Canada

I wrote a whole lovely post and...and it was deleted!! I know many others of you have felt this pain.

I wanted to write of Canada day, because it was a day of perfection for me. Brit gave it to me off, purposefully (I love my job!!) and I spent it luxuriously. Shawn was working, so I went shopping in the first part of the day, and spent the middle part with my awesome neighbours. Milos was in this kitchen with a pile of wood shavings around him, working on his hummingbird box. Maike had just come back from a surf (she's a beginner like me...and we're going to go out together!). We were going to go into town and join all the hubbub in the village green, and I was going to meet up with Shawn when he got off work, but we took so long visiting at home that by the time we got into town, Shawn was already off work. I was obliged to be whisked away from my friends, out on a boat into the sound, where we rafted up to about 10 other boats by the Deadman Islands. It was foggy, and it felt so strange to watch Tofino slide away across the water - that hunk of land I'm usually locked to. There's freedom on the water, but there's isolation too. The fireworks were beautiful in the fog over the sound. There was a very festive air amongst the rafted boats.

I started writing this post on Canada day, and wanted to wax all poetical about the land that's always embraced me in freedom and loveliness and strength...but now so many other things have happened too!

For example, Shawn and I went camping last night. We bounced and jerked around in circles on a network of pot-holey gravelled road before finally finding the right road (one that we'd, incidentally, STARTED going down many times...) that took us down to the beach. On the way we saw two bears. One as we were crossing a high bridge over a shallow, sparkling river. I spotted a young one with huge ears, sitting in the long grass at the river's side and munching on something contentedly. Then, just down the road, a large sleek one was seen ambling into the thick brush at the side of the road. Anyway, the beach!
 It's named Gravel Bar, an extremely unromantic name for such a spectacular beach. There's no gravel...I think it was named that by surfers who are referring to the long spit of large, smooth, rounded rocks that creates a wave.
Anyway, it was so peaceful there, and there were so many eagles. Walking along the beach to find kindling and firewood, I suddenly noted that the only footprints on the beach were mine, and some tiny paw prints that presumably came from a river otter. Darren came and joined us and ended up staying and sleeping in his truck. The water was calm and bright blue, and there was a slight breeze rippling the surface of it. Tall, sun-drenched trees bordered the beach...and a medley of misty golden islands stood out amongst the calm blue ocean...and finally, the backdrop of distant mountain slopes set against the sky, the sky which quickly became pale blue streaked with violet and peach as the sun sank.

We pan fried some fresh salmon in butter on the coleman and had salmon buns for dinner. the salmon, which had been caught that day, was AMAZING. we all had two buns. Shawn hooked his portable speaker into his mp3 player and we listened to good tunes. I was full of happiness. We also saw another bear, as we were cooking dinner. It was ambling good-naturedly down the spit that borders the far edge of the beach, probably looking for shellfish. Shawn chased it away with a bear banger... watching him do it, I really got the impression of one animal marking his territory to another! hah!

It was an INCREDIBLY uncomfortable sleep...and I don't really know how I managed to sleep at all. That was the one downfall. But I woke up to a chorus of birds, mixed with happy eagle chirping, such as I'd never before heard. And when I got up, probably at around 5:30, the tide was out all the way, and the colours of the exposed beach had me in awe. the most alive of bright greens, scarlet reds, dusky purples. it was foggy and peaceful and intensely alive.