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Finding Kelowna

Casting coins

Casting coins

Jan 7, 2014 / 5:00 am

It is one of the coldest days of the year. I station my car by Kerry Park, and skirt the lake toward The Sails where I will champion the urban poor. When I...

People of the Cart

People of the Cart

Nov 26, 2013 / 5:00 am

My hand, chapped from protective washing, holds my wife’s hand on our journey down Bernard to the theatre. It’s her birthday, and she wants to see a...

Anatomy of a neighbourhood

Anatomy of a neighbourhood

Nov 12, 2013 / 5:00 am

Beneath the burning trees of autumn my wife and I walk arm in arm through the exit of our community. The broken gateway pretends to keep us secure and releases...

The wisdom of generations

The wisdom of generations

Oct 15, 2013 / 6:00 am

I walk with the crowd toward the giant apple at the center of Orchard Park Mall. Around the bronze monolith we are a storm swirling, unmindful of the morphing...

The mystery of the rose

The mystery of the rose

Oct 1, 2013 / 5:00 am

I emerge from the RCA building to spritzes of rain that mist the railings, the benches and the yawning waste bins. Droplets hang on the underbelly of giant,...

Confessions of a street photographer

Confessions of a street photographer

Sep 3, 2013 / 5:00 am

I meet a friend at our favourite coffee shop on Water Street. He is writing a book about Foncie Pulice, Vancouver street photographer, an iconic 45-year veteran...

In praise of summer's umbrellas

In praise of summer's umbrellas

Aug 20, 2013 / 5:00 am

The sheltering sky is the blue umbrella of God, and far below this celestial dome summer is a riot of emblazoned parasols. From Bernard Street to City Park, and...

The priest was right

The priest was right

Aug 6, 2013 / 5:00 am

My cat is sitting on my lap; I type, he snoozes. He is fourteen, and like the immortal he believes himself to be, he boasts many names like Garfield, Radar and...

Men without chests

Men without chests

Jul 9, 2013 / 5:00 am

It is Father’s Day. And my pastor speaks with sadness about the dishonour in which men are held. Reflexively, I reply YES, and images of Bart Simpson,...

Running man

Running man

Jun 11, 2013 / 5:00 am

Neurons fire adrenaline to receptive brothers: “Arise!” They say, “He’s in a hurry.” I grab my smart-phone, apply an anxious foot...

Brains leaking

Brains leaking

May 14, 2013 / 5:00 am

The doctor’s office is a sardine can of suffering humanity stacked side-by-side in pinched discomfort. I am waiting for the receptionist. Her head is an...

The Age of Oakley

The Age of Oakley

Apr 16, 2013 / 5:00 am

Dr. Oakley's baggy eyes looked directly at me as he searched my chest with the cold, round instrument. Rubber hoses flowed from each end into his hairy...

Kissed by spiders

Kissed by spiders

Mar 19, 2013 / 5:00 am

Sister Mary Albert was a tall black bird with a white throat. Her habit floated behind her gaunt exterior like a little black tail as she clicked down the...

Like a serpent in the belly

Mar 5, 2013 / 5:00 am

Memory… Angelo's Roman nose is a monument on an otherwise slim, narrow face. In the third grade he defends it against the taunts I hurl by pushing...

A pettiness to expiate

Feb 19, 2013 / 5:00 am

Memory… In profile she is an African fertility goddess: belly and behind protruding in opposite directions. She is presenting a workshop to which...

In praise of older women

In praise of older women

Feb 5, 2013 / 5:00 am

Memory… The powder of snow around Brandt’s Creek path has melted. And leafy remains, black and pressed into the soggy lane, prepare for next...

Fonzie

Fonzie

Jan 22, 2013 / 5:00 am

Because of his ‘50s rock-star haircut, I like to think of him as Fonzie. He is tall, slightly stooped, head inclined to the pavement as if searching for...

On the road to find out

Jan 8, 2013 / 5:00 am

My fingers type the title: In the Age of Tattooed Girls (a previous column). But at the time I do not realize that girls is not the feminine parallel I am...

In the age of tattooed women

In the age of tattooed women

Dec 11, 2012 / 5:00 am

Foreword This is the age of tattooed women with pit bulls at their side. This is the age of females tongue-kissing females on global television. This is the...

Kelowna Right to Life:  Part 3 of 3

Kelowna Right to Life: Part 3 of 3

Nov 6, 2012 / 5:00 am

For Kelowna Right to Life: Part 1, click here. For Kelowna Right to Life: Part 2, click here. “We’ve become a culture...

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