A Little Patience

"When you are in doubt, be still and wait; when doubt no longer exists for you, then go forward with courage.  So long as mist envelops you, be still; be still until the sunlight pours through and dispels the mists - as it surely will.  Then act with courage." - Ponca Chief White Eagle (18?-1914)

Image of our newest Buddha sitting across the stream that runs beside the front door.

The Beaches In Winter

This relatively dry winter has given me ample opportunity to enjoy Hornby's many majestic beaches.  My walks make for great introspection and good exercise.   Filling my lungs with pristine salt laden air, my mind drifts easily between reality and fantasy.  The rough beauty created by relentless tides creates a border landscape that gives my roving eye lots of play.   Most days I come home a changed man; calmer, quieter, wiser, and more appreciative for the richness of my life. 

Ordinary Miracles

There's a warmth to the air that hints Spring is just around the corner.  The afternoon light stretches a little longer each day and I find myself looking for excuses to stay outdoors.  Its a welcome change after being so long indoors for the past few months.  Our hazelnut tree is in bloom again and I stare dizzily at the army of psychedelic candles hanging down by the thread of their wicks, delicate as earrings and playful as nymphs.  Their featherweight pleasure is enough to make me dream and smile.

After Her Death

I stop at the water's edge but with neither fin nor boat I go no further.  However the clouds lift and my gaze stretches out to blue infinity where I stand in the empty spaciousness of her wake.  There are no words, no ideas, no answers, nowhere left to go and nothing left to do so I turn right, back to the ones still with me here on this shore.  Though now when I need her I know where to look.

Listen To The Sound Of The Waves Within You

I walk on the sea-shore

to catch that voice

between the breaking of one wave

and another.

-Zbigniew Herbert

Dreaming of Summer

Happy New Year!

All fun during the very popular Hornby Island Polar Bear Swim

I am not a natural in the water.  As a kid I never learned to swim and once I nearly drown.  All the same, the waters around Hornby are so enticing that I have completely fallen under its spell and I welcome every chance to get in.  My friend swims in the ocean everyday, an inspiring ritual she started this  fall.  And while I am not as committed, my New Year's dip in the pristine oh-so-clear-you-can-see-the-bottom Hornby water has convinced me waiting until the summer to swim again is too long a delay for the joy it brings.

Our Country Christmas

Christmas is an unexpected phone call from one of your best friends. And even though you haven't talked in a while, you don't miss a beat and talk freely about the mundane and the sublime.

Christmas is hanging memories that warm your heart.

Christmas is an afternoon in Seattle 20 years ago with the man of your dreams.

Christmas is remembering friends long gone.

Christmas is loving everyone, including yourself.

By The Light

Michael's been away visiting his family.  My first taste of bachelorhood on Hornby was going along fine until this full moon showed up.  Without any street lamps or even house lights to dilute its radiance, the silver light shining on the empty wet pavement makes me long for his hand to hold as I walk in the unspoilt country beauty.

Happy Winter Solstice

Today didn't turn out to be the end of the world so instead I give you the end of the land and the beginning of the Salish Sea.  Happy short day and long winter night.

Sunday In The Park

        Nothing beats Helliwell in the sun, either for me or any other of her many other fans.

Autumn At The End Of The Road

Something miraculous happens to me every time I come to the water's edge.  It doesn't matter whether the day is vibrant blue or solemn grey.  A change takes place inside me; internal restraints slacken, a space opens, my heart relaxes and my mind unfetters.  The expansive sky and stirring water remind me how little I am, how silly my cares.  And then conversely, as the salt air runs fresh into my lungs I am revived and  I turn back to the beauty of the land and my life.

Helliwell Love Letter

As if the entrance to the bluffs at Helliwell were not enough spectacular enough, there are these giant Arbutus trees that conjure images of the swirling brushstrokes from Emily Carr paintings.  In the three years I have lived here I have lost track of the number of times I have hiked these bluffs.  Their beauty is so powerful though I think I could come everyday for the rest of my life and find another layer of expansion and a deeper connection to nature.  I am so grateful to John Helliwell who had the foresight and the love to share this land with everyone, including me.  Sometimes the only way to say thanks is with a deep breath of fresh air and a smile. 

