Wednesday on Saltspring

Wednesday at fiddle camp was rainy, but not cold so it was ok still. 

This is our tent village. 

These are my fiddle camp feet. 

Mine are still cleaner than Tobin's. 

Thursday it got nice again. 

This is us at lunchtime. They made yummy lunches there. 

A fly/bee with interesting eyes. 

L

Holding the Baby

Holding the Baby

Fresh and clean and newly bathed

Soft soft skin

Little scrunched up eyes and a

Great big yawn.

Sleeping, unconcerned

Cute

Why?

But soft and Can I hold him?

And staring at him

Staring at his face, sleeping

Round smooth little face

Not even acknowledging us around him.

Just looking,

Looking.

Next thing you know the woman

With the four year old says to me

“I want to have another baby.”

She loves her four year old

He’s smart and talented and witty and he’s just the best kid, you know?

He knows all his karate moves for Supertots

And he can play Hot Cross Buns on the piano

“After only one month of lessons”

She’s excited about what he’s learning

She likes to help him,

Likes to be his Main Mom.

And yet ….

Hold that tiny two month old,

Not looking at us,

Just lying there sleeping,

Screwing up his face,

Baby

And it’s “I want another baby”.

But she doesn’t really,

Not really.

March 1995

The baby picture is my littlest from 2006. 

Wednesday July 23

This afternoon after classes was more barn dancing in the upper barn. Sashaying down the rainy afternoon. 

L

Tuesday, July 22

Practising for the variety show. 

There was a barn dance after dinner. 

Lots of running around outside and crammed with people dancing inside. 

There was a very neat fireplace inside the building. 

L

Fiddle Camp Orchestra

Every morning starts off with fiddle orchestra which involves all the full time students. There are a lot of us. 

We all take our shoes off and cram ourselves into the upper barn. 

And, over the course of five days, learn five different multi part songs as a giant group. Last year I was impressed with the tunes and performance at the weeks end final concert. This year I am in it too. Standing at the back of the room with the tall people trying to make space for my bow against the sloped ceiling and the skylight opening. 

L

Monday July 21

First day at fiddle camp

It's sunny and gorgeous here at Stowell Lake farm. It feels like we were just here even though it was last year.. 

Kids are finding frogs and snakes in the garden and the pond just like last year.

 And the garden is filled with flowers and bees just like last year. 

We splurged and went out to dinner at the Saltspring Inn for Sunday night. 

My gluten free prime rib burger was  yummy. They have a cornmeal bun for it that is crunchy and tasty and holds together. 

L

Sunday July 20

Today we packed the car up with camping gear and instruments and headed off to Saltspring for fiddle camp. Three of us biked from home to save room in our little car for cell, accordion, viola, violin, mandolin and ukelele. 

We took the Lochside Trial out to the ferry. It's a pretty route and away from cars. 

Just after we picked up Eva on her bike at a friends house part way along the route, I found a perfect house for my mom to buy with a gorgeous view of the ocean. 

We made it to the ferry in three and a half hours with a half hour stop for lunch on the way. Pretty good I'd say. 

L

Saturday July 19

 Last night my daughter and her friends ordered Canada's Largest Pizza from a little family owned pizzeria near her friends house. It looked like this. 

And after they all ate what they could of it, it looked like this. 

Today we went to the grand finale concert of summer strings camp up at UVic at ten in the morning. It was in the music building recital hall and they sounded great. 

I am always pleasantly surprised by the accomplishments of a simple week of a summer camp. The viola section was my daughter,  the teachers assistant and the sectional coach so she said she learned a lot in the week. 

This is just the beautiful salad we had at dinner. Made by my husband. 

L

Friday July 18

First ride on the newly acquired scooter. 

Happy. 

Also today we got an L in the house!

Also happy. 

L

Something I wrote a while ago

I think I was about ten years old. 

