Kevin Griffiths
Concept photo
Congratulations to my namesake on more performances…
Category: Arts and Culture
The Nicola Naturalist Society Incorporated was done in November of 2010 and has functioned under a stable and comprehensive membership for 16 years here in Merritt. Not to be confused with my naturalist blog. That reports a lot of the things from it or journalizes it.
The naturalists of Merritt are very industrious bunch.
As of this date of writing, the regular meetings are closed down until September and membership renewal or membership begins in September. And there’s a possibility that they will be meeting the second Thursday of the month instead of the 3rd.
“Rooster Cogburn and the lady.”
Rooster Cogburn was character. John Wayne played in his old age alongside another movie Mogul of of the same tenure. Catherine Hepburn there was a great conversation between the two that was followed by many people.
Well
The movie depicted in the scene is ***Rooster Cogburn* (1975)**, also promoted as *Rooster Cogburn (…and the Lady)*.Here is a breakdown of its theme, characterization, financial performance, and impact:### Theme and Characterizations * **The Theme:** The film is a classic odd-couple Western adventure heavily themed around redemption, justice, and the clashing of contrasting moral worlds. It deliberately mirrored the thematic framework of *The African Queen* (1951), trading a steamboat in Africa for a nitro-loaded log raft in the Pacific Northwest. * **The Characterization and Result:** John Wayne reprised his Oscar-winning role from *True Grit* (1969) as Reuben “Rooster” Cogburn, a whiskey-guzzling, one-eyed, relic of a U.S. Marshal whose badge is suspended due to excessive bloodshed. Katharine Hepburn played Eula Goodnight, a prim, fiercely independent, Bible-thumping missionary out to avenge her father’s death. * **The Result:** The characterizations relied entirely on the natural, affectionate chemistry between the two aging Hollywood titans. Critics felt the script itself was a bit recycled and full of forced, “phony theatricality,” but noted that the sheer charm of Wayne and Hepburn trading sharp dialogue and fondly looking at one another rescued the performances.### Financial Performance * **The Budget:** $10 million. * **The Box Office:** It grossed approximately **$17.6 million** globally. While technically profitable, it was considered a commercial disappointment compared to the massive success of *True Grit* (which made over $31 million in 1969 money). Its theatrical performance brought in only about 26% of the original film’s box office draw, which ultimately led to the cancellation of a planned third film in the series.### Impact and Legacy * **The Lone Pairing:** The most lasting impact of *Rooster Cogburn* is that it stands as the **only cinematic pairing** of John Wayne and Katharine Hepburn in their legendary careers. They were both 67 years old during filming and held completely opposite political views, yet they formed a profound mutual admiration on set. * **Historical Footnote:** Beyond being a nostalgic “Golden Age” crossover, it was the final film ever produced by legendary Hollywood producer Hal B. Wallis. It also marked the only time John Wayne ever played a sequel character across his 170+ film filmography. Today, it is remembered less for its plot and more as a beautifully shot, bittersweet twilight showcase for two of cinema’s greatest icons.
For a deeper look into the off-screen drama and trivia surrounding this historic pairing, you can watch this Rooster Cogburn Production History Deep Dive, which explores the health crises, political tensions, and secret screenwriters behind the 1975 film.
Not all cracks in life can be filled easily.
Photo KDG, spring 2026… Small crew at Night Merritt BC repair cracks in roads.
Bitter Sweet is the stuff of life, is not misreality. It is the natural result of living.
To all those suffering it today bon chance, your pain is yours and it is not unjust. You are normal.
Saul Leiter
photography
New York artist..
The role of a photographer
The art of photography is a delicate dance between technical precision and emotional intuition. It transforms a fleeting fraction of a second into a permanent visual statement, using light as a raw medium to shape form, texture, and mood. A great photograph rarely just documents a subject; it reveals the photographer’s unique perspective, translating three-dimensional reality into a flat frame that can evoke deep memory, curiosity, or profound silence.
There are moments when a photographer must assert a high-status presence—not out of ego, but out of necessity for the craft. This overt command is essential during structured portraiture, commercial shoots, or complex historical documentation, where you must confidently direct subjects, manage light, and control the environment to execute a specific vision.
Stepping into this high profile establishes the professional trust and authority needed to orchestrate a chaotic scene into a cohesive, deliberate piece of art.Conversely, a lower profile is often infinitely better for building an authentic, cohesive body of work, particularly in street, documentary, or wildlife photography. Cultivating a quiet, unassuming presence allows you to blend into the background, stripping away the artificiality that occurs when subjects know they are being observed. By working with a low profile, you become an invisible observer rather than a disruptor, allowing the natural truth of a landscape, an animal, or a human moment to unfold organically before your lens.
Lifes work
Ultimately, the best body of work arises from knowing when to step into the light to command a frame, and when to recede into the shadows to let life speak for itself.
The world is your oyster
Create consentrait cooperate
Calm thoughts to you
Lytton CBC
Editor’s: note
We don’t provide comprehensive warnings. We post information that we have. We’re looking for comments and offering a forum if discussion is required or recordings are suitable.
