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It was disappointing having limited time here on the coast, then having so much of it taken up by the rains that moved in. We know they were needed and appreciated, but still....
However, they have now passed, so we're trying to spend all the time that we have left enjoying the water. Wednesday we headed out just to putter. We were gone all day from 11am until 5, but only put two hours on the engines, as we were so enjoying just sitting and drifting on the water. It was like glass, and there was no wind to speak of. Blissful! I had to get some work done, so I was stretched out on the couch in the cabin working on my computer, while simultaneously staring out the window. Cecil took his fishing rod, our pillows and blankets up to the upper deck. Through his line over, stretched out on the seats that he'd put down into a day bed and relaxed. We were both lost in our own little worlds when we suddenly heard the 'put-put' sound of a nearby engine. We looked to find the neatest of boats set up as a home pulling towards us, complete with wicker chairs on the front deck and a windmill going for power. The owners were just checking as they'd watched the boat floating, but had seen no signs of life. Wanted to make sure all was well, as it was. It was very encouraging to know that people care enough to check on the water. In fact we've met just so very many kind and helpful people both in and around Ladysmith Marina where the boat is moored. It's been wonderful so far! Heading back, I put out a call to the Universe to bring me the Orca's I so want to see while we're here. They didn't come, but three either porpoises or dolphins did. That was almost as spectacular as the swam along side us, then when we shut down and waited, came over to where we were. I'd seen them on Monday from the ferry leaving Alert Bay as well. It's their message that I'm meant to get this time I guess, and their message is always wonderful. At the dock, the day before we'd seen something large and reddish in the water the day before. Didn't know if it was an oversized anemone or what it might have been. Cecil headed up to the truck ahead of me, and while I sauntered along looking in the water I saw it again, only this time realized it was a huge red jellyfish! I was able to get some good pictures of it and a short video to show Cecil as he missed it. All he could think of was thank goodness that it didn't show up beside him when he was in the water cleaning the prop last week. It most likely would have been the cause of a fatal heart attack! Along with the seals, and all the crabs we catch and then have to release, we're getting a lovely fill of ocean life here. The people we are getting to meet and share conversations with are feeding my spirit in the most wonderful way. All is well with my world.
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After finishing up at Lund, we continued our journey ending at Alert Bay for a day of exploring. My only regret is that we didn't have more time on this incredible little Island.
We spent the night at the Alert Bay Lodge. Jenn and Jack were our hosts in this beautiful little bed and breakfast at the edge of the water. They were gracious and accommodating as they provided our lodging, meals and so much helpful information about the island. It was great. After a good nights sleep we headed off into a misty, rainy day to see some of the ancient totem poles that grace this part of the world. They are amazing, and breath taking. The mastery of the art that created them, the stories that each one is able to tell, the things they must have witnessed through the years. We then headed over to the U'mista Cultural Centre to learn more about the carvings and masks and the history of the people here. It was amazing to see the detail up close of the masks and the costumes that accompanied some of them. The workmanship, the colours and the use of so many of Mother Nature's materials was something to see up close. Part of the centre focuses on the stories and history of St. Michael's Residential School and the horrors and atrocities that took place there. The shared stories and memories can't help but touch the heart of anyone who spends time reading the descriptions of what the residents remembered from their childhood there, or rather from having their childhood lost there might be more accurate. The healing longboat built out of individually painted and decorating building blocks was a powerful image that will stay with me a long time. The Potlatch Collection was also incredible as well. I've head of Potlatch ceremonies for much of my life, but don't think I really understood their depth or their significance. I have a new appreciation for another ancient tradition. When we finished at the Centre we ventured on to explore The Culture Shock Gallery where we met more wonderfully welcoming people and were introduced to more of the beautiful work that is done on and around the Island. The weather didn't really do much to work with us, so we decided that we'd catch the earlier ferry than originally planned. My only disappointment was that the Orcas that everyone said and been seen around the Island continually over the last couple of days did not show up to greet us...but I know they'll make an appearance yet. They never let me down! The last six days have been wet, very wet. The drought that has plagued the islands for the entire summer seem to be giving way to the rainy season...a little early I'm afraid. It's needed through. It was so sad to see how dry and brown these beautiful islands had become over the summer months. There are water usage controls and fire bans everywhere. It's been scary in terms of the fire potential, and sad looking at the gardens and park areas, so water is good. We had planned to go on another extended adventure in R'Dream over the next days, venturing north to Lund. But the unpredictable weather and a scary event with the boat changed our minds, and we're going to ride along with friends instead. The scary time came on the way in from retrieving the crab trap on Sunday. The weather wasn't very good, but the trap had to be brought in, it'd been left out long enough. We headed