A delicious break

17 Sep A delicious break

Had a chance to get away a few weeks ago to Savary Island up the coast.  The perfect break from it all.

Two ferry rides and a last quick boat ride across to the island and we felt appropriately removed from all of that regular life stuff.  And holy smokes, look where we were!

Slow peaceful breath out.

A chance to just giggle and chat and eat.  Walk and swim.  Sleep.

But first we had to catch dinner!

Every time we pulled up the prawn trap there were the makings of a feast.  I am useless helping on a boat — I looooove being there but just am not very intuitive over what needs doing — so I figured I had better see what else I could help with and learned how to twist the heads off and save them for the crab trap. I felt so mean and the first one each time I would apologize to the prawn and ask myself was I really going to do this, and then I have to admit there was a peaceful rhythm I would get into.  And I ate a raw prawn which was mostly just for boasting rights but was also delicious!!!  Not at all icky.

Every time we pulled up the crab trap there were some to keep there too.  The ladies and little guys got thrown back.

This guy or one like him pinched my friend’s finger, which looked like it hurt like crazy.  I guess you can’t blame the crab too much though.  We ate him!

My friends put me to shame hauling up the traps, especially the prawn trap which is over 300 feet down.   Serious arm and back workout.  Why do I go to the gym?

Man it was fun being out there.  Wet from a swim, out in the sun and the salt, giggling with friends, and pulling two of my favourite foods closer.  Or whining and looking wimpy until someone else took over.

Hard work, but done in bathing suits and both preceded and followed by a swim between boat and shore.  Good good gig.

It wasn’t all beaches.  My friend’s cabin was in the trees and I loved how pretty our bathing suits looked drying on the line, and how the water peeks through the trees. My friend’s sink faces that way so you can wash dishes and see the blue winking through the greens.

The island is small enough to walk a good part of it easily and we were often in the trees.  There were the sweetest little trails that would just wander off the main track — I felt like a deer — and then we’d be looking out at the water again.

This is always a good sign.

A shuffle down a steepish winding trail

and we were out on another beautiful spot.

I found another possibility for Pippin’s head office.

Not sure how much I’d get done there.  This is the front yard.

Man.

It brings back such a happy feeling just looking at the pictures.  Something about that space and the blue of the islands and the easy company of friends.  We walked far down the beach in the water and had to watch to avoid funny little rock outcroppings that were speckled with starfish and the odd cranky kelp crab.  My drama of the day was trying to find just where I’d left my flip flops on the sand, and hope that they hadn’t been taken away by a rising tide.  That’s the kind of drama I can handle.  Any day.

Then it was back up the hill with my mountain-goat friends (they walk the mountains around where I live… I was in deep), and back to the cabin to create feasts!

We ate outside in candlelight while a family of deer crackled in the trees before coming out to peek at us.  First a mom and a fiercely nursing baby, and then the big dad.

One night we went for a late night walk and found that the phosphorescence were so amazing that the sand exploded in light every time we took a step.  Can you imagine that? I stamped my feet and felt like an omnipotent goddess! We couldn’t swim and see the glow because the one-night-past-full moon was too bright.  Not really a bad problem as the lighting on the beach was beautiful.  We sought out darkness under the dock and I pretended I was a witch by running my hands through the water and creating big rolling glowing bubbles and waves.  Or trailing a single finger and creating sea doodles.  Super magical stuff.

The world seems a little intense lately, doesn’t it?  My little corner of the world and the worlds of friends, and the bigger world in general.  It was beyond wonderful to be able to escape it for a few days and live simply and laugh hard and breathe in deeply.

And the good thing about waiting a few weeks to write about it?  I’m right back there.  Lucky lucky girl.

Thank you ladies.  Much much much.