the reverse curve of time

~ From Julia ~

Up at 8:00 am. Had coffee on deck. Rylee a soon to be 6 year old granddaughter to Ron and Helen wanted to come over and draw with Coop at the table. It was a sweet way to end our time together. Everyone was ready to leave Roscoe Bay by 10:00 am because entering and exiting Roscoe Bay is dependent on the tides. We were the last to leave. Nate headed to Refuge Cove in Grasshopper to pick up a few things like ice and drop our garbage and recycle. Cooper and I headed up Waddington Channel in Crow to Walsh Cove. Nate would meet up with us along the way. Coop dropped anchor and stern tied us in Walsh Cove. Looked like a lovely place. Plenty of boats but the cove is large. Nate arrived and took Sweetpea for a sail. Coop and I went off on the paddle boards. There are great little spaces to explore in between small clusters of rocks that change with the tides. Sometimes they are like swimming holes and other times you can practically walk from one to the next. In other areas the tall rock walls go straight up to the sky. It is quite impressive. Even falling off the paddle board made me laugh and I didn’t loose my hat or sunglasses. We sure have lucked out on the weather and it continues to be warm and lovely for swimming.

Today’s late lunch was tuna sandwiches. After lunch we thought it would be fun to take a sunset cruise farther up Waddington Channel to the Brem River and see waterfalls. We would go part way up Toba Inlet. We got into Grasshopper and I was driving.It was incredible. Coop took lots of photos. The waterfalls were especially breathtaking leaving us in awe of the power and beauty. Rock walls so high with waterfalls that start at the very top and flow down with such force and volume of water that by the time it gets to where we are you can feel it in the spray and you can smell it! The views we saw will never be forgotten. At least that’s what I tell my sons, “I will never forget this until I do and then I want you to remind me and tell me the story over and over again.” I know forgetting happens whether we want it to or not. They understand that and I know they will be patient, as the Curve of Time comes. We were quite a way into Toba Inlet when we decided it was time to head back. All three of us were wearing sunglasses, wet swimsuits and the sun was beginning to pass over the mountains and it was not as warm as it had been. It was gorgeous to see the changes in the light.

Not long after we turned around and headed back to Walsh Cove, Grasshopper’s engine started acting funny. It seemed to loose a little power. My childhood was spent on motorboats and I know things can sometimes go wrong. We kept our cool and slowed down and tried to remember to look at the scenery. It was clear that we knew this was not a good place to have motor issues. There was not another boat in sight anywhere and needless to say being surrounded by tall rock walls made cell service unavailable. Let this be a safe learning experience, I thought inside my head as I began to count backwards starting with 1000, 999, 998… slowly…silently…tapping my fingers on the steering wheel silently. We were a quiet group. Every now and then one of us would smile to another or say something like ‘we’ll be ok.’ Not sure how many minutes it took us but I was just about to 200 when we saw Walsh Cove back entrance. Long sighs of relief and thanks. Gratitude.

It was goodnight we said to each other, love you.