Month: July 2025

The sea and the city

The sea and the city

Bogumil Pacak-Gamalski

The beauty and the beast? Not necessarily, the two very different solitudes offer both: the mundane and the beautiful.

The other day an escape by dusk to Crescent Beach in South Surrey. Not the first one this year, and hopefully not the last one. The clothed and clothed optional beaches there are a think to admire and very different at different times of the day – low or high tide. Seems like a wilderness, but very rocky and a train track right above the stretch of waterfront makes it perhaps not tranquil to all. But there is also a true beauty in the view of beauty of naked human body. No, not only the very young, muscular and shapely. Human body is beautiful in all fragile forms – from very young to truly old. Without the foreign coverings of clothing – it shines in own natural radiance of vulnerability.

… and then, there is a city. New Westminster pier along the Fraser River. A living organism, too. Like sea and human body could be old or shiny new; opulent and crumbling old; showing the tooth of time and vision of tomorrow. Which one is better or more true to it’s own destiny? We don’t know. For we are only judges of our own time and epoch.

My Canada – A Tribute

My Canada – A Tribute

Bogumil Pacak-Gamalski

VANCOUVER

My Canada from ocean to an ocean, from the shores of Atlantic to the shores of Pacific, from Halifax to Vancouver. My Canada intrinsically tied to my John, our Love; his gift to me. Through our meeting and romantic story straight form the pages of Petrarka ‘Beatrice”, from the ancient lovers of Greeks and Macedonians, of Mesopotamians, of Sumerians.

Would I have loved thee if I never met John? Likely, for what there is not to love about thee, Canada? But it would have never consumed me as much, would have never made me such a fervent and ardent lover of this country. My personal private love of John’s Canada for ever etched in my soul and mind.

Halifax Atlantic Fleet

Let’s start with were it all begin in earnest, from our first own home belonging only to us. We met and fell in love almost on the slopes of towering peaks of Rocky Mountain. But it wasn’t till 1994 when we came here, to Greater Vancouver to start a new life in our first own apartment – our Home. On Capitol Hill in North Burnaby. But truly – for us here it is just one big Vancouver. A galery past and recent pictures of that amazing city on the shores of Pacific.

I just noticed that most of the pictures are of people much more than places … . But it is true – it is the people dear or important to you that makes a place – Home. A true home. Where you ar not a tourist, you belo g there, you are IT. My family, dear friends from work and my art promotor activities with poets, actors, musicians from Canada and Poland.

and Atlantic with Halifax – where it all begun for Canada, for entire North America de facto.

Thus end my own journey across the continent, from West to East, and back to West. My Journey of Love, love gifted to me by my own personal love, John. He was, still is in some way, my love to Canada, love of Canada. It begun some odd forty years ago. It didn’t change, it grew stronger perhaps. In a world of growing tensions, being ripped apart, sold to the highest bidder by two megalomaniacs, one from New York and Florida, other from murderous shadows of Kremlin – this country remained true to it’s Canadian core: polite, smiling, carrying. My Canada – a gift that I received from John. Gift of love to good, country, good people. Caring – as he was.