Tripping with Melody

04/29/2026

Practicing Counterparts, written by David Hicken Music

04/21/2026

I went out playing my piano all the other day and talked to many interesting people :)) I would really like to thank the person (whoever you are) who gave me a $100 digital tip! When I saw the notification in my email that I had received a $100 tip I was just shocked and so grateful 🙏 I'm wanting to spend time on piano and writing so tips help me to stretch my dollars and take on less traditional work.

So thank you from the bottom of my heart!! Mojo says thank you too because he now has his own toothpaste and toothbrush (not cheap lol! Damn cat!)

FYI my digital tip link!
busk.co/45437/tip

04/15/2026

03/29/2026

No Kings 3.0

03/08/2026

About a year ago I was contacted by Trevor Redmond who is also known The Fellow In Yellow. He was running across Canada having begun in Nova Scotia and was keen to know more about my Uncle Steve who also ran across Canada over 40 years ago.

Trevor arrived in New Westminster last week and stayed with me until today. We had some good chats and he got to see the documentaries made about Steve since Steve had burned me a few copies long ago. On Thursday I showed him the sights at Lynn Canyon and Cypress. We had fun making silly videos with Mojo (who ate up the extra attention all week!

03/08/2026

Lynn Canyon deep pool. One of my very faaaaavourite places!!

Back in the day we could not do ANYTHING unless we were smoking a joint. Additionally I was a heavy cigarette smoker. I'm so grateful today for the ability to enjoy life without those particular filters. I wonder how many people's experiences I tarnished with my excessive smoking habit. Anyway on this day the air was fresh and so enjoyable to breathe and look at that crazy beautiful green water. By the way I STILL crave ci******es. Had a fairly intense craving last week. I've been quit for 4 years now coming up March 30th.

03/06/2026

The Fellow In Yellow who has run to BC from Nova Scotia hangs out with Tripping with Melody for a few days of rest and sight seeing.
Like his page to Follow his journey all the way back to the Maritimes as he continues to raise awareness about the importance of physical activity.

02/25/2026

Went to Mission Thrift Store Maple Ridge today to play the piano.

The nice one (with stiff keys) was sold. What's left is the one with many broken keys and the "pretty good one" which has a defective sustain pedal situation. The treble clef keys sustain but not the base clef.

Anyway, I met the nicest store volunteer. Didn't get his name but he said he enjoyed my playing. He learned how to tune his own piano by watching YouTube.
Quite the accomplishment! Not easy!

When I told him about the sustain pedal problem he got down (on his arthritic knees) and pulled the piano apart to take a look. We tried, by the light of my phone, to figure out the situation...sure was dusty down there! The latest tuning according to the card inside the lid was 1990. Unfortunately without taking the entire piano apart, the sustain beam can't it can't be fixed :(

But he uplifted my day anyway with his care and concern. I wish we could get a fully functional piano in there so that buskers (like me) without an acoustic piano at home can practice.

02/15/2026

My Valentine for 2026. Buck the cat.
(Fantastic dancer by the way)