out when the winds died to a manageable level, were rewarded by one Dungeness keeper in the trap, then headed back to the marina. Within minutes of when we should have arrived at the marina, the boat gave a lurch and a chug, and came to a halt. The motors were running, but something wasn't right. We limped her back into the marina, and scratched our heads. The next day we headed back to the boat. I did some work on the computer and Cecil began exploring possibilities of what it might be that caused the problem. After looking over all the parts that he could see, and finding nothing wrong, he decided that it had to be in the prop, guessing (correctly) that something had been grabbed and wrapped in the propeller. After waiting for the sunny day that never came to tackle it, we headed to the marina yesterday, and much to his chagrin, Cecil climbed into the freezing water to see what he could find. He was right, as he cut of chunk after chunk of green, shredded tarp that must have been unseen just below the surface of the water as we rode past. He came close to getting it all done, but the cold water was getting the best of him, and I convinced him that he had to get out of the water. I was afraid that hypothermia was going to set in if he didn't get in and get warmed up. He finally agreed, frustrated that he didn't finish the job. Today we headed back over and did manage to complete the task. Another shivery day for my husband, while I cheered on from the dry, upper deck. It was a nasty job to have to do, but he did it, which left him feeling very satisfied that as things come up with the boat, we will figure them out and tackle them one thing at a time. So now she's ready for us to do more exploring next week, if Mother Nature decides to work with us. If she doesn't, we'll figure out a plan 'B' as we go along! 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. 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. 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.  1985 Chris Craft Scorpion 230 We argue if she is a 1985 or a 1987, but it really doesn’t matter, the boat has been on the farm longer than either of us, and likely has more adventurous stories to tell. She was originally purchased by my late husband as a means to try and change the manic pace of the lifestyle he had led, and to find some sort of space to find peace and heal from the pain of his past. He found that solace in taking her to West Hawk Lake. He christened her Brooklyn Rose, after a Neil Diamond song that had stuck in his head. After he passed she sat there. I tried once to take it out on my own, that was a fiasco. When Cecil came into my life, we took her out occasionally to have some fun with the kids, and explore some of the lakes in and around Manitoba. But farm life was crazy busy, and the opportunities to spend much time relaxing and enjoying weekends seldom worked out. There was always hay to put up, cows to chase, kids to support, aging parents to spend time with. In the thirteen years we’ve been together, I don’t think we’ve put 20 hours on that boat. What a sad statement to make in how busy life can become. We’ve both had a dream that one day we’d buy a boat and go explore the Queen Charlotte Islands, and continue up the west coast of British Columbia, seeing what we could see. Experiencing new places and people and maybe even getting to visit the Haida Gwaii Islands has been a wish that we’ve both held onto for a long time. With this year’s cancer diagnosis we were reminded that we may not have a long time to start fulfilling these kinds of dreams, and it spurred us to take action. It hit me that I’m 54 this year, the same age that Greg was when he passed, Cecil is 57. The time has come to start paying closer attention. The years in between then and now had caused me to become complacent and relaxed about the endless future ahead...or maybe it was just getting caught up in the business of life and the other losses that we’ve suffered over the past several years. Whatever the reason, the diagnosis was what we needed to take action. Remember, everything happens for us, not to us. We decided that the boat was just what we needed to take the trip that we plan on next spring, mechanically she’s in great shape, but she’s kinds tired and old, much like ourselves. As we looked at what it would take to spruce her up, we remembered our son’s friend Paul Aquin of WrapidDesigns in Elie, Manitoba had once said he’d love to tackle the boat as a project. That was step one of her transformation. We had to find colours and a name that was more aligned with who we are now as a couple. We knew it needed to be shades of blue and spirited. Something that felt alive! Paul managed to piece together our ideas and thoughts, and the design for ‘Celyn Away’, her new name, was born. As with so many other things in life, once you get started, it’s hard to stop. We realized that now that the outside looked so smart and spruced up, the inside looked both tired and unmatched, so Paul connected us with Darryl Enns from Elm Creek, Manitoba, who has a canvas and leatherworks shop. We picked out the colours, and ‘Celyn Away’ has undergone an amazing transformation! Yes, it cost money, but buying something different would have as well, and the money invested has increased her value accordingly. It’s amazing what can be done to bring something that is so tired and worn down back to life. This is the story of a boat, but it goes for people as well. For us, at a time of much fear and discomfort, working on this gave us something to look forward to. Sometimes that’s all people need, to dream of something good in the future that will get them through today. Are we going to be making our voyage in the spring? Well that remains to be seen. This blog was created because our intention is yes, and setting an intention is the first big step. There are several months between now and then, and more doctors appointments that might change our course at any time, but for now our plans are to fulfill that dream, and any other’s that we’ve been putting off until the time is right. The time is right now! |
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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