Nicole fiddles while Vancouver sunburns

It’a a hot, sunny, sultry afternoon in Fairview. What do my ears hear as I ride through the back alleys in search of cans, and bottles? Well, let’s listen — cars, people, lawn mowers, birds — and one viola. Surely Fairview is the only neighbourhood on Earth where you can bin for bottles to musical accompaniment!

Sure enough, in a back alley, a woman is standing in a parking lot, playfully plucking a viola. Nicole is getting some face time with the Sun, and practising for a gig next Tuesday, when she’ll be joining friends on stage at a local bistro. Looks like she’s just fiddling around, but Nicole is a professional musician — “a versatile violinist, composer and singer,” as she writes on her Web site. She’s also teaches music. Through stringalliance.com. She offers “Progressive Music Instruction For All Ages and Levels … Specializing in Violin and Fiddle.” Click on the images to enlarge them.