Dog Days are Done!

Leaves quietly make their way south, turning in their time and falling soundlessly. Colours are changing from vivid to vibrant and with them, we change our activities from outdoors to in. The last few days have meant that our nights are cooler, quilts on and blankets for feet when we watch a movie or read a book. But what a summer it has been!!
Our summer started with a new addition, fruit of our womb and blood of our blood. Mo chuisle. A bright and shining star in the universe! Celebration of life is my passion and it is, as I have said many times, more than what I do, it is who I am! We adore this wee Miss, adore her and her parents completely! When we think on all of our blessings, we are grateful to overflowing for all the gifts that come straight from our children. They are becoming 'family' themselves, expanding on what we started close to thirty years ago.
My lover, best friend, chosen partner, father of my children, husband and I spent a bit of our summer exploring. We explored beaches and coves, starfish and jellyfish, dolphins and seals, seaweed and sea asparagus. This list is just the start! I watched seals do something remarkable- and something I have never noticed before! A seal would 'flop' repeatedly in one place, creating a sonic boom of sorts. My hypothesis is that this might stun fish and bring them closer in so the seal could eat. It would happen in the evening, most every day we were out. My announcement would go something like this: "SLAP" Oh, there's a seal out there. "SLAP" Fish spanking again. "SLAP" Quick, did you see it?
And we would paddle toward the sound, wondering again what the purpose of this behaviour mught be! Oh yes, paddled! We paddled around Cortes Island, exploring this summer. We enjoyed a few nights camping right out of our kayaks in our wee tent on a deserted beach or island. Cortes has a terrific counter culture right on the island, a wonderful group of very interesting individuals! And there is a coffee shop and Health Food Co-op in Manson's Landing that deserve some high praise!
We paddled a bit on Quadra Island as well before heading south on the island. A highlight for both of us would definitely be paddling the inner harbour of Victoria on BC Day! It was glorious and hot, a perfect finish to a couple of weeks of marine exploration! We have pictures of each other in our kayaks, posing against the back drop of the Empress Hotel or the BC Legislature Buildings. Unsurpassed beauty in the charming capital of our province.
Blackberries and friendship capped off our time on our way north, reconnecting and edifying one another joyfully. Is there any other way?  This time away was so relaxing and gave us a time to simply enjoy being together.
With family as a focus, we have had very little 'on our own' time, as we planned! We have enjoyed pouring our lives into our kids and making our family our number one priority. But this year, we celebrate thirty years married. We have grown older, grown softer and gone grey--well, I have anyhow! We have cried and laughed, lived and loved and lost and still, we are deeper and deeper in love as the years go on. We count our blessings daily, praying for each of them and keeping in touch. Our relationships stay at the top of the heap and we place them as our top priority! So, when we are able to carve a little time away, we are so grateful! And with our aging, we are finding more commonalities- some of them things we never imagined we would have in common!
So, as summer, progresses and Fall falls, we take joy in routines, plan excursions and family times, look at calendars and make decisions. I have more Doula Trainings booked and am open to more births, as is my passion! I take delight in the small things and breathe thanks for each day. 
And in this all, I am grateful.

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