Processed cheese, Cheap Hotels, Prince George

**my spell check is not working and this is a rushed post...I will fix later**

I am back in my stomping grounds. Last night I pulled into Prince George after a 'harried' drive from Cache Creek. Snow everywhere, visibility zero and a car accident(not my car) involving a dead horse (don't laugh it was really sad). The photo shoot on Monday went fabulously. Aside from the photographer having to deal with an emotionally dead subject (I definalty was not my most vibrant self) I think we got some great shots. It was hilarious, wandering around the streets of Gas Town, people stopping to watch...me in the road trying not to get hit by oncoming traffic so we could get the shot!.

After hurried goodbyes I picked up my van and battled rushhour traffic out of the city. I made it as far as Cache Creek that night, stayed in a small motel that only charged me $18 because their hot water heater was broken and ate in a pub that visually gave the impression of a high class food establishment but served their pizza with white processed cheese slices! Nasty!

This morning I am off to reunite with the Terrace contingency. I sure the evening will involve, superior food, multiple bottles of wine and marveling at the lack of snow on the hill, but epic conditions in the backcountry.

Dawn

I have been up since 6:30 staring at the beautiful Vancouver panorama. This morning is the photo shoot. After which I have decided to immediately start my journey to Prince Rupert. It's time for me to go back to the beginning, share stories of my adventure and start the planning process for more. I have learned so many things this past 3 months, about myself, the direction I want to head, the types of experiences I want to recreate. I used to have difficulty seeing myself as an 'artist'. The word would make me cringe. I admire other 'artists'...musicians, photographers, painters. I just found the label did not sit well on my form. I think it is time for me to embrace the title, wear it with pride. I find myself standing at the point of no return, and I am ready to jump in with two feet.

Direction Clear

Sall

Looking Forward

I have so many ideas for the next year I can't wait to get started on them. As much as I love the Christmas season, I can't wait for it to be over so I can start my plans on their path to fruition.

Sall

Not much to report

I am in the city and I should be taking advantage of it, but I can barely keep my eyes open. Damn that jet lag. I'm going to be in bed by 9:00pm.

Not much to report today. I wandered around the streets looking for inspiring places for the photo shoot on Monday. Sat on a bench, read my book and drank tea. Worked on songs for the next album, all in all a nice day. I'm off to bed.

Sleep Tight World

Peace and Quiet

I still feel like I am on the plane, the ground moving beneath my chair. The plane was loaded with Hamilton Ticat Fans heading out for the Grey Cup. While waiting to board the plane I found myself sitting with several free ticket winners, including a women that won the 'Greatest Fan Contest'. Amusing group.

I am back in Vancouver again, enjoying the peace and quiet of an empty condo. It took some creative maneuvering but I found a parking spot for my van and a ride downtown. My new van is now too high to fit in the underground parking garage!

This past week has been a blur. At some point amidst the flying, family and funeral I turned another year older. I wish the circumstances surrounding my trip to Ontario had been different, but it still was nice seeing everyone. I couldn't ask for a more supportive family.

This weekend I am going to relax and enjoy the city. Monday brings a photo shoot for the new cd cover art. Tuesday brings the start of my trip to Prince Rupert, then a show at the Crest Hotel. Right now I am headed for a shower and dinner.

T Dot

Less than 24 hours ago I was waking up in Keremeous BC, now I am sitting at my childhood kitchen table in Ontario. My Dad just left to go back to work after retrieving me from the airport and making sure I was well fed :) The house is really quiet and the kitchen and living room clocks are ticking away in a syncopated rhythm. My 17 years old cat is curling around the legs of my chair excited to see me. She just got back from the vet and I keep trying not to laugh at her 1/2 shaved body (poor thing, LOL). I am trying to decide if I am going to sleep for a few hours or push through. A hot shower will tip the scale one way or another. The backyard and house look as beautiful as ever. No leaves on the trees and it's quite cold. Being home, alone in rooms filled with memories and ghosts is giving me unexpected perspective of the past few months. I found myself humming, walking from room to room with a smile on my face. I peeked into the crawlspace and tried to wipe the dust off my drum set. It desperately needs new skins. I'd forgotten how I used to sit in the basement for hours banging away first at the drums and then guitar dreaming of a music career. It's nice being home :)

Airports

There are three places that once entered immediately make my adrenalin start to flow. Amusement Parks, Hospitals and Airports. I am a roller coaster freak, leary of hospitals and love flying. Maybe not actually love flying..but traveling and the promise of the unknown. As sad and travel weary as I am, walking into the airport tonight I felt that familiar excitement and started to grin.

