Old Friends

About five years ago, I was given two tickets to see a Simon and Garfunkel concert. I have loved their music since my pre-teen years, but for reasons I won't go into here, I seriously considered not attending. After a week or two of weighing my interest in seeing their performance against the minor, moral stand I could have taken, I decided to ask my cousin, and good friend Marcy to join me. We went out for dinner and then hit the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.

The two-hour show was fantastic. Paul Simon's voice hadn't wavered a bit over the decades and Art Garfunkel harmonized as beautifully as ever. The show started with a video which depicted the last fifty years in America - the period of time the duo had known each other. They made their entrance dressed pretty much as they did back in the sixties and seventies, and though they looked older (particularly Simon) and a bit chunkier (especially Garfunkel), they were clearly every bit the same duo I had always known and loved. They opened with Old Friends, and it sounded wonderful.

They lacked the ease of communication with their audience, though. Garfunkel was a tad more outgoing, smiling from time to time. Any jokes they attempted, felt staged and rigid. They did poke fun at themselves a bit, and their tendency to argue. Simon seemed uncomfortable with their dialogue but their awkwardness melted away when they sang. They continued with Hazy Shade of Winter, I Am a Rock, At the Zoo, and others.

They reminisced about their first performance together at age fourteen, when they were known as Tom and Jerry. They indicated that they had been heavily influenced by the Everly Brothers, who promptly entered the stage and performed four songs of their own. Simon and Garfunkel joined them for their final song - Bye Bye Love.

The Everly Brothers exited, and our star duo sang beautiful renditions of Scarborough Fair and Homeward Bound. The latter was altered dramatically, and used to showcase the other musicians' talents. They rattled off many other hits - among them The Sound of Silence, Slip Sliding Away, El Condor Pasa, Keep the Customer Satisfied, American Tune, My Little Town and ended the set with Bridge Over Troubled Water - performed better than I'd ever heard it before or since. Art was in particularly fine form for that one.

Encore!

After a short wait, they returned on stage with Cecilia and The Boxer. One more exit. One final return to stage for a performance of Leaves That Are Green and The 59th Street Bridge Song.

All was groovy.

Below are a few recent photos which illustrate some of the above-mentioned song lyrics. A description follows the musical snippets. Please remember to click each photo to enlarge.

Can you imagine us years from today,
Sharing a park bench quietly? ~ Old Friends - Paul Simon

After dark, with just a dusting of snow, this park bench still looked inviting. (please click to enlarge)

But look around, leaves are brown now
And the sky is a hazy shade of winter ~ Hazy Shade of Winter - Paul Simon

After a cold week, the pond froze over almost completely, and the tree branches are all but bare. (please click to enlarge)

I am a rock, I am an island. ~ I Am A Rock - Paul Simon

Some flotsam caught up on a rock in the center of the creek's swift current. (please click to enlarge)

Something tells me its all happening at the zoo. The monkeys stand for honesty, Giraffes are insincere. ~ At The Zoo - Paul Simon

This fallen branch caught my eye as we were walking past. I thought it looked like a giraffe having a nap on a bed of leaves. (please click to enlarge)

I'm through with romance. I'm through with love. I'm through with counting the stars above ~ Bye Bye Love - Felice & Boudleaux Bryant

A fiery sunset scorches the sky behind the tree tops. (please click to enlarge)

Tell her to make me a cambric shirt (On the side of a hill in the deep forest green) Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme ~ Scarborough Fair - Paul Simon

Here's a photo that didn't turn out too well, so I played around with it in Photoshop and came up with this painting-like effect. (please click to enlarge)

And every strangers face I see reminds me that I long to be homeward bound ~ Homeward Bound - Paul Simon

Despite the cold days and below-freezing nights, we saw this heron at three different points along the creek. He was skittish, and wouldn't allow us to get too close. This was the last time I saw him, as he took off to hunt unknown shores. (please click to enlarge)

When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light that split the night And touched the sound of silence. ~ The Sound of Silence - Paul Simon

