Sylvie Paillard
[email protected]
Take a personal journey with Woldy and Cathy Sosnowsky as they explore the great wonders and everyday fascinations of the ancient and fast-changing land of China. Climb the Great Wall, go cormorant fishing on Lake Erhai, cruise the soon-to-be-flooded Yangtze, and munch grilled scorpions on Beijing's food street - all from within the walls of the Brackendale Art Gallery in a slide show tonight (Feb. 10).
Woldy, a retired educator and avid photographer, Cathy, a published travel writer, will accompany their slide show with many curious facts and stories.
The couple lives in West Vancouver but have a close connection to Squamish and are close friends with BAG owners Thor and Dorte Froslev.
"We became friends after the death of their son Alex who was one of my students, a favourite, at the time," said Dorte. "Cathy gave me a picture of Alex out on an Eagle Count when he was 9 or 10 years old, long before I knew him."
Alex died falling through the tennis dome at Whistler in 1992. He was an avid river kayaker who trained locally with Don Jamieson, and was commemorated with a carved cedar post nestled in the woods by a spawning channel near the bend in the Cheakamus River where his ashes were commended to the river.
The Sosnowskys travelled to China to rekindle their relationship with a second son, who'd had a troubled youth but turned his life around in China and now teaches English.
During the slideshow the couple shares their newfound relationship with their son and his Chinese girlfriend's family.Woldy is the recently retired principal of Keith Lynn Alternate School in North Vancouver with close ties to the Squamish First Nation and the North Vancouver Outdoor School. Cathy was a college writing instructor and has been leading writing workshops for Compassionate Friends for several years.
"They are lovely, interesting people and I am sure this will be a very entertaining and enlightening evening," said Dorte.The Sosnowskys present their slideshow at the Brackendale Art Gallery Friday (Feb. 10) at 8 p.m. Admission is by donation.
