This photo of Jim Meyer is borrowed from his website and was taken by Sandra Vander Schaaf.
As I walked through the market, I heard a musician playing something I'd never seen before. It was a long, 4 inch wide "stick". I thought he sounded really great but I was just walking by and kept walking. A bit later, all caught up in the festivities, I decided to buy a Canucks donut.
I went back to listen to him with the Canucks donut in my hand and sat down on a bench a ways away. I started to delight in devouring it. He was a tall guy and he had on a green cap that made it hard to see his face in the sun. He had on sunglasses.
I sat down and he smiled at me. I raised my Canucks donut in solidarity thinking he was looking at the donut. I listened to him and when he finished playing a man in a motorized cart came over to him. When he turned around there was something about the way he moved that made me think he seemed familiar.
As I watched him, I began to think I knew him. So, I got up and went over to where he was selling his CD's and as soon as I got closer I realized it was someone I'd worked with and knew from UBC Multimedia Studies. His name is Jim Meyer.
As soon as I got closer to him he said, Hi Gayle. I couldn't believe it. First, I couldn't believe he was busking. Second I couldn't believe he'd recognize me since I'm not exactly as thin or as young as I was then. I thought you were admiring my Canucks donut I said at which point he just shook his head and laughed a laugh I recalled fondly.
He and another instructor and I would go out for the occasional beer. And, the even stranger thing was that I had just reconnected with the other instructor - Paul Hibbitts - about a month prior to this doing some work for him and I was about to meet him the next day after not seeing him for about 10 years as well. Life is weird!
Jim has put out this CD called Arbutus and Jade and my favourite song is called Camucia.
Listen to his playing off his website and feel free to buy his CD.