While we were driving back to Frank's late one afternoon, we saw this unusual sight in the sky. Though the setting sun was clearly shining brightly, we could see a sort of stunted rainbow just off to its left. I've only ever seen arc rainbows appear opposite the sun - never beside it before. (please click to enlarge)

And I know a man. He came from my hometown. He wore his passion for his woman like a thorny crown ~ Slip Sliding Away - Paul Simon

A cluster of burrs make a striking silhouette against the darkening sky. (please click to enlarge)

I'd rather be a forest than a street. Yes I would. If I could, I surely would. ~ El Condor Pasa - Paul Simon/Jorge Milchberg

Looking back toward Frank's place as we exit the cedar grove on our evening walk. (please click to enlarge)

Gee but its great to be back home. Home is where I want to be. ~ Keep the Customer Satisfied - Paul Simon

One of many cheerful Cardinals which seem to congregate in large numbers now that winter has returned. I'm glad that they consider my home to be theirs too. (please click to enlarge)

I don't know a soul who's not been battered. I don't have a friend who feels at ease. I don't know a dream that's not been shattered. Or driven to its knees Oh, but its alright, its alright. For we lived so well so long ~ American Tune - Paul Simon

A lone, suriviving Queen Anne's Lace silhouetted against the setting sun. (please click to enlarge)

And after it rains theres a rainbow And all of the colors are black Its not that the colors arent there Its just imagination they lack ~ My Little Town - Paul Simon

Here's a closer view of that unusual rainbow, peeking from behind the trees - taken through the open window of a moving vehicle. (please click to enlarge)

I'm on your side. when times get rough And friends just can't be found, Like a bridge over troubled water I will lay me down. ~ Bridge Over Troubled Water - Paul Simon

This photo was taken last year but I couldn't resist how well it suited this song. (please click to enlarge)

After changes upon changes we are more or less the same. After changes we are more or less the same ~ The Boxer - Paul Simon

Just another dead flower taken against the dusky sky. (please click to enlarge)

I threw a pebble in a brook. And watched the ripples run away. And they never made a sound. And the leaves that are green turned to brown. ~ Leaves That Are Green - Paul Simon

Almost dark, the creek looks beautiful with the deep nighttime colours which surround it. (please click to enlarge)

Let the morning time drop all its petals on me.
Life, I love you, all is groovy! ~ The 59th Street Bridge Song - Paul Simon

A view of the creek through the trees, early one morning. (please click to enlarge)

Please Don't Feed the Ducks

When my son, Jeffrey visited this past weekend, he brought his latest amusing gadget - a powerful green laser pointer. Its beam is far more intense than the standard red lasers we typically use to torment our cats, by convincing them that a big red bug has invaded their territory.

While dinner was simmering, we headed out to the park path which surrounds the lake, so that he could show me the distance and brightness its beam could project. It was quite impressive. He shone it on trees, the roofs of nearby apartments and directly into the sky, all the time taking care not to intrude on anyone's space, through a window, a passing plane or any number of canine or human passersby.

Some of the areas along the pathway are unlit due to failing lamp posts or broken light bulbs. When we got to a particularly dark area along the path, we figured that it was as good as any place to shine the laser. There were town homes directly across the lake from where we stood, so Jeffrey held the gadget below their level, and its vivid green light cut a searing path across the void, a few feet above the water's surface. Instantly, we heard what sounded like dozens of duck wings and agitated quacks, announcing their quick departure. Jeffrey and I looked at each other with stunned expressions and stifled laughter. We were both chagrined, yet amused at this unexpected flurry of activity. The remaining angry ducks continued to complain loudly as we made our way apologetically around the pond to return home. Each time one of us spoke, a chorus of quacks scolded us, and a few more ducks flew to another part of the water.

A couple of days later, all had been forgiven and forgotten. While I was out walking, a small cluster of unconcerned ducks waddled along the path ahead of me, nibbling on fallen apples, berries and other morsels which waterfowl find appealing. It was good to see them foraging for their own healthy meals rather than waiting for the usual tidbits of nutritionally-sparse bread that good-intentioned people throw their way.

