Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Wordless Wednesday

Tierpark Dahlhölzli (Zoo) , Bern
2000 European creatures in natural woodland - some parts accessible at any time
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Monday, April 28, 2008

On Vacation

I am off to Cuba for a week to soak up the sun!

The Expo Lounge will return as of Tuesday, May 6, 2008.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Weekend Snapshot #33

Our family weekend destination...

The Annual Tulip Festival 2008
Morges, Switzerland
More than a hundred thousand tulips, narcissi, daffodils and hyacinths bloom in the Parc de l’Indépendence beside Lake Geneva.

Expo a Go-Go



While I patiently wait to go dancing at Piknic Électronik, here's footage of youngsters go-go dancing at the Ontario pavilion at Expo 67... Groovy!

Photo Hunt: Thirteen

13 Candles!
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Saturday, April 19, 2008

Dreaming of Piknic

Summer Sundays, the old Expo 67 site grooves to the beat of electronic music.

Warmer weather makes me dream of the long-awaited 2008 edition of Piknic Électronik (now in its 6th year!).

From the official Facebook group:

"These days are intended to bring music-lovers together
in a unique and friendly atmosphere where they can
take advantage of the warm weather, enjoy a breathtaking
view of the city, and listen to quality electronic music.
Conscious of its mission, the Piknic Electronik aims
to showcase the best of the Montreal & international
electronic music scene making this weekly experience
a time of discovery that stimulates the senses."

This year's lineup is to be announced on May 7th, 2008, while the first Piknic itself is scheduled for Sunday, May 18th (as of 2pm) at Place de l'Homme, on Île Sainte Hélène...

Alexander Calder's Man sculpture, as seen in 1967.

images: (top) facebook.com
(bottom) courtesy DC Hillier

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Wordless Wednesday

Imperia, Italy

Imperia is a coastal city and comune in the region of Liguria, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Liguria, and historically it was capital of the Intemelia district of Liguria.
The city of Imperia itself was created during the Mussolini era from two existing towns - Porto Maurizio and Oneglia and then raised to provincial administrative capital. Historic Porto Maurizio, built on a headland, claims to date from Roman times, while Oneglia which is situated in the valley of the Impero torrent is the business and industrial centre and has a more modern appearance. Tourism is still important today, but apart from flower growing, olive cultivation and oil pressing are important mainstays around the city of Imperia.
**info. Wikipedia**
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Saturday, April 12, 2008

Supreme Rarities

I always get excited when I see a "new" Supremes release.

This time around, I'm flipping over a veritable treasure trove of ultra-rare Supremes recordings, culled directly from the Motown vaults: a limited edition, 2-CD set entitled "Lost and Found: Let the Music Play: Supreme Rarities 1960-1969".

Spanning the Supremes' earliest Motown days right through to their final sessions together, "Let The Music Play" features unreleased material, alternate versions of known hits, and some ultra-rare covers: versions of the Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" and the Beatles' "I Saw [Him] Standing There", to name a few.

Where possible, unheard studio chatter from the girls and their producers has been included, as well as some rare radio promos from the personal collection Scott Regan, a Detroit disk jockey in the 1960's.

Topping off "Let The Music Play" is a deluxe 32-page booklet featuring never-before-seen photos, detailed song annotations and a discography of the Supremes rare and unreleased catalog.

And speaking of ultra-rare, here is a special treat for Expo Lounge visitors: a promotional Supremes film from 1966, with original narration... Enjoy!



images: "Let The Music Play" cover art

Monday, April 7, 2008

Weekend Snapshot #31

Saturday was our family time visiting my in laws in their small village of Chablais.
Lavey Village, Switzerland (VD)
Lavey is a village in the district of Aigle in the canton of Switzerland.
The place Lavey was first recorded in year 1016 as A Laver. In 1189 it was known as Laveto.
This is my husband's beloved hometown where he had so much fond memories.
We love coming over and having a fun time spending with the old folks and hanging out in their beautiful garden.
Chambers
our family dog
....
Enjoy WS! visit Weekend Snapshot for more entry.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

The Sunset


The Sunset
image taken April 04, 2008 @ 7:54 pm .
Since enrolling my photography class, i've been having so much energy taking pictures in every chances i get. Aside from my week's homework and projects, i just have so much enthusiasm with my new passion so i keep going with it. Here's one shot that i took, dramatic but inspiring. The sun sets but we know it will rise the next day with it's wonderful ray of shine.
I feel like sharing the image and if you have some comments or critiques, i would be very happy to take them. .
Thank you for dropping by...

Saturday, April 5, 2008

The Automotive Stadium

The Automotive Stadium (commonly known by its french name Autostade) was a 25,000 seat outdoor structure built for Expo 67 by the Motor Vehicles Association of Canada. Completed in 1966 and located near Place d'Accueil, the 366,100 square foot stadium was a joint effort by Ford, Chrysler, Volvo, American Motors, and General Motors.

The Autostade was made up of 19 pre-cast, seat supporting units which rested on pre-stressed columns and beams. Each of the 19 units sloped up from ground level, creating the effect of a bowl, designed to give each spectator a good view from anywhere in the stadium.

Other features of the Autostade included: parking for 11,000 cars, large administration offices, a press room, radio and television booths seating 60 people, a special lounge for dignitaries, storage and dressing spaces, as well as washrooms and concession stands located on the concourse level under the stands.

The stadium's modular design meant it could be easily dismantled after Expo and reassembled elsewhere. A Montréal '66 article stated that it could even be "enlarged to seat 75,000, which would make it by far Canada's largest stadium"...

Six large scale events were held at the Autostade during Expo 67:

Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus
(May 16-21, 23-28)
Mammoth outdoor circus that featured the world's greatest performers. Highlights included a succession of hair-raising and death defying stunts.

Canadian Armed Forces Tatoo
(June 19-22 and June 25 to July 4)
The greatest event of its kind ever staged by Canada's Armed Forces. Specially produced for Expo and in honor of Canada's Centennial Year, it told the military story of the nation while looking towards the future.

Flying Colors
(July 11-30)
Maurice Chevalier in Flying Colors was conceived and produced by Leon Leonidoff, famed producer of shows for Radio City Music Hall. It was heralded as "the largest of all the Stadium spectaculars... certain to be one of Expo 67's major highlights".

La Gendarmerie Française
(August 21 to 27, August 29 to September 4 and September 6-9)
La Gendarmerie, a force with a history that went back to the 15th century, put on this spectacular for the first time in North America. The cast for the spectacle included 700 men, 130 horses, 40 motorcycles and 25 jeeps.

World Horse Spectacular
(September 17 to October 1)
Colorful, exciting and unusual horse acts from many countries were included, with Canada represented by the famed musical ride of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Great Western Rodeo
(October 6 to 15)

This spectacular represented an outstanding aspect of the Western scene, and an activity which in most parts of the world was regarded as typically Canadian. The Expo Rodeo would compare with the finest events of its kind ever seen on the continent.

images: (1) alamedainfo.com
(2) westland.net/expo67
(3) personal collection
(4) expo67.ncf.ca

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Wordless Wednesday

Need I say a word???
can't help it, my daughter almost 3 years ago during a medieval festival in Fribourg, Switzerland. We ate the famous medieval soup to learn the ways of the ancient time, i didn't like it (hehehe) but this shot will remind us to that day. Can you guess what's on it? could not be too bad...
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