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It’s a gorgeous day out among the islands as we make our way from Mayne Island over to Salt Spring, with hopes of having lunch at Rock Salt Cafe in Fulford. Its been a week of learning and exploring, and although there come times when it’s a little scary, it’s an adventure.
Yesterday we decided to make our way to Mayne. At the speed R’Dream will go, it took about five hours from the time we left Ladysmith until we reached our destination. We cruised steadily except for a short break to make some lunch in the middle of the Trincomali Channel. It was so different to look at that side of Salt Spring Island, that we love so much, from the water. Completely missed detecting the Salt Spring Spa, but did catch Fernwood dock, and the old plant that sat beside the house we rented for the winter after Shane passed. So much healing happened along that Channel…my whales, my walks, my blue moon. I will never forget the time spent there. We had some lessons in how active Active Pass is while on our way to Mayne. It sure lives up to it’s name, as the turbulence threw even this boat around pretty good. The cruising speed of 8 knots we’d done at 1500 rpm all the way from Ladysmith dropped right down to between 2 and 3 knots. Really eye opening for a pair of prairie sailors! The real fun began when we arrived at Miner’s Bay. The dock was pretty full, with only one spot that we didn’t fit perfectly into. It had yellow paint, indicating it was for emergency or taxi vehicles. There was a good 6 feet of yellow clear, but our tail end covered about 3. We moored and went to ask someone how critical that was, but the lady at the Springwater Inn said we’d best move it. By the time we got back out to the boat and untied, the one other mooring option that had come up was taken, darn. That meant we had to go from mooring ball to mooring ball, and use our dingy and oars for the first time. They say that you should do one thing that scares you every day…the thought of that scared me! But we didn’t really have a choice. Our friend was on her way down to meet us for supper, we had to get organized. That was when we first found out how many mooring balls are marked private! We snagged 3, but by the time you were close enough to read the weathered writing, it was only then that you realized it wasn’t available. We finally did find one, but learned a lot about the technique and style required to actually tie up to it. A lot of lessons in a very short few minutes, ones we’ll hopefully remember for next time we have to do that. Cecil got us secured, and lowered the dingy. I grabbed my life-jacket and got it on quickly, knowing Mom was likely looking down in a panic. Somehow we managed to do it completely backwards, so that I had the paddling seat, but he got to do the paddling…Lucky me! We could hardly stop laughing as we made our way back to the dock, our friend looking on wondering what on earth we were doing, having told her we were already saving her a chair! We made it…not at all gracefully, but safely. After a great dinner, visit and tour of other potential mooring spots on the island, we paddled back out to the boat. All went well, as we settled in for what was left of the evening. My ‘office’ view being a glimpse of the ferries that were making their way in and out of Active Pass for some of the last runs of the night. It was glorious, and peaceful yet exhilarating at the same time, knowing we’d managed…not quite as we planned, but we managed. How lucky we are to have this opportunity to even try this long-held dream on for size. Life is so very good to us.
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An amazing day! We headed out on R’Dream with our friends Norm, Lynn and Ken and spent the entire day out on the water. It was every bit what we had imagined it would be and even more.
