Saturday, June 28, 2008


Lauren Elizabeth Stewart was 6 yesterday. I had her all to myself in the evening because Rosemary did not want to accompany us to see Peter Bingham at EDAM to see The Echo Case. What we saw was avant garde and the original improvised music that accompanied the performance was funny, challenging and entertaining. The three men (all bald or with shaved heads)Peter Bingham, Marc Boivin and Andrew Harwood danced in convoluted moves that brought to mind my reading of R.D. Lang's Knots in the early 70s.

Lauren nursed a Ginger Ale through the one-hour-long performance. She laughed, giggled and looked at me to reinforce the fact she thought it all so funny. As soon as it was over she said, "Hold my hand and let's go to the Japanese Restaurant." After performances at EDAM and particularly when Rebecca is around we go to Kishu Island on Main (almost corner with Broadway).

Lauren did not want to drink her green tea, "I don't like green tea." So I told her, "Just like I tell you to imagine that a rose might smell of synthetic apricot jam (Rosa 'Westerland') before you smell it try and think of celery soup. You like celery." There must be something of the flexibility of 6 year old's mind that she then happily drank her tea.



When I was taking her home I was thinking how it was possible that The Echo Case (an extreme example of contact improvisational dance) was absorbed instantly by Lauren without the need that we adults have of figuring what it all means or is supposed to say.

We both had an excellent afternoon and I counted my blessings in being in close geographically to both my granddaughters. I have yet to forget the wonderful time we all four (with Rosemary) had last week at Pacific Shores Resort & Spa in Parksville. Here is a photograph of the two girls with head gardener Michele Keddy (in the Japanese meditation garden) who was warm and knowledgeable and the two girls instantly loved her. Rebecca never questioned Keddy's ability to point her to places where she could find snakes even though she (Keddy) is so afraid of them. Keddy would jump back every time Rebecca picked one up while Lauren stood her ground but was unwilling to get any closer.

Happy birthday Lauren Elizabeth Stewart