Scrappy Socks Rain Dance

Here on the Westcoast, 20 is a good number.  20 degrees C, warm enough for shorts, pleasant.  20 km/hr winds, not enough to cause damages.  So when the thermometer climbs to 30, 35+ as it has for the past few weeks, we're just not  equipped physically or emotionally.  Honestly, we're not whimps, we can survive months without seeing sunlight.  That takes some kind of courage too, doesn't it?

So we have been without rain since June.  Lawns have turned into yellow hay.  Jurisdictions around us have been implementing water restrictions.  Wells are running dry.  Around the province, fires are igniting spontaneously.  Fear not West Coast Aquarians lovers of water, I have found the equivalent to an old-fashioned "rain dance".  This is what I did yesterday:

First, I bathed a newly finished pair of scrappy-socks.  Next, I blocked them outside on a chair so they would dry in the breeze.  Then they were promptly forgotten, as they lay basking in the sunshine.  In the middle of the night the unfamiliar sound of raindrops on the deck should have triggered the memory of these poor beauties in distress.  Around 10am, the now soggy socks returned inside where they are still trying to dry-out in the 20 degrees kitchen.  Here they are in their soggy splendor:

So it rained and you're welcome.  We had a bit of rain today, perhaps thanks to the socks so bravely overnighting on the deck?  I hope we're finally back to our normal temperatures because it feels good!

Westcoast Spring

Fresh air

     blue ocean

          unpredictable weather

                no cell or internet, it could only mean ... a day trip to the West Coast of Vancouver Island!

Aah, the beach ... 

 Interesting finds

                                                       

                                                     New gumboots

And above all, the promise of Spring to come!

Back to Nature #2

Thanks to my lovely J., I had a chance to get away again this weekend, this time to Point No Point on the West Coast of Vancouver Island.  Point No Point is a small resort with log (ish) cabins overlooking the Salish Sea.  They make no apologies for not having any tvs, cell coverage, or internet.  This lack of connectivity is part of the charm.  From our 300 square foot cabin we can see the Northern Tip of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State, then it’s the vastness of the Pacific Ocean!  Aah the fresh ocean breeze!

J. & I were treated to the sound of crashing waves and the crackling of a wood fire for the whole weekend.  We hiked to the “Point” and met a woman who claimed these were the biggest waves she had seen here in 20 years.  On the hike we stopped at a small pebbled beach, watched the waves crash, and listened to the beach pebbles trickle back down to the water with each receding wave.

It’s interesting to compare the West Coast to the East Coast of Vancouver Island.  The West Coast is much more rugged with little development.  It's best to have a full gas tank and enough groceries for a trip out here.  I like feeling like I’m on the edge of the world.  It feels odd but liberating.

Another difference between the two coasts is that we have not seen as much wildlife here as in Deep Bay on the East Coast.  J. points out that it’s not as sheltered on the West Coast, so it’s harder for the animals to get food.  Perhaps it's too early in the year and the birds have not yet returned.  In Deep Bay we always see eagles, cormorants, geese, seals, and occasionally sea lions.  Last summer we even saw a pod of killer whales in the Bay.  Here on the west coast we saw a Blue Jay yesterday and that’s about it.   I know there are bears not far so I'm not complaining too much.

One of my yoga teachers says we shouldn’t have to get away to feel a sense of calmness.  She says we should be able to feel that calmness in our every day life.  Personally, I find the ocean’s sounds, fresh air, and vastness quite helpful in de-stressing.  I find it hard to reproduce that feeling without the sights, scents, & sounds. 

Back to Nature

Spring Break is a time to relax & refuel, a time to recharge for the last term.

After my first fight with breast cancer, I felt a real need to go somewhere fun with my family.  So we took our 10 & 7 year olds to Disneyland.  Not very original but it was indeed fun, and W-A-R-M!  The past 2 years we traveled to Whistler for a skiing trip.  Last year was a unique experience because we were in Whistler just before the start of the Paraolympic Games.  Excitement was in the air.

This year, with one boy now in University and unable to join us, we decided to go up-island to my parents' beachhouse.  It was so enjoyable (and relaxing) to be away from crowds!  We hiked by  Rosewall Creek,  found a pod of sea lions in Fanny Bay,

walked on the beach,

and I even got to practice my beloved Bikram Yoga.  I love my little island on the Pacific!

... and now, it's back to work!