Which Brings Me To You

I'm reading this book I found on the library display shelf, Which Brings Me to You. I was pretty skeptical checking it out yesterday. Couldn't quite tell what kind of book it would be. It's fiction, a series of confessional letters between two people who met briefly at a wedding. Looking at the premise of the book, and the cover, and the two authors' photographs, I thought maybe I was checking out a beach read by mistake, like one of those Shop-A-Holic books or the Nanny Diaries or whatever.

But this book is great. The writing's really fresh and funny. At one point the woman's describing her parents' perception of university culture. She says, "A pair of art professors lived on our street. My parents treated them like they were giraffes. If they didn't mow their lawn or take their garbage around back, my parents forgave them with a kind of shrug that seemed to say: Can't blame them. They're giraffes after all. God bless 'em, they only have hooves."

Describing his first time at a shooting range, the man writes, "It shocked me how much the gun wanted to move. It leapt about in my hands, like a heavy fish." I can feel that gun even though I've never held one. He tells the woman "Beauty is the cure of the weak." Not a cure for weakness, but the cure of the weak. I like that.

These two authors have given me way more than I was expecting. It's still light reading, for sure, but crafted and funny.

Street Art in Toronto

This summer I was in Toronto for a writing course at Humber. My brother took me all over the city, showing me everything, and I really got into the graffiti and murals. This first one was in a bathroom stall; it's my favourite. I love how it's only a few simple lines, but it defines a complete image.




Bikes on the street. I thought it was cool. Maybe it's a courier thing.




This was from a whole maze of graffiti-covered alleys. Probably has a name, but I forget.





This was on West Queen West. Great street name. Did they do this on purpose, the doors?



Oh, and this. More for the personal significance than for the artwork. Ten years ago, when I was just getting into the outdoor industry, my friend Jono from Outward Bound Australia wrote this quote on a eucalyptus leaf for me. It was the first time I'd seen the quote, and it hit me hard. I proceeded to propel myself full force into the outdoor industry, my dream, and went right to the top, everything I could imagine. Now I'm done with that. My new dream is writing. On the last day of my Humber writing course, Wayson Choy handed out quotes. I got the Goethe one. It's relevant again to me in a whole new way. I'm beginning again.

Introducing . . . Guy Studly!

Yep, here he is: the one, the only -- Guy Studly! Lennie and I were at a garage sale, and this dude was in the free box. Best score ever. You snap a beer in and he holds it for you. I named him Guy Studly for the Garage Sale initials.

I wrote this while I was at the writing workshop in Toronto: "I'm taking him with me tomorrow, whether they're ready or not. Guy Studly, my shirtless beer can-holding mannequin, can just as easily hold my can of Coke in a non-drinking environment. We'll be out there on the wall, me and the cool kids. We're the ones not wearing our name tags. We're the ones throwing around terms like parallel structure and rhinestone removal. You know, the Wayson Choy kids, oh goodness yes. But oh my. Now you know too much about me."



In the end, Sarah and I took him kayaking. Here he is doing what he does best (above).



Here he is way out of his element. I made him a paddle but he can't paddle worth shit. He'd rather just hold the beer can, hold the beer can. Guy Studly though, man, he can get away with anything.

Home

It's definitely autumn now. I like this picture, from the baseball diamond near my place. Over the tracks and through the woods and there you are.

Airborne

This sign is on an otherwise nondescript house I walk past all the time in my neighbourhood. It's mythical, and being Aquarius, I identify with air. When I finally knocked on the door to ask to take a picture, the old man came out and told me it's the British paratroopers' symbol. A friend made the sign for him.

Day 12 Nuchatlitz/Nootka Island Sea Kayak Trip

Tuesday, May 29th/07 11:03 pm
Tull Avenue, home in my bed

Coffee & granola on the beach. Went into the woods & took photos of the cedars. Left, paddled back to Tuta Marina. We came full circle. We did it! We made it. This trip has been very good for my body and soul. It was great. Packed up, drove back to the Lodge & cleaned boats & gear.

Had a great talk w/Jamie Boulding. He's really interested in native stuff & was telling us about this new book, Clam Farms, about how they modified the beaches in the Broughton Archipelago. I want to check it out. And I want to see if Sue & Doug remember Josie, & vice versa. That was a long time ago.

