The Great Outdoors

I’ve just returned to mom and dad’s apartment after walking along the ocean into the village of Oak Bay.  The wind and salt spray were exhilarating.  I’m known for being forgetful and speaking hyperbolically, so take that into consideration when I say that it was one of the 2 wildest winds I’ve ever walked in. The other was also on Vancouver Island a few years ago when Jim and I went with mom and dad on a brief holiday up the west coast of the island.  In Courtney it was blowing so hard Jim could hardly open the car door.  Mom and dad stayed inside and we walked along the municipal dock in a gale that almost ripped the hair off our heads.  It was the same wind today.  I had to wash the salt off my glasses when I got back and my cheeks and ears are still tingling.  I love wild weather, and I’m glad that I have such short hair now it looks better the more it’s blown around. 

Speaking of hair reminds me of Jay.  I talked with him on Skype this morning at 6:00 a.m. as always.  I mentioned that his hair looked good, and he laughed and said that the kids were starting to call him grandma because his hair gets curly as it grows long and in Korea the only people with curly hair are women of a certain age who get perms.  So now I look like a 20 something Korean man, because they often have hair my length and dyed slightly red like mine, and he looks like a Korean grandma.  I was glad to hear that the South Koreans are staying calm throughout this period of tension.  Their war games with the U.S. were delayed by fog, which Jay said was very thick in the morning, but they are going on now.  The North has finally declared that they aren’t going to retaliate.  The fact that their big Chinese ally is less than eager to back them might have something to do with that. 

The wind continues to whip around the yard and the sky remains grey, so I don’t think we’ll see the eclipse of the moon on this night before the winter solstice.  I had hoped we would.  It was very windy and cloudy early yesterday afternoon but by about 3:30 it had calmed down and the sun came out.  I was walking by the ocean when it cleared.  Half a rainbow touched the horizon and Mount Baker was suddenly there, bright white across the water with a round cloud moon rising on its left.  It was spectacular.  But it doesn’t look as if that will happen today.

Tomorrow, a new latch will be installed on the hatch back, and the Mazda will be ready for the road again.  WD 40 turned out to be a temporary solution only.

It’s almost 10 p.m., I’m back at Barbara and Terry’s and the sky has cleared.  I’m going to post this blog and try to think of something else to keep me awake until midnight because the sky is clear at the moment and I’m hoping to watch the eclipse.