Shoes and ships...

When they opened the Bata shoe museum in Toronto many years ago now, I was actively cynical and disgusted. I mean really....SHOES? What sort of a princess is going to go to a shoe museum? Then I went. That place is COOL! There was so much to learn, and shoes give such an interesting sideways look into a culture and it's expectations and suppositions.

I saw an older guy walking down the street here and he was wearing what I think are called saddle shoes. You know those black and white jobs that you usually see in a bowling alley but they also wore on Happy Days all those years ago? It was really striking. It also made me think of all the folks in Spain wearing Espardanyas...or Espadrills as we would call them, and not just the girls...the old men as well, with the laces that go around and around your ankles.

I basically live in a single pair of Birkenstocks, the ones the dog ate as you saw earlier...though I have some more...high tops, and some runners my God mother left me...in the basement of my house in TO I have a pair of red cowboy boots that I love and wish I could find. I will have a feeble look if I can this summer, but I don't hold out much hope...there is an awful lot of crap down there.

We went to a friend's end of the year music concert last night as well. He is seven and played the key theme from Beetoven's Ode to Joy...and he did well. He stopped in the middle at one point but had the composure to pull it together and sort himself out. It was very neat. The whole event wasn't too painful overall, the teenage slump walk was interesting to watch, like they are embarassed of their bodies, which they probably are come to think of it, growing and changing and popping out and generally being somewhat untrustworthy...
One of the kids, well, really he is a teenager, he was really very good...very impressive and quite talented. It was great to hear...it was also nice ow the teacher interspersed the older kids and the younger kids, so there was more variety over the show. Youngest decided that she would like to take music lessons, but from that teacher. This would be a touch difficult to organise.

The girls and I were out walking Chuck last night and we saw a fox! We are fairly near High Park and there are lots of them there. We always thought Chuck looked like a fox, but he is WAY bigger...maybe a coyote?

I also saw a heron the other day...it made me think of the boat and Florida.

There is more wildlife here, and more greenery...not really a big surprise, there is a whole lot more room.