Left the Lodge, drove to Campbell River and Sarah & I had fish & chips & frozen yogurt on the pier.

Drove home. Saw Jimmy right away, he's got a new truck, Alex & Morgan, Alex has a new haircut, Lennie & Serina, they had Johnstone Strait trip stories & some new trade beads & pipe stems. It was a rushed rushed evening. Knew it would be. By ten to nine I was cleaning my gear, dunking & hanging it. Paul called, told me it's going to be really busy at work tomorrow. I'm ready. I'll do my best. Alice called, Serena called, & all the time I'm trying to tie tarps & flies to the clothesline & stuff. By 10:10, I've washed my dishes & everything's put away. I showered, shaved my legs, clipped my toenails, scrubbed, cleaned, toned, moisturized, flossed, brushed, vitamined, all that, and now I'm in bed & it's time to crash. The next three days are a bike courier's busiest days of the month, and they're my days, all three. If I don't call Paul for help I could make $650 or so, which would make up a bit for having missed so much work. I'll try to just do it. Go have breakfast at the Roadrunner early b/c I didn't have time to pick up groceries. Okay. Busy but I can do it.

This past trip -- AMAZING. We were so, so lucky. Thank you thank you Jah, Da, & Scotty. Sunshine, good weather, good decisions, whales, glass, everything. The whole of Nootka Island to ourselves. Good for my body and soul.

Now my main goal is to live each day to its fullest, as an adventure, the way I did this trip. And put first things first. God nat.

Day 11 Nuchatlitz/Nootka Sea Kayak Trip

Monday, May 28th/07
a little island (tiny) off of Bligh Island, near the isthmus we camped on Day 1, Nootka Sound

It's nice and hot. It's beautiful. Sarah & I got in early to camp on Vernaci, and b/c the beach is small & rocky & in shade, I paddled out here to hang out before dinner. I was going to go to the isthmus, but someone's camped there, so I found this instead.

I'm up on a cliff, sitting on grass on a little ledge in the rock. It really feels like someone's sat here before. It's too perfect. The Nuu-chah-nulth lived here for so long; they found all the perfect little spots and knew of every beach. No doubt they pulled out here. In fact, this whole little beach is empty clam shells. Don't clams live underground, under the sand? Yes. Maybe they harvested the clams somewhere near here, and then sat on the rocks & shucked them. Maybe the spot I'm sitting on was where someone high up sat, like a chief or the queen, someone who didn't have to work, just watched. It's nice here.

Sarah & I got up at 6:30 & were on the water by 8:30, just what we aimed for. 8:15 really. The surf launch was pretty easy, nothing compared to Calvin Creek. So we left Beano Creek in bright sunshine again, blue skies, and only a little bit of wind. This is 8 days in a row without rain! In May. Incredible. This has been such a good trip. I've got to call Mum & tell her I'm taking her & Tess out kayaking this summer. I'm so lucky; she really wants to go. I should just do it. Maybe the Broken Islands. Somewhere I want to go, somewhere cool. Doesn't have to be the Strait. They won't care if I've never been there; they'll trust me. I should just choose a date they can both do and just go for it. Tess too; that'll be great! I'm thinking three days or so. Four maybe. I need to work. Oh, it'll be good. A different kind of trip. My present to them. I'll cook. They can do lunches.

Anyway, so we went down the coast, with a lot of rebound waves, and around Maquinna Point. You sure wouldn't want to do that in worse weather. We only had maybe 6 knots of wind, but it was big. Not scary at all for us, but really confused & rocky and lumpy, boomers, whitewash everywhere. We took some fun little sneaks, rode it. It was mellow & fun & I was glad I have the skills & Sarah too. Same as for this whole trip.

After rounding the point, we pulled in at a beach to pee & take layers off. It was surfy, though. We wanted to stay & beachcomb but couldn't b/c the tide was rising & the beach was steep. I tried to turn my boat around in the water to face the right way before getting in, tried to beat the surf set. But it came too quick for me & suddenly my boat was broadside to the surf, riding the wave towards me. I grabbed it & thought for sure it was going to get a cockpit full of water & roll in the surf, my gear everywhere. But somehow I was lucky (again) (thank you Jah, Da, & Scotty), and it only got a tiny bit of water in it.

