Good Morning from Victoria

Some years ago a new aquaintance asked me where I was from. "Edmonton," I replied. "Oh," he said, "you're an easterner." Now, to call someone from Alberta an easterner could start a fight under the wrong circumstances. But we had been working together building a chimney for the previous few days and it was just a bit of banter- sort of. I've made the same joke myself many times since. It works because it has a kernal of truth to it. People from this side of the cordillera, are a different species than those on the other. The true west is the prairies and the grasslands between the mountain chains. We denizens of the Pacific Coast live in a different realm that I think of as Beyond the West. And that is my explanation for the title of this new blog.
Here in Victoria we are even farther remove from the prairies than the rest of the coast because we are on an island. Islanders are traditionally a bit xenophobic, and native Vancouver Islanders are hard to find. Waves of migrants from the colder parts of Canada breathlessly arrive to escape the ice and snow, the sub-zero temperatures and then commence complaining about the rain. The locals quite naturally feel invaded and pushed aside. That's why it was only sort of a joke when John made it. I have added a new one. When the passengers in my cab complain about the drivers in Victoria (one of the class of conversation starters known as bromides) I just say, "That's because so many of them are from Ontario," to which they usually- if I've read them right- bridle and say, "But I'm from Ontario." I try to look innocent.
Anyway, this blog is not about me but about Victoria from a cab driver's perspective. There's an old Hermetic saying, "As above, so below,' meaning that what happens in the heavenly sphere is reflected in our everyday earthly existence, and that by paying close attention to what we see around us we can learn about that which is invisible to our senses. Pure Neoplatonism.
I'll try to stay away from too much politics, but the fact of the matter is I'm a conservative and I don't intend to hide it. However, I'm much more interested in 'what's under the hood' than in the surface issues-in other words, philosophy, religion, history, ideas in general. And I hope some few readers will find my comments of interest.
It's a bit blustery today, heavily overcast with fast moving clouds that expose the odd patch of sky. And here I am at Le Cafe Vieux Montreal on Government Street where you can find the best pastries in town- and use their free wireless service to write blogs and such.