A Sermon for the congregation of St. Saviour, Penticton, Sunday, August 2nd, 2026 by the Very Rev. Ken Gray I donโt know if youโve heard the news, but thereโs trouble brewing at BC Ferries; and I donโt mean long lineups, service interruptions, or adverse weather cancellations. As former residents of Vancouver Island, Kathie and I... Continue Reading →
Thereโs a canoe hanging from the living room roof
Writing today from an undisclosed location in central Ontario 90 minutesโ drive and boat ride north of Peterborough. Itโs summer here at a lovely cottage thanks to a kind invitation from a new family member and her parents. I say โcottage,โ having originally typed โcabinโ inappropriately. There is an important distinction between the two monikers.... Continue Reading →
Hey Porter
So hereโs the good news. Kathie and I are off to Ontario for some holiday and a Blue Jays game. Go Jays, sigh . . . We are leaving Juno at home with some trusted friends who are also house and dog sitters. And burglars take note, if you decide to break in I guarantee... Continue Reading →
Letโs Save this Organ somehow, somewhere
From Anna Lapwood / Marnie Giesbracht, and others Sadly, plans have been made at the highest levels of the University of Alberta, Canada to remove the 1978 Casavant Memorial Organ from Convocation Hall in the Old Arts Building. These plans were confirmed when Joachim and I (Marnie Giesbrecht) met with Dean of Arts, Robert Wood... Continue Reading →
Saving choral music by bike in the UK
The CEO of the Cathedral Music Trust is visiting 100 choirs across England and Wales over 50 days of cycling Meg Elliot writing in Cycling Weekly The late afternoon light is falling in greens and oranges and reds on the cathedral's terracotta floor. People clutter the pews as the music starts up, complex, layered sound... Continue Reading →
A Hymn of Praise โ For E-Bikes
By Bill McKibben โ This article appears in the January/February 2026 issue of Sojourners Magazine โ Subscribe A no sweat, no hills, planet-loving bicycle seems pretty heavenly to me. THERE ARE A few things that seem like magic to me. One is iceโwhen water freezes, suddenly you can glide across the surface of the earth.... Continue Reading →
The Way I see Street Photography
On my daily troll through online news, sports, and entertainment items I often check out Fstoppers.com, an excellent source for photographers of all abilities and interests. A recent blog talked about street photography and how photographers must practice care, discretion, and resilience to get good shots. For some persons appearing in public, the taking of... Continue Reading →
The Uphill Market in Nelson BC
Taking a rest today from some of the horrible news from down south, and elsewhere. Please find below a truly good news story. Enjoy. Back to the awfuls (new word) tomorrow. Promise. As a child growing up in Victoria through the 1960s I remember the โChinese grocery stores.โ I especially remember one on the corner... Continue Reading →
Home at last, thanks to BC Ferries
In this, my last holiday blog, I reflect on the place of BC Ferries in my life. Enjoy. And see you next in Active Pass BC Ferryland With apologies to Ferryland, Newfoundland and Labrador. I grew up in ferry-land British Columbia. While Kathie and I visited the Newfoundland site a few years ago, we both... Continue Reading →
Canadians are cancelling U.S. trips as Trump sours relations
Ken Gray, with content from The Washington Post (Democracy dies in darkness) [Ken Gray] Some friends recently asked if I thought boycotts were getting the attention of Americans, especially legislators and business leaders. Itโs hard to say. With, for instance, groceries, changes in buying behaviour are obvious. There are some excellent bargains on American fruit... Continue Reading →