Just about  Everything Ben Goldfarb posts on Facebook is interesting. Case in point: This from Canada this morning.

• A few Taku River watershed beaver ponds, glimpsed from ground and air. Something about seeing beavers in Canada just feels sacred — like catching Springsteen at the Meadowlands (or so I imagine).
• 

Kent Monkman debuts beaver sculpture in Toronto’s ambitious new waterfront park

TORONTO — Kent Monkman’s first-ever public art installation is dam good. The celebrated Cree artist’s new permanent sculpture, dubbed “The Colony,” debuts Wednesday in Toronto’s east end.

The 15-foot-high bronze structure features beavers dancing, feasting and celebrating, evoking Indigenous ceremonies.

It highlights the vital role of beavers in the natural, Indigenous and colonial histories of Turtle Island, says a release.

The public artwork is located in Toronto’s Biidsaasige Park along the Lassonde Art Trail, an ambitious open-air museum.

Monkman says its site, where the Don River meets Lake Ontario, is especially meaningful, as it’s been an important waterway for several First Nations for thousands of years.

“I can’t think of a better place for these beavers, inspired by the fanciful beavers of Veremondo Rossi’s 18th-century engraving, to gather in a ceremonial feast, celebrating our world views, honouring the water, and continuing our traditions of relaying knowledge through songs and stories,” he said in a statement.

A member of the Fisher River Cree Nation, Monkman is an interdisciplinary artist lauded for using classical painting, film and performance to challenge and rewrite colonial histories in Western art.

His artworks are held in the permanent collections of institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

This Sunday two very important things will happen in town. A Thousand Friends of Martinez will be holding its fourth annual Friends Fest with a catered luncheon and musical entertainment. There it will introduce its citizens of the year and the first collector’s edition of the brand new campaign to reintroduce the town with “Outdoor Martinez“.

“Our “Outdoor Martinez” map will include at least 100 parks, trails, and open spaces— all within 15 minutes of downtown Martinez— including a national historic site, five regional parks, eight regional trails, four different watershed areas and several dozen city parks and open spaces and show you how to get to them. Martinez’ outdoor environment and recreational opportunities are really what characterizes our hidden gem of a city.”

The good people behind the Thousand Friends are responsible for giving us a truly responsible and responsive mayor, and long ago helped inform my campaign to save the you-know-whats from you-know-whom. It’s a top notch organization that has your cities best interests at heart, Join us to support their special day and see your town in its best light.