Lessons from Nature

I have always felt a deep connection to nature. I am happiest in the forest or near any body of water. I feel so especially blessed each time I am able to sit quietly and watch the wildlife carry on its business in their natural surroundings. Living on the river has given me many opportunities to observe the local flora and fauna as they go about their day. Many of them seem to have adopted us or at the least they tolerate us mucking about in their sanctuary.

Yesterday, I awoke early and went out on the front deck to soak my aching bones in the hot tub. It's a different city at that hour of the morning. The traffic hasn't started its mad rush into the city, everything is quiet and the morning air is a clean, crisp prism that makes everything pop like a 3-D movie. The intoxicating scent of a fresh day sashays through the wildflowers,adding overtones of sweet promises of new beginnings and infinite possiblities.

Into this perfect stillness, a large blue heron glides silently through the honey scented breeze and lands ever so gracefully and softly on the river bank just a few feet away. He takes a moment to ruffle his feathers and adjust the fine silky down that drapes his shoulders, then pulling himself into a dancers elegant pose he begins a beautiful slow tango in the shallows.

Head held high, chest out, neck long, he glided one halting step in front of the other. At the end, he does a few vogue moves, holding himself still as a statue,the only perceptable movement,the wind caressing his downy mane. He slowly marches back to the middle then holds a pose forever, not even a heartbeat to differentiate him from the rest of the floatsome and jetsom nearby.

In the blink of an eye, he bends forward in a great bow and then stretches his neck to the sky, a tiny flash of silver his prize for being able to still his body and mind enough to become one with his surroundings.

Adjusting his silky mantle he ends his dance by spreading his impossibly large wings and lifting towards the heavens like an angel being called home.

Today, I learned to be graceful, patient and present in the moment to reap what this world has to offer.

Thank you beautiful heron for your graceful peformance and timely message.

(PS. These are not my photos, as I was in the tub at the time, so I borrowed some from the internet to illustrate what I was seeing)

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Reflection

Summertime and the Living is Easy.........

(I've posted lots of pictures, if you want to see any of them clearer, just double click on them)

Well the month of June kinda went by in a blur. Work has been slowing down as all my clients take off for summer holidays and prepare for weddings, graduations etc. I'm torn between wanting to have lots of work = money for material, so I can get started building the house or taking time off so I can enjoy the weather. I'm such a sun slut. I can't help it, as soon as the sun comes out, I just want to drop everything and go to the beach. I don't mind working when it's raining and cold, but once it warms up, I just want to be outside. Unfortunately, I don't have two nickels to rub together, so some work is needed if I want to eat.

For years , I have been attending a big Summer Solstice party in the interior of BC. I didn't think I would make it this year as funds were non-existant. I missed it the last few years as all my energy and attention was down here at the marina and really,really wanted to go this year. At the last minute, David got a couple of very large boats come in to lease water space and figured we could afford to go.

So with a great flurry of packing, phone calls and a million stops along the way , we finally got out of town Friday night. We drove through the night and arrived exhausted at 2 am Satuday morning. A quick jaunt around the property to the fire pit to say hi to everyone, then it was off to bed for some sleep. The next three days were a huge celebration of life. A couple of hundred people came together and played music,danced, put on skits, dressed up in wonderful costumes,played silly games,celebrated Solstice, the births of new babies and reconnected with friends and family. I had the time of my life and a grin from ear to ear. Just what the doctor ordered.

Happy faces on both of us


Big grins as they wait for the mile long banana split eatin contest(no hands allowed!)


Some of the beautiful drums played over the weekend


The Ceasar girls come by with tasty libations to cure our morning hangover's


The Cross Dressing soccer tournament

I wish I looked this good in a dress!


Some music to entertain us


Making masks before the nighttime parade




David carved his mask out of bark

A very out -of- focus picture of my costume and mask


Hula hoops are the new craze this year. The girl with the orange one, gave me one to take home as long as I promised to practice and be in the hoop contest next year. In the picture you can see the outdoor stage behind and the peanut gallery also known as Hecklers Row to the left


I think I have a way to go before I can do this!

So I took on spin on the hamster wheel to get some exercise



Before dinner we did a blessing of the lamb and the sun


Which resulted in this sunset on another wise cloudy day


The carving of the lamb which had been slow roasted over an open fire all day


Food that everyone prepared was then brought into the circle to the fan fare of drums for a huge potluck dinner


The food is prepared in this outdoor kitchen which is the back end of the theatre


The next day we had the baby naming ceremonies which was preceding by a creation play



Some Solstice friends









The owner of the property, Laurie with one of his many admirers

Laurie, has the best hobbit house ever. His creed is "if your going to build something, don't make it just functional, it has to be pretty to look at as well". With that in mind, every aspect of his house is a work of art. He is a potter by trade ( as well as an author) and has built some amazing structures on his 50 acres of land. He encourages the artists among us to build art installations on his property, so there are all kinds of things to delight and amaze you as you walk around the place. There is an outdoor theatre with a kitchen attached as well as a full size labarinth planted from trees that is a couple of acres in size. We had a candle lit parade through the labrinth on Saturday night that was an amazing and beautiful experience. I always leave his property feeling reborn, rejuvanated and inspired. A great start to the summer.

A small meditation cabin or office sitting out in the middle of the pond


A large statue dedicated to Astarte makes a fun place for children to hang out


The firepit, a giant mushroom and Hecklers row


The entrance to the Grove of Forgiveness. This is where the parade ended and we let go of all of our grudges from the past year and give thanks to the universe for all our blessings



This structure holds the pumphouse for the cistern which holds his water supply


The pottery shed and some of the artwork on it
The dragon's legs are the door handles






The pump house for the woodfired hotub


The Hot Tub


The door to the sauna


The cold plunge pool between the sauna and hot tub


The Haul of Shame aka the garbadge/recycling center




Pictures of the house





Every beam has something carved on it




The part of the house that is made of logs is the original homestead, the rest Laurie added on over the years














Interesting squat toilet imported from asia with mosaic art


The bathtub set into a bay window



Banister carving


Beautiful doorway


Jar storage in Kitchen




Wall covered in cedar shakes, using the natursl shade variation to make a face



Cosy entrance to the home




Doorway detail



On my way home I recieved a call from the cousin of a good friend, who has just opened a new massage clinic. She was wondering if I would be interested in working there. Again, Im torn between jumping all over that and not wanting to be locked indoors for the summer.I can't really afford to turn this opportunity down tho, so will have to grab as much sun as I can the next few days before I commit to anything.

My pile of material continues to grow. I now have about 2000 feet of beautiful hardwood flooring, a kitchen cabinet with glass doors for the dishes and a pile of cedar shakes. Ive run out of room to store stuff which is a problem as I'm not quite finished collecting yet. I'm mostly needing framing material now and I can get started. Once I have some kind of structure in place, I have most of what I need to do the interior and some of what I need for the exterior. Not bad for two months and most of it for free. I cant wait to move in, I can picture it clear as day.

My cache of hardwood flooring


Yesterday was Canada Day, so I kidnapped David and dragged him to the beach. It was one of the busiest days, I have ever seen down there, must of been well over 5000 people. Although the sun was shining, we had gale force winds that had a cold bite. That didnt scare anyone away tho, they just bundled up and kept partying. All the musicians were down in full force and kept the beat going.


Playing in the wind


Impromtue beach sculpture, another random act of beauty


After the beach we went downtown to the waterfront and watched the fireworks.



All in all , a lovely day, Happy Birthday Canada, may you have many,many more.xxoo

And where would Canada be without the beaver? Here is our national symbol in our backyard enjoying a snack. For once its not our house he is dining on.