About

With Anita at the farm of my ancestor, Abel Turcault, on Îsle d’Orléans, Québec in August 2008

Welcome to the weblog of Bob Turcotte, not the famous Ontario curler of the same name or the former great jockey (Ron Turcotte) or a former Cardinal Archbishop of Montreal (Jean-Claude Turcotte). I am not to be confused with George W. Bush or Barrack Obama either, though we all have curly hair.

No, this is the site of the infamous, or is it unfamous, Bob Turcotte, high school chemistry and guitar teacher, songwriter, long-term liturgical musician. I was born a “Westmount Rhodesian,” (ref. Bowser & Blue) went to Bishop Whelan High School in Lachine where I took a half-hearted stab at growing up. I played football with the Lachine Lakers, graduated in 1965 (yike!) from Loyola of Montreal with a B. Sc. in Chemistry, taught in Trinidad with CUSO, married a wonderful Trini named Anita, worked in the wall coverings industry for over 20 years and served as a liturgical musician at St. Anthony of Padua for longer than I can remember. In 1992 I re-entered teaching. I retired in 2007.

I rode a horse once and curled once. I have never bombed Iraq. Furthermore, I am not a bishop, though, in the 1980’s, I once heckled Cardinal Carter at his Annual Dinner for attacking the CBC about their coverage of the Mount Cashel scandal. I believe in the immense contribution that public broadcasting has made to our culture and sense of identity as Canadians and worry about the way the CBC has recently become co-opted and cowed by the powerful.

While I respect all who have sought spiritual and scientific wisdom throughout history, in my latter days I have come to believe that religions as we know them have largely abandoned the seeking in order to defend their entrenched and often harmful positions.  I find awe in music, art and in contemplation of the universe – magnificent even while it is dimly pictured by us humans, whose perception is limited to only four dimensions and, too frequently, to a simplified atomistic methodology. 

22 thoughts on “About”

    1. Thank you so much for your kind thoughts and touching nomination, Harold, especially from someone with the skills and sensitivity that you demonstrate in the quality of the work and ideas presented on your site. Wow!

      But, after realizing the time it took for me to properly respond to an earlier award, I have chosen simply to thank people for their kindness. Sincere thanks for your nomination and also for your own superior weblog. We share a deep respect for other cultures. Happy travels!

      1. Hi Bob I replied but it got lost , Am in flroida for a week, live in Ottawa, My web “book” tells a lot of my travels 🙂 613 731 1567 in about a week. I thought you might be the curler 🙂 . Still working another year or two. emjoy it, 3 days a week..

  1. I nominated you for a Dragon’s Loyalty Award to recognize your faithfulness to my blog. Please visit my latest post to learn more about this award, and to leave a comment describing how you choose blogs to follow, and why you “Like” and leave comments on blogs.

    Thank you for sharing your perspective.

    1. Thank you, Grace, for the honour. I enjoy your interesting posts and am encouraged by the way you involve your readers and respond thoughtfully to our comments. I decided some time ago not to fully respond to awards but understand why you have been selected. Your blog is one of my favorites because of who you are.

      1. Dear Bob, the nomination belongs to you, irrevocably. No obligation to “accept” the award.

        My criteria for my blog to be successful is not for a certain number of visitors, views, followers, Likes or comments. My criteria is subjective: substantial conversations in the comment section. I get a great deal of joy from reading what people care to leave at my blog.

        Thank you again for being a faithful follower, and for all the contributions and support that you give to my blog. I am glad that you enjoy being there.

    1. Hi You,

      Great to see you back – and in that inimitable, uncompromising and immitigable (surprised spellcheck didn’t put a wavy red line under that last adjective…) STYLE!!!

      Thank you for including me in an otherwise stellar list. I appreciate it very much, but do not participate any more. Too lazy, perhaps, or perhaps possessing perfect laziness fine-tuned to preternatural precision. Congrats on being Crazy Catriona, from a guy who has to focus just on breathing in and out.

  2. Cant figure out how I receive your writings to my email. The only thing I can think of perhaps its Camino de Santiago? But I do enjoy your very interesting articles, keep them coming!

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