Bud Kanke at Joe Fortes - November 1995

Sometime in the late 90s at a gallery opening of the Exposure Gallery I was talking to a woman photographer who like me had photos up on the wall in what was a group show. She had graduated from Simon Fraser at the same time as my youngest daughter Hilary. She told me, “Alex I could never photograph sewing machines like you once did.”

Some years back Vancouver Magazine art director Rick Staehling had dispatched me to photograph some sewing machines. Because my Rosemary told me we need the money (all the time) I did not protest. If anything Staehling taught me to be humble and to not be a one-trick-pony. Had the woman been a man I might have punched him. I didn’t.

In social media and in my Vancouver Sun I learned that prolific restaurateur Bud Kanke died on Christmas Eve. I had no memory of having photographed him. Today I went to my files and found him under the letter B. I believe I may have taken the photograph at Joe Fortes and the woman at the table may have been his wife Dotty. I also noticed that he is serving a wind labelled Kanke.

I am happy to find out that the folks at Vancouver Magazine gave me lots of jobs that were not really artistic. But they were, indeed important.

Thank you Malcolm Parry (editor) and Rick Staehling. 

Writers in Latin American countries like to call themselves cronistas (chroniclers). Carlos Fuentes, a Mexican was one of the most famous. In an important way for this city Malcolm Parry's Vancouver Magazine served to chronicle the happenings (not all important) of our city. We were lucky. Who is doing that now?