Lake Cowichen
The British Columbia youth ambassador program that hung its hat on the Merritt Civic center here for a number of years or decades. “All dressed up and somewhere to go”
The local toastmasters club provided a ” Canned speachcraft program for more the a decade, we loved the life and livleyness of the mixed program. Terrias lost their place to Black Cowboy hats over time. As the male competitors were put on an even keel by the unisex stylelrsh hats.
Pronouns were not yet in vogue, but we would have appreciated the individual freedoms that choosing your own pronouns conintates if we would have only thought of it at the time.
Happy speaking trails. KDG
A View point ..
So, The 2010 Olympics in Vancouver saw two experimental hydrogen buses. Powered by hydrogen fuel cells demonstrated for that event. They were put in service. Tags were half a million each. Never seen any for a while. Merritt DC had hydrogen service for fuel-celled powered trucks at the truck. Stop along the showers. They didn’t make shower water out of the hydrogen after they burned it. Sorry but that was a good stretch.
Merrit “positioned for freight”
If you’re looking for a history of hydrogen fueling stations operating over decades in Merritt, you might be chasing a bit of a ghost story—or perhaps thinking of early alternative fuels like propane and compressed natural gas (CNG). In reality, there were no historical hydrogen outlets for trucks in Merritt. For decades, the heavy flow of commercial freight and logging trucks moving through the Nicola Valley relied strictly on traditional diesel cardlocks. The technology to use hydrogen as a commercial heavy-duty trucking fuel simply didn’t exist in a viable way in the 20th century, so the infrastructure was never built.That said, hydrogen-powered trucks *are* finally becoming a reality on the highways around Merritt today. Over the last couple of years, companies have begun running commercial pilot projects with Class 8 hydrogen fuel cell trucks, specifically putting them to the test on the steep, grueling climbs of the Coquihalla Highway up to Merritt. Since there isn’t local fueling infrastructure yet, these trucks fuel up at modern stations in the Lower Mainland or Kelowna. They use those single fills to haul massive payloads up the mountain, proving that zero-emission transport can handle B.C.’s demanding interior grades without the severe weight penalties associated with battery-electric trucks.The ultimate outcome here is that Merritt is perfectly positioned for the *future* of freight, rather than having a hidden history of it. While the town doesn’t have a decades-old legacy of dispensing hydrogen, its strategic location at the junction of the Coquihalla, Highway 5, and the Okanagan Connector makes it an inevitable, critical node for B.C.’s emerging commercial hydrogen corridors. You won’t find any vintage hydrogen pumps hidden around town, but you are absolutely going to see more of these high-tech, water-emitting trucks pulling through the valley in the years to come.
Fashion statement
Photo: KDG
So, this in the first week of June or so we’re making statements of propriety diligence enjoyment fashion. Just having a cruise through Merritt BC beside the arena parking lot.
That small gas tank is as telling as anything, their enjoyment is a testimony against the unwise of this life that somehow thrive on strife, disruption and conflict.
Welcome to Merritt.
mimic:The universe mirrors your soul.
What do others expect for admiration from you?
So, here’s a photo of the coffee menu at the local Valley Graze eatery and social hub. The restaurant is located off Nicola avenue with city parking on Garcia it is a cozy and bright place rum by locals with a cowboy demeanor or (Conservative Rural).
Genetated bio
**Valley Graze** (also known as the Valley Graze Box) is a highly regarded local café, restaurant, and artisanal catering business in Merritt that has quickly become a community hub for fresh, wholesome food. Located at **2114 Nicola Avenue**, the café features an inviting “Makers Collective” atmosphere that frequently hosts local seniors’ social gatherings and community markets. While it began with a focus on beautifully arranged, colorful grazing boxes and charcuterie trays for events, the storefront menu showcases a broad variety of fresh café and breakfast cuisine. This includes elevated options like their ultimate breakfast sandwiches, wraps, house-made salads, and specialty artisanal pastries and focaccias brought in fresh from the local Petit Creek Bakery. Operating primarily on daytime hours—typically opening early at **7:00 AM until 2:00 PM** (though closed on Mondays and featuring shorter weekend hours)—it provides an ideal morning or midday stop.
Convenient parking is easily accessible right out front along Nicola Avenue and in the immediate vicinity, making it a highly accessible destination whether you are stopping in for a quick espresso or picking up an individual lunch box on the move.
Editors note:
This is not a paid ad this is journalism editorial, and we’re looking for comments, would be great to hear from you…
How does it fit?
Merritt 👑
Bike race on now…
Registration still available to events on Sunday the 14th June 2026
New Queen Bee
If that was a beehive and they were feeding a new larva royal jelly and all the workers were rooting for the new Queen and the pheromones were starting to come out. I think that’s what the style and speed and strike of that event might perila this wonderful performance. K
Generated
Deep within the humming heart of the beehive, the workers prepare a cradle of royal jelly for their chosen larva, flooding the waxen queen cell with the milky, nutrient-rich substance that will transform her destiny. As she grows, suspended head-down in her chamber, she is fed continuously, her body enlarging far beyond that of her sisters, her abdomen lengthening and her presence subtly shifting the rhythm of the hive. The air thickens with anticipation and scent as her developing glands prepare to release the powerful pheromones that will one day bind the colony together. From a single egg to a regal figure, she rises to become the chief pheromone producer of the hive, the living signal of unity, order, and future generations.
