, Steve. He's currently a gimp, after knee surgery to retrieve his knee cap that was shoved halfway up his thigh in a soccer game.
Wait, I can't leave you with the visual of Steve's kneecap in his thigh, so here's the night time view from my balcony on the low-rent 10th floor...
Coming next...pictures from the opening...maybe.
Party hard, listen to the great music of at least one of the musicians honored in Everybody I Shot Is Dead, and most important...BE SAFE!