Sitting here eating dinner I got to thinking about how many times I have sat in airport, bus and train stations off to something or another. I think I have written before about my Dad sending me off at the Union Station in Toronto when I was moving out West...excited for me, telling me of the yet unknown adventures I am going to have. What words of fore shadowing! Hindsight is 20/20. I wish that someone had told me the importance of writing journals. Maybe on the flight I will try to figure out what I have done and where I have been for the last bunch of years. Interesting.

Familiar Roads

I have gotten used to writing in this journal daily. But I find there is not much to report today. I am traveling back to Vancouver driving down familiar roads. My day was 'thought heavy'. Starting with strange dreams difficult to wake from, premature goodbyes and hours of driving in solitary confinement, I am ready to curl up and lose myself in a book.

This past year both my physical world and perception of the world has gone through several stages of expansion and contraction. Summers in the fish plant have a way of focusing your physical and mental reality to the inside of four concrete walls and daily production totals, space not permitted for sentences starting with 'I'. This tour has done wonders for pushing out both the geographic and cognitive barriers to personal growth, allowing for breakthrough and positive regression (this sounds very self-help, yuck!).

As usual, lots on my mind, lot of questions, few answers. Looking forward to seeing family and friends back East. I am also looking forward to returning and getting photos completed for the upcoming cd. I wrote yesterday that I want 'this' more than ever and it's true. If anything, all these setbacks have only strengthened my commitment to seeing this dream through to it's end. What ever that end may be.

The World is Testing Me

My dream and this tour has been tested by temptation, car accident, illness and now a funeral. Regrettably, I have to cancel my last two shows in Nelson and Cranbrook to return to Ontario for a Funeral. I am going to drive to Vancouver tomorrow to catch a plane on Monday returning Friday. My shows in Rupert and Terrace will still go as planned.

Saddened, Discouraged, but still with Hope.

S.

I want this more now than ever!

Nakusp

Nakusp. I like saying the word.

Kelowna to Nakusp on the map does not look very far, but it took me most of the day to get here. Tonight, I pulled up a Topographical Map of this area and had a good laugh. Lots of tight circles stacked on top of each other. The roads were snowy and icy through the mountains, last night it must have snowed 15 cm, so there was a thick white mound of snow covering each of the pines. The first section of road outside of Vernon/Coldwater I felt like I was in a Stetson Cologne meets Ford Truck commercial. Rolling hills, sprawling ranches, horses, cows, snow. Very quickly it turned in to the quintessential winter driving scene from a 'this is why you need Blizak tires commercial'. Twisty mountain road, frozen lakes on one side below a 20metre drop and rocky cliff on the other. Spectacular! Took the ferry from Needles to Fauquler (spelled wrong I will correct tomorrow). Almost stayed at the Nakusp Hotsprings...but it is threatening to snow and I did not want to get stuck there. Its a 12 km drive up a valley road. So I am in a hotel that specialized in winter helliskiing packages instead (poor me:)). Most of the staff ski/board, so it was like spending the evening with long lost family. Looking forward to a few days at Shames when I get back to PR. Off to dream of music and snow.

Oh...from top to bottom the photos in the last post are:
Fountain in Osoyoos at -5c
Storage Locker in Vancouver - The higher the space the cheaper!
Car Accident Damage to my Vanagaon - Does not look that bad does it?
Snow in Osoyoos - My first snowfall with Big Red
Rain from a distance - Outside of Osoyoos 1 month ago - Fingers of God

Nite'
Sall

Van Heat, Christmas Decorations and Proposals

Today was a muck-around day...window shopped down the Main Street of Kelowna, tried to visit one of my new-found friends from the previous evening at the Pawn Shop he owns, but it was closed. Around 2:00 I decided that I was going to head out of town and start my journey towards Nelson. Leaving town I saw a Canadian Tire. Shivering, I decided to see if they could fix my heater. Luckily they had the thermostat in stock and could work on it right away. Van tucked away getting repaired I walked around the store whiling away the time in the Christmas isle dreaming of decorations for a house/ apartment I no longer have to decorate. Adorning the van would move me from being viewed as a girl who lives in her van perusing a dream, to an oddball that gets showcased on 'Weird Homes'... not a transition I care to make :)

One unexpected thing about today was witnessing a couple get engaged at the Boston Pizza. I've never seen that before...a proposal, let alone one at a Boston Pizza.