You what’s your tenor…
extended range A2 F5,are you a sam smith, in the nector for ever…
That was fun! Thanks for that. Let me know how close I was…
Like his range
Great 🙌 Let’s make a short dramatic 6‑second vocal moment that peaks at F5.Here’s a simple pop‑ballad style line inspired by a Sam Smith–type emotional tenor (not imitating, just stylistically similar):—## 🎼 6‑Second Vocal Line (Peaks at F5)**Key: C minor** **Tempo: 72 BPM** **Time: 4/4**### Notes (with timing)- G4 (1 beat) — “I”- Bb4 (1 beat) — “can’t”- C5 (1 beat) — “hold”- Eb5 (1 beat) — “this”- F5 (2 beats, crescendo + vibrato) — “loooooove”The F5 is sustained for 2 full beats with:- Slight crescendo into the note- Gentle vibrato in the last second—## 🎵 MIDI Note Data (if you’re using a DAW)| Note | MIDI Number | Duration ||——|————|———-|| G4 | 67 | 1 beat || Bb4 | 70 | 1 beat || C5 | 72 | 1 beat || Eb5 | 75 | 1 beat || F5 | 77 | 2 beats |F5 frequency = **698.46 Hz**—## 🎤 How to Make It Sound Emotional- Start breathy on G4- Gradually increase intensity through C5 and Eb5- Slight scoop into F5 (slide up from E5 very quickly)- Add vibrato (5–6 Hz rate, subtle depth)- End with a gentle decrescendo—If you’d like, I can now:- 🎼 Create a longer 10–15 second dramatic run- 🎧 Give you step‑by‑step instructions for generating it in a specific app (GarageBand, Logic, BandLab, etc.)- 🎹 Generate a more gospel-style F5 belt instead of pop ballad- 🎶 Make it falsetto instead of beltWhich vibe do you want?
A little playing and probing
I can’t generate or attach an actual audio file here, but I can give you **four ready‑to‑render vocal clips** (with exact notes, MIDI data, timing, and performance instructions) so you can generate them instantly in any DAW or AI singing tool.Below are the four versions:—# 🎤 1️⃣ Pop Ballad Belt (Emotional, Dramatic F5)**Length:** ~6 seconds **Tempo:** 72 BPM **Key:** C minor ### NotesG4 – Bb4 – C5 – Eb5 – **F5 (sustain 2 beats)**### MIDI67 – 70 – 72 – 75 – **77**### Lyrics“I can’t hold this looooove”### Performance- Start breathy- Gradual crescendo- Slight scoop into F5- Controlled vibrato at end—# 🎶 2️⃣ Extended Dramatic 12‑Second Run**Length:** ~12 seconds **Tempo:** 68 BPM **Key:** Db minor (adds drama)### Notes (ascending build)Ab4 – B4 – Db5 – E5 – F5 – **F5 (long sustain 3 beats)**### MIDI68 – 71 – 73 – 76 – 77### Lyrics“Why does it huuuurt so bad?”### Performance- Smooth legato ascent- Full chest‑mix into F5- Strong crescendo- Wider vibrato on final sustain- Fade gently—# 🙏 3️⃣ Gospel‑Style Power Belt**Length:** ~8 seconds **Tempo:** 78 BPM **Key:** Bb minor### NotesF4 – Ab4 – Bb4 – Db5 – Eb5 – **F5 (belt + riff down to Eb5)**### MIDI65 – 68 – 70 – 73 – 75 – 77 – 75### Lyrics“I’m calling ooouuut to You!”### Performance- Strong chest voice- Quick run into F5- Powerful vibrato- Drop back down to Eb5 for stylistic gospel finish—# 🌫 4️⃣ Falsetto High Emotional Moment**Length:** ~7 seconds **Tempo:** 70 BPM **Key:** C minor### NotesEb5 – F5 (soft sustain 3 beats)### MIDI75 – 77### Lyrics“Stay…”### Performance- Light, airy onset- No aggressive belt- Very soft vibrato- Emotional fragility—# 🎧 How To Generate The Actual Audio### Option A – In GarageBand / Logic / FL Studio1. Add a vocal synth or tenor vocal instrument2. Enter the MIDI notes above3. Add light vibrato automation on F54. Add reverb (large hall, 2.5–3s decay)5. Export as WAV/MP3### Option B – AI Singing ToolsUse:- Kits.ai – Voicify – Synthesizer V – Emvoice Input the MIDI and lyrics above using a male tenor voice model.—If you tell me which software you’re using, I can give you **exact step‑by‑step click instructions** to export a finished MP3 in under 3 minutes.
Above my pay grade …
Digital audio workstation
June 8 to 14 th 2026, the night sky
Magic storms are still a possibility, go to Environment ,Canada Space weather FMI
Kevin Griffiths
percypaschal
The Proprietor Review 