Whale Awe

Whales.

Oh my god, why are we as humans so completely freaked out when we see whales? Is it there enormous stature? Is it that they are a mammal that breathes and breed in the water? Is it that they travel so far to breed and eat in order to survive? Or is it not just one of these reasons but a combination of them all?

Jon and I are so very lucky to have bought this land. My dreams are being fulfilled by being there at Salmon Beach. Sure the little cabin is great, and the deck and fire pit are great and the heater and stove are great…but the greatest of all is the surrounding area that we look out on too. This past weekend I was in awe and at one point found tears in my eyes as I was watching the whales out 20 meters in front of me mate, or rubbing their barnacles or whatever they were up to. I found myself at one point running down the rocky beach at full sprint to get closer even though I could barely move because of what I was seeing. My binoculars are fantastic – even in the rainy conditions they do not fog up and the view is crystal clear. I would be passing them to Jon and jumping up and down, because even without the binoculars you could see CLEARLY that there were multiple grey whales (or humpbacks?)  in front of us in the ocean. The spouting was all over the sound… their big backs a plenty…but the best was the dorsal fins (?) side fins were exposed and you could imagine them upside-down and the huge 2 meter distance of their body between them. WILD.

Anyway – enough blabbing about it – see for yourself….

The Ucluelet cabin get-a-way weekend

I have been really bad lately by not posting, I know. I usually do my blog posts at lunch and will have to try to get in that routine again. It has been too tempting lately to leave the office and wonder around outside now that the weather is getting a little better.

The Ucluelet cabin get-a-way weekend was a couple back and oh boy was it great. They upgraded us to an ocean front cabin, as we went up on the Friday that the earthquake shook Japan and the Tsunami warnings scared a good number of travelers I guess.  Fair enough. The snow on the pass was totally nuts, the weather was up and down – but mostly raining sheets, good weekend for cabining – not for camping. We did have some good breaks on Saturday to get out for a hike and a surf, but we tried to hang in the cabin for amazing homemade food that was brought up, beer and wine and Settlers of Catan. The cabin had a Jacuzzi so we all managed to get in a hot soak and pampered ourselves with pedicures and face masks.

So the story goes that me and 3 girlfriends from tree planting were really tight one summer and partied and pounded (the trees in the ground) better than any girls at the company we were working for. We were on a close planting crew with great loving people with similar mind sets and at a time of age of freedom and self discovery.

At the end of the summer (and the planting season) we decided to get a tattoo to remember our our strong bond of a friendship we had created with one another.  So, we had the artist in the group draw out a simple stamp like tree tattoo that was pleasant and cute and well, just perfectly fit with what we all envisioned. The foot was chosen as the spot for the ink and we went for it. The tattoo shop was in Smithers, BC and not once have I regretted that decision. I remember the afternoon after getting the tattoo, resting on the grass, in a park with the late summer breeze and feeling totally at peace with the world and with myself. Those were some of the best days of my life. That was almost 10 years ago.

The cool thing is that there have been times where at least two of us have been approached by a person who has recognized by our tattoo, they say “ I know someone with that same tattoo” and we would have to say something along the lines of “I bet I can tell you who it is”.

For the last few years we have reconnected at campgrounds, cabins and in one another’s homes. We keep track of one another’s partners, travels and new life experiences. More recently we are watching and sharing our experiences with marriage plans and babies and the joy and sorrow of these major life changes bring. These girls, even though not close in proximity, are very close to my heart.

Here are some pictures from our last get together (unfortunately one is absent from this trip – but was not far from our thoughts).

Middle Name Thoughts

I replied to my friends blog today. She was requesting thoughts on middle names and I decided my response was something I wanted to share on my own blog, so here we go...

My middle name is Maria - pronounced Mariah, as in Mariah Carey, and to be honest I never loved it because of that. However, I was named after my Grandmother, Mary. Why Maria and not Mary?  I am still unclear of that.  I am not a fan of Mary either, but I do like Maria,  pronounced Maria. This is because of the Spanish “Maria del Mar” - which I sometimes consider to keep in my back pocket for a daughter one day. Maria first name, del Mar being the middle name. It means “Mary of the Sea” and although I am not religious by any stretch, I do love the sea and love the way the name sounds as it rolls off the tongue.