3-day weekend

It's Remembrance Day weekend here in Canada, with Sunday being the actual day of remembrance, rooted in WWI. In Lantzville, where we are house sitting, the vets from various eras were out in their uniforms, as were the Mounties in the traditional horse riding garb, and even the Knights of Columbus in their regalia. Although I am not quite a pacifist, I oppose war. It is perhaps a last resort in rare cases, but not a first resort as currently practiced. That said, the vets served with pure motivation and should be lauded for that - and aided appropriately when their days of service are over. Although a popular sentiment, it is rarely practiced by the war mongering countries.

On Saturday, we joined 10 other paddlers despite a discouraging weather forecast. It was a fortuitous decision; the forecast foul weather was delayed and we even had sun (somewhat disorienting at this time of year in Nanaimo). We paddled from the Brechin launch in Departure Bay to the Nanaimo River estuary, basically winding through the Nanaimo Harbor. With the salmon spawning, there were eagles and gulls in evidence everywhere, ready for the feast. We saw an occasional seal and were even accompanied for a few minutes by a sea lion, perhaps drawn with amorous intent toward that flashy orange sea kayak. We lunched at a landing spot in the estuary, squeezing the kayaks in among the salmon carcasses on the odiferous beach. Oddly, at a potluck in the evening, we served salmon.

In the late morning on Sunday, we hiked Mt. Benson with Eli taking photos of the vegetation, shiny and luminous from the rain. At the summit, it was blowing and snowing sideways, so we retreated quickly to avoid death. Once home, we dealt with our soggy clothing, took a hot bath, and ate leftovers from the potluck.

Today, the third of the three day weekend, it is officially stormy on the strait, one level up from 'gale'. Here on the land, the trees are frantically waving warnings to each other. A few rip up their roots and try to flee, but unused to running, fall flat and become motionless except for some wind-driven quivering. It's raining, too. We may head to the mall and find some chocolate. If the rain subsides in the afternoon (as forecast), I'll chop some firewood.

Richard
2007.11.12