A Delicious Destination

We packed up the camper with the essentials - the wine, the dog and our desire.  Our desire for each other as well as our desire to be at the water's edge, feel the wind in our faces and taste the delicacies that the ocean had to offer us - crab, salmon, prawns and oysters.

Our camping spot was right on the beach with nothing between us and China but the vast ocean that soothed and thrilled at the same time.  The enormity and sheer beauty of it never ceased to awe and restore.

It poured rain but we didn't care.  The soothing patter of the rain drops hitting the aluminum roof combined with the melodious swooshing of the waves crashing against the shore lulled us into a delicious, lethargic stupor and we were quite content to wallow in kisses and caresses while we waited out the weather.

When we finally did emerge wearing yellow rain gear and utter contentment, we sipped on crisp, bubbly champagne and supped on the freshest seafood - cedar-planked salmon, freshly shucked oysters and steamed Dungeoness crab so sweet that we ate it unadorned. 

We shared our bounty with a European couple who marveled at the beauty of the spot and the exquisite taste of the food.  And we nodded - knowingly and proprietorially - because we had already claimed this place as our own.

Flicker of Inspiration Prompt #8: I Need a Vacation

Write about a trip either you or a character has taken. It doesn't need to be a literal trip but can be more of figurative journey. If you're writing memoir, what do you remember most about this trip? Do you remember what it's like to go somewhere you've never been? If you're writing fiction, describe your character's trip vividly. Make us feel what your character felt, see what they saw, experience what they experienced.

I have also linked this post to Studio Thirty Plus as the prompt this week was "The Taste of Summer".

Choosing Love

Photo: Kyla Macdonald

On the morning of June 15, 2011, the city of Vancouver was in the grip of Stanley Cup fever.  Even those who didn't normally watch hockey, like me, were jumping on the bandwagon.  Amidst the hope of the beloved Canucks claiming the Cup for their own, our newest little player, my grandson, Aiden, quietly made his way into the world at 5:43 am.

"Wouldn't it be wonderful for him to be born on the same day that the Canucks won the Stanley Cup?" we mused.  My son even joked about naming him Stanley.

As anyone who follows hockey knows, the Canucks did not win the Cup.  This, in itself, is somewhat disappointing but not insurmountable.  We are proud of our team and the efforts that they put forth to get them as far as they did but clearly, the better team won.

What is truly disappointing sickening sad scary is the events that took place downtown after the game.  We watched in horror and disgust as these little hoodlums took out their anger at life under the thinly veiled guise of support for their team.  Make no mistake, these were not hockey fans and this had nothing to do with hockey other than the fact that it gave them an excuse to gather and incite.

My heart broke as I watched the shameless acts of defiance and rage.  I was saddened for those youth who were so lost that they felt anger was the only way to express themselves, saddened for the parents of some of those youths who would bear the brunt of their children's actions in the form of blame and guilt, even though they had done all that they could to provide a loving, stable home and saddened that this day, the birthday of my grandson, was tainted by these senseless acts.

While it is important to note that "hurt people hurt people", we all have choices.  What causes some to make these negative, self-destructive choices, I don't know.  But I know that I can make a choice to remain loving and positive in this volatile world that we live in.  I can choose to provide my grandson with as much love as possible and hope that this is enough.  And I can choose to diminish the effects of those senseless, angry acts by not dwelling upon them.

For me, June 15, 2011 is the day my grandson, Aiden, was born.  That is all.