Class photos from Prince Charles Elementary School in Surrey (Whalley), BC, Canada. I moved to this school from Harold Bishop in the middle of Grade 4 (where i attended Mr. Chandler’s class).
Grade 6 in 1981-82, Ms. Flindall
Annotation: i remember this being a fun year and i recall a load of these folks. And whoa, a lot of “middle part” hair.
I lived at 12310 95th ave which was a dead-end and featured a great area for street hockey games). Cedar Hills and Senator Reid schools were both closer but i attended Prince Charles Elementary as it (apparently) featured more extra-circulars and advanced programs and walked to school about 40 minutes.
Grade 5 in 1980-81, Mr. Reimer
Annotation: scant recollection of this year aside from Mr. Reimer being a serious and thoughtful teacher, primarily for science topics.
Note: Grade 7 is missing, this was Mr. Tiffenbach’s class and the year i won *every* award possible including the Citizenship Award, Run for Fun, and the Science Fair (Rushmore/Tenenbaum-esque :)).
Postcards: Stick No Bills, cinemaPostcards: Stick No Bills, cinema
As often mentioned, i love postcards – both the writing / sending and the buying / collecting. When i find excellent postcards, i am indeed tempted to keep em stashed in a dossier or shoebox for my own amusement, however such action does not allow the humble postcard to fulfil its apparent destiny. As such, as per usual routine, i gather the finest cards, write sentiments (albeit in semi-legible scrawl) upon the back, squeeze in an address, flourish with inky stamps, complete with requisite postal stamps and send send on their way via the magical wormhole of postboxes. However, before sending on their journey, i take snapshots of the front / arty side for art and documentation purposes (sometimes the backs too for personal audit and memory).
This batch comes via a stay in Galle, Sri Lanka where, in the historical Fort Galle (previously Portuguese, Dutch and British), i bought basically everything Stick No Bills had on offer – postcard-wise that is, they also sell posters which aren’t handy for traveling though i have a mighty stack in a storage locker faraway.
Each card rung up with unique UPC barcode resulting in a receipt approx a metre/yard long with 92 entries. I mentioned this dedications to them and they offered me a poster t say “thanks” but alas i split before taking them up on the kindness.
Most notable about Stick No Bills is:
Respect for artists – the art is carefully curated, artists are compensating appropriately and the artwork is reproduced accurately
Quality of materials – delicious tactile cardstock with fine silkscreened ink which feels wonderful under pen and finger
Eclectic variety – as evidenced in my collection shared over 7 volumes, the assortments includes vintage Air Ceylon and hotel art, cinema art, various folklife, landmarks, maps and transportation themed pieces. (They also offered a line featuring funny/weird/unironic english t-shirts worn by local folks which i didn’t collect as i recall.)
Anyhow, mine are shared here for historical record (and modified with my personal stamps to prevent unauthorized reproductions) and your support/purchases is/are encouraged/recommended either by mailorder or even better, stopping into their lovely shop in Fort Galle, Sri Lanka.Tell em Uncle Weed sent ya (they won’t know what you mean but i’ll be amused).
The cook pot is blackened
But you easily clean up the mess
With gritty river mud scraped
From your stream of consciousness
Wander up an invisible path
Even the elders don’t know it
Chasing a mysterious girl
Named after an ancient poet
I can’t see her footprints
But I see her shining eye
In the constellations high
Above the blue night sky
Reflection in the mountain lake
Shows me growing worn
But I blink three times quickly
And see that I’m reborn
There’s wisdom plainly hidden
On the edge of mountain cliffs
Stories shared by ancients
Around campfires, becoming myths
Books don’t capture the secrets
For truth look deep into teacups
In this forgotten village
They’re made of bone and marrow
Stubborn as a donkey
Rugged as the buffalo
Giving love like sacred Amma
Monk chants echo through valleys
Low, soft and precise
Repeated through centuries
Many times ever since
Taught by a lost wanderer
With no interest in being found
Prayer flags amplify
Take noble words higher
Attenuate on a frequency
Improbable to detect by wire
I will always return here
Flying high like a hawk or sparrow
Won’t tell you the village name
You find it when you’re able
The maps might give a clue
But not the right directions
You’ll only find the magic
By following inner vision
In the forgotten village
This village is forgotten
Deliberately mistaken
Not meant for finding
Books reveal their secrets
Obvious in endless myth
Your own forgotten village
Class photos from Harold Bishop Elementary School in Surrey (Guildford), BC, Canada. Note: i’m the one in specs (the *only* one) and styling outfits, often sitting with girls or in the “goalie position”.
Harold Bishop Elementary, Kindergarten, Ms. Jones
My best pal Chris Goodman is the one with the blonde bowl haircut, buddy Gordie is in the K & 3/4 photos too. A few other faces i recognize including Anita, Erica, Sandy, Cliff… I lived at 10545 154th street (which was unpaved then) and walked to school about 20 minutes.
Harold Bishop Elementary, Grade 1, Mrs. Johnson
Note: Grade 3 seems missing… Mrs. Johnson was also the teacher if i recall correctly.
Harold Bishop Elementary, Grade 3/4 (split class), Mr. Mecham
Riding and visiting various trains around Okayama, Tottori and Shimane Japan, plus saying hello to some goats, and watching a plane take off at Kansai airport.
To remind and inspire myself, i often photograph envelopes before they embark on their journey. The fronts contain folks’ personal address (which i shoot to keep a record i never actually look back upon to recall who i’ve mailed) so i shan’t share that bit, but i will gallery up the backs – really for no purpose, just for amusement and artsy funtimes.
This batch is vaguely Japanese-inspired – meaning Japanese stationery or decoration.
