Notes from Canada

They sit, walk laps, read
Ferry carries passengers
Standing in the wind

I traveled to Canada last week with my girlfriend. Haven’t been there since, oh, about 1983.

Smoke and fire give way
Three hours up the freeway
Gray clouds bursting rain

I meant to get back there sooner. Someday much sooner. “When is someday for adults?” This was a question relayed by a first-grade teacher in the middle of a wooden bench over a creek in the  Butchart Gardens.

The conversation started with travel and trying new things. Her students asked her about Someday. What does it mean in adult time? They now decide her annual summer vacation and await her report when she comes home.

Later, while walking along a trail on Tod Inlet, we learned that Butchart garden was originally the site of an extensive lime harvesting operation. After depleting this resource, Jennie Butchart led the charge to fill in the depleted pits with gardens. Talk about transformation! A lotus from the lime pits!

Before lime was discovered, First Nation tribes lived well and plentiful for perhaps a few thousand years in this place ( I am not clear on the exact number). It was a sacred place, and still feels so.

There were some rowdy little boys playing by the beach. Their voices got into the hollering range. Their dad gathered them and said, “when you’re in nature, respect it. You want to blend into it, not stand out by being loud and noisy.”

We stayed in a room overlooking a blueberry farm and orchard with figs, apples and plums and pears, about 20 minutes outside of Victoria. Raven conversations from the surrounding trees happened every morning. This was an old farm, probably established no later than the 1960s.

Ready to kayak
Woke to ravens chattering
Afternoon tea bliss

Instead of the Empress, we went to the Royal Abkhazi garden (https://www.abkhaziteahouse.com). It was enchanting, placed within a quiet older neighborhood a bit out of town. We had “Elevenses.” This can be anytime from 11-4. It was invented many years ago by a Duchess who became hungry before lunch.

Garden grown in rocks
Sweet citrus vanilla tea
Smiling eyes of love

I have a little bit of family history around Victoria, as my folks took us there as small kids and it seemed pretty fantastic. And, actually, it is!

The harbor is too busy and loud to kayak. We did it anyway! We maneuvered among incoming and outgoing sea planes, which are deafening. Then there were ferries and yachts and sailboats and fishing boats in all directions.

Our 20 year-old guide, Jen, was excited by the morning activity relayed through her radio, “cool, we just got a second Mayday in ten minutes!”

We stuffed ourselves, our pockets, and containers with blueberries and figs. We needed sustenance for the next step.

We boarded the ferry for Salt Springs Island, the busiest of the Gulf Islands. A dignified white-haired couple got out of their car to walk up to the deck on the ride over. The man carried a black book with large white letters: “God is Insanity.”

Salt Springs immediately makes you wonder things.

Day 1: How can everything taste better here?
Day 2: How have I lived without smoked tofu?
Day 3: How much does property actually cost?

Our lodging was called the Peace Shack, a detached zen, cozy space. It was near Ganges, by way of Sacred Mountain Lavender, Hope Hill and Paradise Within farms.

You will pass a sign on the road for “free-range day care.”

The first hike: Ruckle park. It is a mostly flat trail by the water. Still, we got slightly lost.

At the start of the hike, a trail sign said, “trail closed to dogs.” I thought it said, “trail close to God.” It felt that way.

C wondered about how the locals deal: “Everything is so delicious and everyone is so friendly, I wonder if it’s a shock to be anywhere else!”

Next hike: Mt. Erskine. We took off to find the faeries. There are faerie houses along the trail and incredible views from the top, if you can get there.

Don’t take #3 along the edge. The edge becomes close and the drop-off is severe. Almost to the top, I saw a woman, of a mature age, plopped on the summit with feet dangling over the rocky ledge.

I scrambled on all fours against gravity and made it. If she could, I could. Once there, I asked how she got there. “The trail is back there,” she said, pointing behind her.

In addition to faeries and elves, we spotted many 60 yr+ people who appeared to be in dazzling health . They looked authentic, sparkling, fully in their prime.

Level with the sky,  we watched a pair of soaring ravens, gliding closely and in sync with each other. They made soft metallic pinging sounds. Later in the trip, we heard examples of native tribal languages. The raven sounds seemed similar to me.

Have you ever wanted an access portal to another place? For example, you could open a closet in your house, step in,  take two steps and then be somewhere else entirely? Like a 2-way closed channel that is totally reliable. I want one to the Rock Salt restaurant right off the ferry landing in Fulford harbor. I wouldn’t expect access to the whole island, just this place. I’d sit and look out the window while eating wonderful food.

Did you know that Salt Springs has around 450 types of apples? All the ciders were good, but the pear was my favorite. The best name was Farmhouse Scrumpy, with tasting notes of “barnyard.” All these are made by Salt Springs WILD.

Try new things, I say
Going from miserable to bliss
Isn’t very far

Soon, it was time to pack up and catch ferries home to the U.S.A.

“Do we have all the chocolate?” This was the top concern as we prepared to depart.

On the ferry, I said, while outside on deck in the wind, “I’m glad we bought fresh hummus!” C responded, “What? Butt-fresh hummus?”
Hearing mistakes happened a few times on the trip, so it was either noisy, we mumbled, or we are losing our hearing.

Inside the ferry, a small dog sat like a person on a green chair in the row behind us. Groups played cards at tables next to large windows as we motored over the  Strait of Juan de Fuca.

C was kind and brought a fountain drink over to me. “I didn’t get you a straw. Straws are immoral.” I felt a pang for the straw, but I liked not being immoral.

Later, while driving through the Olympic peninsula, we stopped at Ruby Beach to take a quick look at fog, beach, and huge driftwood.

I visited the pit toilet. On the way out, in large black letters on the door, someone felt the need to jot down SEX APPEAL . There is a lot of weird input in the human experience.

Back in Victoria, there is a museum called the Royal BC  museum (https://www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/). It is marvelous! There is a dense amount of First Nation history there, including an astounding exhibit about native languages. I loved all the words, but one phrase especially, “Way p isneqsilxw.” That isn’t totally accurate because the alphabet is not just like ours.

Anyway, what is important to me is it means, “greetings, my relations.” I loved that, the connection implied, and it made me think we are all each others relations, and to remember that on all of our journeys.