Monday, December 31, 2007



The Quechua (Peru/Bolivia/Northern Chile/Northern Argentina) word yapa (that y is pronounced like the J of Japan) is used in South America to mean something that you get extra particularly after you pay for it. Thus 20% more Kellogs Corn Pops would read 20% yapa in Argentina.

We usually have Rebecca and Lauren on Saturdays but some last minute changes meant that they slept over Saturday night and we had them yesterday until the evening. For me it was a lot of fun even if it took me away from my holiday reading. Because they both slept in our bed I was relegated to what used to be Hilary's room. I had my tall pile of books so I did not mind. Both our cats, Toby and Plata also decided to sleep with me as it was much more quiet.



Of late Rebecca has been listening, over and over, to Very Tall- The Oscar Peterson Trio With Milt Jackson . She particularly likes Nat Adderly's Work Song . Driving over to her piano lessons almost a year ago, just as we crossed the bumpy intersection of 41st and Cambie, there was a loud crash. Rebecca wondered if a tire had blown. I told her it was the sound of cymbals from the Work Song. Since then she wants to listen to this particular song (with Milt Jackson playing vibes she has an added reason) recorded in 1962 when stereophonic meant just that in jazz records.



Rebecca was sad to find out that Peterson had died recently. We played lots of Peterson yesterday including a three casette (Book-of-the-Month Club recording) called Easy Does It. We also played some LPs called The Astaire Story featuring Oscar Peterson, Barney Kessel, Charlie Shavers, Flip Phillips, Ray Brown and Alvin Stoller. Fred Astaire sings and in some memorable cuts, tap dances as percussion to Peterson's piano. While Rebecca did not particularly notice this I know that it will lodge in her brain for future use. She did tell me, "I have a new Peterson favourite and that's Hymn to Freedom." She put on a light blue satin slip of Rosemary's and danced a slow ballet to it.



Late afternoon I asked both Rebecca and Lauren to pose by the Christmas tree for my Mamiya. I had loaded the Polaroid back with 3000 ISO b+w. I wanted to take pictures without my usual artificial lighting and I wanted to capture some post-Christmas angst. The idea was to portray the concept of a little girl who grows up and finally understands that Santa Claus.... Rebecca was very upset about this (and also as we did not have her usual special hair brush to fix up her hair) since she said that young girls might read this blog. I told her I didn't think that would happen. She quieted down and I was able to take my pictures. After the pictures she went to her favourite computer pastime of dressing up dolls and or young celebrities. I don't aprove and I tell her so. But Rosemary says it is perfectly normal for a 10-year-old to want to dress up dolls. She was doing this dressing up while holding Lilly. She had asked Rosemary's assistance to cut up some black satin to make a cape and mask so that Lilly could be a bandit. I took her portrait, this time without protest and I smiled as I thought of my wife Rosemary playing dress up dolls at her age. How wonderful!

A full day of exquisite yapa.