Pam's Week 42: It's Been a Pleasure Doing Business With You...

My blog title this week isn't inspired by the photos but rather by the week itself.  Many of you will recognize the lyric as being from the Tragically Hip song "Scared".  Many of you will have, along with me, bawled your eyes out when it was played during last summer's Canadian tour, knowing in our hearts it would be yet hoping it wouldn't be the final time we saw the Hip live.  Many of you, like my friend Joanna, would have also bawled your eyes out listening to this song on the radio on Wednesday morning as you learned that Gord Downie, the Tragically Hip's energetic, frenetic, courageous and inspirational lead singer had passed away the evening before (I fought back tears all day at work but living in a border town with US radio stations, there wasn't any all Hip songs all day happening around here).  Others will be reading this and although they have heard of The Hip will say "I never understood the attraction."  Others still will be saying they have never ever heard of The Tragically Hip and could not ever imagine an entire country (or a good chunk of it) mourning the loss of a rock star and would be even more amazed to learn that our Prime Minister teared up when talking to the press about the loss, the Parliament held a moment of silence, flags across the country were lowered to half mast, and the Peace Tower bells on Parliament Hill played the Hip's "Bobcaygeon". 

I was first introduced to the Tragically Hip back in 1989 or 1990 by 2 friends of mine who happened to be huge fans of theirs.  I immediately fell in love.  Their music was unlike anything I'd ever heard before and they were singing about places I knew, people I'd heard of.  Their music inspired me to learn about events and people I'd never learned about in history class.  It had a social consciousness (to quote someone I'd heard interviewed this week) and they used their music and their platform to bring attention to causes, plights, and issues, such as War Child Canada, indigenous issues and residential schools, the environment, and brain cancer. 

I was hooked, and that was before I ever saw them live.  The Tragically Hip are one of those bands who are even better live.  The energy, the craziness, the obscure ramblings, the choreatic, jerky dancing - you never knew what you would see or hear.  Whether in a bar, a huge arena, an outdoor festival, you always knew you would have a good time.  And I have been lucky enough to see them in all of the above.

There was a time when I couldn't figure out why a band that was so huge in Canada never really achieved a similar name or following in the U.S.  Then I didn't care.  In fact, it was a little source of pride for me that my American friends didn't know about the Hip.  Canada has long struggled with figuring out who we are as a country, a struggle made more difficult by our bigger, louder neighbours to the South.  All too often it seemed as though they were stealing our homegrown talent, our actors, comedians, game show hosts, even musicians and although we were proud to see our fellow Canucks "making it", it also felt, at times, as though they had to lose Canada to succeed.  The Hip never had to do that. 

In May of last year, the band announced that Gord Downie had been diagnosed with an incurable brain cancer, a glioblastoma.  He had undergone surgery, radiation, chemotherapy.  He was experiencing memory loss, word-finding problems, and yet they were going to embark on a Canadian tour.  My amazing future sister-in-law managed to score us tickets for the show in Hamilton on August 16th, a night I will never forget, a night celebrating a band I loved with people I love.  On Wednesday, when my friend, Joanna, had texted me the news, I was saddened.  Gord Downie and the Tragically Hip were at every party, every night out, every road trip, every quiet night in, every camping trip, every wedding for nearly 20 years of my life.  Although I'd never met him, it was like I lost a friend.  And I am pretty sure that sums up how a lot of Canadians have felt this week. 

Anyways, the point of the blog is the photos so I should move along before I start ugly crying and drag you all down with me...

Sky

 Sunset over the bridge on Friday night...

Sunrise over Bellevue Park this morning...

Vanishing Point

Fort Creek portion of the Hub Trail...

Triangle

Letter O

 Blah, blah, blah night wine with Sharon, Kathy, and Tuula...

A knot in a tree at Bellevue Park...

Soft

Book

Wildcard

 Pretty pink clouds...

 Reflection in the window at the Delta...

Another sunrise at Bellevue Park photo...

Rest in peace, Gord.  You will be missed but your music and your legacy will live on.  You taught us about courage and until the end you were armed with will and determination, and grace, too..