It took a while to get organized with all that we don’t know about fishing/crabbing/boating, but we got there eventually. First stop on the water was to go check the crab trap that we had set the night before. Everyone was so anxious in anticipation of the feast that we’d share later that day….everyone was about to be disappointed. Our bucket was empty as they say….not a single crab. We’d thought we were in a good enough spot, based on all the other traps in the area. We’d used the bait we’d purchased for Prawns and Crab at Wal-Mart (Norm contends it’s nothing more than cat food…I have no clue). But there was nothing. There were a lot of sad faces as we carried on, after dropping the trap back in, this time with a bit of past-due chicken added to the bait bucket. We headed towards Chemainus, to fill up with gas. We really wanted to know that the gauges worked, because they didn’t seem to, and unless the tanks were full, we’d never know. So we bit the bullet, finding out that it wasn’t nearly as painful as we’d expected, we carried on out into the channel to do the fishing that was the point of the day. It was slow, there was a salmon that grabbed a line, but was gone long before anyone could get it to the net or I could get my camera. They all contend it really was a salmon….I have to take their word for it, with no proof having been seen for myself. Then the waiting continued. Not being a fisherman myself, it didn’t necessarily make that much sense to me, but everyone else was totally into it. Lynn and I watched the new fish finder, and played with the settings until we got it figured out, then suddenly the mood of the day changed as one fish grabbed a line, then another, then another! There was so much excitement even from those of us that aren’t all that enamoured with fish. We caught our limit of Rock Cod in moments, and then had to focus on what might come next, but it got everyone in the mood of the sport. The day ended with a final check on the crab trap, but again we were skunked as my grandfather would have said. But even without the crab, the day was fantastic, the company great, and the confirmation clear that we’d made the right choice for ourselves when we decided to pursue R’Dream. At the Osborne Bay Campground here in Crofton, we’ve had the most amazing neighbours as well. It started when Cecil decided to share his bounty of potatoes with them. The next night they came to our door with some extra crab that they had caught to share…then tonight when we arrived, they had salmon on the barbecue to go with the crab we’d be cooking up. Such generous spirited people, and proof that what goes around comes around. Open yourself up to the good in the world, and the good reveals itself to you. It was the perfect end to a perfect day. I am so grateful for that, and can’t wait to see what comes next! Played tourists all day today. The plan had been to accomplish more…to figure out the boat a little better, to maybe even strike off on our first adventure at sea so to speak. However, day didn’t go quite as planned. The gentleman that’s working on the GPS system didn’t get as far as he’d hoped yesterday, thus was still working on it all today. As a result, the boat is in a mess and there was no use spending time on any of it until he’s done, and we can carry on independently. That’ll come.
Instead we went and collected more of the things we think we’re going to want to have on the boat…like a prawn trap, water shoes, a crab caliber.. you know, the important things :) Then, after dropping things off at the boat and finding we still weren’t going to be able to do more of what we planned, we decided to go and play tourists for a while. The town of Chemainus is amazing in it’s collection of murals. We’ve been through town so many times, but have only once taken the time to explore the town. Today we decided to take the time to do that. We walked the streets for ages, looking at the many gorgeous murals, carvings and statues celebrating the history of the town and the region. It was a lovely afternoon. When we’d had enough of the heat for another day, we headed for home..well the camper, but it really does feel like home. All that we need is here under this roof. It makes me think about all the things that I have in my ‘collection’ of possessions that I could so easily live without, but choose not to do so, even though I continually talk about down sizing. A walk out on the breakwater to the old moors, watching the otters playing on a dock that is no longer used by many, watching the boats cruise across the channel between us and Vesuvius, Salt Spring Island and we called it a night. The end of another day of just following the spirit that moves us. It’s very, very cool. Our first day on R'Dream, and it’s amazing. My office is the upper deck of the boat, a gentle breeze keeping me cool under the canopy . The sights and sounds and smells of the water enveloping me as I write today. What a glorious experience, what a gift to all the senses.
We arrived in Crofton yesterday just after lunch, after spending the night in a campground near Chilliwack. The campground was nice enough, and quiet, but we still feel that Valemount was the top of the ladder for campgrounds so far. We’re meeting some amazing people on our journey, seeing incredible sites and loving it all. We were fortunate in Crofton to get bumped up to a full service site, with a nice view of the bay. Another lucky gift from the universe as we make our way along this journey. There have been so many gifts and blessings, on this journey and all my previous ones. How fortunate I am. Every single time I spend time near this water, I ask myself why I am not out here permanently, spending all of my days in her glory. But then I head for home and ask myself how I could ever leave. Life is so full of contradictions. Contradictions, complications and confusion, but it’s still glorious I can see this exact spot being my new office for the next stages of the writing that I need to get going at. There’s so much beauty, and so little distracting my mind here. My attention is a little different visually, as my eyes keep getting drawn to a small seal, who seems to be as interested in figuring out what I’m doing as I am in him. Still, the glory of having learned typing skills in high school is that I can watch him, while my fingers do their work on the keyboard on my knee. Life is very, very good. So for today, we’re just focused on figuring out some of the details of this new home away from home. The GPS/Depth-finder is being installed as I write, and by tomorrow we should be able to go out on our first big adventure of this new part of our life. It’s going to be amazing, I can just tell, because after all, isn’t it what you decide it is going to be? It was amazing to watch them, dozens of dark red salmon, fighting against the current of the creek, using the last of their energy to secure the next generation to be spawned. I remember vague glimpses of having seen something similar as a child, years ago on Vancouver Island, as my Mother and I witnessed the same magnificent end to the journey of a different generation of the Chinook salmon. I couldn’t take my eyes off them.
