Stephen Weir articles, editorials and popular social media weir postings

. THE McMICHAEL CANADIAN ART COLLECTION www.mcmichael.com NEW EXHIBITION LISTING INFORMATION  The McMichael Tree Project                 January 28 to April 22, 2012                                                                                                This winter and spring, the McMichael celebrates the artistic, cultural,and natural aspects of the tree with two breathtaking exhibitions, a variety of  programs, and special  installations.  As part of this project, the McMichael presents the exhibition,  The Tree: Form  and Substance,  which provides an exciting  opportunity for us to connect the gallery's  interior spaces with our  newly invigorated outdoor spaces and forested landscape, for the very first time. In conjunction with our own exhibition, the gallery also presents  The Tree: From the Sublime to the Social , organized and circulated by the Vancouver Art Gallery; an exhibition that considers the tree as a subject in art from the early twentieth

  Stephen Weir,  "the moment I knew" - photo by Jim Kozmik Mayan Riviera Runs A Small Price to Pay for Cenote Diving November 2011 issue of Diver Magazine By Stephen Weir This picture, taken in a freshwater Yucatan cenote (cave) was snapped at the exact moment in time that I realized that in 48-hours I was going to be sick.  You know, Montezuma”s Revenge, or as I coined it following a sink hole diving expedition in Akumal, Mexico, the Mayan Riviera Runs . This is not a diss on the Yucatan’s water system. This was something self-inflicted and it could have happened in any "fresh" water cave in the world. Blame it on the sanitary habits of flying animals or cenote diving being just too amazing for my own good.   Watch a You Tube Video of Cenote dive guide Mario explaining to Stephen Weir, how the Mexican Cenotes came to be. 2-minutes  http://youtu.be/lV12iGAzURQ . The east coast of Mexico’s Yucatan State is a flat, dry land void of rivers, lakes or

 PHOTOGRAPHS OF DIVING OFF AKUMAL BEACH - YUCATAN FACTS SIDEBAR A coral encrusted moped in the sand off Akumal Beach - Weir A Scuba Dive Girl drifts in the current Akumal - Weir Yucatán Facts • The Yucatán Peninsula is a large, cavernous limestone shelf not more than 165 feet (50m) above sea level and without any surface rivers. Instead, rainwater penetrates the porous limestone and forms underground rivers. • Most diveable cenotes in Mexico are to be found in the Riviera Maya on the Yucatán Peninsula. It’s been estimated there are approximately 30,000 cenotes in this region of which an estimated 100 are diveable. • Many cenotes are located on private land and are accessible only with permission. Most are basically inaccessible by normal means but many are open to the public. Entrance fees vary from $10 pesos to $100 pesos, approximately USD$1-10, for those managed by locals. Commercial operations offering more to see and do typically charge more, USD$10-25. • The Rivier

 Boat Show At Night.  Sailors' Delight.  Boat Show in the Day. Vendors Make Hay! Report from Annapolis By Pat Whetung Sailors be aware.  Each autumn boaters flock to historic Annapolis, Maryland trying to hang on to the last vestiages of fall. The port city, nestled on the banks of Spa Creek in Chesapeake Bay, hosts the annual United States Sailboat Show .   They come in cars. They come in inflatables.  Some sail in.  The common goal for all visiting sailors is to collect, connect and collaborate. The talk is all about boats, cruising, racing and significant events on and around the water.  There are hundreds of boats on display to tour and, if the price is right, buy.  On land there are scores of vendors hawking anything that might seperate a boater from his wallet! Lining up for tickets. Photo by Paul Horn In fact at this year's boat show, the vendors were  selling just about everythingboaters’ needs and wishes.  Walking through the stalls and visiting the boa

FISSURE FREEZING DIVING INLAND IN ICELAND Stephen Weir on the steps of Reykjavik's Sport Divers Club A cold clear rift river in the Thingvellir National Park It is cold. There is snow on the nearby mountain tops and  most days the moon is up longer than the sun.  It is late fall in Iceland and the fresh water dive season is still going strong! There are at least three dive operators  this time of year in Iceland offering guided scuba fresh water tours to rift valley river  in the Thingvellir National Park.  One shop offers a second safari to a geothermic lake near the capital city of Reykjavik.  There are ocean dives offered as well but are very much weather and sea condition dependent. Thingvellir Park is the most visited site in Iceland for three reasons.  It is a region where two tectonic plates  - the North American and Eurasian Plates all but  touch. It's a place where the continental plates have meet and are now drifting  apart at a rate of about 2cm per year.

. At the chicheria in rural Peru - drink twice chewed and then brewed (from a series of Facebook postings that received strong readership and approval) . Chicha is a popular working class drink in Peru. Made from fermenting corn, the beer-like beverage can be made in just 3-days. It is cheap (about 60 cents a glass) and easy to drink. There are an estimated 2,000 chicherias in Peru. Most don't have signs, just look for the universal Chicheria sign - a red flag over the door.  I paid this woman 60 cents for a glass of chicha and strawberry juice. Drink was invented by the Incas. Back in those days the corn was chewed by women before being put in fermentation vats. Nowadays the kernels are boiled before being placed in the vats. Maria plays for drinks. She lost   How to find a chicherias in Peru. Look for a red flag over the door. Usually dirt floors and no electricity.  Corn drink is cheap and not all that alcholic (3%). Big attraction at many of the un

Crossing the street in Cusco Peru - One part art, One part danger, One part daring do! (from a series of Facebook postings that received strong readership and approval) Crossing the Street in Peru Part 1 In the city of Cusco the police use humour to fight jaywalkers on their main street. As mentioned previously, crossing any street, even with walk/don't walk lights is a life threatening experience. Most days during business hours the police dress up officers in Punch and Judy costumes, cucumber-nose masks and Peruvian sheep whips to confront people trying to jaywalk. It works (till they go home) Check out companion posts of a pair of buskers/breakdancers in the middle of a busy street! Crossing the Street in Peru Part 2: A different kind of breakdancing Busker/breakdancer performs in the middle of a busy Cusco street in Peru. I paid him $2.50 for letting me take a picture of his act. Does it when the light is red. Most drivers in Peru seem to ignore red lights, so his