My Gathering Basket

Attending Alastair Heseltine's fall basket making workshop has become a yearly ritual for me.  I love the quiet introspection it provides along with the good time shared with friends and neighbours.  And the basket that comes out of it is pretty good too.  This year's gathering basket will give me something to collect the bounty of harvest from the island, including these conference pears gifted to me this week from dear Susan and Deb.  When I first moved to the island someone told me that island living is incredibly rich.  Three years into my life here I know exactly what they meant.

Here Comes The Sun

The sobering return of the sun breaking over the steel grey waters between Hornby and Vancouver Island.  At this time of year you can go to Helliwell bluffs and be completely alone.  This really is the best of times.

Today Is So Beautiful

The unexpected beauty of an afternoon sun shower.

Westside Sunrise

We often catch the first ferry off island, so much so it is now an island-life ritual for us.  We get up in the dark, turn lights on low and slowly savour our first coffee, and then drive across the island in silence watching for morning deer.  Once safely stowed on the our tiny ferry, we get out of the car and treat ourselves to sunrise breaking over Hornby and across Lambert Channel.  It's a nice way to get a jump on the day.

Spectacular Sandpiper Sunrise

Such an incredible start to a beautiful day.

Ready For Winter

The wood is stacked, the apple and plum trees are harvested and the fruit has been stored, jammed, and canned, Christmas cake is made, new windows ordered, the yard cleaned up, the shed repaired, the ditch cleared for the rains to come, the deck furniture put away and the house cleaned and squared away.  Whew, September's work is done and we are ready to settle in for the colder weather ahead.  Every chore though is a reminder of my many blessings.

Little Slytherin

This little garter snake gave me equal parts fright, laughter, and envy today.  It made my heart pound when it unexpectedly slid out from under the garden bed I was clearing, made me laugh at myself for being so easily reduced to a 180 lb. chicken, and then mesmerized me with its ability to slither.  Wouldn't it be great to slither?

Apples

My apple tree holds so much for me. It's like a Christmas tree, decorated with colourful ornaments and wrapped up with a love for the longing.

The First Sings Of Autumn

The nights are cooler and the island is blissfully quiet again.  The heady wildness of summer days is clearing and the promise of harvest brings me back to my senses.  So much to look forward to; wood fires, solitary walks on Hornby beaches warmed by woollen sweaters, and lungs full of fresh ocean air cleaned from West Coast rain.   No wonder in a month we celebrate everything for which we are thankful.

Beach Paradise

This is the first summer I have spent any time on Big Trib beach.  Surrounded by tall trees and soaring eagles, this long stretch of white sand beauty touching warm water is popular with summer visitors and vacationers.  Most locals stay far away from the maddening crowds and prefer Hornby's quieter, smaller and more secluded beaches.  But by breaking with tradition I have been lucky enough to witness new love.    People seeing it for the first time literally stop in their tracks to admire the expansive panorama.  The experience feels slightly holy, like catching your breath.  A few folks have told me how lucky I am to live this as my everyday.  I smile knowingly.  And with gratitude.

Yippee!

Summer's come back!

Summer Sunset

Grassy Point, Hornby Island, BC

4AM Jam Session

As with everything, it starts with one.  To call it a chirp would do it injustice;  it is more like a sonic drip.  And then an impossible trill that disappears into infinity joins in and before you know it you have a chord.  Slowly another is nudged awake and an ever quickening domino effect ensues.  Soon a cacophony builds, a sweet riot of high notes strung haphazardly together that somehow holds, where even the harsh crow sounds melodious.  They coax the light into climbing over the world, heralding the arrival of the summer sun and another glorious day on Hornby Island.  Then with their mission accomplished the musicians start to quiet down and I fall back into sweet slumber.