We kept going & got out 2 miles later at Friendly Cove (Yuquot), where there was the major village site, and where Jewitt was held captive as slave by Chief Maquinna, and where Cook anchored for a month & traded before beginning to the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii, I think), & apparently got killed there by natives.

We pulled in & went to see Ray & Terry. Only Ray was there. His family is the last descendants of the tribe to still live at the village. It was neat imagining a long lineage back to the people before white people even came, at least 45oo years but probably more. He and his wife live there, and his son Sanford, who's a carver, & Sanford's son Darryl I think, & Darryl's son Isaiah. Isn't that cool? We met Isaiah when Ray came over to tell us we should get going. Oh, I just saw a river otter really close. It surfaced & breathed, looked around, dove back under with its long sleek tail. This log hasn't been much of a long sleek tale but I hope it's interesting, b/c the days themselves have been amazing.

Sarah & I went & saw the last totem pole, which is now fallen, and then we walked over & checked out the church the Spanish built, which also houses a little museum and a lot of newer totem poles & carved figures, really beautiful. Owls and eagles and wolves & orcas, lots. The museum had an article about the people's whaling shrine, which they used to harness dark magic in order to bring luck in whaling. I don't want to write about it; it's too freaky, but I'm going to find out more about it & whether it ever got returned to Nootka.

We went & saw the lake where Jewitt & Thompson went to say their prayers, too.

I liked what the museum said about Nuu-chah-nulth spirituality. They had one god, and integrated their spirituality into all aspects of their lives, constantly praying & giving thanks. Everyone had their secret spot for ritual bathing/cleansing & worshipping. The bathin, every day, year round, was a show of sacrifice & earnestness in their faith, and they used it to gather personal strength for the day.

Then we went back to our boats, & made lunch, and Ray told us to move on because "the chiefs are coming and they might want to charge you more than I did." (We paid ten dollars each for landing, which is fully reasonable). Sarah wanted to say hi to the lighthouse keepers, who are also at Friendly Cove, but we had to move on. As we were paddling out, a bunch of chiefs got out of a water taxi, looking like normal people of course, and greeted us as they walked up the pier.

We had the wind behind us and a nice easy paddle to Vernaci Island, where we're camped. Near the end, we went between a couple other islands instead of straight to Vernaci, and it was so cool. The wind blew us all the way up the channel, and we just kicked back, didn't paddle, watching the beautiful deep & lighter greens, turquoises of the water pass by, the mossy shoreline, the snow-covered mountains ahead of us. Just kicked back and enjoyed it.

Okay, I have a little more to write but the tide's creeping up on my kayak & I want to see how Sarah's doing. She paddled out to the little rock in front of our camp & I think she has her kayak afloat by the bowline. Time to go make dinner, my night -- burritos. Our last night out. Still hot & sunny at 6 thirty. Stoked. Time to move.



still May 28th, still Day 11
Vernaci Island, Nootka Sound
10:12 pm

It's so nice to be out here. This is probably the best trip I've ever been on. The only thing is it makes me want to be out here with someone I'm in love with. A guy who's as competent & efficient & organized in kayaking & camping as I am, but we're in love & we're out here. That'd be amazing. A trip that runs this smoothly, with my man. That would complete it, absolutely. But it's been so great anyway.

Now it's late, we're sitting by the fire, right by the water, tide coming up, burning yellow cedar, drinking tea. it's so quiet now that we're not on the open coast anymore. No surf. A grouse is pounding in the distance.

This campsite's cool. It's got lots of woods, which is different. Most of the other ones we've been to have thick undergrowth behind the beach. This opens up, though, & goes up a hill, with lots of space, trails, and big cedar trees. Really big. Lots of them have the long strip out of them; they've been harvested by the native people. There's a creek here too, although the beach is probably only fifteen paces long. When we got here I followed the trails to the top of the hill, & then it went down into a swamp. Sarah went back & I kept going, & then when I turned around I was pretty much lost. I couldn't find the trail back. Luckily I still had the sense of which way to go, into which part of the forest. I had to bushwhack my way into the forest, & then bushwhack it to the top of the hill. Still couldn't see trails, & I called to Sarah but she didn't hear me. Then I heard a boat scrape up the beach & I knew she was down there. I guess you could get lost back there. But here we are. Another great day. When I'm back in town, I want to wake up wondering what good things are going to happen, anticipating the singularity of the day, the way I do out here.