Different Day. Well the van now has heat.

S.

Miscellaneous Photos

The Grateful Fed and Aquarium Hotel Rooms

It's late and I just got in from the funniest evening. The show at the Grateful Fed was quite enjoyable. After, a group of us went out for a beer and talked the night away. It's always interesting having frank honest discussion about life, love, sex, politics, religion with almost-strangers and then walk away knowing that the odds are you will never see any of them again (or at least anytime soon, I would like to play in Kelowna again). It's free, refreshing insight into other bubbles of reality.

Now I am back in my hotel room, cranking up the heat, Missy Higgins tracks competing with the gurgling of the boiler next door for my attention. This aquarium-like hotel room is really quite nice. Tomorrow I am going to see what gigs I can scare up last minute for this weekend, next week it is Nelson and Cranbrook. Then Rupert! Wow...two and a half months over already...?

Osoyoos

It's Monday afternoon and I just walked 4km to find internet access. Once again I am listening to the hum of a Laundromat dryer and it is making me sleepy. My typing is getting faster as my hands start to thaw...It's below freezing here and the icy wind is sneaky, poking it's fingers into the smallest openings in my clothes.

My new van is a treat to drive through the mountains. V8 engine and 4 on the floor standard lets me truck up the steepest slopes and pass with ease. The gas mileage is great too. The heater leaves something to be desired. Bundled up in my puffy down jacket, hat, gloves and a blanket I was still stiff as a board when I reached Osoyoos. The owner of the hotel used to be a mechanic and is going to take a look at it for me today....Hence the 4km walk.

Played for 5 hours yesterday with out any vocal strain. Being on the road I have definitely honed my 'chops'. Lots of fun playing in the pub. An enjoyable day from beginning to end. Played several games of pool and won more times than not (Thanks Raistlin and LJ, playing on a bar table now is easy!). Tomorrow I am off to Kelowna to play at the Grateful Fed Restaurant.

And I am Off

Concert was good. Starting act Missy Higgins was awesome...can't wait for her album to be released in Canada.

Finally, the next leg of my journey!

Sall

Lugz Coffeehouse with Special Guest Jennifer Zickerman

Foiled Again

At this point all I can do is laugh. Has some great force conspired to keep me in Vancouver? Ugh!!!! Of course the mini-storage would be closed on a Stat. Holiday....I mean, who in their right mind would want to have access to their belongings on a day when they could at their leisure find the time, rather than rushing after work!!!! Ok my sarcasm sucks! Anyhow, I guess I am in town for another night.....I have resigned myself to that fact. Its my own fault for not checking. On the bright side I get to go see Liz Phair without worrying about my stuff getting stolen from the van. Off to check for tickets.

S.

Off into the Sunset

Yippee....today I get to spring my belongings from storage and hit the road. Got the van to the shop yesterday $800 of repairs! Yowsers! Today I need to clean it, load it up and drive off into the East(not the sunset I know).

I have been humming 'on the road again...' under my breath for the past hour :)

Goodbyes

I am usually good with goodbyes. Finding the right words so I don't drive away with regret. This time I was unable to find the right words...

when levee's don't hold...

slippery silence has drifted in to my room. not unwelcome. but not invited. for some, the witching hour leaves room for vivid imaginations to run wild. for me, my over stimulated mind shuts down, leaving me feeling vulnerable and melancholy. endings, beginnings blur together. which way is up? deep seas to sail these days. tomorrow night I sing for the first time in several weeks. why am i on the road again? i hope i will remember. so many expectations. singing is my harbour. big decisions, small decisions, decisions, decisions. what a journey.