We were guilty of that crime ourselves, for a while last year. It was a cold and particularly snowy winter, and between Frank's place and mine, there were about a hundred ducks which gathered in our respective ponds. The perpetual motion of their busy, webbed feet kept a significant area of each pond from freezing over, rendering it accommodating for most of the season, enticing them to stay the winter. But they had to be hungry.

One morning Frank brought some leftover bread to them. He tore it to bits while Benny waited eagerly for a dropped tidbit. The next day, Frank and Benny arrived to the sounds of their insistent clamour. Soon, he began to realize that plain, white bread might not be adequate nutrition for the fowl, so he began talking to grocery store managers, asking them to sell him day-old bread which contained whole grains. He went to some daily expense, tearing up a slightly-discounted loaf of bread for these now-demanding ducks. He did the same when we visited the birds in my own local pond. It did occur to us once or twice, that along with this new expense, we might not be allowing the now-complacent birds to scrounge around for their own food. We figured that we'd cease feeding them as soon as spring came along, when their options would be better. It never dawned on us that we might be doing them a large disservice.

While chatting with a neighbour one day, she discussed how frustrated she felt with those who feed the ducks because, they were killing them with kindness. Gulp! I didn't confess our regular feedings to her, but decided to do a bit of investigating. I opened the Holy Google, and turned to pages that I knew were reputable. I found the best summary of information here at Hamilton Conservation Authority. There is similar data to be found at Ducks Unlimited, Live Ducks and Hinterland Who's Who.

Essentially, bread can give them a false sense of satiation, keeping them from looking for healthier foods and causing them to fall ill easily. It can cause them to be too dependent upon us so that they no longer seek out food for themselves. It might discourage them from migrating, which could make them more susceptible to bad weather, and possible in-breeding, which in turn will weaken the flock. It can make the flock more aggressive toward one another, causing stress for some birds. It can also lead them to become more aggressive toward humans. Feeding bread to the ducks can be bad for the ducks, the water, the surrounding area and ourselves.

We were quite surprised and abashed to learn that our good intentions were actually doing harm. So, if you're like us, and have brought a bag of stale bread to share with the ducks and geese for as long as you can remember, please think about what it's doing to these wonderful birds. Instead, educate yourself about what occasional treats you should offer your particular local flocks when the weather is excessively bad, and please refrain from just feeding them as a matter of course.

And I'll do my share by not scaring the feathers off of the ducks with an inadvertent, poorly-aimed laser pointer.

Below are a few photos taken over the weekend. Please remember to click on each one to enlarge them.



Here's the laser beam as it stabs its way through the darkened room, and bathes the wall above the piano with an eerie, green light. (please click to enlarge)




Early in the day, this Downy Woodpecker came looking for insects among the branches of my plum tree. I guess pickings were still pretty good because it stayed around for much of the hour. (please click to enlarge)





This curious, little face watched Benny and Skitty from the safety of a high branch, and a closed glass door. (please click to enlarge)





A walk around the lake reveals an interesting mix of winter white, autumn red and summer green. The lake was still frozen over from the earlier cold snap, but some of autumn's leftovers were also apparent, along with the still-green grass. A little beyond the inner curve of the ice, you can see a plastic coke bottle on the surface, and the two ducks appear to be swimming toward a blue and white ball. Our area not immune to litterbugs. (please click to enlarge)





Continuing around the lake, this tree appears to have the face of gazelle - or something. Can you see it? (please click to enlarge)





Nearby this thatch of colour is proof that the recent snow and cold weather didn't kill off every bit of autumn's glory. (please click to enlarge)





This boardwalk overlooks the lake. Towering over it, is a beautiful weeping willow as evidenced by it's leaves strewn across the wooden path. (please click to enlarge)





Some of those leaves fell onto the thin, icy surface of the lake, and scattered around this log. (please click to enlarge)





An after-dark walk reveals icy shadows on the lake. The lamp behind the trees on the path casts its light through the branches and onto the lake's frozen surface, keeping watch over the lake. (please click to enlarge)





Here's a bit of a closer look of the Guardian of the Lake. (please click to enlarge)