My father demonstrated 'out of control' for me when he insisted I swallow a little red vitamin pill one evening. I had a fear of swallowing pills, a fear of choking on them and I think he maybe decided he would snap me out of it by having me take this small round coated vitamin. I couldn't bring myself to actually do it and it escalated into my dad standing in front of me, saying commandingly, "Drink the water!" and me crying hysterically by then, unable to speak  to explain myself or to swallow the god damned pill by drinking the water. I had put the pill into my mouth and the only thing remaining was to drink that water and swallow it down. I was, by that point terrified that I definitely would choke on the water if I tried to drink  because I was crying so hard by then, in that hiccups way that children do. I wanted to explain that to him, to make him see that it was impossible now because I was too upset, but he was simply out of control. He was so angry and so bent on his purpose that he couldn't hear any opposition to his plan. His teeth were jammed shut on each other so that the muscle in his cheek bulged out and his words came out so tight and terse. I could see there was no way out of it. There was no way I was going to drink that glass of water when I was sobbing so hard and with him looming over me. And I, even though I  was a child,  could see that he was immovable. I couldn't get past him and leave the dining room. I couldn't make him listen to what I was trying to say. He was so stuck in his anger and his determination to do this thing. I realized the only way out was to pretend to drink it, so I did. I took a mouthful of the water and instantly, the situation was defused. He could come  out of his anger and regain control of his emotions. I did not swallow the water. I went and spat it and the stupid pill out, but I found a way out. I realized that he couldn't find a way out; he couldn't back down. He, the adult, couldn't do it. He  couldn't make me do the thing he thought I should do and he couldn't deal with his frustration or see the futility in it. It was me, the kid, who saw how he was stuck and couldn't get past it. I saw his foolishness. I think it made me feel older than him in that moment. 

Thursday July 17

Yum, yum, super yum. I highly recommend this combo. 

The raspberries are from Dan's Country Market after I picked two buckets of blueberries just up the road from it. My daughter was at strings camp and my sons were too tired to come along and my husband was at work so it was just me picking today. Huge blueberries! Also yum. 

The rest of the day was about taking a long nap and not cleaning the kitchen and then buying this strapping and two carabiners. 

L

Wednesday July 16

My boys are all set for Wild Child today. The little guy is super excited that he is old enough now to do all the fun stuff they do in a day. 

Today is exploring all over My Doug and learning about the wildlife in the meantime. Down on the beach and up the mountain. And ending up at mini-golf on the other side if the hill. 

This is them at the end of the day. They are very tired. 

L

Monday July 14

Monday, the last of us left our shangri-la to return home to the city. Just me and my littlest left from our family as work and strings camp meant they had to go back Sunday. Seeing as I had a lot to pack out, I was happy to have the bikes left for us. Go go gadget Sally the Xtracycle! This was my second trip to and from the dock. 

I was so hot driving back home that we stopped at Goldstream park so I could show my son the waterfall and cool off before we went to Costco next. 

All in all, it was a lovely, lovely camping trip. 

It's interesting how the dynamics are changing as all our children get older. The youngest one of the group now is my seven year old.  

Some stories from the five days. 

Two of the parents have their kids in a different tent. "I highly recommend the parents-only tent," she says with obvious meaning, then adds, "five days didn't used to feel like a long spell." 

Later. The teens are near and intently discussing "important decisions" like sex and drugs. One dad pipes up, "Drugs I could take or leave, but I wouldn't want to live without sex."  

Later again. A mom is telling another mom that she and her husband will be staying in a hotel in next weekend for the BC Games, just the 2 of them (as their son will be in athlete accommodations).  He says, "It will be a bit of the honeymoon we never had."  The other mom comments, "The camping conversations we have now are very different than they used to be!"

L

Sunday July 13

Reading Harry Potter aloud at the campsite. 

The oldest two are getting set to paddle the kayaks back while Dad takes the stuff on the passenger ferry. 

 

L

Friday July 11

First filming day (of two). We needed native islanders so we got some. 

They found some good mud and cedar fronds and made costumes. 

Then we filmed a scene or two. 

And they had to try to get mud off after. 

It really needed some good scrubbing. 

L