Collection of Thoughts

I am drawing to the end of my stay in Vancouver. As I trekked around today I felt myself once again mulling over the 'moving' decision. Here is my critical eye. Vancouverites are a stylish people, not afraid of a little colour....I like that. They are friendly, open doors for you, 1 out of 15 people make eye contact (pretty good for a city and I actually did a little experiment!). The weather is better than where I have been living for the past 7 years (sorry Rupert, Van wins out on that one) the bus drivers speak sentences rather than grunt, there's the SeaBus....to a Torontonian that's so cool!, great shopping (not that I can afford it), good food (again thanks to the kindness of friends I am able to partake) and a pretty good music scene. On the flip side, it's expensive, I would have to be someone's 'roommate again' and I definitely would not be able to live downtown. Other than that I don't have a lot on the negative side. hmmmmm......I went out to North Van tonight to have dinner with a friend (hence the cool SeaBus comment). It's a pretty nice area to live....not quite the bustle of the area I have been staying...but lots more green spaces and better flowing traffic. Well, I don't have to decide tonight.

Speaking of tonight....weird happenings outside my door! For the past 3 nights in a row as I walk up the street to my apartment, the same two street lights flicker and go out. One after another, but not until I am right underneath them. Eerie! I keep expecting to see Dumbledore from Harry Potter standing off to the side with his magical light Putter-Outer. Ok I admit it! I'm a Rowlings fan from way back. Weird about the lights though.

On to musical subjects. Thursday night I am putting on a casual coffeshop show at Lugz Coffee Lounge located at 2525 Main Street. It's free, licensed and starts around 8:00pm-ish. It's kinda short notice...hope to see you there.

Sall

RSS

For those 'aggregate-news-readers' out there, my journal is now available in a RSS Feed.

Sall

Nights Like These

Got home this morning around 6:30 am. Was up all night playing music, eating great food and enjoying stellar company. Had a few hours of sleep. I can't believe how quickly I recoup these days with a solid 4 hour nap. Gary and Jennifer picked me up early afternoon for dim-sum at the Pink Pearl. Right! Gary...Crazy Gary who flew in for a Sunday night dinner and music jam and then flew out 24 hours later. What a guy! Later this afternoon we sat down in the Gaolers Mews in Gas Town and played music in the crisp Fall air. The alley is more of a square alcove created between/ behind the buildings on Water Street. It's beautiful ,with cobble stones, rod iron and moss covered trees. The space is open to the air and is at least three stories high on all sides. The acoustics are beautiful. It would be a great spot to put on a show in the summer months, or a Christmas show with the snow drifting down. I wonder who regulates the space...?

Christmas...I am getting excited for the season....I get ridiculed constantly for saying it is my favorite time of year....I know it has become too commercial, but I can still find the meaning of the season!

It's not raining tonight and I can feel the nip of winter in the air. It's a great night for a walk. I think I might do just that...warm cup of tea in my hand bundled against the chill. Off I go.

Wanderlust

My wanderlust and worn out boots are sitting waiting by the door.
Will I ever know a moment when my hearts not wanting more.
Is there a gene for traveling that is dominant in some.
Or is it from a childhood that us types are on the run.

Lyrics from a song I wrote in college seem appropriate today...I am eager to get on the road again.

S.

87' Ford Econoline Campervan and it's all mine!

Tomorrow I will be the proud owner of 'Big Red' its a standard, F350, has two gas tanks, bed, sink with hand pump, closets, pop top, curtains and inflatable boat with paddles! I am so relieved! The end of my saga! (knock on wood)

Sall

Rupert I Miss You

Got an invite to the Warren Miller ski video 'Higher Ground' showing at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre tonight in Van. Now I won't be able to get powder off my mind. Gary and Guido have been sending me photos of their backcountry trips. What's it like on the hill? Someone please let me know when Shames is opening. Still no car purchase yet. Tomorrow I have to make a final vehicle decision. It's nice to know that the time to choose is finaly here. I love staying in the city...but the road calls. Still no confirmed location or time on the show next week. But it will be happening so stay tuned.

Van Owner to Shoelace Express

Gave back the van to ICBC...My tour is truly paralyzed until I find a new vehicle. Several prospects on the horizon. I decided not to go to Seattle so I could utilize the weekend for car hunting. Owners are not home weekdays and I am getting tired of crawling under cars with flashlights at night to look for rust! If the Jeep in Seattle does not get repaired this weekend then I need to have a plan B. On the music front I have decided to put together a coffeeshop show next week sometime. The ever so talented Jennifer Zickermen is going to join me on stage for the evening. We both will be doing originals and covers....I'll keep you informed as the details emerge. I am off to look at an 89 Ford Econoline CamperVan. Once again wish me luck!

Sall