Island Paddling

 Whoops! Someone, quick, tell Kristin to cover her eyes . . . . She had a recent misadventure of the paddling sort, and the trauma is too recent for her to see this post.

The rest of you, though, I hope will enjoy a quick sortie around the island with Pater and I in the kayaks. A perfect day for it, warm enough but just a hint of fall crispness in the air, intensified by the occasional drift of smoke, that quintessential autumn scent for those of you who live anywhere near woodstoves and chimneys. I know, I know, it’s bad for us now, but I inhale it gleefully, pulling in memories from long-gone Septembers with every deep breath.

And it combines splendidly with the tang of saltwater and the freshness I associate with ozone, that clean-laundry scent. Such a bouquet!

The visuals aren’t bad either. Check these out . . .

Good company as well. We don’t need to talk much, although we occasionally point out changes along the shoreline — a neighbour’s new fence, the progress on a house being built. We marvel at how clearly we can hear each word of the announcements being made a few miles around the corner at the BC Ferries terminal — much more clearly, indeed, than the announcement can ever be heard in the terminal itself.

And then we round one last reef and paddle into our bay. On days like this, I wonder how and why we ever leave this island. . . .

I’m back in the classroom now, of course, so I do have to leave the island every morning, but I’m back in my kayak when I get a moment to daydream. . . . And how are you making the most of this transition time, beautiful late summer into glorious early fall?

14 Comments

  1. K.Line
    5 September 2012 / 4:12 pm

    You make it seem so, um, safe in these photos 🙂

    • materfamilias
      6 September 2012 / 3:22 am

      Mwaahaaahaa. . . .c'mon in!

  2. Lorrie
    5 September 2012 / 4:28 pm

    What a way to capture a little serenity. Beautiful! I'm enjoying the fruits of the harvest these days. A spurt of energy has resulted in more preserving than I'd planned. No one is complaining, though.

    • materfamilias
      6 September 2012 / 3:22 am

      Wonderful! Such a satisfying feeling to capture summer's sweetness for winter eating!

  3. Unknown
    5 September 2012 / 4:34 pm

    I didn't want to leave. You paint such beautiful pictures with your words. I can smell the salt air and smoke now. I do like to inhale that smoke!
    My husband tried to get me Kayak lessons before we left, (since we own two) but I managed to be too busy. You do make it look fun…next summer.

    • materfamilias
      6 September 2012 / 3:25 am

      You'd be surprised, I think, at how quickly you'd take to kayaking. I've never bothered to practice the dunking to see if I could get myself out, and I suppose I should do that, but if you're relatively comfortable around/in water, you'll probably pick it up quickly. I was very lucky to be introduced by a friend who had a double, so I had the security of her company and skills first time out. But I love having my own, paddling & steering for myself. We started our marriage with a canoe, which I found more challenging to steer, yet I wasn't keen on always being "under orders" . . . 😉

  4. Melanie
    5 September 2012 / 5:51 pm

    Saltwater with the ozone fresh-laundry scent – wonderful sensory therapy for me this morning. What a wonderful place to return to after a day of bustle filled with the bouquet of freshly-sharpened pencils. I heard that phrase about the love of autumn in the movie When You've Got Mail and loved it. But now I suppose it's the scent of what, hot wires and…? I'm curious what schools today smell of, apart from the students!

    • materfamilias
      6 September 2012 / 3:27 am

      in Arts & Humanities buildings across the nation, it's the smell of cut funding, quite honestly . . . I'd go on, but really, I'd better not. Better to daydream about saltwater, fresh-laundry, sharpened pencils . . . 😉

  5. Unknown
    5 September 2012 / 8:58 pm

    Thank you for all of the wonderful watery views.

    We often ask ourselves the same question. Why do we ever want to leave our little piece of Mediterranean paradise right here at home?

    • materfamilias
      6 September 2012 / 3:28 am

      It does seem a bit goofy, doesn't it!

  6. Debbi@SheAccessorizesWell
    5 September 2012 / 10:14 pm

    What beautiful scenery. I cannot imagine how it would be to live in such a wonderful place. It would be sensory overload for me coming from the flat lands in Kansas.
    Thank you so much for sharing your lovely home place with us!

    • materfamilias
      6 September 2012 / 3:28 am

      I've driven through the Canadian prairies, although I don't know Kansas. That's a very different kind of beauty — so spare and so vast. . . .

  7. Raquelita
    7 September 2012 / 4:23 am

    Oh, those photos are just gorgeous. I have never been kayaking, but it's on my list. Maybe a few more swimming lessons first, though….

    • materfamilias
      9 September 2012 / 10:48 pm

      I think you'd love it!

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