To the fortezza yesterday. Met Hiroshi Kobasyashi, curling commentator for Japanese television, and his Italian translator, Isabella Guarino. The 'mostra' is still magnificent.



And then we found ourselves at Palazzo Cavour, Canada Place, where you need a Canadian passport - and a recommendation - to get in. A place for Canadians. Not the big log house made to attract business to BC and attention to the next Olympics, with people streaming in and buying HBC olympic gear, and listening to the sound track and watching the big screen. At Palazzo Cavour, athletes and their families meet and visit and watch the competition and congratulate each other, and go over the day's events. A home away from home, sans the Big Hype, but full of excitement, camaraderie. Four computers and internet that works and newspapers from home and CBC television on, all day on the big screen. Wine and coffee and snacks. A lot of Canada red and family members wearing silly hats. A feeling of welcome. As a family member of the only artist from Canada officially invited to exhibit at the Cultural Olympiad, I was recommended by the Console General, Margaret Huber. Even without the official badges around our necks, we are happy to hold up the flag for artists in Canada.

We waited in anticipation and then cheered Jeff Buttle into the room with the bronze around his neck. We toasted his performance and whistled for his medal and watched while the tv cameras shone the light on his very young face. His sister, Meagan, promised me she'd send me a photo. She looks just like her brother.



You have to go halfway around the world to meet people in your own locale and sure enough, we met Erin Simmons, a snowboarder (and drop-dead beauty from West Vancovuer) but more to the point, one of 16 Canadian athletes who qualified to go to the Olympics and compete to advance to the semi-finals. In the end, sixteen from around the world qualified. Erin was number 17. She was understandably disappointed, especially since she's been going to all the competitions with the same group she's been boarding around with since forever, and gets the better of them as often as they do of her. But yesterday there was snow, she had the wrong board and it slowed her down enough to put her just this side of being a contender. She's an athlete, no excuses, but it makes you think about how only one person wins the gold and 99% of the others who try -- don't. We can't follow them all, but it's pretty amazing to be here in the first place, isn't it? All that effort and in a couple of seconds, it's all over? Jeff Buttle had a longer moment on the ice and his sport was mixed with art. He's going to stretch out his win with all the related glory that comes to him, but it's all about his few moments of grace and skill.
An achievement which thanks to technology, we can watch again and again, but a few moments in time, which have evaporated, just like ice on a hot day. Here’s the record going again, around and around, but it seems to be just like . . . the paintings! The ice. Here, today. Bold and bright and beautiful right now.

And tomorrow? The Canadians against the Swedes in women's hockey! For the gold! Okay, we're going out tonite, we'll stand with the hordes and check ourselves through security just to get tickets to that!