Fulford Day

Though it felt like a neighborhood block party, Fulford Day is a major annual celebration for people of the island.  It is centered around Fulford, the town on the southern tip of the island (my favorite place thus far), and consists of music, games, home-grown food, and general goofiness.  I don't really know why it began, but this was its twentieth anniversary and people were really excited.  

Wonderfully, we were some of the only non-residents at the celebration which meant I got a better view of the real island folk.  Lots of kids and young families decked out in high-end outdoor gear, but not necessarily showered.  Very slow moving happy people and tons of curiosity about any newcomers daring enough to attend a local Fulford Day.

Days off.

Thursdays seem to be my day off around here.  I wake up whenever I want which usually means that I, and Crystal (my room-mate who has the same day off) finally get off the property around noon.  Then we explore.  

Last week, we hitch-hiked the island.  Despite the lack of vehicles to use at the centre and the secluded nature of our little seal bubble, I was the first to suggest hitching as a viable transportation option.  Crystal hesitantly agreed to the thumbing adventure and we set out down the driveway.  We got many rides while we wound our way from one end of the island to the other...and back.  Our very first driver was, in fact, possibly the least tree-lovin guy on the island.  We jumped in his massive blue king-cab truck (with trailer) and listened to him discuss his construction projects (aka sub-division plots).  He was a nice man, frustrated from the other end of the city planning spectrum and it was fascinating to meet him amidst all the lavendar smelling, dreadlocked, organic farmers we usually cross paths with.   

Throughout the day, we had many adventures, the most exciting of which entailed getting locked in a closet sized gift shop with two hysterical teenage girls, the shop's owner, and some random male seasonal tourist.  It felt like being stuck in an elevator though it wasn't because the door lock malfunctioned...the locking part was deliberate in fact.  No, it was because there was a large 19 year old male tourist spouting drunken garble loudly and violently while stumbling around the ferry landing.  I was trying not to giggle thinking to myself that I listened to this happen at least once a night from my State St. apartment in Bellingham, but these folks were really scared.  Ahhh, the tranquil norm of Canadian island life.

Yesterday, round number two included a few stolen animal shots for you folks back home because the patients here are so god d&#@n cute plus a (driving) trip to Ruckle Park, the largest designated park on the island, and dinner out. 

Seals at night

Day 3 - Tel Aviv comes to Salt Spring

Today, I tube-fed a baby seal for the first time in my life and he was admirably cooperative.  His name is Dubai and he changed my life as tubing is a relatively advanced medical procedure and doing it on a wild baby seal is in a world of its own.  I got my daily dose of adrenaline not to mention a pile and a half of fish mash (you can imagine what that is) from head to toe from many another seal during the same feeding.  Some of them spit it, some snort it, and others just bite so hard on the tube that it shoots right back at us.  One never knows whether this is deliberate or not, but I have my suspicions.

Anyway, I have now acquired skills of pushing, burping, tubing, and preparing herring fish mash and fish cream.  Oh, and I am now a novice pharmacist as well.  I think this place has got their training down as I have only worked two full shifts and we now have 59 seal pups (one came in today and I named her Tel Aviv) as well as two owls, two fawns, some raccoons, gulls, and many swallows.   As it is 7PM and I am exhausted, I am headed to bed with my laptop and some Kerouac, not to be seen 'til the morn.

The picture above is the red light district, aka the seal pup quarantine area. 

I have arrived in the land of the seals and all is well.  The seals are mewing for food outside my window, my young enthusiastic room-mate from Edmonton, Alberta is teaching me about chinchillas and crickets, and I work my first shift tomorrow at noon.

I brought you all a few pics to accompany my first entry.  On the top is the one wonderful sunflower to answer my plea that some yellow be shown before I leave my house's gorgeous gardens.  My house-mate planted those giant sunflowers about 4 months ago and I have been hoping and praying all along that I would get to see a bloom before leaving.  Come the day of my departure, one appeared:)

The middle photo is simply the expansive BC sky captured from my blistery front row seat aboard the ferry.  I sailed towards Salt Spring on the sunset ship appropriately named "Seal" and my new local friend, Mike, and I chatted over tea and wind as we left the mainland behind.

Last, but not least, the seals.  My friends, that mess of color and light is the quarantined seal pup quad.  I have decided to call it the red light district as eery red heat lamps hang above the mewing patients and glow throughout the forest that is now my home.  The seals get fed four times every 24 hours and they beg all of the time in between by making these weird mewing/moaning/almost barking sounds.   They are disgustingly cute...as expected and I have already gotten to touch one.  He really did feel and look like a stuffed animal, even up close.  This year all incoming seals are getting named after cities around the world so we have everyone from Jaipur to Dubai and I may get to name the next.  (I guess that I will be learning geography as well as seal care.)

Anyway, I know some of you are dying to see where the heck I took off to, so here is your sneak peek.  I hope that you enjoy and more is to come.  First shift tomorrow at noon- seal feeding.

the first 2207 (my new home) potluck

Feline friends

So I live with three cats now...well, two kittens and a "Pooch". The kittens are named Ogden (the orange and white one) and Pony (the miniature version of Pooch). I couldn't resist photographing their cuteness as well as the fascinating process of Pooch getting to know them. (I don't think he had ever met a kitten prior to a week ago.)

Portland in Fall

the house I crashed at for 2 months...

...on a night of private dinner theatuh:)

Day One.

In the beginning there was Jane and a BIG tummy...plus plenty of extra eager energy:)

Day Two...still waiting.

Her eye patch reads, "Leave me alone."

Day 3.

Amelie the Great!

The new family:)

The End.

kayaking Lake Whatcom with Ariel:)

This is all you need to know about Queeruption!

This is a relatively normal birthday celebration amongst my friends which included (from top to bottom) late night dinner goofiness, home-made breakfast extravaganza not to be eaten before noon, dinossaur charades, and enjoying some sunshine. This particular day was in the name of Ms. Carlyn Arteaga, a very good friend and phenomenal woman.

suspension bridge over Lynn Canyon in Vancouver, BC