It was by sheer luck that we’d landed a campsite beside Swift Creek, not realizing it was the time of year that the salmon would be spawning. The campgrounds were posted with notices asking that people keep their distance from the edge of the creek so as not to startle or scare off the creatures that were already so exhausted from their 1,300 kilometre journey from the Pacific to this place of their birth. As we stood watching the speed and agility of the exhausted beings, moving the stones and positioning themselves to either lay or fertilize the eggs that would ensure the continuation of their species, I couldn’t help but be captivated by the wonder of nature. Of these fish that had lived their lives, and made their way back to their origins, do leave their own legacy of the future before the exhaustion took the last of their lives. We watched for ages, then it was time to move on. As we continued our own journey west, I couldn’t help but peer deeply into every creek and river we passed along the way, wondering if we’d get another glimpse of the pilgrimage that we’d witnessed. We reached the coast without seeing it again. I couldn’t help but think about those fish, and wonder about our own journey. As we make our way to Vancouver Island, the place of my own birth, I realize even though it’s been close to fifty years since I can say that I lived here, I’ve always felt at home on this island. I’ve always felt that I was somehow coming home, each time we make the journey to the west. It’s left me wondering if we humans also have that homing instinct that so many other species that share this earth with us have built into their DNA. I still wonder, and in doing so am only left with more questions and few answers. We all have those places that call to our spirit. The call is different for each and every one of us, but we all hear our own. Whether or not we choose to answer the call or not it also unique to each person, and the reason’s vary. Some go unanswered out of fear, in the not knowing where the call may lead us should we decide to follow it. Some go unanswered because in the busyness of everyday life, it was unheard. The person that it was directed to was so wrapped up in the day to day challenges, that they didn’t here that call from across time and space that was directed at their own spirit asking for consideration. Some go unanswered, because although the call is heard, the receiver refuses to listen, caught tight in the world that they’ve created for themselves, unbudging in the belief that there is a different world waiting for them out there somewhere. It seems that I’ve chosen to listen and follow the voice for a time. It’s leading me back to my beginning. To the saltwater: the sights, sounds and smells of a time that is such a vague and distant memory, that from time to time I question if it’s a memory or a dream. Either way, I’m going to explore it and see where it leads me. The adventure of life continues, with all of us on our own unique journey. I look forward to seeing what we find over the next weeks of exploration. Where is your journey taking you these days? We woke up at the Yellowed Campground in Valmont BC this morning. It’s our fourth day on the road, and we’re both enjoying the pace that travelling with our camper is allowing us. I never really thought I liked this mode of travel before, but I guess the truth is I never really tried it either. Glad to find out that I was wrong, because I am loving this so far.
The mountain air this morning was totally intoxicating. There is a crisp freshness that is unlike anything at home that I’ve experienced. Don’t know if it’s the altitude, or the forests that surrounded us, but it was amazing and grounding at the same time. Our days on the road have been a series of reminders that we’re so lucky to be doing this now, at this time of our live. We’ve been taking our time, making the effort to connect with some family and friends that we don’t see often as we journey along the way. They have been wonderful to spend time with but also a wonderful reminder of how important it is to do these things while we have the health to do it. That could change in a moment. We know that, we’ve experienced it first hand on more than one occasion and we’ve learned that second chances don’t always come along, so it’s important to make the best of the opportunities that we do have. I was reminded even more about this the day before yesterday. I’d sseen a Facebook post that one of my Facebook ‘friends’ had passed away. I have to admit, I don’t know that I ever met her in person. She was a friend of friends, but she really seemed to enjoy and support my posts. Always liking or commenting, and obviously connecting with what I was putting out into the world, we did connect virtually. When I saw on a friends post that she had passed, I decided that I would check Portage online to learn a little bit more about her. I was stopped in my tracks when I read the funeral announcements of three people that I knew…all under fifty eight, two from cancer. People I had not even heard had been ill, and people that I’d not have imagined fighting cancer. I couldn’t believe it , I still don’t. The message for me was to keep doing what we are doing. Living life the way we choose to as we are able to, most importantly, while we are able to. It will change quick enough, because time just seems to be moving faster. But today, this moment is ours, so we’re going to embrace it and enjoy it as fully as we can. On our travels I am reading a book called “You’ve got a book in you” by Elizabeth Sims. I’m enjoying her writing immensely and am getting a lot of great information for my continuing dream of writing. I was struck yesterday by a question about when do you give up your safe life to pursue the life you dream of. Her question was, do you want your headstone to read that ‘She was a Good Vice President’… or do you want it to read 'She went for it!’ I want mine to read the last option, that I went for it, lived life fully, and died empty with my dreams pursued whether they were fulfilled or not. They have been taken out of the hope-chest in my heart, dusted off and given wings to at least try to take flight. That is an amazing feeling! What about you? What do you want to see written in stone when it’s all over? Are there steps you can be taking now, regardless of your circumstance that will move you closer to what you’re dreaming of? If there are…you should take them. We’re on the road!! On the adventure that we’ve always talked about, put off, talked about again, and now finally making happen. Fredoom 55…it’s been my mantra over the last year, as the numbers loomed ever closer. It’s happening now. Last year when Cecil had his cancer scare, we made a plan that this would be the year we’d pursue the dream of boating on the west coast for a period of time. He’s hoping that will include catching some salmon and crab to satisfy his passion for seafood. I’m more hoping that it’ll include peace, photography, time to write, maybe a visit from a pod of orca’s, some eagles…you get the picture. We’d begun working on this plan by fixing up the old Chris Craft Scorpion that we own (please see previous posts for pictures). She is just beautiful now, ‘Celyn Away’ …very intentionally named for what we hoped to do in her. However, it was difficult to get answers form people as to whether the inboard engine would handle the salt-water. No one seemed to be able to say for sure one way or the other, and the concern on our part continued. In May, while having another discussion about this continued, on the Thursday night before the long weekend, I decided to look on Kijiji Nanaimo to see if there was a more suitable boat. Of course we knew there would be more suitable boat. What we were concerned about was a suitable price. Part way down the page we saw an ad from a guy looking for partners to invest in the exact boat Cecil had talked about, that was part of an estate sale and at a very good price. Deciding that we were going to make this happen one way r another, we emailed him to see if he was still looking for partners. He was. Was the boat still available? Not sure, he’d check. It was. Could we be there to look at it? We could. So the next morning we were off in the car to look at a boat on the other side of the country. Don’t think for one minute that we’re not aware of how fortunate we are that we were able to do what we did. But being ‘lucky’ has taken a lot of determined work through the years. Work to ensure that we were in a financial position to grab the opportunities when they came along. Work to set all of my employment up to be portable, so that I could do whatever it was I needed to do from wherever I was, through embracing the new technology and all that this electronic world we live in has to offer. Work in making sure that home was taken care of and what was most important secure when we wouldn’t be there. I might even add work in getting to the point where we can give ourselves permission not to feel guilty about the freedom that we don have, after all the years of supporting the needs of all of those that depended on us for so long. It was the most rewarding thing in the world to know that all those pieces that we’d worked to put in place over the years were allowing us to jump at opportunities that presented themselves! Freedom 55! On the coast we met the future partner, investigated to boat and realized all the signs that this was what we were meant to be doing were in place. Name of the boat…RDream. Sign number one. Name of the marina? Ladysmith, same as our farm. Sign number two. The key hook inside the door? Three dolphins, sign number three. Even down to the man who had owned it, a 91 year old WW2 vet named Jim who’d lived his last years in a wheelchair, but didn’t let go of his passion for boats. We bought in, how could we not! So now we’re making our way back across the country to spend time on RDream for the first time. Guess we’ll know soon if it’s truly RDream or not…but we are so blessed that we get to explore this and find out one way or the other. Never underestimate the power of setting your intentions for how you want to see your life unfold. Its the formula of the Passion Test. Intention, Attention, no tension. Clarify what it is you do want to do and how you want your life to look. Do what you can from where you are to work towards that vision. Then trust that the Universe is working for you, not against you, and that the pieces will fall into place as they need to to see your vision come alive. Its a team effort for sure, but if you are clear on what you want to achieve, you’ll be amazed by what you’re capable of achieving. So stay with us, we’ll try to keep you updated as we go along, planning for the best but knowing it’ll be what it’ll be, and that’s what will be best for us. Now, until next time, start thinking about how you want your life to work, and begin to gain clarity on what it is you’re passionate about. And if you need help with that, just let me know! That’s what I’m here for! |
Living our Dreams while Health allowsCancer came knocking on our door again in July of 2014. It's visited before, through different times and people, myself included. This time it dropped by to remind us that life is short and precious. It came to remind us that in our 50s, things can and likely will change quickly, so start doing what you've been promising yourself you would do! Archives
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