And, I forgot to say, the rocks are moved at this beach to clear an opening to land a boat on, like I've seen before here and in Alaska. Apparently the slaves are the ones who cleared the rocks. This is like a gnome hunt on a large scale. If that makes sense. Something I want to see so bad, and look for signs everywhere. Except this was really real.

The tide line's almost at our kitchen. 11:00. God nat.

Day 10 Nuchatlitz/Nootka Island Sea Kayak Trip

Sunday, May 27th/07 10.29

Beano Creek 2nd layover day

Yep, we're still here. Thought we would be. We'll probably get up early and get on the water tomorrow to beat the winds, which are still kicking it right now. But it's hot and sunny, and we're protected quite a bit from the wind, and we're drying out our charts, and we have all day to do whatever we want.

still May 27th, still Day 10, still Beano Creek 8:27 pm

Set my alarm for 7 today & had the beach to myself. Walked down to the right, towards the creek, but I couldn't get across. I all of a sudden had an idea for a kids' book, about a boy who I'll call Simon. He's five or six, it's about glass, I'm not going to write it now. It's in my head.

Right now Sarah & I are both writing in our journals after dinner. We've got hot chocolate, & layers on, but it's nice out. Clear skies, the sun's going down, clouds turning yellow & the white moon showing through with blue behind it. We had another sunny day. We've been incredibly lucky on this trip! Thank you Jah, Da, and Scotty. It was really windy all day, so we didn't move, but that's how we wanted it. Another day to explore. It sounds like we have our window to move tomorrow, which we really need to, so we got prepared tonight to make it a quick morning. Granola & milk powder in our bowls ready to go, tea bags in our thermoses. I feel pretty organized. When we first got here I thought we'd have to do a seal launch to leave, but hopefully it doesn't come to that. The tide differences are less & it all seems a little better. We'll see.

We hung out on the beach in the sun a lot today. All of a sudden Sarah called out Kelda! Whale! Right in front of our camp again; another grey. This one was way bigger than the one we saw at Catala. It was doing the same thing -- surfing the waves broadside, rolling, showing its pectoral & dorsal fin. I'm pretty sure it's rubbing; that's what Pat said too.

We ran back & forth down the beach watching it, & then up on the cliffs to watch it from above. Sarah went & told the others, & Glen came out & watched & then Jan too. She was being really nice, telling me & Sarah that we look great, mid-twenties, she likes it how we've got no makeup & that & look so healthy. She also said, & this was the best part, that we've inspired her to spend more time out here. B/c they're putting in a cabin for her, and she can be out here as much as she wants, retired. We told her they've been an inspiration for us, too, b/c we want to live the way they're living. I think she could see how much we appreciate the coast & how much fun we're having, & it renewed her enthusiasm for it.

Watched the whale for a long time, marked more route on my charts & figured out mileage -- I think approx. 83 nautical miles so far.

Later went for a -- the whale just surfaced again & blew -- long walk to beachcomb but didn't find anything except an abalone & a woodpecker, then walked back w/Sarah.

I forgot to say the grey whale spyhopped when it first got here, and again later. Sarah & I jumping up & down & waving our arms when it came up. Jan says they normally come even closer but she thinks b/c it's so surfy it's afraid of being beached by a big wave, so it's staying a little farther out, but still so close. We could have taken a running jump & landed to touch it, it was that close.

And that's about all that happened today. I finished the Maquinna book two nights ago, and I'm back to reading Rabin Alameddine's "I, the Divine". In fact, I think I'll read it right now. We have half an hour until the updated weather forecast. Obviously, we go a lot by what we actually see & feel & observe out there for wind, and clouds we see coming, and all kinds of signs. The forecast is another too, though, and a useful one at that.